GENERAL DESCRIPTION

COUNTRIES OF APPLICATION

ECtools is a design software for Reinforced Concrete and Unreinforced Masonry

Structures that aims to facilitate the practicing structural engineer or the design office
in the correct application of the several clauses of Eurocodes 2, 6 and 8. It utilises
the analysis results of either SCIA Engineer or ETABS and can be used in the
following causes:

The Eurocodes program has allowed for some diversification within member states,
thus introducing the National Anex for each Eurocode. ECtools has incorporated
those NAs for all EU countries.
Non EU countries, or EU countries without available NAs, can apply either the general
suggestions of the Eurocodes, or a NA of their choice.

Seismic design of new Reinforced Concrete Buildings

Checking/Reviewing the Design of Reinforced Concrete Buildings
Seismic Assessment & retrofiting of existing Reinforced Concrete Buildings
Seismic design of Composite buildings with Concrete Cores (The cores)
Seismic design of Unreinforced Masonry Buildings
Seismic Assessment & retrofiting of existing Unreinforced Masonry Buildings

LANGUAGE
Although the software menu and manual are in English, the final calculation report,
which is part of the design deliverables, can be produced in any EU language the
user wishes, since it is very common for local authorities not to accept calculation
reports in foreign languages.

GENERAL ADVANTAGES
ECtools has been developed by 3. Ltd. which is a subsidiary of Penelis Consulting
Engineers SA, a structural design office with projects in many EU and Non-EU
countries with high seismic risk, such as Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia,
Cyprus, Egypt.
This means that ECtools is a product developed by structural engineers aiming to
satisfy the needs of structural engineers in dealing with large projects. It has been
extensively tested within the design office and many Universities and its predecessor,
eTools, has been in use since 2002 in Greece and Cyprus.

KEY FEATURES
ECtools has some key features which, when beeing combined render it one of the
most efficient design tools in the European Market:

General Building Checks fitting the requirements of EN1998, such as:

Automatic definition of building type
Automatic calculation of behaviour factor q
Torsional Sensitivity
P-D effects
Required seismic joint at each level
Application of the capacity design concept, which is inhrent in all modern seismic
codes
Capacity design of joints (the weak beam - strong column rule)
Capacity shear design of all members for ductile behaviour (capacity shear forces)

Flexural design of all 1D elements 2D walls and cores with

biaxial Moment -Axial force interaction, utilising a very
efficient algorithm that produces fast results, while applying
the cracked sections design concept with parabolic stress
distribution for concrete.

Checking the design of a new building

Input of the design results to be checked via excel spreadsheets
Use of custom safety factors
Indication of elements with inadequacy using red indictors
in the status bar

Seismic Assessment and Strengthenning of existing buildings

Input of the design results to be checked via excel spreadsheets
Use of custom safety factors for verified materials
Use of element ductility factors (primary & secondary
elements)
Available stregthenning options with R/C jackets of existing
elements
Indication of elements with inadequacy using red indicators
in the status bar.

www.ectools.eu
Tel.: +30 2310332032

DEVELOPED BY

SUPPORTED BY