Hi
I am designing mat foundation in Ram concept.
What difference are maximum and minimum bearing pressure plan?
How calculate the value?
Is it depending on the loading direction?
Which one do I use it for design?
In Ram Concept, for soil bearing design, there can be several load combinations, and potentially several load patterns that each produce spring reactions, and by extension soil bearing pressure values. Ram Concept envelopes all of these cases and then plots the largest compression values in a Max Soil Bearing Pressure plan, and it plots the minimum values (potentially negative values) on the Min Soil Bearing Pressure plan. The Max pressure plot is important for checking if the allowable pressure is exceeded. The minimum plot is important for checking stability.
For further reading, check out these topics is the program manual:
Also these prior posts: https://communities.bentley.com/search?q=ram%20concept%20soil%20pressure&group=326#serptag=ram%20concept
@ Seth: Does RAM Concept specify for which load combination specifically am I getting the Max and Min values for the bearing pressure?
If you are using the Soil Bearing Rule Set Design plot then no, that is an envelope of load combinations (and patterns). You can plot the bearing pressure for individual load combinations, however.
Thank you Seth!
Seth, which load combinations do the max and min soil bearing pressure plans use? Can you confirm it's only using the service load combinations by default?