Substation Structural Solution

Introduction:
The primary purpose of the solution is to offer a complete structural solution to
Chinese power design institutes. Many of these institutes are already using
STAAD.Pro for structural analysis and design and Bentley Substation for electrical
design. But, the workflow was not integrated, requiring manual data exchange. The
solution offers complete solution by integrating three major components of the
workflow.
1) Structural modeling of substation structures along with connection detailing
and fabrication drawings
2) Structural analysis and design as per Chinese design standards
3) Placing structural models in Bentley Substation and auto creation of hook
points to layout cables
As name suggests, this solution is mainly focused on structural components of
substation design. After surveying many engineers and conducting extensive
research, we formulated a solution which we think should offer the followings:
1)
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8)

A physical modeling system for all structural frames and components

Use trusted structural analysis and design programs
Latest guidelines and design standards
Inbuilt library of standards frames and connections
Automatic drawing generation along with bill of materials
Use of real structural frames inside Bentley Substation
Auto generation of hook points
Design of foundations

Bentleys ProStructures product was chosen to address modeling as well as detailing

and drawing requirements. STAAD.Pro along with SSDD were the default choice for
structural analysis and design requirements including substation specific load
generations and design checks. Finally Bentley Substation was updated to host
structural frames generated in ProStructures.
1) ProStructures: physical modeling of structural frames, connection detailing,
drawing and BOM
2) STAAD.Pro: three dimensional frame analysis
3) SSDD: wind and seismic load generation, load combination, design checks
and optimization
4) Bentley Substation: electrical design of substation infrastructure

Workflow Diagram:
Structural Synchronizer or ISM was used to integrate all the products to create an
efficient workflow. The following diagram describes the workflow.

Structural frames can be modeled in ProStructures by using smart wizards or

manually. ISM is used to transfer physical model to STAAD.Pro. A simplified new

version of SSDD is now available to cater very specific requirements of Substation

design, based on Chinese design standards. Wind load, seismic load and load
combination generation wizards are implemented to apply loads. Frame members
are resized during code checks and final sizes are exported back to ISM repository.
ProStructures imports final model and adds steel connections to the physical model.
Different drawings including fabrication drawing can be generated using inbuilt
powerful drawing center.
STAAD Foundation Advanced imports STAAD.Pro model for foundation design. It
supports Chinese concrete design standards to design common foundations like
isolated footing, combined foundation, pile cap and mat foundation.
The final ProStructures model can be placed in Bentley Substation to generate hook
points and layout flexible cables between hook points.

Suggested step by step workflow:

A new Substation group now hosts 24 frames and connections to play the central
role in Substation Structural workflow. The frames and connections are listed
below. For detailed description, please review the relevant section of the help file.
Substations frames and trusses support dual model status, Physical model used
for the detailing and Analytical model for the data exchange with STAAD.
1. Model substation components without connections

2. Prepare model to be transferred for analysis by running the convert

command. This command automatically

a. Switches substation frames & trusses from physical to analytical model

and adds connecting shapes where supporting points are required
between trusses and frames.
b. Splices on frame legs are relocated to create a connection point with
horizontal members.
c. Readjust truss brace members to center of gravity line while ignoring
gaps and offsets.
d. Disable editing of substation components in analytical model state
3. Send to ISM or Structural Synchronizer

4. Import ISM model into STAAD.Pro, apply changes if required and update ISM
model.
a. Note: only size changes are accepted for this solution to insure data
synchronization integrity between ProStructures and STAAD.Pro
models.

b. Wind load and load combinations are generated in SSDD as per

Chinese design standards

c. Perform design check and optimize member sizes in SSDD, update

member sizes in STAAD.Pro and finally update ISM repository

5. Updating ProStructures model from ISM, automatically updates any/all shape

size changes for trusses and frames.
6. Convert Analytical model to Physical model and continue modeling by adding
connections

7. At any time ProStructures models can be attached as reference to Bentley

Substation projects and hook point are inserted by detecting PS truss load
points from the reference model

8. Drawing and BOM can be created using traditional ProStructures tools and
methods

List of ProStructures connections

The following substation specific standard connections are now added in
ProStructures for connection modeling, detailing and drawing generation.
Connection Name
Combination
horizontal brace
connection

Description
This connection can also
be used on any pipe or
hollow HSS tubes as
supporting shapes, and
equal or unequal angles
as connecting shapes

CoverPlate connection

This connection can be

placed on any horizontal,
vertical, sloping or
skewed pipes or square,
rectangular and circular
hollow shapes

Multi frame
connection

This tool lets users

generate a series/array
of identical Symmetric A
Frames, Trestles, Vertical
A Frames or Single
Frames in one process

Double brace
connection

It can be used on
triangular and
rectangular substation
trusses to connect
bracing members with
chords.

Representative image

Double frame cap

It is used as a cap to be
placed on symmetric AFrames and Trestles

Double leg brace

connection

This tool can also be

used on any pipe or
hollow HSS tubes as
supporting shapes, and
equal or unequal angles
as connecting shapes

Horizontal support
plate

This tool can be placed

along any vertical,
sloping or skewed pipes
or square, rectangular
and circular hollow
shapes

Lightning rod

Lightning Rods can be

placed on a Single frame,
Symmetric A Frame,
Vertical A Frame, Trestle
or by specifying a point

Simple Structure

The Simple Structure is a

parametric tool to create
simple frames.

Single brace
connection

This tool can also be

used on any pipe or
hollow HSS tubes as
supporting shapes, and
equal or unequal angles
as connecting shapes

Single frame cap

Single Frame Caps can

be placed on any
vertical, sloping or
skewed pipes or square,
rectangular and circular
hollow shapes

Single leg brace

connection

This tool can also be

used on any pipe or
hollow HSS tubes as
supporting horizontal
brace shapes, and equal
or unequal angles as
connecting shapes
Single Frame is a
parametric tool which
can be used to create a
vertical leg frame

Single Frame
connection

Symmetric A-Frame

This tool can be used to

create a symmetric AFrame for substation
structures

Trestle frame

This tool can be used to

create a Trestle frame for
substation structures

Trestle Cap Plate

This is a parametric tool

to connect all trestle legs
by a cap plate

Triple BraceA
connection

This tool can be used on

any pipe or hollow HSS
tubes as supporting
shape, and equal or
unequal angles as
connecting shapes,
provided that the
connecting shape(s) are
pre-offset from the
center of the supporting
shape by the plate
thickness.
This tool is used for
creating single beam
trusses, triangular or
rectangular box trusses.
Trusses can be created
by specifying start and
end points followed by
the vertical direction of
the truss or by selecting
substation frames
(Trestle, Vertical Frame,
A-Frame or Single
Frame). When using the
frame selection method,
both selected frames
must be perpendicular or

Truss Builder

Truss Connector

Truss Support

parallel to each other,

and their centers should
be inline.
This tool lets users
automatically populate
Single, Double and Triple
brace connections
throughout substation
triangular and
rectangular trusses.
Users can select a mix of
any number of
substation triangular and
rectangular trusses.
This tool can be used to
generate a truss support
parametrically

Vertical A-Frame

This tool can be used to

create a specialized
vertical frame where one
of the legs is vertical.

Vertical A-Frame Cap

This tool can be used to

generate a cap for
vertical A-frame
parametrically

Brace Support Plate

This tool is used to

generate brace support
plates on Symmetric A
Frames, Vertical A
Frames and Trestle, or
any horizontal shape,
preferably pipes or
square, rectangular and
circular hollow shapes.

SSDD for Substation

A new program is now created to cater very specific needs of substation design as
per Chinese standards. The major features which were added are:
1) Structure type recognition
a. Automatically recognition Truss Beam, A-Frame and Lightning Rod;
b. User can assign the rules when recognition member type, for example,
use can assign the group name to recognition:
i. LightningRod prefix means Lightning Rod
ii. FrameColumn prefix means Column
iii. TrussBeam prefix means Beam
2) Wind load generation
a. The wind load wizard in SSDD can generate all the wind load types
based on DL/T 5457-2012
b. Generation four directional wind load, these wind load cases will be
used in automatic load combination
3) Load combination generation
a. SSDD can automatically generate load combination as per DL/T 54572012
b. Use key words to separate different load case type
c. Auto load combination can generate two kinds type of load
combinations, one for forces check, the other for displacement check
4) Design parameters templates
a. Program includes default design templates for A-Frame, trestle, truss
member, lightning Rod, Truss Beam etc.
5) Design checks
a. Perform design checks as per GB 50017-2003
b. Member Stability check as per DL/T 5457-2012
c. Displacement check as per DL/T 5457-2012

Bentley Substation enhancements

Bentley Substation program can now reference ProStructures models, so a realistic
structural model can be used instead of a place holder. Hook points can be
generated using enhanced hook point tool to layout flexible cables between hook

points. The new Update button in Hook Points Manager UI allows user to modify
existed hook points by type, color and rotation settings.

Generate Hook Points from Load Points:

This feature covers the requirements of generating hook points from load points.
Feature summary:
1. The Load points can be added in Truss Builder while creating the model in
ProStructures
2. The Load points include coordinates of hook points along with load case
information.

User can define load points in the table above. Left table can be used to
define load points and their position. In future, we plan to implement the
force assignment table to define load case information for every load point.
Please note that the relation between left table and right table will be 'one
row to multiple rows',
Details of left table:
Points: it represents load point index and non-editable
X Offset: it defines the load point offset position in the direction of the
chord length
BF column: option to apply load on the front side of the bottom chord
BB column: option to apply load on the back side of the bottom chord
TF column: option to apply load on the front side of the top chord
TB column: option to apply load on the back side of the top chord
Y Offset: load point offset in Y direction, where Y axis is vertically up
Z Offset: load point offset in Z direction, where Z axis is out of plane
going into the plane

Add: add a new load point

Remove button: delete the selected load point
Points Count: number of load points
Same Offset: reset x, y and z offsets for all load points
Show Load Points: toggle to show load points

3. ProStructures model may include truss builder along with load point
information. Bentley Substation program can reference that model and can
generate hook points
4. The Hook Point Manager dialog in Bentley Substation can be used to create
hook points based on the load points

Top view:

Front view:

3d view:

Workflow:
Generate Hook point:
A d d L o a d Po in t in
P ro S te e l

R e fe re n c e
m o d e l in
B .S u b s ta tio n

M a p lo a d
p o in t,
G e n e ra te h o o k
p o in t
a u to m a tic lly

E d it h o o k
p o in t
p ro p e rty in
B .S u b s ta tio n

Reference
model in
B.Substatio
n

Refresh
hook point
automaticlly
by
command

Refresh Hook point:

The model changed

in SubStation
structural

the Load
point
coordinate
changed