1.18.2.1.

2 P-Delta Kg Analysis Page 1 of 1

1.18.2.1.2 P-Delta Kg Analysis

In STAAD, an alternate procedure has been adopted to incorporate the P-Delta effect into
the analysis by combining the global stiffness matrix and the global geometric stiffness
matrix [K+Kg].

This feature is available in STAAD.Pro 2007 Build 01 and greater.

1. First, the primary deflections are calculated by linear static analysis based on the
provided external loading.
2. Primary deflections are used to calculate member axial forces and plate center
membrane stresses. These forces and stresses are used to calculate geometric
stiffness terms. Both the large delta effects and the small delta effects are calculated.
These terms are the terms of the Kg matrix which are added to the global stiffness
matrix K.
The lateral loading must be present concurrently with the vertical loading for
proper consideration of the P-Delta effect. The REPEAT LOAD facility (see Section
5.32.11) has been created with this requirement in mind. This facility allows the user
to combine previously defined primary load cases to create a new primary load case.
This procedure yields reasonably accurate results with small displacement problems.
STAAD allows the user to specify multiple iterations of this P-Delta-KG procedure;
however one iteration is almost always sufficient.
The P-Delta analysis is recommended by several design codes such as ACI 318, LRFD,
IS456-1978, etc. in lieu of the moment magnification method for the calculation of more
realistic forces and moments.
P-Delta effects are calculated for frame members and plate elements only. They are not
calculated for solid elements.
The maximum displacement should be reviewed for P-Delta analyses because this
analysis type permits buckling. You may need to repeat the analysis with only one to five
iterations or as a static case in order to get a pre-collapse solution in order to view the
large displacement areas.
Buckling may also cause the analysis to fail with a negative definite matrix failure. In this
case, a message is printed and the results of the case are set to zero. (In this case, repeat
the analysis using PDELTA 30 ANALYSIS SMALLDELTA instead).

Reference Materials
5.37.2 PDelta Analysis Options

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