In a pinch, design prefab floors

The automation of construction technology is taking off. In the process, software solutions are being designed for increasingly specific target groups and sub-areas. Matrix Software recently launched its new tool for calculating precast concrete floors. Under the name MatrixLigger, this calculation software is an excellent tool for modelers and structural engineers at manufacturers of precast floor systems.

Matrix Software has been developing software for the design and production of building structures for over forty years. Main target groups are structural engineers, steel builders, concrete factories and frame producers who can choose from a wide range of software packages. This ranges from ERP solutions and production planning to calculation and drawing software for structures. "Several years ago we started developing MatrixLigger for the precast flooring industry," begins Jan Willem Fokkema, Business Unit Manager Structural analysis & Precast software. "That led, among other things, to the integration of the CAD/CAM package IC-Prefab and MatrixLigger, a design program for concrete, steel and timber structures. Among other things, these work with XML as the basic language and can therefore communicate together, but also with all other common calculation and drawing programs. MatrixLigger is designed to interface with all drawing systems commonly used by manufacturers of precast floor systems. In addition, MatrixLigger is cloud-based and does not require local installation. All calculations can be performed just fine via the Internet."

A major reason for developing MatrixLigger lies in the aging population and staff turnover. Fokkema: "Until recently, many factories worked with their own customized software, put together by their own employees and kept afloat over the years with love, but also with a great deal of effort. When those employees retire or leave the company for some other reason, replacing this software is very costly. It is also doubtful whether programmers can be found who have the skills to convert the new Eurocode into workable software for strength calculations. Quality assurance under the new Quality Assurance Act is another argument for choosing MatrixLigger. The calculation results of the manufacturer-specific calculations can be verified daily in our autotester." 

Cloudbased, verification, all possible prefabricated floor systems and API are the design arguments used to design MatrixLigger. "Currently, MatrixLigger is already being implemented at a number of companies. These can use it to make detailed calculations of traditional and prestressed wide slab floors, hollowcore slabs, rib-cassette floors and beam floors. All common cross-sections from Bisofloor, Bruil, Dycore, De Hoop Pekso, Prefab Beton Veghel, VBI, Waardo and you name it, are already in it." 

In MatrixLigger, the structural engineer or modeler of a concrete producer can make all structural calculations from a single beam to a complete system floor, including ravelings. Fokkema: "Thanks to the default settings, a system floor can be quickly designed based on the requirements for strength, stability, deflection and fire resistance. The preconditions for the follow-up process can also be taken into account, such as production, storage, transport, assembly, pouring, curing and demoulding. The result can then be sent to the next application, possibly with a reinforcement proposal, for making the digital twin or reinforcing the drawing, for example. The great thing is that each element can have its own calculation report and verified calculation along with it. If you want a floor system to be verified during each day, you can. Especially with the Quality Assurance Act coming up, that's handy, to say the least."  

Matrix began developing the calculation program five years ago, and Fokkema is very proud of the end result. "MatrixLigger is user-friendly, created with new architecture and new technologies, is cloudbased to deploy, communicates seamlessly with all common design and calculation programs, and it includes all product codes and regulations. As a result, it was very complex to create." Matrix also provides training and validations. "Often the application we need to replace is a program created by someone who has left. There are errors in that, too. If you're going to replace that with a new product, according to the new standards, we have to validate to find out where any differences come from. In the end, we do it for the customer, who thereby gets an optimized calculation program and gets rid of a lot of manual work and control calculations."