D10.A.4 Design Parameters

The program contains a number of parameters which are needed to perform design by the Mexican code. Default parameter values have been selected such that they are frequently used numbers for conventional design requirements. These values may be changed to suit the particular design being performed. Table 3.1 is a complete list of the available parameters and their default values.

The manual describes the commands required to provide these parameters in the input file. For example, the values of SFACE and EFACE (parameters that are used in shear design), the distances of the face of supports from the end nodes of a beam, are assigned values of zero by default but may be changed depending on the actual situation. Similarly, beams and columns are designed for moments directly obtained from the analyses without any magnification. The factors MMY and MMZ may be used for magnification of column moments. For beams, the user may generate load cases which contain loads magnified by the appropriate load factors.

Note: Once a parameter is specified, its value stays at that specified number until it is specified again. This is the way STAAD.Pro works for all codes.

Table 1. Mexican Concrete Design Parameters
Parameter Name	Default Value	Parameters
CODE	-	Must be specified as `MEXICAN`. Design code to follow. See TR.53.2 Concrete Design-Parameter Specification.
BTP	2	Bar type to use: 0. IMPERIAL (No 3 to 18) 1. METRIC (4.2 to 60mm) 2. MEXICAN (No 2 to 18)
CCL	1	Concrete class according to 1.4.1d) to define Modulus of Elasticity 1. Class 1 Concrete 2. Class 2 Concrete
CFB	FALSE	Cold formed Bar classification to define development multipliers according to table 3.1 NTC FALSE - Not cold formed bar TRUE - Cold formed bar
CLB	3 cm	Clear cover for bottom reinforcement
CLS	3 cm	Clear cover for side reinforcement
CLT	3 cm	Clear cover for top reinforcement
DAG	2 cm	Maximum diameter of aggregate, in current units.
DCP	TRUE	Beam Loads and reactions in direct compression Cl-2.1.5.a.I 2nd paragraph FALSE - Loads applied indirectly TRUE - Direct compression
DEPTH	YD	Depth of concrete member, in current units. This value defaults to `YD` as provided under `MEMBER PROPERTIES`.
DIM	TRUE	FALSE: Not precautions taken - Section reduction to section 1.5 NTC Concrete TRUE: Precautions are taken to assure dimensions
DSD	TRUE	Ductile frames in accordance with Section 5 of the code. Some design conditions are considered (not including, for the time being, geometric or confinement ones) FALSE - Non-Ductile frames TRUE - Ductile Frames
EFACE	0	Face to support location of end of beam. If specified, for shear force at start is computed at a distance of EFACE+d from the start joint of the member. Positive number.
EXP	FALSE	Exposition to soil or weather to define cover and min Steel reinforcement FALSE - Not exposed to soil or weather TRUE - Exposed to soil or weather
FC	200 Kg/cm²	Compressive Strength of Concrete
FYMAIN	4,200 Kg/cm²	Yield Stress for main reinforcing steel
FYSEC	4,200 Kg/cm²	Yield Stress for secondary (stirrup) reinforcing steel
LSS	0	Part of the longitudinal steel considered to reduce shear. 0 (zero) is conservative. Value between 1 and 0.
LTC	FALSE	Light Concrete to define development multipliers according to table 3.1 NTC FALSE - Regular concrete TRUE - Lightweight concrete
MAXMAIN	12	Maximum main reinforcement bar size (Number 2 -18)
MINMAIN	2.5	Minimum main reinforcement bar size (Number 2 -18)
MINSEC	2.5	Minimum secondary reinforcement bar size (Number 2 -18)
MMY	1.0	Moment magnification factor for columns, about My.
MMZ	1.0	Moment magnification factor for columns, about Mz.
MOE	198,000 Kg/cm²	Concrete modulus of elasticiy.
NSECTION	12	Number of equally-spaced sections to be considered in finding critical moments for beam design
PHI	90 degrees	Stirrups angle with the axis of the element
PSS	TRUE	Slab beared perimeter. To calculate min steel required according to 2.1.2
REINF	0	Tied Column. A value of 1 will mean spiral.
SFACE	0	Face to support location of start of beam. If specified, for shear force at start is computed at a distance of SFACE+d from the start joint of the member. Positive number
TEQ	FALSE	Beam needed for torsional equilibrium Cl.2.1.6a) 2nd paragraph FALSE - No TRUE - Yes
TRACK	0	Beam Design 0. Critical Moment will not be printed out with beam design report. 1. Will mean a print out. 2. Will print out required steel areas for all intermediate sections specified by `NSECTION`. Column Design 0. Will print out detailed design results. 1. Will mean a print out column interation analysis results in addition to TRACK 0 output. 2. will print out a schematic interaction diagram and intermediate interaction values in addition to all of the above.
WIDTH	ZD	Width of concrete member, in current units. This value defaults to `ZD` as provided under `MEMBER PROPERTIES`

* These values must be provided in the current unit system being used.

Note: When using metric bars for design, provide values for these parameters in actual ‘mm‘ units instead of the bar number. The following metric bar sizes are available: 4.2mm, 6 mm, 8 mm, 10 mm, 12 mm, 16 mm, 20 mm, 25 mm, 32 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm and 60 mm.