member load along user-defined coordinate system

[andy]

Hello, I'm facing a problem when applying member loads.
The program allows to apply loads along the Global Coordinate system, but not along a user defined system (I found this FAQ that confirms my assumption: https://www.dlubal.com/en/support-an...ort/faq/003252).




Let's consider a wind load along the "u" direction (45° between X and Y global axes).
The structure is a suspended ring (this is a simplified model, as there are many other elements in the structure that cannot allow to say that it would be equivalent to apply the wind on any direction).

The ring is composed of a series of continuous beams, each subject to transverse wind load (see next figure).

In particular beam "1" has practically no load being its projected length along with the wind direction nearly zero.
Beam "2" is instead fully exposed to the wind.




I cannot find a way to apply correctly the load: the only solution is to rotate completely the model so that the "u" (wind) direction is collinear with the "Global X" and then apply to all the beams the member load "GLOBAL related to projected length".

Am I missing some feature? For me, it would be important to add the possibility to define the projected load considering an "action direction" and not only the global XYZ.

Thanks,
Andy

[Frank Faulstich]

Hello andy, this is really a missing feature in RFEM. There is no possibility to project the load in other directions than X, Y and Z.

You have no choice than to do the transformation manually.

In your example I would calculate the load at the beginning and at the end of the member and assume a linear curve.

Frank Faulstich