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piolenc
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Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/16/2015 5:11 AM

What is the best software to use as a tool in designing structures made of reinforced concrete? Prefer PC compatibles but interested in recommendations running on any platform.
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lyn
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#1

Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/16/2015 9:50 AM

Autodesk has this:

Free trial

I've never used any concrete design software.
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Tornado
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#2

Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/16/2015 10:54 AM

What you need is a real sement hed like Z_man. (Sorry for dredging that up.)

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omw7
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#3

Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/16/2015 11:28 AM

A cheap and very useful one is GRAITEC (also Autodesk now). It does the rebar too very well. I've only heard good feedback on this particular product.

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SolarEagle
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#4

Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/16/2015 12:55 PM

These are affiliated with the concrete companies,,,,.deciding which one suits your purpose best is up to you...

http://www.structurepoint.org/

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pnaban
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#7
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Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/16/2015 10:45 PM

give link to a software for concrete foundations for columns,rotating diesel driven generator etc

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MR. Guest
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#15
In reply to #7

Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/24/2015 12:20 PM

If all you want to do is continuous footings with a few isolated column pads for a one or two story building, then ''StruCalc'' (version 9 is current) is an affordable package that can handle basic load analysis, concrete, steel, and/or wood components (and is annually updated to several Codes).

Try Bingle-ing ''www.strucalc.com''

More detailed analysis will require more specialized software packages at a more expensive price.

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Crabtree
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#5

Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/16/2015 12:57 PM

A pencil, some paper, some log tables, a tape measure and a brain is all the software I've ever needed, Mildred, then I'm funny that way.

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piolenc
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#6
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Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/16/2015 9:35 PM

I understand, though I gave up my slide rule for a spreadsheet manager program some time ago.

Pencil and paper (and convenient tables put out by various organizations) are fine for most problems, but I am trying to make a minimalist (as in lowest possible mass) design for a slab suspended by two diagonally opposite points, which means that some of it gets TORSION as well as bending and shear. I am thinking software could help here.
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Wal
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#8
In reply to #6

Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/17/2015 5:09 AM

Sounds like a flying staircase arrangement. Right?

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piolenc
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#9
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Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/17/2015 8:49 AM

No, but it's a darn' good guess. It's a suspended slab held - for esthetic reasons - by two diagonally located columns not located at the edge of the slab. So - two-way slab with drop panels and torsion thrown in.
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omw7
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#12
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Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/17/2015 1:50 PM

Be careful with plate analysis in structural software.

For instance, ROBOT does not give torsional properties to plates. So it can twist alot more than it would do really. We had to go with ABACUS for that reason. Which is horrendously expensive. So we got an external office to do the modelling.

And nearly all structural software will not take account of warping in the plate. This can be both a help and a hindrance i.e your slab may be stiffer in terms of strength but not in terms of displacements.

You can add in beams to the depth of the slab itself which would make for a more easily identifiable structural path. And you then get stability in the model by fixity to the column heads.

For a simple design, you may well be better off with the pen and paper !

Good luck.

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piolenc
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#14
In reply to #12

Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/18/2015 1:01 AM

Not what I wanted to hear, but very important.
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roeblinggrid
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#11
In reply to #5

Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/17/2015 9:19 AM

Your method definitely leads to more per hour design charges!
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piolenc
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#13
In reply to #11

Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/18/2015 12:59 AM

I am the customer, so I intend to be very lenient with myself.

I'm designing my own house.
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CaptMoosie
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#10

Re: Best Reinforced Concrete Design Software?

09/17/2015 9:06 AM

StructurePoint is very good software.

An alternative is RAM Concrete, produced by Bentley, if you want to use the ACI 318 Standards:

http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Products/RAM+Concrete/

Expect to pay through the nose for either software package, as they are very expensive.

If this is a one-shot design and analysis of a run-of-the-mill one-way or two-way slab, then why bother with purchasing a expensive off-the-shelf software package? You could easily perform the calculations by hand. Dig out that Reinforced Concrete design book and use it! Just saying...

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Users who posted comments:

CaptMoosie (1); Crabtree (1); lyn (1); MR. Guest (1); omw7 (2); piolenc (4); pnaban (1); roeblinggrid (1); SolarEagle (1); Tornado (1); Wal (1)

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