Chapter 4: Software Interpretation
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4.1 Introduction
The construction design is evolving increasingly on the basis of modern software in order that the examination of elements in the building may be dependable, effective, and even accurate. SkyCiv is a cloud-based structural analysis and design applications data describing how the engineers can model structural members, load and verify them by international design criteria. The program supports beam, slab and frame 3D structure in addition to the whole, modelling and is typical to both the educational and design sector. In this study, two concrete reinforced portions of a beam in a rectangle, and one-way slab were regarded and modeled and analyzed in the software. These are the two factors studied individually so that they can bend and shear behaviour when loads act on those. The idea was not only to familiarise oneself with the SkyCiv interface and workflow concept, but make sure that the software output aligns to the theoretical expectation, and design benefit on such codes as AS3600.
4.2 Discussion
4.2.1 Philosophy of Software Workflow Modelling.
Whenever structural analysis arrangements such as SkyCiv are employed, it is mandated that it must be done on a repeat of the structural behaviour. The software also allows specifying more detailed geometry, loading, and conditions at the boundaries when compared to the simplification of assumptions that the computer algorithm to perform a calculation is simplified. This paper has modeled a rectangular beam and a one way slab at Skyciv one by one (Kazem et al. 2023). This has been by editing of the material properties, allocating of the geometry, favoring arrangement, the fitting of loads in the constructions and finally the linear static analysis has been carried out. Comparisons would be made between the results of Sky Civ and the manual calculations after which the consistency and accuracy of the modelling process would be determined.
SkyCiv possessed a rational working process. The first mistake that should be detected was the selection of the correct units in geometry metres, forces kilonewtons (kN), and loads on areas kilopascals (kPa). The second was the definition of materials which espoused concrete of compressive strength of 32Mpa (N32). The SkyCiv allows existing material to be used or specific material to be defined. Geometry of slab and beam was defined after the materials were defined. Before a surface plate was created and meshed with slab, the beam was initially generated making additions in the form of nodes and members. Finally, boundary settings were imposed to model post geometry supports. The model was then analysed by applying design cases loads to it.
4.2.2 Beam Analysis in SkyCiv
The analysed beam was 3.6 m span and 250mm cross section by 500 mm by cross section. The supports were pinned at both ends and this represents a simply supported condition that is normally assumed to design. The loading was applied uniformly across the span at a load of 55.5 0 N/m. This load was the sum of the slab self-weight, superimposed dead load e.g. finishes, and live loads on the beam.
The beam entered in SkyCiv was a single line between two nodes. The cross-section was regarded as a square-shaped solid structure, where depression and width were the same (ury). The reinforcement information was recorded differently but the analysis was performed based on the assumption that the gross section was in linearly elastic behaviour (Shafighfard et al. 2022). The result of the analysis provided a shear force diagram and a bending moment diagram. Top positive moments registered at the mid-span were taken to be 89.82 kN+m and the top shear was 99.92 kN at the supports. These values perfectly matched the definite calculations under normal formulas:
M=wL2/8 and V=wL/2
Substituting w= 55.5 kn And L= 3.6m The result will be produced in SkyCiv and there will be a firm approach of the shear force and Bending moment in these considerations.
4.2.3 One-Way Slab SkyCiv analysis.
In assessing the slab being analyzed, it was a one way slab by taking the aspect ratio (LyLx = 8.0/3.6 = 2.22). Therefore, the direction that bore most of the load was meant to be perpendicular to the short span (3.6 m).
Sky civil simulation used the slab as a plate element. Four corner nodes were classified and further broken down into plate elements. Simple supports were given out to the short edges and the long ones left free. This was the weight of 30.04 KN/ m 2 of the final weight combination of self- weight of slab, weight of the superimposed dead loads, weight of the living loads, and weight of water loading used as a supplement in the Jacuzzi area.
However, the SkyCiv model still had some variations as reflected by the results of the model. The maximum moment of some 59.0 kNm and the minimum -77.6 kNm were obtained by examination of the screen shot (Anas et al. 2021). Such differences meant that various models were used in application of slab as compared to assumptions that were applied in manual computation. The cause may either be that the load was posed as a line load and not as an area load, the strip on which it was placed was wider than 1 m, or additional edge restraint-inducing type (2-way action)was put in place.
This makes us see another key lesson that a software is prone to modelling assumptions. Compared to the behavior ideality of a manual method, a plate element of an edge restrained method can redistribute loads in a variety of ways to amplify moments.
4.2.4 Inputs for Rectangular Beam
The prototype was a concrete and reinforced beam and was rectangular. The beam length (span) (3.6 m), beam cross section (width anddepth) (250 mm), and concrete strength (f c ) (32 MPa) were used to define the beam characteristics. The measured density of concrete was assumed to be 24kNm3, and the manner of elasticity deal 30,100 Mpa or so. In the early analysis, no reinforcement was directly provided this way as there was an aim of getting the response of the structure to loading, but they took notes concerning the reinforcement to be shown later (Faridmehr et al. 2024).
The simple support conditions were used, which involved propping of the beam based on pinned supports at both ends of a beam. The load was imposed as a uniformly distributed load (UDL) as a sum of forces of self-weight, the superimposed dead and live loads to the slab. In order to streamline the issue, total loading was introduced with 55.5 kN/ m on the total number of spans.
4.2.5 Inputs for Slab
The second was the one-way slab panel, and that was in the short direction. The material of the beam was concrete with fc=32 Mpa, modulus=30,100 Mpa and unit weight= 24 kN/m3. Dimensions of the slab were 3.6 m X 8.0 m and it had a thickness of 300 mm. Reinforcement was not modelled and the minimum-code reinforcement has been used in developing its results (Shariati et al. 2024).
A slab modeling was done in SkyCiv, which possesses a meshing option and the shape was of a plate element. Simple supports were simply modeled as having the short edges at x = 0 m and x = 3.6 m as line supports; and the long edges, which were free. To represent the worst possible situation to the slab an ultimate uniform area load of 30.0 kN/m2 which is the sum of self-weight, finishes, live load and that of additional load of water was applied.
4.2.6 Modelling Process in SkyCiv
The development of the two elements was similar. The software was originally specified on the material properties. Then the geometry was constructed by placing nodes in 2D co-ordinates. The case of the beam would have one line element to join between two nodes and the case of the slab would consist of four corner nodes joining a plate which was later broken into smaller elements to improve on the level of accuracy (He et al. 2022). Enclosures covered helps to fit into geometry. Then loads were defined; a distributed line load on the beam, and a uniform area load on the slab. These contributions got loaded and the software got loaded in linear static analysis mode.
4.2.7 Results and Interpretation
The SkyCiv result of a rectangle beam provided the highest bending moment of approximately 89.8 kNm at mid-span and highest shear force of 99.9 kn measured at the supports. Their results were very close to the theoretical values obtained through a simple formula of a beam and this confirmed that the model has been set to work correctly (Wang et al. 2023). The deflected form displayed the conventional behaviour of a simply supported beam under uniform loading with high deflection in the middle span and zero deflection at supports.
With regards to the slab, maximum design bending moment was realized at a point close to the maximum slab width of about 48.7 kNm/metre, and the maximum shear was about 54 kN on each support. These contour plots provided by SkyCiv revealed more bending stress in the short direction of the span which justified the fact why the slab had been acting like it behaved one-way (Rahnavard et al. 2022). The similarities in the results of the theory and software were also found to be quite similar which is reasonable seeing as the theory is and the software is quite reliable in simple reinforced concrete member analysis.
4.2.8 Finding Discussion and Comparison.
It proved the modelling process, as the outcome of both SkyCiv and manual calculation of the beam works were identical. And this should not come as a surprise because the beam was investigated in basic well-defined circumstances (simply-supported, uniform load, etc.). The assumptions are identical in both formulae and software. It is more of a complex case with the slab (Lyu et al. 2022). This approach of solid design applicable to ideal spanning applies a design method in the form of a manual design, on ideal supports through to pretty closed-form solutions. The SkyCiv, however, provides solutions to the finite element plate equations considering all restrainers and distributions of loads. The program would forecast more moments or redistributed moments in case there was partial restraint of long edges or in any other instance redistribution was applied. The 59.0 and -77.6 kNm values in the screenshot suggest that softwood has modeled the system using a load or stiffness that is supplementary.
4.2.9 Reinforcement Implications
Even though the reinforcement design was not conducted explicitly in SkyCiv, the reinforcement moments output was directly attached to reinforcement. The reinforcement required to oppose 89.8 kNm of the beam was calculated and compared to the given reinforcement (N16 bottom, N12 top, x N10 stirrup, 200 mm). Training was adequate as well.
This means that with regard to the slab, the combined minimum requirement in the code was lower than that in the manual requirement, therefore, whole size minimum controlled. The reinforcement provided in the short and long directions at 125mm (904 mm2/m/393 mm2/m) was larger than the required reinforcement. The requirements were severe but the insertion of addition which was the SkyCiv facing was not significantly more than the manual metrics, adequate to forestall the demand.
4.3 Conclusion
The SkyCiv constituted a simplistic, but effective analysis of beam and slab elements of a concrete reinforcement in terms of reinforcement. Since the material properties, geometry, supports, and load conditions had been identified, the program could compute two bending moments of the elements, shear forces and deflections. A beam analysis on a simple rectangular section structure with uniform load through a simple beam analysis provided values of both moment and shear in an expected manner in the designing process. The slab model was made a one way plate and mesh gave both / m width bending moment and shear value which related to the checks on the theory and confirmed the transfer of load. The exercise confirmed SkyCiv was user-friendly in analysing individual members and that one must ensure the outcomes, presented by the software, are contrasted to the theory. Although re-enforcement was not put in the analysis models directly, the outputs provided the relevant enabling internal forces to design the re-enforcement per the relevant standards.
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