Diaphragm loads and diaphragm load tables

Tekla Structural Designer
2021
Tekla Structural Designer

Diaphragm loads and diaphragm load tables

Diaphragm loads are Building Direction 1, Building Direction 2, and Mz torsion loads applied at any point within a rigid or semi-rigid diaphragm.

Typically these might be used for the application of externally determined level loads (for example from Wind Tunnel testing of large/ unusual structures).

The Diaphragm load command is available when a 2D plan view is active - it can be used to apply a load to any diaphragm within the current view.

If you have multiple loads to apply at different levels, the Diaphragm Table of loads provides a quicker means of doing this - either by typing the loads and their positions directly into the table, or by pasting the data into the table from a spreadsheet.

Add a diaphragm load in a 2D view

To apply a load to any diaphragm within the current 2D view:

Related video

Diaphragm loading

  1. Open a 2D view of the level containing the diaphragm to which you want to apply the load.
  2. Click the Load tab on the ribbon.
  3. In the Loading list, select an appropriate loadcase.

    Diaphragm on the Load tab should now be active.

  4. Click Diaphragm
  5. In the Properties window, adjust the load details according to your needs.
  6. Click the load position, or press F2 to type the exact position.

Add a diaphragm load in a 3D view

To apply a load to any diaphragm within the current 3D view:

Related video

Diaphragm loading

  1. Open a 3D view containing the diaphragm to which you want to apply the load.
  2. Click the Load tab on the ribbon.
  3. In the Loading list, select an appropriate loadcase.

    Diaphragm on the Load tab should now be active.

  4. Click Diaphragm
  5. In the Properties window, adjust the load details according to your needs.
  6. At the level of the diaphragm, click an existing construction point to apply the load at that position, or hover over an existing member to apply the load at a distance along the member (press F2 to type the exact position).

Add a diaphragm load in a 3D view by selecting the diaphragm level

In this method, the load can be applied to a diaphragm at any level by selecting an existing point at any level:

  1. Open a 3D view containing the diaphragm to which you want to apply the load.
  2. Click the Load tab on the ribbon.
  3. In the Loading list, select an appropriate loadcase.

    Diaphragm on the Load tab should now be active.

  4. Click Diaphragm
  5. In the Properties window, adjust the load details according to your needs.
  6. In the Properties window, check Select diaphragm level
  7. At any level, click an existing construction point, or hover over an existing member to specify a distance along the member (press F2 to type the exact position).
    A vertical line is displayed with nodes along it at each diaphragm position above or below the identified position.
  8. Click on a node to apply the load to the diaphragm at that level.

Add multiple loads using the diaphragm load table

The diaphragm loads table provides a way to quickly apply multiple diaphragm loads at different levels, either by typing the loads and their positions directly into the table, or by pasting the data into the table from a spreadsheet.
  1. On the Load tab, click Diaphragm Table.

    The Diaphragm Loads table opens in a dialog. If any loads had already been added (via the Diaphragm Load command, or the Diaphragm Loads table) these would be listed.

  2. In order to see all the separate diaphragms at each level to which loads could be applied, click the Show diaphragms with no loads box.

    Each level containing a diaphragm is listed, (if more than one diaphragm exists at the same level a separate row is created for each).

  3. In the Loading list at the bottom of the dialog, select the loadcase within which you want to apply the load.
  4. In the table, click on the diaphragm level to which you want to apply the load, then click Add.

    A row is displayed for entering the load. The initial default for the load position is simply the middle point in X and Y of the diaphragm extremities.

  5. Enter the load values and the actual X and Y coordinates.
  6. Add further rows of loading data as required, either at the same level or other levels.
    Note: Multiple loads can be applied to a single diaphragm if required.
  7. Click OK when done.

    The loads are displayed on the model iat their defined locations.

Note: To edit existing loads in the table, simply open it once more. To delete loads from the table, select the diaphragm in the table and click Delete.

Paste multiple loads into the diaphragm load table

If you have been provided with the loading data in the form of a spreadsheet you can simply paste the data directly into the table.
Note: The data must includes a Z (Level height) column and you must ensure that it is in the following order (which is not the same order as in the diaphragm loads table):
  1. Force in direction 1
  2. Force in direction 2
  3. Torsion moment
  4. Position X
  5. Position Y
  6. Position Z
  1. Open the spreadsheet containing the data to be pasted and copy the contents to the clipboard.
  2. In Tekla Structural Designer, on the Load tab, click Diaphragm Table.

    The Diaphragm Loads table opens in a dialog.

  3. In the Loading list at the bottom of the dialog, select the loadcase within which you want to apply the load.
  4. Click Paste New.

    Provided the spreadsheet contents were in the expected format, the loads and their positions are pasted into the table.

    Note: Existing diaphragm loads will be deleted / replaced by the pasted data.
  5. Click OK when done.
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