RAM Structural System Help

To add a beam, column, or brace section property

Beams, columns and braces modeled as ‘concrete’ or ‘other’ do not have standard tables from which properties are assigned. Section properties for these members must be defined using

Beam, column, or brace section properties are added for concrete or "other" materials.

  1. Either:

    select PropTable > Column Sections

    or

    select the Section Props tool

    Tip: The Section Props tool is displayed in the dynamic toolbar section when either the Layout Column, Layout Beam, or Layout Horiz Brace modes are active.
    The relevant Material Member Section Properties dialog opens.
  2. Concrete beam sections may be specified as either rectangular or T-section. Inverted L-sections can also be defined by specifying them as a T-section with an overhang of 0.0 on one side. If the section is specified as a T-section, the user has the option of specifying explicitly the flange width (by specifying the overhang dimensions) and thickness or having the program determine those automatically. If the option to use the calculated flange width is specified, the program will automatically determine the effective flange width based on the floor framing geometry and the applicable design code. If the option to use the slab thickness for the flange thickness is specified, the thickness will be based on the thickness of the concrete slab assigned to the area surrounding that beam. This powerful feature allows the user to specify only the basic web dimensions and assign the section to multiple locations where the beam will have varying flange configurations. Concrete column and brace sections may be specified as either rectangular or circular, the graphic of the column changes according to the option chosen.
  3. For all concrete sections cracked section factors can be specified for Axial, Flexural, or Torsion stiffness modification. These cracked factors will be used in both RAM Frame and RAM Concrete Gravity Analysis to modify the gross member stiffness for the associated section property. The factor specified will be multiplied directly to the calculated section property stiffness so a value of 1.0 will produce no modification and the gross section stiffness value will be used. Refer to the RAM Frame and RAM Concrete Analysis manuals for more information on the application of cracked section factors.

When assigning sizes to the members using the Layout - <Member Type> - Assign Sizes command, the assign sizes dialog box will display the list of member sizes that were previously defined in the Property Table.