User manual RISA TECHNOLOGIES RISA-3D 9.0 GENERAL REFERENCE

[. . . ] RISA-3D Rapid Interactive Structural Analysis ­ 3-Dimensional Version 9. 0 - General Reference 26632 Towne Centre Drive, Suite 210 Foothill Ranch, California 92610 (949) 951-5815 (949) 951-5848 (FAX) www. risatech. com Copyright 2010 by RISA Technologies, LLC All rights reserved. No portion of the contents of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any means without the express written permission of RISA Technologies, LLC. We have done our best to insure that the material found in this publication is both useful and accurate. However, please be aware that errors may exist in this publication, and that RISA Technologies, LLC makes no guarantees concerning accuracy of the information found here or in the use to which it may be put. Table of Contents Table of Contents Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [. . . ] To change to another BLC simply choose it from this list. If you wish to name the BLC's you may do this in the Basic Load Case spreadsheet. To Add Loads to a Basic Load Case When adding loads graphically click on the toolbar button for the type of load you wish to add and specify the BLC along with the load definition. When adding loads with the spreadsheets, open the spreadsheet for the load type you want to add and select the BLC from the list on the Window Toolbar. Basic Load Case Spreadsheet The Basic Load Cases spreadsheet groups and summarizes the loads applied to the model and may be accessed by selecting Basic Load Cases on the Spreadsheets menu. Information about Basic Load Cases (BLCs) is recorded on the Basic Load Case Spreadsheet and the loads themselves are recorded in the load spreadsheets for each load type. You may enter descriptions for each BLC in the first column. These descriptions are primarily for your own use. The descriptions will print the descriptions as part of the input printout and can also display the description when plotting the loads for the BLC or choosing them from the list. The second column is used to assign the BLC to a load category such as Dead Load or Live Load. Simply choose the category from the drop down list. You can then build load combinations for analysis by referring to the categories rather than list each basic load case. The next three columns may be used to specify that the self-weight of the structure be included in a load case. Simply enter a factor in the column that represents the direction of the self-weight. Typically you will enter a value of "-1" in the Y Gravity column assuming that Y is the vertical axis. The remaining columns display the quantity of each type of load that is contained in the BLC. You may not edit these values but you may click on the quantities to open the spreadsheet and view the loads that it represents. For example, the previous figure has 15 joint loads as part of BLC 1. Clicking on the number 15 with the mouse will open the Joint Loads spreadsheet and display these loads. General Reference Manual 217 Loads - Basic Load Cases Copying Basic Load Cases You may copy the loads from one BLC into another BLC. This can be useful when one load case is similar to another and can be entered quickly by copying a load case and then making changes to the copy with features such as block math. To do this, open the Basic Load Case spreadsheet and then click . Specify what case to copy loads from and which case the loads are to be copied into. You may further specify which types of loads are to be copied. For example, if you check Joint Loads and uncheck all the other load types, only the joint loads will be copied. [. . . ] Hours: 6AM to 5PM Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Friday Before contacting technical support, you should typically do the following: 1. Please search the Help File or General Reference Manual. Most questions asked about RISA-3D are already answered in the Help File or General Reference Manual. Use the table of contents or index to find specific topics and appropriate sections. [. . . ]