STAAD Beam End Forces

[salmarigliano]

Good Day All,

I am a Naval Architect working in the Offshore Oil and Gas industry.

I am very pleased to have joined your forum that I have always found very useful during my career.

I wish one of you could clarify my doubt:

I need to design the bolted connections in a steel structure composed by a top frame installed on vertical pillars. When I verify the connection between the pillars and the existing structure on which the new structure will be installed, I can use the reactions in the support points to design the connection. But when I have to verify the connection between beams, as there is no support I should use the beam end forces.
The problem is that I have almost a hundred of connections that I need to verify with 4-5 beams intersecting in each node.

Referring to the figures attached, if I have to design the connection in the node 6, which forces shall I take into account? Is it correct taking into account only the beam end forces of beam number 5 or should I consider in some way the contribution of all the beams in a node?

Many thanks.

 

[salmarigliano]

Sorry,

Now the attached have been correctly uploaded.

 

[SethGuthrie]

Seems to me that the end forces in beam 5 should be fine for designing the connection of that beam to the supporting girder, but a separate check using the forces in beams 36, 41 and brace 103 are all involved in the design of the (gusset?) connection of the knee brace back to the girder.
Ram Connection can be used in conjunction with STAAD.pro to help, assuming this is based on US or British standards.

 

[salmarigliano]

Thank you very much for your reply SethGuthrie.

Actually we have just started to use RAM Connection in our company but we need to get used to it. For the brace, I would assume that you meant the maximum beam end force between beams 36, 41 and 103, is that correct?

 

[SethGuthrie]

Not just the max force, but the interaction of all three forces at the joint need to be considered. I expect the force in the brace to be the most important part of the design though.