Guide to resolving Mechanisms

Mechanisms are stability problems in the model which must be addressed – these cannot be ignored.

More information related to mechanisms can be found here.

This rule (N-1 rule) must be followed when modelling to avoid these warnings.

Running a Vibration analysis (after creating a Vibration Mass combination) will help in identifying mechanism.

When double clicking on the warning, the most affected node will be highlighted with a blue arrow as the
example below; often this is the node that requires fixing, however sometimes is just the most affected and
thus further investigation is required (i.e. deflections or visual interrogation of the releases via Review view)

The issues you are encountering can often be resolved by changing the ‘releases’ on the members as
appropriate; thus achieve the N-1 rule.

Releases can be changed by selecting the member and scrolling to ‘releases’ in the properties window.

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Guide to resolving Mechanisms

Turning on Members/Direction in the Scene content for the Structure view, and 1D elements/Releases for the
Solver view Scene content may prove useful when correcting this issue.

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Guide to resolving Mechanisms

Sometimes Tekla Structural Designer will point to the middle of a member, this means that there are
redundant releases at one or both of the supports of that member.

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Guide to resolving Mechanisms

Cantilever beams must be set as ‘Free end’ on the cantilever side, regardless whether they have another
member connected to them or not.

Bear in mind though that Composite beams cannot currently be se as cantilever, hence, you should change
the span direction of the composite slab and change the cantilevers to non-composite.

Mechanisms can often be spotted by using 1st order vibration analysis. In order to carry this analysis you will
have to create a vibration mass combination.

This should be a faster analysis and will help you determine initial mechanisms.

After that, 1st order linear should be run to determine any further possible mechanisms.

Once this first two analysis yield no mechanisms you can run non-linear analysis and resolve any further
mechanisms found, if any.

I recommend that close attention is paid to the nature of the mechanisms. This may help you in resolving a
number of them before re-running analysis.

For example, if Tekla Structural Designer prompts that a mechanisms is found on pinned beams connecting to
pinned columns (redundant releases) then there is a chance that this scenario will be repeated in other areas.

By using the previous advice, you can spot redundant releases by navigating through the model.

Another scenario is, for example, if a cantilever beam is not set as cantilever. This is likely occur on a number
of cantilever beams (Tekla Structural Designer will point to the most critical one).

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