Leaderboard

Hello, I have recently joined a structural engineer, and trying to get myself familiar with the norms of practice, so I have some basic questions which I haven't been able to get answers of sufficiently. After modelling the structure in ETABS I'm trying to find out how to interpret the values of shear and torsion reinforcement given in design outputs. I have tried to find the answers by codes, manuals but haven't succeeded. Even asking my colleagues haven't given a satisfying answer, as everyone has his/her own way of interpreting these values. Thanks,

I have'nt understood your question. What do you mean by interpret; ETABS have clearly defined the symbols/acronyms that they use in design report. It is a common practice to add torsion reinforcement in flexural reinforcement, and divide it over the depth of beam: top bottom and middle. Stirrups are also able to arrest the cracks due to torsion. But the important point is to ascertain the importance of torsion reinforcement in a beam. The beam that transfers load from a slab which is supported on four /three sides don't need all the torsion reinforcement reported by ETABS, as it can redistribute the stressed in the form of flexure and shear in beam and slab. Only minium torsion reinforcement is required in this case. In these cases you can run the analysis by reducing tosion stiffness of beam so that beam does not fail in shear+torsion in ETABS. The Beam part of a cantilever slab has to transfer the moment through torsion as no other load path is available in this case, and redistribution is not possible.

computing is necessary tool but a good engineer must know how to do it manually and if in case there is no computing facility or there is any problem one must be capable of cheking it manually, using the computing tools blindly is not good!!!how fast or how slow you are in computing depends it is not the fastness it is the accuracy and professionalism which lets you fly high in the profession !!! and a professional person can never be replaced he has his best position always otherwise he himself feels uneasy !!!