
April 5, 2018
Seismic Load Consideration for Retaining Walls
RISAFoundation has the capability to consider seismic loading for retaining walls.
In structural engineering, few design challenges are as rewarding—or as unforgiving—as the tall building. While gravity systems and code checks form the backbone of any structural project, once a structure rises beyond ten or fifteen stories, a shift occurs. Wind and seismic forces begin to dominate. Story drift and torsional irregularities become non-negligible. Load paths grow increasingly indirect. And design decisions, if not carefully made early on, can have exponential consequences higher in the structure. Tall buildings are not simply “bigger” versions of short ones. They behave differently. And understanding those differences is essential for any engineer working in an urban environment where building vertically is often the only viable path forward. Modeling for Reality, Not Just Code The foundation of any successful tall building design lies in the model—its assumptions, resolution, and degree of abstraction. Many engineers begin with simplified representations: rigid diaphragms, idealized connections, and linear material properties. This is practical and often sufficient for early design phases. But as the building increases in height and complexity, those assumptions may start to mask critical behaviors. Semi-rigid diaphragm modeling, for instance, allows engineers to capture in-plane flexibility of floor systems—especially important in buildings with irregular cores, open floor plans,…
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RISAFoundation has the capability to consider seismic loading for retaining walls.
We are proud to introduce drastically improved solution times in RISAFoundation version 10.0. This version was updated to include multi-threading/parallel processing capability which will allow it to take advantage of multiple core processors which are becoming extremely common on the market today.
The new TMS 402-16 Masonry Code (formerly designated as ACI 530 and ASCE 5) have been added to RISA-3D v16.0, RISAFloor v12.0 and RISAFoundation v10.0.
Hot rolled steel, wood, and concrete piles are now available in RISAFoundation v10.0. The Pile Definition Editor lets the user input the pile’s properties including the pile’s shape, material, and length. For concrete piles the user has the ability to apply a custom shear and flexural rebar layout...
With Pile Design in RISAFoundation, you have the ability to define the default soil properties for the entire model. But also the Soil Definitions spreadsheet gives you control over all the soil property layers in one location.
The International Code Council just released the 2018 International Building Code (IBC) in August 2017.
The consideration of Live Load reduction is a feature that has been in RISAFloor from the very beginning. However, recent changes to the interface make it significantly easier for you to understand how live load reduction is affecting the design forces in your structure.
In RISAFoundation, you can add a vertical offset for slabs or beams. Traditionally, RISA uses centerline analysis which aligns all elements at their centerline. This is a common structural analysis assumption as the loads will get transferred to the centerline even if there is difference in the...
The CSA A23.3-14 code has been implemented in RISA-3D v15.0, RISAFloor v11.0, and RISAFoundation v9.0.
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