Criteria - Trial Group Defaults

Selecting Criteria > Trial Group Defaults opens the Criteria - Trial Groups dialog.

The Column Design module can produce up to three distinct designs at one time with the use of Trial Groups. A "Trial Group" defines a group of sizes from which a size can be selected and investigated during the optimization process.

For Standard Columns, each Trial Group consists of:

I-shape size group (e.g., W12)
Rectangular or Square Hollow Section size group (e.g. HSS16x16)
Round Hollow Section size-group (e.g. HSS8)

For Hanging Columns, each Trial Group is made up of nine shapes:

I-shape
Rectangular Hollow Section
Round Hollow Section
Channel
Tee Section
Flat Bar
Round Bar
Single Angle
Double Angle

During the design process, columns will be selected only from the size groups indicated in the Trial Groups. The optimum column sizes in each trial group is determined during design, and the trial group with the least weight is selected as the column line design.

Up to three Trial Groups can be defined for each design. To select a trial group, click the check box above the trial group so that it has a check mark in the box. Note that there are separate Trial Groups for Standard and for Hanging columns.

For each shape within the Trial Groups, select the desired size group from the drop-down list. Click on the size group to select it. It will appear in the trial group edit box. The sizes that appear in the lists are dependent upon the sizes in the selected column design table. If a shape is not present in the table, the entry for that shape will be blank.

Click Cancel to exit the dialog without saving the changes made.

To change the Trial Group Settings, click the OK button. A warning will be given stating that making this change will result in clearing all optimized sizes. Click Yes in this message box to complete the change and clear optimized sizes. Clicking No cancels the change and returns you to the Criteria - Trial Groups dialog.

Note: Change to criteria will not override trial groups assigned to a column line using the Assign - Trial Groups command.