
September 6, 2017
Canadian Wood Design Updates
The latest releases of RISAFloor and RISA-3D include the following updates to wood design per the Canadian codes:
When modeling plate elements alongside member elements in RISA, users may notice that member forces—such as bending moments or axial loads—are lower than expected. This behavior is often the result of how loads are shared between plates and members based on their relative stiffness. If the distribution of forces doesn't align with your design expectations, it may be due to unintended interaction between these elements. Accurately capturing structural behavior requires not only the right modeling approach, but also a clear understanding of how plates and members interact within the analysis. In this article, we’ll explore common scenarios where this issue can arise, explain why it happens, and provide practical tips and workarounds to ensure your results match your design intent. Why Model Plate Elements in the First Place? Before diving into the interaction between elements, it’s worth asking: Do I need to model plate elements at all? In many cases, member design and stability can be accurately represented using simplified area or line loads—and plates might not be necessary. However, there are valid reasons to model plates, including: The model is unstable and needs plate elements for diaphragm action. Plates are part of the lateral load path. You want a…
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The latest releases of RISAFloor and RISA-3D include the following updates to wood design per the Canadian codes:
RISAFloor v11 allows users to add parapets while allowing the program to calculate the wind loads per the ASCE 7 parapet wind loading requirements.
RISAFloor now has the ability to model a Semi-Rigid, Rigid or Flexible diaphragms to distribute lateral loads. For more information about the different diaphragm types, click on the link 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.
RISAFloor v11 includes the ability to re-position selected elements such as beams, columns, walls, and nodes in your model. On the Graphic Editing Toolbar, click on the Move Selected Items button to open the Move Selected Items dialog box.
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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