Structural Design
User Guide
Structural Design
Structural Design
AVEVA E3D™ is a powerful suite of facilities, for the design of Process Plant, the emphasis is on maximising both design consistency and design productivity:
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The design modelling functions incorporate a degree of apparent intelligence that enables them to make sensible decisions about the consequential effects of many of the design choices. The user can implement a sequence of related decisions with a minimum of effort.
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Modifications can be incorporated into a design at any stage without fear of invalidating any prior work, because data consistency-checking is an integral part of the product. AVEVA E3D™ automatically manages drawing production, material take-off reports, and so on, by reading all design data directly from a common set of databases, to prevent the introduction of errors when information is transcribed between different disciplines.
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The applications allow all aspects of a design to be checked as work progresses. Included is on-line interdisciplinary clash detection, so the chances of errors and inconsistencies reaching the final documented design are reduced to an exceptionally low level.
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The applications are controlled from a graphical user interface. All design, drawing and reporting operations are initiated by the selection of choices from menus, and by entering data into on-screen forms. For ease of use, many common actions are also represented by pictorial icons.
The structural applications offer these key benefits:
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The applications are designed to use specification data when structural components are selected from the Catalogue database, so that design consistency and conformity to standards are maintained. It is important, therefore, that the structural Catalogue databases are properly maintained.
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Structural elements are named in accordance with a predefined set of rules, so that their positions in the database hierarchy are always obvious without the need to enter specific texts during the design process.
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Pointers can be set up to define the storage areas in which specific types of design element are to be held in the database hierarchy. Combined with the rule-based naming facility, this minimises the amount of data which has to be entered explicitly during the build up the design model.
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Temporary lists of elements can be set up, so that a design operation can be carried out on all elements within the list simultaneously. A great deal of repetitive work can be avoided when commonly-repeated design modifications are carried out.
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The applications incorporate a number of geometric design aids, such as 3D positioning grids, to make it easy to position structural elements accurately within the design model.
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Where possible, the Design applications create and maintain connectivity of the structural network automatically.
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Non-standard structural components, such as complex panels and floor plates, may be created by defining the required shape as a 2D profile and then extruding this to the desired thickness.
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Negative primitives and shapes may be used in the structural catalogue to define complex joint geometry and end preparations for structural sections, so that weld preparations and fitting allowances can be modelled easily.
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Templates may be used to define the basic structure of built-up girders and similar components, so that the detailed design of such items becomes simply a matter of entering the required dimensional and positional data.
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Multiple copies of design components may be created simply by specifying the number of copies required and their relative positions and orientations. For example, a complete roof structure can be created by designing a single roof truss and then, in one operation, making as many copies as are necessary to support the length of the roof, with each truss displaced by a given distance relative to the preceding one.
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Much repetitive work can be avoided in symmetrical designs by making copies of interconnected parts of the structure and reflecting them about specified axes, so that the design pattern is repeated as required.
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Joint positions may be finely adjusted to make sure they are assembled accurately, using any standard datum line to define the precise alignment of a joint with its attached sections.
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Sections and panels (wall plates, floor plates and so on.) may be divided at intersections, after the overall size and shape have been defined, without affecting any of their logical interconnections. The ‘macrostructure’ (for example, complete areas to be covered) can be designed first and then subdivided into a manageable ‘microstructure’ for fabrication purposes at a later stage (typically, to make the most efficient use of stock panel sizes). The edges of panels may be notched to fit around section profiles, and the edges of adjacent panels may be shaped such they interlock automatically.
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Penetrations may be created as catalogue elements. Such a penetration, which can incorporate appropriate sleeving, kick plates, and so on, may be inserted into a structural section or panel as a complete entity, with the dimensions and position of the penetration derived automatically from the dimensions of the pipe/duct/cable tray passing though it.
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The applications make it easy to create panels and to connect them to existing panels or sections via linear joints. The facility uses intelligent pointer picking to enhance the interaction between the displayed graphics and the design creation process. Panel vertices can be derived simply by picking appropriate datum lines on existing sections; connections between panels and sections are then created automatically to give a fully connected structural model. Such panels can be used either to represent floors/walls or to build up complex plated connections.
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Multi-disciplinary clash checks can be carried out at any stage of the design, thus avoiding spatial conflicts within the overall model which could be expensive to rectify at the construction stage. These clash checks are particularly important where different features of the design model are under the control of different designers.
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At any stage of the design, reports can be created listing specified data from the current database. A standard report template can be specified, so that lists of commonly-required information can be derived very quickly, or report format can be designed to suit a particular need. The resultant output, which can include data from any design discipline, sorted as required, can be either displayed on the screen or sent to a file (for storage and/or for printing).
1974 to current year.
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