Structural Sections
- Last UpdatedFeb 19, 2025
- 2 minute read
Misalignments of Sections in structural designs are defined in similar terms to those used for pipework, namely in terms of an offset distance, a misalignment angle or a ratio (the tangent of the angle). These are together referred to as the Section’s eccentricity.
Distance and angular offsets are measured from the logical line between Nodes, while additional checks are made using the attached Neutral Points of the Section and the corresponding Nodes. The terminology is illustrated in the following Figure.
Keywords
ECCENTRICITY SECTION DISTANCE ANGLE RATIO (TOLERANCE)
Description
The ECCENTRICITY SECTION commands specify the maximum offset distance, angle or ratio misalignments that will be allowed between a Section’s Neutral Axis and the Logical Line between Nodes before a diagnostic message is output.
Examples |
|
|---|---|
|
ECC SECT DIST 1 |
Maximum offset for either end of Section is 1 mm |
|
ECC SECT DIST 0.5 INCH |
Maximum offset for either end of Section is 0.5 in |
|
ECC SECT ANGLE 0.0573 |
Maximum angular misalignment is 0.0573 degrees |
|
ECC SECT RATIO 0.001 |
Maximum offset/node separation ratio is 0.001 |
|
ECC SECT ANG 1.5 |
These are equivalent angular settings, since |
|
ECC SECT RAT 0.0262 |
0.0262 is the tangent of the angle 1.5 degrees |
|
ECC SECT DEF |
Resets all misalignment eccentricities (Offset distance, Angle and Ratio) to their default values |
Command Syntax
>-- ECCentricity -- SECTion --+-- DISTance --+-- <uval> -->
| |
| ‘-- DEFault -->
|
|-- ANGle --.
| |
|-- RATio --+-- value -->
| |
| ‘-- DEFault -->
|
‘-- DEFault -->
Querying
Q TOLerance ECCentricity --- SECTion ---+--- DISTance ---.
| |
|--- ANGle ------|
| |
|--- RATio ------|
| |
‘----------------+--->
Note:
The TOLERANCE keyword is used here to distinguish between the eccentricity limit that
the user has specified and the actual eccentricity derived from the structural model.