
April 20, 2011
Refining Area Load Distribution in RISA-3D
After solving a model with Member Area Loads, RISA-3D will automatically create Transient Basic Load Cases that allow the user to verify load distribution.
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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After solving a model with Member Area Loads, RISA-3D will automatically create Transient Basic Load Cases that allow the user to verify load distribution.
RISA-3D will now check your model for errors by summing the reactions in your model and comparing them to the applied loads. This occurs for the global X, Y, and Z directions. If RISA identifies that the reactions do not equal the applied loads then the software will show a warning message to the...
In RISA-3D, there are many different applications that require you to define Member Type in your model including AISC 15th Edition steel design, Seismic Design, Concrete design, and models that will be transferred to Autodesk Revit.
V-Brace frames in RISA-3D seismic design have unbalanced forces shown on both the beams and braces. As brace frames displace under lateral loads, one brace will buckle and its force decreases while the other brace in tension will have an increase of force until it reaches yield.
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.
The Seismic Provisions in RISA-3D will check various design and code check requirements according to the AISC design provisions (AISC 360-2005, AISC 341-2005, AISC 358-2009). Seismic Design Rules can be applied to any member in the model, just follow the steps listed below.
The Seismic Design rules can be found in RISA-3D on the Data Entry toolbar or in the Spreadsheets menu. Below is a quick-reference description of the entries required. For further information refer to the Online Help File > Seismic Detailing.
When a model is solved that contains Member Area Loads, the program automatically attributes them to the applicable members within the defined area of the applied load. The load is attributed to the members as distributed loads that RISA-3D defines as Transient Loads.
When your RISA-3D model is not behaving as you anticipated, one of the best tools you have is viewing the deflected shape. Displaying the deflection graphically will help you visualize how the model is behaving and will often times bring to light modeling errors.
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