COMPUTERS AND STRUCTURES, INC.

, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA JUNE 2008

TUBULAR STEEL FRAME PUNCHING LOAD CHECK

TECHNICAL NOTE

OVERVIEW OF PUNCHING LOAD CHECK

This Technical Note presents a brief overview of tubular steel frame punching load check features in the program. The punching load check is available for both working stress and LRFD design. The checks are based on the requirements presented in the American Petroleum Institute 1993 and American Petroleum Institute 2000 references.

General
The punching load check is a part of the steel frame design. It is only available when the steel design code is set to API RP2A-WSD2000 or API RP2A-LRFD 97. The steel design code is set using the Design > Steel Frame Design > View/Revise Preferences command. Important Note: The punching load check is applicable to steel pipe sections only. The punching load check is not performed for other types of frame sections. When the steel design code is set to API RP2A-WSD2000 or API RP2A-LRFD 97, three menu options associated with punching load design are displayed on the steel frame design menu (Design menu > Steel Frame Design command). Those menu items are API Punching Load Joint Assigns, Start API Punching Load Check, and Interactive API Punching Load Check. Unlike the steel frame design/check, which proceeds on a frame-elementbyframe element basis, the punching load check proceeds on a joint-by-joint basis. The Design menu > Steel Frame Design > API Punching Load Joint Assigns command allows you to view and modify the program determined punching load data for a selected joint. A joint must be selected for this command to be active. Refer to Punching Load Assignments for more detailed information.

General

Page 1 of 2

Tubular Steel Frame Punching Load Check

Overview of Punching Load Check

The Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Start API Punching Load Check command starts the design check. This command becomes active after a steel frame design/check has been performed using the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Start Design/Check of Structure command. The Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Interactive API Punching Load Check command puts the program in a mode where punching load design is interactively checked at a selected joint. This command becomes active after the punching load check has been performed using the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Interactive API Punching Load Check command. When the program is in the interactive design mode, right clicking a joint starts the interactive design. Note that by default, after the punching load check has been performed using the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Interactive API Punching Load Check command, the program is automatically put in the interactive design mode. Refer to Interactive Punching Load Check for more detailed information.

Punch Loading Check Methods for API RP2A-WSD2000

For the API RP2A-WSD2000 punching load check, two check methods are available. They are the punching load method and the nominal load method. As mentioned in Section 4.3.1 of the American Petroleum Institute 2000 reference, these two methods are intended to give equivalent results. Indicate the desired punching load check method using the steel design preferences, which can be accessed using the Design > Steel Frame Design > View/Revise Preferences command. The punching load method preference item is only available when the steel code is set to API RP2AWSD2000.

References
American Petroleum Institute (API). 1993. Recommended Practice for Planning, Designing, and Constructing Fixed Offshore Platforms Load and Resistance Factor Design; API Recommended Practice 2A-LRFD (RP 2A-LRFD). First Edition. July. American Petroleum Institute (API). 2000. Recommended Practice for Planning, Designing, and Constructing Fixed Offshore Platforms Working Stress Design; API Recommended Practice 2A-WSD (RP 2AWSD). Twenty-First Edition. December.

Punch Loading Check Methods for API RP2A-WSD2000

Page 2 of 2