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When SOTO Consulting Engineers (hereafter referred to as SOTO) were engaged to deliver the detailed design of a large-scale bulk materials handling system, they faced a challenge common to large industrial projects: designing non-standard steel connections within a highly constrained environment.
The project included multiple conveyors, transfer towers, storage bins, hoppers, and associated supporting steelwork, with a total steel mass exceeding 300 tonnes. Much of this infrastructure needed to interface with existing systems and mechanical equipment, creating significant geometric constraints and irregular load paths.
These conditions limited the use of standardised connection details and required a more advanced approach to assess and verify connection behaviour.
The Challenge
In complex industrial design scenarios, connection design quickly becomes a bottleneck, particularly at nodes where multiple members converge under varying loads and interaction effects. Traditional component-based design methods often fall short in these situations, as they rely on simplifications that do not fully capture real-world behaviour.
Historically, engineers have relied on detailed finite element modelling tools such as ANSYS to address this level of complexity. While robust, this approach is time-intensive and can become impractical when multiple iterations are required to achieve a compliant and constructible solution. SOTO needed a more efficient way to analyse and iterate connection designs without compromising on accuracy or compliance.
The Solution: An Integrated Workflow with IDEA StatiCa
To address these challenges, SOTO implemented IDEA StatiCa as part of an integrated structural design workflow. The global structure was first analysed in SPACE GASS to determine overall behaviour and generate nodal forces. These forces were then exported directly into IDEA StatiCa, allowing engineers to design and verify connections within a consistent and connected environment.
This workflow enabled simultaneous assessment of all members framing into a single node under equilibrium-consistent loading. Rather than isolating individual elements, engineers could analyse complete connection behaviour in a way that more accurately reflects how forces are transferred through the structure.
Advanced Connection Verification
Using IDEA StatiCa, SOTO was able to carry out detailed stress analysis and buckling checks on complex connection arrangements. This included evaluating the combined effects of multiple interacting members on both the connection and the supporting structural elements.
By capturing these interactions, the team developed a more realistic understanding of localised yielding, connection performance, and buckling behaviour in supporting members. This was particularly important in heavily loaded regions where these effects can govern design outcomes.
Rapid Iteration and Efficiency Gains
One of the key advantages of IDEA StatiCa was its ability to streamline the design process. Engineers could modify connection geometry, member configurations, and detailing within a single environment, enabling fast evaluation of multiple design scenarios.
Compared to traditional finite element workflows, this significantly reduced the time required to achieve compliant designs, while still verifying performance against relevant Australian Standards. The ability to iterate quickly was particularly valuable in a project of this complexity, where design constraints often required adjustments.
Incorporating Real-World Behaviour with Stiffness Analysis
Beyond standard connection design, SOTO also used IDEA StatiCa’s stiffness analysis capabilities to assess the rotational stiffness of key connection details. These values were then applied back into the SPACE GASS model to simulate semi-rigid connection behaviour.
This approach proved particularly valuable in the assessment of a fan support structure subject to dynamic loading. By incorporating connection stiffness into the global model, the team was able to refine the structure’s natural frequency relative to the fan’s primary forcing frequency. At the same time, they were able to validate that modifications to the bracing arrangement (required to improve maintenance access), could be implemented without compromising structural performance.
The Outcome
Through the use of IDEA StatiCa, SOTO was able to efficiently develop constructible connection solutions across the project, including areas where standardisation was not feasible. The workflow improved overall design efficiency and provided greater confidence in connection behaviour.
Importantly, it enabled the team to deliver robust engineering outcomes while working within the practical constraints of a complex industrial system.
“IDEA StatiCa has proven to be a highly effective tool for complex connection design. With the ability to assess non-standardised connections where multiple members frame into a single node with complex load interactions, it provides a high level of confidence in both connection performance and the resulting behaviour of the structure. The inclusion of stiffness analysis to support semi-rigid connection design allows this behaviour to be incorporated directly into global models without the need for more detailed and time-consuming FEA.”
At BuildingPoint, we work closely with engineering teams across Australia to implement digital engineering solutions like IDEA StatiCa in a way that delivers real-world value. This project highlights how the right tools, combined with an integrated workflow, can significantly improve both efficiency and design confidence.
By linking global analysis with detailed connection design, teams can reduce reliance on manual modelling, streamline their workflows, and deliver outcomes that are both practical and compliant, particularly in challenging industrial environments.
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