Timber Slab or Volta Slab Modelling with StatiCAD

Place the volta beams, assign cross-section and material.

In the slab you draw between the beams, select the 2nd slab material in the settings.

In the project general settings material tab, enter the name of the 2nd slab material manually in the box that reads C20.

Modify the Modulus of Elasticity and Unit Weight values manually.

If you select the option "not connected to rigid diaphragm" on the walls and choose the response spectrum method when exporting to SAP2000 (selecting some slabs as reinforced concrete and some as timber), you can run a diaphragm-free analysis in SAP2000 and retrieve the results — however, for a multi-storey structure the analysis may take hours.

When nodes are not meshed properly and overlap, the analysis becomes problematic.

It is much easier to model and analyse the structure directly in StatiCAD. However, if you are using a version prior to StatiCAD Version 7, a rigid diaphragm assignment is made in the analysis. In Version 7 releases you can also perform the analysis without a rigid diaphragm.

For the help document on assigning a beam cross-section, click the link Defining Column, Beam and Foundation Elements with Custom Cross-Sections in StatiCAD V6

For the help document on assigning a custom material, click Defining Timber, Reinforced Concrete, Concrete, Steel, Masonry, and Other Materials in StatiCAD V6