Week 1 Challenge

1.1
• Select STAAD Import from the backstage.
The Import from STAAD.Pro dialog opens.

• Click ...) in General settings to browse and select a STAAD.Pro (* std) file to

• Select Use Mapping File in Section Mapping settings, and then click [...] to browse and select a mapping file to
import. Note: Mapping files are delivered with AECOsim Building Designer, and are named using analysis program names. Their function is to compare two lists of section data, and to map the STAAD.Pro sections to the corresponding sections in AECOsim Building Designer. They are located in the active configuration ConfigurationDatasets (active dataset]Datadata folder

• Set the catalog type and catalog instance assignments for the imported member types. This data is used by AECOsim Building Designer to rebuild the members' structural data as defined in the structural member
catalogs.

• In Steel settings, select a section definition that is to be designated as the Default Section Name. This section
definition is applied to imported members whose section data is not available in AECOsim Building Designer.

• Check Verify to scan the imported file for unknown sections. The Unknown Sections dialog appears providing an opportunity to write the unknown sections to the active XML section definition file before importing.

• In Revision Tracking, check Use Design History. Design History tracks changes to a DGN file. Viewing details about the revision by using the controls on this tool.

• Click Import. The update design dialogue appears. Review detailed information about each imported member and select which ones you want to import before accepting them into the target DGN file.
Note: Update Design Results contains Load Case and Load Combination data imported from the STAAD.Pro (*.std) file.

• Click Update to complete the import process.The structure is updated.

1.2
To create a new isotropic material definition for use with your model, use the following procedure.
You may want to set the input units to a familiar set of units for defining materials before creating a new material definition.
STAAD.Pro includes a set of predefined materials for concrete, aluminum, steel, and stainless steel.
1. Select the Materials page in the Analytical Modeling page control bar.
The Material - Whole Structure dialog and the Materials table open.

CONCRETE

ALUMINUM

STAINLESSSTEEL

STEEL

1.3
YES

1.4 Modeling is the heart of structural design in STAAD Pro. If you have done the modelling right, half the road is travelled. Let us learn how to do modelling in STAAD Pro.
Let's first learn how to create a 3D Space frame Model. For creating a new model, open STAAD Pro and Select “New Project”.

A new model window pops up, Select space in type, Give your structure a name, brows location where you want to save this structure ( try to have a separate folder for structure, as there will be lots of files prepared along with STAAD Pro. model file). Select length units, force units and press next.

Once you press next, types of options by which you can model a structure window opens. Select each type and you can see description of that type of modelling method. Let us learn one by one.
1. Add beam: Description says “Begin building your model by creating new joints and beams using the construction grid, drawing tools and spreadsheets.'

Once you press finish, it takes you to the snap beam mode. Where you can set grids and draw beams at intersections of the grid lines. Here are the options of snap beam grid window. All the options of the snap beam window are explained in separate tiny topic.

Snap to the grid intersections and start modeling your structure. Make sure the grid is in the plan you want to model your structure in. Once, finished with modeling, press close to close the grid lines. You can reopen grid from Geometry - Snap/Grid Node - Beam. (You can also snap/grid plates and solid.)
2. Add Plate: Same as Beam.

3. Add Solid: Same as beam

4. Open Structure Wizard: Description says “Begin building your model by using standard, parametric structural templates for trusses, surfaces, bay frames and much more."

One you finish, it will direct to the structural wizard window. Here you can find
many predefined structural template files from which you can change
parameters and make one of yours. You can save changed model as a new
template file for your future use by save as that file. More on structure wizard
can be found in separate tiny topic.
Select model type and sub type.

5. Open STAAD Editor: If you are fully conversant with STAAD Pro. editor, you can use this method to model. Definition says “Begin building your model using STAAD syntax commands (non-graphical interface) through the STAAD editor".

6. Open building planner mode: This is the new mode created in STAAD Pro. SS6. It's one sub part STAAD Pro. so, we will learn it in some other topics. Its definition says “Begin building your model using Building Mode (graphicalinterface)."

7. Edit job Information: if you don't want to directly start modeling but want to add information about the project first, you have to choose this mode. It will direct you to job information edit window where you can place all the
information and comments regarding the model.

1.5
In STAAD.Pro Physical Modeler, the general order of operations is that you first select physical objects and then assign properties or perform some operation on the selection.
This differs from STAAD.Pro, where there are many tasks in which you select the operation, property, or specification first and then assign that to some list of model objects.
Comparison of Order of Operations
In this example, the operation of assigning profile sections to a selected set of beams is compared.
STAAD.Pro Physical Modeler
1. Select the members which all have the same section.

2. Select the section tool in the Assign properties group on the Member ribbon tab

3. Select the profile to use and click OK

Analytical STAAD.Pro Modeling User Interface
1. Add the profile you want to use from the Section Database

2. Select the member property in the Properties dialog. 

3. Use the cursor to click on members with this property.

2.2

Tool name
Nodes Cursor
Beam Cursor
Plate Cursor
Solid Cursor
Geometry Cursor
Members Cursor

2.3

1. You need to prepare the geometry tab.

2. Then specify the properties tab.

3. Then assign the materials tab.

4. Run Design Tab

5. Assign specifications tab and run analysis.

2.6
• After analysis a structure has to be designed to carry loads acting on it considering a certain factor of safety.

• In India structures are designed by using various Indian codes for both concrete and steel structures.

• The design in STAAD.Pro supports over 70 international codes and over 20 U.S. codes in 7 languages.

• After designing the structure it is again analyzed and results of analysis for each beam and column is shown in the output file

3.1
A STRUCTURE can be defined as an assemblage of elements. STAAD.Pro is capable of analyzing and designing structures consisting of frame, plate/shell, and solid elements. Almost any type of structure can be analyzed by STAAD.Pro.
SPACE
PLANE
TRUSS
A3D framed structure with loads applied in any plane. This structure type is the most general. This structure type is bound by a global X-Y coordinate system with loads in the same plane. This structure type consists of truss members which can have only axial member forces and no bending in the members.
A 2D or 3D structure having no horizontal (global X or Z) movement of the structure [FX, FZ. and MY are restrained at every joint). The floor framing (in global X-Z plane) of a building is an ideal example of a this type of structure. Columns can also be modeled with the floor in a FLOOR structure as long as the structure has no horizontal loading. If there is any horizontal load, it must be analyzed as a SPACE structure.
FLOOR
Specification of the correct structure type reduces the number of equations to be solved during the analysis. This results in a faster and more economic solution for the user. The degrees of freedom associated with frame elements of different types of structures is illustrated in the following figure.

3.2
STAAD uses two types of coordinate systems to define the structure geometry and loading patterns.
1. Global coordinate system 2. Local coordinate system
Global coordinate system The Global coordinate system is an arbitrary coordinate system in space which is utilized to specify the overall geometry & loading pattern of the structure.
Conventional Cartesian Coordinate System This coordinate system is a rectangular coordinate system (X, Y, Z) which follows the orthogonal right hand rule. This coordinate system may be used to define the joint locations and loading directions.
Cylindrical Coordinate System In this coordinate system, the X and Y coordinates of the conventional Cartesian system are replaced by R (radius) and (angle in degrees). The Z coordinate is identical to the Z coordinate of the Cartesian system and its positive direction is determined by the right hand rule
Reverse Cylindrical Coordinate System This is a cylindrical type coordinate system where the R- plane corresponds to the X-Z plane of the Cartesian system. The right hand rule is followed to determine the positive direction of the Y axis.
Local coordinate system A Local coordinate system is associated with each member (or element) and is utilized in MEMBER END FORCE output or local load specification. Each axis of the local orthogonal coordinate system is also based on the right hand rule. Note that the local coordinate system is always rectangular. A wide range of cross-sectional shapes may be specified for analysis. These include rolled steel shapes, user specified prismatic shapes etc..

3.5

When the FIXED or FIXED BUT type of support is specified, for those degrees of freedom which are to be treated as fully restrained, STAAD assumes the displacements to be known quantities whose value is zero. Hence, those degrees of freedom are not considered for the stiffness matrix, and their value is not calculated. (For the FIXED BUT support type, if any degrees of freedom are assigned a spring using the KFX thru KMZ terms, those are treated as unknowns and their displacements are calculated).
When the ENFORCED or ENFORCED BUT type of support is specified, for those degrees of freedom which are to be treated as restrained, STAAD assigns a spring with a very high spring stiffness - translational stiff springs for translational restraints, and rotational stiff Springs for rotational restraints. Those degrees of freedom which are free to displace are assigned springs of zero stiffness. Hence, for all the 6 degrees of freedom at such supports, the displacements are calculated. The ones which have a stiff spring will end up having a negligible displacement, and those with zero-stiffness-springs will have a displacement based on the structure geometry, properties and loading.
The following are some of the ramifications of using the two support types.
1) Even though the two types follow different approaches, the end result - joint displacements, member forces and support reactions - should be the same.
2) Since the number of unknowns is less in the former method compared to the latter, the time required to compute the results will also be comparatively less using the first method. If the model is large, there may be a significant reduction in time required to perform the analysis.
3) For supports directly attached to plates or solids, if the supports are subjected to artificial displacements (called sinking support or support settlements), the effects caused by such displacements can be computed only if the ENFORCED type of support is used. In STAAD, support displacement loads cannot be applied to such models when the FIXED type of support is specified.
4) For the ENFORCED BUT type, there is no provision to specify a spring constant. The only choices, which are built into the program, are - zero stiffness or very high stiffness. So, if a user plans to assign his/her own spring constant, the FIXED BUT type is the only choice.

Practical procedure