Question
I would like to connect a column rigidly to a girder flange. However, in the RF‑/JOINTS Steel - Rigid add-on module, beams are always connected to a column flange. How can I create a continuous beam?
Answer:
The geometry depends on the definition of the structural components. In Window "1.2 Nodes and Members", there is the specification of which member is calculated as a column and which as a beam. The program always recognizes the column as a continuous structural component by default (see Image 01).In order to make the beam continuous, simply change the status of the individual members (see Image 02). The actual beam will have the "Column" status and the actual column will be defined as a "Beam".
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In addition to the result tables, you can create three-dimensional graphics in RF‑/FRAME‑JOINT Pro and RF‑/JOINTS. This is a realistic representation of a connection to scale.
This technical article analyzes the effects of the connection stiffness on the determination of internal forces, as well as the design of connections using the example of a two-story, double-spanned steel frame.
Plate girder is an economical choice for long spans construction. I-section steel plate girder typically has a deep web to maximize its shear capacity and flange separation, yet thin web to minimize the self-weight. Due to its large height-to-thickness (h/tw) ratio, transverse stiffeners may be required to stiffen the slender web.
Understanding steel connection rigidity is crucial in structural design. Often, connections are treated as strictly pinned or rigid, but this can lead to uneconomical or even dangerous designs. Explore how Dlubal Software's RFEM and Steel Joints add-on help verify connection stiffness and moment resistance, ensuring safer and more economical designs.
- Numerous component types, such as base and end plates, web angles, fin plates, gusset plates, stiffeners, tapers, or ribs for easy input of typical connection situations
- Universally applicable basic components (such as plates, welds, bolts, auxiliary planes) for modeling complex connection situations
- Graphical display of the connection geometry with dynamic updating during the input
- Wide range of cross-section shapes: I-sections, U-sections, angles, T-sections, hollow sections, built-up cross-sections and thin-walled sections
- Library in the Dlubal Center with a large number of program-side template connections, including user-defined templates
- Automatic adaptation of the connection geometry based on the relative arrangement of the components to each other – even in case of subsequent editing of the structural components
In the ultimate configuration of the steel joint design, you have the option to modify the limit plastic strain for welds.
The "Base Plate" component allows you to design base plate connections with cast-in anchors. In this case, plates, welds, anchorages, and steel-concrete interaction are analyzed.
In the "Edit Section" dialog box, you can display the buckling shapes of the Finite Strip Method (FSM) as a 3D graphic.
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