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Steel Connections - Base Plate

Create and customize Base Plate connections

 

This joint is created by welding a steel plate to the bottom end of the column, which is in turn connected to the foundations through anchors. The joint can include several plates, stiffeners or shear anchor.

Steel Connection Designer - Base plate

Joint elements

You can customize each joint element using the available buttons from the Joint elements panel. All changes made in every window can be viewed in real time. For example, you can define the geometry of the plates and stiffeners, set the configuration of the anchors and customize the welds (thickness, type and quality) for each part of the joint or add different elements.

Each parameter is illustrated by a corresponding image in the dialog box.

Another simple way to change the joint elements geometry is by modifying directly the dimension line values available in the views. This way, the joint geometry will be much easier to define by double-clicking on the editable dimension line values (without parentheses).

The dimension lines that contain values between parenthesis cannot be modified and correspond to the greyed-out values that appear in the element dialog. For example, the user can change the anchors positioning directly in the views for values that are not grayed-out in the anchors dialog.

Joint profile section

For the joint member (column), a drop-down list is available for selecting the desired “I” section or creating a new parametric “I” section (laminated or welded). Steel class can be also set for each joint member.

The angle of the main connection member (column) can be set by changing the End Point from Absolute to Relative coordinates.

Member length can be defined in two different ways: as absolute (real length) or projected length.

The Presets command is used to save a defined geometry of a joint: keep all the characteristics for anchors, shear lug, stiffeners, plates, foundation and later apply them for another column section.

Plates and stiffeners

The following options are available for configuring the base plate connection: Shim Plates, Base Plate and Levelling Plate.

For each plate the user can customize the thickness, width, height, vertical and horizontal offset. Additionally, the plate number parameter is available for Shim Plates.

For a base plate connection, the user can enable the available types of stiffeners (web stiffeners, flange stiffeners, middle stiffeners and outer stiffeners), and set the thickness, width, height, number of stiffeners, offset.

Steel Connection Designer - Base plate

Chamfers

The user is able to set chamfers for any of the available stiffeners. When there are no stiffeners enabled the chamfers dialog will be greyed and a message will be displayed in order to inform the user that there are no stiffeners created.

 

Outer stiffeners chamfers

Flange stiffeners chamfers

The user can select the weld size, type and quality for beam web to base plate, beam flange to base plate or any available stiffeners, only when they are enabled.

Welds

The weld for each element can be customized by changing the weld size, weld type (Fillet, Full penetration or Partial penetration) and weld quality (Site, Shop or Shop continuous) that will further influence the weld verification results.

The user can select the weld size, type and quality for beam web to base plate, beam flange to base plate or any available stiffeners, only when they are enabled.

Shear Lug

The shear lug is an important base plate joint element that can transfer entirely the shear force to the foundation. In the corresponding report, an entire verification chapter is assign for the shear lug calculation, including the slenderness and geometry verification.Steel Connection Designer - Base plate

When the shear lug is enabled, the user can set the length and choose the type of the shear lug (profiles, plates)

Anchors

Joint connectors (anchors) can be customized by changing the available option: anchors definition, positioning, holes and plates type.

The anchor standard can be set by using the drop-down list. This selection will influence the rest of the options available: anchor material, anchor set (nut/washer number), anchor length and anchor diameter.

The positioning tab will configure, for each group of connectors, the number and the distances depending on the selected bounds.

The positioning tab will configure, for each group of connectors, the number and the distances depending on the selected bounds.

Foundation

The concrete class and the geometry of the foundation can be modified and also a supplementary grout thickness can be set, including the grout type.

Steel Connection Designer - Foundation

Design assumptions

After defining the joint elements, the users have the possibility to choose the material for each element according to different standards and set the following steel design assumptions: steel corrosion, control of the shear plane for anchors (threaded/ unthreaded), weld design method, T-stub method and tensioned zone limit and give values for the safety factors that will influence the calculation results.

Steel Connection Designer - Foundation

Definition of load cases and combinations

Users have the possibility to define load cases, load combinations and add values for the loads (N - axial force, M – bending moment, V- shear force). The sign convention is displayed in the Loads dialog for each joint type. Below is an example of Loads dialog for a base plate joint.

Definition of load cases and combinations

It is possible to set manually the combination coefficient or automatically generate combinations according to the Eurocode 0.

The users can add different load cases from the available list. Also, the envelope load case doesn’t require any combination, because it is interpreted as a special load case that has the meaning of a combination which consists only of the maximum value of the efforts. For example, the user can define an envelope case that can provide the maximum axial force, maximum shear force or maximum bending moment.

Definition of load cases and combinations

Calculation results

For the calculation of connections, Advance Design uses Eurocode 3 international design standards, for all the connection components verification: anchors, welds, end plates, stiffener plates, etc. and parts of the connected elements, beams web, and flanges.

The module can generate a report which contains a range of chapters that describe the calculation theoretical formula, the calculation results, and work ratio for each verification.

Calculation results

From a list, the chapters to be included in the report can be chosen. Here is an example of the main verification chapters that appear in the generated report.

Calculation results
Calculation results

For each verification, the Calculation results tab displays: the work ratio, resistance, effort and combination. Above is an example of calculation results for a moment end plate.

Calculation results

Errors and warnings may appear in the console during this stage, whenever there are failed verifications, hole distances conditions that are not satisfied, or other joint design problems.

The Generate command available in the ribbon creates the report in .doc or .pdf file. With the Preview command, users can generate a report by selecting one of the available templates, or creating a new report using the Report Designer.

Generic detail view

The user can obtain a generic connection drawing (elevation and sections), which can further be exported and adjusted in other CAD software.

Generic detail view

The Drawing Settings dialog is used for customizing the drawing. Here, the user can set the page layout and the title blocks, disable different views (sections/elevation) in the drawing, change the section symbols and the scale for each view. The print margins can be set when printing the generated drawing.

Generic detail view

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