The footing(s) can be designed to service and ultimate load cases/combinations which are created within the SFA environment, as well as to those imported from a STAAD.Pro superstructure model.

From the standpoint of the size of the footing, two types of design are available.

1. Set Dimension where the user specifies the dimensions and the program determines if that size is sufficient to carry the loads.
2. Calculate Dimension is the other design method where the program starts from a user specified minimum size and increments it iteratively till a satisfactory size is obtained.
3. The column can be located eccentrically with respect to the center of the footing. The soil pressure calculation will account for the moments caused by the eccentricity.
4. The lateral loads from the column reactions (FX and FZ) are assumed to act at the top of the footing in the absence of a pedestal, and at the top of the pedestal if a pedestal is present. These forces are multiplied by the thickness of the footing (or footing + pedestal) and added to the moments from the column reactions for calculating the soil pressures.

Load combinations can be generated to the 2005 edition of the NBCC code within the SFA environment provided that the column reaction loads for primary load cases, categorized as Dead, Live, Wind, Seismic, etc., have been specified or have been imported from the STAAD.Pro model. Alternatively, the combinations can be specified in the STAAD.Pro superstructure model and, after the analysis of that model, the support reactions for those combination cases can be imported into SFA for the service and ultimate checks.

In both modes – General and Toolkit – from the standpoint of load cases and/or combinations, the minimum that needs to be present is either A or B, where,

1. One primary load case
2. One service load case/combination, and, one ultimate load case/combination

1. Either:
   • Imports a superstructure model from STAAD.Pro. This brings in the support reactions and column/pedestal data from that model into SFA

   or

   • Start with a blank model in SFA, define the locations of column supports (if any) and assign the column sizes and loads acting on the foundation through those columns.
2. Create a mat foundation job and choose the code as Canadian (A23.3-2019). Select the load combinations (categorized into Service and Ultimate) for which the mat should be analyzed and designed.
3. Specify any additional loads on the mat if any - point loads, area loads, etc. Generate load combinations if needed. (Load combinations from the SS model can also be imported through Step (1)
4. Define the mat boundary and mesh it to produce a finite element model of the mat. Specify the mat thickness to be used for analysis as well as for design.
5. Specifies soil supports and/or pile spring supports.
6. Performs the FE analysis of the mat.
7. Create a moment envelope which is a set of discrete points where the concrete design of the mat will be performed.
8. Perform the flexure and punching shear checks. The program will recommend a bar arrangement for flexure for the longitudinal and transverse directions for the top and bottom surfaces. In the event of insufficient thickness as a singly-reinforced section, a failure will be shown.
9. Perform moment capacity checks for a desired bar diameter and spacing.