Navigation:  Calculation Modules > Linked Loads > Status Badges and Linked Load Recalculation

 

The Project Manager includes linked load status badges for calculations that contain linked loads. Calculations which do not contain linked loads will not display a badge. Additionally, a "Calc Order" tab has been introduced in the Project Manager. This tab displays calculations in the sequence they appear within the load path, with precedent calculations listed at the top and dependent calculations appearing towards the bottom. Both of these features help you monitor and manage the load path within a project by quickly identifying which calculations are up-to-date and which need recalculation.

 

 

Calculations with linked loads will display one of the following statuses:

 

• Calculation Up to Date: Indicates that the current calculation and all its precedent calculations are up to date.

• Calculation Needs Recalc: Indicates that the current calculation is referencing out-of-date reactions, but all precedent calculations are up-to-date. Triggering a recalc on these calculations (for example, by opening, saving, and closing the calculation) will resolve the status.

• Precedent Needs Recalc: Indicates that a precedent calculation is still using out-of-date linked loads. Therefore, its associated reactions on the current calculation are out of date as well. Triggering a recalc on these calculations will not resolve the status because the current calculation will remain out of date as long as any precedent calculation is out of date.

 

NOTE: It is important to recognize that the linked load status is entirely independent from the "OK"/"NG" design status of the associated calculation. For example, a calculation showing as Calculation Up to Date does not mean the calculation is passing unity checks or prescriptive code requirements. You will still need to ensure the accuracy and integrity of your project calculations throughout the design process.

 

 

Resolving Out-of-Date Calculations

 

To resolve out-of-date calculations, you can recalculate Linked Loads automatically by clicking the Recalculate Linked Loads button. This feature will automatically traverse the load path, initiating a recalculation for each calculation and updating all calculations with a single click.

 

Alternatively, you may wish to resolve the out-of-date calculations manually so that you can monitor how changes to precedent calculations affect the dependent calculations further down the load path. You can manually resolve out-of-date calculations by following these general steps:

 

1.Open any calculation marked as "Calculation Needs Recalc." This action will trigger a recalculation of that calculation.

2.Make any necessary changes to ensure the design is satisfactory given the new linked load reactions.

3.Save & Close the calculation.

4.The calculation should now report as "Calculation Up to Date" within the Project Manager, and any dependent calculations should change from "Precedent Needs Recalc" to "Calculation Needs Recalc."

a.NOTE: If a dependent calculation still reports "Precedent Needs Recalc," it indicates that it has multiple precedents, some of which are still out of date. Repeat the process outlined above for other precedent calculations that need recalculation.

5.Repeat this process until all calculations are reporting as "Calculation Up to Date".

 

TIP: Utilize the Calc Order tab view within the Project Manager to display calculations in the sequence they appear within the load path. This simplifies the process of manually resolving out-of-date calculations, as you can address them sequentially, working your way down the list one by one.

 

 

Example: Manually Resolving Out-of-Date Calculations

 

The following represents a work flow example of what it looks like to manually resolve out-of-date calculations. Imagine the following load scenario:

•B1 is a typical infill beam.

•B2 is a typical girder which supports B1.

•B3 is a transfer girder which support B2.

 

Assuming all reactions are up-to-date at the start of this example, the linked load status badges would be as follows:

•B1 = No linked load status badge. It is at the beginning of the load path and is therefore not referencing any linked loads.

•B2 = Calculation Up to Date

•B3 = Calculation Up to Date

 

Now, we open B1 and modify the calculation in such a way to change the reactions (updated the span loads, span length, section size, etc.). The new linked load status badges would be as follows:

•B1 = No linked load status badge.

•B2 = Calculation Needs Recalc. B2 is still referencing B1's old reactions and needs to be recalculated to process B1's new reactions.

•B3 = Precedent Needs Recalc. B3 is still referencing B2's old reactions. However, B2's reactions are also out-of-date. We must recalculate B2 before we recalculate B3.
 

Next, we open B2 to trigger a recalculation, make any necessary updates to ensure a good design, then click Save & Close. The new linked load status badges would be as follows:

•B1 = No linked load status badge.

•B2 = Calculation Up to Date. B2 has been recalculated using B1's new reactions.

•B3 = Calculation Needs Recalc. B3 is still referencing B2's old reactions. However, since B2 is now up-to-date, we can now safely recalculate B3.

 

Finally, we open B3 to trigger a recalculation, make any necessary updates to ensure a good design, then click Save & Close. The new linked load status badges would be as follows:

•B1 = No linked load status badge.

•B2 = Calculation Up to Date.

•B3 = Calculation Up to Date. B3 has been recalculated using B2's new reactions.