AxisVMStepByStep

8/3/2019 AxisVMStepByStep

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/axisvmstepbystep 1/125

1

Step by step

1. EAM MODEL..........................................................................................................................2

2. FRAME MODEL...................................................................................................................19

3. PLATE MODEL................................................................................................ ....................48

4. MEMBRANE MODEL..........................................................................................................75

4.1. Preprocessing with surface elements................................................................................754.2. Preprocessing with domains............................................................................................84

5. SHELL MODEL................................................................................................ ....................99



2

1. EAM MODEL

Start Start AxisVM by double-clicking the AxisVM icon in the

AxisVM folder, found on the Desktop, or in the Start, Programs

Menu.

New Create a new model with the New Icon. In the dialogue windowthat pops up, replace the Model Filename with “Beam”.

Select the Design Code. Click OK to close the dialog window.

Objective The objective of the analysis is to determine the internal forces,

longitudinal reinforcement and vertical stirrups in the three way

supported, reinforced concrete beams illustrated below. The

loads on the beams will be presented subsequently.

The analysis will be done according to the Eurocode. The cross-

section of the beam is will be a 400mm x 600mm rectangle. The

left beam is 12m in length and the right beam is 10m.

Coordinate

System

In the lower left corner of the graphics area is the global

coordinate system symbol. The positive direction is marked bythe corresponding capital letter (X, Y, Z). The default coordinate

system of a new model is the X-Z coordinate system. It is

important to note that unless changed the gravity acts along the –

Z direction.

In a new model, the global coordinate default location of the

cursor is the bottom left corner of the graphic area, and is set toX=0, Y=0, Z=0.

You can change to the relative coordinate values by pressing the

‘d’ labeled button on the left of the Coordinate Window. ( Hint :

In the right column of the coordinate window you can specify



3

points in cylindrical or spherical coordinate systems). The origin

of the relative coordinate system is marked by a thick blue X.

Geometry The first step is to create the geometry of structure.

Select the Geometry tab to bring up the Geometry Toolbar.

Line Hold down the left mouse button while the cursor is on Line

Tool Icon brings up the Line Icons Selection Menu:

Polygon Lets click on the Polygon icon, which is the second from left to

specify the axis of the two beams. When the Polygon is chosen,

the Relative coordinate system automatically changes to thelocal system (‘d’ prefix)

The polygon coordinates can be drawn with the mouse, or by

typing in their numerical values. Set the first point ( node) of the

line by typing in these entries:

X=0

Y=0Z=0

Finish specifying the first line point by pressing Enter. The first

node of the beam model is now also the global coordinates originpoint.

Relative

Coordinate

System

To enter the next two nodes for our beam model type in the

following sequence:

X=12

Y=0

Z=0, Enter

X=10

Y=0Z=0, Enter

Press ESC twice to exit from polygon drawing function.

Zoom To bring up the Zoom Icon Bar, move the mouse on the ZoomIcon in the left side of the desktop window. It contains six icons.

Lets choose the third icon (Zoom to fit) from the Zoom Icon Bar,

or press Ctrl-W, which has the same effect. An alternative wayof zooming is to press the + or – keys on your numerical keypad.



4

The following picture appears:

Geometry

Check

Click the Geometry Check Icon on the top of the desktop, to

check for geometric ambiguities. The program will ask for the

maximum tolerance (distance) for merging points.

After the geometry check a summary of actions appears.

Elements The next step is to specify the finite elements. Click on the

Elements tab to bring up the Finite Elements Toolbar.

Line Elements Press the Line Elements Icon,

then on the appearing selection icon bar use the asterisk (All)

command, then click OK. The Line Elements dialog window

appears. Select Define or Modify if you are correcting an earlier

parameter.



5

Material

Library Import

Press the Material Library Import icon to select the material.

In the dialog window that appears select Concrete C25/30 in the

Materials column, then click OK.



6

New Cross

Section

Click on the New Cross Section Icon (the rightmost in the

sections line) to create a new cross-section.

Rectangle Define a rectangular cross section by clicking on the

Rectangular Icon.

Modify the offered height (h) to 600 [mm]. Click the Place

Button to select the new cross-section. You should see

something similar with the following picture.



7

Finish the cross-section definition by clicking on the Ok

button.

Enter a name for the newly created cross-section. Type in

400x600, and then press OK.

Leaving the Local x Reference on Auto, the orientation of the

local x axis of the beam will be along the x axis of the element,and the local z axis will be in a vertical plane passing through the

x axis.

Perspective Lets check the structure in space! Click the Perspective Icon in

the left side of the application. You can pan or rotate the

structure using the mouse.



8

By closing the floating window the last view remains on the

screen.

Display

Options

The local systems, the node numbering and other useful

graphical symbols can be switched on/off by clicking the

Display Options Icon in the left side of the application. (Hint: thesame dialog window can be displayed by selecting the Display

Options item after a right click in the Graphics Area). Checkthe Beam box in the Symbols/Local Systems panel, then select

the Labels tab to check the Cross-Section Name box.

Exit from the dialog window with OK. The local system of the

beams and the name of the cross-sections will be displayed.

Move the cursor on the axis of the beam to bring up an info labelshowing relevant information about the beam.

Because the Elements tab is selected, the tag number, length,material name, cross-section name, self-weight and local

reference of the beam is displayed:

Finally switch from perspective view to Z-X plane.

Zoom to Fit In order to have a good overview, use the Zoom To Fit command.

Nodal Support Click the Nodal Support Icon and select the middle support. Adialog window appears, where you can set the translational

and/or rotational stiffness of the node. Select the global



9

direction, and specify the stiffness values.

The first three entries are for the translational stiffness, measured

in [kN/m]. The default value is 1e+10 [kN/m], meaning a full

restriction of the translation, while the value 0 [kN/m] would

mean a free translation.

The next three entries are for the rotational stiffness, measured in

[kN/rad]. The default value of 1e+10 [kN/rad] means a fullyrestricted rotation, while the value 0 [kN/rad] means a free

rotation. Set all rotational stiffness to zero, and restrict thetranslation along X and Z direction. Use the settings in the

following box:

Finish the support definition with OK Select the two exterior supports and make them horizontally free

(X, Y axis) supports in a similar way:

On the screen, restricted translations are shown as yellowstripes, restricted rotations as orange stripes to their rotational

axis.



10

Nodal DOF Click the Nodal DOF (Degrees of Freedom) Icon, and select

all nodes with the All command. In the Nodal Degrees of

Freedom dialog window select ‘Frame in Plane X-Z’ from the

predefined settings. After closing this window with OK, all the

nodes will change their color to blue.

This setting selects the nodes of the beams only in translation in

plane X-Z with the rotation around the Y-axis.

Loads The next step is to apply the loads.

Click the Loads tab.

Load Cases It is useful to separate the loads into load cases. Click the Load

Cases Icon to create the load cases. The following dialog

window appears.



11

In the left tree view you can see the first load case, created

automatically by the program. Its name is ST1. Click on the

ST1 to change the name of the load case, and overwrite it with

SELF-WEIGHT. Click OK to return to the graphics area. The

active load case will be SELF-WEIGHT. You can see it on the

Info Window.

Display

Options

In the Display Options window select the cross-section name

under the Labels tab, and the cross-section shape and localsystem under the Symbols tab, leaving the rest of the default

settings.

Self Weight Click the Self-Weight Icon, and select all elements with the

All command. When the selection is finished by pressing Ok,

two blue dotted lines will show near the beams axis that their

dead load is placed on them (It will act by default along the –Z

direction, with the gravitational acceleration taken as g=9.81m/s2).

Load

Cases/Groups

Click the Load Cases Icon again, and create three more load

cases by clicking repeatedly the Static Button in the New Case

panel. Name them VARIABLE1, VARIABLE2 and SUPPORT

DISPLACEMENT. Make VARIABLE1 the active load case

by clicking on it, and press OK.



12

Line Load Click the Line Load Icon and select the left beam. After

finishing the selection with Ok the following dialog window

appears:

As the load intensity type -17.5 in the pz1, pz2 edit boxes, then

press Ok.

Load

Cases/Groups

Click on the downward pointing triangle on the right of the

Load Cases Icon and the following menu will pop up.

It shows all load cases, a black dot marking the active one. Click

on VARIABLE2 to make it the active load case.

Apply on both beams a -17.5 kN/m uniform linear load acting

in Z direction in the same way as before.

Forced Support

Displacement

Finally select the SUPPORT DISPLACEMENT load case.

Click the Forced Support Displacement Icon, select the

middle support and press Ok. This brings up the following

dialog window.



13

Type in 20 [mm] in the ez edit box.

Load

Combination

Click the Load Combination Icon, which will open the Table

Browser.

New Load

Case

Click the New Icon to create an empty load combination. You

must specify a combination factor for each load case. For now

type in the following factors (press enter after input into each

cell)

Selfweight- 1.2Variable1- 1.4

Variable2- 0Support displacements- 1.0

Make another load combination, this time with the following

factors:Selfweight – 1.2

Variable1- 0

Variable2- 1.40

Support Displacement- 1.0

Finish the creation of load combinations by pressing Ok.

Static The next step is the analysis and post processing.



14

Linear

Analysis

Click the Static tab, then the Linear Icon to start the analysis.

If the application prompts for saving, save the model on a localhard disk. After saving, the analysis will start.

Analysis

Click the Details button to view the details of calculation.

Static When the analysis has finished, press Ok. By default the

postprocessor will start with the ez displacement of the first load

case, which is now SELF-WEIGHT. The display mode will be

iso surfaces. You will see the displacements from the dead loadin global Z direction.

Result DisplayParameters

Click the Result Display Parameters Icon and set theparameters according to the picture below.

In the Case Selector combo box select the SELF-WEIGHT load case. If you leave the Undeformed radio button checked in

the Display Shape panel, then the various results will be drawn

on the undeformed shape of the structure. In the Component

combo box select ez from displacements. Set the Display Mode

to diagram. In the Write Values To Panel check Nodes andLines. Close the dialog window with Ok. You should see the

following picture:



15

Check the displacement diagrams of various load cases whether

they comply with the expected result. To do this, click on the

combo box next to the Result Display Parameters Icon, and

select desired load case. This time select the first loadcombination (Co. #1).

Min, Max

Value

Click on the Min-Max Value Icon to obtain the location and

value of the maximum and minimum displacements. The

following dialog window appears:

Select the eZ displacement component, and press OK. The

location and value of the negative maximum displacement pops

up in a window. Pressing OK closes it, and the positive

maximum displacement window pops up. Press OK to close it

too.

The various internal force and stress results can be selected

through the second combo box. First view the My bending

moment in the first and second load case (Co#1, Co#2), which is

accessible by clicking on the Beam Internal Forces.



16

R.C. Design Click the R.C. Design tab to find out the area of longitudinalreinforcement and vertical stirrups.

Beam

ReinforcementDesign

Click the Beam Reinforcement Design Icon, then select all

beams with the All command (the asterisk), then press Ok. Thefollowing window appears.



17

The topmost diagram is the statical layout of the beam, below itis the My moment diagram and the Qz shear force diagram.

Beam

Parameters

In the Beam Reinforcement Window, Click the Beam

parameters Icon to set the properties of the beam. It brings up

the following dialog window:

Set the longitudinal rebar and stirrup material property to

B500A.

Close the dialog window with Ok and the following window

will appear:



18

Note that alongside the original My moment diagram (thin line),

the diagram shifted according to code (thick line) is also present.Below the My moment diagram is the As diagram, below the Qz

diagram is the s diagram.

‘As’ is the area of the necessary longitudinal reinforcement of

the beam, while ‘s’ is the required maximal distance of the

stirrups. The longitudinal reinforcement in tension is shown in

blue, the compressed in red. The area 342 mm2 on the ‘As’

diagram is the minimum area of the tensioned longitudinal

reinforcement, while the value 228 mm on the ‘s’ diagram is themaximum stirrup distance.

Click Ok to close this reinforcement window.



19

2. FRAME MODEL


AxisVM folder, found on the Desktop, or in the Start, ProgramsMenu.

New Create a new model with the New Icon. In the dialog window

that pops up, replace the Model Filename with “Frame”, and in

the Design Code panel select Eurocode.

Objective The objective of the analysis is to determine the internal forces

of the following frame, and to verify column A1.

Lets use for cross-section of horizontal elements I360, for

vertical ones I400, and for inclined ones O 190.0x5.0 SV. The

material of the structure is Steel FE 360, and the design

verification will be according to Eurocode-3.

By default the Z-axis of the global coordinate system pointsupward. It has relevance for the direction of gravity, this will bedetailed later.



20

Coordinate

System


coordinate system symbol. The positive direction is marked by

the corresponding capital letter (X, Y, Z). The default coordinate


important to note that unless changed the gravity acts along the –

Z direction.


cursor is the bottom left corner of the graphic area, and is set to

X=0, Y=0, Z=0.


‘d’ labeled button on the left of the Coordinate Window. (Hint:

In the right column of the coordinate window you can specify



The first step is to create the geometry of the structure.

Geometry Click the Geometry tab, below the menu bar. The Geometry

Toolbar appears below the tabs. The geometry of the structurewill be created with the Line Tool.

Line Hold down the left mouse button while the cursor is on the

Line Tool Icon will bring up the following Line Type icon bar:

Polygon Lets click on the Polygon icon, which is the second from left.When the Polygon is chosen, the Relative coordinate system

automatically changes to the local system (‘d’ prefix)

The polygon coordinates for the frame model can be drawn withthe mouse, or by typing in their numerical values.

Set the first point (node) of the line by typing in these entries:

X=0

Y=0

Z=0

Finish specifying the first line point by pressing Enter. The firstnode of the frame model is now also the global coordinatesorigin point.



21

To enter the first line (node) of the frame model, enter the

following values:

X=0

Y=0

Z=3.5, Enter

To define the second line of the frame model, enter thefollowing values:

X=6

Y=0

Z=0, Enter

To define the third line of the frame model, enter the following

values:

X=0

Y=0

Z=-3.5, Enter (Note: Negative value)

Exit from the Polygon command by pressing Esc twice.

The following picture is obtained:

Translate Copy the structure vertically upward with the Translate Icon.

For this click the Translate Icon, select the horizontal line and

finish the selection with Enter. In the Translate dialog window

select Spread by Distance, in the ‘d [m]=’ edit box type 3.5,and in the Nodes To Connect panel select All.



22

Close the dialog window with Ok, then click on an arbitrary

place in the graphics area and draw upward a vertical line,

which is longer than 3.5 m.



23

The following picture is obtained:

Coordinate

SystemSwitch to Z-Y plane.You should see this picture:



24

Translate Select the Translate Icon so you can Copy this part of the

model geometry structure. In the Selection Icon bar use the All

command (the asterisk). The selected elements color will

change:

Finishing the selection with Ok, in the dialog window select the

Consecutive method, then in the Nodes to Connect panel select

the Double Selected option.

Close this dialog window with Ok. Now you must select the

nodes to connect. Use a selection window according to the

picture below on the left. The picture on the right shows the

result of your selection:



25

Specify the first displacement vector by entering the following

values:

X=0

Y=5Z=0, enter.

Enter the second vector:

X=0

Y=5Z=0, enter.

Enter the third vector:

X=0

Y=5

Z=0, enter.

Esc twice to exit from the command. The following picture will

be seen:



26

Coordinate

System

Switch to perspective View. The colums should be on the

vertical Z-axis. Use the pan function as needed to bring the

model to this perspective.

When you close the dialog bar this settings will remain active.

Polygon Click the Polygon Icon. Draw a segment from the bottom of

A1 column to the middle of the beam in Y direction:



27

Continue with a segment to the bottom of the middle column:

Press Esc twice to exit from the command.

Translate Click the Translate Icon, select the two inclined bars then

finish the selection with Ok. In the dialog window select the

Consecutive method, and set the Nodes to Connect to None.

After closing the dialog window with Ok, click on the bottomnode of the A1 column, then on the middle node of the A1

column. This will copy the two inclined bars to the upper story.Copy the bars on the other side of the structure as well. To exit

from translate press Esc. The following picture appears:

Geometry

Check

Check the geometry of the structure with the Geometry Check

Icon, which is toward the end of Geometry Toolbar:





29

Finish the selection with Ok, and the following dialog window

appears:

MaterialLibraryImport

Click the Browse Material Library Icon in the row labeledMaterial. The following dialog window appears:

Select Steel Fe360 as the active material.

Cross-Section

Library Import

Click Cross-Section Library Import Icon. The following

dialog window appears :

Select from the Cross-Section Tables I Hungarian Beams, then



30

from the Cross-Section List I-400. Close the dialog window with

Ok.

The default value for the Local z Reference is Auto. This means

that local x reference of the beam will be along the axis of the

element, while local z reference will be parallel with global Z.

Finish the creation of column (beam) elements with Ok.Define the material for the horizontal beams in a similar way,

but use I-360 for their cross-section.

Next, define the material for the diagonal braces and use

Hungarian Pipes O194.0 x 5.0 SV as cross-section.

Zoom to Fit For a better overlook let’s click the Zoom to Fit Icon on theZoom Icon bar.



31


Nodal Support Click the Nodal Support Icon, select all 6 column’s bottom node

and finish the selection with Ok. The following dialog windowappears:

In this dialog window you can set the node support conditions.

Let’s assume pinned supports in all these nodes, so set the

rotational stiffness Rxx, Ryy, Rzz to 0.



32

Finish the creation of nodal supports with Ok, and the support

symbols will appear.

Loads The next step is to apply the loads. Click the Loads tab.

Load Cases &

Load Groups

It is useful to separate the loads into load cases. Click the Load

Cases & Load Groups Icon to create the load cases. The

following dialog window appears:



33

Click on the ST1 (the first static load case) in the upper left

corner, and rename it to VARIABLE1. Close the dialog window

with Ok, and VARIABLE1 will be the current load case. You

can see in the Info Window the name of the current load case:

Line Load Let’s apply loads on the horizontal beams. Apply on the lower

beams 50 kN/m, on the upper beams 25 kN/m. For this click theLine Load Icon, then select the upper beams with a selection

window.



34


appears:

Type -25 in the pz1, pz2 edit boxes, then close the dialog

window with Ok. The following picture appears:

Display

Options

Click the Display Options Icon in the Icons Menu. The

following dialog window appears:Select the Labels tab, then check the Load Value box:



35

Close the dialog window with Ok, and the load values will

appear in the graphics area.



36

Line Load Click the Line Load Icon, and select the lower horizontal beams:

Finish the selection with Ok, then type -50 in the pz1, pz2 editboxes. Close the dialog window with Ok and the following

picture results:



37

Load Cases &

Load Groups

Click the Load Cases & Load Groups Icon.

New Load

Case Static

In the New Case panel click the Static Icon and name the load

case WIND. Close the dialog window with OK. All previous

loads ’disappeared’, and the current load case’s name in the Info

Window is WIND.

CoordinateSystem

Switch to Y-X plane (top view). The following picture appears:



38

Line Load Click the Line Load Icon, and define on the upper left columns

a load of intensity 6 kN/m in x direction. From the top view

select the upper left node with a selection windows (thus

selecting everything inside the selection window, including the

two columns). Finish the selection with Ok, then type a load

intensity value of 6 in px1, px2 edit boxes and close the dialog

window. Repeat the above step for the bottom left node.Repeat the above step for the middle left column, except type a

load intensity value of 12.

Coordinate

System

Switch to Perspective View. The following picture appears:

LoadCombinations

Let’s create a load combination. Click the Load CombinationsIcon, and the Table Browser will appear.



39

New Row Use the New Row Icon to add a new load combination. You

have to specify a factor for each load case in a load combination.

Let’s assume the following factors. Type in these factors in

their columns:

VARIABLE1 1.2, Enter

WIND 1.2, Enter

Accept the new load combination(s) by closing the Table

Browser with Ok.

Now the preprocessing part of the example is finished.

Display

Options

Click the Display Options Icon, and uncheck the Node, Cross-

Section Shape, Load boxes in the Symbols tab, andthe Load

Value box in the Labels tab.

Static The next step is the analysis and post processing. Click the

Static tab. Here you can start the analysis and visualize the

results.

Linear Static

Analysis

Click on the Linear Static Analysis Icon.

A Model Save Dialog will appear if you haven’t already

assigned a name for the model. Accept save and a Save dialog

window appears, where you can specify the model filename andpath.

During the analysis the following window appears:

Details If you click the details button to view details of computation,

the topmost label shows the current computation step, the upper

bar shows its progress. The lower bar shows the global progress

of computation. The estimated memory requirement shows the

estimated virtual memory demand. If the virtual memory of the

computer is set to a lower value, an error message will appear.

When the computation has finished, the two progress bars willdisappear. Close the window with Ok.



40

Static By default the postprocessor will start with the ez displacement

of the first load case, which is now VARIABLE1. The display

mode will be iso surface. Change to isoline display. You will

see the displacements from the VARIABLE1 load case in global

Z direction. To view the results from the load combination select

Co. #1 in the Case Selector combo box.

Switch from Isoline to Diagram by Clicking the Result Display

Parameters Icon and select Diagram in the Display Mode menubox:

Coordinate

System

Switch to Z-X plane. The following picture appears.

Parts Click the Parts Icon on the left Icons Menu. The following

dialog window appears.



41

Click the New Button, which brings up a window where you

can specify the name of the part.

Type in 1 and close this window with Ok.

You have to select the entities which will make up the partnamed 1. Select the right columns with a selection window

according to the following picture.

Finish the selection with Ok. The dialog window will reappear

as in the picture below.



42

Close the dialog window with Ok, and part 1 will be accepted.

Coordinate

System

Switch to Z-Y plane.

Result Display

Parameters

Click the Result Display Parameters Icon, and check Nodes

and Lines in the Write Values to box.

Click OK to close the dialog window, and the following picture

appears.



43

Min/Max

Values

Click the Minimum and Maximum Values Icon to find out the

location of maximum displacement. The following dialog box

will appear:

Here you can select one displacement component. Leave it on ez

and click Ok. First the location and value of the negativeminimum displacement appears.

Click Ok, and the location and value of positive maximum

displacement will appear.

Select from the Result Component combo box Nx from the



44

Beam Internal Forces. Click the Result Display Parameters

Icon, Change display to section line.

The Nx force diagram will appear.

View the My moment diagram in a similar way.

Now view the Rz Nodal Support Internal Force diagram.



45

Steel Design Click the Steel Design tab to start the checking of column A1.

Design

Parameters

Click the Design Parameters Icon, then select column A1 and

finish the selection with Ok. The following dialog window

appears:

Overwrite Kyy with 1.25, and then close the dialog window

with Ok.

Axial Force-

Bending-Shear

Let’s view the N-M-V diagram.



46


Buckling Now view the N-M-Flx Buckling diagram:



47

Choose the efficiency diagram. The following picture appears:

If you click column A1 then all of its checks will appear.

Click Ok to close this window.



48

3. PLATE MODEL


AxisVM folder, found on the Desktop, or in the Start, Programs

Menu.


that pops up, replace the Model Filename with “Frame”, and inthe Design Code panel select Eurocode.

Objective The objective of the analysis is to determine the maximum

deflection, bending moments and required reinforcement of the

following plate.

Lets suppose the plate thickness is 20 cm, the concrete is of

C20/25, and the reinforcement is computed according to

Eurocode-2.

The first step is to create the geometry of structure.

CoordinateSystem

In the lower left corner of the graphics area is the globalcoordinate system symbol. The positive direction is marked by


system of a new model is the X-Z coordinate system. It isimportant to note that unless changed the gravity acts along the –

Z direction.



49


cursor is the bottom left corner of the graphic area, and is set to

X=0, Y=0, Z=0.

The location of the cursor is defined as a relative coordinate.


‘d’ labeled button on the left of the Coordinate Window. (Hint:In the right column of the coordinate window you can specify



Geometry If not already selected, activate the Geometry tab. Under it

appears the Geometry Toolbar.

View Click the Y-X view from the View Icon Bar.

Line Create the geometry of plate using the Rectangle command.

Holding down the left mouse button on the Line Icon canaccess it.

Note: When the a line type is chosen, the Relative coordinatesystem automatically changes to the local system (‘d’ prefix)

Rectangle The corners of the rectangle can be specified graphically or by

entering the coordinates. Lets enter them with coordinates:

Set the first corner (node) of the rectangle by typing in theseentries:

X=0

Y=0

Z=0

Finish specifying the first corner point by pressing Enter. The

first node of the plate model is now also the global coordinates

origin point.

Relative

Coordinates

Lets specify the relative coordinates of the next corner. Type in

the following sequence of keys:

X=8.4Y=6.8

Z=0



50

Finish specifying the second corner point by pressing Enter.

(Note: If the decimal separator on the computer is set to comma,

then instead of the ‘dot’ you have to uses the comma.)


Lets move the relative origin to the lower left corner of therectangle. For this move the cursor over the lower left node and

left Click.

Exit from rectangle line command by pressing Esc. Node Icon Click the Node Icon, then type in the following sequence:

X=6.4

Y=2.2, Enter

X=0

Y=2.4, Enter

These nodes have added columns to support the plate. Exit from

the Node command with Esc.

Elements The next step is to define the finite elements. Click the

Elements tab.

Domain Click the Domain Icon, then click on one line and the whole

rectangle will be selected. Finish the selection with Ok, and the

following dialog window appears.



51

Material

Library Import

Click the Material Library Import Icon in the row of

Material, and the following dialog window appears:

Choose C20/25 from Materials List Box, using the scroll bar if necessary. Close the Material Library Import dialog window

with Ok.

Thickness Type in the thickness combo box the value 200 [mm], then close

the dialog window with Ok. The following picture appears:

Note the red line on the inner contour of the domain

This is the symbol of a (plate) domain. If you move the mouse

on this contour, the properties of the domain will appear in a hint

window.



52

Zoom to Fit For a better view let’s click the Zoom to Fit Icon on the Zoom

Icon bar.

Domain

Meshing

Click the Domain Meshing Icon. Use the select All command

(the asterisk) and finish the selection with OK. The following

dialog window appears:

Type in the Average Mesh Element Size edit box the value 0.66

[m], then press Ok. An automatic mesh generation will start. Its

progress is showed in the following window.

When the mesh generation finishes, the following picture

appears:



53

The surface element symbol is a solid red square in the center of

the element. If you move the cursor over it, the properties of the

element appear in an info window.

Refinement Let's refine the mesh around the two nodal supports. Depress

the left mouse button over the Refinement Icon, and click the

Refinement by BiSection Icon that appears.

Uniform

Refinement

Select the surface elements around the nodal supports with a

selection box, according to the picture below:

Finish the selection with Ok and accept the offered MaximumSide Length. The result of the refinement is shown in the

following picture:

DisplayOptions Let's view the local coordinate system of the surface elements.Click the Display Options Icon in the Icons Menu (left side).



54

Activate the Symbols tab, then on the Local System Panelcheck the Surface box.

Close the dialog window with Ok.

A red line shows the local -x direction, a yellow line the local -ydirection and a green line the local -z direction:

DisplayOptions

Select Display Options Icon to switch off the Surface box onthe Local System panel.



55

Nodal Support Let's specify the supports of the structure. Click on the Nodal

Support command then select the two nodes in the center of the

columns and finish the selection with Ok. The Nodal Support

Window appears.

Calculations Click the Calculations button. The following dialog window

appears:

In this dialog window you can specify the support stiffness for

the column type support.

New Cross

Section

Click the New Cross Section Icon. The following dialog

window appears:



56

Rectangle

Shape

Click the Rectangular Shape Icon. The following dialog

window appears:

Type 300 [mm] in the upper two edit boxes, as the dimensionsof cross section, and click Place. Click in the Cross Section

Editor Drawing Area to place the rectangle. The location where

the rectangle is placed is unimportant.



57

A following picture appears:

Close the Cross Section Editor with Ok. A dialog window asks

for the name of the new cross-section.

Type in 300x300, then close the dialog window with Ok. The

Global Node Support Calculation dialog window’s stiffnessvalues will take into account this cross-section's properties.

Accepting the remaining settings click Ok. The stiffness values

displayed in the Global Node Support Calculation dialog

window will be copied in the Nodal Support dialog window.

Close the dialog window with Ok, and the two supports are

created.



58


Line Support Let's create the line supports on the contour of the domain. Click

the Line Support Icon, and select the four contour lines of thedomain. They represent walls on the edges of the plate.


appears.

Calculation Click the Calculation button. Here you can calculate the line

support stiffness due to a wall support. Type in the thickness of

wall edit box 300 [mm]. You can see that the height of the wallis 3.0m, and the wall stiffness is also shwon in this dialog box.



59

Depress both the upper and lower End Release Icons. Close

with Ok the dialog windows.

Nodal DOF Click the Nodal DOF Icon. Select all nodes with the Allcommand (the asterisk), then finish the selection with Ok. In the

Nodal Degrees Of Freedom dialog box select Plate in X-Y fromthe list.

Accepting this will constrain the degree of freedom to vertical

displacements and rotations about axes in the plane of the plate.



60

Loads The next step is to apply the loads. Click the Loads tab.

Load Cases &

Load Groups

It is useful to group the loads into load cases. To manage the

load cases click the Load Cases & Load Groups Icon. Thefollowing dialog window appears:

ST1 in the upper left corner of the window is the first load case

(created by default). Click it and rename it to Self-Weight.Closing the dialog window it will be the active load case. It can

be seen on the Info Window:

Self Weight Click the Self Weight Icon, and select all elements with the All

command. Finish the selection with Ok, and the self-weight load

will be applied to all elements. This can be seen by the red

dashed lines on the contour of elements.



61

New Load

Case

Click the Load Cases & Load Groups Icon again, and create a

new load case with the Static Icon. Name it Permanent Load.

This load case contains the dead loads on the plate. Let's assume

it is 2.5 kN/m2 distributed load.

DistributedSurface Load

Click the Distributed Surface Load Icon and select allelements with the All command. Finish the selection and type in

the -pz input box the value -2.5 kN/m2. The negative value

means a load acting in opposite direction to the local z-axis of

the surface element. This is a load on the surfaces of the plate.

New Load

Case

Create a new load case and name it Live Load. It will contain

the variable loads. Click the Distributed Surface Load Icon

and select all elements with the All command. Finish theselection and type in

-pz=-1.5 kN/m2.

Load

Combinations

Now, that all loads have been applied to the structure, the load

combinations can be created. There will be only one load

combination, containing all load cases. Click the Load

Combinations Icon. The following dialog window appears:



62

New Row Create a new load combination by using the New Row

command. You can apply load factors to load cases by using a

load combination. In this example the factors of the Eurocode2

will be used:

Self Weight 1.35

Dead Load 1.35Variable 1.50

Type in these values in their columns. You can move to the next

column by pressing Enter. When finished press Ok, and the new

load combination is created.

Now all the model data is available for the analysis.

Static The next step is the analysis and postprocessing. Click the

Static tab. Here you can start the static analysis and visualize

the results.

Linear Static

Analysis

Click the Linear Static Analysis Icon. If till this point the

model wasn't saved, the program will ask to save. Accept Save,

and a Save dialog window appears, where you can specify the

model file name and path.

The analysis process will start.

During the analysis the following window appears:

If you click the details button, the topmost bar shows the

progress of the current computation step. The bar below it showsthe global analysis progress. The estimated memory requirement

is the amount of virtual memory that must be available. If the

size of the operating systems virtual memory is limited to a

lower value, an error message will appear, showing the required

virtual memory. When the analysis has finished, the progress

bars will disappear.

Static Closing the Linear Analysis window with Ok the postprocessorwill start by default with the first load case (Self-Weight in this

case), the result component is ez displacement and the display

mode is isosurface 2D. This shows the vertical displacementsfrom the first load case.



63

Click the Case Selector combo box, and select Co.#1 to view the

results from the load combination.

The Color Legend Window shows that the displacements are

negative, because they are in an opposite direction with the local

z-axis of the elements. This is the top view of a surface load.

Display

Options

Click the Display Options Icon on the Icons Menu in the left

side. Under the Symbols tab, in the Graphics Symbols Panelswitch off the Load and Surface Center options.

Min/Max

Values

Let’s find the maximal displacements. Click the Min, Max

Values Icon. The following dialog window appears:

Here you can select the displacement component extremities.

Accept ez, and a window pops up, showing the location and

value of maximum negative displacement

Click Ok, and another window pops up, showing the location

and value of maximum positive displacement.



64

Color Legend The Color Legend Window shows the color ranges. You can

change the number of colors by dragging the handle beside thelevel number edit box or entering a new value.

Let’s find the ranges with a displacement larger than 10 mm.

Click on the values in the Color Legend Window. In the Color

Legend Setup dialog window check Auto Interpolate, thenclick on the bottom value in the left column, and replace -11.4

with -10.



65

Close the dialog window with OK, and the new ranges will be

applied.

The ranges with a displacement larger than 10 mm are shown by

the inclined hatching.

Display Mode Let's view the displacement in isoline display mode too. Clickthe Display Mode combo box (the one which is displaying

Isosurface 2D), and select Isoline from the list.



66


Perspective

View

Let's view the results in perspective. Click the Perspective

View Icon from the View Icon Bar.

Accept the perspective display values in the dialog window by

closing it with Close Icon.

Result DisplayParameters Click the Result Display Parameters Icon to view thedeformed shape. In the Display Shape Panel select Deformed.

When the dialog window is closed the deformed shape of the

structure is shown.

Rendered Click the Rendered Icon in the Display Mode Icon Bar, and the

deformed shape of the structure will be rendered.



67

Click the Wireframe Icon and return to the Isoline display

mode.

Let's switch to X-Y Plane.

After studying the deformed shape let’s look at the internalforces. Click the Result Component combo box (the one which

displays ez), and the following list appears:

Open the Surface Internal Forces by clicking on it, then select

mx. The isoline display of the mx internal moments appears on

the screen. This is the moment that is taken by the reinforcementin the -x direction. The my, mxy internal moments and the qxz,

qyz shear forces can be viewed in a similar way.

Open in the Result Component combo box the Nodal SupportInternal Forces, and select Rz. This way you will be able to see

the compressive force acting on the columns.



68

Result Display

Parameters

For this click the Result Display Parameters Icon.

The following dialog window appears:

In the Write Values To Panel check the Nodes box, and

uncheck the Min, Max. only. Close the dialog window with Ok and the value of the axial forces in the columns appears near the

nodes.

The reactions from the line supports can be viewed in a similar

way. In Result Display Parameters check only Lines in the

Write Values to Panel. Select Line Support Internal Forces

and value Rz.



69

R.C. Design Let's switch to R.C. Design tab.

Here the reinforcement areas from the internal forces can be

obtained.

Reinforcement

Parameters

Click the Reinforcement Parameters Icon, and select all

surface elements with the All command. Finish the selection

with Ok, and the following dialog windows appear:

The characteristics of the concrete are already known from thecreation of domain. Select B500B for the type of the

reinforcement:



70

Type in 1.5 for the depth of concrete cover in -x direction, and

2.5 for the -y direction.

When the dialog window is closed, the axb diagram appears,

which is the isosurface diagram of the bottom steel area in -xdirection. In the Result Component combo box you can select

the top or bottom -x or -y direction of the steel reinforcement.

By changing the number of levels and the top and bottom values

in the Color Legend Window, it is easy to see variations in the

required reinforcement needed.

In this case let's study the reinforcement at the top in -x

direction. Switch to –axt in the Result Component combo box.

Min/MaxValues

Find the maximal amount of steel reinforcement using the Min,Max. Values command. Clicking on its icon the following

dialog window appears:

Continue with Ok, and a dialog window appears with the

location and area of maximum reinforcement.

Let's use as minimal reinforcement (0.3%) fi12/18, whose area is

628 mm2/m, and for actual reinforcement fi12/9, whose area is

1257 mm2/m.



71

It can be seen that the area for actual reinforcement is greater

than the maximum area of calculated reinforcement, so it can be

applied over the whole plate.

To separate reinforcement regions set the number of levels to 3

in the Color Legend Window.

Activate the Color Legend Setup by clicking on a value, thentype 1257 in the top row, 628 under it and 0 in the last row.

The regions that require the minimum or maximum

reinforcement are displayed.

It can be seen that in the middle region of the plate no top

reinforcement in -x direction is required from calculation, near



72

the edges the minimal reinforcement is enough and in the area

around the columns, the maximum reinforcement is required.

To view the reinforcement needed in the area around the

columns Click the Static tab. In Result Component combo box

select Surface Internal Forces and click on -mxy. Set the

display to Isosurface. .

Section Lines Click the Section Lines Icon on the Left Icon Bar.

Click the New Section Plane button, and name the sectionplane Column1 in the dialog window that appears:

Accept the name and specify the section plane on the drawing.

Select one of the column support nodes, then the other column

support node.



73

The following dialog window returns:

Accept it with Ok. The display should be set to the Section

Line.

CoordinateSystem Switch to Z-Y plane, Select Surface Internal Forces –m1 andthe moment diagram section across the columns is obtained.

Let's switch off the display of section. Click the Section Lines

Icon uncheck the box before Column1 and close the dialog

window with Ok.



74

Result Display

Parameters

Click the Result Display Parameter Icon, and uncheck the

boxes in the Write Values To panel.

Switch to perspective view, then set the display mode to

Isosurface 3d. The Color Legend window should be set to –10

max value.

The following picture appears, which shows the internal

moments in the -x direction.



75

4. MEMBRANE MODEL

4.1. Preprocessing with surface elements


AxisVM folder, found on the Desktop, or in the Start, ProgramsMenu.


that pops up, replace the Model Filename with “Membrane 1”.Select the Design Code. Click Ok.


and reinforcements of the following wall structure.

Assume the wall thickness is 200 mm, the concrete is of C20/25,

and the reinforcement is B500A computed according to

Eurocode-2.


Coordinate

System

In the lower left corner of the graphics area is, in blue color, the

coordinate system beginning point marked with a blue X. The

coordinate system view can be changed from the Icons Menuwith the Views Icon. Move the cursor over that icon and the

following icon bar is displayed:



76

The vertical upward direction is taken as the positive Z direction.

It has relevance for the direction of gravitational force.If the view is not already in Z-X plane, switch to it.

Geometry If not already selected, activate the Geometry tab, under which

the Geometry Toolbar is displayed.

Quad/Triangle

Division

The geometry of the wall is created with the Quad/Triangle

Division Icon. Hold down the left mouse button to display the

sub-menu. Click on the first Icon on the left and the following

dialog window is displayed:

To create the upper part enter N1=20, N2=8.

Close the dialog window with Ok. Now you have to specify the

corners of the Quad. They can be specified graphically or by

entering the coordinates. Lets enter them with coordinates :To enter the first corner, Type in the following sequence of

keys:

X=0 Y=0 Z=3, Enter

Specify the relative coordinates of the next corners in a similar

way. Type in the following sequence of keys :

X=12 Y=0 Z=0, Enter

X=0 Y=0 Z=3, Enter

X=-12 Y=0 Z=0, Enter



77

Exit from drawing quads by pressing Esc.

The following Drawing is displayed:

Quad/Triangle

Division

The pillars are created in a similar way. Click the

Quad/Triangle Divison Icon. Enter the following values:N1=3, N2=6

Close the dialog window with Ok. Now you have to specify thecorners of the Quad.

Type in the following sequence of keys :

X=0 Y=0 Z=-6, Enter

X=1 Y=0 Z=0, EnterX=0.8 Y=0 Z=3, Enter

X=-1.8 Y=0 Z=0, Enter

Exit from drawing quads by pressing Esc.

The following drawing is displayed:

Mirror Create the other pillar by mirroring the first one with respect to

the center of structure (X=6). Click the Mirror Icon.

The Selection Icon Bar is displayed:



78

Select with a selection window all nodes of the pillar.

The selected elements will be highlighted.

Finish the selection with Ok and the following dialog window

will be displayed:

Set Mirror: Copy, Nodes to connect: None, Copy: All. Now

you have to specify the mirror plane. First select the middle

point of the bottom line of the upper part, then select any point

vertically above it.



79


The geometry of the wall has been successfully created.

Zoom Let's zoom to the structure. Move the cursor over the ZoomIcon on the Icons Menu. The Zoom Icon Bar pops up.

Fit in Window Click the Fit In Window Icon.

Geometry

Check

In the top icon bar, Click the Geometry Check Icon to check

for possible duplicate entries. In the dialog window displayed thetolerance for merging the nodes can be specified. If the distance

between two nodes is less than the value you enter they

respective nodes will be merged. Enter .001.



80

Click OK and a check summary is displayed when completed.

Elements The next step is to create the finite elements. Activate the

Elements tab.

Surface

Elements

Click the Surface Elements Icon. After selecting All elements

the following dialog window is displayed:

Set the type of the element to Membrane(plane stress).

MaterialLibrary Import

Click the Material Library Import Icon. The following dialogwindow is displayed:

Select C25/30 from the Materials list, then accept it with Ok.

Thickness Enter(type) in the Thickness edit box 200 [mm], then close the

dialog window with Ok.



81

The surface elements have been created.

Display

Options

To view the local coordinate system of the surface elements

click on the Display Options Icon on the Icons Menu in the left

side. The following dialog window is displayed:

Check the Surface box in the Local Systems panel.

Accept the change with Ok.

If the Mesh, Node, Surface Center is switched on among the

Graphics Symbols, it is visible that the program uses 9-node

membrane elements. These 9 nodes are the corners, middpoints

and center point of surface element. If you move the cursor on

the surface center symbol (a filled square), a hint window is

displayed with the property of the surface element: its tag,material, thickness, mass and references, as shown in the next

drawing:



82

The red line shows the x axis of the local coordinate system, the

yellow one the y axis and the green one the z axis.

Line Support To create the supports click on the Line Support Icon andselect the bottom lines of the pillars with a selection box.

Finish the selection with Ok. The following dialog window isdisplayed:



83

To create a pinned support use the following settings:

Nodal DOF Click the Nodal DOF Icon, select all nodes with the All

command and accept the selection. In the dialog window scrollto Membrane in Plane X-Z and apply it.



84

4.2. Preprocessing with domains


AxisVM folder, found on the Deskto, or in the Start, Programs

Menu.


that pops up, replace the Model Filename with “Membrane-2”.


and reinforcements of the following wall structure:

Assume that the wall thickness is 200 mm, the concrete is of

C25/30, and the reinforcement is B500A, computed according toEurocode-2.


Coordinate

System


coordinate system symbol. The positive direction is marked by



important to note that unless changed the gravity acts along the –Z direction.



85


cursor is the bottom left corner of the graphic area, and is preset

to X=0, Y=0, Z=0.

The location of the cursor is defined as a relative coordinate.


‘d’ labeled button on the left of the Coordinate Window. (Hint:In the right column of the coordinate window you can specify



Geometry If not already selected, activate the Geometry tab. The

Geometry Toolbar is displayed:

Line Press down the left mouse button while the mouse is on the Line

Icon. (Note: Icons default display is to the last icon selection)

The following icon sub-menu is displayed:

Note: When the a line type is chosen, the Relative coordinate

system automatically changes to the local system (‘d’ prefix)

Polygon Select the Polygon icon, which is the second from left. When

the Polygon is chosen, the Relative coordinate system

automatically changes to the local system (‘d’ prefix)

The polygon coordinates for the frame model can be drawn withthe mouse, or by typing in their numerical values.

Set the first point (node) of the polygon by typing in these

entries:X=0 Y=0 Z=3

Finish specifying the first line point by pressing Enter.

To enter the remaining nodes of the polygon membrane model,

enter the following sequence of values:

X=1 Y=0 Z=0, Enter

X=0.8 Y=0 Z=3, EnterX=8.4 Y=0 Z=0, EnterX=0.8 Y=0 Z=-3, Enter



86

X=1 Y=0 Z=0, Enter

X=0 Y=0 Z=6, Enter

X=-12 Y=0 Z=0, Enter

X=0 Y=0 Z=-6, Enter

Exit from the command by clicking Esc twice.

Translate Click the Translate Icon. Select the top horizontal line and

finish the selection with Ok. Choose Incremental from the

Method panel, N=1, Nodes to Connect: None, then close the

dialog window with Ok. Now you must specify the translation

vector. Click any empty place in the Graphics Area, then type

in the following sequence:

X=0 Y=0 Z= -0.75, Enter

The following drawing results:

Elements The next step is to create the finite elements. Click the

Elements tab.

Domain Click the Domain Icon, then select All. Accept the selection

with Ok and the following dialog window is displayed:



87

Set the type of the element to Membrane (plane stress).

Material

Library Import

Click the Material Library Import Icon and the following

dialog window is displayed:

Select C25/30 from the materials list, and close the dialogwindow with Ok.

Thickness Enter(Type in) 200 [mm] as the thickness of wall

,

then close the dialog window with Ok.



88


It is easy to observe the symbol of the domain - a blue line on the

inner contour of the domain. Moving the cursor over it a hintwindow is displayed with the properties of the domain:

DomainMeshing

Click the Domain Meshing Icon. Select the domain with theAll command (the asterisk) and finish the selection with Ok. The

following dialog window is displayed:

Type in 0.75 [m] for the average mesh element size. Afterclosing this dialog window with Ok the automatic mesh

generation is started. The progress of mesh generation is shown

in a window.



89

After the mesh generation is completed, the following drawing is

displayed:

If you move the cursor on the surface center symbol (a filled

square), a hint window is displayed with the property of the

surface element : it's tag, material, thickness, mass andreferences as shown in the next drawing.

Line Support The next step is to specify the supports. Click the Line support

Icon. Select the bottom lines with a selection box.

Accept the selection with Ok. The following dialog window is

displayed:



90

To create pinned support set the dialog window as shown

below:

Close the dialog window with Ok, and the following drawing is

displayed:

Nodal DOF The next (optional) step is to set the nodal degrees of freedom.

Click the Nodal DOF Icon. Select all nodes with the All

command, finish the selection with Ok, and in the dialogwindow select Membrane in plane X-Z.



91

The finite elements have now been created.

The next step is to apply the loads.

Load Click the Loads tab.

Surface EdgeLoad

Assume a 50kN/m vertical distributed load. Click on the

Surface Edge Load Icon, then select the line you have created

with the translate command (the second black line from top):

Finish the selection with Ok, and enter(type) in: py 50 [kn/m]:



92

Press Ok and the load is applied.


Static The next step is the analysis and postprocessing. Click the

Static tab.

Linear Static

Analysis

Click the Linear Static Analysis Icon. The model will be saved

with it's current name (which is Membrane 2 in this case).

A Model Save Dialog will appear if you haven’t already

assigned a name for the model. Accept save and a Save dialog

window appears, where you can specify the model filename and

path.

Calculation During the calculation the following window is visible:



93

Click the Details button to view the details of calculation:

The topmost label shows the current computation step, and the

bar below it shows its progress. The second bar shows the global

progress of computation. The estimated memory requirement

shows the estimated virtual memory needed. If the virtual

memory of the computer is set to a lower value than the needed

value, an error message is displayed. When the computation has

finished, the progress bars will disappear.

Postprocessor Close the window with Ok. By default the postprocessor will

start with the ez displacement, the display mode will be isoline.You will see the vertical displacements.

Display

Options

For a clearer view, switch off the display of Loads. Click the

Display Options Icon, and uncheck the Load box.

Fit in Window Click on the Fit in Window Icon.


Click the Result Component combo box (the one showing

ez[mm] and select nx from Surface Internal Forces.



94

Min/Max

Value

To find the location of maximum internal force. Click the Min,

Max Value Icon. The following dialog window is displayed:

Here you can select the component you are interested in. Accept

nx by clicking Ok. A dialog window will show the value andlocation of the negative maximum.

Click Ok and another window is displayed showing the locationand value of positive maximum.



95

The color regions are delimited by the values in the Color

Legend Window. You can change the number of colors by

dragging the handle beside the level number edit box or entering

a new value.

Color Legend

Setup Window

To find the ranges with a normal force larger than -100 kN/m,

Click on the values in the Color Legend Window. In the Color

Legend Setup dialog window check Auto Interpolate, then

click on the bottom value in the left column, and replace –

331.62 with -100.

Close the dialog window with OK, and the new ranges will be

applied.




96

The regions with a normal force greater then -100 are hatched.

Isoline View the internal forces in Isoline display mode. Click the

Display Mode combo box (the one which displays Isosurface

2D) and select Isoline from the list.

The isoline drawing is shown below:

View the internal forces of the supports. Select rz from Line

Support Internal Forces in the Result Component combo box.

Result Display

Parameters

Click the Result Display Parameters Icon, and the following

dialog window is displayed. Check the Lines box in the Write

Values To panel and set the Display Mode to Diagram



97

Close the dialog window with Ok and the values of support

forces is displayed on the screen:

R.C. Design The next step is to calculate the reinforcement. Click the R.C.Design tab:

Click on the Reinforcement Parameters Icon, and select all

surface elements with the All command. Complete the selection

with OK, and the following dialog window is displayed:



98

Close the dialog window with OK and the axb diagram is

displayed:

The area of reinforcement in the x direction is the sum of the axt

and axb values.



99

5. SHELL MODEL

Start To run the program click AxisVM 8 icon in the AxisVM folder

on the Desktop.

New Create a new model by clicking the New icon or File / New from

the menu. Enter ‘Reservoir’ into the Model Filename field and

into the first line of the Page Header. Select Front View from

the left toolbar and select Eurocode as Design Code.:

Job definition Determine the specific forces and the amount of reinforcement

for the following reservoir filled with water.

Thickness of the walls and the baseplate is 250 mm, ribs on theupper edge are 30x60s. The structure is made of C25/30 concrete

and B500B rebars. Use Eurocode 2.

Settings Use Settings / Options / Grid & Cursor… to open the following

dialog:



100

Replace each value under Cursor Step by 0.2

to ensure that the mouse cursor moves in 0.2 m steps so you

avoid geometric imperfections while drawing the model.

Now you create the geometry using enhanced editing functions.

Geometry Click the Geometry tab under the menu getting to the geometry

toolbar:

Polygon The third icon from the left is Polygon. Click the mouse left button on it to draw a

polygon.

First we draw the reservoir wall in X-Z

plane.

Choose the global origin as the origin of

the polygon. It is on the bottom left at the

intersection of a horizontal and a vertical

brown line representing the global X and Zaxes. The blue x shows the current origin

of the editing coordinate-system.

Relativecoordinate-

To enter further polygon vertices choose the relative coordinate-

system (relative to the blue x). Turn on relative coordinates by



101

system clicking the d button. If this button is down the relative

coordinates are displayed and coordinates have a d prefix.

If this button is up global coordinates are displayed.

Move the mouse cursor to the following locations and click once

to enter each vertex: 11.0 right and 0.2 down, down 0.4, right

1.0, up 3.6, left 12.0, down 3.0 (or by keyboard: x 11 z –0,2

[Enter] z –0.4 [Enter] x 1 [Enter] z 3.6 [Enter] x –12 [Enter] z –3

[Enter]).

Double-click at the last vertex to quit the drawing function. Now

you have this:

Translation Use the Translation icon on the Icon bar on the left to create the

geometry of the reservoir in space.

The Selection palette appears:

Select all lines by pressing the Gray* on the keyboard or the

fourth icon on the toolbar. Selected elements turn purple. Click

the OK button to accept the selection and you get to the

Translate dialog.

Select the Incremental method, N=1, and All nodes to connect .

Click OK to close the dialog.



102

Change view Select the icon on the left from the toolbar and the X-Y plane or

press [Ctrl+2]

Now specify the translation vector. Its base point can be

anywhere and set its endpoint using relative coordinates to get to

this point:

Change view Select the icon on the left from the toolbarand click the Perspective view (or press

Ctrl+4):

The perspective palette appears:

The cursor changes to show that you can drag and rotate the model toset a new perspective. Rotate it to get to the following settings or enterthese H, V, P values:

Close the palette by clicking any of the two small x button.

Fit in window To see the entire structure click the Zoom icon on the left toolbar

and choose Fit in window:

Numbering Move the cursor to the bottom right corner anf find the

Numbering icon among the speed buttons!



103

Here you can turn numbering on or off. Turn on the

check box before Node and node numbers appear

immediately.

Translation(move)

To shape up the grip slope move the line between Node 3 and 4

down by 0.2 m. Drag a selection rectangle around Node 3 and 4:

All elements within the rectangle will be selected (Node 3, Node

4 and the line between them).

Move the cursor onto the selected line and start dragging it. Now

you have to specify the translation vector.

Select the Special constraints icon fromthe Icon bar on the left and choose the

second icon from the flyout toolbar.

Click the vertical line

between Node 4 and 5. Nowyou have applied a parallel

constraint: the translation

vector will be parallel to the

vertical line. Move the line

between Node 3 and 4 down.To specify the exact distance

type Z to get to the dZ

coordiante edit field and type

–0.2 [Enter].

Geometry Check To check the model geo-

metry use the Geometry

Check.

Here you can set the tole-

rance. If two nodes are

closer than this distancethey will automatically

be joined.

After clicking OK acheck report will appear:

Elements Clicking the Elements tab you can specify the element types,material properties, cross-sections and references determining



104

local systems of the elements.

Reference point The local system of finite elements can be set by references. In

this example a reference point is used to define the orientation of

the local Z direction on the plane normal and a reference plane todefine the in-plane X and Y axes.

Click the reference point icon then click the midside point of the

line between Node 5 and 11. To locate the midside point move

the cursor along the line and check if the cursor shape changes

from ’/’ to ’ ½’.

Numbering Move the cursor over the Numbering button on the

speed button toolbar. Turn on the Reference check box. Now an „R1” label appears beside the

reference symbol.

Reference plane To set the local system of domains create a

reference plane. Click the icon on the Elements toolbar. You need three points to

define the plane. Click Node 6, click

anywhere on the line between Node 1 and

2 then click Node 1.

You get this:

Domains Define a domain to create structural surface elements. Click the

Domain icon. The Selection palette appears. Click on the

following lines to select domain contours:

6 – 6; 6 – 1;→ Rectangle 6 – 1 – 7 – 12 is automatically

selected1 – 7; 7 – 8; 8 – 2; 2 – 1

11 – 10; 10 – 4; → Rectangle 11 – 10 – 4 – 5 is automatically

selectedClick OK on the Selection palette. You get to the Domains

dialog.



105

Material LibraryImport

Click the Material Library Import button to select a material:

Select C25/30. The list on the right displays the materialproperties. Click OK.

Thickness Enter 250 into the edit field Thickness[mm] .

Reference Set the local x reference to R2:

Local z reference will be Auto. Click OK to close the dialog.You will see a green contour along the domain boundary showing theshape of the domain. The color depends on the element type. Shelldomains always have a green contour.

Local systems Turn on the display of local systems clicking the Local systems

speed button in the bottom right toolbar.

Domains Define another structural surface element the same way. Click

the Domain icon. The Selection palette appears. Click on thefollowing lines to select domain contour:



106

8 – 9; 9 – 3;→ Polygon 8 – 9 – 3 – 2 is automatically selected.

Click OK on the Selection palette. You get to the Domains

dialog.Choose Shell as element type, 250 mm as Thickness, R2 as

Local x reference, R1 as Local z reference and click OK.

DomainsDefine the remaining structural surface elements the same way.Click the Domain icon. The Selection palette appears. Click on

the following lines to select domain contours:

11 – 10; 10 – 9; → Polygon 11 – 10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 12 is

automatically selected.

9 – 10; 10 – 4; 4 – 3; → Rectangle 9 – 10 – 4 – 3 is

automatically selected.

5 – 4; 4 – 3; 3 – 2; 2 – 1; → Polygon 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 isautomatically selected.

Click OK on the Selection palette. You get to the Domains

dialog.Define a shell domain with a thickness of 250 mm but this timewith Auto references and click OK.

You get the following:

Speed buttons Turn off Numbering / Node and Local systems using speed

buttons.

Line elements To define ribs on the upper edges click Line elements on the

Elements toolbar. The Selection palette appears. Press the

[Shift] key and click on the 4 edges. Click OK on the Selection palette. You get to the Line elements dialog.



107

Cross-section

Editor

A borda keresztmetszetének megadásához aktiváljuk a Szelvény

felirat mellett jobbra elhelyezked• Szelvényszerkeszt• funkciót!

A következ• ablak jelenik meg:

Rectangularshape

To define a 30 x 60

rectangular shape

click the

Rectangular shapeicon on the toolbar.

Type 300 into the b[mm] edit field

and 600 into

h[mm] then click

the Place button.



108

You get back to the main window. Click anywhere to place the shape.

The cross-section 1st and 2nd principal direction, center of gravity and other cross-sectionn parameters are displayed within

the property info window. Click More parameters to see all

parameters calculated automatically by a finite element analysis

of the cross-section.

Click OK to close the

Cross-section Editor

then enter 30*60 as the

name of the cross-

section. Click OK

again.

You get back to the Line Elements dialog. Enter –175 mm as

Eccentricity then click OK . Rib centerlines are displayed as blue

lines and a grey diagram shows the actual cross-section.

Move the cursor over arib and wait for the

tooltip to appeardisplaying element

properties:

Rendered view Move the cursor over the View mode icon

on the Icon bar on the left. A flyout toolbar

appears.

Select the rightmost icon to choose Rendered view. This way

you can check element definitions.



109

Rotate view Click the Rotate view icon on the Zoom

toolbar at the bottom left corner of the

main window.

Drag the model to rotate it. A special

Rotation toolbar appears. You can

control the way view rotation works by

selecting from the options.

Press the [Esc] key or close the Rotation toolbar by clicking the

x button to quit view rotation.

View undo Select View undo from the Zoom toolbar.

Fit in view Click this icon to make the drawing fill the window.

Wireframe Select Wireframe from the view mode flyout toolbar.

Surface support To define supports for the structure click the Surface support

icon on the Elements toolbar. The Selection palette appears.

Click the two non-vertical domains. Click OK on the Selection

toolbar. You get to the support definition dialog. Set R x and R y

to 1E3 and click OK .



110

You get this:

Loads To define loads click the Loads tab.

Load cases andload groups

To define load cases and load groups click Load cases and load

groups icon on the Loads toolbar. You get to this dialog:



111

Click on the selected load case to rename it to ’Self Weight’.


Self weight To define self weight click the Self weight icon. On theSelection palette click the Select all (asterisk) icon or press gray

* on the keyboard. Click OK to close the Selection palette.

Dashed lines along the domain contours represent the self weight.

Moving the cursor to a

domain you get a

tooltip like this:

Static Load Case To create another load case click the

Load cases and load groups icon on the

Loads toolbar and click the Static button

in the New Case group box.Enter ’Water’ as the name of the new load case in the tree view.


Fluid loads To define the water load click the Fluid loads icon. On the

Selection palette click the Select all (asterisk) icon or press gray

* on the keyboard. Click OK to close the Selection palette.

To define water level 30 cm under the top edge of the reservoir

change

Z1 [m]=3.000 to 2.7 , and set the bottom pressure value to –35(pressure is in the negative local z direction) and click OK:



112

You get this:

Loadcombinations

To create laod combinations click the Load combinations icon.

You get to the load combinations table in the Table Browser.

New row To create a new combination click the New row icon then enter 1.35into the Self-Weight column and 1.00 into the Water column. Use [Tab]or [Enter] to jump to the next cell. Click OK to close the dialog.

Speed buttons Turn off the Load display using the speed buttonand turn off Supports and Reference from theGraphic symbols flyout.

Mesh generation To create finite element mesh click the Mesh tab.



113

Click the Domain

meshing icon. On the

Selection palette click

the Select all (asterisk)

icon or press gray * on

the keyboard. Click OK

to close the Selection palette.

Use Uniform mesh size

and set Average Mesh

Element Size to 0.600 m

and click OK to close the

dialog.

You get a visual

feedback on the meshingprocess. Aftercompleting you get the

following:

Green points at the center of surface elements is the symbol of

shell centerpoints. Moving the mouse over a centerpoint you get

a tooltip information on the element and the domain.



114

Now we entered all properties necessary to analyse the model.Static To run the analysis and display the results click the Static tab.

Linear analysis Click Linear static analysis to run the linear analysis.

You get to the dialog which gives you a feedback on the process

of the analysis. Click Details to know more about it.

You can see the actual steps of the calculation. The first bar

shows the actual progress of the current step while the secondone displays the overall progress of the analysis.

The Estimated Memory Requirement shows the necessary

amount of memory to run the analysis. If this value is higher

than the available physical memory AxisVM uses the hard disk

to swap memory blocks during the calculation. If the system of equations fits into the physical memory the calculation is

considerably faster.At the end of the analysis you see the following



115

Click OK to close the dialog. You get to the Static tab,displaying the Self Weight load case and eZ (i.e. vertical

displacements due to the self weight).

Numbering Click the Numbering speed button and turn on

Write Values to Surfaces and Min./Max. only.

To see the result for the Water load case click

the dropdown button of the combo box

displaying Self Weight and select Water.

You can change the result component the similar way.

Parts To hide the front wall of the reservoir create a part. Click the

Parts icon on the Icon bar on the left. You get to the Parts

dialog.

Define a part containing everything but the front wall.

Click New and specify the name as WithoutFront.



116

Change viewSelect the X-Y view from the flyouttoolbar or press [Ctrl+2].

On the Selection palette click the

Select all (asterisk) icon or press gray

* on the keyboard. The first button of

the palette (Add entities to the

selection) comes up and the secondone (Remove entities from the

selection) goes down showing that the

selection mode has been changed.

Scroll the model left or zoom out a bit

(use the mouse wheel or [Grey -]) anddeselect the front wall.

Click OK to close the Selection palette

then click OK in the Parts dialog. The

Info Window shows that there is an

active part:

View Undo Undo the view (or select Perspective view by [Ctrl+4]) and you willsee that now the front wall is hidden.



117

Min, max To determine the extreme values of the

horizontal displacements click the Min,

max icon. You get to a dialog (on the

right).

Select eY and close the dialog.

First the minimum value of eY appears

near the selected node which is thelocation where the extreme can be

found. If you click OK or press [Enter],

you get to the maximum eY location.

DisplayParameters

Select the load combination (Co. #1) and the eR resultantdisplacement. Click the Display Parameters icon, set Display

Shape to Deformed, Display Mode to Diagram and Scale By to

2.

Go to the bottom of the screen, turn the Mesh Display speed

button on, and change display mode on the Icon bar to Hidden

line removal.Rotation Use the bottom left toolbar to activate the interactive rotation

and check the deformed shape.



118

Change view

Color Legend

Select the X-Z view from the flyout

toolbar or press [Ctrl+1].

In the Display Parameters dialog set

Display Shape to Undeformed,

Display Mode to Isosurface 2D andScale By to 1 . Choose mx result

component from the Surface Internal Forces category of the dropdown tree.

Go to the bottom of the screen, turnthe Mesh Display speed button off .

Test different number of color levels

by dragging the bottom of the Color

Legend window.

If we set 11 colors first then 29 we get

the following drawings:

Now choose my result component.

Section To show this component in a section click the Section icon on

the Icon bar. To define a new section plane click the New section plane button in the dialog and enter 1 as the name of the section

plane.



119

A section plane can be defined by two points in side, front of topview. Being in front view click the rib at 6.000 m and enter the

second point somewhere under the first on a vertical line (e.g.typing z –3 [Enter]).

You get back to the Section Lines dialog. Click OK.

Change view

Numbering

Select the Y-Z side view from the flyout toolbar or press

[Ctrl+3].

Click Numbering speed button and turn on Write Values to

Lines.

You get the following diagram:



120

Speed buttons Turn off Sections clicking its speed button at the bottom.

Change view Select the perspective view from the flyout toolbar or press

[Ctrl+4].

Choose Rz from Surface Support Internal Forces and set Isoline

display style with 22 levels. Turn on Write Values To Surfaces.

R. C. Design To determine the required amount of reinforcement click the R.

C. Design tab

Vasalásiparaméterek

To define surface reinforcement parameters click the

Reinforcement parameters icon. On the Selection palette click the Select all (asterisk) icon or press gray * on the keyboard.

Click OK to close the Selection palette. In the Surface Re-

inforcement Para-

meters dialog set

Concrete to B500Band change xtop and

xbottom to 45 mm.

Click OK to close

the dialog.

Gyorspaletta Turn off Write Values To Line and Surface by clicking the Numbering

speed button. We get this for axb (required amount of reinforcement inlocal x direction at the bottom of the elements (top and bottom aredefined by the local z coordinate)



121

Also check components in other directions and positions: axt, ayb, ayt.

ReinforcedBeam Design

To determine the required amount of reinforcement in concretebeams click the Beam Reinforcement Calculation icon. The

Selection palette appears. Click one of the ribs on the longer

walls and click OK on the palette. You get a warning message:

Close the dialog and you get to the Beam Reinforcementwindow displaying the structural model of the beam, the bending

moment, shear force and torsional force distribution.



122

BeamParameters

Click Beam Parameters to specify the design properties. Click the iconof the rectangular cross-section and click OK.

You get the required amount of reinforcement and stirrup

distance.



123



124

Notes



Notes

AxisVMStepByStep

Documents