Can I model a concrete beam with openings in Diamonds?

(NL: sparingen)

Here are some ways of handling beams with openings.

Take the opening into account in the global analysis in Diamonds

There is no direct & simple solution to deal with openings in concrete beams in Diamonds.

Here is a work-around that you can follow – for small & simple models only(!):

1. Divide the beam in at least 3 parts
2. Position the middle part to be at the location of the opening
3. Make the middle part have the length of the opening (more or less)
4. Edit the middle part with Section Utility so that the opening is present – this involves deleting a part of the section.
5. Calculate the model

Following this method, you will understand that small openings can be ignored, they are not worth modelling.

Detailing of the reinforcement around the opening

The detailing of the reinforcement around the opening cannot be done in Diamonds.

Theories on how to handle this can be found here:

• [EN] Book & Article ‘Concrete Beams with Openings’ by M.A. Mansur
• [NL] Article in Cement magazine

You can either use the above references to do the detailing by hand or use a software to help you, for example MatrixTools – Strut&Tie. In this module, you can model the beam and its opening. The software will determine the tension & compression rods and propose a suited reinforcement scheme.

→ More info on MatrixTools