Webinar Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis Professional

10/06/2015
RC Design: workflows for slabs, walls and wall
foundations reinforcement design

Artur Kosakowski
Rafał Gawęda

© 2013 Autodesk
 Welcome to Autodesk Help Webinar Series!

Where do we announce?
▪ www.autodesk.com/help-webinars
▪ Autodesk RSA Forum
▪ BIM Toolbox

© 2013 Autodesk
 What are « Webinars » and how they are
intended to work

▪ What: Focusing on one or several topics in

order to give solutions for problems frequently
submitted to the support team

▪ How : The webinars will be the combinations

of slide presentations and live use of the
program followed by Q & A sessions

These webinars are not supposed to be extended training sessions.

© 2013 Autodesk 3
 Topics covered in this “Webinar” and what we plan
for the next one:

▪ This Webinar :
▪ How to create a model
▪ How to define loads and load combinations
▪ How to design elements such as slabs, walls and
deep beams in RC design modules
▪ How to define RC design parameters
▪ Tips and common errors

▪ Next Webinar : Tips and tricks in Robot

© 2013 Autodesk 4
 How to create a model
▪ Create slabs in such way which allows you for easy definition of
design parameters

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 How to create a model
▪ For better accuracy of the results it is suggested to create a slab
as number of smaller panels when you calculate cracked
deflection with use of the elastic method

➢ Equivalent stiffness of
RC plate (see: Help) is
calculated for each of
the panels separately
which is important for
different loads on each
of spans
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 How to create a model
▪ To obtain unidirectional behavior of a slab in a model you may use
the orthotropic thickness definition and reduce the value of Young
modulus in the direction the slab is not supposed to “work”

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 How to create a model
▪ For a raft foundation you can define elastic soil as either:

➢ parameter of its thickness (recommended as it allows for display of

soil stress map)

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 How to create a model
➢ elastic planar (surface) support.

Do not use both definitions at the same time as the defined soil
stiffness will add up
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 How to create a model
▪ Slabs at different levels

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 How to create a model
▪ RC Walls should be defined as a single panels between levels
of floors rather than a single panel running through all the
height of a model

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 How to create a model
▪ Core walls

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 How to create a model
▪ Openings in slabs and walls

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 How to create a model
▪ Deep beams should have their structure object types set as
panels rather than walls

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 How to create a model
▪ Supports

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 How to create a model
▪ Linear releases

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 How to define loads and load combinations
▪ There is no automatic pattern loading generation. In case this is
needed live loads should be defined on each of spans as
separate load cases. It is suggested to do so only for currently
designed level (story) to avoid excessive number of
combinations.

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 How to define loads and load combinations
▪ In order to avoid the effect of unrealistic shortenings of RC
Columns under self-weight from above stories you can apply
load in stages (phases)

Additional references to the discussions on this topic can be found on the

Robot Forum:
http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/robot-structural-analysis/load-
sequencing-construction-stages/td-p/4568689
© 2013 Autodesk 18
 How to define loads and load combinations
▪ Mind that you should use both ULS and SLS combinations for
calculations of slab reinforcement. Designing reinforcement for
SLS combinations only may produce incorrect results.
▪ All code required types of SLS combinations should be defined

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 How to design elements from a model in RC design
modules
▪ Selection of forces included in the slab reinforcement design

You can exclude small axial forces from reinforcement calculations

selecting the simple bending type as well as exclude negligible bending
moments using the compression/tension
one.
Mind that for some codes there is
large difference between minimal
area of reinforcement for elements
under pure tension (such situation
may happen for the bending +
compression/tension in locations
where bending moment is zero)
and under simple bending.

© 2013 Autodesk 20
 How to design elements from a model in RC design
modules
▪ Minimal reinforcement of slabs

At the stage of calculations of required

area of reinforcement you may not know
what bar diameter will be finally used
therefore you may assume it as larger one
for safety reasons (arm of internal forces;
cracks). In such case for lightly loaded
slabs you may get large area of
reinforcement due to maximal allowed bar
spacing. This effect can be disabled by
marking the indicated check box.

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 How to design elements from a model in RC design
modules
▪ Limiting slab deflection by additional reinforcement

When you mark reinforcement adjust for deflection Robot

generates additional reinforcement in the locations where
calculated cracked stiffness of a slab is smallest. In some situations
this may result in having very large area of reinforcement in
isolated places across the slab.

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 How to design elements from a model in RC design
modules
▪ Limiting slab deflection by reducing crack width limit

Alternative approach is to
reduce the allowable crack
width which will result in
having much more uniform
distribution of reinforcement
in a slab as additionally needed
reinforcement is distributed on
larger area of a slab.

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 How to design elements from a model in RC design
modules
▪ Calculations of “cracked” slab deflection

➢ The equivalent stiffness method is the approximated approach

based on scaling displacements obtained from the static analysis
of a model.
➢ The stiffness update method is based on calculations of entire
model with each element of a panel having its stiffness updated
(reduced) according to calculated area of reinforcement and
crack width.
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 How to design elements from a model in RC design
modules
▪ Averaging forces for a slab model defined as number of smaller
panels

✓ Global averaging of forces should only be used for the situation

when a slab is modeled as number of smaller panels and there are
no adjoining panels defined in another planes. Otherwise this
option should be switched off.

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 How to design elements from a model in RC design
modules
▪ Do not average forces for situations as below

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 How to design elements from a model in RC design
modules
▪ Reduction of peeks of bending moments over point supports

As the values of bending moments in these locations are larger than

existing in reality you can reduce them based on the actual size of
a support (column).

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 How to design elements from a model in RC design
modules
▪ Reduction of peek of bending moments over point supports

The range of the reduction depends on the mesh therefore you

should match sizes of surface elements and with real dimensions of
supports.

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 How to design elements from a model to RC design
modules
▪ Reduction of peek of bending moments over point supports

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 How to design elements from a model to RC design
modules
▪ Reduction of peek of bending moments over point supports

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 How to design elements from a model in RC design
modules
▪ For a strap foundation under a wall with defined linear support
at the bottom edge use the RC Spread footing module in the
continuous footing mode

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 How to design elements from a model to RC design
modules
▪ Design of a continuous footing is based on reactions imported
from selected support nodes.

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 How to design elements from a model to RC design
modules
▪ The orientation of a slab imported from a model is governed by
the local X axis of a panel (as defined in a model)

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 How to design elements from a model to RC design
modules
▪ Design of provided slab reinforcement is based on selection of
panels that represent it in a model

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 How to design elements from a model to RC design
modules
▪ Manual definition of reinforcement zones
As program deletes overlapped reinforcement bars it is
recommended to use a basic panel while creating a smaller
reinforcement zones on top of larger one.

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 How to design elements from a model to RC design
modules
▪ Punching verification
The check is based on real sizes of supports or
columns and takes into account difference in
values of bending moments at their opposite
sides

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 How to design elements from a model to RC design
modules
▪ Design of RC Walls
The design of provided reinforcement in a vertical panel can be
done either in the RC Slab Required Reinforcement module (when
out of plane bending cannot be neglected) …

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 How to design elements from a model to RC design
modules
▪ Design of RC Walls

… or in the RC Wall Design module for in-plane forces only

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 How to define design parameters
▪ Design of RC Walls

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 How to design elements from a model to RC design
modules
▪ Design of RC Deep Beams is based on required reinforcement

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 How to design elements from a model to RC design
modules
▪ You can change RC Deep Beam
geometry after importing
a panel from a model

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 Common errors
✓ Do not calculate cracked deflection of a raft foundation defined
on elastic soil. Check displacements from static analysis instead.

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 Common errors
▪ Marking constant values of KZ for linear or planar supports

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 Common errors
▪ Direction of reinforcement set as perpendicular to a panel

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 Common errors
▪ Surface support with blocked UZ defined for a slab (why there is
no or very small deflection ?)

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 Common errors
▪ Maps in zones are not areas of reinforcement in these zones

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 Useful tips :
▪ Direction of reinforcement for circular slabs

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 Useful tips :
▪ You can change type of column if it has been incorrectly classified

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 Useful tips :
✓ Check if defined zones cover whole slab

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 Useful tips :
▪ Design of slab reinforcement with use of a substructure

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 Useful tips:
▪ Main vs. perpendicular and top vs. bottom reinforcement

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 Useful tips:
▪ Top and bottom provided reinforcement tabs show the same (top
or bottom) reinforcement distribution

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 Useful tips:
▪ There is no punching verification for columns under beams

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 Useful tips:
▪ To add new reinforcement bar grade or diameter select and edit
reinforcement bar database

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 Useful tips:
▪ In the same way it is possible to add or edit the list of wire fabrics
(meshes)

▪ The description tabs provide information about each of the columns

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 http://knowledge.autodesk.com

Troubleshooting Articles – this is a new page focused around your most

common troubleshooting problems:
http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/robot-structural-analysis-
products/troubleshooting#?sort=score

© 2013 Autodesk
 Questions ?

Please feel free to ask questions using « GoToMeeting » Questions tab now

We may not be able to answer all questions during the webinar. Please post them on the
Robot forum after the presentation.
© 2013 Autodesk 57
 Next webinar session on 8/07/2015 for the following topic :

Tips and tricks in Robot

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