Checking local deflection of a member

for a Response Spectrum Load case

Applies To

Product(s): STAAD.Pro

Version(s): All

Environment: N/A

Area: STAAD.Pro Wiki

Subarea: Dynamic Analysis

Original Author: SANJIB DAS

Question: In our STAAD the deflection value in the member query box shows that “Seismic
load involved dynamic analysis, displacement results will not be available”. Kindly inform how
to apply the limiting displacement value in STAAD for RCC members.

Answer: You are trying to get the local deflection values of a beam using a member query
facility from a Response Spectrum load case. The very basic theory of the Response
Spectrum analysis is that a static analysis is performed for each mode considered on
dynamically displaced modes. The structural responses obtained from each mode are
combined using a modal combination like SRSS, CQC etc. The sign of the responses are lost
in the modal combination. Relative nodal displacement obtained from a Response Spectrum
load case is meaningless. The reason is that in response spectrum analysis the joint
displacements represents the maximum magnitude of the response quantity that is likely to
occur during seismic loading. Any response quantity like relative nodal displacement should
be calculated from actual displacements of the dominant mode considered during analysis.

We can find out the dominate mode from the “Participation Factors” table provided in the
output report as shown below.

It can be seen that 1st mode is contributing 81.04 % mass participation and 2nd mode is
contributing 80.39 % mass participation. We can conclude that 1st Mode is the dominant
mode of vibration for X directional Response Spectrum load case and the responses obtained
from the modal analysis for this 1st mode would govern the responses for X directional
Response Spectrum load case. Similarly, we can conclude that 2nd mode would dominate
the responses obtained from Z directional Response Spectrum load case.

In order to check the local deflection of a beam we can think of checking it from the
individual load case created for dominant mode rather than using the actual Response
Spectrum load case. As discussed earlier, the results obtained from a Response Spectrum
load case are always unsigned and a quantity like relative nodal displacement computed
 from unsigned absolute maximum nodal displacement would be a vague quantity which has
no meaning in real sense.

STAAD.Pro can be used in this purpose to get the responses of an individual modal load case. The
program has been equipped with this facility. You can tell the program to generate individual modal
load cases. The program generates individual modal load cases as primary load cases with the load
case numbers defined by the users. You have used Response Spectrum load cases like the following:

LOAD 16 LOADTYPE Seismic TITLE SEISMIC + X

------------------------------------

-----------------------------------

SPECTRUM CSM 1893 X 0.105248 ACC SCALE 1 DAMP 0.05

SOIL TYPE 3

You can change the commands in the following manner.

LOAD 16 LOADTYPE Seismic TITLE SEISMIC + X

------------------------------------

-----------------------------------

SPECTRUM CSM 1893 X 0.105248 ACC SCALE 1 DAMP 0.05 IMR 1 STARTCASE 200

SOIL TYPE 3

Graphically, it would look in the following manner.

On doing this, you are instructing the program to generate individual modal load case for 1st mode
which will be the dominant mode for the X direction. This load case will have load case number as
200.

You can choose this load case to check local beam deflection checking purpose. Please refer to the
attached picture.