RBG Guide to Using RAM Concept

CONTENTS
CONCRETE CODES AND SOFTWARE VERSION..................................................1
PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE ........................................................................................2
MESH INPUT................................................................................................................2
Slabs...............................................................................................................................2
Local slab thickenings at columns .................................................................................2
Columns .........................................................................................................................3
Walls ..............................................................................................................................3
Walls above which begin at the slab..............................................................................4
Concrete Balustrades (and similar thin upstands)..........................................................4
Slab Folds.......................................................................................................................4
Pour Strips, Construction and Movement Joints............................................................4
Temporary penetrations (such as for cranes and hoists)................................................5
LOAD COMBINATIONS.............................................................................................5
LOADINGS ...................................................................................................................5
PATTERN LOADING ..................................................................................................5
CREEP FACTOR ..........................................................................................................6
DESIGN STRIPS...........................................................................................................7
REINFORCEMENT ......................................................................................................9
POST TENSIONING...................................................................................................10
SERVICE DESIGN .....................................................................................................11
Viewing Deflections ....................................................................................................11
Long-Term Deflections ................................................................................................11
Cracking and Crack Widths.........................................................................................12
ULTIMATE DESIGN .................................................................................................13
TROUBLESHOOTING...............................................................................................13

CONCRETE CODES AND SOFTWARE VERSION

Software Version considered in this guide
Version 3.1
Note: the latest version of RAM is actually Version 3.3 which includes AS3600-2001
Amendment 2 as well as the new Load History Calculations feature.
Unless noted otherwise, all references in this guide to the RAM Concept User Manual
or Help are to those from version 3.1
Concrete Codes used by RAM
Australian Code
RAM Concept v3.1 does design to AS3600-2001+A1 only
Creep Factors are to be calculated using AS3600-2009
Unless noted otherwise, all references in this guide to the Australian Code are to
AS3600-2009
British Code
BS8110-1:1997
BS8110-2:1985
TR43 1st Edition
Unless noted otherwise, all references to British Codes in this guide are to those
listed above except for TR43 where all references are to the 2nd edition.
American Code
RAM also does ACI-318 design but this has not been discussed in this guide.

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PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE

This guide is intended to establish a consistent practice for the use of RAM Concept
across Robert Bird Group. This guide is not a company design guide and it does not
replace the design codes. Further to this, it does not replace the RAM Concept User
Manual published by Bentley Engineering, which can be found under the Help
menu in RAM. It is advisable to refer frequently to the official manual, especially
when using an aspect of the program or modelling a certain situation for the first time.
MESH INPUT
The most efficient way to create the finite element model is to draw objects on the
Mesh Input plan which represent the various concrete elements you wish to model,
and then to click Generate Mesh.
Slabs
Slabs should be modelled to the centrelines of supports. In the mesh, walls are line
supports (point supports in the case of columns) which provide support at the nodes of
the slab finite elements. The Width property of a wall object is used to determine
the stiffness of the wall, but in terms of the wall location in plan, the width is only
shown for visual effect; so if there is slab on only one side of a wall and it is modelled
to the back face of that wall, there will actually be a small portion of slab which will
cantilever beyond the line of support. The default stiffness setting is for slabs to be
isotropic, however the stiffness in each direction can be adjusted by selecting
Custom under the Behaviour tab and adjusting the stiffnesses (the lowest value
possible is 0.001).
Beams
When modelling beams it is usually best to use a beam object rather than a slab. This
is because RAM gives each slab element a torsional stiffness that is proportional to its
depth cubed, however for a beam the actual torsional stiffness is proportional to the
cube of the lesser of the depth or width. If a beam that is deeper than it is wide is
modelled with slab elements instead of beam elements, then it may have an
unrealistically high torsional stiffness resulting in unconservative deflections in
adjacent slabs.
Local slab thickenings at columns
Slab thickenings, regardless of their size on plan, will affect the relative stiffness of
the structure and therefore the moment distribution, often resulting in an increased
negative moment at the column. This is not an error and the slab should be designed
accordingly.
Shear errors can often arise because such local thickenings usually mean there are
different slab thicknesses across the width of the design strip. This will result in a
reduction of the shear area used in the calculations. This can usually be avoided by
setting design strip section trimming property to be slab rectangle or max
rectangle.

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Note that for slab thickenings the design strip inter-slope angle property should
generally not be set to zero (default value is 0.25) otherwise the full depth of the drop
panel at the column face will not be used for the calculations. If this is done
incorrectly then overly-high amounts of serviceability reo and even service failures
may be called up.

Columns
Generally speaking, only the columns below should be included when first creating a
model. These should be modelled as pin supports by leaving Fixed Near unticked in
the column object properties.
Compressible should be ticked for better results, and Roller at Far End should not
generally be ticked, especially for PT design as this will ignore the effect of columns
taking P/A out of the slab.
The size/height/concrete grade of columns below the slab only have an effect if the
column is modelled to have stiffness (Fixed Near must be ticked, and a column
stiffness factor > 0 entered). If a column is modelled with stiffness, then it will take
moment from the slab, which must be taken into account both in the slab punching
shear calculations and in the column design.
Columns above can take moment out of the slab if modelled with fixity, however if
the intention is to reduce slab deflections then the method outlined in SERVICE
DESIGN Long Term Deflections should be used.
Walls
Adjoining walls should be modelled to run centre-line to centre-line: they should not
stop at the face of the adjacent wall, nor should they run beyond the centrelines.
Shear Wall parameter in mesh object
Consider whether wall should be considered a shear wall or not (i.e. Does it take
horizontal force from the slab?) because a shear wall in RAM will take some of the
post-tension force. A core wall should be considered a shear wall; a wall with a
sliding connection is not a shear wall.
Slab continuity through a wall
Consider whether the slab is really continuous over the wall.
For example, in the case of an isolated stair landing or lift lobby, most likely it will
not be continuous, as most buildings are constructed with jump (or slip) forms and the
slabs on either side of the walls are connected to the walls with couplers or
rebox/kwikastrip.
If the slab is not continuous, then model two separate walls or line supports, one
supporting the slab on each side, with a void in between; or else leave the smaller slab
out completely and design it by hand.
Theoretically, bars cast into walls can take some moment but they are rarely
constructed correctly, and so care should be taken when deciding whether to make use
of such moment capacity in the model.
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Walls above which begin at the slab

Consider whether they are loading the slab or supporting it
If the wall is supported by the slab, do not include in model as they will incorrectly
take moment out of the slab. Apply line loads on the slab for the dead and live load
being applied by the wall.
In some cases (e.g. an outstand wall connected to the lift core) the wall may actually
be a hanging support, in which case it can be modelled as a wall under or with a line
support. Note that careful detailing is required for the reinforcement connecting the
slab to a hanging support.
If designing a footing or core cap in RAM, do not model the walls over as they will
cause errors and unconservatively-low slab moments.
For walls above used to limit deflections, see SERVICE DESIGN Long Term
Deflections.
Concrete Balustrades (and similar thin upstands)
Needed for slab to work?
NO do not model but apply line loads on the slab for the dead and live loads applied
by the upstand
YES model as a beam object and have RAM calculate reo for the upstand beam
Note: for such a design to be valid, the edge of the slab must be fully propped
until the upstand beam gains strength.
Slab Folds
Is slab continuous through fold?
YES include fold in model, run design strip along fold to check whether it needs
heavier-than-typical longitudinal reinforcement (the fold will attract moment
according to its stiffness in relation to the slab), detail the same reinforcement
required in the slab to run properly-developed across the fold if the fold is thinner
than the slab, check that it has enough capacity to carry the slab moment through
NO model the portions of slab on either side of the fold separately to span simplysupported onto the fold, design the fold by hand as a beam supporting the slabs
Pour Strips, Construction and Movement Joints
Effect of pour strip: Main slab area will be poured and then post-tensioned; all of the
shrinkage due to the post-tensioning will have occurred before the pour-strip is filled
in, and thus the PT force is not transferred through the pour strip. Model the pour strip
concrete as a slab with very low axial stiffness in the direction of the PT (Set the
appropriate stiffness factor to 0.001 under the Behaviour tab in the slab properties).
Effect of construction joint: Slab is continuous but no PT force can be transferred
(unless couplers are used); Model using the same method as for a pour strip, stopping
the tendons either side of the C.J.

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Effect of movement joint: Shear is transferred but no moment, structure works by

shorter span cantilevering to pick up longer span; Model using a strip of slab with
very low axial and bending stiffness in the direction of the span. Note: the shear force
which the movement joint is designed to take (i.e. by means of a corbel or shear
connectors) should be calculated by hand based on an appropriate tributary width of
the slab that spans onto the movement joint.
Temporary penetrations (such as for cranes and hoists)
Model as a void with the future infill loading applied as a line load around the edges
(the only case in which it would be correct to model the void in its future filled-in
state is if the surrounding slab were propped until the void was filled in)
LOAD COMBINATIONS
Service live load factors
Live loads can be modelled on the Live Load (reducible) plan if a short term live load
factor of less than 1 is appropriate (this is the only difference between reducible and
unreducible plans).
The Max Service load combination should have a factor of 1 for live loading as the
creep factor we calculate and use in Calc Options will already be adjusted for the
transitory nature of the live load if appropriate (see CREEP FACTOR).
Wind/Seismic loading
If possible, specify these as separate loadings and select one of RAMs default
loading types (such as Ultimate Seismic or Service Wind) when these are used,
RAM will automatically generate appropriate load combinations, and the load factors
may be adjusted if needed.
LOADINGS
Area Loads
Draw area loads neatly so that the model can fit on one page (some model inputs will
be included in design reports), but dont have to exactly follow the slab outline.
Horizontal Loads
While it is sometimes preferable to calculate the stresses and reinforcement due to
horizontal loads separately, they can still be applied to the model in order to note any
unexpected effects they may have. If horizontal loads are applied they should be
applied at the centre of the slab or else they will induce secondary moments.
PATTERN LOADING
Pattern loading must be considered if there are cantilevers or high live loads, or if the
design fits the criteria set out by the relevant design code. However even if this is not
the case, it is still advisable to consider pattern loading as it will help the designer to
ensure that the most adverse situations are covered by the design.
Go to the Pattern plans and draw pattern loads over the areas that are considered
loaded for each pattern. The On and Off-pattern factors in Loadings (normally 1
and 0 respectively) determine how much of the load is considered in the on and off
patterned areas.

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CREEP FACTOR
RAM Concept is able to calculate long term deflections which take into account creep
and shrinkage using a user-entered design creep factor and shrinkage strain. The
values entered for these parameters, particularly the creep factor, have a significant
effect on the calculated deflections, especially if the slab has a low degree of cracking.
Note that the Creep Factor does not affect the calculation of cracking.
The values for the Creep Factor and Shrinkage Strain should be entered in the
appropriate boxes on the window brought up by clicking Calc Options under the
Criteria menu.
Whether you are creating a new model or you have started to use or check an
existing model, the Creep Factor should always be considered.
Design creep factor
The default values of 3.35 for the Creep Factor and 0.004 for the Shrinkage Strain are
based on the American code. Appropriate values for Australian designs can be
calculated using AS3600 clause 3.1.8, where the Creep Factor to be entered into RAM
will be cc + 1 (adjusted for transitory nature of live load, see below), and clause
3.1.7, where the Shrinkage Strain to be entered into RAM will be cs. Appropriate
values for British code designs can be found in clauses 7.3 and 7.4 of BS8110-2,
where the Creep Factor is equal to 1 + (the creep coefficient) from Figure 7.1 and
the Shrinkage Strain is equal to the drying shrinkage from Figure 7.2
Note that the code creep factors are increased by 1 before entering them into RAM.
This is because the Creep Factor is used to factor up the short term deflections
calculated by RAM which take cracking into account. Therefore the additional 1
represents the short term component of the total deflections.
Transitory live loads
Concrete creeps under loadings that are sustained over a period of time. Permanent
loads like self-weight will be in place for the entire life of the structure, however live
loads are generally not permanent, unless they are for things like storage or plant
equipment. It would thus be overly-conservative to apply the full design creep factor
For Australian designs, the RBG Creep & Shrinkage Spreadsheet can be used to
quickly calculate the Shrinkage Strain and the Creep Factor and includes formulae to
adjust for live load transience. For British designs, these parameters are taken directly
from graphs in the code; the Creep Factor can be adjusted for live load transience
using the following method:
1. LL = l * DL + (s l)
2. % live load = q / (g + q)
3. for RAM = % live load * LL + [(1 - % live load) * DL]
where s = 0.75 and l = 0.25 according to BS8110-2:1985 Clause 3.3.3

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DESIGN STRIPS
What is a design strip?
A design strip allows the user to quickly apply several (usually around 10) design
section cuts to the slab along a desired span. Analysis and design calculations are
carried out at each of these section cuts. The design actions used are the averages of
the values across the design section, so the distribution of moment and shear across
a section cut is extremely important.
Tip on placement of design strips:
Using the Plot button on the toolbar, display the ultimate moment contour plot in
the background as you place design strips (Note: for bending left to right across the
screen, select Y axis and for bending up and down the screen select X axis). This
will help you to visualise the slab behaviour and should result in better design strip
widths and positions and therefore better results.
Auto-generate function
DO NOT USE! Designer should manually place design strips this shows
understanding of the structural system being used, and ensures no design strips are
ignored. Setting up design strips should be the longest step in the design process
when using RAM Concept as incorrect design strips can invalidate your results!
Location
Design strips should be placed so that all critical design locations are checked.
In a PT slab they should generally be placed in order to cover the entire slab, so that
every tendon is included in the calculations and no areas with either too little or too
much P/A are overlooked. However if a slab is one-way with constant-profile tendons
in the secondary direction for crack control, design strips are probably not required in
the secondary direction as long as the designer checks that the distribution of P/A is
adequate (see POST TENSIONING).
For an RC slab it may not be necessary to place design strips everywhere, particularly
if there are less critical areas where the reinforcement will be rationalised or if the
floor and its loading arrangement are symmetrical. The advantage of placing fewer
strips is that the program will run faster because it is making fewer calculations. This
should be weighed against the fact that the program will refine the finite element
mesh everywhere that there are design strips which will produce more consistently
sized finite element and more nodes.
(In addition, the newest version of RAM uses Load History calculations to produce
deflection contour plots that take into account creep, shrinkage, cracking, and tensionstiffening; this requires as much of the slab as possible to be covered with design
strips; this is not as yet covered by this guide)
Strip Widths
The determination of column and middle strip widths should begin with the maximum
allowed by the design code. The designer should then examine each strip to ensure
that the widths used will result in appropriate design action averaging across the width
of each design section. In some cases it may be necessary to reduce the width of a
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strip for this reason It is best to use manually-entered span and strip boundaries
(displayed by purple and yellow lines respectively).
In some cases compressive problems in PT slabs may be alleviated by widening the
design strip. This situation most often arises where span lengths differ significantly.
Theoretically, the shorter span should have a narrower column strip, however it may
be permissible to use the same column strip width for all the spans. Engineering
judgement should be used in all such situations.
Lengths
Design strips should usually be drawn between the centrelines of supports. If the
support grid is irregular then the design strips should still be drawn straight left and
right or up and down, so that the design sections generated by RAM are orthogonal to
the reinforcement and tendons being placed. In such cases the strip may (correctly)
end at a line of support rather than an actual support.
If the strip ends at an actual support, RAM will by default take the first design section
at the face of the support by means of the Support Width design strip property. If
the support width is set to zero, the first section will be taken at the end of the design
strip, if a value greater than zero is entered then it will be taken at half that distance
from the end of the strip.
It is an important matter of engineering judgement as to whether to take the first
design section (and therefore the critical negative moment and shear) at the face
of the support or at some distance into the support.
AS3600 clauses 6.1.4 and 6.2.3 indicate that in fact the critical section should be
within the column (the corresponding clause in BS8110-1 is clause 3.7.2.6), however
this may not be an issue for smaller columns. In some cases (such as long blade
columns) the negative moment can be close to zero at the column face (remember, a
column is actually a point support in RAM), which would clearly require the critical
section to be located further into the column.
Cover to reinforcement
Consideration must be given to the laying sequence of the reinforcement when design
strips are being drawn. The concrete cover property in the design strips cannot be the
same in both directions.
Slab thickness changes
Design sections with different slab thicknesses across their width will lose the thinner
slab area for shear calculations. It may be necessary to change the boundary of the
design strip, or even to use separate design strips if unrealistic amounts of shear reo or
shear failure errors are being generated.
Design strips with different slab thicknesses along their lengths are acceptable as long
as an appropriate Inter Cross Section Slope Limit is used (usually 0.25 found
under column or middle strip tab, in design strip properties). This property determines
how rapidly the design sections become deeper or shallower as the slab does so, and is
used because a thicker concrete element such as a drop panel does not become
immediately effective at the point where the slab thickens this effectiveness
increases gradually as the stress flows into the thicker section. A slope limit of zero

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will result in all design sections in the deeper concrete being the same depth as those
in the shallower concrete.
Supported ends
Strips must be considered supported at each end, unless it is a cantilever or it is
continued with a separate strip. It is often necessary to manually select this in the
design strip properties, especially with an irregular column grid where a design strip
spans onto a slab strip running in the other direction rather than onto a column.
Two-way flat slabs
RAM does not address for the requirement of AS3600 clause 9.1.2 where 25% of the
design strip negative moment must be carried by a section of width D either side of
the column. When designing two-way slabs, the designer can manually meet this
requirement by adding up the column and middle strip moments as displayed on a
strip plot, and then enter them into the appropriate RBG spreadsheet available on the
intranet (called RBP-SS-AS-3600 9.1.2+9.2).
REINFORCEMENT
Viewing required reinforcement
A strip plot of the area of steel in mm2 for each section cut can be viewed under
section design viewing this plot on the same plan as the actual bar call-ups can help
the designer to determine exactly where the reo is needed, and can help to
differentiate between reo that is actually needed, and errors such as reo being called
up at the free edge of a slab.
User-defined reo
Can be specified as a % in the design strip or applied as actual bars in the
Reinforcement plans (bars default as orange-coloured)
Advantages of using Reinforcement plans instead of % reo in design strips:
quicker and more user-friendly
more control over placement of reo (specifying top reo in a design strip
applies that top reo across the entire strip whereas we will often only want it
near a support)
can specify anchorage type
can specify expected reo or mat of reo and then clearly see where any
additional reo is required by showing it on the Reinforcement plan

AS3600 Clause 8.1.4.1 min reo

RAM carries out the 8.1.4.1 calculation at sections near supports and at the mid-span
but doesnt distinguish between column and middle strips; such reo may be ignored
by the designer if the section is not considered critical.
AS3600 Clause 8.1.3 ductility
This clause limits the depth of the neutral axis to ensure a ductile failure of the
section, and RAM tries to meet this requirement by calling up compression reo. This
generally occurs in PT slabs where the section is thin or the concrete strength is low.
Reo and failures called up under 8.1.3 should not be ignored.
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Any reo called up under 8.1.3 must be provided, or else the design altered. If the
section fails under 8.1.3 then the design must be altered.
Note: predicted deflections which are somewhat greater than the desired limit are
more preferable than a brittle failure of the structure, especially when you consider
that long term deflections are based on a creep factor which can be off by +/- 30%!
POST TENSIONING
The following points should be considered when modelling a post-tensioned slab:

Consider layering of tendons and reo, clashes between tendons, and max and
min allowable profiles (tendons in both directions should not be at the same
height and should be far enough from the surface/soffit to allow any reo to be
laid)
Consider anchorage locations (obtaining information about the construction
sequence and methodology will help you to locate anchors correctly)
Jacks must be provided on at least one end of each tendon without these
jacks, tendon losses will not be modelled
The balance load plans should be inspected to ensure that the appropriate P/A
is being distributed throughout the slab
RAM enables the designer to calculate the PT rate using Estimate (found
under Report menu) simply take the kg of PT and divide by area of the
formwork, this gives kg/m2 of PT (cannot be done for reo). Note that the area
of formwork excludes penetrations so the calculate rate will most likely be
higher than the rates specified in our preliminary designs
RAM calculates PT strand extensions using this tool avoids the need for
separate spreadsheet calculations (use the Eye to view jack elongation on
tendon plan)

Further to the above, the following points should be considered when drafting will be
carried out by tracing over a tendon layout exported directly from RAM:

Follow profiling convention so the drafters can get it right first time the
convention should be confirmed with the drafters prior to the first mark-up
being drafted! (Difference between RAM profiles and actual profiles are: High
Point +5mm, Low Point +15mm, Slab mid height +10mm, Anchorage no
difference These are for flat (slab) ducts; multi-strand ducts will have very
different profile differences).
Place tendons, profile points, and anchorages accurately throughout the design
process so they dont have to be fixed up after the drawing is drafted
Drafters shouldnt be expected to know where they should be!
Check that you havent left any tendons with incorrect strands (e.g. you may
have experimented quickly by putting in 10-strand tendons to simulate
multiple tendons, but when it goes for drafting obviously 2 separate 5stranders need to be shown).

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SERVICE DESIGN
Viewing Deflections
Contour plots
RAM does not consider creep or cracking for its contour plots (unless Load History
calculations are carried out using the latest version of RAM these are not covered in
this guide), so these deflections are only elastic (short-term). A long-term deflection
contour plot is based on a special load combination, with load factors increased to
allow for creep and cracking. This method is not as accurate as strip plots, but can be
used to generate graphical presentations for clients.
Strip Plots
If detailed section analysis is ticked under the service design rules, RAM will
perform a cracked section analysis at each design section. The calculation takes
account of the effect of creep and cracking based on the creep factor entered in Calc
Options, and plots long term deflections along each design strip (as well as short
term deflection, degree of cracking (ECR), and top and bottom crack widths).
Serviceability considerations
Long-Term Deflections
Spanning between columns
Due to columns as actually being point supports in the finite element model, slab
deflections can usually be seen to begin within the column. If slab deflections are
too great with the columns just modelled as pins and more accurate deflection
calculations are required, this can be achieved using the following steps:
1. Model a wall above the column this will stiffen the slab at the column and
reduce deflections but will correspondingly attract more negative moment
reinforcement will then be designed for this increased moment.
2. If step 1 does not improve deflections enough, then assign bending stiffness
to the column below (keeping the wall above in place) this may cause the
column to take moment from the slab which will further improve deflections
but will require a check that the column can take the calculated moment.
Spanning between beams
Maximum deflections should be adjusted to account for the deflection of the beams,
which can sometimes cause the actual differential deflection in the slab to be less than
the maximum span deflection calculated by RAM.
Note on deflections that differ in the same location:
If deflections differ where two design strips in different directions meet (such as
where a slab spans onto a slab strip in the orthogonal direction), this should be
investigated. This phenomenon is the result of different degrees of cracking in each
direction. It will be conservative for the supporting slab strip to take the greater
magnitude deflection as governing. However the mid-span deflection of the slab strip
which is spanning onto it may actually be higher than the value displayed. See Section
58.8 pages 521-525 of the RAM User Manual)

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Incremental Deflections
It will be sufficient to take the incremental deflection as being the difference between
the total long term deflection and the elastic deflection.
Note that if cracking occurs due to construction loading, the long term deflections
predicted for the service case may be unconservative.
Cracking and Crack Widths
AS3600 crack widths do not need to be considered. If deflections are within limits
and the reinforcement required under cls 9.4.1/2 is provided (based on amount of
tensile stress in the concrete), cracking is considered to be controlled.
It should be noted that the predicted crack widths may be noticeably higher than the
BS8110 limits, and yet the deflection and cracking reo requirements are being met. If
the visibility of cracks is critical (for example a tiled floor or rendered ceiling) then
the designer may still wish to consider crack widths, and endeavour to reduce them by
adding reo or altering the PT.
Note: Reo calculated by RAM has already been taken into account for the calculation
of crack widths, so reo greater than that calculated by RAM must be specified by the
user if it is to be used to improve the crack width.
BS8110 crack widths are to be limited to 0.3mm for RC slabs and 0.2mm for PT.
RAM will calculate reinforcement designed to achieve the required crack width (and
will also check the recommendations of TR-43 for PT slabs). Again, additional user
reinforcement can be added to improve the crack widths if desired.
Effect of reinforcement on service performance
The degree of cracking in a slab has a great influence on deflections. Therefore
adding user reinforcement to reduce the degree of cracking will usually improve the
deflection.
A convenient way to gauge the degree of cracking is viewing a plot of the effective
curvature ratio, or ECR (found under section analysis, like long-term deflection). On
one plot, the degree of cracking at both the supports and the midspan can be viewed
ECR values higher than the creep factor indicate a cracked section.
Note: the locations of PT tendon high points and low points will also have a great
impact on cracking and deflections, and incorrect tendon profiles can often be the
cause of cracking/deflection problems.

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ULTIMATE DESIGN
Punching Shear
For Australian design, use moments from the support reactions. These should
be calculated using a separate model with column stiffnesses = 100%. Note
that AS3600 has a minimum M*v requirement (see clause 6.10.4.5) and
punching shear calculations should be carried out using whichever moments
are worse, those from the code or those calculated by RAM. Zero moment at a
column should never be assumed when carrying out punching shear design to
the Australian code.
To determine cp use the average pre-stress across the shear perimeter which
can be viewed separately for each direction on the Balance Loading plans.
For British design, moments are not used but the shear force is factored up
depending on column location, so only one model is required.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Model takes too long to run
Model may be too large Break it into smaller separate models, but include in each
model 2 spans beyond the boundaries to correctly model continuity. Ignoring these
additional spans and simply using a line support with fixed rotation does not model
this correctly.
Structure not stable
Tick Auto-stabilize structure in x and y directions in Calc Options.
Shear Failure
Design strip shear core too small check that design strip sections dont have
multiple slab thicknesses; this is clearly indicated in the cross sections perspective by
dark coloured areas of concrete, which are not used for shear design (they are used for
flexure).
Cracking Failure
Design strip section too shallow check Inter Cross Section Slope Limit (should be
0.25) which allows for the progressive distribution of stress from a thinner section
down into a thicker section.
Ductility Failure
See comments on clause 8.1.3 under the heading Reinforcement
Flexural failure
Can result from a design section not being intersected by a tendon in ultimate
design, design sections not intersected by tendons ignore the strength effects they
provide (P/A that spreads out from a tendon is only considered for service design)
Deflections of different magnitudes in each direction at the same location
This is not an error, but rather is the result of the slab having a greater degree of
cracking in one direction than in the other direction (see SERVICE DESIGN Long
term deflections) and Section 58.8 of the RAM Concept Manual.
Guide to using RAM Concept
(JN & JAL - 2010)

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Strip fails: Exceeded TR43 6.10.1 (BS 8110 design only)

Refers to Clause 5.8.1 in the latest (2nd) edition of TR43 - similar to AS3600 cl
9.4.1/2; Simply check that the crack widths as calculated by RAM are acceptable
(generally limited to 0.3mm for RC slabs and 0.2mm for PT slabs, see BS8110-2 cl
3.2.4 and BS8110-1 cl 2.2.3.4.2).
Note that RAM has used the calculated reo to determine those crack widths, so if less
reo is being put in then the crack widths will not be correct; see Service Design
section above.
Load combination factor does not look correct for strength design etc
Intended to prevent mistakes where designer has manually specified load
combinations, such as for earthquake or wind loads (see Load Combinations section
above).
If the designer has carefully considered any unusual and/or manually-entered load
combinations, and the load factors and design rules being used are correct, then this
error can be ignored.
Other error messages
The RAM Concept User Manual explains each of the error messages that the program
generates see Section 38.

Guide to using RAM Concept

(JN & JAL - 2010)

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