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.
When using user-defined cross-sections in Revit, they can be created in RSECTION and controlled for the export to RFEM 6.
Create a cross-section template using RSECTION
Import your RSECTION cross-section into RFEM 6:FAQ - Importing an RSECTION Cross-Section
Then, save the RFEM file as a template (*.ft6 file):FAQ - How can I create a model template in RFEM 6?
Reference the template in the Revit export
If you open the Export dialog box in Revit, you have the option to define the file path for an RFEM model template (*ft6 file). To do this, select your previously saved template file.
Then, it is necessary to save the conversion in the conversion tables in Revit for the RSECTION cross-section.
In the case of the structural analysis of members with a nonlinear material model, an FE mesh is generated on the cross-sectional area and used for the calculation. As of the version RFEM 6.06.0009 and RSTAB 6.06.0009, it is possible to adjust the mesh density for the FE mesh of the cross-sectional area via a refinement factor.
The preset mesh is relatively fine by default, and thus ensures a high degree of accuracy for the calculation results.However, a coarser FE mesh may be completely sufficient in many cases, reducing the calculation time significantly.
You can adjust the FE mesh refinement factor in the "Edit Section" dialog box, the "FE Mesh" tab. The smaller the value, the finer the mesh.The effects of the mesh density of the cross-sectional area on the calculation time and internal forces are shown below, using a simple example. Cross-section: HD 260*54.1Material: S235Material model: Isotropic / Plastic (Members)A vertical distributed load is applied over the entire length of the beam, and it is so large that a plastic hinge is formed above the central support.
Different FE mesh refinement factors between 0.5 and 5.8 will be analyzed. The calculation time as well as the support and sagging moment are evaluated. The relative deviation from the results with an FE mesh refinement factor of 1.0 is shown in brackets.
The table shows that it is reasonable to increase the FE mesh refinement factor for this structural system. In the case of relatively small deviations of internal forces (less than 1%), the calculation time for a structural analysis can be roughly halved.
In programming, flags should be regarded as switches or switch positions. In this specific case, the flags provide information about the section type from which the result comes. Here is an overview of all the flags and their meanings:
The most likely cause of the different results is that you have probably not set the same smoothing of the surface internal forces.
This can be set separately in RFEM 6 and in the add-on.
If the smoothing is the same in both settings, the stresses are also the same.
A web query of the Geo-Zone Tool requires a URL composed of the identity components.
→ Controlling WebService (API)
The load types and standards are defined by the "language" component, which is composed of two parts:
For example, the component "language=pl" is thus used for the Polish output.
The load types and standards are defined by a "map" component, which is composed of three parts:
For example, to get the structural loads for snow in Germany, the following component is required:
map=snow-din-en-1991-1-3
To carry out a query for a different load type and standard, it is necessary to adjust the corresponding parts. The component for a query about the wind in Italy is as follows:
map=wind-UNI-EN-1991-1-4
You can select load zones from a wide range of international standards:
Standards for Snow
Standards for Wind
Standards for Earthquake
No, the SHAPE‑THIN 9 files cannot be used directly in RFEM 6 and RSTAB 9. It is first necessary to convert the files to RSECTION files.
According to EN 1993‑1‑1, 6.3.4 (1), the general method allows for the lateral-torsional and torsional-flexural buckling analysis of individual structural components, which are subjected to loading in their principal plane and include any single-symmetric cross-section, a variable height, and any boundary conditions, as well as the analysis of entire planar structures or partial structures consisting of such components. Therefore, the design of structural components with an asymmetric cross‑section is not possible using the general method. Steel Design reports a failed design and shows the corresponding error message.
The stability analysis may be performed as section design according to EN 1993‑1‑1, 5.2.2 (7) a, provided that a spatial calculation according to the second-order analysis is performed with the global and local imperfections applied. In order to model the lateral-torsional buckling, it is necessary to determine the internal forces according to the geometrically nonlinear torsional buckling analysis with regard to warping torsion. Then, it is only necessary to perform the section design, as all stability effects are covered by the calculation. Therefore, this design method is applicable to all cross‑sections subjected to any loading.Considering the cross-section warping as an additional degree of freedom is possible using the Warping Torsion add-on.
In order to consider the support of the structure in the soil correctly, it is necessary to excavate the soil accordingly or to provide the solid with a corresponding opening.
For the CSA O86 and NDS, the Modification and Adjustment factors used in the Timber Design add-on in RFEM 6 can be manually adjusted. The factors are listed under the material properties.
To edit them manually, first open the material(s) being used for timber design and then set them to "User-Defined". Once this is done, navigate to the Timber Design tab where the Modification and Adjustment factors can be entered manually.