Equivalent cross section

In analysis of reinforcement and/or analysis of pilot reinforcement in RC and composite (RC & steel) elements, selection and check of cross-sections of steel elements, the building codes are oriented towards standard types of cross-sections. For an arbitrary cross-section, it is only possible to obtain a picture of the stress-strain state.

New system to create an equivalent cross-section (beam, T-section with a flange at the top or bottom, I-section, box, cross, or channel) from an arbitrary cross-section based on geometric properties. A file created in the Cross-section Design Toolkit module defines the initial cross-section.

The following characteristics are approximated for a specified section: area, principal moments of inertia and section modulus. The user-defined values of weight coefficients are taken into account (by default, all weights are equal to 1).

An equivalent cross-section is an abstract description of stiffness; it approximates the behaviour of a structure or element under load. Such a cross-section has the same geometric and mechanical properties that allow to adequately describe the behaviour of a structure or element under different loading conditions.