
	Applies To

	Product(s):	STAAD.Pro
	Version(s):	ALL
	Environment:	ALL
	Area:	STAAD.Pro Support Solutions
	Subarea:	Connection Design workflow
	Original Author:	Bentley Technical Support Group

Using RAM Connection from within STAAD.Pro CONNECT Edition:

Help Documentation related to the Connection Design is available within the STAAD.Pro CE Help as shown below

Ensure that STEEL material is assigned to all members for which connection design is required. Any vertical braces should be assigned with the TRUSS attribute from the Bean Tools ribbon tab.

Analyze the STAAD.Pro model.

Launch RAM Connection using the Connection Design workflow as shown next

Click on the Load Envelope icon shown next to select the load cases or combinations for connection design

The Design Load Envelope dialog box would pop up.

Check the appropriate load cases or combinations

Click on OK

As outlined in the picture below, from the ribbon menu choose “Select Joints” and choose a specific joint type type, for example you may use Select Joints – “Select all beam-column flange joints” to select all the intersecting beam to column flange connections in the model.

Alternatively, you may use the beams cursor to select a single beam and supporting column, or you may select multiple nodes where you intend to apply the same type of connection.

Once the required entities are selected (beams or nodes), choose the Smart Connection menu option as shown next

“Smart Connections” are those where the most variables are selected by the program. Basic connections are those where more of the data is specified by the user (via the basic connection templates) and the program only selects a few aspects of the design. Gusset connections are smart connections involving a vertical brace. They are valid for a connection of a beam and a brace to a column, or a pair of braces to a beam (i.e. a chevron connection) for example.

The following dialog box will appear

Select the design code for connection design at the top; this must be consistent with the load envelopes previously selected to get the correct design.

Then, select the type of connection from the drop down list in the middle. The descriptions are pretty clear, but refer back to the RAM Connection documentation when a connection type or abbreviation is unknown.

Pick one or more specific connections from the left box and click the arrow to the right and then OK to assign the best connection to the selected joints. The Connection will now be applied and a Validation window will appear confirming that connection has been assigned.

When no selected connection works or fits for the selected joint there will be a warning. Otherwise a new connection will appear on screen (as a grey triangle typically) and also in the table of connections in the upper right.

You can review the specifics of a connection by double clicking the triangle while using the Select Joints Cursor, or by double clicking in the table on the row for the specific connection you want to review.

The window that pops up is identical to the Connection Pad seen in Ram Connection Standalone.

Here is where you can alter parameters of the connection like the weld sizes, bolt types etc. Changes to the member sizes, orientation or loads can also be made in this view for investigation, but those changes cannot be saved since they are always read in from the Main STAAD.Pro file. Changes to the materials, section sizes, geometry etc. should always be made in the main STAAD.pro file.

Use the Results button in the picture above to review the design report. Use the DXF View in the picture above to see the connection as a flat line drawing (this is also where a dxf file of the connection can be exported).

Alternately the tab labeled “Results” in the picture below can also be used to review the dxf drawings and design reports for the tabulated connections.

If you need to make changes and reanalyze the model, the connection design can be re-checked later without losing any of the connections or any customizations made to those (so long as the model changes to not invalidate the original connection).

Using RAM Connection from within STAAD.Pro v8i :

The documentation from within STAAD.Pro is available under Help – Contents as shown below

Be aware that this includes the original documentation from STAAD.pro 2006 and some things have been improved or streamlined since then.

We recommend that you start with a simple model that includes at least a pair of columns and a beam, or one of the completed steel examples, like Examp01.std.

Be sure to assign a STEEL material to all of the members you plan to design connections for. Furthermore, any vertical braces should be assigned as TRUSS member types.

Analyze the model and launch RAM Connection design using the tab along the top as shown next

From the Connection Design menu, select “Load Envelope for Connection” (or the first square button in the middle of the screen):

Check one or more loads cases or combinations that you want the connections to be designed for.

From the Connection Design menu now select the “Assign Ram Material” command (or use the 6^th square button in the middle of the screen):

To avoid getting warnings, assign a value for Fu, Ry and Rt for all materials in the STAAD.pro file and Click OK. This needs to be done once for each STAAD file.

Now use the Select menu to “Select Joints” of a specific type, for example use Select Joints – “Select all beam-column flange joints” to select all the intersecting beam to column strong axis locations in the model. Conversely, you can use the beams cursor to select a single beam and supporting column, or you can select the entire model, all joints, but this can be slower when assigning connections.

Next Assign the desired type of connection. To summarize,“Smart Connections” are those where the most variables are selected by the program. Basic connections are those where more of the data is specified by the user (via the basic connection templates) and the program only selects a few aspects of the design. Using Basic connections effectively generally requires some up-front work to customize the connection templates. Additional information
about that is available upon request. Gusset connections are smart connections involving a vertical brace. They are valid for a connection of a beam and a brace to a column, or a pair of braces to a beam (i.e. a chevron connection),
for example.

To assign a Smart Connection use the Connection design menu – “Assign Smart Connections" or the “S” button in the middle:

In the window that appears, select the design code for connection design at the top; this must be consistent with the load envelopes previously selected to get the correct design.

Pick one or more specific connections from the left box and click the arrow to the right and then OK to assign the best connection to the selected joints. When no selected connection works or fits for the selected joint there will be a warning. Otherwise a new connection will appear on screen (as a grey triangle typically) and also in the table of connections in the upper right. You can review the specifics of a connection by double clicking the triangle while using the Select Joints Cursor, or by double clicking in the table on the row for the specific connection you want to review.

The window that pops up is identical to the Connection Pad seen in Ram Connection Standalone.

Here is where you can alter parameters of the connection like the weld sizes, bolt types etc. Changes to the member sizes, orientation, or loads can also be made in this view for investigation, but those changes cannot be saved since they are always read in from the Main STAAD.pro file. Changes to the materials, section sizes, geometry or forces should always be made in the main STAAD.pro file.

Use the Results button to review the design report. Use the DXF View to see the connection as a flat line drawing (this is also where a dxf file of the connection can be exported). The left hand tab labeled “Drawing & Result” can also be used to review the dxf drawings and design reports for the tabulated connections.

Once you have the connection design the way you like it, click Save and Close. If you need to make changes and reanalyze the model, the connection design can be re-checked later without losing those changes (so long as the model changes to not invalidate the original connection).

Tips for Using RAM Connection within STAAD.Pro [TN].

See Also