Recommended workflows for specific connection types

Note: Connection design requires a Tekla Connection Designer licence.

Portal frame connections

Although it is possible to design portal frame connections in Tekla Structural Designer - i.e. Base Plate, Eaves, and Apex moment connections; it should be noted that the design forces used for connection design within Tekla Structural Designer are those from its own elastic analysis and may not be appropriate.

A more correct approach would be to derive the connection forces from a Tekla Portal Frame Designer plastic analysis. To do this you would need to export the portal frame to Tekla Portal Frame Designer and then design both the frame and its connections within Tekla Portal Frame Designer.

Note that it in addition to the connection forces (usually) being fundamentally different between Tekla Portal Frame Designer and Tekla Structural Designer there are other potential differences also:

for eaves connections - in Tekla Portal Frame Designer the connection design forces are taken at the column face (rather than the rafter/column intersection),
for column bases - in Tekla Portal Frame Designer they can be pinned at ULS but % fixity can be taken for SLS, while Tekla Structural Designer will always give an analysis moment for % fixity regardless of ULS/SLS and this moment would be designed for.

Note: Connection design via Tekla Portal Frame Designer requires both a Tekla Portal Frame Designer and a Tekla Connection Designer licence.

Base plate connections (not in portal frames)

Base plate connections can be edited directly in Tekla Structural Designer.

Provided they are in elastically analyzed frames they can be also be designed using the design forces obtained from Tekla Structural Designer.

Note: The analysis results used for the connection design follow the selection (1st order or 2nd order) made on the Analysis page of the Tekla Structural Designer Design Options.

Base plate connections can be exported to Tekla Connection Designer if you require, in which case if you edit the connection geometry while in Tekla Connection Designer you should use the “Return Connection to Tekla Structural Designer” command (under the “Connection” menu) to return the edited connection data back to Tekla Structural Designer.

Other connections (not in portal frames)

The recommended workflow for connection types other than Base Plate Connections is:

Select the connection(s) to be designed and export to Tekla Connection Designer always.
Design in Tekla Connection Designer and print the reports.
While the “Return Connection to Tekla Structural Designer” command can be used, this does not currently return all connection data to Tekla Structural Designer (principally the data derived from the connected elements). Hence, if changes are made in Tekla Structural Designer and the analysis and/ or design processes run and the connection exported again for checking, the engineer should review the connection data and may need to re-enter some of the settings previously made.

Note: While the “Return Connection to Tekla Structural Designer” command can be used In Tekla Connection Designer, this does not currently return all connection data to Tekla Structural Designer (principally the data derived from the connected elements). Hence, if changes are made in Tekla Structural Designer and the analysis and/or design processes are re-run; if the connection is exported again for checking, the engineer would need to review the connection data as it may be necessary to re-enter some of the settings previously made.