Discipline of Civil, Surveying and Environmental Engineering

CIVL3170 – Steel Design

Brief for the

Portal-Frame Design Project (2022)

Submission 1 – Preliminary Design

Course Weighting – 30%

Due Date: 5pm 6th May, 2022

Submission via Email

CIVL3170 (2022) Brief for the Portal-Frame Design Project Page 1

 Portal-Frame Design Project
Submission Requirements and Additional Instructions

• All calculations are to be shown on computation sheets and be set-out in a similar manner to
the examples given in lectures.
• This is not a group work assessment item. Discussions around design methodology etc with
colleagues / others is permitted but your work submitted must be your own. Copying will be
penalised in accordance with the University of Newcastle’s plagiarism policy.
• You must submit a MULTIFRAME design file along with your assignment. This should be a
working file and be uniquely your own work so that your software inputs can be reviewed and
checked if required.
• Design Capacity Tables (DCT’s) should be used for all values and design where possible.
• Your submission must be set-out as follows:
o Page 1 - Cover page with Name, Student No. etc.
o Then, in order from question 1 to 3, your calculations and results for each task. Start a
new page for each task. Include all outputs for each question within the main
submission (do not put output graphs etc in appendices).
o Show all working with neatly presented sketches where necessary and note any
assumptions made during your design.
o Note code references (clause and code No.) for all equations or assumptions that relate
to code interpretation.
• Your submission must be neat and easily followed. Marks will be given for calculation set-out
and design code references. Use the class worked examples as a general indicator of expected
calculation format.
• Your submission should be scanned in readable clarity (colour not necessary) and sent via
email (I will provide specific instructions closer to the submission date and also give details
on how to submit your MULTIFRAME files).
• As this is an engineering consultant style design task, the brief is subject to change following
‘design meetings’ (lectures). As happens in practice, any further information given by me
(including verbally during ‘design meetings’ and / or issued on blackboard) will be considered
to form part of this brief and will be assessable.

CIVL3170 (2022) Brief for the Portal-Frame Design Project Page 2

Question 1

Figure 1 shows a schematic of a steel portal frame building. The following data will assist in answering
parts (a), (b) and (c) of this question:

• The building consists of 5 frames. The column base connections, and the column rafter
connections, can be considered fully pinned (about both the X and Y axis).
• There are 3 tie-beams per bay (capable of transferring both compression and tension). The tie-
beams are pinned to the adjacent rafters as indicated by the solid circles in Figure 1. The tie
beams are rigidly connected to the columns.
• Assume that wind pressure forces on the end walls (wind directions 1 and 2) are transferred
equally to the rafter and the foundations via the wall girts (not shown) and the end wall
mullions. The mullions have pinned connections at the base and at the rafter.
• Assume that wind pressure forces on the side wall (wind direction 3) are transferred to the
columns via the wall girts (not shown).
• When nominating a bracing system, use portal frame action in lieu of bracing where possible.
If you are using a portal action, highlight the frame used in the bracing system you nominate.

1(a): For wind direction 1 only, sketch a bracing system to transfer the wind forces down to the
foundations (column base). Any non-portalised bracing is to act primarily in compression and can use
the existing tie beams and rafters.

1(b): If the wind can come from either direction 1 or 2, sketch a bracing system to transfer the wind
forces down to the foundations (column base). Any non-portalised bracing is to utilise primarily
tension members, other than the existing tie-beams and rafters which can act in compression.

1(c): For wind direction 3, sketch a bracing system to transfer the wind forces down to the foundations.
The bracing system is to utilise primarily tension members, other than the existing tie-beams and
rafters which can act in compression.

FIGURE 1: Steel Portal Frame Building (Schematic).

CIVL3170 (2022) Brief for the Portal-Frame Design Project Page 3

Question 2

Figure 2 shows the general geometry of a steel portal frame building. The following data will assist in
answering parts (a), (b) and (c) of this question:

• Assume the self-weight of the rafter is 100 kg/m.

• The loads from the roof sheeting and all ancillary dead loads (such as services etc) can be
assumed to be 1.0 kPa.
• The live load allowance should be taken from AS1170.1 noting that the building owner plans
on having a trafficable roof structure that will be used for morning yoga classes. Ignore the
concentrated action load case for this exercise.
• WLC1 (refer Figure 3) is an ultimate wind design load calculated from AS1170.2, based on a
wind speed of 45 m/s.
• For serviceability wind loads, assume a wind speed of 37 m/s.
• The spacing of the portal frames is 8 m.
• Assume all loads are acting in line with the global vertical and horizontal axes (ignore the
vector components of the wind loads on the rafter).

FIGURE 2: Portal Frame Building Geometry.

FIGURE 3: Wind Load Case 1 (WLC1).

CIVL3170 (2022) Brief for the Portal-Frame Design Project Page 4

2(a): In kN/m, separately calculate the loads on the first internal rafter from the southern end for the
following cases. Present unfactored and factored values for each load case:

• Rafter self-weight (excluding other dead loads).

• Dead loads other than rafter self-weight.
• Live load.
• WLC1.

2(b): Using AS1170.0, list all strength and serviceability load case combinations that are relevant,
considering only the load cases given above. Present in terms of G, Q, WLC1 etc.

2(c): On an elevation of the portal frame, sketch the values of the uniformly distributed loads (in kN/m)
for each of your load case combinations in part 2(b). Include the column wind loads for this exercise.

Question 3

Figure 4 shows the primary load cases for the analysis of a steel portal frame. The following data will
assist in answering parts (a), (b) and (c) of this question:

• WLC2, shown in Figure 4, is an ultimate load case. The serviceability wind load (WLC2(S))
should be derived using a wind speed of 37m/s.
• The services and live load cases shown in Figure 4 are unfactored.
• The portal frame has the same dimensions and connection types as that given in Figure 2.
• For initial analysis, the column adopted should be a 310UC118 and the rafter should be a
360UB44.
• In regards the Multi-Frame analysis please note the following:
 Dead and live loads should be applied vertical in regards to the global axis (gravity)
 Wind loads should be applied normal to member surface (local axis).
 Unless noted otherwise, use the first order linear analysis solver.

FIGURE 4: Layout of Structural Members.

3(a): Using Multi-Frame, set up the geometry of the portal frame and add the 3 primary load cases as
shown in Figure 4 as well as a self-weight load case. Sketch or screen shot the shape of the BMD and
SFD for each load case and note the maximum values on each sketch.

CIVL3170 (2022) Brief for the Portal-Frame Design Project Page 5

3(b): Using Multi-Frame, develop the following load case combinations:

Ultimate Strength Serviceability

LCC1: 1.2G + 1.5Q LCC3: G + Ψl Q
LCC2: 0.9G + WLC2 LCC4: G + WLC2(S)

Sketch or screen shot the shape of the BMD and SFD for each load case combination and note the
maximum values on each sketch.

3(c): For the serviceability load case combinations, sketch or screen shot the vertical deflection profile
of the rafter showing maximum values of deflection in mm.

3(d): For load case combination 3 (LCC3), size the lightest possible UB/WB rafter to satisfy the
deflection criteria of span / 300. Assume the column remains a 310UC118. Show your working,
including the Multi-Frame deflection plot (screen shot or sketch) of the deflection of your chosen rafter.

3(e): For load case combination 4 (LCC4), size the lightest possible UB/WB rafter to satisfy the
deflection criteria of span / 300. Assume the column remains a 310UC118. Show your working,
including the Multi-Frame deflection plot (screen shot or sketch) of the deflection of your chosen rafter.

3(f): For load case combination 1 (LCC1), use the DCT’s to size the lightest possible UB/WB rafter to
satisfy bending and shear strength criteria. Assume that the rafter is fully laterally restrained.

3(g): For load case combination 2 (LCC2), use the DCT’s to size the lightest possible UB/WB rafter
to satisfy bending and shear strength criteria. Assume that the rafter is fully laterally restrained.

3(h): The portal frame rafter has purlins at 1m spacings (noted by the red dots in Figure 5) and fly-
braces at the locations noted (refer ‘FB’ tags in Figure 5). Assume the following:
• The purlins (without fly- braces) offer lateral restraint the top flange, and twist restraint to the
rafter.
• The fly-braces provide ‘effective twist restraint’ to the rafter.
• The column-to-rafter connection can be considered a ‘fully restrained’ cross-section.

Making full use of the DCT’s, size the lightest UB/WB (bending and shear strength criteria) for the
following load case combinations:
i. strength load case LCC1
ii. strength load case LCC2

Your solution to 3(h) should follow the full AS4100 design requirements for bending (Cl. 5.1 to 5.6.3),
and un-stiffened web shear (Cl. 5.11 and 5.12) whilst using the DCT’s wherever possible.

CIVL3170 (2022) Brief for the Portal-Frame Design Project Page 6

 FIGURE 5: Purlin / Fly-brace Arrangement.

END OF ASSIGNMENT

CIVL3170 (2022) Brief for the Portal-Frame Design Project Page 7