Evaluation of DAD_ETABS procedure and software for the design of high-rise steel buildings for wind

Abstract

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has developed advanced Database-Assisted Design (DAD) procedures for the design of structural members subjected to direction-dependent wind loads. Recently, a DAD_ETABS procedure that uses the ETABS software was developed with a view to facilitating the use of the DAD approach in structural engineering practice. DAD_ETABS is a powerful software package enabling DAD's unique safety and economy features to be part of general structural design practice. The purpose of this report is to review the main features of the DAD_ETABS structural design procedure and software and assess them from the point of view of its potential use in structural engineering design practice. The report presents a review of the procedure and the results of testing the performance of the DAD_ETABS software by performing an independent structural design of an example high-rise steel building. An assessment of the software and its potential for routine use in structural engineering design practice is then presented, followed by a set of recommendations on future work aimed at enhancing the software's capabilities as a widely used practical design tool.