Project

Job Ref.

S-FRAME NOTES SOFTEK Services Ltd.

#275 - 13500 Maycrest Way Richmond, BC, Canada V6V 2N8 Tel: +1(604)273 7737 Calc. by Date Section Sheet no./rev.

FE Modeling: Loads
Chk'd by Date App'd by

1
Date

Support

20/07/2007

Varying Loads on FE Walls

S-Frame does not have a tool for varying pressure loads on FEs. Loads can be applied to an FE mesh in two ways:

1. Directly to elements using the Uniform Pressure Tool 2. To the joints of the mesh. This can also be done indirectly by lacing beam elements
through the mesh, and applying loads to the beam elements. If the Uniform Pressure Tool is used, a varying load will need to be approximated in a step-wise fashion.

E.g. say the lateral pressure varies linearly from zero at the wall top to 5kN/m2 at the wall base. Say wall height; H = 5m ; Max pressure; Pmax = 5 kN/m2 Pressure/height coeff; row1; row2; row3; row4; row5; h1 = 0.5m; h2 = 1.5m; h3 = 2.5m; h4 = 3.5m; h5 = 4.5m; ph = Pmax/H = 1.000 kN/m2/m p1 = h1ph = 0.500 kN/m2 p2 = h2ph = 1.500 kN/m2 p3 = h3ph = 2.500 kN/m2 p4 = h4ph = 3.500 kN/m2 p1 = h5ph = 4.500 kN/m2 Total Load; PT = PmaxLH/2 = 125.000 kN

Calculate 5 constant pressures at midpoint of shell rows to approximate varying load:

Check total load on wall; Wall length; L = 10m;

Project

Job Ref.

S-FRAME NOTES SOFTEK Services Ltd.

#275 - 13500 Maycrest Way Richmond, BC, Canada V6V 2N8 Tel: +1(604)273 7737 Calc. by Date Section Sheet no./rev.

FE Modeling: Loads
Chk'd by Date App'd by

2
Date

Support

20/07/2007

S-FRAME Model

Varying pressure for each row of FEs.

This is the correct result.

Project

Job Ref.

S-FRAME NOTES SOFTEK Services Ltd.

#275 - 13500 Maycrest Way Richmond, BC, Canada V6V 2N8 Tel: +1(604)273 7737 Calc. by Date Section Sheet no./rev.

FE Modeling: Loads
Chk'd by Date App'd by

3
Date

Support

20/07/2007

Alternative Method Member Loads on Dummy Members

Lace members through the FE mesh. Members are not real, they are just providing a convenient loading method. Assign members low section properites and/or material properties and use the TRUSS type of element so dummy elements do not enhance wall stiffness. Calculate varying line load for each element tributary width for inner members is the element width, for external members is half this. FE element width; be = 1m wmax_i = Pmaxbe = 5.000 kN/m wmax_o = Pmaxbe/2 = 2.500 kN/m Max load intensity for inner members; Max load intensity for outer members;

Use the S-FRAME varying member load tool to apply this load.

Results are same for both methods. Second method requires more modeling effort, but perhaps applying load is easier.