STEEL 4

Tutorial 1:
Create a simple model and launch the
analyses (1h30)
Revision Dates Writer Remarks

Rev.0 25/06/2020 STEEL team STEEL 4.1.0 version

Contents
1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 2
2. Experienced user tutorial: final picture .................................................................................................................... 2
3. Beginner user: step-by-step tutorial ......................................................................................................................... 3
3.1. Create a new project ......................................................................................................................................... 3
3.2. Create a beam property .................................................................................................................................... 4
3.3. Create a model: nodes and beams ................................................................................................................... 5
3.3.1. Create nodes ............................................................................................................................................. 5
3.3.2. Create beams ............................................................................................................................................ 6
3.3.3. Modify beam orientation .......................................................................................................................... 8
3.4. Analyses manager ........................................................................................................................................... 10
3.4.1. Define boundary condition ..................................................................................................................... 10
3.4.2. Load the model ....................................................................................................................................... 13
3.4.3. Define an analysis and launch the calculation ........................................................................................ 15
3.5. Post-processing the results ............................................................................................................................. 16
4. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................... 18

1
 STEEL 4

1. Introduction
We recommend to do the STEEL tutorials which is a really good training before starting your own model.

Depending of your experience with 3D modelling software, choose your favorite way of doing it:

- Experienced user tutorial: try to obtain final results based on picture.

- Beginner user: follow the step-by-step tutorial.

2. Experienced user tutorial: final picture

If you consider that you have already a lot of experience with STEEL, try to obtain the final results (see picture) by
yourself, without using the step-by-step tutorial

Create a new project and create the following model based on that picture (the whole model is in XZ plane):

 In the calculator, if you modify the beam height to 200mm, you should find Sigma (A24) = -149MPa at node
ID=2 (node in the middle)

Any question? Find the answers in the step-by-step tutorial.

2
 STEEL 4

3. Beginner user: step-by-step tutorial

The goal of this paragraph is to create a simple model with linear loads and post-process the analysis.

The model is the following model:

Get ready and follow the following steps to create this example.

3.1. Create a new project

Open in the menu: File > New project.

There are by default in a new project:

- 1 model
- 6 materials that you can identify in the “Materials” tab.

3
 STEEL 4

3.2. Create a beam property

The goal is to create an H cross-section with the following characteristics: H 350x12 + 150x20 + 800x15

There are two ways to create a beam property (same process for Hole properties):

- Either use the button to open a popup window as shown below:

- Or use the button to create a new beam property in Standard profiles tab for example:

4
 STEEL 4
Note: Every beam property has an auto name. There is a column named “Custom Name” to give your personal name
to every beam property which is the last column of the table:

Be careful, as soon as a beam property has a custom name, we will display always the custom name.

In the following step of the tutorial, the custom name “boom” is not used. The model is built with the auto name.

3.3. Create a model: nodes and beams

Open the model tab located in the data table panel: click on :

 It opens the data table panel.

3.3.1. Create nodes

Nodes Tab: Click on button to create a new node :

Enter the following coordinates for the 3 nodes:

5
 STEEL 4

You may need to click on this button to fit the 3D display and see the 3 nodes just created:

3.3.2. Create beams

There are two solutions:

- Either use this button to create beams by clicking on nodes:

6
 STEEL 4

- Or click on this button in beams tab :

And then enter manually the ID of nodes like below:

Note: Click on this button (located in toolbar “display” group button) to display node Ids

Now you have a model with 2 beams.

Click on display local axis and display cross sections to obtain the following model view (See red square
to locate the buttons in the toolbar on the following picture):

The orientation of local z axis is in the wrong direction. We would like to inverse the local z axis to point it down.

7
 STEEL 4

3.3.3. Modify beam orientation

1. Select beam selection

2. Select all beams with this button .

3. Click on this button to modify beam axis orientation:

1 2

Beam set is already filled with the current selection

Select modify z local axis and inverse z local axis

8
 STEEL 4
After modified the orientation, you should obtain the following model:

Local z axis orientation in global system is modified

Note:

Click on help button to get the help about local axis orientation:

9
 STEEL 4

3.4. Analyses manager

3.4.1. Define boundary condition

Open the Analyses manager panel on the left part. By default, for a new project, there is always a boundary case, a
load case and an analysis.

This panel is used to create / delete the load cases, boundary cases, overall stress cases and analyses.

Button to create, copy,

delete, move up and
down and renumber

Button to open the data in the data

table for the selected cases

Note:

If you need to create load case combinations and analyses envelopes, the buttons are in the panel.

- : create combination and the coefficient are defined in data table panel.

- : create the envelope of an analyses set. The analyses included in the envelope are defined in data
table panel.
10
 STEEL 4

Select the boundary case 1 and click on this button

The corresponding boundary condition is opened in the data table:

Create fixed boundary condition:

Select the button node selection and then select directly on the model, node ID 1.

Click on

11
 STEEL 4
A new line is created with a set filled with 1 node (node ID=1 if you open the set).

Define a fixed boundary condition at node ID=1:

Select the line and click on this button

A fixed boundary condition is created:

To display the boundary condition, click on in the toolbar.

Then next step is to load the model.

12
 STEEL 4

3.4.2. Load the model

Example: load the model with a uniform linear load of 10 kN/m.

1. Open the linear beam loads tab in the data table panel.

2. Click on to create a new linear load.

3. Open the beam selection window by clicking on the following button : and select the full
model and validate.
4. Put 10 kN/m.

5. Click on to display the loads, the value and show the labels

2
3 4

13
 STEEL 4

In case, you don’t see properly the loads even if you click on , there is maybe of problem of scale.

1. Click on to see all scales.

2. Click on which will recalculate all scales according to the level of the data.
3.

2
1

Finally, the model looks like the picture here below:

14
 STEEL 4

3.4.3. Define an analysis and launch the calculation

Open the Analyses tab in the data table panel:

As you can see, the analysis is already defined. The analysis consists of the “Load case 1” and the “Boundary case 1”.

Launch the calculation by clicking on which is located either in analyses tab, or analyses manager panel or in
the toolbar above the model.

After launching the analyses, the post-processing toolbar appears:

Your model should be the same as our model: Tutorial-1-create model-final.steel

15
 STEEL 4

3.5. Post-processing the results

1. Open Entity info panel (right side)
2. Select beam ID = 1
3. Select Contour Stress
4. Move along beam and select the section at the middle of the beam

You should obtain the following view:

3
2

In the previous picture, detailed results are shown on the full model. There is a way to display only one beam
detailed results.

5. Click on in “Entity info” panel to see detailed results on the selected beam ID=1. It opens a new
window.

Note:

- It is possible to open two detailed results windows at the same time.

- There are two buttons to open the detailed results: either in “Entity info” panel as shown above or on the
left side of the toolbar and in that case, a popup window will ask the ID of the beam.

16
 STEEL 4
Even if the interface looks the same, there is a new panel below the model with 3 tabs:

- Add/remove internal loads to calculate stresses

- Modify beam property
- Add/remove holes along the beam

Check detailed results window:

1. Click on “Beam property “ tab

2. Modify beam height and enter 200mm
3. Select end-section of Beam id=1.
4. Find Sigma stress result at note A24. How much do you obtain?

You should find Sigma (A24) = -149MPa

17
 STEEL 4

4. Conclusion
Well done, you realized your first model with STEEL.

Add specific characteristics in your model:

Now you are ready to do by yourself much more complex model with (in model tab):

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Find them in Model tab:

And Other loads like:

-
-
- (own weight load in STEEL 3)

-
Or other boundaries:

- Fixed
- Displacement
- Spring

As shown in boundary condition tab:

18