STRAP (STRuctural Analysis Programs) is a Windows XP/2000  based suite of finite element static and dynamic analysis programs for buildings, bridges and other structures. It also includes programs for the design of rolled and light-gauge steel and concrete in accordance with U.S., Canadian and other international codes. Current Version 12.0 is our 10th release for the Windows platform.STRAP is one of the most comprehensive and versatile structural analysis and design software systems available on the market today. It's also the easiest to use, due to its superb graphic user interface (GUI) and advanced context-sensitive help system. It offers the engineer a powerful but affordable tool for analysis and design of a wide range of skeletal and continuum structures such as buildings, bridges, shells, towers and more.Download PDF file

BEAMD is the complete and totally integrated solution for RC beam design, detailing, drafting and scheduling. Transform a tedious and error-prone task into a fast, efficient and enjoyable interactive design experience. Use it on its own, use it with STRAP, use it with a CAD system. The choice is yours. Whichever way you choose, you will achieve economic and practical designs - neatly drawn and accurately scheduled - in minutes. 

BEAMD's versatility extends worldwide. Its unique range of detailing and scheduling options means you can work according to the local standards in just about any major country.Download PDF file 

Two main methods of producing the output exist. Please select one of the following: 

1. Beam schedule with a schematic drawing of the bars (American Standard) 
2. A drawing to scale of the bars,  including beam sections  

 

 

 

STRAP running Demo
BEAMD running Demo

 

BEAMD - full version

BEAMD - trial version
 

Working Demo CD

If you have trouble downloading our demos, or if you want to further explore STRAP and BEAMD, contact your local dealer  for a CD that contains:

1. A fully functional version of STRAP, with all the options and features available, but with the model size limited to 12 nodes.

2. A full version of BEAMD limited for 30 days.

 

 

 

   
 
   
  Structural steel - overhead crane, rendered view
  Structural steel building - color coded display of selected section efficiency
 
Transmission tower, rendered view
  Conveyor support structure, rendered view
 
  The STRAP steel design postprocessor is unique in its wide range of options and in the flexibility it gives you in the design process.

In addition to the design of regular steel sections, the program enables the design of cold-formed (light gauge) sections and composite sections. The program also includes a unique module that performs an optimization of the structure for sway and drift.

Some examples for the program features:

  • Unlike other programs, in STRAP you do not have to define the buckling lengths for the members:
    • A beam consisting of several STRAP members may be combined to a single beam for the design.
    • Intermediate supports may be defined at any direction and location of the beam.
       
  • In addition to all the standard section tables contained in the program, you can generate your own special sections using a special module in the program that calculates all the required properties for the steel design for given section dimensions.
     
  • You may confine the section selection to any defined subgroup of the steel tables or by specifying the limits of the sections dimensions.
     
  • Detailed calculations with reference to all Code formulae may be displayed and printed for selected beams.
     
  • Members may be displayed in various colors according to their efficiency ratio.

     

  • The model may consist of hot rolled, light gauge and composite sections, or any combination of them.
  • Many types of compound sections may be designed and checked. The program may select the most economical section from a group of compound sections.

    Compound sections types

     
  • Design of single angles about principal axes. The program checks the stresses in several points in unsymmetrical sections (e.g. T, L, U etc) accounting for the correct signs of the stresses. 
  • Calculation of torsion and warping stresses. 
  • The program supports the following codes for hot rolled and composite sections: 

    AISC - ASD & LRFD, UBC, British Standard 5950,Eurocode 3, AASHTO - ASD & LRFD and Canadian CAN/CSA, S16.1 

  • The program supports the following codes for cold formed sections: 

    AISI, ASD & LRFD 

For more on steel design, see also: light gauge, composite and sway optimization.

Next: Concrete Design

 
Download PDF file

 

 

   
  Space tower - three mode shapes
   
 

Forced vibrations - time history response for deflections

Dynamic Analysis

 

  Natural frequency and mode shape calculation. You can select a convergence tolerance of up to 106 for mode shape calculations.
 

Seismic response spectral analysis.

  • El Centro spectrum is included in the library. You can create earthquake signatures and add them to the library.
  • Earthquake analysis per UBC and other national codes.
  • Program advises to increase number of modes if participation is less than 90% or enables the user to request a "missing mass" correction.
  • The program checks the stories drift according to the code requirements.
  • The program displays for each story the rigidity, mass centers and the shear capacity.

    Forced vibrations (time history response). The time history is drawn on the screen. The results can be viewed graphically or in tabulated format.

Next: Bridge Design


 

 
Download PDF file

 

 

   
  Arch bridge - geometry with rendering
   
 

Arch bridge - influence line example

Arch bridge - applied load pattern example
  Parking ramp - geometry with rendering
  Highway bridge
  Suspension bridge - geometry with rendering
Pedestrian bridge
 
 

Bridge design codes require that each component of a bridge be designed for the traffic load arrangement that produces the most adverse moments, shears, etc.

The majority of structural programs available today require the bridge designer to anticipate the "worst" locations of the traffic load by "moving" a load at a certain increment along the bridge structure. By doing this you hope to hit all critical load locations. This method works fairly well for simple structures, although handling multiple load cases (in some cases hundreds of them) becomes quite cumbersome.

Bridge designers know that to do it right, and to truly comply with the code requirements, means calculating influence lines for each result type at every point along the bridge. You can then easily decide where to place the load. For structures with complex geometry, such as the arch bridge and parking garage ramp shown at right, the amount of work required to calculate all of the influence lines is staggering.

AutoBridge enables the engineer to define lanes and vehicle loads in accordance with local design codes for any STRAP bridge model. The program automatically generates and solves the many vehicular load cases needed to calculate the worst effects everywhere on the bridge. For any result at any location it also gives the influence line, the max-min results and the loading pattern which generated them.

AutoBridge is seamlessly integrated with STRAP, giving the user access to all options for processing and displaying results. Other load types, such as wind and seismic loads, may be defined on the same model and the results may be combined with the envelope generated by AutoBridge. The bridge may then be designed according to local steel and concrete codes.

 Features:

  • Lanes
    • Lanes may be curved
    • Multiple lanes of variable widths may be defined
    • The user may create multiple loadings on different lanes (with permutations)
     
  • Loads
    • The program contains a library of vehicles according to the following codes: AASHTO, BS5400, TMH7, BD37. The user can also define additional vehicles.
    • The user may define a group of different vehicle types (e.g. of varying lengths) and the program will check, for any location in the model, which vehicle causes the worst effect.
    • The user may define any uniform, vehicle or knife-edge load.
    • The program checks and determines by itself which segments in each lane should be loaded by uniform loading to get the max and min effect for each result type at any point on the bridge.
    • The program automatically decreases the uniform load according to the length of the loaded section, according to the following design codes: AASHTO, BS5400, TMH7, BD37. The user may also define a factor table.
     
  • Results
    • The influence lines and the max and min results can be separately requested for each of the result types, including moments, reactions, deflections, etc. The influence line also shows the effect of the adjacent lanes on the element being checked.
    • The user can instantly obtain influence lines for any position on the bridge.
    • Load locations for the worst case effects may be displayed for any location on the bridge.
    • Full tabular and graphic display of results, including envelopes.
       


Next: Found Design

 
Download PDF file

 

 

  footing design
   
  footing design

 

  The footing postprocessor designs reinforced concrete spread footings:
  • Design for axial force and biaxial moments (in same load case)
     
  • Eccentric column allowed in both directions
     
  • "Quick design" of multiple footings
     
  • Multiple load cases (up to 25)
     
  • Additional loads options :
    self - weight of the footing
    weight of soil above footing
    additional distributed load on top of footing
     
  • Limiting uplifting in footings loaded with moments
     
  • Automatic design of base dimensions and reinforcement according to Code requirements
     
  • Automatic design of height for punching and shear, including sloped upper surface
     
  • Automatic design and detailing of reinforcement
     
  • User defined dimensions may be checked
     
  • Design units may be specified by the user
     
  • Graphic output of footing - plan and section - to scale and in color
     
  • DXF file of graphic output may be created

     
The program designs rectangular spread footings at all nodes assigned with restraints and springs.

The program automatically retrieves from STRAP:
  • The reactions for all STRAP load combinations at these nodes (force and moments)
     
  • the column dimensions (if possible) from the section of the member attached to the node.

Also available as a stand-alone program - FOUND.

The user can choose to design:

All / several footings:

The program automatically designs the footings for the group of supports selected. Design parameters may be defined for the entire model.

Single footing:

The program automatically designs the footing for the support selected.
  • Revise parameters for the individual footing.

     
  • Add, revise or delete load cases.

     
  • Check any dimensions.

 

 
Download PDF file
Posttensioning
The program enables the user, for any model of STRAP to define certain beams as posttensioned and also to define tension cables for slabs.

The user has full flexibility in defining the number of the cables and their shape. The program provides him easy to use tools for determining the number of the cables and their location in the cross section of the beam within the range of the allowable stresses.

Losses

The program calculates accurately all the types of the losses including the effect of the stressing of a certain beam on other beams that have been prestressed at an earlier stage. The losses along the time are calculated at time intervals.

Deflections and ultimate moments

For beams the program calculates the exact deflections. For beams and slabs the program calculates the ultimate moments and compares them with the actual moments in the model.

Shear

The program calculates the actual shear and checks it against the allowable shear stresses.

Time points

The user can define a table of time points and assign the posttensioning of certain cables to certain time points and also the effect of certain loads to certain time points.

Construction at stages

For such structures, the user can create few models and combine them by the COMBINE command of STRAP. The posttensioning program enables him to assign certain models that have been defined by the COMBINE command to certain time points. The program will calculate the prestressing stresses for the corresponding model.

Codes

The program is with accordance to the following design codes: EURO CODE, BS 8110, BS 5400, ACI, CSA, AASHTO, IS 466

   
Download PDF file  

 

 
Cable definition
   
  post2
Cable geometry
postten1
 
Geometry data
 
The viewing and interpretation of analysis results can be a time consuming process. STRAP contains a great variety of options for sorting, selecting and displaying the results. For example:
  • A unique feature of STRAP enables you to draw section lines through a group of elements and display diagrams of moments, shear, forces, stresses etc. along or perpendicular to the line. 
  • STRAP enables you to extract and assign names to certain parts of the model (e.g. West Wing) and display or print their graphical or tabular results at any stage by referring to these names. 
  • In addition to the regular result types, STRAP enables you also to display special results needed for the design stage e.g. reinforcement area in concrete elements and design moments in slabs, accounting also for the Mxy moments.  
  • The reactions and the column dimensions can be automatically transferred to the FOUND program for footings design. 
  • Design of concrete structures retaining liquids according to BS8007. The module enables the design of the reinforcement so that the crack widths from applied loads are limited to acceptable values (optional module).

See also: Combinations results 

 

Next: Steel Design

 
   

 

 

Download PDF file    
  Floor slab - bending moment diagrams at user specified locations
   
  Floor slab - bending moment contour map
Design of concrete structures according to BS8007
  STRAP utilizes sophisticated state of the art algorithms that ensure an extremely fast solution, using minimum disk space.
  • As STRAP enables you to run very large models, it also allows you to interrupt the solution at any stage and resume it later. In the case of a power failure the analysis executed up to this stage will be retained. 
  • STRAP includes advanced analysis features like tension and compression only beams, unidirectional springs and P - Delta for second order effect. 
  • STRAP enables you to analyze a model that changes at different stages of the construction process (e.g. concrete casting in stages) and combine all the results to one file.

Next: Analysis Results

   
Download PDF file

 

 

   
  Space frame - silos, rendered view
   
Space frame - bending moment diagrams
 

 

 

   
  Space frame analysis - structural steel roof, rendered drawing
   
Space frame design - structural steel building
Finite element analysis and design - floor slab, automatic mesh generation
 
 
 
 
  STRAP enables you to define any model from the simple to the most complex with only few commands. The graphical interface of STRAP is very powerful, but at the same time interactive and easy to use. For example:
  • STRAP contains a library of standard structures that enables you to define your model by specifying a few parameters only. The library may be extended by the user.
     
  • STRAP enables you to copy and rotate any part of the model without concern for duplicate beams and nodes as the program eliminates them automatically.
     
  • The powerful submodeling feature of STRAP enables you to easily assemble a complex structure from its typical parts defined as submodels. Each submodel may be added at any angle at several locations of the whole model. Overlapping elements are automatically eliminated.
     
  • A very powerful though simple to use mesh generator feature enables you to define a plane area of any shape that may also contain holes. The program will automatically create a mesh of elements taking into account the support nodes and existing elements at the contour border. 
     
  • A section of any shape may be defined by using the CROSEC module and directly inserted into the geometry.
     
  • Creating solid elements from existing plate elements by lifting or rotating the plate element to the nodes on the opposite face. The generated elements may have 4,5,6,7 or 8 nodes.
     
  • "Wall Element" - a super element that the program internaly breaks down to its components. The wall element enables a simple and quick definition of a core / shear wall that extends the height of the building.
     
  • Multiple "stages" can now be defined for a model. In each stage, beams and elements may be removed, different supports and properties may be defined,etc. Each load case may be assigned to a different stage and combinations may be defined with load cases from different stages.

Next: Loads

   
Download PDF file