Just out of curiosity Tyrone,
What software application(s) are you using because when I "Play" my applications, the same information is required and like with your system, my software doesn't work by the use of specific weld classification per se like a F-2 or an F or a D and depending on the location of the joint within the structure in some cases other information needs to be added into the calculus also or else your models will not work properly... Here's an interesting article for Tim that was written many moons ago and published in the April of 1999 issue of the The Welding Journal:
http://www.aws.org/wj/supplement/Weaver/ARTICLE2.pdfI use S-FRAME, or SAP2000 and refine with StressCheck... I want to start messing with this 30 day free trial from AutoDesk: Robot Structural Analysis Professional and find out what this doohickey can do! I got a friend that sending me some more software from AutoDesk that does FEA so when I find out more about it I'll let you and Tim know more about it also... Here's a link to the free trial offer from AutoDesk but, I must caution that this software will only work with 64 bit desktops:
http://www.autodesk.com/products/robot-structural-analysis/free-trialI also want to check out SIEMANS Femap which I think has tremendous potential with all that it has to offer and is made by the same folks who came up with Solid Edge that's one of my favorite CAD applications:
http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/products/femap/index.shtmlHere's a free trial of Femap also:
http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/products/femap/free-femap.shtml#lightview-closeRespectfully,
Henry