Newly released with ACI 318-14 and CSA A23.3-14 spMats v8.12 incorporates a sophisticated FEM Solver increasing capacity and substantially speeding up solution for large and complex models.
spMats v8.12 is highly efficient and widely used for analysis, design and investigation of commercial building foundations and industrial mats and slabs on grade.
Engineers worldwide use spMats (formerly pcaMats, MATS) to optimize complicated foundations design, reinforcing and soil-structure interaction.
spMats, formerly pcaMats/MATS, is a program for analysis and design of concrete foundation mats, combined footings, and slabs on grade. The slab is modeled as an assemblage of rectangular finite elements. The boundary conditions may be the underlying soil, nodal springs, piles, or translational and rotational nodal restraints. The model is analyzed under uniform (surface) and concentrated loads. The resulting deflections, soil pressure (or spring reactions), and bending moments are output. The program computes the required area of reinforcing steel in the slab in accordance with ACI 318-14/11/08/05/02 and CSA A23.3-14/04/94. The program also performs punching shear calculations around columns and piles.
spMats uses the plate-bending theory and the Finite Element Method (FEM) to model the behavior of the mat or slab. The soil supporting the slab is assumed to behave as a set of one-way compression-only springs (Winkler foundation).