D14.C.1 General
In the STAAD implementation, members are proportioned to resist the design loads without exceeding the limit states of strength, stability, and serviceability. Accordingly, the most economic section is selected on the basis of the least weight criteria as augmented by the designer in specification of allowable member depths, desired section type, or other such parameters. The code checking portion of the program checks whether code requirements for each selected section are met and identifies the governing criteria.
The next few sections describe the salient features of the STAAD implementation of SANS 10162-1:2011. A detailed description of the design process along with its underlying concepts and assumptions is available in the specification document.