Orthotropic Plates in RISA-3D
October 30, 2020

Orthotropic Plates in RISA-3D

RISA-3D Version 19 now includes the ability to define the plate methodology of a material as orthotropic. In structural analysis and design, it may be useful to define plates or slabs that have different characteristics (stiffness) in the longitudinal and transverse directions. Doing so will result...

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Expanded Results for Contour Plots
July 7, 2020

Expanded Results for Contour Plots

Color contours and gradients can be very helpful to visualize the forces/stresses of plates and wall panels. But did you know there are other design tools that can be helpful in analyzing and understanding these contours? The family of Internal Force Summation Tools (IFST, IFST Wall and IFST Slab)...

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Introducing RISA Live!
April 1, 2020

Introducing RISA Live!

With many of us working from home, our support team wanted to be able to connect with our customers where they are: in front of their computers. With that in mind, we are excited to introduce RISA Live. These live sessions, will take place every Thursday at 2pm EST (11am PST) and will focus on...

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Improved Automesh & Local Axis Settings
June 7, 2018

Improved Automesh & Local Axis Settings

RISA-3D now includes improved behavior of the automesh feature as well as the newly added global model setting for Plate Local Axis. The new plate local axis options include both Nodal and Global. These options allow for more control over plates which can lead to clearer results in plate contour...

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Approximate Guidelines for Plate Meshing
January 15, 2015

Approximate Guidelines for Plate Meshing

It is important to submesh plate elements in your model in order to obtain the most accurate results. However, many users wonder what the approximate guidelines for plate dimensions are acceptable.

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How can I transition a Plate Mesh from Round to Rectangular?
August 21, 2013

How can I transition a Plate Mesh from Round to Rectangular?

Transitioning plates from a circular (or elliptical) to a square (or rectangular) shape can be done easily using some of RISA-3D’s automated generation tools. Below is the procedure for transitioning a circle into a square, but it should be clear how this could be accomplished for other similar...

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How can I find the deflection of plates?
May 15, 2013

How can I find the deflection of plates?

Below is a model of a flat concrete slab made of plates. In order to ensure adequate serviceability of the slab, you may need to check the deflection of the slab between columns. However, RISA-3D only reports Member and Joint Deflections. There is no such thing as a “Plate Deflection”.

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