This page is devoted to frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to shear center.
Does the Section Designer calculate shear center, and where are coordinates presented?
Answer: The Section Designer does not report shear-center location.
Why is torsion from eccentricity between element centroid and shear center not reported?
Extended Question: When an angle-section beam is fixed at one end and pinned at the other, then subject to distributed loading, there is no indication of the torsion which results from eccentricity between centroid and shear center. Is there an explanation?
Answer: When internal response is calculated for frame elements subject to loading, SAP2000 does not account for eccentricity between element centroid and shear center. Equilibrium conditions, however, are maintained.
Are loads applied through the section centroid?
Extended Question: When an element is modeled with an insertion point which offsets the section centroid from the chord between end nodes, are loads still applied to the centroid, or to the chord from which the element is offset?
Answer: With or without element offset, loads applied directly to frame elements are always located in the plane of the section centroid. This alignment with section centroid, in conjunction with insertion-point assignment, enables users to model eccentric loading on asymmetrical sections (where shear center differs from centroid location).
When eccentricity between shear center and element centroid should induce torsion, how is this effect modeled?
Answer: When loading is applied to asymmetrical elements, where element centroid differs from shear center, loading still projects through the element centroid. To capture the torsional effect of eccentricity between centroid and shear center, an insertion point should be specified to offset the centroid from the chord between end nodes. The value of this offset should be equal to the eccentricity, and the element should be offset toward the shear center. While loading will still project through the offset centroid, loading will now align with the shear center, and the element will respond relative to the support conditions located at the chord between end nodes, which represents the previous centroid location.