Spreadsheet programming is presented as a new programming alternative for solving daily calculations in the engineering design office. Two spreadsheet programs with different applications are used to introduce the reader to this technique. A retaining wall template demonstrates the advantage of altering one design parameter and seeing the results propagate instantly, thus leaving the engineer with a very responsive tool. A prestressed bridge template organizes in separate windows the engineering design process involved in the prestress design. The template is written according to the design requirements of AASHTO. It allows the engineer to verify different alternatives in the design of the concrete girder, hence leading to a manually optimized section.

A computational procedure is described for determining nonlinear response of a building system subjected to earthquake motion. The method is sufficiently simple for use with a microcomputer because system response is expressed in terms of a single generalized coordinate. Deflected shapes for the systems are assumed to be invariant for all amplitudes of motion. The equation of motion is integrated for each instant of response on the basis of a normalized relation between base shear and top-level deflection. The hysteretic relation is constructed for each new cycle using cubic segments to express a path from initial unloading through force and deflection reversals to the point of maximum deflection. The base motion is selected from a menu of earthquake records stored on diskette. Results displayed on screen consist of histories of acceleration at the top-level and maximum interstory drift, and the computed force-deflection relation.

SP-98 Because the design of concrete structures and proportioning concrete mixtures can be complex, you need state-of-the-art knowledge when selecting structural systems and construction materials. Computer Applications in Concrete Technology has been especially prepared to aid designers and engineers in all facets of concrete design and technology. Providing a source of "know-how" for the entire civil engineering community, this symposium volume of 13 papers covers a broad spectrum of computer applications. Some of the subjects include: expert systems for selecting concrete constituents, analysis of reinforced concrete shear walls, analysis and design of load-bearing tilt-up walls, decision support systems for design, and spreadsheet programming for structural design. Other topics include: monitoring construction with microcomputers as you build, analysis and design of reinforced and prestressed concrete compression members using desktop computers, and integrated design environment for concrete structures.

Presents a new computer design environment that allows the designer complete freedom in choosing design options. It combines three common tools--analysis, graphics, and a spreadsheet--into a completely integrated system. The environment allows the designer to take results directly from the analysis database, display them graphically, choose the values to be used for design, and then insert those values automatically into the spreadsheet environment. The spreadsheet can be customized, through the use of templates, to fit any design scheme. A template for the design of singly reinforced concrete beams is presented.

The computer-aided design field is expanding rapidly. There is an abundance of commercial and public domain software that is available. It is no longer necessary to write programs to introduce students to computer-aided design. The availability of spreadsheet programs has added a new dimension to computer-aided design. The principal advantage of a spreadsheet program is that it allows a series of relational steps to be programmed without having to know a programming language or having to write formal program statements. In addition, if a change is made in a particular step of a program, changes are automatically made in steps affected by that change. This can be a significant advantage in teaching reinforced concrete design. Students can use the templates created by the spreadsheet programs to answer "what if" questions about design. In this paper, several programs for the flexural design and shear design of reinforced concrete beams are described. These programs are not written in a programming language but are formulated with a spreadsheet program. The programs were run on a mainframe computer. The basic formulation of a spreadsheet program is described. Advantages of using spreadsheet programs in computer-aided design and their application in undergraduate courses in reinforced concrete design are discussed.