Technical Guidance Note (Level 1, No. 12): Reading reinforced concrete drawings

This note is split into two sections; the first contains information a designer of steel elements provides, while the second contains information a fabricator creates in order to manufacture and construct the steel structure. While one feeds into the other, the level of detail each set of information provides is very different, due primarily to the end result. One is informing the manufacture of the steelwork, while the other focuses on its installation.

Moment distribution is a method by which statically indeterminate structures are analysed elastically. It’s based on the relative stiffness of elements, and shifts bending moments from one section of the structure to another until they become balanced. Once this balance has been achieved, forces and bending moments are modelled. Updated in October 2016.

This note explains the various methods adopted to ensure lateral stability and robustness in structures.