In the Settings and Options tab, you can adjust the specifications for the calculation as well as the geometric tolerances of the objects.
Manufacturing Type and Buckling Curve
You can select the manufacturing type of the section from the list. The following manufacturing types are available:
- --
- Hot-rolled
- Cold-formed
- Welded
- Sawn
- Glued laminated timber
The manufacturing type determines in the Steel Design add-on according to which part of the standard the design is performed.
You can select the buckling curve of the section about the y and z axes from the list. The buckling curves are not relevant for RSECTION. Only when using the sections in RSTAB / RFEM do the specifications for the approach of imperfections or for the stability verifications in the design add-ons become effective.
Stresses on Members
The two checkboxes control for which locations of the member the stresses are determined: You can calculate them for the most unfavorable member edge (default) or only for the member center lines.
Effective Section Analysis Settings
The Effective Section Analysis Settings are displayed when you have activated the 'Effective section / steel / aluminum section' checkbox in the Basis tab.
Additional Bending Moments
For non-double-symmetric, compression-loaded, local-buckling-prone cross-sections, the position of the centroid of the effective section shifts compared with the gross section. The external compressive force acting centrally on the gross section now acts eccentrically on the effective section, resulting in an additional bending moment. This additional bending moment is taken into account in the calculation by default. Activate the checkbox if you want to neglect this additional bending moment.
Iterations
Determining the effective section requires an iterative procedure. In the 'Maximum number of iterations' input field, you can specify the maximum number of calculation runs. As soon as the difference between the results of two iterations defined in the 'Maximum difference between iterations' input field is undershot, the calculation ends.
Consider effective widths according to EN 1993-1-5, Annex E
This checkbox is only accessible if you have selected the standards EN 1993-1-1 and EN 1993-1-5 in the Basis tab. EN 1993-1-5 describes in Annex E an alternative method for determining effective sections for stresses below the yield strength. Activate this checkbox if the effective section is to be calculated according to Annex E.
Transverse weld according to EN 1999-1-1
This checkbox is only accessible if you have selected the standard EN 1999-1-1 in the Basis tab. Activate this checkbox if you want to take into account the locally limited reduction in strength in the HAZ due to transverse welds. The welding processes MIG and TIG are available for selection.
Model Tolerances
When modeling or importing data from a CAD program, minor geometric differences may occur in the model objects. RSECTION automatically corrects these discrepancies if certain distances are undershot. In this way, points that are very close together are merged, lines outside of planes are integrated into parts, or two lines running minimally in different directions are considered parallel.
The preset tolerances are suitable for most models. For small model dimensions, it may be necessary to adjust the tolerances accordingly.
Mesh Settings
The two input fields allow you to influence the discretization. A factor smaller than 1 creates a finer mesh, and a factor larger than 1 creates a coarser mesh. You can only set the mesh densification factor for the nonlinear analysis if you have activated the 'Verification of plastic load-bearing capacity | Simplex method' checkbox in the Basis tab.
Single Field Generator Settings
With the tolerance for straight single fields, you can specify at which angle between two members a support is to be generated. If members connect at the same or a smaller angle, they are considered a connected single field.
The 'Generate flat curved single fields according to EN 1999-1-1, 6.1.4.3 (4)' checkbox is only accessible if you have selected the standard EN 1999-1-1 in the Basis tab.
Welding Type
For the weld seam, the welding process must be defined. The following processes are available for selection: MIG | metal inert gas and TIG | tungsten inert gas.