What Is Imported?

Members  

• All concrete members including slabs, beams, columns (above and below slab), and walls (above and below slab).
• Slab openings.
• Member sizes.
• Concrete material properties.
• Column fixity.

Loads

• Surface loads, point loads, and line loads on members. Labels for loadings in elevated slab models will match the label in the RAM Structural System model. Labels for loadings in mat foundation models will be imported into a loading with “(Transfer)” appended to the load case name.
• Point loads on members.
• Line loads on members.
• Slab and beam self-weight are always considered in RAM Concept. It is recommended to always consider slab/deck and beam self-weight in the RAM Structural System model.
• All live loads; Reducible, Unreducible, Storage, Roof (and partition loads in Ram Concept version 5.0 and later).

• Note, in Ram Concept, in order for Live Load reduction to occur the loads need to be of a reducible type and the Ram Concept - Criteria - Calc option setting for Live Load Reduction Code must be set (see below). Reducible live loads on Mat Foundations are the exception to this rule. Those loads come into Ram Concept already reduced.

• Wind and Seismic Load are imported as point loads at walls and columns as part of a Lateral Self Equilibrium load case (see Figure 1) . Please see RAM Concept Lateral Self Equilibrium for more information.

Figure 1. Imported Lateral Self Equilibrium Load Case.

• In RAM Structural System v14.06.00 and earlier, all wind loads are imported as service type loadings and all load combinations are generated assuming this loading type. In RAM Structural System, wind loads that are generated using ASCE7-10 are ultimate loads, however. In models with ASCE7-10 wind loads, the loading type should be changed to ultimate loads after importing into RAM Concept (Criteria - Loadings) and, then, the load combinations should be rebuilt (Criteria - Rebuild Load Combos).

What Is Not Imported?

Members

• Members defined with steel or other type materials in RAM Structural System. For mat foundations, if columns are modeled as steel or other-type columns, they will not be imported.
• Composite Concrete Flat Slabs. For elevated slabs, the slab must be defined as a concrete deck in RAM Structural System. If the deck is modeled as a composite flat slab, the slab area will not be imported into RAM Concept.
• Sloping Concrete Slabs. Sloped slabs modeled in RAM Structural System will be imported as flat slabs into RAM Concept.
• Beam fixity. Full fixity of beams is always assumed.
• Wall fixity. Wall fixity is always assumed pinned near and far.

Loads 

• Snow loads.
• Construction Live Loads.
• Lateral story forces from a Rigid Diaphragm analysis.
• Lateral nodal forces from a Pseudo Flexible or Semi-rigid Diaphragm analysis.
• Dynamic Response Spectrum load cases (or Eigensolution)
• Notional load cases.
• Center of Rigidity load case.
• Virtual Work load cases are not imported.
• Negative point loads (In RAM Concept v3.4 and earlier).

More Information

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