Is there any way to simulate the eccentricity due to connection of angle/WT section with gusset in STAAD?
Or do we need to perform additional check for member design due to this eccentricity manually?
Thanks Tadas. That was quite helpful.
Seth -
Is there a way to have STAAD.Pro check the eccentrically loaded WT section?
Using a rigid link does not solve this issue, as STAAD.Pro still does not consider connection eccentricity for the design of WT.
An article in the Engineering Journal (Second Quarter / 2010) titled "Tables for Eccentrically Loaded WT Shapes in Compression" discusses this topic. Capacities of eccentrically loaded WT shapes are typically in the range of 40-60% of concentrically loaded members (with some outside these limits).
Namit -
I have not figured out a way to have STAAD.Pro do a proper check for eccentrically loaded WTs. Here's what I typically do in practice - I set the interaction ratio limit to 0.4 for all eccentrically loaded WT sections and then take a closer look (manual check via tables in the article referenced above) if this ratio is exceeded for any members.
Opportunity for STAAD developers to implement a more user-friendly way to accomplish this (an additional parameter for eccentrically loaded WT with input = gusset thickness?).
Thanks,
Tadas
I suppose you could offset the brace with a rigid link.
If you are asking about Connection Design within STAAD.Pro using Ram Connection, we do allow WT sections rotated 90 degrees and connected to gussets, or the WT can be aligned with the stem in the pane of the gusset and connected with angles.