CF - Interactive Concrete Frame Design

Form: Concrete Column Design Information {Code} or Concrete Beam Design Information {Code}, Interaction Surface for Section {Name}{Code}

Interactive concrete frame design allows you to review the design results for any frame object and to interactively change the design overwrites and immediately view the results.

After completing the Modeling Process using concrete frames, access Interactive Concrete Frame Design as follows:

  1. Select the Analyze menu > Run Analysis command to analyze the model.

  2. Select the Design menu > Concrete Frame Design > Start Design / Check of Structure command.

  3. Right click on a frame object while the design results are displayed on it to enter the interactive design mode and interactively design the object using the Concrete Column Design Information {Code} or Concrete Beam Design Information {Code} form, depending on whether the frame object is a column or a beam. If design results are not currently displayed, click the Design menu > Concrete Frame Design > Interactive Concrete Frame Design command and then right click a frame object to enter the interactive design mode for that object.

Note: The Concrete Column Design Information {Code} or Concrete Beam Design Information {Code} form also can be displayed as follows:  (a) click the Design menu > Concrete Frame Design > Display Design Info command to access the Display Design Results form, (b) select the input/output option and the type of information to be displayed, and (c)  right click on a frame object.

  1. Use the various areas of the Concrete Column Design Information {Code} or Concrete Beam Design Information {Code} form to review the design:

Important Note: A concrete frame object is designed as either a beam or a column depending on how its frame section property was designated when it was defined using the Define menu > Frame Sections command. Note that when using that command, after a section has been specified to have a concrete material property, click the Reinforcement button and specify whether the section is a beam or a column.

Note:  For final design iteration, the Analysis Section and the Design Section property should be the same. Use the Design menu > Concrete Frame Design > Verify Analysis vs Design Section command to determine if this is the case. If it is not, repeat steps 1 through 4 until the analysis and design sections match. As appropriate, use the Overwrites button to display the Concrete Frame Design Overwrites form and change the design parameters. Thus, the Analysis Section is changed/updated by rerunning the analysis. The Design Section is changed by selecting a new section on the Concrete Frame Design Overwrites form.