Common Errors and Warnings

• Any load case or applied load in the RAM Structural System model that is not imported into RAM Concept will be identified in the Warnings Section of the RAM Import Status dialog.

• A Partial Failure will be produced when any of the analysis forces for a particular load case are very close to zero. This does not mean that there is a problem with the imported loads, and the message can be ignored. This warning will be revised in RAM Concept v3.5.

• Any imported area loads, line loads, or point loads that are not modeled on a slab will generate a warning in RAM Concept and will be ignored in the analysis. This warning is most often associated with loads defined within an opening in RAM Structural System.

Importing slab openings that cross walls can cause meshing errors and instability in Ram Concept.

Typically, when modeling openings in RAM SS that are side by side, users will use the Add Slab Opening - in Bay option, clicking in each bay. With this approach the common edges for the inner wall are automatically removed leaving one larger, merged opening. This is a good practice for most structures, but has one side effect for models that are being integrated with Ram Concept. 

When imported to Ram Concept, the larger opening prevents any slab from remaining along the center wall:

And this leads to wall meshing errors like this:

As well as an instability since the wall inside the opening can now fall over out of plane.

The error can be fixed directly in Ram Concept by adding a sliver of slab (or a beam) along the wall from one side of the opening to the other. Alternatively, the errors can be prevented by modeling two distinct openings in RAM SS from the beginning.

This is one case where using construction grids and 0" overhang slab opening edges is advised. The resulting Concept model will also have 2 distinct openings and the wall in the middle will be OK.

Dealing with partial levels

If a RAM Structural System model has a partial level that does not encompass all of the concrete columns (and/or walls) on a particular story, those columns will be excluded from the Concept model. If they were included, they could result in instabilities as noted above. 

Consequently, if the Column Gravity Reactions are saved back to the RAM SS file, no data will be available for those columns. 

If the Ram Concrete Analysis is rerun using forces from Concept at that story, you will then get a warning that indicates, No Concept forces...

RAM Structural System model with exterior column #4 in SW corner	RAM Concept mesh input layor without Column #4

In those cases, Ram Concrete Analysis will continue to use the original Concrete Analysis forces for those specific columns (at the affected stories).

More Information

Please see RAM Concept-RAM Structural System Integration for additional help links.