Design of five types of seismic force-resisting systems (SFRS) includes Special Moment Frame (SMF), Intermediate Moment Frame (IMF), Ordinary Moment Frame (OMF), Ordinary Concentrically Braced Frame (OCBF), and Special Concentrically Braced Frame (SCBF)
Ductility check of the width-to thickness ratios for webs and flanges
Calculation of the required strength and stiffness for stability bracing of beams
Calculation of the maximum spacing for stability bracing of beams
Calculation of the required strength at hinge locations for stability bracing of beams
Calculation of the column required strength with the option to neglect all bending moments, shear, and torsion for overstrength limit state
Design check of column and brace slenderness ratios
You can simulate the static friction effects between two supporting components along a line using the "Friction" nonlinearity in the Line Release Type.
The "Building Grid" guide object supports you in the design of your structure. It features intuitive grid coordinate input and grid line labeling.
You can quickly place grids in space and label them by specifying a graded coordinate code. The grid line end modification allows you to optimize the grid appearance. Furthermore, a preview helps you to define the building grid.
Use the "Import Support Reactions" Load Wizard in RFEM 6 and RSTAB 9 to easily transfer reaction forces from other models. The wizard allows you to connect all or several nodal and line loads of different models with each other in a few steps.
The load transfer from load cases and load combinations can be carried out automatically or manually. It's necessary that the models are saved in the same Dlubal Center project.
The "Import Support Reactions" load wizard supports the concept of positional statics and allows you to digitally connect the individual positions.
Using the "Load Transfer Only" story type, you can consider slabs without stiffness effect in and out of the plane in the Building Model add-on. This element type collects the loads on the slab and transfers them to the supporting elements of a 3D model. Thus, you can simulate secondary components, such as grillage and similar load distribution elements, without any further effect in the 3D model.
For design supports, you can take into account a shear force reduction. This allows you to perform the shear design with the governing shear force at a distance of the beam height from the support edge.
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.).
This function provides you with the option to adopt reaction forces from other models as nodal and line loads.
The option not only transfers the reaction load as an action, but digitally couples the support load of the original model with the load size of the target object. The subsequent changes in the original model are automatically adopted in the target model.
This technology supports the concept of positional statics and allows you to digitally connect the individual positions of the same Dlubal Center project.
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.
Did you use the eigenvalue solver of the add-on to determine the critical load factor within the stability analysis? In this case, you can then display the governing mode shape of the object to be designed as a result.
The program does a lot of work for you. For example, the load or result combinations required for the serviceability limit state are generated and calculated in RFEM/RSTAB. You can select these design situations for the deflection analysis in the Aluminum Design add-on. Depending on the specified precamber and reference system, the program determines the deformation values at each location of a member. They are then compared to the limit values.
You can specify the deformation limit value individually for each structural component in Serviceability Configuration. In this case, you define the maximum deformation depending on the reference length as the allowable limit value. By defining design supports, you can segment the components. In this way, you can determine the corresponding reference length automatically for each design direction.
And that's not all. Based on the position of the assigned design supports, the program allows you to automatically determine the distinction between beams and cantilevers. The limit value is thus determined accordingly.
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.
When calculating the deflection limit, you have to consider certain reference lengths. You can define these reference lengths and the segments to be checked independently of each other, depending on the direction. For this, define design supports at the intermediate nodes of a member and assign them to the respective direction for the deformation analysis. Thus, the segments are created where you can define a precamber for each direction and segment.
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.
The soil solids that you want to analyze are summarized in soil massifs.
Use the soil samples as a basis for a definition of the respective soil massif. This way, the program allows for user-friendly generation of the massif, including the automatic determination of the layer interfaces from the sample data, as well as the groundwater level and the boundary surface supports.
Soil massifs provide you with the option to specify a target FE mesh size independently of the global setting for the rest of the structure. You can thus consider the various requirements of the building and soil in the entire model.
RFEM 6 and RSTAB 9 support the ergonomically optimized utilization of a mobile 3D mouse by 3Dconnexion.
With a 3D mouse, you can simultaneously move, zoom, and flip a 3D model on the screen beyond the use of a regular mouse. The 3D mouse complements the conventional computer mouse and is operated with your free hand. Therefore, you can streamline the workflow if you operate a 3D mouse with your non-dominant hand, in addition to the normal mouse.
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.
It is often necessary to neglect masses. This is particularly the case when you want to use the output of the modal analysis for the seismic analysis. For this, 90% of the effective modal mass in each direction is required for the calculation. So you can neglect the mass in all fixed nodal and line supports. The program automatically deactivates the associated masses for you.
You can also manually select the objects whose masses are to be neglected for the modal analysis. We have shown the latter in the image for a better view. A user-defined selection is made the and the objects with their associated mass components are selected to neglect the masses.
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.
Design of tension, compression, bending, shear, torsion, and combined internal forces
Consideration of a notch
Design of compression perpendicular to the grain on the end and intermediate supports with (EC 5) and without reinforcement elements (fully threaded screws)
Optional shear force reduction at the support (see the Product Feature)
Design of curved and tapered members
Consideration of higher strengths for similar components that are close together (factor ksys according to EN 1995‑1‑1, 6.6(1)-(3))
Option to increase shear resistance for softwood timber according to DIN EN 1995‑1‑1:NA NDP to 6.1.7(2)
Stability analyses for flexural buckling, torsional buckling, and flexural-torsional buckling under compression
Import of the effective lengths from the calculation using the Structure Stability add-on
Graphical input and check of the defined nodal supports and effective lengths for stability analysis
Determination of the equivalent member lengths for tapered members
Consideration of Lateral-Torsional Bracing Position
Lateral-torsional buckling analysis of the structural components subjected to moment loading
Depending on the standard, a choice between user-defined input of Mcr, analytical method from the standard, and use of internal eigenvalue solver
Consideration of a shear panel and a rotational restraint when using the eigenvalue solver
Graphical display of a mode shape if the eigenvalue solver was used
Stability analysis of structural components with the combined compression and bending stress, depending on the design standard
Comprehensible calculation of all necessary coefficients, such as the factors for considering moment distribution or interaction factors
Alternative consideration of all effects for the stability analysis when determining internal forces in RFEM/RSTAB (second-order analysis, imperfections, stiffness reduction, possibly in combination with the Torsional Warping (7 DOF) add-on)
Your options in timber design are diverse. You can consider cut-to-grain angles, transverse tension stresses, and volume-dependent radii of curvature for tapered and curved members. To design the area of the grain cut, the strength is adjusted accordingly in the case of bending tension or bending pressure. In order to also allow you to perform a stability analysis with the equivalent member method, the height to determine the effective and lateral-torsional buckling lengths is set at a distance of 0.65 × h to the actual design point.
Here you have a free choice. You can perform the support pressure design at any point for the loading in the y- and z-directions of a cross-section. You are free to differentiate between inner and outer supports. A factor kc,90 for the pressure perpendicular to the grain can be user-defined (for example, 1.75 for glued-laminated timber). If allowed, the support length is increased automatically according to the standard specifications. This allows you to achieve a more efficient design with minimum effort.
There is often no fire resistance design for the lateral supports of a structure. Would you like to handle this differently in your project? In order to consider this in the calculation, you can define other equivalent member lengths for the fire situation.
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.