Shear Wall Design Basic Data and Defaults

The Defaults menu allows for the setting of parameters that will apply globally to the design of wall piers and coupler beams within a project. As well as setting the grades of both the concrete and reinforcement for the wall designs, the default and allowable reinforcement sizes and spacings can be set for both the wall pier and coupler beams designs. For the wall piers, the default design method for pier subdivision can also be set as a global parameter.

The Defaults area is accessed by selecting the   icon. The layout of the Defaults area is shown below.

Each area covered by the Defaults setup can be accessed by selecting the relevant tab.

Grades and Cover

The Grades and Cover input allows the global reinforcement grade to be set, along with the basic cover. The reinforcement grade applies throughout the model, while the cover can be amended within each wall pier and/or coupler beam design.

Wall Piers

The wall piers default area is shown below. The inputs here define the default reinforcement, design method along with the allowable reinforcement diameters and spacing for use with the auto design function.

The options for the Design Methodology are explained in the section on the wall pier design.

Wall Coupler Beams

The wall coupler beams default area is shown below. The inputs here define the default reinforcement bar diameters and bar numbers/spacings. The Span/Depth limit gives control over when the software defines a beam to be ‘deep’ and so controls when the software will attempt to use the

Defaults drop down

Once the required defaults settings have been input, the settings can be saved for use with other model files. This is done using the Save as Default option. To revert to the standard Masterseries defaults, select the Reset to MasterSeries Defaults option.