A member support can be used to define the boundary conditions of all FE nodes along a member. At these internal nodes, the displacements and rotations can be restricted by arranging the translational and rotational springs. This allows you to model, for example, foundation beams as elastic member supports in the model.
Usage in Program
In RFEM or RSTAB, member supports can only be assigned to the Beam, Rigid, or Rib member types. The support conditions of a member support are divided into "Translational," "Shear," and "Rotational" degrees of freedom.
- Translational: In order to obtain a member-related translational spring in [N/m²] based on the subgrade reaction modulus, a spring constant of a foundation beam is determined, taking into account the cross-section width.
- Shear: In the case of this support condition, the shear capacity of the soil is determined by using shear springs.
- Rotational: The rotational restraint of a member about its longitudinal axis is described by the constant of a rotational spring.
