Component Specific Considerations

When transferring Tekla Structures connections to RISAConnection properties are mapped over from Tekla Structures to RISAConnection and vice-versa. Tekla Structures and RISAConnection are very different and were built for different applications. Because of this there are items that don't map exactly as you might expect.  Here we will elaborate on some of these items.

Vertical Brace Connection Considerations

Requirements to Transfer the Connection

For vertical brace connections, the RISA-Tekla Link allows the transfer of Components 141 or 146 (beam-to-column) in combination with Components Wraparound Gusset (58), Hollow brace wraparound gusset (59) or Wraparound gusset cross (60) (brace to beam-column intersection). This connection will come over as the Vertical Brace Diagonal Connection in RISAConnection.

For this transfer to work, some basic requirements must be met:

• The beam and column shapes must be Wide Flanges and intersect at ~90 angles.
• The brace must be a tube or pipe (slotted around gusset connection), single angle, double angle or WT for Component Wraparound gusset cross (60).
• The brace must be a tube or pipe (knife plate connection) for Component Hollow brace wraparound gusset (59).
• The brace must be a wide flange for Component Wraparound Gusset (58).
• The brace must form an angle between 10 and 80 degrees between the beam and column.

Beyond these requirements there are more specific items that must be set properly on the component to perform the transfer:

1. The gusset-to-beam and gusset-to-column connection must be explicitly defined from the Gusset tab of the component. RISAConnection only supports double angle and direct welded connections. Any other selection will not work.
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2. The gusset-to-beam and gusset-to-column connection must also be defined explicitly on the Gusset conn 1 and Gusset conn 2 tabs, unless BOTH connections are the same.
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3. If a weld is defined you must be sure to have the weld also defined from within the Welds... dialog.
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Other Vertical Brace Considerations

Multiple Braces Coming into the Same Joint

There is a potential for one, two, three or four braces to come into a single column/beam joint. In RISAConnection only a single "side" of the column is considered for an individual connection.  if four braces come in this will be split into two separate connections for the two sides of the connection.

From here the RISA-Tekla Link determines the eccentricity of the braces. RISAConnection has three categories: Concentric, Along Beam, Along Column. Thus, the link will calculate the workpoint locations for the braces/beam/column to see how they line up and then group them accordingly.

For the Along Beam case RISAConnection requires the eccentricity to be equal for the top and bottom braces. In Tekla Structures there is no requirement for this. Thus, if both the top and bottom brace workpoints land along the beam they must also land at the same location. In the RISA-Tekla Link we give a +-2" on this workpoint location. If the brace workpoints land within 2" of one another the program will take the larger value and bring that into RISAConnection. If the brace workpoints are greater than 2" from one another then the connection will not be supported.

For the Along Column case RISAConnection allows different eccentricities for both top and bottom braces that are eccentric along the column. If the RISA-Tekla Link finds a scenario where both top and bottom brace workpoints land on the column then they will come over exactly as is.

For the Concentric case if the beam/column, top and bottom workpoints all hit concentrically it will come over as concentric. If both the top and/or bottom braces are eccentric from the beam/column workpoint by <= 2" then the program will bring this connection in as concentric.

If braces are eccentric >2" and workpoints for both top and bottom braces don't land on the same element (beam or column) then this connection will be unsupported.

Double Angle Braces

Tekla Structures does not have a single shape element for double angles. To create a double angle configuration in Tekla Structures you must either explicitly draw two angles.

For double angle braces to be supported in RISAConnection they must:

• Be the same angle and the same orientation for both.
• Be parallel to one another
• Be explicitly part of the component creation (click beam, first angle brace, second angle brace, column, create)

Note:

• When a double angle is used in RISAConnection the default shape will always have a 3/8" gap.  In reality the gap may be different but this gap has no effect on the calculations in RISAConnection, so it is not directly mapped.

Regarding loading of double angle braces the program will sum the loads from Loads from Secondary 1 and Loads from Secondary 2 and bring that total to RISAConnection.

Gusset Positions

In RISAConnection, the distances on either side of the gusset clip angles are always the same. Thus, if unequal distances are given in Tekla Structures the program will take the average of these values and use them for both sides of the gusset.

Gusset Clip

Tekla Structures and RISAConnection do not have a matching dimension for the gusset clip. However, these dimensions are used to transfer the clip.

These two dimensions are added together with the width and angle of the brace and used to determine the Gusset Clip in RISAConnection.

Brace Mininum Clearance

RISAConnection and Tekla Structures have similar inputs for this value.

However, we can see in Tekla Structures that the dimension goes directly to the face of column and in RISAConnection this is dimensioned to the connector. This is accounted for in the RISA-Tekla Link.

Chevron Brace Connection Considerations

Requirements to Transfer the Connection

For chevron brace connections, the RISA-Tekla Link allows the transfer of Components Bolted Gusset (11) and Tube Gusset (20). This connection will come over as the Vertical Brace Chevron in RISAConnection.

For this transfer to work, some basic requirements must be met:

• The beam shape must be a Wide Flange, Tube or Pipe.
• The brace must be a tube or pipe (slotted around gusset connection), single angle, double angle or WT for Component Bolted Gusset (11).
• The brace must be a tube or pipe (knife plate connection) for Component Tube Gusset (20).
• The brace must be a wide flange for Component Gusseted cross (62).
• The brace must form an angle between 10 and 85 degrees between the beam and column.

Beyond these requirements there are more specific items that must be set properly on the component to perform the transfer:

1. The gusset-to-beam and gusset-to-column connection must be explicitly defined from the Gusset tab of the component. RISAConnection only supports double angle and direct welded connections. Any other selection will not work.
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2. The gusset-to-beam and gusset-to-column connection must also be defined explicitly on the Gusset conntab.
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3. If a weld is defined you must be sure to have the weld also defined from within the Welds... dialog. The only welds supported are shown below:
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Note:

• In Tekla Structures if you define a weld it will be defined on both braces. RISAConnection standalone will allow you to have different connections on each brace. Thus, when using the RISA-Tekla Link you must have the same fastener type (welds or bolts) on both braces.

Connection Orientation for K-Brace Situations

Chevron braces are integrated whether they frame into a beam or a column. For beam framing it is relatively easy to understand the front of the brace and how mapping should occur.

However, for columns the orientation is more complex.  Here's how it works:

• If the connection is built from one column and two braces then the connection will always come over in the below the beam configuration, rather than above.

• The left and right brace is determined by using the coordinate system of the connection (in the direction of the cone)

• If one or more of brace has an asymmetrical shape relative to the gusset (Angle, T-shape, C-shape) then the orientation of this brace determines the front side of the connection. In this case left and right brace are determined by the front side of connection.

• If both braces have an asymmetrical shape relative to the gusset (Angle, T-shape, C-shape) AND braces are oriented in different directions then the front side of connection can not be determined. In this case the connection will not be transferred to RISAConnection.

Single Base Plate Connection Considerations

For single column base plate connections, the RISA-Tekla Link allows the transfer of Component US Column Base Plate (1047). This connection will come over as the single column base plate connection in RISAConnection.

For this transfer to work, some basic requirements must be met:

• The steel column must be a wide flange, HSS tube, or HSS pipe shape and in a vertical orientation.
• The base plate connection component must be assigned to the bottom of the column member.
• The column must be centered on the base plate.
• The anchor bolt pattern must be centered on the base plate.
• The base plate must be rectangular.
• The concrete support must be rectangular and may not be smaller than the steel base plate.

Beyond these requirements there are more specific items that must be set properly on the component to perform the transfer:

Base Plate

The base plate profile must be rectangular. The base plate dimensions and material are mapped with the following options below:

Note:

• t = plate thickness
• b = plate width, if blank Tekla assumes width is 1.25*Column Flange Width.
• h = plate length, if blank Tekla assumes length is 1.25*Column Depth.
• Key profile, leveling plates, and fitting plates are not supported in RISAConnection so these options will not transfer to RISAConnection.
• Tapered base plate corners will be ignored during transfer.

Concrete Support

The material strength for the concrete support may be defined under the Anchor Rod tab under the option boxed below.

The concrete support dimensions are not available in Tekla Structures, so the user will have control over these inputs in RISAConnection. During the initial transfer the concrete lengths and widths will assume 1.5*Column Depth/ Width respectively.

Anchor Bolts

The anchor bolt diameter and material may be selected from the following options below:

RISAConnection supports the following bolt layouts:

• Four - This option defaults to one bolt at each corner of the plate.

• Six - This option defaults to three bolts on two opposite sides of the plate. The user can indicate whether the bolts go on the "Strong Axis" or "Weak Axis" using the Layout Option entry.

• Eight - This option defaults the eight bolts equally around each side of the plate.

The edge distance in RISAConnection is mapped to Tekla's bolt edge distance to shim plate. When this input is blank, a default value of 30mm or 1.18in is used.

Note:

• The anchor rod profile must be round to transfer to RISAConnection.

Column Welds

The base plate column flange and web weld size and type map to Tekla Structures weld options 1 and 2 respectively:

Note:

• Only double fillet, PJP, or CJP weld types are supported in RISAConnection.
• The flange welds must be the same size in RISAConnection, so only option 1 is used when mapping the flange weld properties.
• The flange weld is optional in RISAConnection, if weld option one is blank the connection will transfer without a flange weld.

Plate Washers (optional)

Plate washers can be added between the anchor bolts and column base plate. The plate washer size and material options are defined below:

The plate washer weld in RISAConnection is defined between the washer and the base plate. However Tekla Structures does not have an option for this. Instead, the weld between the plate washer and anchor attribute is used by the link. To set the plate washer weld:

1. Select objects in components and then select the plate washer weld to define the properties of the weld:

Note:

• RISAConnection’s plate washer must be square, so use the smallest width or height dimension input in Tekla Structures if they are not equal.

Loading

Tekla Structure's Base Plate connection component 1047 does not contain loading considerations. RISAConnection will use the Column End Forces to map the loads.

Note:

• Axial Force: Positive magnitude denotes compression, negative magnitude denotes tension.
• Shear, Vy (major): Shear load along the weak axis of the column which causes strong axis bending.
• Shear, Vz (minor): Shear load along the strong axis of the column which causes weak axis bending.
• Moment, Mz (major): Moment about the strong axis of the column (only applicable to "Fixed" base plates).
• Moment, My (minor): Moment about the weak axis of the column (only applicable to "Fixed" base plates).

Continuous Beam Over Column Connection Considerations

For continuous beam over column connections, the RISA-Tekla Link allows the transfer of Component Seating (39). This connection will come over as the Continuous Beam over Column Connection in RISAConnection.

Note:

• This connection is only available when using Tekla Structures 2026 or later (64-bit).

Requirements to Transfer the Connection

For this transfer to work, some basic requirements must be met:

• The column must be a wide flange, HSS tube, or HSS pipe shape and in a vertical orientation.

• The secondary beam must be a wide flange shape.

• The beam must be perpendicular (within 15 degrees) to the column.

• The connection must have exactly one secondary beam. Two-beam configurations are not supported.

• The end plate must be welded to the top of the column and must be centered symmetrically on the column, extending equally beyond the column boundaries on both sides along the beam direction.

Beyond these requirements there are more specific items that must be set properly on the component to perform the transfer

End Plate

The end plate is welded to the top of the column and the bolts connect the end plate to the lower flange of the beam. The end plate dimensions and material are read automatically from the component.

Note:

• The end plate must extend equally beyond the column boundaries on both sides in the direction of the beam. If the extension is not equal, warning W1138 will be given.

Bolt Patterns

RISAConnection supports the following bolt patterns for this connection. Bolt pattern availability depends on the column profile type:

Note:

• The 2-bolt pattern is not available for wide flange columns.

• The 8-bolt unstiffened, ½ MRE unstiffened, and ⅓ MRE patterns are not available for HSS tube or HSS pipe columns.

• For wide flange columns, the outer bolt rows must be located outside the column flange boundaries, and the inner bolt rows must remain inside the column flange boundaries.

• For HSS tube and pipe columns, all bolts must be located outside the column boundary.

8-Bolt Unstiffened (8SP) — Special User Workflow

The 8-bolt unstiffened pattern requires a specific setup in Tekla Structures prior to export. To create this pattern in Tekla Structures you must start with a full 6-row × 4-column bolt grid (24 bolts total) and then manually remove exactly 8 bolts from the interior corner positions of rows 2 through 5 (bolt indices 5, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16, 17, 20 in the 0-based grid). The RISA-Tekla Link validates these removed bolt indices on export. If any other combination of bolts has been removed, error E0402 will be given and the connection will not transfer.

Column Welds

For wide flange columns, two flange welds (one on each side of the column flange) and one web weld connecting the end plate to the column are required. Both flange welds must be equal in size. For HSS tube or HSS pipe columns, a single perimeter weld connecting the column to the end plate is required.

Transverse Stiffeners

Transverse stiffeners (ContourPlates) are optional for this connection. If present, exactly four stiffeners must be defined. Stiffeners with a depth less than 50% of the beam clear depth (d − 2·tf) will be ignored with warning W1105. Stiffeners with a depth at or above 50% will be included but clamped to the full beam clear depth if necessary, with warning W1011. All stiffener welds must be the same size; if they are not, warning W1014 will be given and the welds will be updated in Tekla Structures.