Utilizations on Members

The result tables in the Utilizations by Member category contain the result data for the performed designs with the respective utilizations.

Result Table "Design Ratio on Members" for "Timber Design"

The member results are sorted in the tabs according to the following criteria:

• Actions (design situations, load combinations)
• Member properties (materials, cross-sections)
• Objects (member sets, members, member locations x)

Member Set No. / Member No.

For each design criterion, the number of the member set (if designed) and the member showing the largest utilization is specified.

Location x

The x-location in the member for which the maximum utilization was determined is specified. The following x-locations are relevant for the tabular output:

• Start and end nodes
• Member result intermediate points (if defined)
• Member division according to the mesh settings for members
• Extreme values of internal forces

Stress Point No.

The design is performed at so-called stress points of the cross-section. These points are defined by the coordinates of the centroidal distances. All standard sections in the library are provided with stress points at the design-relevant locations.

You can check the stress points in the cross-section information dialog box. To do this, click the button in the table toolbar. In the 'Stress Points' tab of the info dialog box, the stress points are listed with their coordinates and displayed on the cross-section (see the Stress Points chapter in the RFEM manual).

Design Situation

This column indicates the numbers of the design situations for which the individual utilizations are available.

Loading

The numbers of the load or result combinations that are governing for the respective designs are specified.

Design Criterion

This column shows the design conditions according to the standard. The degree of the respective utilization is expressed by the length of the colored bar.

Design Type

Each design is identified by an ID with a number. For example, the cross-section checks according to Eurocode have the ID 'SP', the stability analyses the ID 'ST', and the serviceability limit state designs the ID 'SE'. The design type is explained in the Description column.

Design Formula

You can activate this column in the Result Table Manager. It shows the equations of the standard according to which the designs are performed.

Description

Each design is explained by a short description with reference to the chapter in the standard.

Filtering Results by Limit State

If you only want to display the results for specific limit states or design types in the table, set the corresponding filters in the Result Table Manager. For example, you can display only the results for the stability analyses by deactivating all 'Rows' except for Stability.

The buttons in the table toolbar also offer the option to quickly show and hide the results of specific limit states. They are accessible if designs for the corresponding limit states are available.

	Shows or hides results for the ultimate limit state
	Shows or hides results for the serviceability limit state
	Shows or hides results for fire resistance designs

Displaying Governing Design Only

Filtering Results by Utilization

The list on the right in the table toolbar offers the option to filter the tables by utilization ratios. With the Max option, only the governing design is output for each object.

Result Table "Design Ratio on Members" for "Timber Design", Result Filter for Maximum Design by Object

You can also use a user-defined filter criterion. To do this, use the Define option in the list. The Result Table Manager dialog box opens with the Criteria - Values tab. Define the condition – for example, to only display utilizations greater than a specific value.

Defining Filter Criteria for Design Ratio

The Filtering Result Tables chapter in the RFEM manual describes how to define conditions for the table values.

Optimizing Cross-Section

If the designs for a cross-section are not fulfilled, you can have the program optimize the cross-section. The smallest possible cross-section within the same cross-section series that meets the requirements is sought. Proceed as follows:

1. Set the table category to Input Data for the steel design.
2. Switch to the Cross-Sections table.
3. Click into the corresponding cell of the Use Different Cross-Section for Design table column.
4. Open the list and select the Optimize option (see the Optimizing Cross-Section image).