1. General
When defining a new section in FEM-Design, users must make sure they know about the fabrication technology of the current section and library category.
2. Hierarchy in library
In FEM-Design, every section must be inserted into library to use it. Library is divided into Groups (like Concrete sections, Steel sections, etc.) and then further into Types (like Square for concrete or HE-A and KKR for steel). The Types are further divided into Sizes.
Figure 1. Groups, Types and Sizes in library
3. What is a fabrication technology
We have six fabrication technologies in FEM-Design:
Rolled steel, Cold-formed steel, Welded steel, Concrete, Timber and Generic
Figure 2. Available fabrication technologies in FEM-Design
Each one of the Types has a certain fabrication technology. The fabrication technology for the Type is defined when the Type is first created.
Groups do not have any fabrication technology. So, it is possible to have Group where timber, concrete and various steel sections are all in.
Fabrication technology of the Type can be changed/modified later, but it is not recommended, since it might generate confusion. For example, there might be a timber Type that contains steel Size sections.
When changing the fabrication technology of a Type, all the Sizes inside this Type will not be automatically converted. Sizes must be manually reinserted into library with correct fabrication technology. This can be done in Section Editor.
Each Size defined under the Type must initially have the same fabrication technology as the Type has. Size with different fabrication technology cannot be added to the Type. For example, a welded steel section cannot be added to a Type which fabrication technology is set to Rolled steel. User will get error message when tryin to do so:
Figure 3. Error message when trying to insert a Size into wrong fabrication technology Type
To see what fabrication technology is set to a Type, user must select a type and then press the Modify button.
Figure 4. See what fabrication technology a Type has
4. Default shapes are tied to technology
When user wants to define a new Size using the predefined shapes, then it is necessary to understand that each one of these shapes is tied to a fabrication technology. The technologies of the predefines shapes are as follows:
Figure 5 Predefines shapes have fixed fabrication technologies
This means that defining the filled round bar shape is not possible in a Type that contains cold-formed steel sections. Also defining a rectangular hollow section requires the user to know exactly which fabrication technology they need since there are two rectangular hollow sections in the default shape list: one in rolled steel and the other in cold-formed steel.
Please note that there is no predefined shapes for Generic fabrication technology, so creating something like aluminum profile is not possible with predefined shapes.
5. Defining your own shapes for section
Users can define their own section shapes in the Section Editor. This is useful when the shape is not in the predefined shape list or when user wants to add generic fabrication technology sections.
In Section Editor after drawing the section shape or inserting an existing shape from library to the drawing, user can add this section to library and choose a fabrication technology and Type for it.
It is still not possible to insert a section to a Type that has different fabrication technology.
For example, it is not possible to insert a random shape as timber section to HE-A Type, since the HE-A type is defined as Rolled steel not Timber.
Figure 6. It is no possible to add this section as Timber to HE-A Type, since HE-A Type is Rolled steel fabrication technology
But it is possible to create a new Type or insert the section into correct fabrication technology Type.
For example, it is possible to use the shape of HEA profile and add it to the library as timber section. Here the HEA shape is inserted into library as timber section under Type “Gluelam” since this Type is a Timber fabrication technology Type.
Figure 7. It is possible to add this section as Timber to Gluelam Type, since Gluelam Type is Timber fabrication technology