Release Date: April 2020
Version: RAM Concept CONNECT Edition V8 Update 1
Version Number: 08.01.00.26
Current and past RAM Concept releases can be downloaded from Bentley Cloud Services at: http://connect.bentley.com
After signing into CONNECTION Center, select Software Downloads under My Services, towards the bottom of the page. Once on the Software Download page, RAM Concept installers can be located by selecting RAM in the Brand menu and clicking Apply or searching for RAM Concept in the Product Search box.
RAM Concept CONNECT Edition V8 Update 1 can also be installed through the CONNECTION Client update service or through the Structural Enterprise Hub.
RAM Concept V8 CONNECT Edition Update 1 can be installed concurrently with versions prior to V8. The installation of this version will automatically uninstall RAM Concept V8.
More information on product licensing can be found here. A download link to a licensing user guide, which includes instructions for setup and configuring license threshold alerts, can also be found on that web page.
RAM Concept CONNECT Edition V8 Update 1 includes the enhancements discussed below.
Temperature and Shrinkage Strain Loading
Uniform and linearly varying temperature changes and shrinkage/strain changes can now be specified and applied to RAM Concept members.
AS 3600-2018
The AS 3600-2018 design code is now implemented.
Critical Support Ratio Span Segment Property
A new span segment property to define a critical support ratio has been added for all design codes. When span segments are defined with the automatic support width detection option, the defined ratio places the first and last cross section in the design strip at a distance equal to the specified ratio times the distance from the support centerline to the support face. This change applies to all design codes implemented in the program.
As AS 3600-2018 Clause 6.2.3 requires the first and last cross section in the design strip to be placed at 0.7 times the distance from the support centerline to the support face, the default Critical Section Support Ratio is set to 0.7 for all AS 3600 design codes. A default of 1.0 is used for all other design codes, which will place the first and last cross section at the face of the support for rectangular or square columns and walls.
RAM Concept CONNECT Edition V8 Update 1 includes the defect corrections discussed below.
File Is Not Recognized Format Error When Importing AutoCAD 18 DWG/DXF
A file format error occurred when attempting to import drawing files saved in AutoCAD 18. The error prevented the file from importing.
Blank Audit Reports
A blank Audit report was generated when the information in the report exceeded 2 MB.
Long Analysis Times – Multi-Threading
In some models, multi-threading caused delays during the analysis, which resulted in longer analysis times.
PT Optimization Run Failure Error Due to Generated Jacks
A run failure prevented PT optimizations in models with generated jacks and tendons defined with the “Strands” Tendon Specification Type.
Calculation of EC2 Crack Width for Pure Tension Case
For sections with pure tension, the tension zone depth was limited to the section depth for use in the calculation of hc,ef and sr,max. The tension zone depth is now permitted to exceed the section depth. This change could result in changes to the reinforcing ratio (typically reducing it) and can increase crack spacing when reinforcement is not satisfied.
CSA A23.3 Shear/Torsion Tension Calculation
When doing the final check for CSA A23.3 shear/torsion tension for the flexural/axial strength, the program was incorrectly including any provided torsion reinforcement in the determination of Vs when calculating the longitudinal reinforcement capacity in accordance with equation 11.21. This could have resulted in an overestimated Vs, an underestimated shear tension force when there was torsion on the section, and an unconservative reported flexural capacity for the section. When performing flexural/axial design in the design passes prior to the final check, the transverse torsion reinforcement was correctly excluded from this calculation, so RAM Concept’s reported designs for this provision considered this effect correctly.
RAM Concept CONNECT Edition V8 Update 1 can read all previous file formats, but writes files in a format that cannot be read by previous versions.
Not applicable to this release.