FEA

[migs29]

When I have seen this site I notice that most of you here are giving more emphasis on FEA, I am mostly doing Structural Design but mostly when I'm designing two 3 storey and below, doing hand calculation analysis, my method is either PORTAL METHOD or CANTILEVER METHOD for frames and ACI coefficient or MOMENT DISTRIBUTION METHOD for continuous beams... I'm wondering about FEA method of analysis, anybody can give me manuals, spreadsheet, reference... etc... that can help me to learn about this analysis.... I want to try and compare this theory of analysis to other theories I knew.

thx for your input...

 

[DaveAtkins]

I mostly use FEA to design mat footings (I don't have PCA-MATS). On rare occasions, I will use it to design a concrete or CMU shear wall.

But for portal frames, the way to go is the slope-deflection method.

In any event, I don't do analysis by hand. I use RISA-3D.

DaveAtkins

 

[miecz]

I believe that some us older folks think of finite element analysis as a method of dealing with walls, mats, slabs and such. Plate elements. The younger ones, it seems, think of FEA as applying to linear elements, such as beams, columns, and frames.

 

[nicam]

With architects designing irregular slab shapes and almost every level in multi-storey building are transfer slabs, FEA is the best and most economical way to design the structure. Also they want flat plate slabs in liu of beams.