OG,

I hope you are working through all of this with your checker who ultimately must buy into whatever scheme you come up with.

Beam Element modeling will not give you complete information and you are at risk for missing a higly loadced localized condition. The cautionary note in the B31 Appendix D seection of the codes were not placed there to waste ink.

And frankly if you have to turn to the internet for help and counsel this also indicates that you are working in isolation, a condition that is not a good thing either.