Getting started with ACS

Create your first concrete section analysis -- from project setup to interpreting flexural capacity results.

What you will learn

In this guide, you will:

Add an Advanced Concrete Section tool to a project
Define a rectangular beam section using a parametric template
Place reinforcement bars
Set material properties and cover
Apply a ULS load combination
Review the flexural capacity and utilisation ratio

By the end, you will have a working concrete section design that you can use as a starting point for your own projects.

Before you start

You need:

An Integraph account
A project (create one from the Projects Dashboard if you do not have one yet)

Step 1: Add ACS to your project

Open your project from the Projects Dashboard. Click Add Tool and select Advanced Concrete Section from the tool catalogue. Give it a descriptive name such as “Beam B1 - Level 2” and click Create.

The tool instance appears in your project’s tool grid. Click it to open the ACS editor.

Step 2: Create a section

In the ACS editor, click Create Section and enter a name (e.g., “300x600 Beam”). The editor opens with an empty canvas.

Apply a template

Click the Template dropdown above the canvas and select Rectangular. Enter:

Width (b): 300 mm
Depth (d): 600 mm

Click Apply. The canvas draws a 300 $\times$ 600 mm rectangular outline.

Step 3: Set materials

In the left panel, open the Materials tab:

Design code: Select your applicable standard (AS 3600, ACI 318, or EN 1992-1-1)
Concrete grade: Select the concrete strength (e.g., N40 for AS 3600, giving $f'_c = 40$ MPa)
Rebar grade: Select the reinforcement grade (e.g., D500N for $f_y = 500$ MPa)

Set cover

In the Cover panel:

Cover method: Choose Manual or Code-Based
- Manual: Enter cover values directly (e.g., 40 mm all sides)
- Code-Based: Select exposure class and fire rating to auto-compute minimum cover
The cover outline appears on the canvas as a dashed line inside the section boundary

Step 4: Place reinforcement

Switch to the Reinforcement tab in the left panel. The reinforcement toolbar appears above the canvas with seven placement tools.

For a simple beam, use the Edge Pattern tool:

Select the Edge Pattern tool from the toolbar
Click the bottom edge of the section on the canvas
In the dialog, set:
- Bar diameter: 20 mm (N20)
- Number of bars: 4
- Edge offset: cover + stirrup diameter + half bar diameter (computed automatically from your cover settings)
Click Apply

Four N20 bars appear along the bottom of the section. You can also add compression reinforcement along the top edge using the same tool with 2 $\times$ N16 bars.

Add stirrups

In the Stirrups panel:

Diameter: 10 mm (N10)
Legs: 2
Spacing: 200 mm

The stirrup outline appears on the canvas, and $A_{sv}$ is computed for shear checks.

Step 5: Apply design loads

Open the Applied Loads panel and select Beam as the member type.

Under the ULS tab, the default load combination “ULS 1” is already present. Enter:

$M^*_x$ : 250 kN.m (design bending moment about the major axis)
$V^*$ : 150 kN (design shear force)

Leave $N^*$ , $M^*_y$ , and $T^*$ as zero for a simple beam.

Step 6: Review results

Results appear in the right panel as calculations complete automatically.

Flexure (ULS tab)

The Flexure panel shows:

Result	Description
$M_u$	Nominal moment capacity
$\phi M_u$	Design moment capacity (after applying strength reduction factor $\phi$ )
Utilisation	$M^* / \phi M_u$ — must be $\leq 1.0$ for adequacy
NA depth	Neutral axis depth at ultimate
Ductility	$k_u$ (AS 3600) or $\varepsilon_t$ (ACI 318) — checked against code limit

A green pass/fail indicator shows whether the section is adequate. If the utilisation ratio exceeds 1.0, you need to increase the section size or add more reinforcement.

Shear (ULS tab)

The Shear panel shows:

Result	Description
$V_{uc}$	Concrete shear contribution
$V_{us}$	Steel shear contribution (from stirrups)
$\phi V_u$	Design shear capacity
Utilisation	$V^* / \phi V_u$

Section properties

The Properties tab shows gross, transformed, and cracked section properties including area, centroid, and second moments of area.

Step 7: Generate a report

Once you are satisfied with the design, click Generate Report to produce a PDF summarising the section geometry, material properties, reinforcement layout, and all design check results.

Next steps

Now that you have completed your first concrete section analysis, you can:

Learn about section geometry options — templates, custom outlines, and voids
Explore reinforcement tools in detail — patterns, grids, and prestressing tendons
Understand the analysis methods — ULS, SLS, fire, and moment-curvature
Try a worked example — realistic beam design with hand calculation verification