When wind-induced surface pressures on a building are available, they can be applied on a structural model in RFEM 6, processed by RWIND 2, and used as wind loads for static analysis in RFEM 6.
RWIND 2 and RFEM 6 can now be used to calculate wind loads from experimentally measured wind pressures on surfaces. Basically, two interpolation methods are available to distribute pressures measured in isolated points across the surfaces. The desired pressure distribution can be achieved using the appropriate method and parameter settings.
In order to correctly design a downstand beam or a T-beam in RFEM 6 using the Concrete Design add-on, it is essential to determine the flange widths for the rib members. This article describes the input options for a two-span beam and the calculation of the flange dimensions according to EN 1992-1-1.
CFD calculations are in general very complex. An accurate calculation of wind flow around complicated structures is very demanding on time and computational costs. In many civil engineering applications, high accuracy is not needed and our CFD program RWIND 2 enables in such cases to simplify the model of a structure and reduce the costs significantly. In this article, some questions about the simplification are answered.
When calculating regular structures, data input is often not complicated but time-consuming. Input automation can save valuable time. The task described in the present article is to consider the stories of a house as single construction stages. Data is entered using a C# program so that the user does not have to enter the elements of the individual floors manually.
The response spectrum analysis is one of the most frequently used design methods in the case of earthquakes. This method has many advantages. The most important is the simplification: It simplifies the complexity of earthquakes so far that the design can be performed with reasonable effort. The disadvantage of this method is that a lot of information is lost due to this simplification. One way to moderate this disadvantage is to use the equivalent linear combination when combining the modal responses. This article explains this option by describing an example.
The events of recent years remind us of the importance of earthquake engineering in seismic regions. For you as an engineer, the design of structures in earthquake-prone areas is a constant trade-off between economic efficiency – the financial possibilities – and structural safety. If a collapse is inevitable, engineers must estimate how it will affect the structure. This article aims to provide you with an option on how to perform this estimation.
Our webservice offers users the opportunity to communicate with RFEM 6 and RSTAB 9 using various programming languages. Dlubal's high-level functions (HLFs) allow you to expand and simplify the WebService's functionality. In line with RFEM 6 and RSTAB 9, using our WebService makes the engineer's work easier and faster. Check it out now! This tutorial shows you how to use the C# library by means of a simple example.
In many frame and truss structures, it is no longer sufficient to use a simple member. You often have to consider cross-section weakenings or openings in solid beams. In such cases, you can use the "Surface Model" member type. It can be integrated into the model like any other member and offers all the options of a surface model. The present technical article shows the application of such a member in an existing structural system and describes the integration of member openings.
To be able to evaluate the influence of local stability phenomena of slender structural components, RFEM 6 and RSTAB 9 provide you with the option of performing a linear critical load analysis on the cross-section level. The following article explains the basics of the calculation and the result interpretation.
Large-scale models are models which contain multiple dimensional scales and thus are demanding on computational power. This article will show you how to simplify and optimize the calculation of such models with respect to the desired results.
Custom sections are often required in cold-formed steel design. In RFEM 6, the custom section can be created using one of the “Thin-Walled” sections available in the library. For other sections that do not meet any of the 14 available cold-formed shapes, the sections can be created and imported from the standalone program, RSECTION. For general information on AISI steel design in RFEM 6, refer to the Knowledge Base article provided at the end of the page.
The goal of using the RFEM 6 and Blender with the Bullet Constraints Builder add-on is to obtain a graphical representation of the collapse of a model based on real data of physical properties. RFEM 6 serves as the source of geometry and data for the simulation. This is another example of why it is important to maintain our programs as so-called BIM Open, in order to achieve collaboration across software domains.
RFEM 6 offers the Aluminum Design add-on for the design of aluminum members. This article shows how class 4 sections are designed according to Eurocode 9 in the program.
Surfaces in building models can be of many different sizes and shapes. All surfaces can be considered in RFEM 6 because the program allows to define different materials and thicknesses as well as surfaces with different stiffness and geometry types. This article focuses on four of these surface types: rotated, trimmed, without thickness, and load transfer.
The CSA S16:19 Stability Effects in Elastic Analysis method in Annex O.2 is an alternative option to the Simplified Stability Analysis Method in Clause 8.4.3. This article will describe the requirements of Annex O.2 and application in RFEM 6.
This article will show you the design of cold-formed steel cross-sections according to EN 1993-1-3, Section 6.1.6 in RFEM 6. Since the topic is still under development, the currently available options will be presented.
As for the previous generations of Dlubal programs, an integrated interface with Autodesk Revit is now also available for RFEM 6 and RSTAB 9. This article will provide some general information about the interface as well as the Dlubal-relevant structural objects and parameters in Revit.
Spreadsheet programs like MS EXCEL are very popular with engineers because they allow you to simply automatize your calculations and quickly output the results. Therefore, combining MS EXCEL used as a graphical interface with Dlubal's WebService API is an obvious choice. By using the free xlwings library for Python, you can control EXCEL, and read and write values. The functionality is described in the following, using an example.
In the RFEM 6 and RSTAB 9 programs, it is possible to group objects based on different criteria. Hence, objects that meet the defined criteria can be selected and edited at the same time. This is possible with the “Object Selection” tool, which is comparable to “Special Selection” in RFEM 5. This article will show you how to group objects with “Object Selection" as a new guide object of RFEM 6 or RSTAB 9.
In this paper, a novel approach was developed to generate CFD models at the community-level by integrating building information modeling (BIM) and geographical information systems (GIS) to automate the generation of a high-resolution 3-D community model to be employed as an input for a digital wind tunnel using RWIND.
RWIND 2 is a program for generating wind loads based on CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics). The wind flow numerical simulation is generated around any building, including irregular or unique geometry types, to determine the wind loads on surfaces and members. RWIND 2 can be integrated with RFEM/RSTAB for the structural analysis and design or as a stand-alone application.
The recently introduced Webservices gives users the ability to communicate with RFEM 6 using their programming language of choice. This feature is enhanced with our High Level Functions (HLF) Library. The libraries are available for Python, JavaScript, and C#. This article looks at a practical use case of programming a 2D Truss Generator with Python. "Learning by doing," as the saying goes.
This Knowledge Base article discusses different methods for a stability analysis provided in EN 1993-1-1:2005 and their application in the RFEM 6 program.
This article discusses the options available for determining the nominal flexural strength, Mnlb for the limit state of local buckling when designing according to the 2020 Aluminum Design Manual.
RFEM and RSTAB programs provide parameterized input as an advantageous product feature to create or adjust models by means of variables. This article will show you how to define global parameters and use them in formulas to determine numerical values.
The stand-alone program RSECTION is at your disposal for determining section properties and performing stress analysis for thin-walled and massive cross-sections. The program can be connected to both RFEM and RSTAB so that sections from RSECTION are also available in the RFEM and RSTAB library. Likewise, internal forces from RFEM and RSTAB can be imported into RSECTION.
You can use the stand-alone program RSECTION to determine the section properties for any thin-walled and massive cross-sections, as well as to perform a stress analysis. The previous Knowledge Base article titled "Graphical/Tabular Creation of User-defined Cross-sections in RSECTION 1" discussed the basis of defining cross-sections in the program. This article, on the other hand, is a summary of how to determine the section properties and perform a stress analysis.