Arch Structures Made of Tubular Sections
Arch halls made of tubular sections present special structural requirements compared to conventional hall construction with rolled sections. The curved geometry requires a precise determination of the critical loads and a careful assessment of the structural stability, especially the buckling behavior under wind and snow loads. For Statik Breinbauer, who regularly work for a client specializing in this construction method, developing a reliable and repeatable engineering workflow was crucial. One that can handle second-order analysis effects, complex joint geometries, and different load cases.
Steel Design with RFEM 6
Statik Breinbauer uses RFEM 6 as the primary tool for the complete structural design of arch hall projects. With the Structure Stability add-on, the team determines critical loads and derives imperfections directly from the calculated buckling modes, which are incorporated into the subsequent design. The Steel Design add-on performs the code-compliant stability analyses, while the Steel Joints add-on enables a detailed FEM-based assessment of connections with individually assembled structural components. A CAD-to-RFEM workflow via DXF import as a background layer additionally accelerates the model layout — from geometry import to a fully verified structural model with minimal effort.
Advantages of Using Dlubal Software
- Precise Stability Analysis for Curved Structures — The Structure Stability add-on enables a reliable determination of critical loads and the derivation of imperfections from buckling modes — indispensable for arch hall design.
- Faster Modeling through DXF Import — Importing CAD geometry as a background layer in RFEM significantly reduces modeling effort and minimizes input errors for recurring project types.
- Complete Connection Design in One Environment — The Steel Joints add-on allows the individual combination of structural components for complex tubular section connections — a capability often missing in other programs.
- Smooth Documentation for Checking Engineers — Providing the calculation documentation and RFEM model file ensures a smooth checking process without queries regarding the FEM-based connection design.
