Bi-directional link designed to eliminate the need to design each Fabsec long span cellular beam in isolation
Trimble and Fabsec have developed a bidirectional link between Trimble’s design and analysis software Tekla Structural Designer (TSD) 2020, and Fabsec’s FBEAM software, which is used to design long span cellular beams to the Eurocode.
Structural and consulting engineers, as well as D&B fabricators of steel-framed buildings, can download the free FBEAM software from the Fabsec website
Typically used for primary and secondary floor beams on multi-storey projects, applications include composite and non-composite plain or cellular beam construction with floor spans of 8-24 metres.
The software is said to offer enhanced architectural freedom, and is particularly suitable for irregular shaped openings, allowing ‘maximum flexibility’ of web service penetration including circles, rectangles and elongated shapes in whatever position required.
Rather than selecting an off-the-shelf solution, an engineer is able to create a design that offers the optimum beam with any beam depth, flange width or web/flange thicknesses (including asymmetric beams); creating lighter beams that can also offer cost savings.
With a view to providing a more accurate and efficient process, the Tekla Structural Designer 2020 bidirectional link allows the user to pull one, or hundreds, of Fabsec beams in to the FBEAM software for design and loading. This new, time saving approach eliminates the need to design each beam in isolation, avoiding manual data input as well as the risk of human error.
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