SAP2000 (V24) Frame Analysis Tutorial

The following is a step‐by‐step procedure for analyzing a two‐dimensional frame using SAP2000
(v24). The order of some of these steps is not critical; however, all steps should be completed
before the execution of the analysis. If you have questions or find instructions unclear or
inaccurate, please get in touch with Dr. Charles Camp.

Draw the shear and moment diagrams for each of the three members of the frame. Assume the
frame is fixed and connected at A, B, and D, with a pin joint at C.

Assume E is 200 GPa, A = 20 (103) mm2, and I is 300 (106) mm4.

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When you start SAP2000 Version 24, you should see the following interface window:

Step 1: New Model ‐ To start a new problem, select New Model under the File menu.

The New Model window gives many different templates for general structures. On this menu,
you can select the units for the problem; the default is kN, m, C. You can change the unit when
necessary, and SAP2000 converts the values. In this example, the units are kN and m. Click on
the 2D Frame icon on the first row of templates.

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The Frame template menu should appear.

In this example, the frame has one bay of 5,000 mm (5 m) and a one‐story height of 6,000 mm
(6 m). Enter the values and click OK.

The SAP2000 interface displays the geometry of the frame. By default, the supports are pins.

Since we do not need a 3‐D view of the frame, click on the window label and delete the left‐
hand side window so that you have an xz view of the frame.

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This example’s grid lines are unimportant, so they are turned off. Click on the View menu at the
top of the SAP2000 interface and then Show Grid.

Next, adjust the height of the left column. Select the bottom node of the element by clicking on
the joint with the pointer. A blue “X” should appear at the joint to indicate it is currently
selected. Select the Edit menu at the top of the SAP200 interface, then Move, and the following
menu appears. In this example, the node moves in the positive z‐direction 2,000 mm (2 m).

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Step 2: Define Structural Supports ‐ To define the location and type of structural support,
select the support location by clicking on the joint with the pointer. A blue “X” should appear at
the joint to indicate it is currently selected. Next, click on the Assign tab at the top of the
SAP2000 interface, then click on Joint, and then the Restraints ... button on the bottom
toolbar.

The Assign Joint Restraints menu appears as shown. Usually, the directions 1, 2, and 3 listed on
the menu correspond to the x, y, and z directions. The Fast Restraints buttons may be used for
most problems when working on two‐dimensional structures. If the support conditions for your
problem are not listed in the Fast Restraints section of the menu, you should select the
appropriate combination of restraints.

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In this frame example, the support at A and D are fixed.

Select the bottom nodes with the pointer (an “X” should appear at the joint), then click
the Fixed button and then OK. After the supports have been defined, the frame problem
should appear in the SAP2000 interface window as follows:

To model the pin connection at node C, select the frame element and click on Assign, Frame,
and Releases/Partial Fixity. The following menu appears.

Check the box for Release End Moment 33 (Major). The moment at the end of this element are
zero. SAP2000 indicates that a release has been specified with a green dot and shows a break
on the line.

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Step 3: Apply Forces – Two loads are applied to the frame in this example.
The top frame element has two equally spaced point loads, and the right‐side column has a
distributed load.

To apply the point loads, select the frame element with the pointer, click on Assign, then Frame
Loads, and then Point. The following menu appears. Click on Absolute Distance from End‐I and
enter the position and value of the two point loads. This example shows a 50 kN load at 1,500
mm (1.5 m) and a 40 kN load at 3,500 mm (3.5 m) from the left edge.

Click OK, and the loads are displayed on the frame:

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Next, click on the far right element and select Assign, Frame Loads, and Distributed. The
following menu should be displayed. In this example, the distributed load is in the negative
local x‐direction and has a value of 0.015 kN/mm (15 kN/m). Enter these values into the menu
and click OK.

The distributed loading is displayed on the frame.

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The point loads are not deleted; they are currently not displayed. Select Display, Show Object Load
Assigns, Frame, and then OK to see all frame loads.

Step 4: Set Analysis Options ‐ This example models the frame in the x‐z plane. Click on
the Analyze menu at the top of the SAP2000 interface window and then click Set Analysis
Options to limit analysis to variables in the x‐z plane. The Analysis Options menu appears as
follows:

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To restrict SAP2000 to variables in the x‐z plane, select the Plane Frame button and click OK.

Step 5: Define Material Properties ‐ SAP2000 assumes the loads acting on a structure, including
the weight of each element. In our frame analysis, we assume that each element is weightless.
To define the properties of a material, select the Define menu at the top of the SAP2000
interface window and then click on Materials. The Define Materials window appears as shown
below:

On this menu, you can change the properties of materials. Select the A992Fy50 (steel with a
yield stress of 50 ksi) material in this example and click the Modify/Show Material... button.

The Material Property Data window is displayed.

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Change the Weight per unit Volume value to zero and adjust the Modulus of Elasticity, E, to
200 kN/mm2 (200 GPa). Click OK to return to the Define Materials window, then click OK again.
Now, we have a material named A992Fy50 that has no weight per volume. For this example
problem, the default values for the Mass per unit Volume, Modulus of elasticity, Poisson’s ratio,
and the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion can be used. For most linear elastic statically loaded
structures, only values for Weight per unit Volume and Modulus of Elasticity are required.

Step 6: Define Frame Sections ‐ To define the cross‐section properties of a structural element,
click on the Define menu at the top of the SAP2000 interface window, then click on Section
Properties, then Frame Sections..., and then the Frame Properties window is displayed.

The default Frame Section label is FSEC1. To change the properties of the frame section, click
on the Modify/Show Property... button. The I/Wide Flange Section window is displayed.

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To define the material of this frame section, click on the Material pull‐down menu and select
our weightless material A992Fy50. Click OK to return to the Frame Properties window, then
click OK again.

In this example, the frame elements have a cross‐sectional area of A = 20 (103) mm2 and a
moment of inertia value I = 300 (106) mm4. Click Add New Property on the Frame Properties
menu to specify this value. The Add New Property menu is displayed. For this example, click the
Frame Section Property Type dropdown menu, select Other, and then click on General.

The Property Data menu is displayed. In this example, the Moment of inertia about the 3 axis
(the strong axis) is 300 (106) mm4. The value of the Cross‐sectional area is 20 (103) mm2. The

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Moment of inertia about the 2 should be a small value of 1 to minimize their effect on the
results.

Enter the value and click OK. Then click OK on the General Shapes menu, and the Frames
Properties menu is displayed. Note that FSEC2 has been added to the list of sections. Click OK.

Step 7: Assign Frame Sections ‐ To assign the frame properties of a structural element, select
all frame elements with the pointer and click on the Assign menu at the top of the SAP2000
interface window, then click Frame, and then Frame Sections. You can assign the same section
properties to multiple elements by selecting all the elements that share the same properties.
Choose the FSEC2 frame element from the Assign Frame Sections window and click OK.

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The frame section name is displayed next to each element selected. After the frame sections
have been assigned, the SAP2000 interface window is displayed.

Step 8: Run Analysis ‐ To analyze the model, press the Run Analysis button . The Set Load
Cases to Run menu is displayed.

By default, there are two load cases: DEAD and MODAL. More load cases can be added, but
only the DEAD load case is required for this example. Click on the Run Now button. If the
analysis is successful, the Analysis Complete window is displayed and reports that the analysis
is complete. Click OK, and the Save Model File As window is displayed.

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When you run a model, SAP2000 creates about 40 temporary files, so choosing a particular
folder to store the SAP2000 files is beneficial. The Windows Desktop is not a good location.
When a folder is selected, name the SAP2000 model file.

In this example, the file name is frame_tutorial. SAP2000 saves the model information in the
file named frame_tutorial.sdb in the folder selected. The SAP2000 interface window displays
an exaggerated deflected shape of the modeled structure.

Step 9: Print Frame Forces ‐ To get a quick feel for the relative magnitude of the forces in the
frame, click on the Show Forces/Stresses pull‐down menu at the top of the SAP2000

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interface, select Frames/Cables/Tendons..., and the Display Frame Forces/Stresses menu is
displayed.

Select Moment 3‐3 (the strong axis) and then OK; the bending moment along the frame is
displayed.

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For the shear force, Select the Shear‐22 and then OK; the shear force along the frame is
displayed.

The default view is the Fill Diagram, where the relative magnitude of the moments are
displayed. Negative bending moments are in red, and positive in blue.

Another way to display force information is to unclick Fill Diagram and click on Show Values on
Diagram. In this case, the value of each axial force is displayed next to the elements.

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To view more detail about the forces along an element, click on the element in the SAP2000
interface and right‐click. The Diagram for Frame Object # (FSEC2) window is displayed. Below
are the results for each of the three elements in this example.

Drag the vertical slider along the element to see values on the loads, shear, moment, and
deflection.

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To print the results to a file, click the File menu, select Print Tables..., and display the following
menu.

In this example, we want the shear forces and bending moments in the frame, so click on
expand the Element Output item under the ANALYSIS RESULTS section, expand the Frame
Output item, and then click on Tables: Element Forces ‐ Frames. Also, click on the box Print to
File and the TXT file button to define the file format. Click OK and define the name and location
of the TXT file.

There is an option for Spreadsheet Format if desired. The default location for the file is the
same directory as the problem files. A different location can be specified by clicking File
Name and choosing the desired file location and name.

Turn on the frame labels to correlate the results printed in the output file to frame elements in
the structure. Click the Show Undeformed Shape button / on the main interface to display the
frame element labels. Next, click on the Display Options button and under
the Frame section of the menu, click on Labels.

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The frame element numbers or any other information displayed in the main SAP2000 interface
can be printed by clicking on the File menu and selecting Print Graphics (the image is sent to
the default printer).

The results of the frame analysis presented in the output file are listed by frame element
number.

Note that SAP2000 lists the variation of the internal forces and moments along the element.
For frame analysis, there are bending moments and shear forces. The values in the “M3” are
the bending moments, and “V2” are the shear forces.

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