Can someone clarify/explain how Ram Concepts determines the Load History based on the Load Combinations chosen in the Load History steps?
I ran the Load History and looked at the deflections for the "Final Instantaneous" step and got 1.28" of deflection in a given bay. I then added an intermediate Load History Step at 90 days and re-ran the Load History and now the "Final Instantaneous" step is showing 1.6" of deflection in that same bay. Why would the deflection have gone up after adding an intermediate step?
Thanks
Mostly I would like help understanding what the difference is between some of the Load Combinations and why you would want to select one over the other. For example what is the difference between "Sustained Service LC", "Service LC: D + L", and "Initial Service LC".
There are a lot of tips here:
There is also a recent Webinar you might be interested in. https://www.bentley.com/en/global-events/events-overview - search for "Take Your Concrete Floor Designs to the Next Level Using RAM Concept"
In a nut-shell, the selected load combinations determines what loads are active during that load history step. Any combo you select should always include Dead load and Balanced load.