Section cuts can be used to obtain resultant forces acting at section cuts through a model. Section cuts can be defined using quadrilateral cutting planes, groups, or simply drawn in the graphical user interface. The sections below describe the basic procedure for each type of section cut.
Section Cuts Defined by Quadrilateral Cutting Planes
- Use "Define > Section Cuts > Add Section Cut..." menu command to launch the "Section Cut Data" form.
- Select Section Cuts Defined By "Quadrilateral Cutting Planes" and define the planes by specifying joint coordinates for the plane joints:
- Press F1 button to get context help on other fields available on the form.
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are useful for obtaining the resultant forces that act within a specified section-cut plane.
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Overview
Section cuts may be defined using any of the following methods:
Define a quadrilateral cutting plane
Define a group
Draw the section cut within the graphical user interface
Each of these section-cut types may be implemented through the procedures described in the following sections:
1. Define a quadrilateral cutting plane
Section-cut forces are the sum of joint forces for all joints which are:
Included in the section-cut group;
Within structural objects entirely cut by the quadrilateral plane; and
Located on the specified side of the section cut.
Joint forces are then summed about the location specified as the Results Reported at the Location parameter.
The procedure for defining a quadrilateral cutting plane is as follows:
Launch the Section Cut Data form by selecting Define > Section Cuts > Add Section Cut.
Select Quadrilateral Cutting Planes, then define the plane by specifying its joint coordinates, as shown in Figure 1:
Figure 1 - Define a quadrilateral cutting plane
For assistance with additional fields on this form, press F1 to access Context Help.
Once analysis is run, section-cut forces are available in tabular format by selecting Display > Show Tables > Analysis Results > Structure Output > Other Output Items > Table: Section Cut Forces - Analysis
", as shown in Figure 2:
Section Cuts Defined by Groups
- The procedure is very similar to defining section cuts by quadrilateral cutting planes, except for that you specify a group of elements that will define the section cut. Then, SAP2000 calculates the section cut forces by summing the element joint forces from the frame, shell and link members included in the group that defines the section cut. The joints that are considered are those at the same location as the point objects that are included in the group:
Section Cuts Drawn In Graphical User Interface
- Another alternative is to draw section cuts within the graphical interface using "Draw > Draw Section Cut" menu command. This will display the section cut forces directly on the "Section Cut Forces & Stresses" form shown below.
See Also
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Figure 2 - Section-cut forces
2. Define a group
Section cuts may also be defined by specifying a group of structural objects. Here, section-cut forces represent the sum of joint forces within those frame, shell, and link objects which are included in the group. As shown in Figure 2, the Section Cut Group must include All joints for which forces should be summed.
Figure 3 - Section-cut group
3. Draw the section cut within the graphical user interface
Section cuts may be drawn within the graphical user interface by selecting Draw > Draw Section Cut. Section-cut forces will then be displayed on the Section Cut Forces and Stresses form shown in Figure 3:
Figure 4 - Directly drawn section cuts
See Also
Section cuts section
Context Help (Output Conventions)
Context Help (Example Problems B, N,
S (available from F1 context help, Topic "Example Problems") illustrate the use of section cuts
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and S)
Metadata
Name: Section-cut first steps
Description: Introductory tutorial for using section cuts.
Program: SAP2000
Program Version: all
Model ID: na