lndian Buildings Congress USE OF EXCELIN DAY TO DAY DESIGN OF BUILDINGS AND OTHER STRUCTURES MI\HE$H KUMnR* & NeenI.I GUPTA** ABSTRACT This Paper presents the real life experience as to how the use of simple spread s;heet programme like MS-Excel helps in evolving efficient andquick designs of buildings and rcther structures on variousprojects. While standard soft-wares like STAADPRO were used irr the frame analysis but self created Excel sheei:s for design of foundations, beamsand slabs etc. come in handy for quick delivery and efficient designs. INTRODUCTION The various versions of SiTAADand STAADPRO have been used for 3-D frame analysis and design. Gradually it was noticed lhat though the analysis part was alright but the design and detailing of certain elements was lacking in these readymade soft-vuares and it was best to rely on manual methorls of design ofvariouscomponents using the forces ,from the results of frarne analysis. An effo,rt was made l0 use MS-EXCEL for computerizing these manual operations. One can have a personal library of soft-wares for the design of sirnple and continuous beams, slabs, isolated and strip tootings, retaining walls, underground -tanks, masonry walls, bed blockson matsonry walls at^ PRESENT SCENARIO The present scenario in most of the Govt. Departments is that the design offices are either shrinking or have become extinct.This has resulted into relying on the designs evolvecl by ous consultants which are not even tinized in the departments. As er precaution are sometimes got proof checked from vt, Institutions such as the Eingineering PWD (B&R), Chandigarh and president, IBC Haryana PWD (B&R), Chandigarh and GC Member. tBC Colleges, llTs etc. Many a time this proof checking is merely stamp and signature without anyvalue addition. EFFECTS OF TOO MUCH RELIANCE ON CONSULTANTS Till few years back, therewere quite active design offices in almost ait the State pWDs and most of the designs were handled by the engineers of the department. So much so even a posting in design office iHead office was a must for any fieldengineer for their promotions. This handson experience of structural design was a great value addition to the skills of departmental engineers which helped themeven in execution of various projects throughout their carrier. Someof these engineers who spenta number of years in such design offices of the department openedtheir own consultancy or joined some consultants after theii retirement thereby raising the level of consultants. Butwith more and mo.re reliance by the Govt. departments on the consultants, the design offices in various departments have either closed or become defunct. The young engineers who join the departments do not get a chance to learn the fundamental principles of design and such people oftenare unable evento readthe structural drawings of consultants and sometimes blunders are committed in execution. ' Engineer-in-Chief, Haryana " Superintending Engineer, Mahesh Kumar NeerajGupta 25-26,2A12
Transcript
lndian Buildings Congress
USE OF EXCEL IN DAY TO DAY DESIGN OFBUILDINGS AND OTHER STRUCTURES
MI\HE$H KUMnR* & NeenI.I GUPTA**
ABSTRACTThis Paper presents the real life experience
as to how the use of simple spread s;heetprogramme l ike MS-Excel helps in evolv ingefficient and quick designs of buildings and rctherstructures on various projects. While standardsoft-wares like STAADPRO were used irr theframe analysis but self created Excel sheei:s fordesign of foundations, beams and slabs etc.come in handy for quick delivery and efficientdesigns.
INTRODUCTION
The var ious vers ions o f S iTAAD andSTAADPRO have been used for 3-D frameanalysis and design. Gradually it was noticedlhat though the analysis part was alright but thedesign and detail ing of certain elements waslacking in these readymade soft-vuares and itwas best to rely on manual methorls of designof various components using the forces ,fromthe results of frarne analysis. An effo,rt was madel0 use MS-EXCEL for computer iz ing thesemanual operations. One can have a personallibrary of soft-wares for the design of sirnpleand continuous beams, slabs, isolated and striptootings, retaining walls, underground -tanks,masonry walls, bed blocks on matsonry wallsat^
PRESENT SCENARIOThe present scenario in most of the Govt.
Departments is that the design offices are eithershrinking or have become extinct. This hasresulted into relying on the designs evolvecl by
ous consu l tan ts wh ich are no t eventinized in the departments. As er precaution
are sometimes got proof checked fromvt, Inst i tut ions such as the Eingineer ing
PWD (B&R), Chandigarh and president, IBCHaryana PWD (B&R), Chandigarh and GC Member. tBC
Col leges, l lTs etc. Many a t ime this proofchecking is merely stamp and signature withoutany value addition.
EFFECTS OF TOO MUCH RELIANCE ONCONSULTANTS
Till few years back, there were quite activedesign offices in almost ait the State pWDs andmost of the designs were handled by theengineers of the department. So much so evena posting in design office iHead office was amust for any field engineer for their promotions.This hands on experience of structural designwas a great value addi t ion to the ski l ls ofdepartmental engineers which helped them evenin execution of various projects throughout theircarrier. Some of these engineers who spent anumber of years in such design offices of thedepartment opened their own consultancy orjoined some consultants after theii retirementthereby raising the level of consultants. But withmore and mo. re re l iance by the Govt .departments on the consul tants, the designoffices in various departments have either closedor become defunct. The young engineers whojoin the departments do not get a chance tolearn the fundamental principles of design andsuch people often are unable even to read thes t ruc tura l d rawings o f consu l tan ts andsometimes blunders are committed in execution.
Souvenir, Mid Term Sessrbn & SeminarUSE OFSHEETDESIGN
O'THER SPREADE N G I N E E R I N G
EXCEL OR ANYP R O G R A M M E I N
(b) Quickness and ease of use prevents thedesigners from evading the calculations of
Most of us are con\/ersant with MS-EXCEL,a spread sheet programme whir:h is part of MS_Off ice. St i l l in most of design of f ices, thereadymade soft-wares like STA,ADpRO etc. areused for frame analysis, the l, iner design anddetail ing of various elernents is; done minuall!.The design forces are either lifterJ from the resullsof frame analysis or are calculated a fresh basedon fundamental principlles of dersign. There is aset procedure and set of calculations which isfo l lowed. Th is p rooess can be eas i l ycomputerized by evolving a spread sheet foreach of these processes. Once such a spreadsheet is evolved it can be used again and againfor design of similar componetnt with differentdesign forces. In other,words, t ihe spread sheetfor design of continuou,s slabs can be used fordifferent number and length of spans just bymaking few changes inr the inprut cells and ailthe calculations are changed automatically. Mostof the creators of such spread sheets often lockall other cells where ;.ersults are depicted andkeep open only a few cells where input has tobe prov ided. Some o f the spread sheetsdeveloped are enclosedl, Annexure.
each individual element thereby resulting ingreater accuracy and economy.
(c ) Automat ica l l y genera tes a neat f i l e o fcalculations which can be easily checked bvsuperior officers.
(d) Checking by superior officer takes much lesstime as they are sure that there shall be nocalculation mistake.
(e) Can be used quickly by field engineerscheck the designs of the consultants or
toto
ADVANTAGES OFPROGRAMMES
S P R E A D S H E E T
(a) Calculation mistakes are totally avoided.
design small elements such as l intels etc.the.details of which are not present in thedesigns of consultants.
(f) Very useful in carrying out the design ofretaining walls which are based on trial anderror procedure where a certain sectionassumed f i rst and then i ts adequacy isascertained through a set of calculations.
coNcLUStONS
Use of spread sheets in structural designsis a handy tool for the design engineers whichshould be effectively made use for quick deliveryand efficient designs. Cross checking the designof various elements using spread sheets canenhance the confidence of the designer on thereadymade soft-wares available in market.
30 Kolkata, West Bengal
Annexurei. Continuous Slab of 4 Spans
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