Piers

A pier is a segment of a special type. There 2 possibilities to define a pier:

(A) Pier dependent on a main girder

The pier is not related to an axis, but to a segment point of an other segment. Hence, it is as a segment dependent on an other segment.

The geometrical position of the pier is defined by a connection point. This position refers to the cross section before or after at the segment point of the reference segment.

Note: The connection point defines the origin (h0) of the coordinate system of the pier. That means, every height h ("station") of the segment points of the pier has to be entered relative to the height h0 (h_global = h0 + h_input).

A pier has not a real axis, but an imaginary one in vertical direction. The co- ordinate system is given by the coordinate system of the connected main girder, if it has been stand up. Analogously to the main girders, the cross sections of the pier is considered against the "axis direction" defining them, i.e. against the height. The horizontal axis of the cross section is the cross axis of the main girder and the vertical axis of the cross section points against the axis direction of the main girder.

Setting	Description
Reference segment	Segment, the pier is connected to. The pier is dependent on this segment.
Segment point	Segment point of the reference segment. Default: 1. segment point
Radio buttons Before / After	FE-cross section, that defines the geometrical position of the pier. Default: "After"
Connection point	The connection point has to be defined previously at the cross section, that is assigned to the segment point of the reference segment. The geometrical position of the pier is unique defined by the segment point, the option "before/after" and this point at the cross section.
Angle	The position of the cross sections are defined as described above. Additionally, the cross section may be rotated about the height axis (RM: angle Beta). Default: 0.0
Connection to the main girder	By the input above, the pier is geometrically determined, but it is not topologically connected to the main girder. That means, the beams of the main girder and the pier are still independent of each other. The connection to the main girder has to be created in the window of the segment points of the pier using the button "Connection".

(B) Free pier dependent on a 3D-point

The geometrical position will be defined by a 3D-point and is independent of a connection to any main girder, possibly specified afterward.

Note: The 3D-point defines the origin (h0) of the coordinate system of the pier. That means, every height h ("station") of the segment points of the pier has to be entered relative to the height h0 (h_global = h0 + h_input).

A pier does not have any real axis, but a virtual one in vertical direction. The system of coordinates is defined by rotating the global system 90 Degrees about the global Y-axis ( = global Z-axis RM ). Analogously to the main girders, the cross sections has to be considered against the "axis direction", hence against the elevation or height direction. The horizontal axis of the cross section is the global transverse axis and the vertical axis of the cross section points against the global X-axis.

Setting	Description
Angle	S. above