This page contains information and frequently asked questions related to shear center.

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General FAQ

Does the program calculate shear center?

Extended Question: When using the Section Designer, does the program calculate the Shear Center? And if so, where can see its coordinates?

Answer: We do not report the coordinates of the shear center for the Section Designer sections.

Why the program does not report torsion for angle section caused by eccentricity between shear center and centroid?

Extended Question: I have created a simple model with a straight beam fixed at one end and pinned at the other end, with a L-shaped section, centered at the centroid. I have calculated it under self weight. Why there is not any torsion due to the eccentricity of the centroid from the shear center of the section?

Answer: The frame element in SAP2000 does not account for the eccentricity between the shear center and the section CG for applied loads when reporting the frame internal responses. However, the overall equilibrium of forces is maintained.

Does the program apply distributed load through the centroid of the section?

Extended Question: When I apply to a beam an insertion point different from the centroid, and apply to it distributed loads. Does the program apply it to that other point or to the centroid?

Answer: Uniform or point loads applied directly to frame elements (with or without offsets) are always pass through the centroid of the section. This aspect together with the insertion point assignment can be used in principle to model the eccentricity of loads for unsymmetrical sections (i.e. cases where the shear center is not the same as the section CG).