Calculating Initial Stiffnesses S_j,ini and Automatic Transfer to Global Structure

The initial stiffness S_j,ini is a crucial parameter for evaluating whether a connection can be characterized as rigid, semi-rigid, or pinned.

In the "Steel Joints" add-on, you can calculate the initial stiffness S_j,ini according to Eurocode (EN 1993‑1‑8, Section 5.2.2) and AISC (AISC 360-16, Cl. E3.4) with regard to the internal forces N, M_y, and/or M_z.

The optional automatic transfer of initial stiffnesses allows for a directly transfer as member hinge stiffnesses in RFEM. The entire structure is then recalculated and the resulting internal forces are automatically adopted as loads in the analysis and design of the connection models.

This automated iteration process eliminates the need for manual export and import of data, reducing the amount of work and minimizing potential sources of error.

Connection - Torsional Stiffnesses in RFEM