The Field Clearances window ( Job Settings )

Field clearance is, in most cases, the distance between the supported member and the supporting member or between the face of the connection and the face of the supporting member.

It is set to allow room for the fastening together of the members at the work site.

With the exception of the option " Do not round up end plate field clearances ," the field clearances entered on this window apply to connection design of non auto standard connections.

Also see :

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To open the Field Clearances window :

Method 1 : Home > Project Settings > Job > Design > Field Clearances .

Methods 2, 3 & 4 : In Modeling or the Drawing Editor , choose Settings > Job Settings > Field Clearances (classic), or use a keyboard shortcut , or click the icon.

Password protection: If a password has been set using the Change Setup Password utility, you can open this window only if you first enter that exact password.

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------ Beam connections: non-auto standard ------

Shear plates: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) between the end of the beam to the face of the supporting member or, for an extend-past-flange beam-to-beam shear plate, the distance between the beams. This field clearance applies to shear plates whose specifications are entered on the Beam Edit window and to user defined shear plates.

fc = field clearance

Please note: So long as an " Automatic minus dimension " is used, connection design calculates the distance from the face of the support to the column of holes in the shear plate using the field clearance entered here plus the beam's end edge distance. This is then rounded up to the next 1/4 inch (or even millimeters for metric). As a result, the actual calculated field clearance may be larger than specified, but not less. For shear plates on a sloping beam with a square cut end, the calculated field clearance is never more than 1/8 inch larger than specified here.

Shear tees: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the face of the connection to the face of the supporting member. This applies to shear tees that field bolt to the supporting member (beam or column) and " Attach " in the shop to the supported member (the beam). This field clearance applies to shear tees whose specifications are entered on the Beam Edit window and to user defined shear tees.

fc = field clearance

Shear Plate Settings: End of beam to face of shear tee setback (a related opton)

Clip angle on supported: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the face of the connection to the face of the supporting member. This applies to clip angles that field bolt to the supporting member (beam or column) and attach in the shop to the supported member (the beam). This field clearance applies to shop-attached-to-supported clip angles whose specifications are entered on the Beam Edit window and to user defined clip angles.

fc = field clearance

Clip angle on supporting: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the face of the supporting member to the web of the beam that the clip angles field bolt to. This applies to clip angles that shop weld to the supporting member (beam or column) and field bolt to the supported member (the beam). This field clearance applies to shop-attached-to-supporting clip angles whose specifications are entered on the Beam Edit window and to user defined clip angles.

fc = field clearance

Bent plates: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the face of the connection to the face of the supporting member. This applies to bent plates that field bolt to the supporting member (beam or column) and attach in the shop to the supported member (the beam). This field clearance applies to bent plates whose specifications are entered on the Beam Edit window and to user defined bent plates.

fc = field clearance

End plates: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the face of the connection to the face of the column. This field clearance applies to end plates whose specifications are entered on the Beam Edit window and to user defined end plates.

fc = field clearance

Also see: " Do not round up end plate field clearances " (on this page)

Seats: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the end of the beam to the face of the column. This field clearance applies to beam seats whose specifications are entered on the Beam Edit window and to user defined beam seats.

fc = field clearance

Splices: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) between the two beams. This field clearance applies to beam splices whose specifications are entered on the Beam Edit window and to user defined beam seats.

fc = field clearance

Plain end: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) between the beam and the beam or column that the beam frames to. This applies when the beam's " Input connection type " is ' Plain end '.

VIDEO A beam's left-end " Input connection type " is set to ' Plain end ." The " Plain end " field clearance is changed. The new clearance is applied when the beam undergoes Process and Create Solids . (Recorded in SDS2 Detailing , v2016.)

fc = field clearance

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------ Brace connections ------

Brace to other member: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) between the end of the brace and the face of the supporting beam or column. Or it is the distance between the end fitting on the brace and the face of the supporting beam or column. Or it is the distance between the end of the brace and the clip angle that bolts the gusset to the supporting member.

fc = field clearance

Applications: This applies when the " Input connection type " is ' Hbrc plate ' or ' User defined ' on the Horizontal Brace Edit window, or when the " Input connection type " is ' Vbrc plate ' or ' User defined ' on the Vertical Brace Edit window.

A special case: In most cases, the field clearance is a horizontal or vertical distance. For the field clearance between a brace and a sloping beam or sloping column, the distance is measured perpendicular from the beam to the brace.

Brace to gusset: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) between the end of the brace and the edge of the gusset plate. This applies to any pipe or tube horizontal brace or when the " Pipe/tube end-fitting " on an pipe or tube vertical brace is a ' Paddle plate ' (as illustrated below) or ' Bolted '.  

fc = field clearance

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------ Joist connections ------

Plain end and bearing: The distance parallel with the workline of the joist (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the input point of the joist ( X ) to the top of the joist's top chord. This distance is measured along the top of the top chord of the joist.

joist to beam

Applications: This clearance may be applied when the joist " Input connection type ' is ' Plain end ' or ' Bearing ' or ' User defined ' or ' Auto Standard '.

Note 1: The clearance affects the " Overall Length " reported in the Joist Report as well as positions the joist on the beam's top flange.

Note 2: The value entered here can impact the connection failure message " Beam flange too narrow for min joist bearing ."

Note 3: The joist to beam field clearance is irrelevant when the joist's top chord is extended.

Seated: The distance parallel with the workline of the joist (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the top edge of the joist's top chord to the face of the supporting member.

seated joist

Note: Since the joist seat field clearance is measured parallel with the slope of the joist, the actual distance between the top chord and the column will always be a horizontal distance if the column is perfectly vortical. That horizontal distance may be less than this field clearance. Also, since the joist seat field clearance is measured along the top of the joist's top chord, the bottom of the joist's top chord may be closer to the column than the field clearance.

Bottom chord extension: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the edge of the joist's extended bottom chord to the face of the supporting member.

A joist with a bearing connection and an extended bottom chord.

Joist connection types: This clearance may be applied when the joist " Input connection type ' is ' Flush framed shear ' or ' Bearing ' or ' Seated ' or ' User defined ' or ' Auto standard '.

Framing situations: The joist can frame to a beam or column. ' Bearing ' connections can be applied to a column with a cap plate as well as to the top flange a beam. ' Flush framed shear ' connections can be applied to a beam or column. ' Seated ' connections can be applied to a column.

To extend a bottom chord: For any of above-listed connection types or framing situations, set " Extend bottom chord " to checked. " Extend bottom chord " and its related options are also available in the " Connection specifications " leaf at Home > Project Settings > Job > Connections > Auto Standard Connections and User Defined Connections as well as the Joist Edit window.

Knife plate: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the edge of the joist's knife plate to the face of the supporting member (beam or column).

A joist with a ' Flush framed shear ' connection that frames to a beam.

Applications: This clearance may be applied when the joist " Input connection type ' is ' Flush framed shear ' or ' Flush framed clip angle ' or ' User defined ' or ' Auto standard '. A flush framed shear connection can be designed as the end connection for a joist to a beam or column.

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------ Welded connections ------

These options apply when the " Input connection type " on a vertical brace is ' Welded ' and the vertical brace is a ' Back to back ' double-angle to the stem of a W tee (or S tee) chord member. Typically a W tee beam is used as the chord member.

Brace to supporting member: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the end of the back-to-back double-angle vertical brace to the k distance of the W tee or S tee. This applies to 1-point, 2-point and 3-point vertical bracing. Click here for examples from the Connection Guide.

   fc = field clearance

Brace to brace: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) between any two adjacent back-to-back double-angle braces in a 2-point or 3-point branch. Click here for examples from the Connection Guide.

   fc = field clearance

Exception: Connection design calculates the field clearance between the vertical braces assuming that the two or three double-angle braces share the same work point. If the work points are some distance apart from one another, the actual field clearance may be something other than the distance that is entered here.

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------ End plate field clearances ------

Do not round up end plate field clearances: or . This option applies to field clearances on all system -designed end plates, auto standard and non-auto standard.

If this box is checked ( ), connection design will generate all end plate connections without using the rounding procedure that could result in a 1/16-inch (or 1-mm) extra gap being added to an end plate's field clearance. As a result, an end plate's field clearance will more likely be as specified for " End plates " on this window, or in Job Setup > Auto Standard Connections . Warning: If you do this in an existing Job, the lengths and piecemarks of affected members may change.

If the box is not checked ( ), connection design may, for particular situations, continue to add a 1/16-inch (or 1-mm) extra gap to the user-specified field clearance. The additional gap will most likely be added if your beams are sloping or if your primary dimension " Units " are set to ' Metric '.

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------ Steel to concrete connections ------

End and pocket clearance: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the end of the beam to the face of the embed or the pocket. This affects the " Automatic minus dimension " that is applied to a beam with a shear plate or clip angle to an embed plate, or a beam with a bearing connection. Entering an " Input minus dimension " overrides this end clearance for individual beams.

e = end clearance 

  e = pocket clearance

Beam-to-concrete bearing connections: A bearing plate or angle or channel embed can be created in the model from the Beam Edit window by selecting ' Bearing ' as the " Input connection type " and making an " Embed schedule entry ." You are able to make an " Embed schedule entry " only if that beam's end frames to a concrete wall or panel.

Joist-to-concrete bearing connections: A joist end pocket is created in a concrete wall (or tilt-up panel if you have a concrete license ) when ' Bearing ' is selected as the " Input connection type " on the Joist Edit window and the joist top chord frames to the concrete wall or panel.

Pocket grout thickness: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the bottom of the beam to the bottom of the pocket. For a joist, this distance is from the bottom of the joist's shoe to the bottom of the pocket.   

The grout bearing thickness ( g ) positions the bottom of the pocket and also positions the embed (a bearing plate in this example). A bearing embed can also be an angle or a channel.


A joist top chord supported by a bearing embed plate (see " Schedule entry "). The " Pocket grout thickness " in this example is ' 0 ' (zero), a value which positions the embed flush with the bottom of the shoe.

Beam steel-to-concrete connections: A bearing plate or angle or channel embed can be created in the model from the Beam Edit window by selecting ' Bearing ' as the " Input connection type " and making an " Embed schedule entry ." You are able to make an " Embed schedule entry " only if that beam's end frames to a concrete wall (or tilt-up panel if you have a concrete license ). For a beam, this field clearance sets the value that is entered to " Grout thickness " when that option is unlocked ( ) in the " Beam End Pocket " leaf.

Joist steel-to-concrete connections: A joist end pocket is created in a concrete wall (or tilt-up panel if you have a concrete license ) when ' Bearing ' is selected as the " Input connection type " on the Joist Edit window and the joist top chord frames to the wall or panel. For a joist, this clearance sets the " Grout thickness " when that option is unlocked ( ) in the " Joist End Pocket " leaf.

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To close the Field Clearances window :

   

"OK" (or the Enter key) closes the Field Clearances window and saves the settings on it to the Job Settings file in your current Job .

Note: If you have made changes to this window after having added members to the 3D model, you should interactively mark for processing (or Process Selected ) all members in your current Job, then Process and Create Solids in order to ensure design consistency throughout the Job.

"Cancel" (or the Esc key or the button) closes this window without saving any changes made to it.

"Reset" undoes all changes made to this window since you first opened it. The window remains open.

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