
October 4, 2012
Using Virtual Joist Girders in RISA-3D
The Steel Joist Institute (SJI) has developed a Virtual Joist Girder table which converts common joist sizes into equivalent wide flange beams for use in RISA-3D.
If you've ever wondered what it’s like to be an industrial structural engineer, let me paint you a picture: Imagine juggling a dozen problems at once—steel frames, conveyor supports, pipe racks, tank foundations—all while trying to decipher a set of drawings that look like they were faxed from 1997. And, of course, every single solution is needed yesterday. But don’t worry! With the right tools (cough RISA and ADAPT cough), navigating this daily chaos becomes a lot more manageable. So, grab your coffee (black, obviously), and let’s walk through a typical day. 6:30 AM: Morning Coffee & Evaluating Additional Loads The first email of the day: “Can we add another 10,000 lbs of equipment to the mezzanine? What about seismic drift and vibration?” Instead of a lengthy hand calculation, you fire up RISAFloor and check gravity load distribution. Exporting to RISA-3D, you analyze modal frequencies and check if the additional weight will push the structure into an uncomfortable range for human occupancy. Seismic drift is next. A quick response spectrum analysis in RISA-3D confirms that the drift is still within acceptable limits. You send your report with confidence—no major framing changes required. 9:00 AM: Field Issue - Pipe Rack Base…
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The Steel Joist Institute (SJI) has developed a Virtual Joist Girder table which converts common joist sizes into equivalent wide flange beams for use in RISA-3D.
Let’s consider the example of the frame shown below. Suppose there is a diaphragm present at the framing level, and that the wall shown is intended only to handle the lateral loads. In reality the columns will be in-line with the wall, and the cantilever beams will pass over the wall without...
RISA programs are Windows based and have historically been installed only on PC’s. Although RISA programs do not run natively on an Apple computer we have done some testing to confirm that our programs will run on a Mac using a virtual computer running a Microsoft Windows OS.
RISAFoundation includes a footing element which is represented by a single node. A frequent question that arises is how to apply multiple point loads to a single footing, but at different locations. This can be done with or without corresponding pedestals, but for the example below multiple...
While RISA-3D does not currently have pilaster design, there are still plenty of situations where you would want to have a column embedded within a wall. The idea behind this is that the column handles the gravity loads for any beams which frame into it, while the wall handles lateral loads. No...
RISAFloor has some default decks provided for you when you open the program in the Deck Definitions spreadsheet. You can use one of these decks or you can create your own by going to the bottom of the spreadsheet and press ENTER.
RISA-3D v10 now has the ability to quickly and easily apply hydrostatic loads to circular tanks using the Cylinder Generator. This generator can be found by clicking the Templates button and choosing the Cylinder - Plates/Members option.
With the new RISAConnection version 2.0, users now have the ability to design all connections for axial forces as well as the shear and moment forces.
RISA-3D now has the ability to design concrete walls with openings for both in-plane and out of plane loading. For lintels we provide analysis results based on the finite element results of the region above the opening.
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