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Using RF-CONCRETE Members, concrete column design is possible according to ACI 318-14. Accurately designing concrete column shear and longitudinal reinforcement is important for safety considerations. The following article will confirm the reinforcement design in RF-CONCRETE Members using step-by-step analytical equations as per the ACI 318-14 standard, including required longitudinal steel reinforcement, gross cross-sectional area, and tie size/spacing.
DIN EN 1998-1 with the National Annex DIN EN 1998-1/NA specifies how to determine seismic loads. The standard applies to structural engineering in seismic areas.
The stiffening of timber structures is usually carried out by means of timber panels. For this purpose, structural components consisting of slabs (chipboard, OSB) are connected with members. Several articles will describe the basics of this construction method and the calculation in the RFEM program. This first article describes the basic determination of the stiffnesses as well as the calculation.
When it comes to wind loads on building type structures as per ASCE 7, numerous resources can be found to supplement design standards and aid engineers with this lateral load application. However, engineers may find it more difficult to find similar resources for wind loading on non-building type structures. This article will examine the steps to calculate and apply wind loads as per ASCE 7-16 on a circular reinforced concrete tank with a dome roof.
Slender bending beams that have a large h/w ratio and are loaded parallel to the minor axis tend to have stability issues. This is due to the deflection of the compression chord.
In current literature, the formulas used to determine internal forces and deformations manually are usually specified without considering the shear deformation. The deformations resulting from shear force are often underestimated in timber construction in particular.
The story drift of a building provides valuable information about its structural behavior under seismic loads. These could cause large horizontal deformations and even instabilities. Some standards, therefore, call for a check of the story drift in its center of gravity. It indicates, for example, if a second-order analysis (P-Δ effect) is necessary.
The calculation of timber panels is carried out on simplified member or surface structures. This article describes how to determine the required stiffness.
- 001541
- Results
- RFEM 5
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- RF-DYNAM Pro | Natural Vibrations 5
- RF-DYNAM Pro | Equivalent Loads 5
- RF-DYNAM Pro | Forced Vibrations 5
- RSTAB 8
- DYNAM Pro | Natural Vibrations 8
- DYNAM Pro | Equivalent Loads 8
- Concrete Structures
- Steel Structures
- Timber Structures
- Process Manufacturing Plants
- Power Plants
- Buildings
- Dynamic and Seismic Analysis
- ASCE 7
RFEM offers the option to perform a response spectrum analysis according to ASCE 7-16. This standard describes the determination of seismic loads for the American market. It might happen that the P-Delta effect has to be considered due to the stiffness of the entire structure in order to calculate the internal forces and carry out the design.
For a timber connection as shown in Figure 01, you can take into account the torsional spring rigidity (spring stiffness for rotation) of the connections. You can determine it by means of the slip modulus of the fastener and the polar moment of inertia of the connection.
- 001555
- Modeling | Loading
- RFEM 5
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- RSTAB 8
- RF-TIMBER AWC 5
- TIMBER AWC 8
- RF-TIMBER CSA 5
- TIMBER CSA 8
- RF-TIMBER Pro 5
- TIMBER Pro 8
- RF-JOINTS Timber | Timber to Timber 5
- JOINTS Timber | Timber to Timber 8
- RF-JOINTS Timber | Steel to Timber 5
- JOINTS Timber | Steel to Timber 8
- RF-LIMITS 5
- LIMITS 8
- RF-LAMINATE 5
- Timber Structures
- Laminate and Sandwich Structures
- Structural Analysis & Design
- Finite Element Analysis
- Steel Connections
- Eurocode 0
- Eurocode 5
- ANSI/AISC 360
- SIA 260
- SIA 265
In addition to determining loads, some particularities concerning the load combinatorics in timber design have to be considered. Contrary to steel structures, where the largest loading results from all unfavorable actions, in timber construction, the strength values depend on the load duration and timber humidity. Special characteristics have to be considered as well for the serviceability limit state design. The following article discusses the effects on the design of wooden elements and how this is possible with RSTAB and RFEM.
The elastic deformations of a structural component due to a load are based on Hooke's law, which describes a linear stress-strain relation. They are reversible: After the relief, the component returns to its original shape. However, plastic deformations lead to irreversible deformations. The plastic strains are usually considerably larger than the elastic deformations. For plastic stresses of ductile materials such as steel, yielding effects occur where the increase in deformation is accompanied by hardening. They lead to permanent deformations - and in extreme cases to the destruction of the structural component.
In a multi-modal response spectrum analysis, it is important to determine a sufficient number of eigenvalues of the structure and to consider their dynamic responses. Regulations such as EN 1998‑1 [1] and other international standards require the activation of 90% of the structural mass. This means: to determine so many eigenvalues that the sum of the effective modal mass factors is greater than 0.9.
As gravity loads act on a structure, lateral displacement occurs. In turn, a secondary overturning moment is generated as the gravity load continues to act on the elements in the laterally displaced position. This effect is also known as "P-Delta (Δ)". Sec. 12.9.1.6 of the ASCE 7-16 Standard and the NBC 2015 Commentary specify when P-Delta effects should be considered during a modal response spectrum analysis.
The article titled Lateral-Torsional Buckling in Timber Construction | Theory explains the theoretical background for the analytical determination of the critical bending moment Mcrit or the critical bending stress σcrit for the lateral buckling of a bending beam. This article uses examples to verify the analytical solution with the result from the eigenvalue analysis.
The ASCE 7-16 standard requires both balanced and unbalanced snow load case scenarios for a structure's design consideration. While this may be more intuitive for flat or even gable/hip type roofs, the determination of snow loads is increasingly difficult for arch roofs due to complex geometry. However, with guidance from ASCE 7-16 on snow load calculations for curved roofs and RFEM's efficient load application tools, it is possible to consider both balanced and unbalanced snow loads for a reliable and safe structure design.
RFEM and RSTAB allow you easily to consider wind load effects on a three-dimensional building according to ASCE/SEI 7‑16. This article explains the complex theory of entering wind loads in the software. You can find the wind load under "Tools" → "Generate Loads" → "From Wind Loads".
Using the RF-TIMBER CSA module, timber column design is possible according to the CSA O86-19 standard. Accurately calculating timber member compressive resistance and adjustment factors is important for safety considerations and design. The following article will verify the factored compressive resistance in the RFEM add-on module RF-TIMBER CSA, using step-by-step analytical equations as per the CSA O86-19 standard including the column modification factors, factored compressive resistance, and final design ratio.
Defining the appropriate effective length is crucial in obtaining the correct member design capacity. For X-bracing that is connected at the center, engineers often wonder if the full end-to-end length of the member shall be used, or whether using half of the length to where the members are connected is sufficient. This article outlines the recommendations given by the AISC and provides an example on how to specify the effective length of the X-braces in RFEM.
Blast loads from high-energy explosives, either accidental or intentional, are rare but may be a structural design requirement. These dynamic loads differ from standard static loads due to their large magnitude and very short duration. A blast scenario can be carried out directly in an FEA program as a time history analysis to minimize loss of life and evaluate varying levels of structural damage.