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May 2004 |
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SCIA
SOFTWARE CONFERENCE in the Netherlands on May 12th 2004...
<more>
SCIA
SOFTWARE CONFERENCE - Safe Constructions - in Belgium on June 10th
2004...
<more>
SCIA Group
closed 2003 with a
13% increase in turnover
<more>
SCIA.ESA
PT
Finite Elements
Internal Loads
3D CAD Model
of a Structure
Mathcad
11 Select Upgrade Promotion.
Save 33% on normal pricing...
<more>
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Welcome to the First Edition ...
... of SCIA's electronic newsletter.
With this 'eNews' we wish to inform you regularly on topics that are
interesting to you.
We have selected five recurring items for you: news about SCIA and our
software tools, information and analysis of activities in the construction
world, design and calculation projcts realised with SCIA software and
finally, 'tips & tricks' and other info from our SCIA Support Team. We welcome
all comments, suggestions and feedback you may have to improve this eNews,
so that we can even serve you better with our next editions. We wish you a lot of enjoyment of
reading.
In this first
edition of May 2004, we would like to review the following items:
SCIA
Company News: SCIA Group celebrates 30 Years of Success...
New
Powerful Tool in SCIA.ESA PT: Parametric Modeling
The
Market: Considerable Rise in Steel Prices
SCIA's
Customer Project: Sazka Arena in Prague
Support
Team Tip: Configuration of a Header in SCIA.ESA PT
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Company News: SCIA celebrates 30th anniversary |
This year, SCIA celebrates its 30th anniversary. It is a nice
occasion to remind the “key-dates” of the company and to give the actual
status.
SCIA
(SCIentific Applications) was founded in February 1974 as a technical
software house for the CAE market, strongly related with the WANG operating
system. When the IBM PC was introduced in 1981, the company began
concentrating on portable software. Its flagship product was called ESA
(Engineering Structural Analysis).
In 1993 SCIA merged with W+B Software, a former daughter of Witteveen
+ Bos Engineering Consultants (the Netherlands). This helped SCIA become
market leader in the Benelux for structural engineering software. The
company started its internationalisation with branches in Germany and
France. The international expansion continued with the acquisition of 2
Czech companies in 1999: IDA (from Brno) and Smartsoft (from Prague), who
were renamed SCIA Cz. At the start of 2003 SCIA took a 80% share
participation in a Swiss company MAPS S.A., that was converted into
SCIA-MAPS S.A.
Today, the 90 employees and agents are distributed over 9
international offices (the 3 largest offices are located in Belgium, the
Netherlands, and in the Czech Republic). SCIA’s products are adapted for
local use in approximately 15 countries i.e. Belgium, Netherlands, Germany,
France, Austria, Czech and Slovak Republic, Romania, Switzerland, UK, Spain,
South Korea, China, Poland, U.S.A. and Sweden. SCIA’s products have been
translated into more than 8 different languages and are sold in over 20
countries. Many engineering offices and construction companies are using
SCIA’s software solutions. It has sold over 7,000 licences worldwide
to more than 3,400 clients.
In February 2004, in order to offer the complete CAD/CAE/CAM software SCIA
has signed a new cooperative agreement with Nemetschek AG (editor of CAD
system Allplan) to strengthen the partnership on development, marketing and
sales issues. The SCIA software is currently distributed by Nemetschek
in the countries: Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, Croatia.
Moreover, the German Machine fabricator Kaltenbach is adding the SCIA
– Steel Management & Fabrication software to its integrated offer of
production software. The Kaltenbach sales organisation covers a large part
of Europe and beyond.
After 30 years of existence, SCIA is now proud to be in the top 3
worldwide companies in its field and is currently consolidating its
position in Europe and preparing activities in America and Asia.
SCIA Group closed the year 2003 with a 13% increase in turnover (6,25
million €) compared to the previous year. Excellent results were achieved in
the D.A.CH area, Czech & Slovak Republics and Belgium, while Netherlands
suffered a serious economical slowdown.
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Powerful Tool in SCIA.ESA PT: 'Parametric
modeling' |
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In our new program SCIA.ESA PT is added a very new module:
parametric modelling. Here an explanation of the contents of this module
and what it can bring to you.
In
SCIA.ESA PT it is possible to introduce a structure. You can choose
from : a structure in 2D or 3D, composed of standard profiles or profiles
with arbitrary sections (graphic definition), profiles with variable
heights. One can define various loads and compose a document: graphic tables
and illustrations in the desired sequence. Once a project created, you have
the possibility of parameterising it. Why parameterise? Because almost
identical projects often occur in your company, they often have only small
changes in measurements, profiles or loads or because you wish to optimise
an existing project and you want to make a quick study of the parameters.
In
both cases you proceed as follows: Initially it is necessary to define the
needed parameters. For example: measures of sections and lengths, types of
profiles, loads and also of Booleans in order to start or switch off a table
in the document. Besides that, it is possible to define parameters via
formulas. For example, you have the possibility of calculating a linear load
on a member starting from a homogeneous load multiplied by the distance of
the member, which can also be defined as a parameter.
After having defined the parameters, they have to be attributed to the
structure. This is done by means of the ‘property’ dialogue of the various
objects. After having attributed all parameters, the structure is
parameterised. Now you have the possibility to define a template with a
clear overview of all parameters, if desired, also with an illustration in
which all parameters are visualised.
The
project can be saved with the parameterisation. When loaded afterwards, the
template appears automatically and the user has the possibility to modify to
define the variables. Than the project is created in SCIA.ESA PT.
Basically, one can go directly to the document and have it recalculated.
You can judge for yourself that is it a very user-friendly tool and it
brings you a lot of very interesting possibilities. Please contact our sales
department for more information and price of this tool.
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The Market:
Considerable Rise in Steel Prices |
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Resulting
mainly from a significant increase of the Chinese steel consumption,
a shortage on the steel market appears. Together with other grounds, it
causes a fast rise of the prices and could, in the medium term, involve a
shortage of finished steel products if the customers at the end of the chain
do not accept the need for this rise.
The
Chinese effect
The demand for steel in China amounts currently up to 30% of the world
demand. This represents a doubling of their consumption over hardly 4
years. In 2003, the growth of the demand was about 22% and the forecasts
indicate the continuation of this tendency in 2004. Though China is
traditionally an importing country, it has also largely developed its
internal production capacity. With 23% of the world production, it is on
its way to become one of the most significant producers. Owing to the fact
that the Chinese iron ore is not very rich in iron, the demand for foreign
ore has exceeded the growth of the world production. Moreover, although the
Chinese demand for scrap is not very high, their internal production is yet
insufficient and so they still have to import about 20% of their needs.
Lastly, the rise involves also the fall of the offer of coal and a rise of
the transportation prices of ore and coal.
Other factors
The increasing use of electric production furnaces causes an increase in the
use of scrap as basic material and countries on the high-way to
industrialization, like e.g. China, India, Spain and Turkey, have an
insufficient internal provisioning of this material. The shortage of scrap
is so bad that in the United States, American producers wish to prohibit
exporting it. A similar problem arises for coal, the most significant
American coal producer (US Steel' S Clairton Plant) has already broken its
export contracts by calling upon "cause beyond control". Finally the prices
of alloys as nickel for example are in rise and very volatile at the same
time.
Consequences
The cost of the iron ore increases. As a consequence, Arcelor and Japanese
steel producers recently conceded to a rise of about 20%. The price of coal
increased by 217% in two years. The price of scrap has undergone a rise of
almost 40% for the last six months. The raw material freight also increased
about 75% since September 2003. Finally the cost of electricity increased
overall by 15% in 2003. In short, the fast and substantial increase in
prices is without precedent and the steel industry, working already with
weak margins, could not absorb it. Certain producers like LME or Duferdofin
announced a temporary stop for the prices of orders because of the
uncertainty on the price market.
Conclusion
The prices are rising and will continue to do so, except in the case of a
brutal deceleration of the Chinese economy. Production capacity is not a
limit, particularly not in Europe. However, unless the steel producers and
the downstream implied companies absorb this rise, the shortage will have an
impact on the whole consumption chain.
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SCIA's Customer Project: Sazka
Arena in Prague |
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This
section is dedicated to presentation of SCIA's customer projects. We begin
with an impressive one in Czech Republic: the multi-purpose SAZKA ARENA.
SCIA Customer:
EXCON a. s., Prague, Czech Republic
Project: SAZKA ARENA in Prague, Czech Republic
Construction: Start September 2002 - Ended April 2004
Structure: ARENA and Convention Hall
Number of floors: 6
Area: 35.000 m2
Capacity: max. 18.000 People
The
opening of the multi-purpose Sazka arena was planned with the start of the
world ice hockey championship in Prague in April 2004. Besides sports
activities in a lot of branches, many cultural, social and commercial
activities will be organised there. The arena is equipped with modern
technology such as movable down stands and circular and movable bridges in
the roof space which enable quick changes in the use of the Arena.
Many partners were involved in this project. The investing company is Sazka
and the construction coordinator: BESTSPORT. The designers are ATIP, EXCON
and the Faculty of Civil Engineering CVUT in Prague. The calculations were
performed with the help of SCIA software ESA.PRIMA WIN. As in any big
project, many other players were involved: Damovo CZ, Metrostav, EXCON STEEL
,Vítkovice Strojírenství, Macalloy, Ltd. Great Britain and HM Moravský
Krumlov, Hutní Montáze Ostrava.
The
built-up area is 35 000 m2 and encloses 990 000 m3. The capacity of the
arena ranges from 11 000 to 18 000 spectators according to the purpose and
is spread over 6 floors. The roof above the Arena has a spherical cap
spanning of 135 m. with a rise of 9 m. The sphere is intersected with the
oval shape of the arena itself. The bearing structure consists of 36 radial
lattice girders with tie rods connected to the central tube, which has the
shape of a hollow cylinder. 32 columns pinned to the concrete structure,
consisting of six dilatation sections, support the girders. Four columns are
fixed to the concrete structure. Four bridge bearings between girders and
columns enable only radial movement and stabilize the structure in space.
The tangential bracing situated at concentric circles consists of beams and
portal frames stabilizing the structure against buckling and partially
acting as an arch. Together with the bracing in the roof plane, it ensures
the overall stability of the structure. The bearing structure is made of
steel grade S355, the bars of diameter 98 mm of steel grade S460. The roof
panels are tangentially mounted to the upper bars of the lattice girders.
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The SCIA Support Team: always ready to help ! |
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Within the framework of this first eNews, we refer to our online website
to remind you on certain basic
SCIA support service
elements. For downloads, extra product information or details on our
training sessions, please visit our 'Online
Support Center'.
In the following editions we inform you about ‘tips & tricks’ and the
latest evolutions of our tools. Hereafter we teach you how to adjust a
header in SCIA.ESA PT This can be done in a few steps according to your
wishes:
Step 1 : open the document
Step 2 : open the editor with the right mouse button.
Step 3 : The texts of header and footer are tables in which you
can show information. This table is saved automatically in the table named
‘NormalHeader’. Adaptions are automatically saved in the active table.
Alternatively, a new table can be created. Choose another name for the
table. E.g. My_Header. Then click the button , so this table can be used.
Step 4 : Apply modifications: The text of the footer ‘My_Header’ is
a table and has certain properties. At the bottom left in the composer of
the table, this is represented. For now it contains: Picture, a continuous
line and Head1
In
order to adapt a picture, the picture will be activated by selecting the
property and under the tab ‘Property’, the file of your choice can be
indicated. You can use your company logo. The size of the picture can also
be modified.
Head1 is a table with predefined content placed in the header. The
continuous line makes it possible that the properties in the table stay on
one line, e.g. the picture and Head1 will remain on 1 line.
To have a look at
the table “Head1” and to change something in it, select the table “Head1”.
The content can also be adapted.
From the available
properties, properties can be dragged into the table.
In the tab
“Layout” the settings for adapting the colour, outlines, frames, of a table
can be chosen and adapted.
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About this SCIA eNews |
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We
would like to encourage you to give us your current e-mail address, if the
one we used for this message, would not be correct or if you want us to send
it to another address.
If
you would like to from this eNews, just send us an e-mail with
'unsubscribe' as the subject followed by the e-mail address to be
deleted.
Please
let us know if there are any topics in which you are interested. We would
also like to hear any suggestions or ideas you may have on improving this
enews.
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SCIA Group NV - Industrieweg 1007 - B-3540
Herk-de-Stad
Tel: +32 (13) 55.17.75 - Fax:+32 (13)
55.41.75 |
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Copyright © 2004 SCIA Group nv- |
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