Professional Documents
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2014 Edition
Manual
________________________________________________________________________
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LEGAL NOTICES ..................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................7
How to learn RAM Connection? .................................................................................................................... 7
RAM Connection and Windows Least-Privileged User Account (LUA) Approach ................................. 7
Introduction
Introduction
Welcome to RAM Connection, a powerful and flexible engineering software for the design of steel
connections.
This program provides unequaled flexibility for the design of different types of shear, moment,
bracing and splice connections. It is based upon the provisions of the:
ANSI/AISC 360-05
ANSI/AISC 360-10
BS 5950-2000
GB 50017-2003
for Steel Design Specifications and considers mainly W and HSS shapes.
You can call the program after RAM Structural System or RAM Elements and use automatically the
results of the analysis and design of members.
The connection design can also be customized to adhere to your typical office standards.
Introduction
least-privileged user account approach, avoiding errors due to security restrictions and allowing a
better organization of the data folders.
Description of the most significant changes from the LUA approach implementation
The most important change for this release is the separation of the files that are installed with the
program from the files that may be modified by the user.
The program files are installed, as usual, in the read-only folder "Program Files".
Files that may be generated, modified or deleted by the user (sections, materials and connections
databases, load combinations generators, templates and LEO files, etc.) are stored in the read/write
folder ProgramData. For the case of old users, the installer will extract all the user information and
will save it in this folder, nothing will be lost. The path is shown in the following table:
Configuration files such as local settings and print preferences will be created in another folder with
the path shown in the following table:
Introduction
The read/write folders that will contain users modified files are:
A summary of modifications made to the application data folders is shown in the following table:
11
12
Function
Name
RC button
Ribbon
Data Panel
Display area
Area where the model and any other selected display option
is shown.
Status bar
RC button menu
Function
Opens an existing model
13
Save
Model properties
Export
Bug Report
General configuration
Exit
Reverse selection.
Unselect all.
14
Add and edit load condition. The load conditions management window is displayed
where it is possible to create and edit load conditions and combinations.
15
With the
16
Note that the categories included in the list are set by default by the program and the user cannot
modify them. However, it is possible to create users own categories with the
may rename them with the
button.
Delete load condition. The delete load condition window is displayed where it is
possible to select several load conditions to be deleted.
17
The user cannot modify the generator files that are installed by the program, which are identified by
the icon , but the user can create generation files from the program files or simply write equations
for load combinations in the text editor of the dialog window. For this purpose, use the
that creates or adds a new generation file, after that, press the
paste it with the
button
The dialog box launcher of this group shows additional configuration options for loads like include
load combinations from RAM Frame or to consider seismic provisions.
Section database. The section database window is displayed where they can be
updated.
Material database. The material database window is displayed where they can be
updated.
Connection database. The connection database window is displayed where they can
be updated.
19
Bolts database. The bolts database is shown where they can be updated.
Welds database. The welds database window is displayed where they can be updated.
20
Model properties. Shows the selected model properties in the display area. The
properties to be shown can be managed in the Model properties button menu.
Rendering. Shows the rendered model in the display area. The rendering menu
allows showing the model transparent or lines only.
Status. Show the connections status for the current load condition or the controlling
load combination.
Stress ratio. Show the connections stress ratio for the current load condition or the
controlling load combination.
Data. Report the connections data. The menu shows the available reports.
21
Design. Shows the connection design report dialog where all the design results reports
are depicted.
22
Print to file. Shows the dialog to save in a file the current graphic display.
Text box. Shows a text box in the graphic area where the user may type notes or any
desired text.
23
Connection templates. The assign menu has the following options for assigning
connections. For more references please read the next chapter.
24
25
26
27
28
Coordinated spreadsheet
Shows the nodes coordinates.
29
30
You can select multiple elements by enclosing them in a rectangle created by clicking and dragging
the mouse from one corner to the other. In this case, pressing the Shift key enables the selection of
the elements within the area without affecting the selection condition of the elements outside the area.
Using this technique, only the elements fully enclosed by the area are selected. That is, in the case of
members, both nodes have to be enclosed in the rectangle.
.- If you press the Ctrl key instead of the Shift key while you are selecting members, all the
elements fully or partially covered by the area will be selected.
31
For example, to select all roof beams of the model shown in the figure above, select one instance of
the members and then press the button
in the Selection group. The program will select all
members with the same Description(s) of the previously selected members.
To simultaneously select several groups select one member of each group using the Shift key
and then press the
button.
You can select any connection by entering its number in the gray column (Connection column)
of the worksheet and pressing ENTER.
All the current data in a worksheet may be cleared using the
button located in the
Spreadsheet group. Notice that this tool button does not erase the related elements.
To select connections with the same template, select a connection with the desired template:
In order to select all connection with the same template, select a connection that has the template
Click on the name of the connection (in the worksheet):
32
Press the
button located in the Spreadsheet group. All the connections with the same template
will be displayed in the graphic and also in the worksheet:
If you want to select equal connections, select one instance of the connection and go to the Selection
group, press the
connection option.
Note that this option selects equal connections, namely connections with equal family, type and
connected members (same section and material). Therefore, connections with different descriptions
can be shown simultaneously in the graphic and the worksheet, if they are equal.
33
Chapter 2: Connections
RAM Connection allows the user to rapidly design, optimize or verify connections. The connection
module may work integrated into RAM Elements or RAM Structural System, automatically utilizing
member dimensions and forces in the connection designs.
Connections are designed and verified according to:
In this chapter we first define what is considered to be a Connection within the context of RAM
Connection. Then, we proceed to directly show you How To Use the program. Following this section
we describe in more detail the features of RAM Connection including the Connection Database,
Connection Assignment/Optimization, Connection Output and how to customize the connection
designs. It is recommended that you read at least the first two sections of this chapter to help you
understand how the connection module works.
What is a Connection?
RAM Connection defines a Single Connection as all the parameters that completely define the
quantities and dimensions of the pieces that make up a connection. It includes the information related
to the Connection Family (beam-to-column flange, beam-to-column web, beam-girder, etc), the type
of connection (shear, moment, bracing, splice or combined), as well as the number of bolts, size of
bolts, welds, geometry and material of the connecting pieces etc.
Before a connection can actually exist, there needs to be a connection template with the connection
characteristics, from which to assign to your connection in the spreadsheet or structure. All
connection templates are defined in the Connection Database that is accessible from the option
Connections in the Database group. RAM Connection installs with an extensive pre-defined database
of templates.
To get you productive on RAM Connection we will proceed directly to the section on How To Use
RAM Connection. For this section we will use the installed connection database. Following this
section we will describe in more detail some of the features of RAM Connection.
If you will work with RAM Elements or RAM Structural System, it is recommended that the
structure be analyzed with final member sizes specified before connections are assigned to joints.
Both member forces and sizes are used to design the connections. However, if member sizes and
forces change after the connections are designed, they can easily be redesigned.
1) Before connections are designed the user should set the Design Configuration options. The dialog
is showed up when the user clicks in the dialog box launcher located at the bottom right corner of the
Assignment group in the Design tab.
In RAM Elements, the connections Design Configuration launcher is located at the bottom right
corner of the Connection group in the Modules tab.
(one design for all joints with same member sizes and slope angles), so the selection is important.
There are many tools available to assist you in selecting joints. One option is to use the
Elements/Joints commands to select joints from a common family out of the currently selected
members.
Elements to select
Beam + node
Beam + node
(Bottom)
node
Continuous
joints (CC)
beam
over
Column
Braces + node
39
Column + node
Note that for the case of brackets, you should select the related beam (usually a cantilever beam) and
column. The beam will be used to pass the loads to the bracket.
Select the members and nodes for which connections are to be designed.
4) Select the connections group buttons. It is possible to select: Smart Connections, Basic
Connections or gussets for braces.
40
41
42
button
The double angle shear connection will automatically be designed at the selected joints.
Naming Convention
The following connection naming convention has been adopted:
<Connection Type Connection Family -Connection Characteristic Design Parameter>
Smart Connection example: DA BCF Weld support Bolt beam
Basic Connection example:
DA_BCF_L 3x3x1/4_3B3/4
Connection types
Design Standard: AISC 360:
CA = Shear angle(s)
SP = Shear single plate
EP = Shear end plate
SS = Stiffened seated connection
US = Unstiffened seated connection
TEE = Shear tee
TP = Through plate (only HSS supports)
BP = Bent plate(s)
DW = Directly welded moment connection
MEP = Moment end plate (ex EEP)
MEPKnee = Moment end plate for tapered members (Knee)
FP = Flange plates
MA = moment angles
MT = Moment tees
CP = Cap plate
4A = Four angles beam splice
PBr = Plate bracket
TBr = Tee bracket
43
7) To view the results of the connections design on the screen, the users should press the
button located in the Design group in the View tab. The capacity ratio and status of the current load condition
will be displayed for all selected connections.
A shear connection displaying its capacity ratio for the current load condition
Note that the capacity ratio may be different for the different selected connections because the loads
acting on them are different but the connections are identical.
46
button.
47
button
button
11) It is also possible to view design reports of a group of connections. Select the required
connections and choose the option Design in the Reports group in the Output tab.
48
12) If you modify a member size, structure geometry or loads, you will need to redesign your
in
As you can see getting connection designs is quick and easy, however, there is significant flexibility
in exactly how connections are assigned and designed. The following sections describe in more detail
the features that were used above.
Notes:
If the strength ratio is less than the limit specified, but the status of the connection is yellow, it
is because some geometric requirement is not satisfied or the members are not compatible. If
this is the case, the connection drawing could be incorrect, the capacity verifications are not
valid anymore and the calculation assumptions are incorrect.
Besides the geometry verification and members compatibility done by the program, the user
should verify if the geometry of the designed connections is appropriate. The 3D and 2D
graphics can be used as a tool to verify this. An example of such situation is when the beam
flange width is wider than the column internal space in a BCW connection or when there are
beams with depths larger than the girder depths they frame into in BG connections. In these
cases, the program could not display any error message, but the connection drawings will
clearly show this incompatibility. The user could specify special copes in these cases and may
independently verify some additional connection capacities.
When the beam axial load is taken into account for shear connections, the program also
verifies the flexural and prying action capacities of some connection elements. This may lead
to the use of thicker plates or the reduction of bolt gages. In this particular case and in all
cases in general, the connection calculations required to guarantee the required ductility
prescribed by the code are the responsibility of the engineer.
Status button.
Some shear connections such as the TEE, BP, US, TP and SS does not allow axial forces,
therefore, the engineer should verify that the applied connections are able to transfer all the
forces between members.
Inclination angles
Horizontal
Vertical
Both
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
SP
BCF
Yes
Yes
Yes
Shear Plate
BCW
Yes
Yes
Yes
BG
Yes
Yes
Yes
BS
No
No
No
CS
No
No
No
EP
BCF
Yes
Yes
Yes
End Plate
BCW
Yes
Yes
Yes
BG
Yes
Yes
Yes
SS
BCF
No
No
No
Stiffened
Shr
BCW
No
No
No
US
BCF
No
No
No
Unstiffened BCW
Shr
No
No
No
TEE
BCF
No
No
No
Shear Tee
BCW
No
No
No
BG
No
No
No
TP
BCF
No
No
No
Through
Plate
BCW
No
No
No
BP
BCF
Yes
No
No
Bent Plate
BCW
Yes
No
No
BG
Yes
No
No
BCF
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
MEP,
BCF
No
Yes
No
Moment
End Plate
BCW
No
Yes
No
CA
DW
50
BCF
MEPKnee,
BCF
No
Yes
No
FP
BCF
Yes
Yes
Yes
Flange
Plate
BCW
Yes
Yes
No
BG
Yes
No
No
BS
No
No
No
CS
No
No
No
BCF
No
No
No
BCF
No
No
No
CC
No
No
No
BS
No
No
No
BCW
No
No
No
BCF
No
No
No
Bracing
CBB
connections CVR
beams
No
No
No
No
Yes (20-70)
No
CB
No
No
No
CB
No
Yes (20-70)
No
Moment
End Plate
for Knee
MA
Moment
Angles
MT
Moment
Tee
CP
Cap Plate
4A
Four
Angles
Splice
PBr
Plate
Bracket
TBr
Tee Bracket
Bracing
CBB,
connections VXB
CVR,
braces
BPl
Base plate:
Column
GBP
Base plate:
51
braces
The CA connection has a 15 skew limit imposed by the code. Each BP template connection has the
skew angle limits specified in the connection pad.
Remark: For a correct calculation and graphic representation of the connections, the beam local axis
2 must be coincident with the global Y positive axis (upwards).
For the Design standard BS 5950 1:2000
Connection Family
Inclination angles
Horizontal
Vertical
Both
BCF
No
Yes
No
BCW
No
Yes
No
BG
No
Yes
No
BCF
Yes
Yes
Yes
BCW
Yes
Yes
Yes
BG
Yes
Yes
Yes
BCF
Yes
Yes
Yes
BCW
Yes
Yes
Yes
BG
Yes
No
No
Web Cover BS
Plate
CS
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
Directly
Flanges
Welded
BCF
No
Yes
No
BCW
No
Yes
No
Directly
BCF
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Flange
BS
Cover Plate
CS
No
No
No
No
No
No
Cleat
Angles
Fin Plate
Flexible
End Plate
52
Inclination angles
Skew
CA
BCF
Slope
Both
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
SP
BCF
Yes
Yes
Yes
BCW
Yes
Yes
Yes
BG
Yes
Yes
Yes
BCF
Yes
Yes
No
BCW
Yes
Yes
No
MEP
BCF
No
Yes
No
Moment
End Plate
BCW
No
Yes
No
FP
BCF
Yes
Yes
Yes
Flange
Plate
BCW
Yes
Yes
No
BG
Yes
No
No
BS
No
No
No
CS
No
No
No
CB
No
No
No
Shear Plate
DW
BP
Base Plate:
Column
53
The skew angle in degrees is defined over a horizontal plane defined between the local axis of the
support and the beam longitudinal axis. Counterclockwise angles are considered positive. Its default
value is 0 (rectangular joint).
Slope angle for BCF and BCW families,
The slope angle in degrees is defined over a vertical plane defined between the local axis of the
support and the beam longitudinal axis. Upward angles are considered positive. Its default value is 0
(rectangular joint).
For braces:
Remarks:
54
The components of the beam forces (moment, axial, shear) transmitted to the support vary
according to the inclination angles. When only a skew angle exists, the beam forces are
conservatively assumed to remain the same, that is to say, it is considered as rectangular joint.
When only slope angle exists, the beam forces are decomposed over the support axis. When
skew and slope angles exist, it is treated as if only the slope angle would exist. It is the
engineer responsibility to verify in each case the additional required capacity verifications due
to the inclination angles.
To differentiate between sloped beams and diagonals, the user should identify the braces with
the option located in the spreadsheet Members\Nodes and Description\Braces. If this flag is
enabled the program will assume that the member is a brace. Otherwise (default option), it
will consider it as a sloped beam.
The maximum slope angle allowed for members is 30. Members with bigger vertical
inclination angles are not considered for the connection assignment.
Family
Characteristics
to beam
to support
CA
BCF,BCW
bolted/welded
welded
SP
BCF,BCW
bolted
welded
TP
BCF,BCW
bolted
welded
TEE
BCF,BCW
bolted/welded
welded
US
BCF,BCW
bolted/welded
welded
SS
BCF,BCW
bolted/welded
welded
DW
BCF,BCW
welded
welded
MEP
BCF,BCW
welded
welded(to
Plate)
FP
(or BCF, BCW
diaphragm
plate)
bolted/welded
welded
Bracing
CBB
BPl
CB
welded
GBP
CB
welded
Connection
55
The following connections allow circular HSS supports for the designs standard AISC 360:
Connection
Family
Characteristics
to beam
to support
SP
BCF,BCW
bolted
welded
TP
BCF,BCW
bolted
welded
BPl
CB
welded
The following connections allow square or rectangular HSS supports for the designs standard BS
5950 1:2000:
Connection
Family
Characteristics
to beam
to support
Cleat Angle
BCF,BCW
bolted
bolted
Fin Plate
BCF,BCW
bolted
welded
bolted
bolted
The following connections allow circular HSS supports for the designs standard BS 5950 1:2000:
Connection
Fin Plate
Family
BCF, BCW
Characteristics
to beam
to support
bolted
welded
The following connections allow square or rectangular HSS supports for the designs standard GB
50017:2003:
Connection
Family
Characteristics
to beam
to support
SP
BCF,BCW
bolted
welded
CA
BCF,BCW
bolted/welded
welded
DW
BCF,BCW
welded
welded
FP
BCF, BCW
bolted/welded
welded
BP
CB
welded
56
Design Criteria
It is important for the user to know exactly how the design process with the connection toolbar is
performed. Each assignment button in the toolbar (either from the Smart Connections or Basic
Connections group) is associated with a list of one or more connection templates.
57
Some shear connections such as the SP, accept positive and negative shear loads (reported always as
positive values), as the connection is symmetric. However, other connections such as SS or US do not
allow negative shear loads.
The next flowchart describes schematically the design procedure that is followed when the
connections are designed in groups:
58
The configuration of the different assignment buttons, defining the template lists that will be
included in each assignment button.
Remarks:
The shear connections assigned to joints where the moment is bigger than a minimum value,
will only take the shear force and not the axial force, as it is assumed that the required
moment connection will take the axial force.
59
The bracing connections where the geometry is imposed (it is not automatically calculated)
and/or a load is specified in one connector may generate moments in the gusset-to-column or
gusset-to beam connections. These moments should be transmitted only by directly welded
connections. Single plates or clip angles are not allowed to deal with moments and an error
message will be displayed in this case.
The connection assignment will be effective only in the joints where the range check of the
connection variables is fulfilled. For example, the range for the skew and slope angles,
member section types, etc. If after the connection assignment a variable is modified, and it is
out of the valid range, the connection is invalidated and it does not allow reporting data or
results and it is not displayed. In the connections reports, such connections will be displayed
with a Not Designed status.
The next sections explain all the program characteristics as the Templates Database, Connection
Spreadsheet and Connection Output. Notice that the Database and the Connection Toolbar can be
customized according to your requirements for connection design.
60
61
Database Organization
Each connection in the database is categorized according to the family to which it belongs. RAM
Connection currently has the following families of connections; each connection is given one of these
designations:
1. Beam - Column Flange (BCF)
2. Beam - Column Web (BCW)
3. Beam Girder (BG)
4. Beam Splice (BS)
5. Column Splice (CS)
6. Continuous beam over column (CC)
7. Column, beams and braces (CBB)
8. Chevron braces (CVR)
9. Vertical X braces (VXB)
10. Column Base (CB)
11. Column Base Braces (CB)
To view all the available connections the user can go to the connections database using the
Connections button located in the Databases group in the Home tab.
62
the connection pieces according to the joint members. Once again it should be noticed that this
organizational structure (separating the smart connection templates from the other connection
templates) is not significant in terms of how RAM Connection works. However, before creating your
own connection database think about how you want to organize the data, it will make it easier to
locate the connections you want to consider for design.
It is very important to note that in the case of Smart Connections, while some of the connection
parameters are designed based on the required forces, others may be designed according to geometry.
If a smart connection template does not design the connection the way you would typically like, you
may create copies of the smart connection with variations on the parameter that you want designed.
To identify basic templates from smart templates watch for the template name. The name of basic
templates has the information of connection elements dimensions such as thicknesses, bolt diameters,
angles sizes, weld sizes, etc. Smart templates do not have this information contained in the name. For
example, select the United States group, Clip Angle BCF table and look at the names DA BCF
All bolted and DA_BCF_L 3x3x1/2_2B1. The first one is a smart template and the second one, a
basic template.
The following smart connection templates are included in the program. Note that the items that are
optimized in each template are listed, if an item is not listed then there is a default value associated
with the connection that you can modify as required to suit your requirements:
For the Design standard AISC 360:
Type
connections
Optimization
of
following parameters
the
(Template name)
DA
BCF, BCW,
connections
DA Beam splice
SP
BCF, BCW, BG, single plate angle number of bolts, plate size.
connections
weld size to support
SP Beam splice
EP
ST
SS
BCF,
64
BCW
BG
double
stiffened
angle
connector size
US
BCF,
BCW
connections
DW
BCF, BCW,
connections
FP
FP
BCF, BCW, BG welded flange plate welds sizes, top and bottom
connections
plate sizes
MEP. MEPKnee
MA
Base plate:
BG
directly
Pinned,
Fixed uniaxial,
Fixed biaxial
Gusset base plate
Column and
connections
braces
base
Gussets
Gusset
Gusset-to-Brace
Gusset-to-Beam or Column
All
Single
Plate
Double
Angles
Number of
bolts on
claw
angles
Required
weld size
Number of
bolts
on
support if
it is bolted
65
compatible
with
the
connectors
geometry
Number of Number of
bolts on bolts if it is
splice
bolted
plates
Number
of bolts
Number of
bolts
on
beam/gusset
if it is
bolted
Plate
thickness
Support weld
size if it is
welded
Beam/gusset
weld size if
it is welded
Optimization
of
following parameters
the
(Template name)
CleatAngle
BEP
FEP
BCF, BCW, BG, Flexible end plate Number of bolts, Weld Size,
connections
Plate thickness
DA
BCF, BCW,
connections
FW
FWW
BCF, BCW Flanges and web welded Weld size, Plate thickness
connections
FinP
Number of
thickness
bolts,
Plate
Number of
thickness
bolts,
plate
Number of
thickness
bolts,
plate
Number of
thickness
bolts,
plate
WCP
splice
Number of
thickness
bolts,
plate
FCP
splice
BG
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Cleats
angles Number
section
of
bolts,
Angle
Type of
connections
Optimization of the
following parameters
(Folder name)
CA
SP
DW
FP
FP
MEP
Base plate
Basic connection templates are organized in different folders with the following naming convention:
Basic + {Connections type initials} + {connection family} + {connection characteristics}.
The connection template name thus reflects the relevant characteristics of the connection.
Remark: The folders where the users modified Connection Database and Toolbar are located could
be configured, by choosing any required directory, even a network directory. To do this, select the
option General configuration/User folders in the RC button.
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Directories configuration
Defining Connections
The steps to define a connection template and add it to the connection database are discussed next.
Go to the Home tab in the Databases group and press the Connections button.
The dialog window shows a combo box with the label Group, as can be seen in the following
figure:
The program installs connections databases by group and regions. In the left side of the window the
Tables for the current group are located, and they are determined by type of connection contained in
the group. In the right side of the window there is the items list for each table.
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The user cannot modify the databases (items, tables and groups) that are installed by the program. It
is possible to access to see items data and properties with the edition button
, but without the
chance to modify this information. However, this dialog allows the user to create and edit own
groups, tables and items. The procedure to execute this is described as follows:
Press the
button to add a New group to the database. After that, a name for the new group is
required in the displayed window:
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Enter a descriptive name for the template. The name is used to identify the template and has to be
unique in the whole database. Then choose if you want to define a shear, moment, combined or a
gusset connection. Also, define the design code, joint family and connection type.
A single connection is comprised of either a shear or a moment connection. A combined connection
is comprised of both a shear and a moment connection type. For example, the extended end plate
connection is considered a combined connection.
Note: It is possible to enter a new connection in the Application Data\ Bentley\Engineering\RAM
Connection folder. Note that the program will not allow you to enter a template in the directory
where the program files were installed.
For any connection, first define a shear, moment, combined or gusset connection, after that, select
the design code, then select the joint family type and finally choose the connection type.
(1) Structural type: Steel frame, truss, etc. must be selected.
(2) Design code: Define the design standard. RAM Connection designs connections according to the
ANSI/AISC 360-05 (American standard), ANSI/AISC 360-10 (American standard), BS 5950-00
(British standard) and GB 50017-2003 (Chinese standard).
(3) Connector type: Shear connection, moment, combined or gusset connection can be selected.
(4) Joint type: Describes the type of joint, beam-to-girder, beam-to-column-flange, etc. There are
eleven available families:
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Note: To create a connection copy, place the cursor at the desired connection to copy and press the
button and the program will export the data to the clipboard.
The following tools to manage the database are available in the window:
Creates a new template.
Copies the current template.
Edits the current template.
Deletes the current template.
Moves the current folder or template to an upper position.
Moves the current folder or template to a lower position.
Exports all the templates data of the current folder to the clipboard.
Imports the template data from the clipboard to the database.
Orders alphabetically all folders.
If you want to create multiple connections that are similar except for one or few parameters (number
of anchors, or size of plates etc) then it may be preferable to use the ability to generate connections in
Excel as illustrated below.
1) Select the folder to copy to Excel.
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2) As illustrated above, press the button Copy items to clipboard. Open Excel and paste the
information in a spreadsheet.
In Excel appear the templates and its variables names. Each template data corresponds to one table
row.
3) Modify the desired data. Remember to name the connections uniquely (keep the folder name at the
beginning of the name).
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4) Then select all the information and copy the data to the clipboard (Ctrl+C)
5) In RAM Connection paste the connection templates to the desired folder in the database by
pressing the Paste items from clipboard button.
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Go to the required item and click in the right button of the combo to access to the available database.
For example, to watch a material existing in the database, press the Materials button in the Databases
group, Home tab.
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A dialog window will appear with the list of available items and the tool buttons to create, edit and
manage the database.
Then, press the
button.
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To edit or create an item, a new dialog will show up with all the required data
To create a new material, Press the
button to add a New group to the database. After that, a name
for the new group is required in the displayed window.
Then, add a new Table by pressing the
button. A new dialog will be displayed to enter the name
for the new table. It is also required to select the type of table.
Press the
There are similar tools to the connection template dialog to manage data in other databases dialogs.
For more information, see the sensitive context help.
Connections commands
The connection commands helps in the design and management of connections.
Selection options
Selecting connections
The different options are located in the Elements/Connections command in the Selection group.
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You can click with the left button of the mouse over each desired connection.
You can make a fence over the desired connections clicking and dragging the mouse from one corner
to the other.
Available options for the connection selection
If you want to select connections by description (remember that a design group has the same
description), select an instance of the desired connection and press
in the Selection group. All
connections in the model that share the same description will be selected.
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Selecting joints:
The different options are located in the Elements/Joints command in the Selection group.
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Special selection of joints. Notice that you can limit the selection by beam depth and beam end
conditions.
Another important option for joints selection is the command Select connection nodes and members
in Elements/Connections options. This tool is very useful if you want to change or modify the design
of a group of connections. The related members and nodes will be highlighted in the model. Then you
can erase the connections of the selected joints and/or proceed with a new design by pressing any
assignment button of the connection toolbar.
Note: The beam local axis 2 is supposed vertical. Other orientation would lead to nonsense
connections.
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parameters on the selected connections. For basic connections this button will show the connection
template name.
Select Elements/Connections/Select connection with the same tag name option to select all smart
connections with the same designed elements (expressed in the tag). This tool is useful when
connections are designed individually, and the user wants to find all the connections that have similar
designs so as to assist in determining an appropriate grouping of connections. Note that connections
with the same tag could have different connection data as for example the members sections.
Select the Numbering and Templates options to display graphically the number and template name of
the selected connections.
Display of the connection number and the template name (for smart connections).
To select connections by status, you have to first display the status of the connections using the
to
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To create a new assignment button, place the cursor at the desired place.
For example locate a new assignment button in the recently created group.
Then press the
Then go to the list of available connections of the database and choose the templates for the button
(1). Press the
button to include the current template in the button list (2). Note that if a folder of
the database is selected, all the connection templates of the folder will be assigned to the button
keeping the same order as in the database (3).
Select the connection templates desired to be associated with the button My Button in the group
My ButtonsGroup.
It is very important to specify the order of the templates within a list because this order will be used
during the assignment. To sort the templates use the buttons
template up or down.
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and
Notice that all buttons that are created have by default the same bitmap. The user can define the
bitmap to be associated for each button with the button tool
The bitmap has to be a bmp file of 22x22 pixels. There are ready-to-use choices in the
ConnectionToolBars\Images folder.
The user can draw an own bitmap with any drawing application like Microsoft Paint.
Connection spreadsheet
The data of the currently selected connections is displayed in the connection spreadsheet. It is also
possible to use it to assign "single" connections or delete connections. A single connection, unlike
other model connections, has not been assigned by an assignment button.
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Select members and nodes where you want the connection designed. You can select several members
and nodes at once.
In the spreadsheet database area select the desired connection template to be assigned.
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Press the
87
buttons to
This tool is very useful to replace existing connections with other connections of the same
family, because the user only needs to select the connections and not the members and the nodes.
Note that it is not possible to assign a template from another family.
Assign connection description
It is possible to modify or assign the descriptions of your model connections. However the engineer
should be aware that the description for these connections is used to identify the design groups and
will be used also for the redesign of connections. It is recommended to only change the description
when two or more identical groups/connections need to be grouped together and designed as one new
group. To assign the same description to the currently selected connections you may copy them to the
clipboard (Ctrl+C) and then paste them to all the desired connections (Ctrl+V).
Another method to assign the same description to the currently selected connections (recommended
button.
Note: The connection label (identification number) once assigned to a model connection does not
change, even if connections with lower value labels are deleted.
Connection Pad
The connection pad or connection dialog is required for the creation of templates for the database and
also to review/edit a model connection, or many model connections with the connections detailer. It
is accessed when any template of the database is edited, when the user double clicks a model
connection, or when several identical model connections are selected and the detailing command is
invoked from the Design tab, Connections group and Edit button.
The connection pad has the following areas:
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Connection pad.
Area
ID
Function
Name
Toolbar
Edition area
In this area the user may enter or modify the required data for
the connection.
Graphic area
Traffic light
Toolbar
Tab
Navigation control
Tool that rotates, translate the model and also contain tools to
change to default view models.
1: Edition area
In this section the user enters all the necessary data to define the connection template (or
reviews/modifies the properties of the selected model connections). The following connection data
should be provided: Units system, Code, Loads, Tag, and all the specific data required in Shear,
Moment, Combined or Gusset connections.
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The available units systems are Metric, English and SI. The available codes are AISC 360-05 ASD,
AISC 360-05 LRFD, AISC 360-10 ASD, AISC 360-10 LRFD, BS5950-00 and GB 50017-03. The
loads can be entered in a spreadsheet that enables only certain loads according to the selected
connection (i.e., in a bracket plate connection only shear load is allowed). Note that when editing
model connections, the joint loads are transferred to the connection automatically.
Notes: All data with the
icon (when editing model connections) is transferred to the connection
pad directly from RAM Connection or RAM Elements. When editing a model connection, any
change in this data will not be permanent. The rest of the parameters may be modified for each
connection.
Choose the unit system as is appropriate to enter and display the connection data.
Notice that the current units of each property are shown beside their value. When entering a value
without units, the currently units will be considered for the value. It is also possible to enter a value
with its own units, which could be different from the current unit system; in this case the program
will transform the entered value to the current units system.
The following length units are displayed according to the unit system selected. Metric: cm, m.
English: in, ft. SI: mm, m.
Note: All the connection properties with units (as edge distances, plate length, etc.) will show their
value and will be edited according to the current unit system. When entering a property value with
small units, a dimension in centimeters for example, the default units when editing the property will
be cm, inches or mm, according to the current unit system. On the other hand, if big units would have
been used (as meters or feet), the default units would be m or feet. Consider that this modification is
applied only to the template or connection being modified.
For example (If the current units system is English):
Entering 1.5 in Setback means 1.5 inches
Entering 0.1 ft in Setback means 0.1 feet (the default unit becomes ft).
Notice that the program will allow to enter, for example, 1.5 kip for a length. Although this is
accepted, the resulting value may not be the expected. Also, this will not change the units of the
property (in this case a length measure will not be changed to a force measure).
When creating a connection template in the database through the connection pad, the first time the
connection pad is displayed it is filled with the default connection properties values. To see it drawn
with some specific member sections (and materials) or to get preliminary (test) reports, assign the
required sections and materials.
2: Graphic area
In this part of the Connection Pad a true 3D or 2D visual representation of the selected connection is
shown.
Change to the Extruded View tab to view the tridimensional model of the joint. Switch to the DXF
View tab to view the 2D drawing of the joint. Notice that only one visualization may be set at a time.
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91
2D Drawing with different views and the option to export as a DXF file.
The following command buttons are used to modify the view of the connection:
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The
The
the DXF).
button allows seeing the 3d image only with lines (This view is different to
Press
, name the file and save it. The graphic will be saved in a DXF format available to
open with any CAD program.
To rotate the 3D view of the connection, right-click and drag freely over the graphic area. With
a mouse wheel it is possible to zoom in or out.
The graphic area is referred to the area in the main screen where the 3D joint view is shown. In this
area the joint view can be rotated, can be zoomed in or out. When pressing the navigation control
several buttons popup with several view options.
The
The
The
The
The
Other commands that affect the view in the graphic area are in toolbar besides navigation control.
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The
Press the
view.
94
button and drag a rectangle to select the area of the graphic to amplify the
Zoom in button.
3: Help area
In this section of the Connection Pad the help information related to the selected data in the Edition
area is displayed:
Click the
Click the
The Connection Pad has also a status box in the top center part of the window
that shows the
design status and ratio of the model. If the red light is on, it shows that the status and strength ratio of
the connection are not good. When the yellow light is on
The
The
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Connections Reports
It is possible to obtain connection reports from the Connection Pad or from the program ribbon
commands.
To obtain data or results reports from the Connection Pad, while reviewing/editing a connection or
or
The data report provides the full description of the connection(s) considering the geometry and
characteristics of the members and connection elements.
The results report provides all the connection capacity values for the critic load condition. At the
beginning of the report there is a list of the load conditions considered. The second section of the
report checks that the critical dimensions are within allowable code prescribed ranges or geometrical
requirements. If a dimension is out of range, the status of the connection will reflect it (semaphore
light turns into yellow. There is also a geometric verification to see the compatibility of the
connection with the members (for example, this check will indicate if a plate exceeds the support
width) in which case warning messages will also be reported. The third section shows the different
capacity checks that are performed comparing the calculated capacity of the connection with the
connection demand. If any capacity is not sufficient, the status of the connection will change to N.G.
(not good). Finally, at the bottom of the report, the most critical strength ratio of the connection is
reported.
RAM Connection for RE or RAM SS also offers the possibility to have detailed or summary reports
of several connections.
Geometry, Loads and the joint list reports of the selected connections
To obtain the design reports for a group of connections, select the desired connections and go to
Results/Connections design
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Select the type of report, summary or detailed. You can specify if the connections will be grouped by
tag, by type, by family, by description or connectors.
The Connectors report is a summary of all the connectors with their main characteristics (note that
the connections are grouped according to the listed parameters, so, within the connections of a group
there could be differences in the parameters not listed), while the rest of reports are a review of the
design that include the strength ratio and status considering the selected load conditions.
Note that you have an option to report a list of joints.
There is also the possibility to print the 3D graph with a descriptive text box. To do this set the view
and press the
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Enter the desired text that will be included in the graphics printing.
References
The references used for connections are:
For AISC 360 design code:
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ANSI/AISC 358-05 Prequalified Connections for Special and Intermediate Steel Moment
Frames for Seismic Applications.
ANSI/AISC 358-10 Prequalified Connections for Special and Intermediate Steel Moment
Frames for Seismic Applications.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Recommended Seismic Design Criteria for New
Steel Moment-Frame Buildings, FEMA-350/June 2000.
Murray Thomas M., Extended End-Plate Moment Connections, Steel Design Guide Series 4,
AISC, 2003.
Ellifritt Duane S. and Sputo Thomas, Design Criteria for Stiffened Seated Connections to
Column Webs, Proceedings of NSCC Sponsored by AISC, New Orleans, April, 1-3, 1998
Akbar R. Tamboli, Handbook of Structural Steel Connection Design and Details, McGraw
Hill, 1999
Sherman, Donald R., Ales, Joseph M., The Design of Shear Tabs with Tubular Columns,
Master of Engineering Project, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, 1990.
Thornton, William A., Loescher Michael, AISC - Hollow Structural Sections Connections
Manual, American Institute of Steel Construction, 1997.
Bull Moose Tube HSS Connections Manual, Bull Moose Tube Company, 1999.
J.A. Packer, J.E. Henderson, Hollow Structural Section - Connections and Trusses - A Design
Guide, Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, 1997.
Sherman, D. R. and J. M Ales, 1991, The Design of Shear Tabs with Tubular Connections,
Proceedings of the 1991 National Steel Construction Conference, pp.1.1-1.22, AISC,
Chicago, IL.
Dowswell Bo, Connection Design for Steel Structures (Lecture Notes), Structural Design
Solutions, LLC, 2003.
Blodgett, O. W. (1966), Design of Welded Structures, The James F. Lincoln Arc Welding
Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.
DeWolf, J.T. and Ricker, D.T. (1990), Column Base Plates, Steel Design Guide 1, American
Institute of Steel Construction, Chicago, IL.
Drake, R.M. and Elkin, S.J. (1999), Beam-Column Base Plate DesignLRFD Method,
Engineering Journal, American Institute of Steel Construction, Vol. 36, No. 1, First Quarter.
Fisher, J.M. and Kloiber, L.A. (2006), Base Plate and Anchor Rod Design, Steel Design
Guide 1, American Institute of Steel Construction, Chicago, IL.
ACI (2008), Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary, ACI31808/ACI 318R-08, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI.
PCA (2005), Notes on ACI 318-05 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete with
Design Applications, Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Illinois.
Joints in Steel Construction - Simple Connections, Steel Construction Institute and the British
Constructional Steelwork Association, United Kingdom, 2002.
Joints in Steel Construction - Moment Connections, Steel Construction Institute and the
British Constructional Steelwork Association, United Kingdom, 1997.
Trahair N.S., Bradford M. A., Nethercot D.A., The Behaviour and Design of Steel Structures
to BS5950, Third Edition - British, Spon Press, Great Britain, 2001.
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Joannides Frixos, Weller Alan, Structural Steel Design to BS 5950: part 1, Thomas Telford
Publishing, Great Britain, 2002.
100
101
3.- Use the Delete selected connections button in the Active spreadsheet tools group in the
Spreadsheet tab to erase all the connections in the model.
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Note. - Previous start assigning the connections, the user should take care to make distinction
between inclined beams and braces in the worksheet to let the program assign the connections
correctly. For that:
Select all the braces of the model, go to Members/ Connectivity and description worksheet and
change No to Yes by making double click on the Brace cell.
Once the user has done this distinction, he is ready to start assigning connections.
To customize the connection design press the Design configuration button in the lower right side in
the Connections group on the Modules tab. The customization includes the configuration of the load
conditions included in the design, design standard, maximum strength ratio limit and structural
integrity.
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Keep a stress ratio limit of 1.0 (default value). The structural integrity is a design parameter only for
the BS 5950-1:2000 design standard.
In order to apply any command you have to use the 'select and apply rule'. So, first, select the whole
structure. Press Select all elements button
Now you are ready to assign your first connections. As a first try you need to know exactly the
required connection on each joint. A recommended procedure is to design individually each joint and
evaluate the obtained connections.
Select the Design each connection individually option pressing the Assign button.
104
105
106
107
Single
Plate BCW connections designed individually for each joint.
It is possible review the particularities of each connection selecting this and pressing the Edit button
in the Connections group on the Modules tab.
Note that some connections require 4 bolts while others require only 3 bolts. Lets suppose that for
construction we decide to adopt the same connection for all BCW connections.
Select all the structure (pressing
108
Similarly it is possible to have the stress ratio pressing the Stress ratio button.
Notice that you can select all connections that have an OK or N.G. status pressing one of the
following
buttons.
You can print a summary report. Select all the structure and go to the Output tab and select
Design/Connections in the Reports group. Finally choose Group by tag in the Connection design
dialog. With this report you will obtain a summary of all adopted connections with their main
characteristics and the critical strength ratios.
109
Now you can continue with the design of the moment connections.
Press Hinges button in the Model group in the View tab to view all the hinges of the structure (you
have to select previously all members). The moment connections will be designed only for the fixed
joints.
110
111
Brace connections
Now you have finished the connection design. Notice that the task was performed very fast and in a
simple way. What you need to know now, is how to configure your connections design. This will be
shown in the next sections.
If you want to review in detail a connection or several connections of the same type and members,
select it and press the Edit button in the Connections group on the Modules tab.
For example select the SP BCF connections of the first floor (perimeter columns) and go to the
detailing of connections.
112
Review all the data for the selected connections in the connection pad. You can print the data or the
or
respectively.
You can edit any parameter of the connections. This is very useful when the design was not
successful in order to achieve an adequate connection. Notice, however, that any manual change will
be lost if the connections are redesigned or reassigned.
Now it is time to save your structure with all your connections. Press the RE Button and choose
Save
What if the loads, geometry or any design condition change? No problem, you can redesign all or part
of your connections very fast. For example, select your FP BCW connections (tip: use the option
Select connections of the same type from the Home/Selection/Elements selection/Connections).
Change the connection configuration with a stress ratio limit of 0.80 and check the status and ratio for
the selected connections.
To upload the design of the connections, press the Redesign button in the Connections group in the
Modules tab. Note that the strength ratio for the critical load is now under the new limit and that some
connections have been modified to comply with the new limit.
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A dialog window showing the available connections grouped in folders will appear:
114
button.
Enter the name, family, type, design code and press OK. In this case enter the options shown in the
figure.
With the former table selected, press the
Notice that the name of the template is used to identify the connection and has to be unique in the
whole database (including all folders). Thus you have to assign a name that describes the geometry
and main characteristics of the connection.
The following window will be displayed:
115
116
Other commands that affect the view in the graphic area are in toolbar besides navigation control.
The
Press the
view.
117
Zoom in button.
The help context ( ) is also available to give technical information related to the current parameter
to be edited (where the cursor is located).
118
button as shown
The new item will be copied with the name SP_1/4_BCF_2_3/4 Copy(1). Introduce the new
name of the connection accessing the connection pad with the
SP_1/4_BCF_3_3/4.
Edit the new connection. In this example change the number of bolts from 2 to 3 and press the OK
button. Note that the connection is displayed with 3 bolts and that the length has automatically
changed to fit the bolts.
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Change the number of bolts from to 2 to 3 for the new template. Enter the desired name for the
template.
120
Select the former generated folder. Press the button Copy items to clipboard. Open Excel and
paste it in a worksheet
The spreadsheet will look similar to the following figure:
Note that each column of the spreadsheet contains the different values of a specific parameter of the
connection. You can use the different tools available on Excel to copy or change the values. In this
example copy the data line (row 4) 4 times. The following columns will be edited in the following
way:
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The name and the number of bolt rows (Nrow) are changed.
The user can keep or even erase the rest of the columns. In the latter case the connection will take the
default values.
Once the data is defined, the user may proceed with the generation.
Then select ALL the information and copy the data to the clipboard (Ctrl+C)
The program will ask if the existing connections are going to be replaced. Answer yes and then a
message with the number of generated connections (6) will be displayed.
The following connections will be generated:
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As you can see, this way of generating the connections is fast and allows creating the complete set of
templates that a design office may need with the required custom values.
123
There are groups of connections that are predefined by the program and cannot be edited but it is
possible to define a new users group. For this purpose, select the USER group in the Toolbar
combo box.
Press
to define a new group. Enter the name of the group (My group).
and
buttons.
Remark: You can create your own bitmaps with any drawing tool like PaintTM.
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Dialog window for selecting the bitmap for the new assigning button.
Now you have a new button ready to be used in the connection design with your single plate
connections. You can try it in the model following a similar procedure was performed with the basic
connections.
Select the Design each connection individually option from the Assign button.
126
As you may notice the different Single Plate connections have been assigned to the model. To view
the main designed parameters, press the Edit
button in the Connections group on the Modules
tab. If you review the results of the design you can see that they are similar to the results obtained
with the basic connections in the first part of the example. Notice however that the result for a design
by group will not be the same because the program will design an optimum connection for each
subgroup (same family and member sections).
8) Assign base plate connections to the model
The program allows the creation of column base plate connections using predefined templates. The
base plate templates are defines as 'Smart', as they allow the program to determine the main design
parameters as the base plate dimensions, weld sizes, anchor embedment length and diameter based on
the acting forces.
In order to assign a base plate connection, select the Design each connection individually option
pressing the Assign button.
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Next, from the available template list, select from the Base Plate Connection group the template as it
is show in the next figure.
Choose Smart Fixed Uniaxial Base Plate as the template for the connections.
If there are braces connected to the joint then choose the Smart Gusset Base Plate template.
Choose Smart Gusset Base Plate as the template for the base plate with braces connection.
Press the Edit
button in the Connections group on the Modules tab to check the main design
parameters from the selected connections.
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Remark: The anchors are designed for the code ACI 318-08 and due method compatibility only are
available when the design method selected is AISC 360-05 LRFD or AISC 360-10 LRFD.
129
It is a small building with steel columns, beams and girders. The perimeter beams and columns will
be the lateral framing while the interior columns and beams will be part of the gravity framing.
See the examples in the RAM Structural System Tutorial for more details for the generation and
analysis of a building. The file of this example is available in the Data folder of RAM Structural
System.
3.- Use the Delete selected connections button in the Active spreadsheet tools group in the
Spreadsheet tab to erase all the connections in the model.
In order to start assigning connections the user needs to use any of the default assignment group
buttons.
Assignment buttons
But first, select the load conditions that will be considered in the design. Go to the Assignment group
configuration menu and select all load conditions for the example (1).
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Select all load combinations and keep the Maximum strength ratio limit in 1.0 for the example.
Note that the load combinations generated in RAM SS (RAM Frame) will be used for the
connections design. In order to do this, go to the Load conditions group configuration menu and
select the Include RAM Frame steel provision mode load combinations
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Now you are ready to assign your first connections. As a first try you need to know exactly the
required connection on each joint. A recommended procedure is to design individually each joint and
evaluate the obtained connections.
Select the Design each connection individually option pressing the Assign button (3).
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135
136
137
Single
Plate BCW connections designed individually for each joint.
It is possible review the particularities of each connection selecting this and pressing the Edit button
in the Connections group on the Design tab.
Note that some connections require 4 bolts while others require only 3. Let suppose that for
construction we decide to use the same connection for all BCW connections.
Select all the structure (pressing
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Similarly it is possible to have the stress ratio pressing the Stress ratio button.
Notice that you can select all connections that have an OK or N.G. status pressing one of the
following
buttons.
You can print a summary report. Select all the structure and go to Design in the Reports group and in
the reports dialog select the option Group by tag.
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Now you can continue with the design of the moment connections.
Press Hinges button in the Model group in the View tab to view all the hinges of the structure (you
have to select previously all members). The moment connections will be designed only for the fixed
joints.
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Review all the data for the selected connections in the connection pad. You can print the data or the
or
respectively.
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You can edit any parameter of the connections. This is very useful when the design was not
successful in order to achieve an adequate connection. Notice, however, that any manual change will
be lost if the connections are redesigned or reassigned.
Now it is time to save your structure with all your connections. Press the RE Button and choose
Save
What if the loads, geometry or any design condition change? No problem, you can redesign all or part
of your connections very fast. For example, select your FP BCW connections (tip: use the option
Select connections of the same type from the Home/Selection/Elements selection/Connections).
Change the connection configuration with a stress ratio limit of 0.80 and check the status and ratio for
the selected connections.
Some FP BCW and SP BCW connections do not comply with the conservative stress limit ratio used
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A dialog window showing the available connections grouped in folders will appear.
button.
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Enter the name, family, type, design code and press OK. In this case enter the options shown in the
figure.
With the former table selected, press the
Notice that the name of the template is used to identify the connection and has to be unique in the
whole database (including all folders). Thus you have to assign a name that describes the geometry
and main characteristics of the connection.
The following window will be displayed:
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Other commands that affect the view in the graphic area are in toolbar besides navigation control.
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The
Press the
view.
Zoom in button.
The help context ( ) is also available to give technical information related to the current parameter
to be edited (where the cursor is located).
button as shown
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The new item will be copied with the name SP_1/4_BCF_2_3/4 Copy(1). Introduce the new
name of the connection accessing the connection pad with the
SP_1/4_BCF_3_3/4.
Edit the new connection. In this example change the number of bolts from 2 to 3 and press the OK
button. Note that the connection is displayed with 3 bolts and that the length has automatically
changed to fit the bolts.
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Change the number of bolts from to 2 to 3 for the new template. Enter the desired name for the
template.
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Select the former generated folder. Press the button Copy items to clipboard. Open Excel and
paste it in a worksheet
The spreadsheet will look similar to the following figure:
Note that each column of the spreadsheet contains the different values of a specific parameter of the
connection. You can use the different tools available on Excel to copy or change the values. In this
example copy the data line (row 4) 4 times. The following columns will be edited in the following
way:
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The name and the number of bolt rows (Nrow) are changed.
The user can keep or even erase the rest of the columns. In the latter case the connection will take the
default values.
Once the data is defined, the user may proceed with the generation.
Then select ALL the information and copy the data to the clipboard (Ctrl+C)
The program will ask if the existing connections are going to be replaced. Answer yes and then a
message with the number of generated connections (6) will be displayed.
The following connections will be generated:
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As you can see, this way of generating the connections is fast and allows creating the complete set of
templates that a design office may need with the required custom values.
There are three groups of connections that are predefined by the program and cannot be edited but it
is possible to define a new users group. For this purpose, select the USER group in the combo box
Toolbar.
Press
to define a new group. Enter the name of the group (My group).
and
buttons.
Remark: You can create your own bitmaps with any drawing tool like PaintTM.
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Dialog window for selecting the bitmap for the new assigning button.
Now you have a new button ready to be used in the connection design with your single plate
connections. You can try it in the model following a similar procedure was performed with the basic
connections.
Select the Design each connection individually option from the Assign button.
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As you may notice the different Single Plate connections have been assigned to the model. To view
the main designed parameters, press the Edit
button in the Connections group on the Design tab.
If you review the results of the design you can see that they are similar to the results obtained with
the basic connections in the first part of the example. Notice however that the result for a design by
group will not be the same because the program will design an optimum connection for each
subgroup (same family and member sections).
8) Assign base plate connections to the model
The program allows the creation of column base plate connections using predefined templates. The
base plate templates are defines as 'Smart', as they allow the program to determine the main design
parameters as the base plate dimensions, weld sizes, anchor embedment length and diameter based on
the acting forces.
In order to assign a base plate connection, select the Design each connection individually option
pressing the Assign button.
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Next, from the available template list, select from the Base Plate Connection group the template as it
is show in the next figure.
Choose Smart Fixed Uniaxial Base Plate as the template for the connections.
If there are braces connected to the joint then choose the Smart Gusset Base Plate template.
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Choose Smart Gusset Base Plate as the template for the base plate with braces connection.
Press the Edit
button in the Connections group on the Modules tab to check the main design
parameters from the selected connections.
Remark: The anchors are designed for the code ACI 318-08 and due method compatibility only are
available when the design method selected is AISC 360-05 LRFD or AISC 360-10 LRFD.
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