How to use cleats and notches for better connection modeling

In the new IDEA StatiCa version 20, we brought a couple of improvements in manufacturing operations. This opens new possibilities in the design of connections and joints and helps you to design faster.

Cleat manufacturing operation improvements

Cleat connections are popular among designers and engineers for their versatility. There are basically two main improvements in designing of members connected by a cleat. Both are very popular mainly in the US market.

Any two perpendicular general plates cutting each other can be now connected by a cleat. The same is operation is valid for connecting any general plate with a member plate.
T-stub cross-section can be used to replace L-shapes in the Cleat manufacturing operation or to connect flanges and webs. Thanks to this, bolted connection types can now be designed faster.

Find out more about the cleat manufacturing operations in our Knowledge base.

Notch on a member

The notch on a member is another improvement added manufacturing operation added to version 20.

In the past, when you came across a case of the members' clash, the opening-notches had to be defined manually by the Opening manufacturing operation on the member flanges. This situation was causing an increased quantity of manufacturing operations.

From now on, the feature Notch can be used whenever it is needed to avoid clashes between column-beam or beam-beam. This feature is implemented to Manufacturing operations End plate, Fin plate, Cleat.

Find out more about this manufacturing operation in our Knowledge base.

Both above-mentioned improvements are available for the Expert and Enhanced version of IDEA StatiCa Steel.

More about IDEA StatiCa version 20

The new version of IDEA StatiCa is the biggest implementation of customer feedback and wishes we have had in years.

Except for the new online licensing system, version 20 brought a vast amount on improvements for steel connection design. Besides the manufacturing improvements, you can enjoy about 110 new connection templates added to the starting wizard, brand new steel-to-timber connections, or usability improvements thanks to the cross-section library favorites.

We continue with spreading IDEA StatiCa to new regions, that is why the Indian and Hong Kong codes were added to the growing list of supported codes.

Would you like to see more of the new features? Read full release notes for Steel or even better – watch the recording of version 20 introduction webinar: