How to see graphically the soil tension 1

[encola]

Hello everybody from Spain!

I've been using SAP since the first release (where you had to introduce everything with scripts!!) and I've been thought since the beginning that one of the big fault in SAP program is that it misses an option to see graphically the tension on the soil.
In the first SAP2000 version I used to apply springs to each node of the slab foundation (according to different area), then I read the reactions, multiplied it by the area, create a joint pattern with that values, and than just displaying that pattern as the real soil tension: in that way I obtained the soil tension graphically.

I'm wondering if now that SAP2000 is at version 15(!!) someone have realized that for a Structural engineer, it's really important to study the tension on the soil in a graphic way!
So...is there any feature, option to display the soil tension graphically??

Thanks for any help!!!

 

[BAretired]

Tension? Don't you mean compression?

BA

 

[stressed]

encola, I'm not sure what version it was first added into SAP2000 (either V15 or V16?), but display of soil pressure with color contours is available in SAP2000 V16 by displaying joint reactions, where you'll see a checkbox option to display soil pressure for each load case and load combo. I'm guessing that they didn't add this display option into SAP2000 until recently because CSI offers the SAFE program, which is a special purpose program for design of mat foundations and slabs. SAFE has always displayed soil pressures. Unlike SAP, SAFE will do punching shear checks and design rebar for the foundation, and SAFE also auto-meshes, so you don't have to manually create mesh points like you do in SAP when modeling with area shell elements.

 

[encola]

@BAretired: sorry!! I meant pressures...

@stressed: thanks for the infos!!! In the v15, there is no option! I'll try on the v16 and I'll let you know.
Also I'll try with SAFE, but...one doubt: how can you model a slab of a huge building? You should transfer all the forces with the combinations! Really tuff!

 

[stressed]

encola, you can export your SAP2000 floor loads, geometry and sections to SAFE, one floor at a time, by exporting to .F2K and then import into SAFE, which can save a lot of time. SAFE will import reactions from all the load patterns/cases and design reinforcement for you. With SAFE, you can define and draw design strips. With SAP, you have to define section cuts to manually design reinforcement for slabs.