
September 8, 2017
CSA A23.3-14 Canadian Concrete Code now Available
The CSA A23.3-14 code has been implemented in RISA-3D v15.0, RISAFloor v11.0, and RISAFoundation v9.0.
When designing shear walls in RISA-3D, it’s common to add surface loads—whether to simulate lateral wind or seismic pressures, or even out-of-plane loads. But what happens when those loads intersect with openings in your wall panels? Let’s walk through exactly how RISA-3D handles this scenario behind the scenes, including how the program preserves total force and moment equilibrium—even when wall geometry gets complex. ⚙️ How It Works: Surface Load Redistribution at Openings When a surface load is applied to a wall panel that contains openings, RISA-3D uses a special algorithm to redistribute the portion of the load that would otherwise fall inside the opening. Rather than ignore that load entirely, the program converts the "lost" surface area into equivalent nodal forces along the edges of the opening. These loads are known as transient nodal loads. Here’s the step-by-step breakdown: Determine Centroid of the Loaded Region RISA calculates the centroid of the area made up of both the surface load region and the opening. Split the Load Across the Opening The surface load over the opening is divided into two halves, based on the centroid location. Distribute Equivalent Forces Along Opening Edges These two portions of the load are then “smeared”…
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The CSA A23.3-14 code has been implemented in RISA-3D v15.0, RISAFloor v11.0, and RISAFoundation v9.0.
The latest releases of RISAFloor and RISA-3D include the following updates to wood design per the Canadian codes:
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.
RISA-3D can design the Cold Formed Steel face-to-face channel and track sections. You can also get design of a Cold Formed Steel tube shape in RISA-3D. The Shape Selection dialog will allow you to model the built-up sections by selecting “Face to Face” shown below.
The new CSA O86-14 code has been implemented in RISA-3D v15.0 and RISAFloor v11.0
RISA-3D now supports hot rolled steel design for the Canadian market according to CSA S16-14.
These include:
In RISA-3D, RISAFloor, and RISAFoundation the cursor now provides additional information regarding the cursor coordinates. As you move your cursor around on your screen, a box adjacent to your cursor will appear and populate with the coordinates of the cursor.
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