Design Criteria

Sizer designs the member for each the following principal design criteria

• Shear
• Bending moment
• Axial tension and compression (columns)
• Combined axial compression and bending (columns)
• Deflection (can be made optional by setting high deflection limits)
• Bearing at supports
• Fire design (optional, controlled by a design setting)
• Vibration (optional, controlled by a design setting)

For some of these principal criteria, there are one or more subsidiary criteria

• positive and negative bending moment
• x-axis and y-axis design for oblique members,
• multiple deflection criteria
• fire design for shear and bending
• supporting member and main member bearing design
• two shear design methods, and fracture shear check at notches

A member has to have sufficient resistance to the applied loading for all of these design criteria, for all load combinations, and at all points on the member, to be considered as passing the design check.

The critical design response, or design ratio, for a design criterion, is the highest ratio of applied force to resistance for any combination or any span, at the most highly stressed point on the span, or in the case bearing at supports, the highest ratio at any support. A response ratio greater than 1.000 indicates a failed design.

The critical response for a primary criterion is the highest ratio of any the applicable subsidiary criteria.