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Develop spreadsheet program for Structural Analysis & Design

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Over the years, I have developed a comprehensive suite of spreadsheet programs that can carry out reinforced concrete & steel structure analysis and design. The programs generally are in accordance to British Code BS8110 (1985, 1997) and BS5950 (2000). Some of the programs are also available in CSA A23.3-04 code. At the same time, I am also developing all of programs into Canadian RC code CSA A23.3-04 as I intend to move to Vancouver and hopefully can land a job as a structural engineer there.

If you find my spreadsheet programs relevant, you could help me by introducing my blogs to the Canadian engineering consulting firms. In the future few blogs, I will paste some of the screen shots of my programs. If you find my programs relevant and useful, please give me your comment. I would like to improve on them. If you are from the Canadian Civil and Structural Consulting community, I would appreciate you could recommend my blogs to them. It will help me to find job opportunity in the future.

In the next few blogs, I will give a list of the analysis and design programs that I developed and also how to use it. Screenshots of the programs will also be posted for viewers to understand the programs.

My spreadsheet programs were written from the perspective as a practicing engineer. They follow the sequence of design steps and output the results at important checks as per code requirements. Instead of the commercial programs that work like a black box, my programs will allow users to amend the formula so that each user can customize to their needs. At the sametime, some of the spreadsheet programs in the market can be to very detailed in the design calculation (which become too cumbersome to read), I output the key steps and results for manual checking, leaving the routine calculations hidden so that submisson become concise, simple and neat.
In the next few posts, you will find my programs as I explained further.


Some of the programs are :

1) Continuous &Subframe Analysis and Design (Excel & Calc) - This program analyses and design continuous beams or subframe using moment distribution methods. Moments and shear forces envelope are based on BS8110 requirements but the programs can analyse more rigorous loading patterns if needed. The maximum number of span is 10 and can carry out analysis on cantilever ends, fixed ends etc. Excel macro is added to the programs to ease the input of spans and loadings. However, the programs can still work if the macro is disable, it will only be a more cumbersome input steps only. The program had been tested rigirously with commercial software such as SAP2000, Prokon Continuous Beams, TopCad Beam and some textbooks examples. All the results tally exactly.

The program is also writtten in OpenOffice and run perfectly well. In future post, I will denote as (Excel & Calc) for Microsoft Excel format and OpenOffice Calc format.

The design module is an add-on and can be carried out separately from the analysis portion. Currently the design is in BS8110 (1985, 1997). CSA A23.3-04 code is currently implementing.

2) Reinforced Concrete Section Analysis (Rectangular Beams, Rectangular and Circular Column) - (Excel & Calc) Every engineer writes a program to design moment and shear for RC sections once in their work life. I developed more than section design. This is a capacity check of rectangular beam and column and circular column. The analysis is carried out using first principle and reinforcement arrangement can be asymmetric. Macro is written to accelerate the iteration process but without the macro, the program will still work.

Currently, the program is written in both BS8110 and CSA A23.3-04.

3) Beam Design (Excel & Calc) - Design the reinforcement requirements of beam section for bending moment, shear force and torsional force. This is a typical beam design program that is used on daily basis.

The program can design in both BS8110 and CSA A23.3-04.

4) Pilecap Design (Excel & Calc) - Design of pilecap for pilegroup of 2 to 6 piles. The pile arrangement need to be regular in order for the program to work.

5) Box Drain Design (Excel & Calc) - Design of box culvert using coefficient given in Reynold Handbook. The program was tested using SAP2000 plane frame with numerous load patterns and cases. Results proved to be exactly.

6) Retaining wall Design (Excel & Calc) - Design of L shape retaining walls and checking of factor of safety for sliding, overturning and bearing pressure. The soil can be on the heel or toe of the retaining walls making the program very versatile to use.

7) Corbel Design and Deep Beam Design (Excel & Calc - Design corbel and deep beam using strut and tie model.

8) One way and Two Way spanning slab analysis and design (Excel & Calc)

9) Pile Penetration Design (Excel & Calc) - The concept of the pile design varies between different countries and regions. In this part of the world, the concept of Meyerhoff Method is used. The method depends on the SPT values to calculate the skin friction and endbearing capacity. The results have been proven to be reliable as instrumented load tests carried out in the pass 15 years in most project had correlate reasonably well.

10) Steel section design (Excel & Calc) - the program can check the capacity of the steel UB & UC subjected to biaxial bending, axial force and shear.

11) Street Strut Design (Excel & Calc) - The program is use for the design of temporary steel strut to support sheetpile walls, Diaphragm wall and Contiguous Bored Pile wall. It had also taken into account of one-strut failure scenario with reduce factor of safety.

12) Composite Steel Column Design to EC4 (Excel & Calc) - The program can calculate the capacities of concrete encased rectangular and circular steel UB & UC and concrete filled hollow section.

13) Pad footing design (Excel & Calc)- generally a single columns pad design program

14) Eccentricities of piles in a group checking (Excel & Calc) - After pile installation, the eccentricites of piles during installation will create eccentricities in the pilegroup. The program check the group eccentricities for both symmetric and asymmetric pile arrangement.

15) Underground water sump capacities check and surface drain size calculation

There are still many programs that I have not listed out. I the next blog, I will have some of the screenshots to share.

Subframe/ Continuous Beam using Excel

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This the sample page of the continuous spreadsheet program that I developed. The input is simple and straight forward. The beauty of using spreadsheet is that even if the input is enter incorrectly first time, you could amend it later without going through the entire input process. Output forces are directly printed beside each spans.


The are two buttons command, namely "Span Information" & :Input Load Type". This is where all the macro will be invoked.

Input :1) By clicking the macro, the input screen would ask for number of span, support conditions, beams span lengths, beam and column sizes in a sequential way.

2) Next step is to invoke the Input Load Type macro.

3) You can input maximum 10 load cases for each spans. Uniformly distributed load, triangular load, point load, trapezoidal load and linear load are all the load cases.

4) No analysis step is needed as analysis will be completed the moment the last load case is completed.

5) The support reactions for Dead Load, Live Load and ultimate load & column moment will also be computed and shown in the spreadsheet.



Next post, I will illustrated the Subframe analysis spreadsheet usingn OpenOffice.

Structural Subframe Analysis Using OpenOffice

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In the previous post, I introduced my spreadsheet programs using excel. At the same time, I also developed and converted the Macro in the excel to OpenOffice Macro. The task is pretty daunting for someone like me who is not familiar with Open office.

Slowing but painfully, the macro take shape and finally Subframe analysis and Design Program in BS8110 is available in OpenOffice Calc.

In the next few post, I will demonstrate the screen shots of my program. I will like to collaborate with anyone that can incorporate the DXF drafting portion in the program.

Article 11

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Cascadia - 13 Blocks of 10 Storeys luxury condonminium at Upper Bukit Timah Road

Article 10

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Orchard Central - 12 Storeys luxury shopping malls at Orchard Road. The structure is post-tensioned beams with composite steel columns.

Article 9

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Queens Condonminium - 3 Block of 39 Storeys Highrise Apartment Units at Queensway, Singapore. Analysis and design of the structure was carried out using ETABS and SAFE programs.

Flatplate with shearwalls system is use as the structural system. The design is very efficient and won the Construction Excellency Award and Buildable Award from Building Authority of Singapore (BCA).
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Structural Analysis & Design: Structural Analysis Programs in Excel Spreadsheet

Article 7

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Watermark @ Robertson Quay - Conservation of old facade and new construction of residential units



Composite Steel Column to EC4 Using Excel & Calc

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Composite Column Design to EC4 (Excel & Calc) - The spreadsheet program can design and check the rectangular concrete column with steel I-section, Concrete filled circular section (CHS) and Concrete filled rectangular section (RHS & SHS ).

A screenshot of the rectangular concrete column with steel I-section is show below:

Reinforcement can also be added to the section. Moment capacity check and interaction ratio check according to EC4 will also be carried out.

Similarly, the program can also carried out concrete filled circular section CHS, rectangular section RHS and square section SHS.

The excel and calc spreadsheet were tested using examples and also compared with the EC4 capacity tables listed in the handbook. The results are exact and proved to be accurate.

For the same Excel and Calc spreadsheet, section capacity check for steel section subject to axial force, bending moment and shear force are also included. The section check is applicable to UB or UC section with fully restraint or non-restraint conditions. User will need to input the restraint length to calculate the buckling moment capacity.

Beam Flexural & Shear Design to CSA A23.3-04

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Beam Flexural & Shear Design (Excel & Calc) - Reinforced concrete design in accordance to Canadian Concrete Code CSA A23.3-04. By inputing the moment and shear force, reinforcement required for the section can be design.

The program is easier to use than the commercial software as the input can be altered any time and the design check is clearly printed so that check can be carried out manually, if needed. The program was cross-checked with commercial software and found to be adequate.

RC Concrete Design Using EC2

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After developing most of the spreadsheet in BS8110 and CSA, I have started converting some of the spreadsheet into EC2. Well, EC2 is somewhat similar to Bs8110 with some variants. But generally, the concept behind is similar.

In the coming weeks, I hope I could post all the spreadsheets in my blogs.

Simple Cleat Bolt Design BS5950 - 2000

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This the screenshot of the simple cleat with bolted design. The design checks are very comprehensive. Not only the bolts are being check, the cleat, block shear, eccentric moment due to reaction etc are being checked. Currrently, the design is based on BS5950 -2000.
This program is thoroughly cross check with BSI design example and found to be accurate.

The similiar program is also written in Canadian Code CAN/CSA-S16.1. But the program is not fully tested for accuracy yet. Till I find a suitable example for cross-checking, I will publish the results and screenshot.







Splice Joint Design to BS5959-2000

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This is the splice joint design screenshot. I have been very busy for the last few months and find very little time to update the blogs and reply to all the queries. I will try to find time to reply to all of you.
Some of you have received my spreadsheets and given very valuable comments for my improvement. Most notably comments are from the Iran and India engineering community that have responded and tested the Excel spreadsheets and given positive feedback. So far there is no error found except some improvement suggested from the users. I am so busy with my current works that simply can't find time to update further. Well, hopefully, this year I will be able to incorporate all the comments and resend to all the reviewers.
If you like my works, please send me a email or just post your comments. I really hope the Canadian Engineering communities can also read this and appreciate the works that I have done.


Continuous Beam Analysis and Design Using OpenOffice

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As mentioned in the earlier post, OpenOffice is free. My idea is to convert all my Excel spreadsheets with Macro to OpenOffice Calc programs. Remember the OpenOffice Calc is free and engineers are generally poor. If we don't have to pay for Excel, we could save quite a fair bit in our works. Well to cut it short, here it is :

This is the screenshot of the similar Excel program that now is written in OpenOffice. The conversion from Excel to OpenOffice was actually simpler than I thought. At first, there are errors. But after closer look, I realise not all the formulas can be directly converted. It was not really the problem of OpenOffice as my codes actually contain very specific way of reading some information and this cannot be directly translated to OpenOffice. After some checking, the errors were corrected and the OpenOffice program output the same results as the Excel program (as expected).
What is difficult is the macro for excel cannot be directly convert to OpenOffice macro. This is the painful part for me, as there are not many books and resources on writing Macro for OpenOffice and the process is also much more tedious than VBA. After 2 weeks of on and off writing, main part of the Macro was in shape but one crucial problem was bugging me, ie how to unload the menu after popping up. I decided to stop for a week and send the code to a friend who are familiar with OpenOffice to take a look. He is helpful but can't really give the solution. Then suddenly, I come across a website and briefly talk about the similar issue (not exactly but was along that line). I copy the idea and "hola", it solved. Now the macro works exactly like Excel program.
I am waiting for the release of OpenOffice 3.2 for testing the program further.



FRP Strengthening of RC Structure - CSA A23.3

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Further to the development of the spreadsheet in CSA A23.3, I have developed the FRP strengthening of concrete structures based on the ISIS Concrete Educational Module. The resouces of ISIS are simply wonderful and fill with useful information.
The following is the screenshot of the spreadsheet and the results are compared with Example 1 and the Assignment example 1 in Appendix B of ISIS Concrete Education Module No. 4. As can be seen, the results match correctly for the neutral axis with slight difference of moment capacity of 1.96% only. This difference is inmaterial as it is due to rounding off in the manual calculation. The spreadsheet is only halfway done as I still need to include the shear portion. But this will be the easy task. I will publish the complete spreadsheet for all to download and test.


CSA A23.3 with FRP strengthening and with steel plate strengthening are almost completed and will be published in the couple of weeks time. Most of it already written in BS8110, TR55. I have not yet published them due to the limited examples for testing the spreadsheet. If anyone can direct me with websites that contain examples, I will be glad to verify the programs and publish them for testing.

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