Beam Design in MasterSeries 2018
Posted on December 14th, 2018 in Webinars
Summary
This presentation introduces the MasterSeries software suite, focusing on its comprehensive beam design capabilities for steel, concrete, and timber structures. It highlights three main product tiers: the "Big Building Design Suite" for large-scale projects, the "PowerPad Suite" for smaller buildings and elemental work, and individual modules for specific tasks like beam or connection design. The demonstration primarily delves into the standalone beam designers, showcasing their intuitive interfaces for creating, loading, analysing, and optimising various beam configurations, including continuous spans and cantilevers. It also briefly covers the more advanced "MasterFrame" program, which offers greater flexibility for complex, multi-member structures and biaxial bending analysis, while differentiating the features and limitations of the commercial, PowerPad, and free student versions of the software.
Key Points
- Beam Design Software
- MasterSeries Software Products
- Steel and Concrete Design
- Timber Beam Design
- Frame Analysis Features
Description
MasterSeries offers a range of software products for structural design, including the Big Building Design Suite for large-scale projects, the PowerPad Suite for smaller buildings and elemental work, and individual modules for specific tasks like beams, connections, or masonry. This summary will focus on the beam design capabilities and related analysis within the MasterSeries software.
MasterSeries Product Ranges and Modules The core analysis modules include portals, beams, and frames, with optional additions for wind, seismic, dynamic, and finite element analysis. Design modules cover steel, concrete, composite, connections, timber, masonry, retaining walls, pile caps, and RC detailing.
Beam Design Capabilities The software offers powerful beam designers for steel, concrete, and timber beams, which can be used as standalone programs or as additional licenses with a large network license.
• Steel Beam Designer:
◦ Highly controlled system for steel beam design.
◦ Allows configuration of 1, 2, 3, or 6-span beams, or starting from scratch.
◦ Supports customisation of span data, support conditions (pinned, fixed, cantilever).
◦ Enables selection of steel grades (e.g., S355) and design codes (e.g., EC3 with UK national annex).
◦ Offers extensive loading options, including uniform distributed loads (UDLs), point loads, partially distributed loads, and variable/trapezoidal loads.
◦ Allows moving loads and supports graphically to find worst-case scenarios for deflection and moments.
◦ Performs design checks including Appendix G for unrestrained compression flanges, and allows interactive section size changes.
◦ Automatically updates analysis for section size changes and offers "auto-design" to find optimum sections.
◦ Can apply one section for all spans by default.
◦ Generates detailed design output, including critical forces and design checks, and can print bending moment and shear force diagrams.
• Concrete Beam Designer:
◦ Identical interface and loading inputs to the steel design, making it very popular.
◦ Supports Eurocode pattern loading.
◦ Useful for ground beams on piles, allowing movement of pile supports to average out loads.
◦ Requires setting design rules for bar sizes (e.g., 16s), number of bars (e.g., four bars throughout with two legs), cover, curtailment (e.g., simple detail), and concrete grade.
◦ Provides a "shortcut to design" and "auto design" feature.
◦ Allows interactive changes to bar diameters and configurations, including options for laps and bar dragging.
◦ Can export DXF files of detailed reinforcement (e.g., for AutoCAD) and produce bar schedules.
◦ Highly configurable for links, including multiple links, open links, single-leg links, and U-bars.
• Timber Beam Designer:
◦ Uses the exact same interface as other beam designers.
◦ Supports single-span beams and allows design to Eurocode.
◦ Enables specification of material (e.g., glulam 24h) and section sizes.
◦ Includes options for load sharing and length factors.
◦ Comes with a standalone version for "flips beams".
Frame Analysis (MasterFrame)
• Offers greater flexibility than simple beam programs, handling more members (50 members in the free version, up to unlimited in full versions).
• Can handle biaxial bending (moments in two directions) and axial loads, which are not possible in beam designers.
• Supports member rotation using "beta angles" to simulate inclined members and perpendicular loading, useful for purlins.
• Allows for complex loading cases, including dead, live, and wind loads in multiple directions, with default Eurocode loading cases that can be created, imported, and edited.
• Performs static space frame analysis and provides graphical results for bending moments (major and minor axes) and deflected shapes.
• Includes torsional design for concrete members, adding additional steel and links when significant torsion is present.
• Can analyse frames with haunched or tapered steel sections.
• Supports user-defined non-standard sections (blobs) for analysis, though not for design.
Versions and Accessibility MasterSeries offers different versions based on scale and functionality:
• Full Versions: Unlimited members for frame analysis, up to 16 spans for beam designers.
• PowerPad Suite: Includes 1-3 span beam designers and frame analysis up to 100 members. A PowerPad 500 version also exists.
• Free Software: Simple beam designers for one-span steel and concrete beams, and one-span frame analysis for steel and concrete. It does not include the timber beam designer or composite beams.
• Student/Educational Version: The PowerPad Student Edition is available for coursework and can do three-span continuous beams or multiple continuous beams using frame analysis up to 100 members. Student versions are not compatible with commercial versions and are not available on Macs.
◦ To access, search "PowerPad Student Edition" on the MasterSeries home screen or follow direct links.
Customisation and Further Information
• Custom Sections: Users can add new sections to existing databases, import historic/alternative sections (e.g., American, Chinese), and create built-up welded sections.
• National Annexes: The software includes British national annexes, and users can create their own national annex documents by setting favourable/unfavourable values, allowing adaptation for any country using Eurocodes.
• Technical Support: More information is available in the client area, including technical notes and videos on topics like creating national annex documents or using databases. Sample files for beams and frames are also available for download.
• Contact: For trials or upgrades, contact Tommy White at tommy@masterseries.com or the helpdesk at help@masterseries.com. A 14-day free trial is available