This tab covers the overall settings of the project including project information, material properties, factors and settings (analysis options).
Project Information
Project: Project name.
Location: Location of the project.
Date: Date printed on the report (defaults to the current date).
Client: Name of the client.
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Designer: Name of the design engineer.
Job Number: Job number for the project.
Description: Long form description for the project.
Material Properties
Concrete
f’c: Final compressive strength of the beam concrete (often referred to as the 28-day strength).
f’ci: Concrete compressive strength at time of release of the prestress in the casting yard, or at time of stripping of members without prestressing. The release strength cannot exceed the final compressive strength. This is used for all stripping and handling analysis. It may also be used for erection (user input).
f’ct: Final compressive strength of the topping concrete (often referred to as the 28-day strength).
Unit weight: Density of the concrete used in the beam.
Concrete type: Beam concrete type can be designated as normalweight, sand-lightweight, or all lightweight.
Ec: Modulus of elasticity of the beam concrete at final. This value will be calculated and updated when f’c or the unit weight of the beam are changed.
Eci: Modulus of elasticity at time of release of the prestress in the casting yard, or at time of stripping of members without prestressing. This value will be calculated and updated when f’ci or unit weight are changed.
Ect: Modulus of elasticity of the topping concrete at final. This value will be calculated and updated when f’ct or the unit weight of the topping are changed.
Topping weight: Density of the concrete used in the topping.
Topping type: Topping concrete type can be designated as normalweight, sand-lightweight, or all lightweight.
Rebar
fy: Yield strength of the rebar. Note that rebar can (and usually does) have a different yield than WWR.
Es: Modulus of elasticity of the rebar.
WWR
fy: Yield strength of the welded wire reinforcement. Note that rebar can (and usually does) have a different yield than WWR.
Es: Modulus of elasticity of the welded wire reinforcement.
Strand
fpu: Ultimate tensile strength of prestressing steel.
Ep: Modulus of elasticity of prestressed reinforcement.
Losses: Specify whether losses are calculated or defined by user.
Humidity: Relative humidity (percent).
Initial Loss: Initial loss of prestress immediately after release of prestress in the casting yard (percent).
Final Loss: Loss of prestress used for shipping and in-place calculations (percent).
Release Time: Time when release happens. Used in the loss calculation for transfer.
Erection Time: Time when erection happens. Used in the loss calculation for erection.
Load Combinations
Load combinations can be enabled and disabled by using the include check box. Auto select load combinations will turn on only the combinations which match your load input’s load types.
Strength Combinations
Import default strength and service combinations from the currently selected specification. You need at least one strength combination to run the analysis.
Service Combinations
Import default strength and service combinations from the currently selected specification. You need at least one strength combination to run the analysis.
Settings
Deflection / Camber Options and Multipliers
Input | Description |
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Span Options | This input determines what 'L' to use when determining the allowable deflections Main Span: Sets L to the distance between supports Current Span: Sets L to the distance between the nearest left boundary condition and nearest right. For cantilevers this will use the cantilever length. Total Length: Sets L to the length of the member. |
Allowable Deflection | Sets the limit for deflection multipliers for both total and live load deflections. The deflection limit is always L, as defined above, divided by the inputted value. |
Transform Reinforcement | Tells the program how to handle reinforcement transformation when calculating section properties for deflections. |
Use mild to reduce deflection multipliers | Tells the program to follow the PCI Design Handbook to reduce the camber and deflection multipliers based on the ratio of As to Ap. |
Include Dnc for construction deflections | If checked, non composite dead load will be included in the construction stage. |
Flexure
Input | Description |
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Use plain concrete strength when controls | Uses the plain concrete flexure strength as a lower bound for the flexure capacity. This reduces flexure failures at the ends of members before reinforcement has developed. Calculation is based on ACI 318-14 Section 14.4. |
Method | Selects the method by which the program will compute the force in the concrete. |
Neutral Axis | Selects which neutral axis will be used for flexure capacity. Uniaxial: Will not rotate the neutral axis Biaxial: Will rotate the neutral axis so the section reaches static equilibrium Principal Axis: Uses the principal axis' angle for the neutral axis |
Ignore shear when checking 1.2Mcr | Ignores the limitation on 2.0 Vu < phiVn when checking Mcr |
Ignored Distance | How far from the members end should be ignored when checking flexure capacity |
Shear
Composite Behavior | Tells the program to use either the precast section for shear, or the full composite height for shear. If the composite height is used for shear the minimum concrete strength is used. |
Treat as Slab | If the member is being treated as a slab, it allows Vu to go up to phiVc before reinforcement is needed. |
Torsion
Method | Selected whether to use the ACI Method, Zia Hsu method (with plate bending near ends) or slender spandrel for handling torsion |
Transfer
Support Locations | Picking what boundary conditions to use for the transfer stage. |
Compression Limits | Limits for compression. |
Tension Limits | Limits for tension. If this value is exceeded, reinforcement will be required. |
End Zone | The end zone limits for transfer are within the computed transfer length of the ends of the member. |
In-Place Service
% Live Load Sustained | How much of the live load is sustained. This value is used for both stress computations, and loss computations for creep. |
Mod. Rupture | Modulus of Rupture |
Skin Reinforcement Cover | Skin cover to be used for serviceability cracking requirements. |
Compression Limits | Limit for compression stresses for both sustained load and total loads. |
Tension Limits | Limits for tension for when the member changes from Class U → T → C |
Development Options
Ktr | Value to fine tune development length calculations |
Ignore strand when calculating spacing | Instructs the program to ignore strand when locating nearest bar for spacing calculation |
Development multipliers | Multiplier to apply to the computed development lengths |
Stress Calculation Options
Use Principal Axis | If turned on, the program will account for member asymmetry when computing stresses. |
Ignore Horizontal Strand Eccentricity | If turned on, the lateral eccentricity for strand will be set to 0 when calculating stresses. |
Transform Reinforcement | Tells the program how to handle reinforcement transformation when computing section properties for stresses. |
Ignore Topping Stresses | If enabled, the program will not check topping stresses. |