
May 1, 2020
Video: Aluminum Member Design in RISACalc
Learn how to load and design individual beam and column aluminum members in RISACalc.
While members (beams and columns) follow conventions tied to their local axes, interpreting results for wall panels, plate elements, and design strips requires a slightly different perspective. These elements deal with both in-plane and out-of-plane behavior, and the sign conventions can change depending on the program and axis orientation. Overview Table of Sign Conventions Element Type Positive Moment (M) Shear (V) Axial (P) Notes Wall Panels – In-Plane Compression in positive local-y face Downward on right face Tension = Positive Applies to in-plane forces only Wall Panels – Out-of-Plane Compression on positive local-y face N/A N/A Defines “positive bending” convention Plates (RISA-3D) Positive Mx or My = Top surface in tension Shear follows right-hand rule Tension = Positive Local Z-axis defaults upward Plates (RISAFoundation) Positive Mz = Top surface in compression Shear follows right-hand rule Tension = Positive Local Z-axis defaults downward Design Strips / Support Lines Sagging = Positive (bottom fiber in tension) Downward on right face Tension = Positive Matches slab design workflows Wall Panels Wall panels report forces in both in-plane and out-of-plane directions. In-plane: Axial = Positive tension Shear = Positive when downward on the right face Out-of-plane: Positive bending = compression on the positive local-y…
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Learn how to load and design individual beam and column aluminum members in RISACalc.
The new Aluminum ADM 2015 code has been added in RISA-3D v15.0. To select this code for your design, simply open the (Global) Model Settings and under the Codes tab select AA ADM1-15:
The bending and axial code checks for single angles differ somewhat from other shape types, because single angles behave quite differently in bending and compression depending on how they are braced along their length.
In Aluminum design, the welded areas have a decreased material strength and RISA-3D can assign any material strength to the members based on the Material spreadsheet.
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