Guide to Modeling Dead Loads in Precast/Prestressed Girder
The LRFD specifications classify the dead loads as either DC or DW, where
• DC: Dead Load of structural components and nonstructural attachments
• DW: Dead Load of wearing surface and utilities
To facilitate the appropriate switching of the loads into the correct categories when the code selection on the Project tab is toggled, we recommend the following modeling guidelines:
| Dead Loads on Precast | LRFD Mode | Standard Mode |
| Diaphragms | DC | DL |
| Stay-in-place forms | DC | DL |
| Dead Loads on Composite | LRFD Mode | Standard Mode |
| Utilities | DW | ADL |
| Wearing Surface | DW | ADL |
| Sidewalk Dead Load | DC | DL |
| Barrier Weight | DC | DL |
Where DL is Dead Load and ADL is Additional Dead Load, which are tags that allow for proper conversion to the LRFD codes. DL is equivalent to DC loading in LRFD mode and ADL is equivalent to DW loading.