CSI Solution Demonstrates Use of These Features

Problem A Solution

  1. Click the File menu > New Model command to access the New Model form.

  2. Click the drop-down list to set the units to .

  3. Click the 2D Frames button  to access the 2D Frames form.

  4. Click the drop-down list in the status bar to change the units to .

  5. Click the Define menu > Section Properties > Area Sections command to access the Area Sections form.

  6. Click the drop-down list in the status bar to change the units to

  7. Click the “X” in the top right-hand corner of the 3-D View window to close that view.

  8. Click the Set Display Options toolbar button  (or click the View menu > Set Display Options command) to access the Display Options for Active Window form. In that form:

  9. Select column objects 18, 19, 20, 23, 24 and 25 and beam objects 38, 39, 40, 43, 44 and 45.  Press the delete key on the keyboard to delete those objects.

Note:   Objects can be selected by clicking on each one individually, “windowing” over them, using the Intersecting Line Select Mode, or using the Select menu > Select > Labels command.

  1. Click the Define menu > Coordinate Systems/Grids command to access the Coordinate/Grid Systems form.

  2. Select beams 41 and 42.

  3. Click the Assign menu > Frames > Frame Sections command to access the Frame Properties form.

  4. Click the Get Previous Selection button (or the Select menu > Select > Get Previous Selection command) to reselect beams 41 and 42.

  5. Click the Edit menu > Edit Lines > Divide Frames command to access the Divide Selected Frames form.

  6.  Fill in the form as shown in the figure  and click the OK button.

  7. Verify that the Snap to Points and Grid Intersections button  is depressed.

  8. Click the Draw Frame/Cable/Tendon Element button  or select the Draw menu > Draw Frame/Cable/Tendon command to access the Properties of Object form. In that form:

  9. Draw the first brace object as follows:

  10. Click on joint 25 and then joint 31, and press the Enter key to draw the second brace element.

  11. Click on joint 20 and then joint 32, and press the Enter key to draw the third brace element.

  12. Click on joint 26 and then joint 32, and press the Enter key to draw the fourth and final brace element.

  13. Click the Set Select Mode button  to exit the Draw mode and enter the Select mode.

  14. Select all of the beams except for the braced frame beams (i.e., select beams 26 through 37 and do not select beams 46 through 49). The Intersecting Line Selection option could be useful for this.

Note:  To use the Intersecting Line Selection option, click the Select Using Intersecting Line button . Then click the left mouse button at the top of one beam bay, and while holding down the left mouse button, drag the mouse to the bottom of the beam bay. A “rubberband line” will appear and all objects that this “rubberband line” passes through will be selected.  Release the left mouse button to make the selection.

  1. Click the Assign menu > Frame > Releases/Partial Fixity command to access the Assign Frame Releases form. In that form, check both the Start and the End boxes for Moment 33 (Major) and then click the OK button.

  2. Select beam objects 46 and 48.

  3. Click the Assign menu > Frame > Releases/Partial Fixity command to access the Assign Frame Releases form. In that form, check the Start box for Moment 33 (Major) and then click the OK button.

  4. Select beam objects 47 and 49.

  5. Click the Assign menu > Frame > Releases/Partial Fixity command to access the Assign Frame Releases form. In that form, check the End box for Moment 33 (Major) and then click the OK button.

  6. Click the Define menu > Load Patterns command to access the Define Load Patterns form. In that form:

  7. Click the Define menu > Load Combinations command to access the Define Load Combinations form. In that form:

  8. Select beams 26 through 37.

  9. Click the Assign menu > Frame Loads > Point command to access the Frame Point Loads form. In that form:

  10. Click the Get Previous Selection button  (or the Select menu > Get Previous Selection command).

  11. Click the Assign menu > Frame Loads > Distributed command to access the Frame Distributed Loads form. In that form:

  12. Click the Get Previous Selection button  (or the Select menu > Get Previous Selection command).

  13. Click the Assign menu > Frame Loads > Point command to access the Frame Point Loads form. In that form:

  14. Click the Get Previous Selection button  (or click the Select menu > Get Previous Selection command).

  15. Click the Assign menu > Frame Loads > Distributed command to access the Frame Distributed Loads form. In that form:

  16. Select beams 46 through 49.

  17. Click the Assign menu > Frame Loads > Distributed command to access the Frame Distributed Loads form. In that form:

  18. Click the Get Previous Selection button   (or click the Select menu > Get Previous Selection command).

  19. Click the Assign menu > Frame Loads > Distributed command to access the Frame Distributed Loads form. In that form:

  20. Select joints 31 and 32.

  21. Click the Assign menu > Joint Loads > Forces command to access the Joint Forces form. In that form:

  22. Click the Get Previous Selection button   (or the Select menu > Get Previous Selection command).

  23. Click the Assign menu > Joint Loads > Forces command to access the Joint Forces form. In that form:

  24. Select joints 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 by “windowing.”

  25. Click the Assign menu > Joint Loads > Forces command to access the Joint Forces form. In that form:

  26. Select joints 3, 4, 5 and 6 (not 2) by “windowing.”

  27. Click the Assign menu > Joint Loads > Forces command to access the Joint Forces form. In that form:

  28. Select joints 4, 5 and 6 (not 2 and 3) by “windowing.”

  29. Click the Assign menu > Joint Loads > Forces command to access the Joint Forces form. In that form:

  30. Select joints 5 and 6 (not 2, 3 and 4).

  31. Click the Assign menu > Joint Loads > Forces command to access the Joint Forces form. In that form:

  32. Select joint 6 (not 2, 3, 4 and 5).

  33. Click the Assign menu > Joint Loads > Forces command to access the Joint Forces form. In that form:

  34. Click the Set Display Options button  (or select the View menu > Set Display Options command) to access the Display Options for Active Window form. In that form:

  35. Click the Quick Draw Area Element button  to access the Properties of Object form. Verify that  WALL is selected in the Section drop-down list.

  36. Click the mouse pointer once in the areas labeled A, B, C, D and E in the figure below to draw the area objects.

  1. Click the Set Select Mode button to exit Draw mode and enter Select mode.

  2. Select the five area objects just entered by clicking on them.

  3. Click the Assign menu > Area > Automatic Area Mesh command to access the Assign Automatic Area Mesh form.

  4. Fill out that form as shown in the figure to mesh each area object into twelve elements (4 by 3) and click the OK button.

  5. Click the Set Display Options button  (or select the View menu > Set Display Options menu) to access the Display Options for Active Window form. In that form:

  6. Select all of the W24X68 beam sections (12 total).

  7. Click the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > View/Revise Overwrites command to access the Steel Frame Design Overwrites form. In that form:

  8. Click the Clear Selection button  (or click the Select menu > Clear Selection command).

  9. Select all of the W16X36 beam sections (4 total). This can be accomplished using the Select menu > Select > Properties > Frame Sections command, which accesses the Select Section form. Click on the W16X36 section in the display list and click the OK button. The beams are selected in the model.

  10. Click the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > View/Revise Overwrites command to access the Steel Frame Design Overwrites form. In that form:

  11. Click the Clear Selection button  (or click the Select menu > Clear Selection command).

  12. Click the Set Display Options button  (or select the View menu > Set Display Options command) to access the Display Options for Active Window form. In that form:

  13. Click the Design menu  > Steel Frame Design > View/Revise Preferences command to access the Steel Frame Design Preferences form. In that form:

  14. Click the Analyze menu > Set Analysis Options command to access the Analysis Options form. In that form, click the Plane Frame XZ Plane button to set the available degrees of freedom and click the OK button.

  15. Click the Run Analysis button  to access the Set Load Cases to Run form. In that form:

  16. When the analysis is complete, check the messages in the Analysis window (there should be no warnings or errors) and then click the OK button to close the Analysis window.

  17. Click the Display menu > Show Forces/Stresses > Joints command to access the Joint Reaction Forces form. In that form:

Note:   To change the minimum font size, click the Options menu > Dimensions/Tolerances command.  In the Minimum Graphic Font Size edit box, input a new size, for example 5 or 6 points. Click the OK button. 

  1. Click the Design menu > Steel Frame Design > Start Design/Check of Structure command to run the design check of the steel frame objects.

  2. When the design check completes, a color map of the stress ratios is displayed.