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SAP2000 Tutorial
By
Rakesh K. Goel


Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
















1999 By Rakesh K. Goel
All rights reserved

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Geometric Model
Start the program. The following screen pops.

On the bottom right corner, select the units to be used in the analysis.
Click on File
Click on New Model from Template to get the following screen.

Choose a template that fits your need. For example, to generate a two-
dimensional frame, click on the second icon in the first row. The following
information screen pops up.
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Specify the number of stories, number of bays, story height, and bay width. The
units should be consistent with those selected in the first step.
Click on OK and a basic outline of the model would appear on screen. This model
has correct coordinates of all nodes.

To change the boundary conditions, select joints and then click on the joint
restraint icon (little triangle on the icon bar) to get the following screen.
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Click on the appropriate Fast Restraint icon and click OK.
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Material Properties
If more than one material is used, repeat the process for each new material.
Click on Define
Click on Material to get the following screen.

The program has default properties of concrete and steel. If you want, you can add
new material by clicking on Add New Material and following the directions.
For checking or modifying properties of steel or concrete, click on Modify/Show
Material. The following screen pops up. Check to see if these material properties
are acceptable. If not, you can modify them by going to the appropriate box and re-
entering the value.

CAUTION: If you specify non-zero value of weight per unit volume, the program
by default would calculate the weight of structural elements and use them in
analysis. If you specify value of Dead Load that contains the self-weight of
structural elements, specify zero unit-weight (or turn it off latter). Similarly, if your
nodal masses contain mass due to self-weight, specify zero unit-mass.
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Element Data
Define the element view options. Click on View and then on Set Elements to
get the following screen.

Check all appropriate boxes under the Joint sections and Frame section.
It is also useful to check Options for Shrink Elements and Show Extrusions. The
last option is useful in visually checking the correct orientation of beams and
columns (more later on this).
Click OK.
To define frame section properties, repeat the following process as many times as
different sections to be used in your analysis.
Click on Define and then on Frame Sections to get the following screen.

There is default rectangular section FSEC1. You can modify this section, or you
can Import or Add section.
To modify the existing section, select FSEC1 and then click on Modify/Show
Section to get the following screen.
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Specify a name for your section in Section Name box.
Select the appropriate Material. The material propoerties were defined earlier.
Modify the Depth and Width.
View the calculated properties of the section by clicking on Section Properties.

If you want to modify the properties, you can do so by clicking on Modification
Factor and specifying the appropriate multipliers. The properties shown are based
on gross section. For reinforced concrete, it is usual to consider moment of inertia
to be a fraction of the gross intertia. That fraction could be enetered as Property
Factor in the Modification Factor screen.
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You can also import one of the predefined sections, such as AISC standard section.
For this purpose, go to the import drop box and click on a section type. For
example, clicking on Import/Wide Flange gives the following screen

Choose the appropriate section, and click OK. If you are doing this for the first
time, the program would ask you to choose from standard data files. For example,
AISC properties are in aisc.pro.
You can view the section from the Modify/Show option of the Define Frame
Section box.
To assign section properties to each frame member, select all elements to which
you want to assign the same section.
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Click on Assign, then on Frame Section to get the following screen.
Choose the frame section that you want to assign to the selected frame elements
and then click OK.

Completing the process gives you, for example the following structural model.
Note that SAP by default places frame elements for strong axis bending.
The axis can be changed by the following process, which is described by changing
the local axis for one of the columns.

Select the element you want to change the local axis for.
Click on Assign then on Frame and then on Local Axes to get the following
screen

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To rotate the angle from default direction, say by 90 degrees, enter the desired
Angle in Degrees and click OK.
You would see the change in the direction of the columns as shown below.

After you have specified all elements and checked the orientation, it is useful to go
back to the line digarm. This can be done by clicking View then Set Elements and
then clearing the Show Extrusion box.
You may also want to check on Frame Release to be able to view any member
end releases. Shown below is the two dimensional model.
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By default, SAP also considers that both ends of the frame member have rigid
connections. A pin connection at any or both end, can be specified by selecting an
element, then clicking on Assign then on Frame and then on Releases to get

Pin at ends can be introduced by releasing the moment in appropriate direction. It
is also possible to release other quantities from the same screen. Following figure
shows moments released at starting end of the beam at second story of first bay.
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Static Analysis
Define static load cases by clicking on Define and then on Static Load Case to get
the following screen.

You can specify a name for your load (e.g., DL, LL, EQ etc.) in the Load box and
specify the load type in the Type box.
Caution: If your specified load values include self-weight of the elements, you
should specify Self Weight Multiplier to be zero. Otherwise, the self weight
would be counted twice.
You can add as many load types as you need for your analysis.
Load cobminations can also be specified. For this purpose, click on Define and
then on Combination to get the following screen.

Define as many combinations as desired.
To add a new combination, click on Add New Combo to get the following screen.
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Specify a Load Cobination Name.
From the Case Name drop box, select the load case and from the Scale Factor
specify the multiplier.
Built up your load combination by adding other load case. The figure shows a
selection of 1.4 Load 1 + 1.2 Load 2.
To specify loads at joints, select the joint, click on Asign, click on Joint Static
Loads, and click on Forces to getthe following screen.

Input the load value in appropriate box. Note that positive force is along positive
axis direction.
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Select the Load Case Name from the drop box to associate the specified values to
a particular load case.
You can also modify an existing load by adding to it, replacing it, or deleting it by
checking the appropriate box.
Click OK to finish specifying load at the selected joint.
Repeat the process for all joints that have applied loads.
Static analysis can be performed by clicking on Analyze and then on Run or by
clicking on the u icon from the toolbar.
By default, SAP displays the deformed shape for the first load case. Displacements
at a joint can be displayed by selecting the joint and then right clicking on the
mouse.

To display other quantities, click on Display and picking the desired option.
To display element forces, click on Display, Show Element Forces/Stresses, and
Frame to get the following screen.

Select the load case or cobmination and the component for which you want to
display the element forces. For example, to display bending moment about strong
axis, select Moment 3-3 to get the following diagram on screen.
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To display numerical values, select an element and then right click on the mouse to
get a smalle screen as shown below.

Values at different location can be displayed by moving the red dot along the
element length.
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Dynamic Analysis
Specify lumped masses at joint. For this purpose, click on Assign, Joint, and
Masses to get the following screen.

Enter appropriate mass values. The units should be consistent with the units
specifed for youe analysis. Do not specify mass in units of kips; the units should be
kips-sec
2
/inch (or any other appropriate value).
You can add this mass to existing mass, replace existing mass, or delete existing
mass from the same screen.
To get the mode shapes and frequencies, click on Analyze and then on Set
Options to get the following screen.
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Select the Available DOFs either by individually checking on various DOF or by
clicking on Fast DOFs option. For example, for analysis of a frame in two
dimensions, you would select Plane Frame.
Check the box for Dynamic Analysis and then click on Set Dynamic Parameters
to specify the number of modes to be determined.

Run the model to get mode shapes and frequencies.
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You can change the mode shape that is displayed on screen from the Display tool
or from clicking on the symbol at the bottom right corner of the screen.
For dynamic response spectrum analysis, Define the Response Spectrum
Function and then Response Spectrum Case using the procedure similar to that
for static case.
In dynamic analysis, it is useful to display base shear and base overturning moment
for comparison with results from equivalent static analysis. This can be done as
follows.
Define a group consisting of joints at the base and all elements connected to these
joints.
Click on Define and Groups to get the following screen.

Specify a name for the group in the Groups box and click on Add New Group
Name.
Click OK.
Select a group of joints and the elements directly connected to only one side of
them. For example if the base shear for a structure is required, the group should
consist of the joints at the base of the structure and the frame elements above them
that are directly connected to them.
Click on Assign and Group Name to get the following screen.
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Select the name in the Groups box that needs to be assigned to the selected group.
Click OK.
To display results for this group, after the analysis has been completed, click on
Display and Show Group Joint Force Sum. The following screen would display
the results.
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Modifying Model
After you have run the analysis once, the model should be unlocked from the
toolbar. This would cause all the analysis results to be deleted.
Make whatever changes are necessary and rerun the model.