Release Date: January 12, 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 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-v14-03-01-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.
RAM SBeam V5.0 is being released simultaneously with this version. It has been updated to design CMC Smartbeams, in addition to the previous capability of designing steel beams. This version of the RAM Structural System is now capable of launching RAM SBeam with Smartbeam design information (previously it could only launch RAM SBeam with steel design information). Improvements have also been made to the ability to launch RAM SBeam with steel design information, now passing a more complete set of design information.
The Smartbeam Design report and the Westok Cellular Beam Design report now include the Composite Properties section of the report even when the composite requirements (such as minimum composite) cannot be met. Previously that entire section was not reported.
Some program errors have been corrected for Version 14.03.02. 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.
RAMAISC.TAB AND RAMAISC.BMS TABLES: The shape HSS7x2x1/8 was incorrectly labeled HSS7x2x1/4 and the shape HSS7x2x1/4 was incorrectly labeled HSS7x2x1/2.
Effect: If either of these sizes were selected in design based on their section properties, they were misidentified due to the incorrect label.
GRAVITY LOADS REPORTS*: The Loads on Gravity Walls, Loads on Gravity Beams and Loads on Gravity Columns reports did not include the partition loads.
Effect: The partition load section was missing from the report. Report error only, no impact on design.
FOUNDATION WALL FORCES*: If a model had walls on multiple levels, the loads from walls on foundations were reported for the top story rather than the foundation level.
Effect: Potentially incorrect wall loads on foundation were reported. Report error only, no impact on design.
PARTITION LOADS ON FOUNDATIONS*: Partition loads were not included in the Live Loads reported in the Foundation Load Summary Report if the option to use gravity forces from RAM Steel was selected.
Effect: Potentially incorrect values of Live Load listed in report.
CHANGE GRID: Changing a grid in Modeler deleted all section cuts from all walls used in the Concrete Shear Wall module, even on walls that weren't affected by the grid change.
Effect: If a grid was changed, section cuts had to be recreated in the Concrete Shear Wall module.
POINT LOADS FROM WALLS SUPPORTED BY BEAM*: In a very rare configuration, point loads on a wall that was supported by a beam would not get transferred down to that beam.
Effect: The supporting members may have missed these point loads and may have resulted in incorrect design.
BEAM SUMMARY: The Beam Summary report listed incorrect Moment Capacity values for models with stub cantilevers for some design codes.
Effect: The beam designs were correct but the reported moment capacities in the Beam Summary report may have been incorrect.
STEEL JOISTS: If the load on the joist was nonuniform so that the program was designing the joist using an equivalent uniform load, the joist design may have been incorrect.
Effect: The equivalent uniform load calculation duplicated the live load on the joist resulting in over-conservative design.
DETAILED SMARTBEAM DESIGN REPORT: The precomposite webpost buckling interaction values listed for the bottom tee in the Detailed Report were incorrect.
Effect: Report error only, the designs were correct. The values for the precomposite webpost buckling interaction of the bottom tee were correct in the Smartbeam Design report but were incorrect in the Detailed Smartbeam Design report.
BASE PLATE DESIGN*: The base plate design for transfer columns on composite or a two-way slab was always using the default concrete F'c value defined in the base plate criteria instead of the one defined for decks in the Modeler.
Effect: Wrong F'c value may have been used in base plate design for columns supported by the slab.
WALL LOADS*: Loads from gravity walls supported on a beam under two-way deck were not getting transferred to the supporting beam. This only happened when the floor slab at the beam level was purely two-way.
Effect: The loads were not applied to the supporting concrete beam and columns which were designed unconservatively in such a case.
PARTITION LOADS IN B2*: Partition live loads, if any, were not included in the total vertical load, Pnt, in the calculation of B2 per AISC 360-05.
Effects: Unconservative values were calculated for B2 when there were Partition loads in the model.
AS 3600 SHEAR STRENGTH: When the code selection was AS 3600, the reinforcing steel was neglected in the calculation of the shear strength of section of a wall.
Effect: Lower shear capacity than expected for concrete wall sections.
AS 3600 SHEAR STRENGTH *: The maximum shear strength limit of 11.5.3 was not being enforced.
Effect: Potentially unconservative shear strength values used in design.
PARTITION LOADS ON FOUNDATIONS*: Partition loads were not being applied to foundations if the option to use gravity forces from RAM Steel was selected.
Effect: Partition loads, if any, where not included in the foundation design loads.
STEEL DESIGN CODE DEFAULT: The default setting for the British code (1990 vs 2000) was not recognized. When either was specified as the default, BS 5950:1990 was always used in new models. Additionally, AS4100 could not be set as a default.
Effect: BS 5950:2000 or AS4100 could not be set as the default, and the code had to be specified by the user in every model, rather than using a default.