Release notes

Release notes IDEA StatiCa Concrete 20.1

Oct 06, 2020

Concrete

Detail 2D

Checkbot

RCS

Beam

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Introduction

The new version of IDEA StatiCa is here! We bring another batch of new features and improvements to enhance the design of your concrete projects. No matter how complex is your concrete project, IDEA StatiCa delivers:

Complete code-checks
Advanced analysis types
The unlimited topology of cross-sections and reinforcement layout
All 2D concrete details
Reports that get the project done

Our users currently do this through separate applications - Detail, RCS, and Beam. We are thrilled to introduce you to a brand new application in IDEA StatiCa Concrete - Member. It will unify all the design and code-checks of all reinforced concrete members in one place, integrated into your FEA software. Member will be available in BETA for all users with any concrete license of IDEA StatiCa.

Besides this whole new app, you can find improvements in our code-checking engines:

Partially loaded areas
Fatigue check

Next to that, we prepared some improvements on the IDEA StatiCa licensing to enable you flexible and comfortable license management.

We hope you will enjoy all our new features and improvements and would love to hear your feedback anytime.

Calculate yesterday’s estimates!

Concrete Member BETA

Release 20.1 brings a new application for Concrete design - Concrete Member BETA. Model, reinforce, and code-check a critical concrete member in minutes.

Geometry

Thanks to our new application, the user can easily design and assess spatial reinforced concrete structures consisted of 1-D elements, beams and columns. In the future, it will be possible to analyze structural 3-D members of any topology.

Load

The load can be applied in the direction of any member axis via the line load. Endpoints of related members can be subjected to point forces (and moments) that represent nodal forces obtained from global analysis.

Reinforcement

Using our well-known dialog, the user can design longitudinal reinforcement and stirrups in each member. The predefined templates can speed up the whole process of reinforcement design. Every group of longitudinal reinforcement, as well as stirrups, can be easily edited in the Property window.

You can define several reinforcement zones along the length of the member and create a complicated reinforcement layout including various spacing of the stirrups and longitudinal reinforcing bars lengths.

Analysis

Several different analysis types will be available for one structural model. Currently, only Linear analysis can be performed, but other types of analysis will be implemented in the following releases.

Four types of analyses will be available to analyze concrete members. Now, a linear analysis can be run in Concrete Member Beta, the other three types of analyses are in development or in the stage of their final tunning.

Linear analysis (LA): implemented in Concrete Member Beta

Geometrically and materially non-linear analysis, including thermal analysis (GMNA): in development

Compatible stress field method 2D (CSFM 2D): developed/improving (CSFM is available in IDEA StatiCa Detail)

Compatible stress field method 3D (CSFM 3D): in development

Section check

After linear analysis, the user can run a detailed section check using the application RCS, which automatically chooses the most utilized sections on analyzed members and assess them.

Available in Expert and Enhanced edition.

IDEA StatiCa Detail

Partially loaded areas

This article is dedicated to the topic partially loaded area.

Reinforcement in Partially Loaded Area

You can design the reinforcement in the partially loaded area in a more effective way since version 20.1. The reinforcing bars are part of the CSFM model, and the bond between concrete and bars is treated as perfect.

About Partially Loaded Area

This feature is suitable mainly for precast and bridge structural engineers who are dealing with significant reactions in the bearings or concentrated prestressed forces from the tendons in the beams. The benefit is hidden beyond non - conservative design, saving material and money.

We have figured out how to deal with triaxial stress in partially loaded areas. In these areas crushing of concrete is allowed, and the resistance of concrete in compression can be raised due to transverse confinement according to valid standards (Eurocode). The increase of the resistance can be up to 3 times the cylinder strength of concrete.

The partially loaded area can be found on every structure. Some typical examples are bridge diaphragms with an area above the bearings, areas under the anchor, or concentrated load on the edge of the wall. Partially loaded areas are designed according to the requirements of the Eurocode and simultaneously are restrained by model geometry (openings, thickness, edges, abrupt change of cross-section).

The increase of concrete resistance can be considered if the confinement is kept. Due to this condition, reinforcement bars are automatically added to pass the condition regarding confinement and Eurocode provision.

This functionality guarantees that models are getting converge and simultaneously comply with design criteria for valid standards (Eurocode). The implemented method is independent of the finite element mesh. The bearing capacity is increased with the changing of the concrete area. The consequence of this state is constant stress along with the height of a cone. Dispersed fictitious struts affect artificially the stiffness of the cone and correctly redistribute the transverse stress, which appears in this area. The density of each dispersed strut is increased to the direction of the applied load.

Known limitations come out from the standards valid in Eurocode.

Cones cannot coincide
The area A_c1 and A_c0lie on the resultant of the acting force

IDEA StatiCa RCS

Fatigue check

In previous releases when assessing concrete for fatigue, the stress in the concrete was calculated based on the parabolic-rectangular stress-strain diagram.

According to Eurocode the tensile strength of concrete shall be ignored and a linear stress-strain relationship for concrete under compression shall be used. Now for fatigue verification, we use the same stress-strain diagrams as in SLS checks, i.e., an unlimited linear stress-strain diagram.