Complete Base Plate Analysis and Design Using GT STRUDL

In the top-down design of any structure, one of the last, but possibly most complex issues to resolve is the support conditions. Analysis of the support conditions requires careful evaluation of how the columns frame into the base plate and how the base plate is attached to the concrete base.

While the design of simple connections can be performed by rule of thumb, hand-based methods, spreadsheets, and AISC Guides, these connections can quickly become complicated when the engineer must accommodate challenging geometric constraints. No matter if it’s a change in plate or bolt configuration, member type or eccentricity, multiple members welded to one plate, stiffener elements added or unsymmetrical configuration, the simple methods no longer are valid, and a more robust analysis is required.

The GT STRUDL Base Plate tool allows engineers to quickly analyze and design complicated base plates using a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) approach without the FEA modeling headaches.

• Engineers will be able to visualize the FEA stress/moment plots and displacements diagrams in GT Menu interface which will help them study the problem in much more detail.
• The GT Menu interface also allows engineers to make any additional changes to the FEA model and use the report builder tool to create more detailed reports.
• The final model results such as base plate stresses and anchor bolt tensile loading are compared against the allowable strength by the GT STRUDL Base Plate tool.

Learn how you can quickly and easily design the most challenging base plates and embed plates using the GT STRUDL 2019 Base Plate wizard!

About the Presenters

    Geoff Blumber
    Technical Sales Manager, Hexagon PPM   

Geoff Blumber is the Technical Sales manager in the BricsCAD, CADWorx and Analysis Solutions group, aligning the people and resources to deliver the right solutions to the right people at the right time. He has held varied positions in structural engineering and construction management over his career, though solution consulting direct field sales within the power and plant industries has been his primary focus the last ten years. He has a broad knowledge of CAE tools and workflows, steel fabrication and construction, and engineering practices in the AEC, process plant, and power industries. Geoff holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

    Ravi Ozarker, P.E., P. Eng
    GT STRUDL Support Consultant, Hexagon PPM   

Ravi Ozarker is the GT STRUDL Support Consultant for Hexagon PPM. As a structural engineer and engineering software developer for the past 14 years, he has worked for several organizations in different roles, such as consulting engineering, government agencies, semi-government agencies, software companies, EPCs, transmission tower design corporations, research universities, and air pollution modeling and monitoring in the U.S. and Canada. This range of experience has given Ravi unique insight into how each of these entities function and what internal processes and bottlenecks one can run into when completing projects under deadlines and with multi-discipline collaboration required.