Below is a model of a concrete flat slab (represented by a plate) which is bearing on two columns and a skewed wall. As we know from plate meshing we will obviously have to submesh this slab in order to get accurate results. However if we do an ordinary submesh (as shown below) the plates will not...
Aside from the topic of plate connectivity, the concept of plate meshing is equally important to the analysis of structures using finite elements (plates).
While RISA-3D (or RISA-2D) does not have an explicit tool to punch a hole in a plate, you can use the following steps to manually model them:
It’s easy to apply tapered surface loads to plates in RISA-3D by stepping up the loads from one level to the next.
When you have a plate model for a slab or wall in RISA-3D, the Internal Force Summation Tool (IFST) is a very useful analysis tool to get exactly the forces that you want to design for. To use the tool, you must:
In order to understand the interaction between plates and members it is important that you know the basics of Physical Members and Plate Connectivity. Remember that plates only connect to other elements at their corners, and you will instantly recognize why the model below will not work as intended.
To best understand how plates interact with each other you must first understand the concept of Physical Members. The important thing to keep in mind is that plates are not physical members. A plate is defined using either three or four joints, and it only connects to other plates at those joints....
