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2017-12-01

Question

How do you explain a moment distribution such as that seen in Image 01? It looks as if the cantilevered part of the surface is supported at its outer edge, thus resulting in a moment under the concentrated load.


Answer:

This moment distribution results from the plate resistance: the concentrated load acts only on part of the surface, so the entire cantilever surface deforms uniformly downwards. The greater the distance from the load, the smaller the deformation.

The adjacent regions therefore act as a support for this part, which explains the moment distribution. Only if the line load is relative to the entire width do you obtain the expected moment distribution (see Image 02). It corresponds to the distribution for a member.

Please keep in mind the different structural behavior of surfaces and members when designing in RFEM and RSTAB.


Author

Mr. Vogl creates and maintains the technical documentation.