Common Properties: Sections
Description
Section properties commonly found in beam property sets.
All applicable properties are automatically computed when
- the beam section is defined using the Beam Cross Section dialog,
- the diameter is specified for cable elements,
- the diameter and wall thickness are specified for pipe elements, or
- the section is imported using Properties: Import/Export Beam Sections.
Properties
Area of beam cross section.
Units are Area (e.g., m2, in2).
Second Moment of Area (I / I11 / I22)
Second moments of area about the cross section's principal 1 and 2 axes, respectively.
For pipe elements only one value is required.
Units are Length4 (e.g., m4, in4).
Location of the shear centre with reference to the centroid of the cross section, measured in the directions of the cross section's principal 1 and 2 axes, respectively.
Units are Length (e.g., m, in).
Shear areas in the cross section's principal 1 and 2 axis directions, respectively.
Shear areas are used whenever a thick beam formulation is required. If shear areas are set to zero, the thin beam formulation is used instead.
For pipe elements only one value is required.
Units are Area (e.g., m2, in2).
Torsion constant of cross section.
Units are Length4 (e.g., m4, in4).
Number of integration points along the beam.
Used for material nonlinear analysis whereby the element stiffness is integrated from the stress-strain relationship over the cross section and length.
Also used to obtain the stiffness and mass matrices for tapered trusses and beams.
See Also