Release Date:April 11, 2011
This document contains important information regarding changes to the RAM Structural System. It is important that all users are aware of these changes. Please distribute these release notes and make them available to all users of the RAM Structural System.
The Release Notes for Release 14.03 contain important information. Those Notes can be found at:http://communities.bentley.com/products/structural/structural_analysis___design/w/structural_analysis_and_design__wiki/ram-ss-v14-03-release-notes.aspx
The Release Notes for Release 14.03.01 can be found at:http://communities.bentley.com/products/structural/structural_analysis___design/w/structural_analysis_and_design__wiki/ram-ss-v14-03-01-release-notes.aspx
The Release Notes for Release 14.03.02 can be found at:http://communities.bentley.com/products/structural/structural_analysis___design/w/structural_analysis_and_design__wiki/ram-ss-v14-03-02-release-notes.aspx
The previous steel tables and load combination templates supplied with the program will be replaced with new tables and templates of the same name. If you have customized any Master or Design tables or load combination templates supplied with the program without changing the file names, those file names should be renamed from the original RAM table names prior to installation to prevent your changes from being lost.
This version can only be installed by downloading the installation file from the Bentley SELECT web site. It can be found on the Bentley SELECT Services Downloads and Updates web page at:http://selectservices.bentley.com/en-US/Support/Downloads+And+Updates/
Select “Search Downloads” and log in using your User Name and Password. Perform a Search by searching for the “RAM Products”, and select the latest version of the RAM Structural System.
Some program errors have been corrected for Version 14.03.03. Corrections made to graphics, reports, Modeler functions, program crashes, etc that were considered minor are not listed here. The noteworthy error corrections are listed here in order to notify you that they have been corrected or to assist you in determining the impact of those errors on previous designs. These errors were generally obscure and uncommon, affecting only a very small percentage of models, or had no impact on the results. The errors, when they occurred, were generally quite obvious. However, if there is any question, it may be advisable to reanalyze previous models to determine the impact, if any. In each case the error only occurred for the precise conditions indicated. Those errors that may have resulted in un-conservative designs are shown with an asterisk. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
FRAME ELEVATION DXF: When the option to "Show Fixed End Symbols" was deselected in Misc Options, the resulting DXF file was corrupt.Effect: Corrupt DXF file
MAT FOUNDATION ELEVATION: Raising or lowering a mat foundation resulted in incorrect behavior for wall openings for walls resting on the mat foundation. Specifically, the opening would only correctly be raised or lowered in certain modules (such as RAM Frame). Other modules (such as RAM Concrete Shear Wall) acted as if the bottom of the wall had not been lowered, resulting in the openings being in the incorrect location vertically. (Additionally, RAM Modeler doesn’t reflect the change in its elevation view until a restart of RAM Modeler has occurred. This problem still exists.)Effect: Openings in walls resting on raised or lowered walls had to have their reference corner set to the top of the wall in order to function properly. Any wall openings with a reference corner set to the bottom of the wall would behave in an inconsistent fashion between the various modules, making it so there was no way for them to work.
SLOPING STUB CANTILEVERS*: When a stub cantilever whose support is on its right end was sloped, the length data became corrupt.Effect: Beam designs may have been incorrect for sloped left stub cantilevers. Reported lengths were incorrect. The error did not occur when the stub cantilever was not sloped nor when the support was on the left end of the stub cantilever. Note: Models with sloped stub cantilevers whose support is on its right end must be corrected by deleting and remodeling the stub cantilever in order for the correction to take effect.
VIBRATION ANALYSIS PER SCI P354*: For Westok Cellular beams and for custom built-up shapes, the section properties Ix, Area and Yc that were exported to FloorVibeUK for vibration analysis were incorrect.Effect: The exported parameters were unconservative and may have resulted in inaccurate floor vibration analysis. This error did not occur for standard rolled sections (UB shapes, etc.).
SMARTBEAM DESIGN REPORT: The value given for Equation H1-1b for the AISC 360-05 and LRFD 3rd Edition was incorrect (conservative) in the controlling case where no moment was present and the design was controlled by Pr/Pc. Also, the diameter for user-specified Cellular SMARTBEAM was always reported as zero.Effect: The beam designs were correct. The reported value for Equation H1-1b and the reported diameter for user-specified Cellular beam sizes were incorrect.
SMARTBEAM DETAILED REPORT: The shears for noncomposite beams were reported as zero. Incorrect interactions for shear and incorrect Vierendeel moments were also reported for the AISC 360-05 code.Effect: Although beam designs were correct, the Detailed Report showed incorrect results for shear interactions and Vierendeel moments. Results in the regular Smartbeam Report were correct.
BEAM POINT LOAD*: In a very rare situation if a beam was supported on two walls which were supported on a single beam then the DL component of one of the point loads applied to the supporting beam was incorrect.Effect: The supporting beam design in such a situation beam may have been unconservative.
VERTICAL SECTION CUT DESIGN FORCES*: Vertical section cuts, including those used in coupling beams, have a reversed sign for the axial force.Effect: For the axial/flexural design of a vertical section, for a given load case, compression was treated as tension and vice-versa.
CONCRETE SHEAR WALL SECTION CUT DESIGN: In rare cases, an internal error would cause the following message when performing a Design-All or View/Update on certain section cuts: "Design Error: No reinforcement in section cut(s)".Effect: Section Cuts could not be designed.
SHEAR WALL STRESS CONTOURS: The scale that indicated the values for the various colors used for stress contours did not indicate units, and always showed values in kips/in2 (even for Metric/SI models).Effect: It was confusing, since the units were unknown, and even more confusing for Metric/SI models, since it didn't use Metric/SI units.