Designing a Member

The MasterKey: Steel Design module provides a number of options to design steel members within any frame once appropriate design briefs have been applied to the members of a model. These options include an automatic member sizing, which can be done for a single member or multiple members, or by manually selecting a section size from the list of section sizes available. The design calculations are updated automatically so the effects of any design changes can be viewed instantly for the ultimate design parts in each design brief.

Note: For most element arrangements, changes in the section size will result in a modification of the serviceability deflection. However, in the case of cantilevers, the deflection can comprise of two distinct components. The first is the deflection of the member acting as a cantilever. The second component is due to the rotation of the cantilever at the support end. This is a function of the distribution of the bending moments in the frame and relative stiffness of each member coincident at the supported end of the cantilever. In this case, the deflection of a cantilever will only update once the frame is re-analysed.