This section explains properties that are common to most types of reinforcement in Tekla Structures.
Name You can enter names for reinforcing bars. Tekla Structures uses names in reports and drawing tables.
Grade The strength of the steel used in reinforcing bars. Can also indicate other factors, such as the weldability or surface deformations of the bar.
Size Depending on the environment, the nominal diameter of the bar, or a mark that defines the diameter.
Bending radius Complies with the design code you are using. Main bars, stirrups, ties, and hooks usually have their own minimum internal bending radii, which are proportional to the diameter of the reinforcing bar. The actual bending radius is normally chosen to suit the size of the mandrels on the bar-bending machine.
Bending types Tekla Structures reinforcing bar bending types are recognized using internal bending type definitions. Internal bending types are hard coded to the software. However, these internal bending types are mapped to area specific reinforcing bar bending type codes in the rebar_schedule_config.inp file in the ..\Tekla
Structures\<version>\environments\<environment>\system\ folder. This file can be localized to match local requirements.
For more information on internal bending types, see Reinforcing bar bending types (p. 161).
Reinforcement
catalog Grade–size–radius combinations are predefined in the reinforcement catalog. You can select which catalog to use, and add, modify, and delete the information it contains. See The reinforcing bar catalog.
Select... To define the grade, size, and bending radius of a reinforcing bar, click Select... next to the Grade, Size, and Bending radius fields in the Reinforcing bar properties dialog box. The Select reinforcing bar dialog box appears, showing the available bar sizes for the chosen grade. You can also define whether the bar is a main bar or a stirrup or tie:
Class Use Class to group reinforcement. To display reinforcing bars of different classes in different colors, click View > Representation > Object Representation... and select Color by class from the Color list box. For more information, see Color settings for parts.
Bar groups Reinforcing bar groups mainly have the same properties as single reinforcing bars. They can also have the following extra properties:
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Number of bars•
Spacing (see Spacing reinforcing bars (p. 132))•
Tapering (see Tapered bar group (p. 151)) See also Hooks (p. 129)Concrete cover (p. 131)
Spacing reinforcing bars (p. 132) Omitting reinforcing bars (p. 132)
User-defined attributes of reinforcement (p. 133) Meshes (p. 133)
Numbering reinforcement (p. 147)
Hooks
To add hooks to the ends of reinforcing bars for anchoring purposes, use the Hooks section of the Reinforcing Bar Properties dialog box, or the Hooks tab in the Reinforcement Mesh Properties dialog box:
You can also enter the grade, size, and bending radius of individual reinforcing bars using the appropriate fields in the Reinforcing bar properties dialog box.
The options for the hook at the beginning and end of the bar are:
The reinforcement catalog contains predefined dimensions for all standard hooks (minimum bending radius, minimum hook length). See The reinforcing bar catalog.
Custom hook To manually define the angle, radius, and length of a hook, select the Custom hook option and enter values to the following fields in the Reinforcing Bar Properties dialog box:
Option Description
Angle Enter a value between – 180 and +180 degrees.
Angle
Radius
Length Radius Internal bending radius of
the hook.
Use the same radius for the hook and for the reinforcing bar. If the hook and the reinforcing bar have different radiuses, Tekla Structures does not recognize the shape of the reinforcing bar.
Length Length of the straight part of the hook.
If the length is set to zero, no hooks are created.
Concrete cover
Reinforcing bars need a concrete cover, to protect them against harmful elements, such as the weather and fire. When you create single bars, Tekla Structures uses the thickness of concrete cover to determine the position of the bar. You pick points to define the shape and plane of the bar.
Cover thickness Use the Cover thickness fields in the reinforcement properties dialog boxes to define concrete cover.
Example To create a beam stirrup, pick the corner points on the cross-sectional end plane of the beam to define the bar shape and plane. The cover thickness on the plane is the distance from beam’s bottom, top, and side surfaces to the stirrup. The cover thickness from the plane is the distance from the end surface of the beam to the stirrup, and perpendicular to the bar plane.
Leg length At the start and end point of a reinforcing bar, you can also define the concrete cover in terms of cover thickness or leg length.
Reinforcement
components When you use reinforcement components, Tekla Structures places the reinforcement using the dimensions of the part and the values in the Cover thickness field, or the graphic fields shown below:
Concrete cover Description
Concrete cover on the plane
For example, the distances from a beam’s bottom, top, and side surfaces to a stirrup.
To specify different concrete covers on the different legs of a reinforcing bar, enter a thickness value for each leg in the On plane field, in the order you pick points to create the bar. If you enter less values than there are bar legs, Tekla Structures uses the last value for remaining legs.
Concrete cover from the plane
For example, the distance from a beam’s end surface to the closest stirrup, perpendicular to the stirrup plane.
Option Description
Cover thickness Defines the distance from the bar end to the concrete surface.
Leg length Defines the length of the ultimate leg of the bar.
To define the length of an ultimate leg of a bar, use the Leg length option and the Snap to nearest points switch. Then pick anywhere on a part edge or line to indicate the direction for the bar leg.
Spacing reinforcing bars
Bar groups There are several ways to distribute bars in a reinforcing bar group.
To create a bar group, open the Reinforcing Bar Properties dialog box. On the Group tab, select an option from the Creation method list box. The options are:
See also Omitting reinforcing bars (p. 132)
Omitting reinforcing bars
You may occasionally need to omit specific reinforcing bars. For example, when several reinforced areas intersect, causing reinforcing bars to overlap, or when you want to start bar distribution at a specific distance from the end of a part.
To indicate which bars to omit, select an option from the Reinforcing bar(s) not to be created to the group list box:
Option Description
By exact spacing value with flexible first space
Creates fixed, equal spaces between the bars. The first space adjusts to even out bar distribution.
Enter the spacing value in the Exact spacing value field. If the first space is less than 10% of the exact spacing value, Tekla Structures removes one bar.
By exact spacing value with flexible last space
Same as the first option, but the last space adjusts to even out bar distribution.
By exact spacing value with flexible middle space
Same as the first option, but the middle space adjusts to even out bar distribution. If there are an odd number of bars (two middle spaces), the other middle space adjusts to even out bar distribution.
By exact spacing value with flexible first and last space
Same as the first option, but both the first and last spaces adjust to even out bar distribution.
By exact spacings Distributes the bars using the information you specify in the Exact spacing values field, so you can enter every spacing value manually. Use the multiplication character to repeat spacings, e.g.
5*200, to create five spaces of 200.
Equal distribution by number of
reinforcing bars
Tekla Structures determines the spacing value based on the fixed number of bars. Enter the number in the Number of reinforcing bars field.
Equal distribution by target spacing value
Tekla Structures aims the spacing value as closely as possible at the value in the Target spacing value field and determines the number of bars compatibly.
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First•
Last•
First and lastSee also Spacing reinforcing bars (p. 132)
User-defined attributes of reinforcement
Create user-defined attributes to add information about reinforcing bars, bar groups, or reinforcement meshes. Attributes can consist of numbers, text, or lists.
To create user-defined attributes, click the User-defined attributes button in the reinforcement properties dialog box. Use the User field 1...4 fields to define the attributes you need.
You can also change the name of these fields, and add new ones, by editing the objects.inp file. For more information, see Adding properties.
Meshes
A reinforcement mesh consists of reinforcing bars in two directions. You can define the following properties.
Create mesh Create mesh using the Detailing > Create Reinforcement > Reinforcement Mesh command or a component.
Mesh shape
Diameter 2 Spacing 2 Overhang Spacing 1 Diameter 1 Length Overhang Width
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Rectangular•
Polygonal•
Bent Distributionpattern of bars You can create meshes with unevenly-spaced bars. You can also define a different bar size or multiple different bar sizes for the longitudinal bars and the crossing bars.
Multiple bar sizes enable pattern creation. For example, if you enter bar diameters 20 2*6 in the longitudinal direction, Tekla Structures creates a pattern with one size 20 bar and two size 6 bars. This pattern can be repeated in the mesh along the longitudinal direction.
For more information, see Customizing reinforcement meshes (p. 145).
Mesh size The way you define the size of the mesh depends on the shape of the mesh and how it was created:
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Evenly-spaced rectangular meshes - manually define the size•
Polygonal and bent meshes - Tekla Structures automatically calculates the width and length•
Unevenly-spaced meshes - Tekla Structures calculates the size of the mesh using the values in the Distance(s), Left overhang, and Right overhang fields.See also Reinforcement mesh (p. 154)