When generating shear walls and deep beams, you can assign not only surfaces and cells, but also members.
You can neglect openings with a certain area in the building model calculation. This function can be activated in the global settings of the building stories. A warning message appears saying that the openings have been neglected.
In the Geotechnical Analysis add-on, the Hoek-Brown material model is available. The model shows linear-elastic ideal-plastic material behavior. Its nonlinear strength criterion is the most common failure criterion for stone and rocks.
You can enter the material parameters using
- Rock parameters directly, or alternatively via
- GSI classification.
Detailed information about this material model and the definition of the input in RFEM can be found in the respective chapter Hoek-Brown Model of the online manual for the Geotechnical Analysis add-on.
The building story generator in the Building Model add-on allows you to automatically create building stories, depending on the topology of the model.
Building stone on stone has a long tradition in construction. The Masonry Design add-on for RFEM allows you to design masonry using the finite element method. It was developed as part of the research project DDMaS - Digitizing the Design of Masonry Structures. Here, the material model represents the nonlinear behavior of the brick-mortar combination in the form of macro-modeling. Do you want to find out more?
- Realistic representation of interaction between a building and soil
- Realistic representation of the influences of the foundation components on each other
- Extensible library of soil properties
- Consideration of several soil samples (probes) at different locations, even outside the building
- Determination of settlements and stress diagrams as well as their graphical and tabular display
- Cross-section optimization
- Transfer of optimized sections to RFEM/RSTAB
- Design of any thin-walled section from RSECTION
- Representation of a stress diagram on a section
- Determination of normal, shear, and equivalent stresses
- Output of stress components for the individual member internal force types
- Detailed representation of stresses in all stress points
- Determination of the largest Δσ for each stress point (for example, for fatigue design)
- Colored display of stresses and design ratios for a quick overview of the critical or oversized zones
- Output of parts lists
For a response spectrum analysis of building models, you can display the sensitivity coefficients for the horizontal directions by story.
These key figures allow you to interpret the sensitivity to stability effects.
You can display the results as usual via the Results navigator. Furthermore, the dialog box of the add-on shows you the information about the individual floors. Thus, you always have a good overview.
You have two options for a building model. You can create it when you start modeling the structure, or activate it afterwards. In the building model, you can then directly define the stories and manipulate them.
When manipulating the stories, you can choose whether to modify or retain the included structural elements using various options.
RFEM does some of the work for you. For example, it automatically generates result sections, so you don't need to perform a lot of calculations.
Shear walls and deep beams of a building model are available as independent objects in the design add-ons. This allows for faster filtering of the objects in results, as well as better documentation in the printout report.
Enter and model a soil solid directly in RFEM. You can combine the soil material models with all common RFEM add-ons.
This allows you to easily analyze the entire models with a complete representation of the soil-structure interaction.
All parameters required for the calculation are automatically determined from the material data that you have entered. The program then generates the stress-strain curves for each FE element.
- Consideration and display of story masses
- Listing of structural elements and their information
- Automated creation of result sections on shear walls
- Output of section resultants in global direction for determining shear forces
- Optional definition of rigid diaphragm by story (story modeling)
- Stiffness type Floor Slab - Rigid Diaphragm
- Defining floor sets,
- for example, calculation of slabs as a 2D position within the 3D model
- Shear walls: Automatic definition of result members with any cross-section
- Design of rectangular cross-sections using the Concrete Design add-on
- Definition of deep beams
- Design with the Concrete Design add-on
- Tabular output of story actions, interstory drift, and center points of mass and stiffness, as well as the forces in shear walls
- Separate result display of the floor and stiffening design
- Optional neglecting of openings of a certain size
The modal relevance factor (MRF) can help you to assess to which extent specific elements participate in a specific mode shape. The calculation is based on the relative elastic deformation energy of each individual member.
The MRF can be used to distinguish between local and global mode shapes. If multiple individual members show significant MRF (for example, > 20%), the instability of the entire structure or a substructure is very likely. On the other hand, if the sum of all MRFs for an eigenmode is around 100%, a local stability phenomenon (for example, buckling of a single bar) can be expected.
Furthermore, the MRF can be used to determine critical loads and equivalent buckling lengths of certain members (for example, for stability design). Mode shapes for which a specific member has small MRF values (for example, < 20%) can be neglected in this context.
The MRF is displayed by mode shape in the result table under Stability Analysis → Results by Members → Effective Lengths and Critical Loads.
- General stress analysis
- Automatic import of internal forces from RFEM/RSTAB
- Graphical and numerical output of stresses, strains, clearance, and design ratios fully integrated in RFEM/RSTAB
- User-defined specification of the limit stress
- Summary of similar structural components for the design
- Wide range of customization options for graphical output
- Clearly arranged result tables for a quick overview after the design
- Simple traceability of the results due to the complete documentation of the calculation method including all formulas
- High productivity due to the minimal amount of input data required
- Flexibility due to detailed setting options for basis and extent of calculations
- Gray zone display for unimportant value ranges (see Product Feature)
- Calculation of models consisting of member, shell, and solid elements
- Nonlinear stability analysis
- Optional consideration of axial forces from initial prestress
- Four equation solvers for an efficient calculation of various structural models
- Optional consideration of stiffness modifications in RFEM/RSTAB
- Determination of a stability mode greater than the user-defined load increment factor (Shift method)
- Optional determination of the mode shapes of unstable models (to identify the cause of instability)
- Visualization of the stability mode
- Basis for determining imperfection
You enter and model the structure directly in RFEM. You can combine the masonry material model with all common RFEM add-ons. This enables you to design the entire building models in connection with masonry.
The program automatically determines for you all parameters required for the calculation by using the material data that you have entered. Then, it finally generates the stress-strain curves for each FE element.
- Stress determination using an elastic-plastic material model
- Design of masonry disc structures for compression and shear on the building model or single model
- Automatic determination of stiffness of a wall-slab hinge
- An extensive material database for almost all stone-mortar combinations available on the Austrian market (the product range is continuously being expanded, for other countries as well)
- Automatic determination of material values according to Eurocode 6 (ÖN EN 1996‑X)
- Option to create pushover analysis
The stress and strain results by surface can be output in the surface result table according to the thickness layer.
The form-finding process gives you a structural model with active forces in the "prestress load case" This load case shows the displacement from the initial input position to the form-found geometry in the deformation results. In the force or stress-based results (member and surface internal forces, solid stresses, gas pressures, and so on), it clarifies the state for maintaining the found form. For the analysis of the shape geometry, the program offers you a two-dimensional contour line plot with the output of the absolute height and an inclination plot for the visualization of the slope situation.
Now, a further calculation and structural analysis of the entire model is performed. For this purpose, the program transfers the form-found geometry including the element-wise strains into a universally applicable initial state. You can now use it in the load cases and load combinations.
If there is a load case or load combination in the program, the stability calculation is activated. You can define another load case in order to consider initial prestress, for example.
For this, you need to specify whether to perform a linear or nonlinear analysis. Depending on the case of application, you can select a direct calculation method, such as the Lanczos method or the ICG iteration method. Members not integrated in surfaces are usually displayed as member elements with two FE nodes. With such elements, the program cannot determine the local buckling of single members. That's why you have the option to divide members automatically.
The Ponding load type allows you to simulate rain actions on multi-curved surfaces, taking into account the displacements according to the large deformation analysis.
This numerical rainfall process examines the assigned surface geometry and determines which rainfall portions drain away and which rainfall portions accumulate in puddles (water pockets) on the surface. The puddle size then results in a corresponding vertical load for the structural analysis.
For example, you can use this feature in the analysis of approximately horizontal membrane roof geometries subjected to rain loading.
Go to Explanatory VideoOnce you activate the Form-Finding add-on in the Base Data, a form-finding effect is assigned to the load cases with the load case category "Prestress" in conjunction with the form-finding loads from the member, surface, and solid load catalog. This is a prestress load case. It thus mutates into a form-finding analysis for the entire model with all member, surface, and solid elements defined in it. You reach the form-finding of the relevant member and membrane elements amid the overall model by using special form-finding loads and regular load definitions. These form-finding loads describe the expected state of deformation or force after the form-finding in the elements. The regular loads describe the external loading of the entire system.
Entering soil layers for soil samples is performed in a clearly arranged dialog box. A corresponding graphical representation supports clarity and makes checking the input user-friendly.
An extensible database facilitates the selection of soil material properties. The Mohr-Coulomb model as well as a nonlinear model with stress and strain dependent stiffness are available for a realistic modeling of the soil material behavior.
You can define any number of soil samples and layers. The soil is generated from all entered samples using 3D solids. Assignment to the structure is carried out using coordinates.
The soil body is calculated according to the nonlinear iterative method. The calculated stresses and settlements are displayed graphically and in tables.
Compared to the RF-FORM-FINDING add-on module (RFEM 5), the following new features have been added to the Form-Finding add-on for RFEM 6:
- Specification of all form-finding load boundary conditions in one load case
- Storage of form-finding results as initial state for further model analysis
- Automatic assignment of the form-finding initial state via combination wizards to all load situations of a design situation
- Additional form-finding geometry boundary conditions for members (unstressed length, maximum vertical sag, low-point vertical sag)
- Additional form-finding load boundary conditions for members (maximum force in member, minimum force in member, horizontal tension component, tension at i-end, tension at j-end, minimum tension at i-end, minimum tension at j-end)
- Material types "Fabric" and "Foil" in material library
- Parallel form-findings in one model
- Simulation of sequentially building form-finding states in connection with the Construction Stages Analysis (CSA) add-on
Did you know? You can enter the soil layers that you have obtained from the subsoil expertises done in the locations into the program in the form of soil samples. Assign the explored soil materials, including their material properties, to the layers.
For the definition of the samples, you can enter the data in tables as well as in the respective editing dialog box. Furthermore, you can also specify the groundwater level in the soil samples.
Are you afraid that your project will end in the digital tower of Babel? The Building Model add-on for RFEM supports you in your work on a construction project with several stories. It allows you to define a building by means of stories at specified elevations. You can adjust the stories in many ways afterwards and also select the story slab stiffness. Information about the stories and the entire model (center of gravity, center of rigidity) is displayed for you in tables and graphics.
Several modeling tools are available for elements in building models:
- Vertical line
- Column
- Wall
- Beam
- Rectangular floor
- Polygonal floor
- Rectangular floor opening
- Polygonal floor opening
This feature allows you to define the element on the ground plane (for example, with a background layer) with the associated multiple element creation in space.
Was your design successful? Then just sit back and relax. You benefit from the numerous functions in RFEM also here. The program gives you the maximum stresses of the masonry surfaces, whereby you can display the results in detail at each FE mesh point.
Moreover, you can insert sections in order to carry out a detailed evaluation of the individual areas. Use the display of the yield areas to estimate the cracks in the masonry.