When a beam frames into a column at a non-orthogonal angle, the beam reaction is split between the two nearest column sides for moment calculation. However, in cases where a beam frames in very close to one side, it may be desirable for the entire beam reaction to be applied to that side only. If a beam frames into a column at an angle less than that specified, the total reaction is applied to the nearest side.

A moment is induced into the column, by the gravity beams, that is a function of the beam reaction and the eccentricity of the beam-column connection. The dimension used for the eccentricity used by the program in calculating these moments is assigned in the Modeler. To determine the worst case of axial load and biaxial bending in the column the program considers several different conditions of Live Load (i.e., "Imposed Load") patterned around the four sides of the column. One condition that is investigated is to consider the Live Load loading all four sides. This produces the condition with the maximum axial loads; it may also produce some unbalanced moments if the Dead Load or Live Load reactions on opposite sides is not equal. This may not be the worst design condition, however, for the column. For example, by placing the Live Load on only two sides of the column, the resulting axial load is reduced, but the unbalanced moment in both axes is increased. This may produce a worse design condition than the fully loaded column with smaller unbalanced moments. The program investigates the various configurations of skipped, or patterned, loading of the Live Load, and reports the results for the controlling condition. The Do not skip-load the Live Load around column option provides a way for the user to force the program to only consider the fully loaded condition, and to ignore the skip-load cases. BS 5950, for example, explicitly states that it is not necessary to consider the skip-loaded conditions.

For a complete explanation of how the eccentric moments are calculated and how the reactions are split, see the Technical Notes chapter in the RAM Steel Column manual.

To change the angle, type the desired angle (0 - 45 degrees) in the edit box.

Click the Cancel button to exit the dialog without saving the changes made.

To accept the changes, click the OK button. A warning dialog box will appear stating that the columns must be re-framed and redesigned with this new criteria. Clicking OK will initiate the re-framing process. Clicking Cancel will terminate the command, returning you to RAM Steel Column.