The Objects to Design table lists all object types in the model that are eligible for aluminum design:
- Members
- Member sets
- Member representatives
- Member set representatives
- Surfaces (RFEM only)
- Surface sets (RFEM only)
Objects to Design
The check box in the "Design All" column allows you to easily select all available objects for the design. The entry in the "Selected Objects" column is thus blocked. The number of all objects of an object type are automatically entered there, for example, all members or all surfaces.
However, you can also manually specify which objects are to be designed: Deactivate the “Design All” check box and then enter the numbers of the relevant objects in the “Selected Objects” column. You can also select the objects graphically using the
button at the end of the cell.
Removing Objects from Design
If you want to exclude a (valid) object from the design, enter its number in the “Removed from Design” column. The entries in the “To Design” column are reduced accordingly.
Not Valid / Deactivated Objects
The "To Design" and "Not Valid / Deactivated" columns are usually filled in automatically. This means that all objects with properties that are not suitable for the aluminum design are recognized and deactivated for the design. These include, for example, timber or concrete members, members with a thick-walled cross-section, or surfaces with a variable thickness. Similarly, all members and surfaces that are designed as member or surface sets are deactivated (see the chapters Member Sets and Surface Sets).
Design of Members of "Surface Model" Type
The "Aluminum Design" add-on also allows you to perform cross-section design checks for members of the Surface Model type. A cross-section class as well as the elastic and plastic cross-section resistances are calculated at a gross section by neglecting any cross-section reductions (a web opening) and considering root fillet radii, as in the case of the "Beam" member type.
The actions are determined on the generated surface model in the stress plane first. For design checks based on internal forces, the stresses are integrated via the cross-section. To be compared with the design using the conventional beam element, it is necessary to take into account the automatically generated and possibly reduced support and loading conditions on a "surface model".