ENG 7704

Design of Steel Structures

Session 1 - 2007

Tamer Sabrah
PhD Candidate - Civil Engineering Discipline
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STAAD PRO 2004 SOFTWARE
¾ STAAD is a comprehensive structural
engineering software that addresses all aspects of
structural engineering – analysis, design,
verification, and visualization.
¾ STAAD performs the analysis and design of the
structure for different types of structures. Design
of some types of connections can also be
performed.
¾ Powerful and very effective analysis and design
tool, is a MUST for every structural engineer
(designer/field/contractor…etc.) !!

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 STAAD Tutorials Scope
• Giving demonstration for how to use the
software by showing the guidelines about
the basic steps for static analysis.
• Each session will highlight some different
aspects about the Staad program.
• Three to four sessions will be given during
the semester. Relevant assignments are
required to solve.

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 About Staad
• STAAD has two main methods of
modeling :
(1) Input editor (script language) and/or
(2) Graphical Interface Environment (GIE).
• STAAD manuals and more information
can be found through the internet.
www.reiworld.com

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Modeling of Structures in Staad
• Space structure:
– Structural elements (members) are in the 3D (x,y,z), and thus the
loads.
• Plane structure:
– Structural members and loads are both exist in one- (2D) plane.
(X-Y for example). (Tension, compression, bending can exist).
• Truss structure:
– A special case of the plane structure, where all the members are
truss (link) members. (i.e. Tension or Compression members).
• Floor structure:
– Structural members are existing in a plane (for ex. X-Y); while
the loads are acting perpendicular to this plane (i.e. acting
parallel to Z-axis).

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 Tutorial No.1
ANALYSIS & DESIGN OF STEEL TRUSS

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 TUTORIAL NO.1: STEEL TRUSS

A steel truss typical from several trusses supposed to cover a certain

area. The truss has a cantilever part its span equals 4.0m. The
proposed truss depth is 3.0m.The loads as shown, are concentrated at
the truss joints. The values of its load case are shown. Use all the data
you take in the Steel Course for analysis and design.
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 Main Steps of Modeling
¾ Entering job information.
¾ Building model geometry.
¾ Defining member properties, sections.
¾ Assigning loads (load cases,
combinations..)
¾ Defining pre-analysis print out,
analysis type, and post-analysis
printout.
¾ Defining design requirements.
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How to Start the Program?

From Start Menu - Select the STAAD.Pro icon from the

STAAD.Pro 2004 program group.

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The opening pop-up screen!

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For a new file, select the
type of structure you want
to solve. Here select truss
type.

Select from here the units,

that we will deal with.

Assume that we have mm,

kN.

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The STAAD Graphical Environment will be invoked and the following screen
will appear:

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1. ENTERING JOB INFORMATION.

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2. Building Model (Structure) Geometry
How to Define the Truss Geometry?
One of the methods that you can create construction lines,
and then draw on these lines the truss members.

Y Noting that the number of

construction lines is excluding
first line.
X
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Other methods to create the model geometry:

• Enter the nodes (node by node) according to their

coordinates.

• Create a grid and define nodes at the intersections of this

grid, and then connect in between.

• Draw the frame in AutoCAD. Save the file as ( . DXF) file

type. From inside the STAAD Import that file.

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After clicking Snap Node/Beam, use
the mouse and connect between
nodes created at the intersections of
construction lines.

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How to see the Diagram Labels (ex. Node numbers, beam numbers, etc.?

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Node and beam labels are a way of identifying the
entities we have drawn on the screen, and very useful
when dealing with the output results.

REMEMBER TO SAVE YOUR

WORK FREQUENTLY

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3. Defining member properties, sections.
Property:
In which we can define or choose sections properties
of the members of the truss.
Spec.:
In which we can define or choose members’ specifications.
Support:
In which we can define the supports properties (restraints).
Load:
In which we can define the applied loads, load cases,
load combinations.

Material
In which we can define the material properties.
(ex. E, density, etc.)
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Property:

Assume Preliminary Sections:

Using the Canadian steel tables.
All Bot. & Top Chords are one size
L 55 X 55 X 3
All diagonals & Verticals are one size
L 45 X 45 X 3

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Assigning the sections created to the model

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Supports

By clicking on the support icon

the shown window will appear.
We have to create new kinds of
supports.

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Hinged or Pinned support
Restraints (Fx, Fy, Fz)
<defaults>

X
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(Fixed but) Support
All directions are restrained
or fixed and we choose what
are the directions that we
want to release.

X
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Use the mouse and click on the nodes according to its support type as shown below

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4. Defining Loads
The creation and assignment of load cases involves the
following two steps:
1. First, we will be creating all 3-load cases.
2. Then, we will be assigning them to the
respective members/nodes.

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For example:
Dead Load Case can be Load Case No. 1

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Live Load Case can be Load Case No. 2, and Wind Load is the load case No. 3

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 Load Combinations for Ultimate limit states
(National Building Code)

Load Combination
Case Principal loads Companion Loads

1 1.4D

2 (1.25D or 0.9D) + 1.5 L 0.5S or 0.4W

3 (1.25D or 0.9D) + 1.5S 0.5L or 0.4W

4 (1.25D or 0.9D) + 1.4W 0.5S or 0.4S

5 (1.0D + 1.0E) 0.5L + 0.25S

“Limit States Design in Structural Steel” by Kulak

and Grondin – pg. 14.
Also, we can define load combinations according to required.
For example, we can create a load combination:
1.25 D.L. + 1.5 L.L + 0.8 W.L.
We can create hundreds of load combinations … but we will follow the
previously shown cases.

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Please note: In some installed copies of Staad you may
find this screen for load combinations!

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In Dead Loads create the self weight definition

Self weight is defined in the

negative - Y direction

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In each Load Case create the Nodal Loads on the truss as specified before.
Make sure of the directions of forces according to the global coordinates.

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D.L. Case
L.L. Case

W.L. Case

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5. Definingpre-analysis print out, analysis type, and
post-analysis printout.

In which we are telling the program what

Pre-Print are the properties that we require to be
recorded and printed in the output files
before performing the analysis.

In which we are choosing from different

Analysis types of structural analysis. The analysis type
we are required to do is a linear static type.

In which we are telling the program what

are the properties that we require to be
Post-Print recorded and printed in the output files
after performing the analysis.

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 Analysis
To specify the Analysis
command, first go to
Analysis/Print Page
from the left side of the
screen.
Then, click on the
Analysis sub-page from
the second row of
pages as shown below.

Choose Statics Check

and Click Add then
Close.

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After creating the command of (Perform analysis - Static check),
we have to assign the members that wants to be this type of analysis
for it.
Click Assign, and then use the cursor and choose all the members,
thus all the members should be highlighted as shown below.

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Pre-Print To add the pre-print commands click
Define Commands

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Pre-Print Commands • Material Properties
•Support Information
•Member Properties
•Joint Coordinates
•….
•….

ADD which property

do you need and then use
cursor to Assign to which
members in the truss.
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General Rule in STAAD:
When you find any of the commands
you have added are marked by the

question mark (?) that means that

you didn’t assign this command to
any element in the structure.
Then, you have to assign the command
to the required members.

After you assign, the (?) mark should

be changed to ( ).
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 To add the post-print commands click
Post-Print
Define Commands

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For example here we have chosen to print the support reactions,
member forces, joint displacements.

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 • Support Reactions
Post-Print Commands
•Analysis Results
•Member Forces
•Max Force
•…
•…

ADD which property

do you need and then use
cursor to Assign to which
members in the truss.
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6. Defining Design Requirements.
Steps:
1. To specify steel design parameters, go to Design | Steel Page from the left side
of the screen. Make sure that under the Current Code selections on the top right
hand side, Canadian is selected.

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There are many Design Commands in the STAAD Design subroutine.
Here, we will use only to Check Code, regarding adequacy of members.

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Analysis & Viewing Results

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Select the Run Analysis option from the Analyze menu.

When you select the Run Analysis option from the Analyze menu,
the following dialog box appears: We are presented with the choice of
2 engines: the STAAD engine and the STARDYNE Advanced Analysis
engine. The STARDYNE Analysis engine is suitable for advanced
problems such as Buckling Analysis, Modal Extraction using
various methods, etc.
STAAD engine is suitable for this tutorial. Click on the Run Analysis button.

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The solving process is shown in a pop-up screen!

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Visualization of Some Results

Note:
Generally, in any
program, try to make
some checks about the
shapes of deflections,
BMD, SFD. Also check
the level of reactions.
Just to make sure that
there is no significant
input error.

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Viewing the Output File
During the analysis process, STAAD creates an Output file.
This file provides important information on whether the analysis
was performed properly.
For example, if STAAD.Pro encounters an instability problem during
the analysis process, it will be reported in the output file.
Alternatively, we can select the File | View | Output File | STAAD Output
option from the top menu.

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The Output File
Its name is <filename.anl>.

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As shown for example, below are
the results of the steel design check

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 Any Questions ?

Thank you...

This tutorial can be downloaded from the following link :

www.engr.mun.ca/~sabrah/
Browse to my teaching page for tutorials and assignments

© T.Sabrah 58