T.3 Specifying Supports

The slab is fixed-supported along the entire length of two adjacent sides. However, when modeled as plate elements, the supports can be specified only at the nodes along those edges, and not at any point between the nodes.

Tip: The finer the mesh (i.e., the larger the number of elements), then the more supported nodes you would be able to model. For this tutorial, the 2 meter mesh is used as a simple demonstration.

The STAAD input file commands generated are:

SUPPORTS
1 2 4 5 7 10 FIXED

Note: The node numbers may be different depending on the method of plate creation used. Regardless, the nodes should be those along the X and Z axis.

Press <Shift+N> to turn on the display of the Node Numbers.
This will assist in the identification of the nodes used as supports.
On the Geometry ribbon tab, select the Nodes Cursor tool in the Selection group.
While pressing the <Ctrl> key, select the nodes on two adjacent edges of the plate group:
These nodes are fixed supports in the model.
For example, in the following figure these nodes are:
- 1
- 7
- 4
- 5
- 8
- 2
On the Specification ribbon tab, select the Fixed tool in the Supports group.
The Create Support dialog opens with the Fixed tab selected.
Click Assign.
Note: The Assign button is active because you selected the nodes previously.

The structure with fixed supports along two adjacent edges

The fixed support type is also added to the Supports - Whole Structure dialog as S2.