Problem Background
The construction of buildings is usually carried out in stages. As a result, the dead loads due to the unfinished, connected structural parts already become active and have to be absorbed by the existing structures until the subsequent stage of a structure is completed.
If the loads are too great for the existing structures, it is necessary to build auxiliary structures.
Options in RFEM
There are two options to consider the construction stages in RFEM:
- Using the RF-STAGES add-on module
- Deactivating certain structures for the individual load cases/combinations
The RF‑STAGES add-on module analyzes a structure in the individual construction stages using a nonlinear FEM calculation. This method allows you to consider nonlinearities and redistributions due to removing the structural elements.
In RFEM, you can deactivate the individual structural elements (members, surfaces, solids, nodal supports, line supports, surface supports) for a load case or a load combination, and thus manually create the desired construction stage for this load case.
