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Version: 18

Structural modeling

From the beginning of Consteel’s development, user-friendly structure modeling has been at the forefront, allowing the engineer to build the structure from real structural elements. In the engineering model built by the engineer, the structure is made up of whole elements (beams with haunches, tapered beams or columns, tension braces, slabs, etc.), completely separate from the automatically generated finite element (calculation) model required for analysis and design. Accordingly, the engineer can focus on modeling the appropriate structure.

warning

When modeling, the different functions and options should be applied carefully and the limitations of the applied analysis model should be taken into account, because improperly used modeling options may result in incorrect analysis and design results.

All functionalities connecting with the structural modeling are placed on the Structural members tab. Due to the high importance and wide range of modeling possibilities the functions of the cross-sections and joints are collected in separate modules: Section and Joint.

📄️ Stiffener

The modeling of various web stiffeners is currently available for welded I- or H-type cross-sections. Other types of sections will be available later. The effect of the stiffeners is only taken into account during analysis and design if the finite element of the member is shell, where the stiffeners will be automatically included in the mesh during the finite element division. Analyzing with the normal 7DOF beam finite element, these objects are neglected. The only exception is, that the warping stiffness of the perpendicular stiffeners can be considered also in the beam representation of the member if requested.