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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
2.- Verify that the Spreadsheet button is pressed in the Home tab and select the Conn
worksheet.
3.- Use the Delete selected connections button in the Active spreadsheet tools group in the
Spreadsheet tab to erase all the connections in the model.
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
Note. - Previous start assigning the connections, the user should take care to make distinction
between inclined beams and braces in the worksheet to let the program assign the connections
correctly. For that:
Select all the braces of the model, go to Members/ Connectivity and description worksheet and
change No to Yes by making double click on the Brace cell.
Once the user has done this distinction, he is ready to start assigning connections.
To customize the connection design press the Design configuration button in the lower right side in
the Connections group on the Modules tab. The customization includes the configuration of the load
conditions included in the design, design standard, maximum strength ratio limit and structural
integrity.
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
Select all load conditions and keep a stress ratio limit of 1.0 (default value). The structural integrity
is a design parameter only for the BS 5950-1:2000 design standard.
In order to apply any command you have to use the 'select and apply rule'. So, first, select the whole
structure. Press Select all elements button in the Selection group on the Home tab.
Now you are ready to assign your first connections. As a first try you need to know exactly the
required connection on each joint. A recommended procedure is to design individually each joint and
evaluate the obtained connections.
Select the Design each connection individually option pressing the Assign button.
Then press the Basic Connections button group and select the Basic SP (Single Plate) connection
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
Single
Plate BCW connections designed individually for each joint.
It is possible review the particularities of each connection selecting this and pressing the Edit button
in the Connections group on the Modules tab.
Note that some connections require 4 bolts while others require only 3 bolts. Let’s suppose that for
construction we decide to adopt the same connection for all BCW connections.
Select all the structure (pressing ), deactivate the option for design each connection individually.
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
Press again the button to assign single plate connections ( .) You can select the BCW
connections and you will see that all BCW connections are with 3 bolts (as expected). The other
families have also 3 bolts. When you design by group you can obtain the same connection for each
family independently of the related sections and materials of the joints.
It is possible check the status and strength ratio for the current load condition pressing the Status
button. It also possible to check the ratio for the controlling load combination; in order to do that,
select the option For the controlling load combination in the menu of the Status button. Notice that a
different ratio is shown for each connection.
Similarly it is possible to have the stress ratio pressing the Stress ratio button.
Notice that you can select all connections that have an OK or N.G. status pressing one of the
following buttons.
You can print a summary report. Select all the structure and go to the Output tab and select
Design/Connections in the Reports group. Finally choose Group by tag in the Connection design
dialog. With this report you will obtain a summary of all adopted connections with their main
characteristics and the critical strength ratios.
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
Now you can continue with the design of the moment connections.
Press Hinges button in the Model group in the View tab to view all the hinges of the structure (you
have to select previously all members). The moment connections will be designed only for the fixed
joints.
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
Select all the structure (pressing ), activate the option to design individually each connection and
select the Basic FP Bolted connection. To see the designed connections pick samples
of the FP connections (one for BCW and one for BCF), go to the Home tab and finally activate
Connections/Select all connections of the same type option pressing the Elements selection button .
(pressing ), press the Gusset button and select CBB_DA (Column, Beams and Braces-Double
Angle) connection .
As you can see 6 CBB Connections were assigned.
Now you have finished the connection design. Notice that the task was performed very fast and in a
simple way. What you need to know now, is how to configure your connections design. This will be
shown in the next sections.
If you want to review in detail a connection or several connections of the same type and members,
select it and press the Edit button in the Connections group on the Modules tab.
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
For example select the SP BCF connections of the first floor (perimeter columns) and go to the
detailing of connections.
Review all the data for the selected connections in the connection pad. You can print the data or the
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
To upload the design of the connections, press the Redesign button in the Connections group in the
Modules tab. Note that the strength ratio for the critical load is now under the new limit and that some
connections have been modified to comply with the new limit.
A dialog window showing the available connections grouped in folders will appear:
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
Create a new group with the button. Enter a name for the new group of connections. For the
example you can adopt the "MyShearConnections" group.
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Enter the name, family, type, design code and press OK. In this case enter the options shown in the
figure.
With the former table selected, press the button to create a new connection.
Notice that the name of the template is used to identify the connection and has to be unique in the
whole database (including all folders). Thus you have to assign a name that describes the geometry
and main characteristics of the connection.
The following window will be displayed:
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
For this case accept all the default values, pressing the Close button.
Common tools are available for the manipulation of the drawing area in the status bar. Also specific
tools are available in the 3D Options and DXF Options to manipulate the drawing area in the
Extruded View and DXF View respectively.
Right click in the drawing area allow manipulating the views and perspective for the extruded view.
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
The help context ( ) is also available to give technical information related to the current parameter
to be edited (where the cursor is located).
example, place the cursor at the connection SP_1/4_BCF_2_3/4 and press the button as shown
below:
The new item will be copied with the name “SP_1/4_BCF_2_3/4 – Copy(1)”. Introduce the new
name of the connection accessing the connection pad with the button. For this example use
SP_1/4_BCF_3_3/4.
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
Edit the new connection. In this example change the number of bolts from 2 to 3 and press the OK
button. Note that the connection is displayed with 3 bolts and that the length has automatically
changed to fit the bolts.
Change the number of bolts from to 2 to 3 for the new template. Enter the desired name for the
template.
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
Select the former generated folder. Press the button “Copy items to clipboard”. Open Excel and
paste it in a worksheet
The spreadsheet will look similar to the following figure:
Note that each column of the spreadsheet contains the different values of a specific parameter of the
connection. You can use the different tools available on Excel to copy or change the values. In this
example copy the data line (row 4) 4 times. The following columns will be edited in the following
way:
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
The name and the number of bolt rows (Nrow) are changed.
The user can keep or even erase the rest of the columns. In the latter case the connection will take the
default values.
Once the data is defined, the user may proceed with the generation.
Then select ALL the information and copy the data to the clipboard (Ctrl+C)
Press the Copy items from clipboard button to paste the connections into the database.
The program will ask if the existing connections are going to be replaced. Answer yes and then a
message with the number of generated connections (6) will be displayed.
The following connections will be generated:
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As you can see, this way of generating the connections is fast and allows creating the complete set of
templates that a design office may need with the required custom values.
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There are groups of connections that are predefined by the program and cannot be edited but it is
possible to define a new user’s group. For this purpose, select the “USER” group in the “Toolbar”
combo box.
Press to define a new group. Enter the name of the group (My group).
Select the desired template or group of templates and press the button. Repeat the process until
you have assigned all the connections of the list. Note that the order in the list is very important
because it will define the priority in the selection of the template. To change the order in the list you
You can assign an adequate bitmap to your button. Press and select the bitmap for the single
plates.
Remark: You can create your own bitmaps with any drawing tool like PaintTM.
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
Dialog window for selecting the bitmap for the new assigning button.
Now you have a new button ready to be used in the connection design with your single plate
connections. You can try it in the model following a similar procedure was performed with the basic
connections.
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
Then press the Smart Connections button group and select the Smart SP (Single Plate)
connection.
As you may notice the different Single Plate connections have been assigned to the model. To view
the main designed parameters, press the Edit button in the Connections group on the Modules
tab. If you review the results of the design you can see that they are similar to the results obtained
with the basic connections in the first part of the example. Notice however that the result for a design
by group will not be the same because the program will design an optimum connection for each
subgroup (same family and member sections).
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
Next, from the available template list, select from the Base Plate Connection group the template as it
is show in the next figure.
Choose Smart Fixed Uniaxial Base Plate as the template for the connections.
If there are braces connected to the joint then choose the Smart Gusset Base Plate template.
Choose Smart Gusset Base Plate as the template for the base plate with braces connection.
Press the Edit button in the Connections group on the Modules tab to check the main design
parameters from the selected connections. In this window select the Analysis tab to review the results
of the base plate analysis.
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
Choose the Concrete stresses option to display the bearing stresses at the concrete support.
This Analysis tab has the following options:
Concrete stress : Display the bearing stresses at the concrete support for the Condition and Axis
selected.
Anchor tension : Display the tension at the anchors for the Condition and Axis selected.
For a detailed connection report, select the Extruded view tab and choose the Results option.
The report shows all the verifications performed for the connection.
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
The report of the Base plate connection include detailed information of the analysis and design of the
base plat
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Chapter 3: Connections examples for RC-RA
The critical groups of anchors considered in the design are reported at the end of the report for the
design axis.
Remark: The anchors are designed for the code ACI 318-08 and due method compatibility only are
available when the design method selected is AISC 360-05 LRFD.
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