Instructions for the use of SAP 2000 N computer code

version 12. for an elastic buckling analysis on plane frame.

1) Click on SAP icon and open the programme
2) Look at the screen bottom, right side, where there is a little window for the
anlysis employed units, with the inscription Kip,in,F. Click on that window and
change the units to N,m,C meaning that the forces will furtheron be expressed
in Newton and the dimensions in meter. The operator should always
remember that in further analysis. Change of units using the same window is
always possible during analysis, but in order to avoid mistakes, it is wiser to keep
it as declared at the beginning.
3) To begin the analysis click on the icon File /New model/ 2D frames
4) A new window will open, called 2D frames where the geometric characteristics
of the transversal frame (the same for the longitudinal frame!) of each student will
be introduced: Portal Frame dimensions / Number of Stories = 4/ Story
height = 4 (m) / Number of Bays = 3 / Bay Width = 6 (m).

OBSERVATION: each student will introduce his/her own dimensions (in meter) for
story height and bay width !

5) Click on the OK icon of the window.

6) Click on the Define icon then on Materials. A window called Define
Materials will appear. Click on Add New Material. A window called Material
Property Data will appear. In the window Material Name and display Colour
write S235 (name of the employed steel grade in our application in other
applications, other steel grades might be used). In the window called Minimum
Yield stress, Fy type the value 2.35E+08 (meaning that the adopted yield
stress value for S235 steel is 2,3 x 10^8 N/m2 Remember that all units should be
Newton and meter!). In the window Minimum Tensile Stress, Fu type the value
3.7E+08 (ultimate stress for S235 steel). Click on the OK icon of the window to
finish. The window Define Materials will reappear where S235 is visible on the
list. The employed material has been defined for SAP. Click again on the OK icon
to close window.
7) On the screen, the plane frame of the application will appear. With the mouse
click on the yellow lines representing the columns to select these columns. The
selection is done column by column, story by story. Assign for each column the
profile found during the elastic first order analysis by the procedure described in
Instructions-1. The same for the beams.
8) After assigning the profile members, on the frame image click on the points at
column bases to select these points. Then go to the menu icon Assign then
Joint then Restraints to access the Joints Restraints form (window). In this
window go to the Fast restraints zone and click the () button and then OK
button. Restrained supports have been assigned for the column bases.

9) The next step concerns the load name (the load values not yet!) definition for the
program. Click on the icon Define then on Load Patterns. A new window will
appear called Define Load Patterns. In the column Load Pattern Name write
LAT .Then go to column Type and click on the black arrow (). On the list
which appears select Other then click the icon Add New Load Pattern. The
load list in the table will increase with a new line, containing the LAT load name.
Go back to column Load Pattern Name and write AXIAL then go to the next
column called Type click on the black arrow and select on the list Other.
Click on the icon Add New Load Pattern and the list of load names will
increase with a new line containing the AXIAL load. In the end click on icon OK
of the window. The names of the loads LAT and AXIAL used for the elastic
buckling analysis have been defined for SAP.
10) Select all beams by clicking on the yellow horizontal members on the screen.
Click on the icon Assign then Frame loads then Distributed A new window
will appear called Frame distributed Loads In the window where the word
DEAD is written, show the list of loads using the black arrow and select on this
list (by clicking), the word AXIAL. This means that in the next operation, we
will define the values of the concentrated forces equivalent to global sway
imperfection. Go to the small window called Load and write the obtained value
q1 in Newton per meter (order of thousands) used in the elastic first order
analysis. Then click on OK icon. The image of the transverse frame will appear
on the screen with distributed load on every beam.
11) Select with the mouse all points of intersection between columns and beams on
the left line of columns. Click then on icon Assign then Joint loads then
Forces. A new window will appear called Joint Forces. In the window where
the word DEAD is written, show the list of loads using the black arrow and select
on this list (by clicking), the word LAT. This means that in the next operation,
we will define the values of the concentrated forces equivalent to global sway
imperfection. Then click in the window near Force Global X and write the
calculated value of force Fx in Newton (for the elastic first order analysis) and
click icon OK. The screen will appear, with the transverse frame having
horizontal concentrated forces applied in the selected points. The horizontal
equivalent forces to global sway imperfection have been thus defined for SAP.
12) Click the Display icon then Show Undeformed Shape to remove the
displayed force assignments.
13) Click the Define menu then Load Cases command. A new window will
appear called Define Load Cases . In this window select MODAL in the Load
Case Name list and click the Delete Load Case button. Choose Yes when
asked if it is OK to delete load case MODAL.
14) Remain in the same window. On the Load Case Name list select LAT and click
the Modify/Show Load Case button to acces the Load Case Data form (window).
In that form: select the Nonlinear option in the Analysis Type area. Then
select the P-Delta option in the Geometric Nonlinearity Parameters area, then
click the OK button to return to the Define Load Cases form.
15) Remain in the Define Load Cases form and select AXIAL in the Load Case
Name list and click the Modify/Show Load Case button to access the Load
Case Data form (window). In that form select Buckling from the Load Case
Type drop-downlist. In the Stiffness-to-Use area select the Stiffness at End of
Nonlinear Case option and verify that LAT is shown in the drop-down list. Type
the number 2 in the Number of Buckling Modes edit box. Click the OK
buttons on the Load Case Data and Define load Cases forms to exit all forms.
16) Select on the frame image all the columns by clicking on each.
17) Click the Assign menu then Frame and then Automatic Frame Mesh
command to access the Assign Automatic Frame Mesh form (window). In that
window select the Auto Mesh Frame option. Check the Minimum Number of
Segments box and type number 4 in the edit box. Click the OK button to exit
window.
18) Chose the analysis type using menu command Analyze then Set Analysis
Options then Plane Frame. Click OK to exit window.
19) Click the Run Analysis button to access the Set Load Cases to Run
form (window). In that form verify that all load cases are set to Run in the
Action list. Click the Run Now button to run the elastic buckling analysis.
20) When the analysis is complete, check the messages in the SAP Analysis
Monitor window and the click OK button to close the window.
21) To view analysis result (in this case the cr value) click the Display menu then
Show Tables command to accessthe Choose Tables for Display form
(window). In that form click the + (plus) symbol associated with Structure
Output item. Then click the + (plus) symbol associated with Other Output
items. Then click the Table: Buckling Factors item to select it. Click the OK
button to display the Buckling Factors table. The cr values are shown with the
minimum one as result of our computerized analysis. Write down the obtained
result and click the Done button to close the form.
22) Repeat the whole described procedure for the longitudinal frame to obtain the
cr value in this case also (probably quite different from the upper result).