Grade beam/tie beam

[aldincrump]

how should i model gradebeam in safe
should i use spring constant to account for the fact that the beam will be fully suppoted along it length on grade

 

[Pharaohnee]

It really depends on the actual use of the beam. "Grade beam" can mean two things depending on who you speak to. Is it indented to design the beam to span freely between support, or would it be continuously supported by the soil?

If it will be supported continuously by the soil, then I would just model it as a thickened "slab" element with the same soil support property assigned as your slab on grade.