Concrete Design for RFEM 6 | Features

Reinforced concrete usually answers the question "How much can you carry?" simply with "Yes". Nevertheless, you need a three-dimensional moment-moment-axial force interaction diagram for the graphical output of the ultimate limit state of reinforced concrete cross-sections. The Dlubal structural analysis software offers you just that.

With the additional display of the load action, you can easily recognize or visualize whether the limit resistance of a reinforced concrete cross-section is exceeded. Since you can control the diagram properties, you can customize the appearance of the My-Mz-N diagram to suit your needs.

Do you want to determine the biaxial bending resistance of a reinforced concrete cross-section? For this, you have to activate a moment-moment interaction diagram (My-Mz diagram) first. This My-Mz diagram represents a horizontal section through the three-dimensional diagram for the specified axial force N. Due to the coupling to the 3D interaction diagram, you can also visualize the section plane there.

The structural analysis program provides you with a clear overview of all performed design checks for the design standard. You have to determine a design criterion for each design check. In addition to the ultimate limit state and the serviceability limit state design, the program checks the design rules of the standard. For each design check, there are the design details including the initial values, intermediate results, and final results, arranged in a structured way. An information window in the design details shows you the calculation process with the applied formulas, standard sources, and results in great detail.

Time-dependent concrete properties, such as creep and shrinkage, are very important for your calculation. You can define them directly for the material in the structural analysis program. In the input dialog box, the time course of the creep or shrinkage function is displayed to you graphically. You can easily select the modification of the applied concrete age, for example, due to a temperature treatment.

During the cross-section design, you can directly control whether the concrete surface is applied behind the reinforcing bars or is subtracted from the concrete cross-section. You can use the design of the net concrete cross-section especially in the case you deal with a highly reinforced cross-section.

Enter the surface reinforcement directly on the RFEM level. In this case, you can select the defined area reinforcements individually. The usual editing functions Copy, Mirror, or Rotate are at your disposal when entering the surface reinforcement.

Do you work with the structural components consisting of slabs? In that case, you have to perform the shear force design with the requirements of punching shear design, for example, according to 6.4, EN 1992‑1‑1. In addition to floor slabs, you can also design foundation slabs in this way.

In the Ultimate Configuration for concrete design, you can define the punching design parameters for the selected nodes.

In the Concrete Design add-on, you can perform the simplified fire resistance design according to Sections 5.3.2 and 5.6 of EN 1992‑1‑2 for columns and beams.

The following design checks are available for the simplified fire resistance design:

• Columns: Minimum cross-sectional dimensions for rectangular and circular sections according to Table 5.2a as well as Equation 5.7 for calculating time of fire exposure
• Beams: Minimum dimensions and center distances according to Tables 5.5 and 5.6

You can determine the internal forces for the fire resistance design according to two methods.

• 1 Here, the internal forces of the accidental design situation are included directly into the design.
• 2 The internal forces of the design at normal temperature are reduced by the factor Eta,fi (ηfi), then used in the fire resistance design.

Furthermore, it is possible to modify the axis distance according to Eq. 5.5.

In the Concrete Design add-on, you have the option to define an existing vertically oriented punching shear reinforcement. This is then taken into account in the punching shear design.