In RFEM and RSTAB, you can visualize the flow field quantities of pressure, velocity, turbulence kinetic energy, and turbulence dissipation rate for the wind simulation.
The clipping planes are aligned with the respective wind direction.
If you have experimentally determined surface pressures available for a model, you can apply them to a structural model in RFEM 6, process them in RWIND 2, and use them as wind loads in the structural analysis of RFEM 6.
As soon as the program has completed the calculation, the summary of the results is listed. All result windows are integrated in the main program RFEM/RSTAB. You will find all the results arranged in tables; they can be displayed for each individual time step or as an envelope, and you also have the option of displaying the results graphically as well as animating them.
The results from the time history analysis can be displayed in the calculation diagrams. All the results are shown as a function of time. You can export the numeric values to MS Excel.
All result tables and graphics are part of the RFEM/RSTAB printout report. In this way, you can ensure clearly arranged documentation. You can also export the tables to MS Excel.
You can display the RWIND results directly in the main program. In the Navigator - Results, select the Wind Simulation Analysis result type from the list above.
Currently, the following results are available, which refer to the RWIND computational mesh:
Did you know? In the Design Supports, you can now define fully threaded screws as transversal compression stiffening elements for the "Compression Perpendicular to Grain" design. In this case, the pressing-in and buckling of the bolts is analyzed.
Moreover, the design shear resistance is checked in the plane of the screw tip. The angle of dispersal can be considered as linear under 45° or nonlinear (according to Bejtka, I. (2005). Verstärkung von Bauteilen aus holz mit vollgewindeschrauben. KIT Scientific Publishing.).
You can graphically evaluate result sections for the timber surface design. This can be done in the RFEM graphic as well as in the result history window. The sections can be placed at any location in order to evaluate the design results in detail.
Use RWIND 2 Pro to easily apply a permeability to a surface. All you need is the definition of
the Darcy coefficient D,
the inertial coefficient I, and
the length of the porous medium in the direction of flow L,
to define a pressure boundary condition between the front and back of a porous zone. Due to this setting, you obtain the flow through this zone with a two-part result display on both sides of the zone area.
But that's not all. Furthermore, the generation of a simplified model recognizes permeable zones and takes into account the corresponding openings in the model coating. Can you waive an elaborate geometric modeling of the porous element? Understandable – we have good news for you then! With a pure definition of the permeability parameters, you can avoid complex geometric modeling of the porous element. Use this feature to simulate permeable scaffolding, dust curtains, mesh structures, and so on.
Do you already know the editor for mesh refinement control? It is a great help for your work! Why? It's easy – it gives you the following options:
Graphic visualization of the areas with mesh refinements
Mesh refinement of zones
Deactivating the standard 3D solid mesh refinement with transversion into the corresponding manual 3D mesh refinements.
These options help you to formulate a suitable rule for meshing the entire model, even for the models with unusual dimensions. Use the editor to efficiently define small model details on large buildings or detailed meshing areas in the coating area of the model. You will be amazed!
Have you ever wondered if you can render without a graphics card? We have the answer! Software rendering for alternative image synthesis without the support of a graphics card is possible. You can easily control this solution with the Windows command scripts:
Enable Software Renderer.cmd (switch on)
Disable Software Renderer.cmd (switch off)
in the program folder C:\Program Files\Dlubal\RFEM 6.02\bin.
Do you prefer it clear? So do we! That's why all performed design checks for the design standard are displayed for you in a clear way. You determine a design criterion for each design check. You get design details, which include the initial values, intermediate results, and final results, arranged in a structured way for each design check. You can find the calculation process with the applied formulas, standard sources, and results in great detail in an information window in the design details.
Note that the definition of the effective lengths in the Aluminum Design add-on is an essential requirement for the stability analysis. For this, define the nodal supports and effective length factors in the input dialog box. Do you want to clearly document the nodal supports and the resulting segments with the associated effective length factors? To check the input data, it is best for you to use the graphic display in the RFEM/RSTAB work window. Thus, you can comprehend the design at any time with minimum effort.
As usual, you enter the structural system and calculate the internal forces in the programs RFEM and RSTAB. You have unlimited access to the extensive material and cross-section libraries. Did you know that you can create general cross-sections using the RSECTION program? That saves you a lot of work.
Don't be afraid of additional windows and input chaos! Aluminum Design is completely integrated into the main programs and automatically takes into account the structure and the available calculation results. You can directly assign further entries for the aluminum design, such as effective lengths, cross-section reductions, or design parameters, to the objects to be designed. You can simply and efficiently select the elements graphically using the [Select] function.
In the "Deflection and Design Support" tab under "Edit Member", the members can be clearly segmented using optimized input windows. Depending on the supports, the deformation limits for cantilever beams or single-span beams are used automatically.
By defining the design support in the corresponding direction at the member start, member end, and intermediate nodes, the program automatically recognizes the segments and segment lengths to which the allowable deformation is related. It also automatically detects whether it is a beam or a cantilever due to the defined design supports. The manual assignment, as in the previous versions (RFEM 5), is no longer necessary.
The "User-Defined Lengths" option allows you to modify the reference lengths in the table. The corresponding segment length is always used by default. If the reference length deviates from the segment length (for example, in the case of curved members), it can be adjusted.
Did you know? You can easily define structural modifications in load cases of the Modal Analysis type. This allows you, for example, to individually adjust the stiffnesses of materials, cross-sections, members, surfaces, hinges, and supports. You can also modify stiffnesses for some design add-ons. Once you select the objects, their stiffness properties are adapted to the object type. In this way, you can define them in separate tabs.
Do you want to analyze the failure of an object (for example, a column) in the modal analysis? This is also possible without any problems. Simply switch to the Structure Modification window and deactivate the relevant objects.
What happens when there is a downwind? The topside lateral-torsional bracing is not applied to reduce the effective lengths and lateral-torsional buckling lengths.
Dlubal Software just makes everything a little easier. The performed design checks of the design standard are displayed in a clear way. A design criterion is determined for each design check. Furthermore, the program deliver the design details displayed in a structured way, including the initial values, the intermediate results, and the final results. An information window in the design details shows you the calculation process with the applied formulas, standard sources, and results in great detail.
Is a clear arrangement important for you? The program provides you with a clear overview of all performed design checks for the design standard. For each design check, it is necessary to determine a design criterion. There are also design details arranged in a structured way, including the initial values, intermediate results, and final results. You can laso find here an information window where the calculation process with the applied formulas, standard sources, and results is displayed in great detail.
Do you want to perform a stability analysis in the Steel Design add-on? Then it is absolutely necessary to define the effective lengths. To do this, define the nodal supports and effective length factors in the input dialog box. For easy documentation and a comprehensible check of the entries, you can also graphically display the nodal supports and the resulting segments with the corresponding effective length factor in the work window of RFEM/RSTAB.
To design a Steel connection, you must have the Steel Joints Add-on enabled. The Add-ons in RFEM 6 are activated in the Add-ons tab of the Edit Model - Base Data window. If the Add-on is active, it is displayed in the navigator.
The structural analysis program provides you with a clear overview of all performed design checks for the design standard. You have to determine a design criterion for each design check. In addition to the ultimate limit state and the serviceability limit state design, the program checks the design rules of the standard. For each design check, there are the design details including the initial values, intermediate results, and final results, arranged in a structured way. An information window in the design details shows you the calculation process with the applied formulas, standard sources, and results in great detail.
The stand-alone program RWIND 3 takes care of fresh air. It is used for the numerical simulation of wind flow and is available in a Basic as well as a Pro version. What additional features does RWIND Pro offer you? It allows for the calculation of transient incompressible turbulent wind flows (in addition to the stationary ones in RWIND Basic). But that's not all. Intrested in learning more? Find out more here:
Calculation of stationary incompressible turbulent wind flow using the SimpleFOAM solver from the OpenFOAM® software package
Numerical scheme according to the first and second order
Turbulence models RAS k-ω and RAS k-ε
Consideration of surface roughness depending on model zones
Model design via VTP, STL, OBJ, and IFC files
Operation via bidirectional interface of RFEM or RSTAB for importing model geometries with standard-based wind loads and exporting wind load cases with probe-based printout report tables
Intuitive model changes via drag & drop and graphical adjustment assistance
Generation of a shrink-wrap mesh envelope around the model geometry
Consideration of environmental objects (buildings, terrain, and so on)
Height-dependent description of the wind load (wind speed and turbulence intensity)
Automatic meshing depending on a selected depth of detail
Consideration of layer meshes near the model surfaces
Parallelized calculation with optimal utilization of all processor cores of a computer
Graphical output of the surface results on the model surfaces (surface pressure, Cp coefficients)
Graphical output of the flow field and vector results (pressure field, velocity field, turbulence – k-ω field, and turbulence – k-ε field, velocity vectors) on Clipper/Slicer planes
Display of 3D wind flow via animated streamline graphics
Definition of point and line probes
Multilingual user interface (German, English, Czech, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Chinese)
Calculations of several models in one batch process
Generator for creating rotated models to simulate different wind directions
Optional interruption and continuation of the calculation
Individual color panel per result graphic
Display of diagrams with separate output of results on both sides of a surface
Output of the dimensionless wall distance y+ in the mesh inspector details for the simplified model mesh
Determination of the shear stress on the model surface from the flow around the model
Calculation with an alternative convergence criterion (you can select between the residual types pressure or flow resistance in the simulation parameters)
To model structures in RWIND Basic, you find a special application in RFEM and RSTAB. Here, you can define the wind directions to be analyzed by means of related angular positions about the vertical model axis. At the same time, you define the elevation-dependent wind profile on the basis of a wind standard. In addition to these specifications, you can use the stored calculation parameters to determine your own load cases for a stationary calculation per each angular position.
As an alternative, you can also use the RWIND Basic program manually, without the interface application in RFEM or RSTAB. In this case, RWIND Basic models the structures and terrain environment directly from the imported VTP, STL, OBJ, and IFC files. You can define the height-dependent wind load and other fluid-mechanical data directly in RWIND Basic.
RWIND Basic uses a numerical CFD model (Computational Fluid Dynamics) to simulate wind flows around your objects using a digital wind tunnel. The simulation process determines specific wind loads acting on your model surfaces from the flow result around the model.
A 3D volume mesh is responsible for the simulation itself. For this, RWIND Basic performs an automatic meshing on the basis of freely definable control parameters. For the calculation of wind flow, RWIND Basic provides a steady solver and RWIND Pro a transient solver for incompressible turbulent flow. Surface pressures resulting from the flow results are extrapolated onto the model for each time step.
By solving the numerical flow problem, you can obtain the following results on and around the model:
Pressure on structure surface
Coefficient Cp distribution on the structure surfaces
Pressure field about the structure geometry
Velocity field about the structure geometry
Turbulence k-ω field about the structure geometry
Turbulence k-ε field about the structure geometry
Velocity vectors about the structure geometry
Streamlines about the structure geometry
Forces on member-shaped structures that were originally generated from member elements
Convergence diagram
Direction and size of the flow resistance of the defined structures
Despite this amount of information, RWIND 2 remains clearly arranged, as is typical for the Dlubal programs. You can specify freely definable zones for a graphic evaluation. Voluminously displayed flow results about the body geometry are usually confusing – you are likely already familiar with this problem. That's why RWIND Basic provides freely movable section planes for the separate display of the "solid results" in a plane. For the 3D branched streamline result, you have an option to select between a static and an animated display in the form of moving line segments or particles. This option helps you to represent the wind flow as a dynamic effect.
You can export all results as a picture or, especially for the animated results, as a video.