Ancon has released an enhanced version of its popular Shearfix design software that enables engineers to maintain a flat concrete slab at column heads by reinforcing the area against punching shear with a CARES-approved, prefabricated, stud-rail system.

This Eurocode 2 compliant software automatically calculates the optimum design of Shearfix punching shear reinforcement for virtually any column size, shape and location. It will take into account any number of rectangular or circular slab openings, showing the designed stud and rail layout in either a 2D or 3D view, depending on user preference. Input tabs, sequenced logically, capture the column data quickly and easily, with a punching shear check and stud-rail design generated in seconds, even for stepped slabs where stud height varies.

Notably, the program allows the designer to select between two options, ‘EC2’ or ‘Best Practice’, for large and elongated columns, and while both provide valid calculations Ancon recommends the latter, as this reflects latest research findings and the rules in the widely accepted Model Code 2010 to generate a more accurate design.

The advanced software now aids the engineer further by automatically calculating the load eccentricity factor, β, once users input the applied design moments and will calculate the effective slab depth and reinforcement ratio from multiple layers of tensile slab reinforcement.

Multiple calculations can now be saved in a single project folder, with sub-directories for floor levels, to ease project management and allow bulk export of information in both PDF and DXF.