the designing of bracing connections in tekla structures
TRANSCRIPT
Saimaa University of Applied Sciences Technology, Lappeenranta Double Degree Program in Civil and Construction Engineering Ilia Sukharev The designing of bracing connections in Tekla Structures by using custom component Bachelor’s Thesis 2019
ABSTRACT Ilia Sukharev The designing of bracing connections in Tekla Structures by using custom component. 55 pages,1 appendix Saimaa University of Applied Sciences, Lappeenranta Structural designing Double Degree Program in Civil and Construction Engineering EDELVEST Bachelor’s Thesis 2019 Instructors: Petri Himmi, Alexei Kuznetsov The objective of the study was to improve the process of designing steel constructions in Tekla Structures by creating and using the intelligent custom component system. As a result of the work carried out, the component for vertical bracing system was created and the main working principles of intelligent custom component system were explained. In addition, this thesis includes information about the bracing system in steel constructions and general information about Tekla Structures software. In the empirical part of the study the main concern was to find out the ways of how to make the component fits in different types of vertical bracings or make a parametrical component. The work is based on a real project implemented in a Russian company. The results obtained can be applied to a working process of steel construction designing as for manual providing advanced information about the custom component system. Keywords: Tekla Structures software, steel constructions, Custom Components
Table of Content 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 4 2 BRACING SYSTEMS IN STEEL STRUCTURES ............................................ 5
2.1 Definition and functions of bracing system ................................................ 5 2.2 Types of bracing systems ...................................................................... 6 2.3 Types of bracing .................................................................................. 10 2.4 Bracing connections ................................................................................ 12 2.5 Bracing elements designing .................................................................... 17
3 TEKLA STRUCTURES SOFTWARE ............................................................. 21 3.1 General information ................................................................................. 21 3.2 Main features ........................................................................................... 24
4 CUSTOM COMPONENTS ............................................................................. 29 4.1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 29 4.2 Action sequencing ................................................................................... 29 4.3 Testing ..................................................................................................... 48
5 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................... 53 REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 54 APPRNDIX 1 CUSTOM COMPONENT PROPERTIES .................................... 55
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1 INTRODUCTION The idea of this thesis is linked with a real project. The thesis report was
accomplished within a 2-month working period in EDELVEST company in Saint
Petersburg under the supervision of the leader of the company and a teacher of
steel construction Saint-Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil
Engineering Mr. Aleksey Kuznetsov and the instructor of the thesis working at
Saimaa University of Applied Sciences Mr. Petri Himmi.
It is evident that one of the most time-consuming part of designing steel
constructions is creating connections between structural elements. It requires
paying a lot of attention in order not to make mistakes. The most common
problem is that the snapping system of Tekla Structures is not very accurate in
order to increase the working speed of the program. Thus, if a mouse is used
for snapping quite frequently it appears that dimensions of elements have
fractional portions, for example 270.001 mm. Therefore, if there occur mistakes
in this part then later during the process of producing drawings it will be
necessary to come back and eliminate the mistakes. Moreover, a steel structure
can be quite big and include a lot of similar elements and connections, so it may
appear that mistake was done only in one connection and then it was copied to
all similar connections. Thus, it is clear that it also takes a lot of time to fix it, but
if the custom components are used it is enough to fix it only one time and all
other elements will be changed automatically. Thus, the custom component
system is a powerful tool, it works like “block” element in AutoCAD and it also
can be parametric.
The idea of this thesis is to show users who are not experienced in using Tekla
structures how to simplify the designing process. Also, this thesis provides
information about the bracing system in metal constructions, explains why and
when they are required and what their purpose is. Besides this work would be
useful for the beginners who have just started working in Tekla Structures.
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2 BRACING SYSTEMS IN STEEL STRUCTURES
2.1 Definition and functions of bracing system Any steel structure consists of elements that carry the load in their own plane in
a sufficient way but flexible in an orthogonal direction (frames, trusses, etc.).
Thus, the first main purpose of the bracing system is to unite these elements in
one coherent space structure which is able to resist loads in all directions but
especially lateral loads such as wind, loads from a crane during braking,
seismic pressure, forcing from a pipeline, etc.
The second main purpose is to provide the sustainability of compressed
elements such as columns and top chords of trusses. It is necessary because
usually steel rods of a framework have a big length and a relatively small cross
section.
Also, sometimes bracing elements are required during the assembling of a steel
structure as supportive parts.
Figure 2.1 Example of a bracing system (https://theconstructor.org)
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2.2 Types of bracing systems
1) Transverse bracing elements between top chords of trusses
Figure 2.2 Transverse bracing elements (https://theconstructor.org)
The top chord of a truss can lose stability if stress has reached a critical value.
And the loss of stability will occur in one of 2 planes:
1. In the plane of a truss
An element that has lost its stability will stay in a plane of a truss. It means that
from a top view it will be imperceptible and the calculated distance for the top
chord stability equals the distance between the junctions (Figure 2.3).
Figure 2.3 Loss of stability in the plane of a truss
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2. Out of the plane of a truss
This type of stability loss can be marked from a top view. There are two
scenarios: if there are no bracing elements stability loss will look like this
(Figure 2.4).
Figure 2.4 Stability loss without bracing elements (https://theconstructor.org) But if bracing elements are installed, stability loss will appear only between
junction points and the whole situation will look like that (Figure 2.5).
Figure 2.5 Stability loss with installed transverse elements (https://theconstructor.org)
2) Vertical bracing elements between trusses
These elements are called assemblying elements because their main
purpose is to keep trusses in design position and prevent single truss from
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tripping over during the assemblying stage. These elements are located in a
span between trusses (Figure 2.6).
Figure 2.6 Vertical bracing elements
3) Horizontal bracing elements between bottom chords of trusses
Figure 2.7 Horizontal bracing elements (Gorev V.V. 2004. Metal structures. Moscow: Vishaya shkola)
This type of the bracing system is aimed to carry lateral horizontal forces
caused by crane braking and to transfer these forces to adjacent frames
which are less loaded (Figure 2.7). Hence, the spatiality of the frame is
ensured when lateral forces are causing horizontal displacements of the
frame.
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4) Vertical bracing system between columns.
Figure 2.8 (Vertical bracing elements between columns Gorev V.V. 2004. Metal structures. Moscow: Vishaya shkola)
This type of the bracing system is needed to:
1. transmit wind forces
2. transmit forces from crane braking
3. provide the stability of columns from the plane of the frame
4. serve as an assembling bracing system while columns are being
installed
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2.3 Types of bracing
1) Single diagonals
Figure 2.9 Single diagonals bracing elements (https://theconstructor.org) This type is formed by diagonal rods inserted into rectangular areas of a frame.
If this type is used it must provide resistance both to tension and compression
(Figure 2.9).
2) Cross-bracing
Figure 2.10 X-bracing (https://theconstructor.org) Unlike the first type there two rods crossing each other are used there. Another
difference is that these rods must be resistant to tension.
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3) K-bracing
Figure 2.11 K-bracing system (https://theconstructor.org)
The main feature of this type is that rods are connected to the
columns at mid-height.
4) V-bracing
Figure 2.12 V-bracing and inverted V-bracing (https://theconstructor.org)
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This type includes two diagonal rods coming from a central point on the lower
horizontal element and extending upwards to the top two corners of an upper
horizontal element. The opposite situation occurs when the inverted V-bracing
type is used. The V-bracing type decreases the buckling capacity of the
compression brace.
2.4 Bracing connections This thesis includes information about developing the custom component for
vertical bracing between columns, thus the information about typical
connections must be given here.
Bracing is usually connected with bolts rather than welds due to easier
assembling on a construction site.
This work being based on the project for the Russian company, all connections
are made according to the official document called “Typical building
constructions, products and junctions. Series 2.440-2. Junctions of steel
factories buildings”. This document contains a description of many different
types of connections. Some examples of connections are given below.
1) Connection between two diagonal rods at the midpoint.
Some junctions used in the mentioned project are implemented according to
this type of connection (“Typical building constructions, products and junctions.
Series 2.440-2. Junctions of steel factories buildings”).
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Figure 2.13 Example of mid connection (“Typical building constructions,
products and junctions. Series 2.440-2. Junctions of steel factories buildings”)
In the project it looks a bit different, but the general idea is the same.
Basically, this type of bracing includes 3 diagonal rods: one continuous rod with
a plate going through this element and two separated rods which are connected
to the plate with two bolts. In the project it looks as follows:
Figure 2.14 Mid connection in the project
And from another point of observation:
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Figure 2.15 Mid connection in the project.
1) Connections between a diagonal rod and a column
These connections are also designed according to «Typical building
constructions, products and junctions. Series 2.440-2. Junctions of steel
factories buildings” (Figure 2.16).
Figure 2.16 Example of a corner connection (“Typical building constructions,
products and junctions. Series 2.440-2. Junctions of steel factories buildings”)
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In the project model it looks as follows:
Figure 2.17 Corner connection
And from another point of observtion:
Figure 2.18 Corner connection
The exact sizes of plates depend on the rotation angle and profiles of diagonal
rods. Practically, the upper corner connections can differ from the bottom ones
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but the general idea is the same. As well as in the first connection the diagonal
rod is connected with the «main» plate with bolts, but all other elements such as
secondary plates and stiffeners are welded to each other.
It must be noticed that the “main” plate is not welded directly to the column in
order not to cause a source of tensions in welds. However, the main plate is
welded to the secondary plate which in its turn is welded to the column footing
and also to the column, it is not welded along the outline of the secondary plate.
On the other hand, there are a lot of types of column footings, in this case the
component includes only parts connected to the diagonal rod without main
plate.
Also, both of these connection types include stiffeners. Stiffeners
are secondary plates which are used in order to stiffen elements against out of
plane deformations.
The thicknesses of plates, the diameters of bolts and rods profiles must be
calculated properly in order to provide the required strength of the connections.
Distances between bolts and distances from the centre points of bolts to the
edges of the plate can be taken according to “SNiP II-23-81* steel structures”
(Figure 2.16).
Figure 2.16 Bolt distances (to “SNiP II-23-81* steel structures”)
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This picture represents the main rules regarding placing bolts according to
“SNiP”, where:
S1 – the distance between bolts
S2 – the distances from the bolt centers to the plate’s edges
db – the diameter of bolts
tmin – the thickness of the plates
2.5 Bracing elements designing
Before creating the custom component, profiles of rods and diameter of bolts
must be defined (Figure 2.17).
Figure 2.17 Defining of x-bracing elements cross-section
The initial situation to be calculated looks as follows (Figure 2.18):
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Figure 2.18 Initial situation
As you can see in Figure 2.18 the actual length of the calculated element is
4300 mm and the span between columns equals 2750 mm.
All calculations below are given according to SP 16.13330.2011 “Steel
structures”. It is an analogue of Eurocode in Russia.
All calculations are fulfilled in LIRA SAPR Software which complies with the
Russian norms in the best way. It is an analogue of Robot Strcutural Analsys.
According to SP 16.13330.2011 a cross section can be defined by the formula
(SP 16.13330.2011 “Steel structures”):
λ = Lef / i (2.5) Where:
λ – Ultimate value of flexibility which equals 120 for X type of bracing between
colomns (SP 16.13330.2011 “Steel structures”).
Lef – calculated length of the element (to SP 16.13330.2011 “Steel structures”.)
i – radius of inertia
And its turn the calculated length of the element is as follows:
Lef =0.7 * L (2.6)
i = 0.7 * L / λ= 0.7*4300/120=25.08 mm=2.51cm
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After the radius of inertia is calculated, the cross-section of a tube can be
defined (Figure 2.19).
Figure 2.19 Catalogue of tube profiles (GOST 8639-82)
Hence, the cross section of the tube is 70x70x6 mm.
Now the diameter of bolts for the mid and the corner connection must be
defined by the formula (SP 16.13330.2011 “Steel structures”):
(2.7)
Where:
Nb-value of compression/tensile (the actual value is taken from the model for
calculation)
d-diameter of bolts (this value must be defined)
n-amount of bolts (in this particular case there are two bolts
ns-amount of shear planes)
Rbs=0,41Rbun and Rbun= 500N/mm2 according to SP 16.13330.2011 “Steel
structures”
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γb- coefficient depending on an operating mode ( it equals 1 according to SP
16.13330.2011 “Steel structures”)
As it has been already mentioned, the value Nb is taken from the special
software for calculations in Russia (Figure 2.20).
Figure 2.20 Model for calculations
Thus, the considered part looks as follows (Figure 2.21):
Figure 2.21 Tensile/compression values in the elements
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Hence, Nb= 70,116 kN=70116 N
d=� 4𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝜋𝜋∗𝑛𝑛∗𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛∗𝑅𝑅𝑁𝑁𝑛𝑛∗𝛾𝛾𝑁𝑁
=� 4∗701163,14∗2∗1∗0,41∗500∗1
=14.76 mm.
As a result of the calculations 16 mm bolts are taken suitable for the future
project. After having carried out all these calculations the intelligent custom
component can be developed.
3 TEKLA STRUCTURES SOFTWARE
3.1 General information Tekla Structures is a powerful and flexible 3D BIM tool for steel and concrete
constructions designers allowing to cover the whole process of erecting – from
inception to completion. This tool is supposed to create a 3D model of a future
building which simplifies assembling and producing drawings for prefabrication
and manufacturing of steel structure elements.
Figure 3.1 Example of a model that is created via Tekla Structure Software
(www.Topengineer.ru)
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While designing any steel structure, preparing it for production, construction and
operation of buildings, it is required to create working documentation with a
proper and detailed description of all structural elements. It is necessary to take
into account the technology of production, construction and operation of the
structure. It is worth mentioning that Tekla Structures allows to accomplish all
these tasks sufficiently that is why this tool is very popular among steel
structures designers.
The high quality of the projects carried out in Tekla is ensured by the wide
range possibilities of the standard component library and the ability to create
custom parametric components that take into account Russian design
standards.
The use of Tekla Structures in designing of steel structures and in constructing
the largest stadiums, airports, hangars, bridges and shopping centers in Russia
has shown the expediency of using this software. At the same time, Tekla can
be successfully used in the design of relatively small objects, for example, metal
poles of power lines.
Figure 3.2 Example of the project
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Figure 3.3 Example of the project
In these pictures you can see quite a big model created in Tekla (Figure 3.2 and
Figure 3.3). It is obvious that working in 3D programs is much easier and more
effective than for example in AutoCAD because here at any moment you can
easily observe what you have done by rotating the model and looking at it from
different points of view. Also, using this program simplifies the process of
assembling. For example, a low-qualified worker does not usually understand
the drawings. Thus, he is not able to work with them, but he has a completed
3D model in his disposition it might be enough for him to understand the
process of assembling better.
Summing it up the key benefits of using Tekla Structures are as follows:
1) Extremely low system requirements. As a result, there is an opportunity
to create very large models using standard computers.
2) A multi-user mode. It means an opportunity for simultaneous work for a
large number of engineers in one project.
3) Automatic search for identical parts. Automatic numbering of parts and
assemblies.
4) Automatic marking of parts in assembly drawings.
5) Automatic generation of individual parts drawings with different sizes.
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6) Automatic generation of assembly drawings.
7) Automatic generation of reinforced concrete structures drawings.
9) Automatic generation of any tabular data in the drawings.
10) Automatic generation of any reports: both in WORD and in EXCEL
formats.
11) An opportunity to batch print the entire project.
12) Flexibility of editor settings.
13) Automatic updating of drawings with the removal of irrelevant data.
3.2 Main features
One of the main Tekla’s benefits is drawings production. Drawings in the Tekla
Structures are divided into types (Figure 3.2). General view drawings include
the most complete information about all structures that fall into the view section.
They are used for layout plans of structures, sections and spatial views.
Assembly drawings represent a single assembly, for example, a panel, a truss,
a beam, a column, or a section. They are used for assembly drawings and
prefabricated elements drawings. The last type is called a single part drawing,
here Tekla shows the exact dimensions of the part. The above-mentioned types
of drawings can be combined into a complex drawing, combining several types.
The picture bellow represents all available types of drawings.
Figure 3.2 Drawings types in Tekla Structure
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During drawings preparing a large impact is contributed by the type of a drawing
and the so-called layouts. A layout is the arrangement of frames, stamps and a
set of tables necessary for the correct reading of the result. In Tekla, layouts are
highly dependent on your environment settings. When working with the “bare”
model, we get only a limited set of standard drawings. But using the well-
developed environment that conforms with your needs can significantly simplify
the drawings producing process.
Figure 3.3 Example of a drawing.
Another “magic” feature in Tekla Structures is the custom component system. It
is a tool that allows to create different connections, parts, details and seams.
These types are presented below in table 3.1.
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Table 3.1: Custom component types
Type Description Examples
Connection This type creates
joint objects and
connects the ends
of secondary
parts to the main
part. It displays a
special cone
symbol which can
be one of 3
colors: green,
orange and red.
The color
depends on the
situation.
Beam to column connection
Part This type works
like AutoCAD
block. It can
constitute not only
a single part but a
number of those
tighten together.
It may contain
connections and
details. And does
not have a special
symbol.
Suppoting structure consisting of two
single colums with a frame and a
column footing. After being once
created it can be later copied and
easily modified.
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Detail It creates details
and connects
them to a single
part at a picked
out location.
The component
symbol is green. It contains stiffeners, holes, studs
and lifting brackets.
Seam It creates seam
objects and
connects parts
along a line
picked out with
two points. The
component
symbol is green
Panel-to-panel seams
In the frame of this thesis connections designing with help of the custom
component system is considered and described.
Another very useful and suitable feature is that Tekla has multi-users mode
which is irreplaceable in case of big projects. Multi-users mode allows several
people to work in one model at the same time. Tekla Structures multi-
usersmode only runs on TCP/IP-based networks (http://www.tekla.com).
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Figure 3.5 How multi-users model works in Tekla Strcutures
(http://www.tekla.com).
The picture above represents the working principle of multi-users mode. It is
required to use at least two computers to run the server. The first computer runs
the multi-users server. The second one contains the master model. The master
model is a special model from which and where the information is taken and
saved to. When another computer is connected to the server and works in multi-
users mode, it gets a copy of the master model, and after this model is modified
by a user, it is compared with the initial master model and all the changes are
saved to the master model.
It is a very convenient feature that perfectly fits both small and big companies
especially when a project takes a lot of time and it is reasonable to share a task
between two or more. Transferring the working model from one computer to
another computer does not solve the problem of effectiveness in a proper way
but if there are several engineers who are working at the same project at the
same time, it obviously will save a certain amount of time.
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4 CUSTOM COMPONENTS
4.1 Introduction The idea of this thesis appeared during the project development. As it was
already mentioned, one of the hardest and the most time-consuming parts of
designing steel constructions is creating connections and especially
connections between inclined elements like in a bracing system.
Figure 4.1 Project developed by our company
Figure 4.1 shows the model of the steel structure which has different bracing
systems that have been already described in chapter 2. All of them are inclined
and it does not matter for which type it is necessary to create a custom
component, because main principles are the same.
4.2 Action sequencing
1) Creating an initial connection
First of all, the connection itself must be created before uniting it into a single
intelligent component. In the frame of the thesis the vertical bracing
connection was designed and created. The picture below shows how it looks
like.
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Figure 4.2 Initial connection
For better understanding, the parts of the connection are named according to
their color. This connection consists of 3 diagonal square tubes 120x120x5, the
main plate (orange) going through the main part of the vertical bracing system
and having bolt connections with the secondary blue plates which in turn are
embedded into the square secondary tubes and welded to them (Figure 4.3).
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Figure 4.3 Initial connection from another point of observation
Also, the connection has turquoise secondary plates welded to the tubes and
stiffeners welded to these plates in order to prevent any loss of local stability
and to provide inflexibility.
2) Defining a connection
When the connection is ready, the custom component can be created.
There is a function called “define a custom component” in the application and
the components menu (Figure 4.4).
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Figure 4.4 Custom component defining
If clicking on it a special box will apear (Figure 4.5).
Figure 4.5 Dialog box
Here it is possible to choose a type of component, to name it and to write a
description. The next two tabs can be left unchanged for now.
Then component objects must be defined. In the case of the thesis they are
plates, bolts, stiffeners. Also, it is very important to include polygon and line cuts
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there. Then you will be asked to choose the main and secondary parts of the
connection. The previous step sets the choice sequence; it means that the main
part is picked in the first place. It goes without saying that there is only one main
part. Only after that, all secondary parts are supposed to be chosen.
3) Making the connection intelligent
When the component is created, a special symbol will be displayed.
Then it can be edited by right-clicking on the symbol and choosing “edit custom
component” (Figure 4.6). After that, the custom component editor and custom
component browser appear, also all basic views of the component are opened.
It is very suitable because there are no extraneous parts, so nothing disturbs
you (Figure 4.7). The custom component editor is the “brains” of the component
and in order to make it intelligent it is necessary to make some operations with
it. Till that moment, the component works in the similar situations. It can also be
suitable when there are a lot of similar bracings, so you can just leave the
component unedited and use it as it is. But If the situations differ from each
other the component must be taught how to fit these different conditions.
Figure 4.6 How to edit custom component
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Figure 4.7 “Brains” of the custom component
In the picture above you can see two dialog boxes. The right one is called
“custom component browser”. It displays all parts included in the component in
a tree-like structure and their properties such as name, class, profile, material,
etc. If right-click on a property 3 options will appear “Copy name, copy value,
copy reference”. The first option will just give a name of the property, the
second will give the exact value for example the number of class which the part
has. And the third option is the most vital because it allows to refer to it and it is
necessary when formulas are being created.
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Figure 4.8 Custom component browser
In the picture above you can see that all elements are divided into groups called
“input objects” and “component objects”. The first one includes the main and
secondary parts and the second one includes all other elements that form a
connection together.
Another dialog box is called “custom component editor” and it contains several
functions but the most important is “display variables”. This is the place where
formulas are created and also it displays the distances from a reference point to
a chosen plane. To see that distances it is necessary to choose an object by
simple clicking on it then references points appear. And now after choosing one
of them there will be an option called “bind to plane” (Figure 4.9).
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Figure 4.9 Binding to plane
In figure 4.9 you can see a list of options appeared when you click on any part of
the connection. The function “bind to plane” is one of the most important. It works
like a glue for your point. The thing is if you do not use it then the next time when
the component is used in different conditions than initial it will be located at the
same position where it was when created. And this option “glues” this point to a
plane and it will be there all the time. To see the created distances from points to
planes it is necessary to click “display variables” (Figure 4.10).
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Figure 4.10 Variables
In figure 4.10 you can see a portion of set distances. Practically they define the
position of created elements.
In this case there are several tricky moments. The angle of rotation is set by the
span between columns and the height of the floor and can differ from time to time.
Thus the aim is to “explain” the custom objects where they should be located
relatively main and secondary parts. For example, there is the orange main plate.
Figure 4.11 Main orange plate bindings
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Figure 4.11 shows all bindings that keep the main plate in a right place. The angle
of rotation of this plate should be the same as diagonal rods have and despite
angle cannot be set directly there are other options. In this case it is done by
binding both reference points of the plate to centre planes of rods. And as long
as the value is 0.0 mm plate will be placed rightly whatever the tubes angle
rotation is.
Hence by these simple manipulations all elements can have defined location.
But another serious task is to “teach” elements to change their dimensions
according to the main and secondary parts profiles. Initially profiles of main and
secondary parts are chosen according to calculation.
Figure 4.12 Protrusions
As you can see in Figure 4.12 the blue plate and light-blue plated have 10
millimetres protrusion form an edge of a tube. It is so because this plate is welded
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to the tube and this 10 mm distance is required to put weld there. Hence whatever
the profile of tube is these plates must be 20 mm wider. And the orange plate is
20 mm wider than the previous plates for same reasons. To comply with this
requirement formula is used (Figure 4.13).
Figure 4.13 Parameters
In the picture above you can see a list of parameters defining plates profiles.
Unlike the distances value types of parameter can be different (Figure 4.14).
Figure 4.14 Value types
P1 parameter is called “Main plate thickness” and it contains just a number
because thickness does not directly depend on the main and secondary parts
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profiles therefore it is showed in a dialog box of component in order to define it
manually. But the width can be defined automatically.
Figure 4.15 Plate profile defining
Basically, the p the late’s width depends on the profile of the main and secondary
parts. In order to calculate this value, the tube’s width is taken by clicking “copy
reference” and pasting it to another parameter, P7 in this case. Also, to make it
work, “=” symbol must be entered before the text, and reference functions must
be used. As the plate must be 40 mm wider than the tube, the formula looks like
this: =fP(Width,"ID307F5762-BDB8-464A-A7E6-499A02EC3D3F") + 40, where
“fP” is a reference function, “width” is a name of the parameter and “ID307F5762-
BDB8-464A-A7E6-499A02EC3D3F” is an object GUID which identifies which
part you are referring to.
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Figure 4.16 Reference functions
After the thickness and the width are set, a parameter for profile can be created.
The formula looks like this: ="PL"+P1+"*"+P2”, where “PL” is a plate profile, “P1”
is the thickness that is defined manually and “P2” is an automatically calculated
width. After that this parameter must be set as a profile for the plate. In order to
do this, an equation is added in the custom component browser for the plate
profile. It looks as follows:
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Figure 4.17 Adding an equation
Due to the fact, that the profile is calculated automatically, it can be hidden in the
dialog box. The profiles of other plates are defined and calculated in the same
way. And polygon cuts locations needed the for the plates to go through the rods
are set just by binding their reference points to the edges of the plates.
Another thing that must be taken into consideration is bolts and a distance
between them. As it was mentioned previously, the plates are connected with two
bolts, and the diameter is set by calculations. To choose this diameter, in the
dialog box a special parameter called “P11_diameter” must be entered. A value
type is “bolt diameter” must be chosen. As well as the profile parameter, “P11_
diameter” is added as an equation inside the custom component browser. This
parameter is shown in the dialog box, therefore it can be chosen manually. Also,
it was mentioned that the minimum distance between bolts according to “SNiP II-
23-81” equals 2.5*bolt diameter. The formula reflecting that looks like this:
=1+"*"+(2.5*P11_diameter). “1” here sets the number of created bolts, if we put
2 instead 1 there will be 3 bolts. In this case, the diameter equals 16 mm;
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therefore, the value of the whole formula equals 40 mm. This parameter is also
put in the custom component browser. Despite of the fact that, it is calculated
automatically, there is also an option to set it manually in case if the diameter is
small but the plate is very wide. As the bolt group connects two plates, the cut
length equals the total thickness of these plates, and the formula looks like:
“=P1+P5”. This parameter is hidden, and it is also added inside the custom
component browser, as well as the last parameter regarding the bolts called
P11_screwdin. This parameter defines the bolt standard and is shown in the
dialog box. It is very important that all the parameters connected with a certain
bolt group have a similar prefix like P11 in this case.
Figure 4.18 Bolts parameters in the custom component browser
After all these elements are binded to each other and all the parameters are set,
the variables list looks as follows:
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Figure 4.19 Variables list
Figure 4.20 Variables list
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Figure 4.21 Variables list
4) Editing the dialog box When the main part is done, it is time to make the working process with the
created component more comfortable.
In this case, the snapshot of the connection is added as thumbnail (Figure 4.22).
Figure 4.22 Thumbnail
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Now it looks as follows:
Figure 4.23 Thumbnail
Also, to make the editing process more comfortable, the picture is added in the
dialog box in .bmp format and pasted to the folder “bitmaps” which is located in
TeklaStrcutres folder. To insert it in the dialog box, a special file should be opened
with a default text editor. This file is located in the folder called
“CustomComponentDialogFiles” inside the model folder (Figure 4.24).
Figure 4.24 Custom component dialog files
After it is opened, the following text is added (Figure 4.2).
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Figure 4.25 .NIP file
“Thesis” is a name of the picture, “100” and “80” are y and x coordinates relatively,
“70” is a height of the picture and “100” is a width. After thatm, it should appear
in the dialog box of custom component in Tekla. And now it looks like this:
Figure 4.26 Dialog box
Now after double clicking on a special green symbol of the component, the
opened window will look like this (Figure 4.26).
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4.3 Testing There are three different situations with different angles of rotation and different
profiles of the main and secondary parts in order to show that the component
works properly.
Here are the results:
Figure 4.2 First case
Figure 4.28 Second case
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Figure 4.29 Third case All these pictures above show that the custom component fits to every situation
according to the angle of rotation and profiles of the main and secondary parts.
After retaking the previous steps, another component called “Vertical bracers
corner connection” is created. In the pictures below you can see the variables list
and observe how this component looks in the model (Figure 4.30, Figure 4.31,
Figure 4.32).
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Figure 4.30 Variable list
Figure 4.31 Variable list
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Figure 4.32 Dialog box The top picture shows that the represented parameters are: blue plate thickness,
green plate thickness, green plate length, bolt standart, bolt distance from the
edge of a green plate, distance between centres of bolts and bolt diameter.
And this is how it looks in the model (Figure 4.32).
Figure 4.32 Testing case
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Figure 4.33 Testing case
The pictures above show how the component works in the model in different
situations with different profiles and agles of rotation. The plates that should be
welded to the column are not included because practically the column footings
differ from project to project, and it is more suitable to create them manually.
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5 CONCLUSION As a result of this work, 2 custom components are created. The first one is for
middle connection of vertical bracers and the second one is for corner
connection. These components significantly allow to shorten the amount of
time needed for creating a steel structure model. The thesis has been done
under the supervison of the ”EDELVEST” company leader Alexey Kuznetsov
and the instructor of thesis working at the Saimaa University of Applied
Sciences Petri Himmi.
General information about the bracing systems including types of bracings, their
purposes and main features used in steel structures and general information
ragarding Tekla Structures Software and intellegient custom component system
is given as a theoretical base.
This constitutes a guide explaining how to create the custom component in
Tekla Structures software. As an example the vertical bracer mid and corner
connections are given. The creation process of Custom Component is
considered “step–by-step”. All the properties of dialog boxes, the programming
codes and appearances are shown in APPENDICES.
This thesis can be imroved by developing another custom component for
different types of bracing systems. Or some features might be added to this
component, for example, the automatically designed column footing for the
corner connection. Also, an EXCEL sheet with designing calculations for
different types of bracings systems can be created.
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REFERENCES Gorev V.V. 2004. Metal structures. Moscow: Vishaya shkola SNiP II-23-81 Steel structures part 5 Kirsanov N.M. Bracing system in metal structures http://vuz.exponenta.ru/PDF/book/sv/sv.html (Accessed on 15 October 2019) Y.I. Kudishin, E.I. Belenya, V.S. Ignateva and others. "Metal structures", 2007. SP 16.13330.2011 “Steel structures”
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APPRNDIX 1 CUSTOM COMPONENT PROPERTIES Vertical bracers mid connection
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Corner connection