The engineer can insert panel zone element at intersections of beams and columns. This can be accomplished by selecting on Assign > Columns > Panel Zone command. Note that panel zone element can be inserted for column strong and weak axis directions.

Panel zone element is intended to capture shear deformations within panel zone area (a panel zone area is defined as the region composed of the column web and bounded by the extension of the beam flanges). This special element is represented with a rotational spring to account for panel zone shear deformations. The scissors model is utilized to model panel zone area (see Modeling Beam-Column Intersection by Panel Zone Element and Rigid Links).

Select the appropriate direction (column strong or weak direction) from the dialog and then, select the choice for panel zone element stiffness calculation. For steel columns, the program can calculate panel zone stiffness according to the reference mentioned in the Modeling Beam-Column Intersection by Panel Zone Element and Rigid Links. It is also possible to provide user-defined panel zone stiffness directly. Finally, the engineer can assign panel zone to a single column member (click on Single), to multiple column members or to all column members

To clear existing panel zone element assignments, select the Clear Panel Zone option in the dialog.