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Nominal Base Stiffness

structural lug

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263 views3 pages

Nominal Base Stiffness

structural lug

Uploaded by

Michael Haise
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Advisory Desk Notes - AD 097: Nominal base stiffness

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SCI ADVISORY DESK

AD 097: Nominal base stiffness


It seems that it may be useful to explain the use of the simple approximate method for
nominally pinned and nominally rigid bases given in Clause 5.1.2.4 of BS 5950: Part 1. It
applies directly to four types of calculation at the ultimate limit state, all concerned with
design of rigid-jointed frames.
As noted in AD 090, we consider that it is appropriate to use the method in a modified form
for calculating the deflexions of rigid-jointed frames at the serviceability limit state. For rigidjointed frames, 5.1.2.4 applies directly to:
(a) effective lengths of columns
(b) elastic frame analysis
(c) elastic critical load factor calculations

Created on 21 November 2008


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(d) classification as sway or non-sway.


It should be noted that although 5.1.2.4 allows the user to assume a pinned base, it does not
allow the base to be taken as fully rigid. It seems that this point is sometimes overlooked,
possibly due to combining this restriction with a simple approximate method in the same
clause.
This simple approximate method is intended for use where the actual foundation stiffness is
not known, which is frequently the case when the steel frame is being designed. If the
foundations have already been designed, and the ground conditions are sufficiently known, it
may be possible to obtain a reliable value for the foundation stiffness. Allowance should then
also be made for the flexibility of the steel baseplate connecting the column to the base. It is
likely that a significantly larger stiffness would result (depending on the ground conditions
and the baseplate details), but in the majority of cases it is unlikely that an accurate value
will be available for the steelwork design.

Effective lengths of columns


Allowing for the stiffness of the base when determining in-plane effective lengths of columns
using Appendix E, it is important to realize that the base stiffness has to be treated as a
beam stiffness, not a column stiffness. Here, the stiffness used for the steel members is I/L,
the stiffness coefficient or nominal stiffness (as also used for continuous columns in simple
construction, see 4.7.7).
At the base, Kc is the value of I/L for the column, KL is zero and Kb is the base stiffness,
taken as equal to Kc for a nominally rigid base, or 0.1Kc for a nominally pinned base. The
joint restraint coefficient k2 is then Kc/(Kc + Kc) = 0.5 for a nominally fixed base. If the base
stiffness is treated as a column stiffness, then k2 = (Kc + Kc)/ (Kc + Kc) = 1.0 for a
nominally fixed base, which is clearly incorrect because Figure 23 shows that k2 = 1.0
represents a fully pinned base. It is unfortunate that Appendix E does not make this clear.
Anyway, k2 = 0.5 as calculated above should be adopted for a nominally fixed base or
Kc/(Kc + 0.1Kc) = 0.91 for a nominally pinned base. If then k1 is (say) 0.6 and the frame is
braced against sidesway, figure 23 leads to effective length ratios LE/L of 0.71 for the case

Advisory Desk Notes - AD 097: Nominal base stiffness


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SCI ADVISORY DESK


of the nominally fixed base and 0.83 for the case of the nominally pinned base. For a frame
not braced against sidesway, figure 24 leads to values of 1.55 and 2.3 respectively.
Whereas these values are typical, it must be realized they depend heavily on the actual value
of k1, which must always be determined in practice.

Elastic frame analysis

Created on 21 November 2008


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For frame analysis, it is necessary to use the actual member stiffness of 4EI/L when
calculating the spring stiffness of a base, for use in an analysis program that accepts spring
supports. For a nominally pinned base, the base stiffness at the ultimate limit state can be
allowed for by introducing 10% of 4EI/L; similarly for a nominally rigid base, a spring
stiffness of 100% of 4EI/L should be included.
However, some programs do not accept spring supports. In this case a dummy member with
the necessary stiffness should be included. Any appropriate member will do, but it is usually
better to make it horizontal as shown in Fig. 1. This is then consistent with the use of a
beam to represent the foundation stiffness when determining the effective length (see
above). At first sight, the simplest approach is to fix the far end as shown in Fig. 1(a), but
the end moments may then confuse a checker verifying that the net reactions equal the
applied load. Instead, the far end should be pinned, as shown in Fig. 1(b), and the length Lf
should be reduced to 0.75Lc, while retaining the same value of E, where Lc is the length of
the column. The same value of I should be used for a nominally fixed base, or 10% of I for a
nominally pinned base. The stiffness of the foundation is then 3EI/Lf, which is equal to
3EI/(0.75Lc) or 4EI/Lc for a fixed base, or 10% of this for a nominally pinned base.

Ic

Ic

Lc

If
Dummy member
Lf = L c

(a)

If
Dummy member
L f = 0.75L c

(b)

Fig. 1. Dummy members representing nominal base stiffness: (a) dummy member with fixed end,
(b) dummy member with pinned end. E is constant, If = Ic if nominally rigid, If = 0.1IC, if nominally pinned

Elastic critical load factor calculations


When determining the horizontal deflexions of the frame due to horizontal forces equal to
0.5% of the factored vertical loads, in order to calculate the sway index needed to determine
cr according to Appendix F, the frame analysed should have either spring supports or
dummy members at the bases, as described above for elastic frame analysis.

Advisory Desk Notes - AD 097: Nominal base stiffness


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SCI ADVISORY DESK


It should be noted that this also applies to the determination of cr (but not of course to the
calculation of p ) when using the method given in 5.7.3.3 for plastic design of a sway
frame. The phrase except as in 5.7.3.1 in 5.1.2.4(a) refers to the statement in the second
paragraph of 5.7.3.1 that the in-plane effective lengths of the columns should be taken as
1.0L. This precludes the use of Appendix E to derive smaller values (as explained above) in
this particular case. It is not intended to over-ride the need to allow for foundation stiffness
when determining cr . This clause would probably be clearer if this phrase were omitted.

Classification as sway or non-sway


Classification of multi-storey frames is covered in 5.1.3, and 5.5.3.2 contains a comparable
provision for portal frames. Both require the calculation of horizontal deflections under
horizontal forces equal to 0.5% of the factored vertical loads, as for elastic critical factor
calculation in accordance with Appendix E. Again, the frame analysed should have either
spring supports or dummy members at the bases, as for elastic frame analysis.

Created on 21 November 2008


This material is copyright - all rights reserved. Use of this document is subject to the terms and conditions of the Steelbiz Licence Agreement

Concluding remarks
It should now be clear what 5.1.2.4 means about using the same base stiffness for all
calculations; the calculations concerned are the four ultimate limit state calculations
discussed above. It is also important to note that nominally rigid bases must be assigned a
spring stiffness and not taken as fully rigid, in any relevant calculation at the ultimate limit
state.
Note: See also AD090 and AD114

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