The structural analysis software RFEM 6 is the basis of a modular software system. The main program RFEM 6 is used to define structures, materials, and loads of planar and spatial structural systems consisting of plates, walls, shells, and members. The program also allows you to create combined structures as well as to model solid and contact elements.
RSTAB 9 is a powerful analysis and design software for 3D beam, frame, or truss structure calculations, reflecting the current state of the art and helping structural engineers meet requirements in modern civil engineering.
Do you often spend too long calculating cross-sections? Dlubal Software and the RSECTION stand-alone program facilitate your work by determining section properties of various cross-sections and performing a subsequent stress analysis.
Do you always know where the wind is blowing from? From the direction of innovation, of course! With RWIND 2, you have a program at your side that uses a digital wind tunnel for the numerical simulation of wind flows. The program simulates these flows around any building geometry and determines the wind loads on the surfaces.
Are you looking for an overview of snow load zones, wind zones, and seismic zones? Then you are in the right place. Use the Geo-Zone Tool to determine quickly and efficiently snow loads, wind speeds, and seismic data according to ASCE 7‑16 and other international standards.
Would you like to try out the capabilities of the Dlubal Software programs? You have the opportunity to do so! The free 90-day full version allows you to thoroughly test all our programs.
Both RFEM and RSTAB are ideally suited for the structural analysis and design of timber structures.
Main Programs RFEM and RSTAB
The main programs RFEM and RSTAB are used to define the model with its properties and actions. In addition to spatial frame and truss structures, such as halls or space trusses, it is possible to model plate, wall, and shell structures with RFEM. Thus, RFEM is the more versatile variant—especially if you work in other areas, such as solid construction.
Available Standards
Add-ons for Timber Structures
Design add-ons supplement the functionality of the main programs. Use the Timber Design add-on to perform the ultimate and serviceability limit state design checks as well as the stability analysis and fire resistance design according to the standards listed above. In combination with the Torsional Warping (7 DOF) add-on, you can also perform lateral-torsional buckling analysis with up to seven degrees of freedom.
The special-solution Multilayer Surfaces add-on for RFEM is ideally suited for laminate surfaces made of cross-laminated timber (CLT).
In case of any questions about the Dlubal timber design solutions, our sales team will be happy to assist you.
In RFEM and RSTAB, the simplified design from [1], Chapter 2.2.3, has been implemented for the automatic load combinations. This means that, strictly speaking, only structures in which materials with identical creep behavior occur may be analyzed with respect to the final deformation, since the creep deformations are taken into account in a simplified manner on the load side. If the structure is a combined structure made of timber with different creep behavior or in combination with steel, the final deformations must be determined according to [2] Amendment to 2.2.3 as follows:
"(4) If the structure consists of members or components having different creep behaviour, the long-term deformation due to the quasi-permanent combination of actions should be calculated using final mean values of the appropriate moduli of elasticity, shear moduli and slip moduli, according to 2.3.2.2(1). The final deformation ufin is then calculated by superimposing the initial deformation due to the difference of the characteristic and quasi-permanent combinations of actions with the long-term deformation."
However, this requires the superposition of results from different load combinations, which cannot be implemented automatically in RFEM and RSTAB. If the different creep behavior should be taken into account, it is necessary to create the load combinations manually, and reduce the stiffness according to the creep coefficient. The procedure is described on an example of a timber-concrete composite floor presented on Info Day 2017. Below this FAQ, you can find the link to this video.