Question:
The "Effective Lengths" tab is in the "Edit Member" dialog box. How does the modified effective length factor or the "Check exceeding of critical buckling load" option affect the calculation in RFEM?
Answer:
The effective length factors that you can change in the "Effective Lengths" tab are not considered in the determination of internal forces in RFEM or RSTAB. These values are presettings for add-on modules used to perform stability analyses; for example, RF‑/STEEL EC3 or RF‑/TIMBER Pro. The values will be considered in the modules only.
However, the "Check exceeding of critical buckling load" option has an influence on the calculation: If the critical load is reached, the member fails. In this case, the program shows a message about the instability.