Add Safety Tabs - Column ( Modeling )

Tool summary :

  • Positions tabs along the wide flange or HSS column (round or rectangular) that you select. Placement of the tabs is with respect to the bottom of the column.
  • The safety tabs shop weld to the column you selected to add them to. The settings that control the tabs are a " Component " of that column and can be edited on the column's edit window. Those settings can also be accessed by opening the Safety Tabs- Column window (shown below).
This window opens when you add a Safety Tabs - Column custom component. To open this window for editing those tabs, you can set the " Selection filter " to ' Default ' or ' All ' or ' Custom Components '' then double-click one of the tabs.

Another way to edit these same settings is to open the the Column Edit window. The name of the Column Edit window section containing safety tab settings is [ Safety Tabs ] .

Tip: The tabs are positioned along the column based on user-specified distances from the floor (which is the " Floor thickness " from the bottom of the column).

  • You can click the Add Safety Tabs - Column icon instead of doing steps 2 and 3 of the procedure that follows. The icon can be found in the command group ' Model--Component ' for Toolbar Configuration (classic) or Ribbon Editor (lightning).
  • Preselection method for adding: 1 ) In Modeling , select a wide flange, HSS round or HSS rectangular column. 2 ) Invoke Add Component . 3 ) On the custom component selection list, choose " Safety Tabs - Column ." 4 ) The Safety Tabs - Column window opens. Specify the distance from the bottom of the column (minus the " Floor thickness ") that you want the safety tabs to be placed, then press " OK ." 5 ) If User and Site Options > Modeling > " Automatically process after modeling operation " is set to ' Process and create solids ', the tabs will be generated immediately. If not, the tabs will be generated on the column the next time that column undergoes Process and Create Solids .
  • If you use in-tool selection -- that is, select the column after selecting " Safety Tabs - Column " as the custom component you want to add -- only wide flange, HSS rectangular and HSS round columns will be selectable.
  • See, on this help page, to edit or delete the custom component .

    VIDEO The Safety Tabs and Safety Tabs - Column custom components are compared.

Also see :

  • Modeling (where custom components can be added)
  • Custom components (topic)
  • Safety Tabs - Column Setup ( Home > Project Settings > Job > Plugin Defaults > ... )
  • Copy Component (to copy the component and its tabs to another column)
  • Move Component (to move the component and its tabs to another column)
  • Explode Component (to reduce the component to its constituent materials, bolts and welds)
  • Component Selection Tool (to search for custom components of a selected type)
  • Model Tree (to find custom components and select them for deletion, editing, etc.)
  • Tip: If you prefer that safety tabs be spaced from the top of a beam instead of from the bottom of a column, you should consider using the Safety Tabs custom component.

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   To add, edit or delete the Safety Tabs - Column custom component :

  • Setup of default settings is available for the edit window that opens when you add this component. The name of the setup window is Column Tabs - Column Setup . In Modeling , it can by opened by choosing Home > Project Settings > Job > Plugin Defaults > Component Plugin Defaults > double-click " Safety Tabs - Column ."
  • To edit a Safety Tabs - Column component, you can double-click one of its materials (to open the Safety Tabs - Column window) or you can open its Column Edit window and access the [ Safety Tabs ] section. The safety tabs will be automatically regenerated in the model when the edit is complete if the appropriate choice is made to User and Site Options > Modeling > " Automatically process after modeling operation ." The Component Selection Tool can also be used to edit (and find) custom components. Note that the " Selection filter " must be set to ' Default ' or ' All ' or ' Custom Components '' in order for you to use the double-click method of editing.
  • To select a Safety Tabs - Column custom component:
Selecting any material (tab) that is part of the component selects the entire component when the " Selection filter " is set to ' Default ' or ' All ' or ' Custom Components '',
  • To delete a Safety Tabs-Column custom component: 1 ) Select the component. 2 ) Press the Delete key (or choose Edit > Delete ). 3 ) Process and Create Solids .
  • Another way to delete a Safety Tabs - Column custom component: 1 ) On the component's Column Edit window's navigation tree (left panel), select " Safety Tabs - Column ." 2 ) Right-click and choose " Delete " on the menu. The section disappears. 3 ) Press the column window's " OK " button to make the deletion of the component permanent.
  • In the Model Tree , the custom component will be listed under the member as Safety Tabs - Column when " View By " is set to ' Member piecemark ' or ' Member numbe r '. The Safety Tabs - Column component will be listed under its column, after that column's connection components ( Left End and Right End ), and before that column's submaterials, welds and bolts. A column's left end is its bottom end.
  • An alternative to this custom component is the Safety Tabs custom component, which lets you place safety tabs on a column by designating a distance above a beam that frames to that column. The safety tabs are generated on the column, but the custom component belongs to the beam.

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   Safety Tabs - Column custom component settings :

     Graphical -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Graphical : or .

  • A Safety Tabs - Column component is automatically set to " Graphical " whenever you make graphical changes to any of its materials or welds. For example, when you Edit Material or perform a cut operation on an Safety Tabs - Column material. Click here for more information.
  • Instead of allowing the component to be made " Graphical ," you may wish to Explode Component .

    Locate --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Add safety cable tabs: or .

If this box is checked ( ), safety cable tabs will be added to each of the " Column face(s) " that you select. Their placement will be governed by the " Floor thickness " and " Distance from floor to 1st safety cable tab " and the " Center to center distance between safety cable tabs ."

If the box is not checked ( ), safety cable tabs will not be added.

Add lifeline tab: or .

If this box is checked ( ), a lifeline tab will be added to each of the " Column face(s) " that you select. Their placement will be governed by the " Floor thickness " and the " Distance from floor to lifeline tab "

If the box is not checked ( ), lifeline tabs will not be added.

Column face(s): Face A and/or Face B and/or Face C and/or Face D . You must select at least one face to get tabs.

face A  face C

' Face B ' is web near side of the column.

' Face A ' is the left flange when you are looking at face B.

' Face C ' is the right flange when you are looking at face B.

' Face D ' is web far side of the column, the face opposite to face B.

Position: Flg/Web and/or OS Flg Face+ and/or OSFlgFace- and/or ISFlgFace+ and/or ISFlgFace- .. This applies when you are adding tabs to a wide flange column. The "OS" face is the outside face of the flange. The "IS" face is the inside face of the flange.

Horizontal offset for Face A/C:

Horizontal offset for Face B/D:

Floor thickness: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the bottom of the column to the surface of the floor. The " Distance from floor to 1st safety cable tab " and " Distance from floor to lifeline tab " are measured from the floor surface. In the example below, this distance is ft .

Distance from floor to 1st safety cable tab: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the surface of the floor to the center of the 1st (lowest) safety cable tab. In the example below, this distance is f1 . A safety cable tab is centered at half its " Plate length ."

Center to center distance between safety cable tabs: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the center of the 1st (lowest) safety cable tab to the center of the next safety cable tab. In the example below, this distance is cc . A safety cable tab is centered at half its " Plate length ."

Distance from floor to lifeline tab: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the floor to the center of the lifeline tab. In the example below, this distance is lh . A lifeline tab is centered at half its " Plate length ."


    Tab Options ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Material grade: A36 or A572 or etc. This is the grade of steel for the tabs. This is also the " Steel grade " of the rectangular plate material that each tab is made of.

Setup: If the grade of steel you want is not shown on the list box ( ), you can use Home > Project Settings > Job > Plate Grades to add it to to the list.

Material color: A predefined color or a custom color . This is the approximate color of the safety tabs when the column they are submaterials of is displayed in one of the three solid forms . This is also the " Color " of the rectangular plate material that a safety tab is made of.

The predefined colors are set up on the Predefined Colors window. The color swatch next to the list box ( ) displays the color that is selected.

Select ' Custom Color ' (last choice on the list) to launch your operating system's color picker and define any color you like.


    Tab Dimensions ------------------------------------------------------------------

Plate thickness: The thickness of each of the tabs (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ). This is also The " Material thickness " of the rectangular plate material that each tab is made of.

Plate length: The length of each of the tabs (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ). This is also the " Order length " of the rectangular plate material that each tab is made of.

Note: The vertical center of a tab is at half of its " Plate length ." The " Distance from floor to 1st safety cable tab " and " Distance from floor to lifeline tab " and " Center to center distance between safety cable tabs " are each measured to the vertical center of a tab.

Plate width: The width of each of the tabs (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ). This is also the " Material width " of the rectangular plate material that each tab is made of.

Plate gage: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) from the face of the column to the center of the hole in the tab. Changing the " Gage " moves the hole closer to or further away from the column face.

Note: The " Plate gage " affects the horizontal alignment of the hole -- not its vertical alignment. The hole is vertically aligned at the half-length of the tab.

Hole diameter: The diameter of the hole in each tab (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ).


  Weld Information ----------------------------------------------------------------

Add weld: Yes or No .

' Yes '
' No '

' Yes ' instructs Safety Tabs - Column to shop weld the tabs to the column.

' No ' instructs Safety Tabs - Column to not add welds.

Weld type: Fillet . This sets the " Weld type " on the Weld Edit window in Modeling as well as the " Weld type " for the weld symbol on the column detail.

symbol name   weld used for...
 fillet General welding of material.

Weld size: A distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) that indicates depth of preparation, size or strength of the weld. This sets the " Weld size " on the Weld Edit window in Modeling as well as the " Weld size " for the weld symbol on the column detail.

Tail text: blank or a text string . This sets the " Supplementary tail text " on the Weld Edit window in Modeling as well as the " Supplementary tail text " for the weld symbol on the column detail.

This weld symbol's tail text is TYP .

If this field is left ' blank ', a tail is not drawn on the weld symbol.

If a ' text string ' is entered, a tail with that text string as the tail text is drawn on the weld symbol.

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