Some colleagues and myself were discussing STAAD Foundation and came up with some questions that we had on mat foundation jobs.
- When creating jobs, why does everything need to be at the same elevation? (i.e. piles, columns, mesh all must be located at the same Y elevation). I’m assuming it has to do with the fact that it analyzes things as plates but I’m not sure. I know that you can add pedestals to account for concrete piers or elevated loads. How does STAAD take into account different pile embedment or does it assume everything is based at the middle of the pile cap?
- When in the “Job Setup” section, is there a way to copy a job that has already been created? Currently I am running the models once with only service loads selected, then running them once again with the ultimate loads selected. Is there a way to have two versions of the same job within the same overall file, without having to re-enter all of the geometry, meshing, piles, etc… like I would have to do if I created a separate job?
- When STAAD has analyzed the model and I’m in the Slab Designer section, the Result Summary includes a column for Area Req'd. Is this the TOTAL area of steel required in the zone? Or is this the area required per foot of the section? I see that when “Ignore check for minimum reinforcement” is checked, the area required is sometimes lower.
Thank you