MasterSeries Composite Beam Design - An Introduction Pt 1

Posted on April 26th, 2019 in Getting Started

Summary

The sources provide a detailed demonstration of the steps involved in creating and designing simple composite beams using the MasterSeries Composite Beam Designer, operating under the EN1994 design code.

Here is a summary of the composite beam design process demonstrated in the sources:

1. Initial Setup and Design Code

The process begins by starting the MasterSeries software (specifically the free version) and accessing the Master Beam composite beam designer. A new file is created.

The design code is set to the EN1994 with the UK National Annex.

2. Defining Beam Geometry and Loading (Floor Tab)

The primary member being designed (the red member) is initially set to 9 meters in length.

Key geometric and loading details for the first beam design include:

• The distance to the two adjacent secondary beams is set to 4 meters, resulting in an average supported width of 3.5 meters.

• The beam is designed as unpropped.

• The use is defined as office use with a 4 kilonewton imposed load.

3. Deck and Concrete Properties

The deck selected is a Multi-deck 60.

• The slab thickness is set at 130.

• The concrete properties are: 2350 density and a concrete cube strength of 30.

• The modular ratio is set to auto, which provides a more accurate assessment than manually setting it to 10 or 15.

The effective concrete width override is discussed. These values are initially based on the span and length. For the initial design, the effective concrete width used is 1125. If there were an opening in the slab, this value could be reduced (e.g., to 501 on one side), though this only affects the effective concrete width, not the loading.

4. Dynamic Information and Section Optimization

The design moves to the third tab (Dynamic Information).

• The steel section size is changed to a 355 grade UB.

• The studs are specified as 19 by 100. Although the software initially suggests 98 mm studs, the user overrides this to use 100 mm high studs. Using studs that are too high (e.g., 120 mm) would prompt a warning, requiring the studs to be reduced or the deck increased.

The demonstration then focuses on optimization to find the lightest working section:

1. Checking by Depth: Starting from the default 457 section, the user walks down through the list (which is listed in depth order) until all failure indicators ("lights") turn white, meaning the section works. The 356 section fails due to a deflection problem, being 5% out.

2. Checking by Weight: Using a button, the list is sorted by weight order instead of depth order. The lightest section found that works is a 406 by 14014. The auto design feature can also be used to find this section.

5. Adding and Re-Optimizing for Extra Loads

The demonstration includes adding additional loading to the 9-meter beam:

• Point Loads (Dead Loads): Two point loads of 18 kilonewtons (representing dead loads from two walls) are added at 2 meters and 4 meters.

• Partial UDL (Variable Load): An additional variable (live) load of 2.5 kilonewtons is added as a partial UDL between 2 meters and 4 meters.

These additional loads cause the optimized section to fail. The section is re-optimized, and the lightest section that works under the new loading is the 457, 152, 52 kilograms.

The default mesh is adjusted from 98 to 142.

6. Stud Configuration Efficiency

The efficient stud configuration for the design is determined to be one stud per trough.

• Looking at alternate studs would require a deeper beam and result in a shear connection problem.

• Two per trough is considered overkill.

• Three per trough is prohibited by the Eurocode.

7. Secondary Edge Beam Design

The designer then demonstrates setting up a second file, designated "beam two," maintaining much of the previous data.

• Beam two is configured as an unpropped composite secondary edge beam by removing the area loading from one side.

• The lightest section for this edge beam is found to be the 406 section, but a lighter 31 kilogram version.

The sources note that the software may find it more economical in certain instances to use a non-composite design. However, when the composite functionality is disabled by setting the concrete rate to 0 for this specific edge beam, the design fails.

Summary with Timestamps 

The following table provides a summary of the MasterSeries Composite Beam Designer demonstration, organized chronologically with the corresponding time stamps and source citations.