Foundation analysis software recommendations

[Antnyt23]

Can anyone make recommendations for foundation analysis software? I'm looking mainly in terms of the telecommunications market. I know there are software for caisson analysis.... was also looking in terms of various concrete footings that are common in the telecom industry.

 

[JoshPlumSE]

I'm not sure that I know of any foundation software that specifically targets the telecom industry. If you use TnxTower, then you might contact Peter to see if he has any specific recommendations.

Unfortunately, my guess is that he will not. The RISA-3D program interacts with TnxTower, of course. But, that's not for foundations. Then RISAFoundation interacts with RISA-3D. Therefore, there should be a possible work flow where you go from TnxTower to RISA-3D to RISAFoundation. That should work pretty well.

I will point out, however, that RISAFoundation is more geared towards mat slab foundations than it is to caissons. It does offer pile cap analysis and code checks and such. However, the program expects you to enter in the stiffness and capacity of your piles / caissons. Therefore, you have to have a way of calculating those values on your own....

 

[Antnyt23]

I downloaded the Risa Foundation software and am taking a look at it now seems pretty nice.... I have also heard a lot of good about Power Line Systems - Caisson... I was thinking maybe between the two they would pretty much cover the majority of what is see in the telecom industry.

 

[FixedEarth]

You can use Lateral Foundation for your foundation analysis (

http://www.soilstructure.com/pile-design-lateral-software.html)

and then a general column design software for the reinforcement design(

http://yakpol.net/ShortCol.html)

is nice. For the axial pier capacity, you can simply calculate it by hand using skin friction.

 

[Sye123]

Bentley Systems has got a tower analysis and design software called STAAD(X).Tower. It is integrated with the foundation analysis and design software from Bentley called STAAD.Foundation Advanced. So the workflow is to generate the tower model in STAAD(X).Tower which offers easy to use wizard based modeling tools that you may use to quickly generate the model. You can model components like antennas, appurtenances, platforms, feedlines and can generate wind, ice, and seismic loads as per the TIA codes. The tower can be analyzed and designed as per the TIA-222-F and TIA-222-G codes and you can subsequently take the support reaction data to STAAD.Foundation Advanced for foundation design through ISM integration. The analysis results from STAAD(X).Tower, or more specifically the support reactions are then used by STAAD.Foundation Advanced to carry out the foundation design.

A video is attached to the post for your reference which explains how the support reactions from STAAD(X).Tower are taken into STAAD.Foundation Advanced and how foundation design is carried out.

 

[transmissiontowers]

The foundation engineer that sits across from me sometimes uses LPILE, IIRC. I will ask him tomorrow if I remember. I have also heard him mention GROUP from ENSOFT. There is also an EPRI program MFAD and HFAD. From what I know of the PLS-CADD software Caisson, it is a nearly free program when you buy PLS-CADD that they toss in.

I usually tell him to make the foundation 8' diameter and 80 feet deep with #18 bar every 6 inches. This should work for most telecom towers, but I'm a structural guy and I don't do foundations.

_____________________________________
I have been called "A storehouse of worthless information" many times.

 

[transmissiontowers]

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/57b8996d#/57b8996d/52

Take a look at this article from the T-Line industry that lists some software.

_____________________________________
I have been called "A storehouse of worthless information" many times.

 

[kyut]

try the staad foundation advance ..