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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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This is a bug that occurred in version 5.10. It has been fixed in current versions. The error was caused by a Windows update that set automatic deletion of temporary files and folders. The program has created a folder to store temporary files or calculated results. Unfortunately, before the calculation ran out, Windows deleted the folder. The program had nowhere to store the data and displayed a "Write Data () failed of module RF-STEEl EC3" message. Unfortunately, data cannot be saved. To resolve this issue, disable the Windows Temporary Unused Erase feature or install a newer version of RFEM.
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Entering guidelines into the user-defined coordinate system is currently not possible and in most cases is not necessary. If you take a roof plane as an example (see Figure 1), it is only necessary to enter the Guidelines related to the work planes.
In the attached video, I have used the function "Guidelines → Slant with 2 Points" for the roof plane. -
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Operational combinations are not intentionally loaded into the module because there is no requirement to evaluate them in the standard. The internal forces or responses induced by these combinations can be read directly in RFEM.
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The message (Figure 1) indicates that the dimensions of the model are very large. This may have the following causes:
1) The dimensions of the model are indeed very large so that no further action is necessary.2) During the import, the wrong units of length were set. In this case, check the length units in the "ASCII Format DXF (* .dxf)" tab of the "Import" window and set the desired length unit (Figure 2).3) The model is far away from the origin. The model can be moved to the origin in the CAD program and then imported into RSTAB / RFEM. -
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To implement this in the program, you have to copy the "Temperature" load case (see Figure 01). All loads contained in the load case will be copied as well. One load case is used for the load situation in the ultimate limit state (ULS), the other one for the serviceability limit state (SLS). The load loading in the load case for ULS is now multiplied by 1.0 / 1.5 = 0.667 (see Figure 02).
In order for the two load cases to not occur simultaneously, but only for the specific design situation, exceptions are determined in the respective combination rules. For ULS, it is quite simple to define the self-weight load case such that it is not combined with the Temperature User-Defined Case for SLS (see Figure 03). The exact opposite for SLS, that is load case self-weight not with temperature for ULS (see Figure 04). The "Different for each combination expression" check must be activated.
The desired load combinator is then obtained (see Figure 05).
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Yes, that works. All you have to do is click "Window" in the menu bar. You can select different layouts (see Figure 1). With this option, you can, for example, display different results of the model clearly arranged in several smaller windows.
You can also print several windows in the printout report as shown on the screen (see Figure 2). In this way, you can save several views in a space-saving way. -
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In a dynamic analysis, you can only calculate the eigen modes as many degrees of freedom as the system has. With degrees of freedom, the number of ground points multiplied by the number of directions into which the masses act is meant.
Example
A cantilever that is not split by the FE mesh has a ground point at the end. The action direction of the masses in RF- / DYNAM Pro is limited to the X and Y direction. Thus, the system has 2 degrees of freedom, so only 2 mode shapes can be calculated.
Caution: In this case, the choice of the solution method is very important. In contrast to the "Root of characteristic polynomial" method, the Lanczos method can not calculate all eigenvalues of the system, but only n -1, which means in this example only 1 eigenvalue.
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You can access the results of the individual load increments by activating the "Save results of load increments" option in the calculation parameters of the load case or load combination (see Figure 1).
By using the "Calculation diagrams" window in the calculation parameters, it is possible to additionally evaluate individual results for selected elements (see Figure 2). It is also possible to easily create several calculation diagrams. -
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The tolerance epsilon can be found in the FE mesh settings in the "General" pane. It controls how the FE mesh generator should behave when nodes are very close to lines. Figure 3 shows the difference. If the tolerance is greater than the distance of the node to the line, this small local difference in the mesh generation is neglected. In the example shown, the line of the line is redirected to the node. In this case, the line is no longer ideally straight. If the Tolerance is smaller than the distance, a separate FE node is created for the node.The error message appears if the distance between two adjacent nodes is smaller than epsilon and they are connected by a line (see Figure 3). In most cases, this is due to an inaccuracy in the modeling. Since the error message contains no information about node numbers, you can use the model check "Identical Nodes". The program searches for nodes whose spacing falls below a tolerance delta. Now set the Tolerance value to the value of epsilon. Then, the nodes are listed in the upper part of the dialog box.As described below, the descriptions differ depending on the case. If there is an inaccuracy in the modeling, it can be adjusted. In other cases, it is, of course, possible to further reduce the tolerance of epsilon. -
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It is often the case that the dimensions of the members do not match.In the example model, the horizontal beam has a flange width of 200 mm and the column support of 160 mm.This joint is not allowed in the add-on module because the flange width of the column should be at least as large as the flange width of the structural element to be connected. As soon as the cross-sections are defined according to this rule, the connection's design is also perfect.
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First Steps
We provide hints and tips to help you get started with the main programs RFEM and RSTAB.
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I would like to pay a compliment to your support team. I am always impressed how quickly and professionally the questions are answered. In the industry of structural analysis, I use several software including service contract, but your support is by far the best.”
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11/28/2016
