SAFE Version 12.3.

1
Release Notes
© Copyright Computers and Structures, Inc., 2010

Release Date: 2010-12-16

This file lists all changes made to SAFE since the previous version. Most changes do not affect most users. Incidents
marked with an asterisk (*) in the first column of the tables below are more significant and are included in the ReadMe
file.

Changes from V12.3.0 (2010-07-12)

Analysis
Enhancements Implemented
* Incident Description
* 26699 The sign of all results for hyperstatic load cases has been reversed to be consistent with common
usage. There has been no change in the magnitude of the results, except as may occur due to the
changes under Incident 26700. Hyperstatic load cases calculate the secondary forces due to the
support reactions present in another (parent) load case. With the new sign, the primary response can
be obtained by subtracting the hyperstatic response from the parent load case. Load combinations
containing hyperstatic load cases for models made prior to v12.3.1 should be checked for the correct
sign. Similarly, design using these combinations should be reverified.
29483 The thin-plate formulation has been added as an option for slab sections. The thick-plate
formulation is the default and the recommended option. The thin-plate option is provided primarily
for comparison purposes, especially with theoretical results. The thick-plate option generally
provides better forces for design.

Design
Enhancements Implemented
* Incident Description
* 27418 The National Annex to Eurocode 2 has been implemented for Denmark, Finland, Norway, Slovenia,
and Sweden for reinforced and post-tensioned concrete design using “Eurocode 2-2004”.
* 29711 The Chinese concrete design code has been updated from GB 50010-2002 to GB 50010-2010.
* 30046 The Australian code "AS 3600-2009" has been added for the design of reinforced- and prestressed-
concrete beams and slabs.
30469 The automatic load combinations created for design by Eurocode 2-2004 now include snow loads
when these are present in the model.

Installation & License

Enhancements Implemented
* Incident Description
30051 An enhancement was implemented allowing the program level (i.e., STANDARD, PT, etc.) to be
chosen when starting the program using the command-line option /L.

SAFE V12.3.1 2010-12-16 Page 1

User Interface
Incidents Resolved
* Incident Description
29367 An incident was resolved where the drop down sub-menus would become enabled even when the
main menu items were disabled. This was rare and based on order of other menu items with sub-
menus being accessed earlier.

Analysis
Incidents Resolved
* Incident Description
* 26700 An incident was resolved that fixed a few problems with the results for hyperstatic load cases: (1)
The small internal stiffnesses used to stabilize the structure during a hyperstatic analysis were too
large in some models, thereby reducing the hyperstatic response. This tended to affect models where
large stiffness values were used for supports. (2) Joint reactions and base reactions reported for
hyperstatic load cases were and are not meaningful, and are now set to zero. (3) The sign of the
results for hyperstatic load cases has been reversed to be consistent with common practice. This
latter change is further described under Incident 26699.

Design
Incidents Resolved
* Incident Description
* 27652 An incident was resolved where the strip design results were incorrect if the area objects included in
the strip had rotated local axes. The strip design results for models containing rotated area object
local axes should be reverified. Other results were not affected by this problem.
* 28680 An incident was resolved where there were a number of limitations in the implementation of the
response-spectrum load cases imported from ETABS: (1) Not all of the loads associated with the
additional eccentricity specified in response-spectrum load cases were being exported from ETABS.
This has been fixed in ETABS v9.7.2 and is documented in its release under Incident 30570. (2)
Some response-spectrum load cases were not being added into automatically generated design load
combinations. (3) Strip forces for response-spectrum load cases were reported as zero in the
database table output. (4) Load combinations that included response-spectrum cases were not being
treated as being double-valued and therefore only showed the maximum values in plots and only
used the maximum values in design. The minimum values were not getting used.
30213 An incident was resolved for the "ACI 318-08, "Eurocode 2-2004", and "NZS 3101-06" design code
in which the punching-shear capacity was reduced when a prestressing force was present in
slab/beam. The results were always over-conservative. No other design codes were affected.
* 30472 An Incident was resolved in which automated load combinations generated for design for loading
code AS 3600-01 had the following issues: (1) For clause AS/NZS 1170.0-02, 4.2.2(g), the scale
factor for dead load was taken as 1.0 when it should have been 1.2. This load combination is only
present with snow load. (2) For clause AS/NZS 1170.0-02, 4.2.2(d), the load combination 1.2D +/-
1.0 W was not being created because it had been assumed to be included in the combination 1.2D
+0.4L +/- 1.0W. The omitted load combination rarely governed. (3) For prestressing design, the
initial service load combinations 1.15D + 1.15 PT and 0.8D + 1.15 PT were not being created. The
omitted load combinations rarely governed the initial service condition.

SAFE V12.3.1 2010-12-16 Page 2

Results Display and Output
Incidents Resolved
* Incident Description
26378 An incident was resolved in which an error sometimes occurred when creating reports if the format
file controlling the layout of tables was restricted to having read-only access. Now the report
creation will not be affected by the access settings for the format file.
* 27489 The reported transverse (plate) shear stresses (S13, S23) and shear forces (V13, V23) have been
29277 changed for the slab element. Under previous Incident 19478, the stresses had been changed to be
computed from equilibrium with the moment gradients rather than from shearing deformations.
While this improved some results, other results became less accurate. As a result, the transverse
shear stresses are now reverted to being calculated from shearing deformation. However, the
stresses will now be reported as constant over the element to eliminate spurious gradients that were
the reason for the previous change. The net result is stresses that are of low order, as expected, but
that converge correctly with mesh refinement. There is no substantial change in the results where
the twisting moment is small. This change only affects the reported transverse shear values. There is
no change to the stiffness of the element, to the computed deformations, nor to the reported
membrane forces, plate moments, and in-plane stresses (S11, S22, S12).
28100 An incident was resolved in which an unhandled exception (runtime error) sometimes occurred in
the Report Setup form when the Select Load Cases/Combos button was clicked.

Data Files (.FDB, .F2K, .$SF)

Incidents Resolved
* Incident Description
27266 An incident was resolved which caused some older version .fdb files not to be opened in version
12.3.0. The .f2k files could still be imported.

External Import/Export
Incidents Resolved
* Incident Description
30630 An incident was resolved in which the units were not being exported to the Program Control
database table if the model was run from a script file and the export of the database tables was
requested from the command line in the script file.

Installation & License

Incidents Resolved
* Incident Description
26815 An incident was resolved in which the command Help > About SAFE > License Info would always
show the "Locking Criteria" as "Disk ID" even when it should be "Computer ID Key".

Miscellaneous
* Incident Description
27615 The version number has been changed to v12.3.1 for a new minor release.

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