Did You Know…
That RAM Concrete performs concrete shear wall boundary element design checks?
If you’re already using RAM Structural System and RAM Frame for your lateral analysis, why not use the same model to perform the design of your concrete shear walls, including boundary elements?
Once you’ve run the lateral analysis and have entered the RAM Concrete Shear Wall module, there are a few easy steps to take in order to specify and check the boundary elements.
1. Ensure that at least one load combination contains earthquake loads.
2. Designate the shear walls as Special Reinforced Concrete Structural Walls in the Criteria --> Design Criteria menu.
3. Assign a plastic hinge to the appropriate section cuts.
Helpful Hint: Assigning a section cut as a hinge identifies that location in the Wall Design Group as forming part of the failure mechanism when the structure has reached its maximum lateral-resisting capacity. The section cut will turn orange when designated as a hinge.
4. Create boundary zones and add boundary reinforcement using the Assign --> Manual Reinforcement command.
Each zone may be designated with a “Yes” or “No” as a boundary element and may contain unique reinforcement.
Helpful Hint: Once you’ve added the appropriate number of zones by clicking on “Add,” use your cursor to drag the vertical green boundary lines to the correct location on the graphic.
5. Run your design check and use the View/Update command to review the results.
Helpful Hint: Click on the hinge section cut and look at the checks in the Boundary Elements tab.
That’s it! Of course, applying your engineering knowledge is a necessary part of the process in order to correctly locate the boundary elements and choose an initial reinforcement design.
And now you know…
That RAM Concrete can help you perform shear wall boundary element design checks.