Analysis Element properties

Tekla Structural Designer
Modified: 3 Apr 2024
2024
Tekla Structural Designer

Analysis Element properties

When an analysis element is selected, its properties are displayed in the Properties window.

  • 'General' properties apply to the whole beam.
  • 'All spans' properties are used to rapidly define the same properties for all beam spans.
  • Individual 'Span' properties are used to over-ride 'All spans' properties.

General properties

Property Description
Name The automatically generated name.
User Name Can be used to override the automatically generated name if required.
Plane Indicates the level or frame within which the member is placed.
Characteristic Analysis Element
Active Clearing this option makes the Analysis Element inactive in the analysis.

See: Inactive members

Element type
Note: Tension only elements, Compression only elements, and non-linear axil/torsional springs are all non-linear elements and therefore require non-linear analysis. If linear analysis is performed they will be treated as linear elements.
Material type
  • Steel
  • Concrete
  • Timber
  • General
  • Cold formed
  • Cold rolled

Rotation

Rotation of the member about its local x axis.

Span properties

Property Description
Section The section size

Grade

Timber grade
Compression only,

Tension only

Specify if the brace is compression only, or tension only.
Note: Tension only and Compression only members are non-linear elements and therefore require non-linear analysis. If linear analysis is performed they will be treated as linear elements
Relaxation factor

[Only displayed if the brace is tension only]

Default 0.0.

Any value entered is not used unless you also check the ‘Use relaxation factors for tension only elements’ box in Analysis Options.

Note: It is highly unlikely that you would ever need to set a specific release factor for an individual brace.

See 1st order non-linear settings in: Analysis settings

Linearity Straight
Releases
Fixity end 1,

end 2

Pinned
Torsional load release end 1,

end 2

Check one end only to define a torsional release.
Vertical load release end 1,

end 2

A vertical load release can be applied to the end of a V or A type brace pair so that they don’t prop other members against gravity loads, (you are prevented from releasing single braces, or other brace pairs in this way).
Wind loading
Apply open structure wind load

Select this option if you want open structure wind loads to be calculated.

See: Open structure wind loads

Shape factor, Cf The default shape factor varies according to the entity type and is taken from Model Settings > Loading > Wind Loading

Default Cf factors are taken from the document ‘Wind Loads For Petrochemical And Other Industrial Facilities’ published by ASCE.

Effective area XY
Formula The default effective area formula varies according to the entity type and is taken from Model Settings > Loading > Wind Loading
Factor The factor used in the above formula can be edited if required.
Effective area XZ
Formula The default effective area formula varies according to the entity type and is taken from Model Settings > Loading > Wind Loading
Factor The factor used in the above formula can be edited if required.
Live (Imposed) Load Reduction

KLL

[Only displayed for Regional Code ACI/AISC]

Specify the KLL factor in accordance with Table 4-2 in ASCE 7-05/ASCE 7-10.

See: Overview of live or imposed load reductions

Reduce imposed loads by

[Displayed for Codes other than ACI/AISC]

This property is particularly applicable to the design of transfer beams.

Although the percentage of imposed load reduction is not determined automatically for beams, this property allows you to specify the percentage manually.

It can be applied to all, or individual spans.
  • reducible loadcases are reduced
  • combinations incorporating reducible loadcases are reduced

The reduced results are used in concrete beam design.

See: Overview of live or imposed load reductions

Fire proofing
Protected When members are set as 'Protected', self-weight of the members is increased by the weight of fireproofing.

See: Fire proofing

Exposure Exposed on all sides
UDA

Name

Finish

Class

Phase

Note

File

A customizable list of the attributes that can be applied to individual members and panels.

See: Work with user-defined attributes

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