The Design Loads used by RAM Steel Column are determined for the worst combination of axial loads and bending moments. In determining the worst design conditions as required by Code, the program skip loads the live load around the column (if that option is selected in Criteria > Design Defaults) to create the worst case of axial load and bi axial bending. When a live load is "skipped" on a side (i.e., not applied), it is not included in the total axial design load.

Axial loads are calculated directly from the gravity loads assigned in the RAM Modeler. Bending moments are caused by unequal beam reactions acting through the beam to column connection eccentricities. The default connection eccentricities are defined by the user in the RAM ModelerRAM Modeler with the Options > Set Defaults > Eccentricities command. They can be defined as either an absolute distance from column centerline or as half the column dimension plus an incremental distance. The latter for a sloping column is adjusted for its slope inside the program. An absolute distance of 0.0 results in no applied moment and the column is designed for axial loads only. The eccentricity condition can be assigned independently for each axis. Note that these default values are only assigned to standard columns; hanging columns are by default assigned eccentricities of 0.0. If the connection used for hanging columns will induce design moments, the appropriate connection eccentricity should be assigned to the hanging columns in the RAM Modeler.

Default connection eccentricity conditions are set in the Defaults Utility in the RAM Manager. These defaults can be overridden on a project-by-project basis using the Options > Set Defaults > Eccentricities command in the RAM Modeler. Changing the settings in the Options > Set Default > Eccentricities command in RAM Modeler does not affect the columns modeled prior to the change. Only those columns modeled after the change will have the new eccentricity condition. Changing the settings in the Defaults Utility in the RAM Manager does not affect the columns in any models created prior to the change. The default assignments on an individual column can be modified using the Layout Columns Assign Eccentricity command in the RAM Modeler.

The RAM Steel Column module calculates the moments induced by unbalanced loading on each face of the column. When a beam frames into a column parallel to a given axis, the full reaction is applied to that column face. When a beam frames in at an angle, the reaction is split between the adjacent sides by the ratio of the angle. For small angles it may be appropriate to suppress the splitting of the reaction, and apply the full reaction on the nearest face. The magnitude of the angle to be considered in determining whether or not to split the reaction can be specified by the user using the Criteria > Design Defaults command (See Splicing ). For example, if an angle of 30 degrees is specified, a beam reaction will not be split between the two adjacent sides if it frames into a column at an angle of 30 degrees or less with respect to the column axis.