Mesh bars / Mesh bars by area
Mesh bars and Mesh bars by area create reinforcement for concrete slabs or walls.
Objects created
- Primary bars
- Crossing bars
Use for
Situation |
Description |
---|---|
|
Reinforcement for the bottom or the top surface of the concrete element, or for both. |
Selection order
Component | To create mesh bars |
---|---|
Mesh Bars |
|
Mesh bars by area |
|
Picture tab
Use the Picture tab to define how the top and bottom bars are created.
Option | Description | |
---|---|---|
Create bars |
|
Top bars with primary bars above secondary bars |
|
Top bars with secondary bars above primary bars |
|
|
No bars |
|
The same options are available for the bottom bars as well. The value defined in the box is the cover thickness for the top/bottom layer. If you only want to create bars in the middle of the slab, select the No bars option either for the top or bottom bars, and then select Yes in the Place central list that appears. |
||
Mesh area perimeter |
This option is only available for Mesh bars by area. Select the outline that the mesh follows. The meshes in the examples are created by picking the same points but with different mesh area perimeters. |
|
Part |
Part, for example:
|
|
Polygon |
Polygon, for example:
|
|
Polygon + part |
Part + polygon, for example:
|
|
Same as bottom |
Select whether the top bars are created using the same properties as the bottom bars. If you select No, enter the top bar properties. |
|
Bar type |
Select whether the bars are created as a bar group or as a mesh. Depending on the option you select, some other settings and options are available. For example:
|
|
Size |
Select the diameter of a bar. You can set the size separately for the top primary and secondary bars, and for the bottom primary and secondary bars. |
|
Grade |
Define the strength of the steel used in the bars. You can set the grade separately for the top primary and secondary bars, and for the bottom primary and secondary bars. |
|
Spacing type |
Select whether the spacing is based on the number of bars or on the spacing values.
|
|
Spacing |
Distances between the bars. Tekla Structures calculates the number of bars. You can set the spacing separately for the top primary and secondary bars, and for the bottom primary and secondary bars. |
|
Number of bars |
Number of bars. Tekla Structures calculates the distance between bars. You can set the number of bars separately for the top primary and secondary bars, and for the bottom primary and secondary bars. |
|
Primary bars direction |
The direction of the primary bars. Use to change the bar direction. If the Auto option is selected, the primary bars are created along the two longest parallel sides of a slab. If there are no parallel sides, you can select to create the bars along the slab x direction instead. To rotate the bars, select one of the direct modification options. For non-perpendicular meshes, use the flexible angle option to individually rotate both arrow sides around their axis. |
|
Up direction |
Select which sides are regarded as the top and bottom sides of the slab. If the Auto option is selected, then the bars are created on the side with the greatest area. |
Detailing tab
Use the Detailing tab to control how the bars are distributed.
Bars that are created as bar groups can be distributed By grid or Without grid.
Using a grid makes it easier to accurately place bars only at set intervals. When direct modification is switched on and you move or copy bar group bars, they snap to the grid.
Detailing without grid
Option | Description | |
---|---|---|
Bar distances |
Select how the distances between the bars are measured.
Select whether the distances are the same or different for the top and bottom bars. Using different distances helps in placing top and bottom bars so that their hooks do not collide, for example. |
|
Adjustment |
Select how the bars are distributed. The same options are available for both the primary and the secondary bars. |
|
|
Equal distribution by target spacing value. |
|
|
By exact spacing value with flexible first space without first bar. |
|
|
By exact spacing value with flexible last space without last bar. |
|
|
By exact spacing value with flexible first and last space without first and last bars. |
|
|
By exact spacing value with flexible first space. |
|
|
By exact spacing value with flexible last space. |
|
|
By exact spacing value with flexible first and last space. |
Detailing by grid
The same options are available for both the longitudinal and the crossing bars.
Option | Description |
---|---|
Min overhang |
Minimum extension of the longitudinal or crossing bars over the outermost bars of the other direction. You can set the minimum overhang separately for the start and end of the bars. |
Min spacing |
Minimum distance between the bars. |
Longitudinal grid size Crossing grid size |
Defines the location intervals to which the bar group bars snap when they are moved or copied using direct modification. |
Other detailing options
Option | Description | |
---|---|---|
Minimum length of primary bar to be created Minimum length of secondary bar to be created |
In bar groups, bars that are shorter than this value are not created. |
|
Bar grouping |
For bar groups, select whether tapered bars are grouped or not. If you group the tapered bars, select how the bars along the tapered edge are handled. |
|
|
Tapered bars are handled normally. |
|
|
Creates as many bars as possible with same length at the tapered edge. The value you enter is the maximum allowed shortening of a bar. |
|
Bar behavior at cuts |
Select how bars next to openings are handled.
|
Bar end conditions tab
Use the Bar end conditions tab to control the cover thickness and bar hooks.
Option | Description | |
---|---|---|
Cover thickness on sides |
|
|
Use bar end conditions around holes |
Select whether the same bar end conditions are used around the openings as at part edges. |
|
End conditions |
|
Creates a straight bar without a hook at the given end of a bar. |
|
Creates a 90° hook at a given end of bar. |
|
|
Creates a 135° hook at a given end of bar. |
|
|
Creates a 180° hook at a given end of bar. |
|
|
Creates a hook with a free angle at the given end of a bar. |
|
|
Creates a double bent hook at the given end of a bar. |
|
Creates an inward bent hook in a 135-degree angle. You can define the hook height. |
||
Cut bars by negative neighbor parts |
Select whether the bars that protrude from the selected concrete parts are cut at the openings of neighbor parts. To cut the bars at the openings, select Yes, and then enter the cover thickness. |
|
Bending radius |
Bending radius at bar ends |
|
Bending length |
Bending length at bar ends |
Splicing tab
Use the Splicing tab to control the splicing of the reinforcing bars.
Option | Description |
---|---|
Splice bars |
Select whether the reinforcing bars are spliced or not. |
Manufacturer |
Select the manufacturer of the reinforcement. The maximum bar lengths and lap lengths are then listed by the grade and size of the bar. If needed, you can modify these splicing definitions in the MeshBarsSplicing_Manufacturers.dat file. You can also copy the default file from ..\ProgramData\Trimble\Tekla Structures\<version>\environments\common\system, edit it, and save it to your project or firm folder. |
Maximum length of bars |
Maximum reinforcing bar length after which the bars are spliced. |
Lapping length |
Length of the lapping connection. |
Splicing in same cross section |
Select how many reinforcing bars can be spliced in the same location.
|
Splicing symmetry |
Select the symmetry that is applied when the reinforcing bars are spliced.
|
Splicing offset |
Offset of the splice center point from the point where the reinforcing bars originally met. |
Minimum splitting distance |
Minimum longitudinal distance between two splices in consecutive bars. |
Splicing type |
Select the type of the splice. |
Bar position |
Select whether the lapping bars are on top of each other or parallel to each other. |
Attributes tab
Use the Attributes tab to control the bar group or mesh properties, and user-defined attributes.
Properties
Option | Description |
---|---|
Name |
Name of the bar group or mesh. |
Prefix |
Prefix for the position number of the bar group or mesh. |
Start number |
Start number for the position number of the bar group or mesh. |
Class |
Class of the bar group or mesh. If you create a mesh, only the class of primary bars is taken into account. |
User-defined attributes (UDAs) for reinforcing bars
The UDAs are predefined in the MeshBars.Udas.dat file.
Option | Description |
---|---|
Same for all |
Select Yes to use the UDA for all reinforcing bars. Select No to define the UDA separately for all reinforcing bars. |
Top bars Bottom bars |
Enter a UDA value for the top and bottom reinforcing bars. |
Rebar assembly tab
Use the Rebar assembly tab to add the created reinforcement as a rebar assembly to the cast units.
Create as rebar assembly
You can add the created reinforcement as a rebar assembly to the cast units with a predefined assembly type, name, prefix, and start number.
Option | Description |
---|---|
Create as rebar assembly |
Select Yes to create all reinforcement as one rebar assembly, and to include it to the cast unit of the input part. |
Rebar assembly type |
Select the rebar assembly type. If you do not select the type, the default value of the rebar assembly is used. |
Name, Profile, Start number |
Define the name, profile, and start number. If you do not define these, the default values of the rebar assembly are used. |
Customize the Attributes tab
You can customize the content of the
user-defined attributes section on the Attributes tab by
using the MeshBars.Udas.dat file. The file can
be located in any of the folders set in the XS_FIRM
, XS_PROJECT
or
XS_SYSTEM
advanced options, and in the model folder.
You can use the file to control which user-defined properties of the created reinforcement can be used in Mesh Bars and Mesh Bars by Area. We recommend that you only use UDAs that are typically common for all reinforcement.
The sample file shown below contains a full description of all the settings and the format of the file. The lines starting with '//' are comment lines.
//
// Customized user defined attributes (UDA) for layer parts created by Mesh Bars component
//
// Each row shall contain 2 or 3 fields separated by tab(s) or semicolon.
// Please note that all uda names shall be unique
//
// Field 1: The data type of the attribute. Valid values are 'distance', 'float', 'option', 'integer' and 'string'
// compatible with the actual user defined attributes as specified in objects.inp
// Field 2: UDA name. This is the name of the user defined attribute.
// Field 3: Label. This text is shown in the attributes dialog. It can be a translatable label (albl_) or any text.
//
string comment j_comment
string USER_FIELD_1 j_user_field_1
string USER_FIELD_2 j_user_field_2
string USER_FIELD_3 j_user_field_3
string USER_FIELD_4 j_user_field_4