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A Comparison of Software for Anchor Design

When performing ACI 318 Appendix D Design for concrete anchors, many engineers turn to the software that is made available by the product manufacturers. If you have used multiple programs for Anchor Design, you may have had questions about the capabilities and methods for each program. In an article in Structure Magazine in April 2013, Marshall Carman from Steven Schaefer Associates (now known as Schaefer) compares five software programs for Anchor Design (both proprietary manufacturer software and third party software), along with two additional programs for base plates.

The article – Using Software to Control Anchor Design (html | pdf) – explains the capabilities of the different software programs, and includes a chart that makes a visual comparison among programs.

We covered a similar topic in the June 2010 SE University session, which was the 2nd in a 2-part series on ACI Appendix D. In this session, Mark Bartlett, P.E. followed a design example through different proprietary manufacturer programs to review the results.