Pier Stem [SIG]

A connection element : Pier Stems can be modeled using OpenBrIM.

General

Bounded Pier Cap? [YES/NO]: Specifies whether the pier stem is bounded to a pier cap. When set to 'YES', the pier stem is connected to a pier cap element.

Pier Cap: When bounded to a pier cap, this parameter specifies which pier cap the pier stem is associated with.

Support Line: When not bounded to a pier cap, this parameter specifies the location of the pier stem using a support line reference.

Stem Width (Transverse Direction): The width of the pier stem in the transverse direction (perpendicular to the alignment).

Stem Thickness (Longitudinal Direction): The thickness of the pier stem in the longitudinal direction (along the bridge alignment).

Top Elevation Offset from Alignment: The vertical offset of the pier stem's top surface relative to the alignment elevation.

Bottom Elevation: The global elevation of the bottom of the pier stem, defining the element's height in the vertical axis.

Transverse Offset: The transverse offset for the stem wall, with respect to the chosen support line, can be specified by this parameter. A value of "0" indicates that the stem wall's center is located at the center of the chosen support line.

The positive direction of the Y-axis will be to the left when looking upstream along the PGL. However, based on the requests of engineers who have been using OpenBrIM for their bridge projects, positive transverse offset values will indicate the right-hand side when looking upstream along the PGL. This distinction should be taken into account when defining the location of bridge elements using transverse offset values (where positive transverse offset indicates the right side), as well as when making definitions related to FEM and loading (where positive Fy indicates the left side along the PGL).

Material: Assign a material to the pier stem. Materials can be either imported or selected from those previously defined under Properties > Material.

FEM

Mesh Size Y Direction: The mesh size in the transverse (Y) direction, specifying the maximum distance between nodes in the transverse direction.

Mesh Size Z Direction: The mesh size in the vertical (Z) direction, specifying the maximum distance between nodes in the vertical direction.

Rigid Section: To connect the pier stem finite element to other structural elements, the user needs to specify the properties of the rigid section. Rigid elements are automatically generated to link the pier stem to connected elements.

Generate FEM? [Yes/No]: Setting this parameter to "No" can disable the analytical representation of the pier stem in the finite element model.

IFC

Type [IfcColumn/IfcBeam/IfcSlab/IfcFooting/IfcPile/IfcMember/etc.]: Specifies the IFC entity type for export. The pier stem can be exported as various IFC types including IfcBridge, IfcBridgePart, IfcBeam, IfcColumn, IfcSlab, IfcFooting, IfcPile, IfcBearing, IfcReinforcingBar, IfcReinforcingMesh, IfcTendon, IfcMechanicalFastener, IfcAlignment, IfcPositioningElement, IfcKerb, IfcGuardrail, IfcSurfaceFeature, IfcElementAssembly, IfcCableSegment, IfcSensor, IfcDistributionElement, IfcPlate, IfcWall, IfcRail, IfcRoad, IfcDiscreteAccessory, IfcDistributionSystem, IfcMember, or IfcBuildingElementProxy.

Predefined Type [COLUMN/PIERSTEM/PIERSTEM_SEGMENT/PILASTER/STANDCOLUMN/USERDEFINED/NOTDEFINED]: Specifies the predefined type attribute for the IFC entity. Default value is PIERSTEM.

Parent [BRIDGE/SUPERSTRUCTURE/DECK/SUBSTRUCTURE/FOUNDATION/APPROACH_STRUCTURE/RETAINING_STRUCTURE]: Specifies the parent structural hierarchy element in the IFC model. Default value is SUBSTRUCTURE.

Quantities

Rebar Density (per cubic yard): The rebar density value used for calculating rebar weight.

Rebar Weight: The calculated rebar weight based on the rebar density and pier stem volume.

Volume: The total volume of the pier stem calculated from the defined geometry.

Weight: The total weight of the pier stem based on material density and volume.

Material: Displays the material name assigned to the pier stem.