Powered by the advanced and flexible graphical interfaces of the new sp2D/3DView and spSection Module, spColumn v7.00 is widely used for design and investigation of columns, shear walls, bridge piers as well as typical framing elements in buildings and other structures. Equipped with latest American (ACI 318-19) and Canadian (CSA A23.3-19) Concrete codes, spColumn v7.00 is developed to design and investigate any reinforced concrete sections subject to combined axial and flexural loads. Formerly pcaColumn, PCACOL, and IrrCOL, spColumn investigates sections that are impossible to find on design charts or to do by hand. The section can be rectangular, round or irregular, with any reinforcement layout or pattern. The program offers investigation of irregularly shaped, reinforced concrete column sections that may contain openings or boundary elements. Top selling worldwide, spColumn provides a full featured 3D visualization of the nominal and factored failure surface. Import/export of DXF files, nominal interaction diagrams, and display of capacities at your load point are just a few of the rich program features.
spColumn comes with new sp2D/3DView module. Preview the video below.
Run axis - About X-Axis or Y-Axis if both section and reinforcement are symmetric
Run axis - Biaxial, regardless of section and/or reinforcement being symmetric
Run axis - About X-Axis or Y-Axis if both section and reinforcement are symmetric
Run axis - Biaxial, if either section or reinforcement are unsymmetrical regardless of loading being biaxial
Design reinforcement by maintaining equal number of bars on all sides
Design reinforcement by maintaining nearly equal bar spacing on all sides
In design number of top/bottom bars can be different than number of bars on sides
Determines capacity reduction factors based on "Spiral" confinement
Determines capacity reduction factors based on "Tied" confinement
Deterimes capacity reduction factors based on "Other" confinement
The analysis of the reinforced concrete section performed by spColumn conforms to the provisions of the Strength Design Method (CSA A23.3) and Unified Design Provisions (ACI 318). All conditions of strength satisfy the applicable conditions of equilibrium and strain compatibility.
For the ACI codes, the nominal (unreduced) capacity of the section is first computed. Then, the nominal capacity is reduced to the design capacity using the strength reduction factor, Φ.
spColumn computes the interaction diagram (uniaxial runs) or the three-dimensional failure surface (biaxial runs) of the input section. The values of maximum compressive axial load capacity and maximum tensile load capacity are computed. These two values set the range within which the moment capacities are computed for a predetermined number of axial load values.
- For uniaxial runs, positive and negative moment capacities about only the selected axis are computed. Moment capacities about the orthogonal axis are ignored. To compute the moment capacity at a certain level of axial load, the neutral axis angle is held constant, parallel to the selected axis. The neutral axis depth is adjusted to arrive at the desired axial load capacity. This is done for all the predetermined values of axial load.
- For biaxial runs, the same predetermined values of axial load are utilized. For each level of axial load, the section is rotated in 10-degree increments from 0 degrees to 360 degrees and the Mx and My moment capacities are computed. Thus for each level of axial load, an Mx-My contour is developed. Repeating this for the entire range of axial loads, the three-dimensional failure surface is computed. A three-dimensional visualization of the resulting entire nominal and factored failure surface is provided to support enhanced understanding of the section capacity.
Based on the specified minimum, maximum and increment specified for the section and the reinforcing bars, the program selects the smallest section with the least amount of reinforcement for which the load-moment capacity exceeds the applied loads. Depending on the design criteria the user selects, the least amount of reinforcement the program searches for means either the smallest number of bars or the smallest steel area.
The program starts the design by trying the smallest section (minimum dimensions) and the least amount of reinforcing bars. The program verifies that the ratio of provided reinforcement is always within the specified minimum and maximum ratios. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified by the user, the bar spacing is always kept greater than or equal to the larger of 1.5 times the bar diameter or 1.5 in. [40 mm] for ACI and 1.4 times the bar diameter or 1.2 in [30 mm] for CSA.
![Mx-My Diagram [Biaxial Runs Only]](/intranet/prod/prod_supporting_files/Results-Output-04-Mx-My-Diagram-2D_3D-View-Critical-Capacity.png)
![3D View [Biaxial Runs Only]](/intranet/prod/prod_supporting_files/Results-Output-05-3D-View-2D_3D-View-Critical-Capacity.png)
The program can compute section capacity in one of the two available methods, namely, Moment-Capacity Method and Critical-Capacity Method.
Moment-Capacity Method calculates the section capacity as the ratio of moment demand, Mu to moment capacity, ΦMn. When a unique value of ΦMn cannot be calculated for a given load point, this method gives the capacity ratio as "> 1" or "< 1" depending on the location of the point.
Critical-Capacity Method calculates the section capacity based on the closest distance to a load-point from the normalized interaction diagram. More information on normalized interaction diagram and calculation of the closest distance, d, can be found in spColumn Manual
spColumn imports section shape and reinforcement from DXF files to overcome complex geometries and reinforcement configurations.
Additional 20% discount available for multi-product bundle purchase spMats, spBeam, spColumn, spSlab, spWall, spFrame (formerly pcaMats, pcaBeam, pcaColumn, pcaSlab, pcaWall, pcaFrame). Email us at info@StructurePoint.org for more information on pricing and licensing.