How do Plates and Walls interact with each other?
February 6, 2012

How do Plates and Walls interact with each other?

Below is a model of a concrete flat slab (represented by a plate) which is bearing on two columns and a skewed wall. As we know from plate meshing we will obviously have to submesh this slab in order to get accurate results. However if we do an ordinary submesh (as shown below) the plates will not...

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Why is Plate Meshing Important?
February 2, 2012

Why is Plate Meshing Important?

Aside from the topic of plate connectivity, the concept of plate meshing is equally important to the analysis of structures using finite elements (plates).

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How to Model a Hole in a Plate
June 16, 2011

How to Model a Hole in a Plate

While RISA-3D (or RISA-2D) does not have an explicit tool to punch a hole in a plate, you can use the following steps to manually model them:

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How to Model a Semi-Rigid Diaphragm
July 29, 2010

How to Model a Semi-Rigid Diaphragm

RISA-3D does not inherently have the capability to define a semi-rigid diaphragm. If you’re dealing with a complex roof system then you probably need to be able to model something that behaves accurately though. This is the perfect application for Semi-Rigid Diaphragms. A semi-rigid diaphragm is...

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How Do Plates Connect to Members?
July 28, 2010

How Do Plates Connect to Members?

In order to understand the interaction between plates and members it is important that you know the basics of Physical Members and Plate Connectivity. Remember that plates only connect to other elements at their corners, and you will instantly recognize why the model below will not work as intended.

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How Do Plates Connect to Each Other?
June 14, 2010

How Do Plates Connect to Each Other?

To best understand how plates interact with each other you must first understand the concept of Physical Members. The important thing to keep in mind is that plates are not physical members. A plate is defined using either three or four joints, and it only connects to other plates at those joints....

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