Example 6: Concrete Wall

Example 6: Concrete Wall

This example shows systematically the creation of a concrete wall. This example will be most
effective if the user practices the illustrated skills as they are presented.
The structure is an example of a six-story office building with reinforcement concrete walls as lateral-
force-resisting system. It includes openings and boundary elements at the edges. It is a modified
example of the one presented in IBC 2005, Structural/Seismic Design Manual, Vol.3, Design
example 6.

Example of a concrete wall.

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Example 6: Concrete Wall

Starting a new structure

If the Concrete wall module is not already open, execute the command (Modules tab, Walls
group) from RAM Elements. A default wall model will appear in the module main window. If an
existing model is open, the program will ask to save the new model.

After pressing the RE button, a menu is displayed showing the options to create a New file, Open an
existing file, Save changes to models, options for printing and export graphics to DXF. In the right
side, a list of recently opened files is shown. The user may pick an item from this list to quickly open
the file.
Once the new file is open, proceed to the entering of data in the properties edition area of the
window, following the order that is shown below.

Entering units
Select the option Units system. This action will allow the drop-down menu to be enabled.

Select the English units system.

Entering geometry data

Then go to the option Geometry. This and the other data folders will drop-down for user’s comfort.

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Enter wall dimensions as shown in the figure above. For this example, the wall thickness is set to 16
in.
Note - All entered values correspond to the default units. If other units of the same system are
required, type the value followed by the desired unit, as shown below.

Click in the cell to highlight the value.

Type the desired value followed by its units and press Enter.
To enter the heights click on heights and a new window will appear to enter the data:

Enter the heights of every story

Note that in this window there are available several tools to delete, undo, copy, cut and paste values
and other options to edit the spreadsheet data. To use these tools, right-click over the spreadsheet will
display a popup menu.

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Popup menu with tools to edit spreadsheet data.

Select the option Materials and a menu with concrete reinforcement materials will appear with all the
available materials. In this example only concrete and C4-60 will be used for this example.

Choose C 4-60 for the example.

The next step is entering the Openings; choose this option and a spreadsheet will appear to define
one or several openings in the wall at the same time.

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 Example 6: Concrete Wall

In the option Openings open the spreadsheet and enter the values shown in the figure above.
Note – Remember that it is possible to edit the cell of the spreadsheet as many times as the user
wants. Use the button (from the popup menu displayed with right click over the spreadsheet area)
to undo changes.
Note that some of the openings in this example have the same shape in different levels. For these
cases, there is a practical tool to enter openings at any position in many levels. First, clear all the data
previously entered using (from the popup menu displayed with right click over the spreadsheet
area), and click on the button.

Edit the position and dimensions of the openings.

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Note - If All levels with equal openings option is selected as NO, a new option will be available to
choose the levels in which is desired to assign openings with the same position and dimensions.
Now click OK in the dialog window and in the spreadsheet as well. At this moment the concrete wall
should look like the next figure.

One opening was assigned to each level.

Only the openings at the left side were assigned. To assign the openings at the right side choose again
the option Openings, then the press the tool , and enter the data following the information shown
in the figure below.

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Note that it is necessary to specify which levels will have equal openings. For this example, the three
lower levels have equal openings.

Complete the shown values in the spreadsheet, to generate the biggest opening in the wall model
following the information displayed in the figure below.

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Example 6: Concrete Wall

All the openings are defined in the concrete wall.

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Note: Those values that appear in red in the graphic area of the window can be modified directly in
the graphic.

Entering rigidity elements

Rigidity elements are commonly used to increase the stiffness of the concrete wall. The module
allows using boundary elements, columns or flanges (perpendicular walls) at the edges of the wall.

Introduce concrete column sections.

For the example, columns of 24x24 in are needed. To change the column section, select Rigidity
Elements/Rigidity elements, then click in Columns and in the Columns option proceed entering the
data.
The geometry now is complete. The following picture shows the wall model.

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Example 6: Concrete Wall

Defining load conditions

Before entering the loads, it is necessary to define the load conditions to be used during the design. In
this example, three load conditions will be used: Dead Load (DL), Live Load (LL), and Seismic load
(EQ).

In order to define the load conditions, press the (Home tab, Load management group) button,
and introduce the load conditions as it is shown in the figure.

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 Example 6: Concrete Wall

Load conditions for the example.

Entering loads
The module presents different types of loads that may be applied to the wall as:
1. Vertical loads
• Self weight of the wall
• Concentrated
• Distributed
1. In-plane lateral loads
• Concentrated
• Distributed
• Seismic weight
1. Out of plane lateral loads
• Pressure loads
• Seismic weight
In this example, there are vertical loads for the dead load and live load conditions in the columns at
the edges and at the middle of the wall.
In order to enter the concentrated loads for the dead load conditions (DL) select Vertical
loads/Concentrated; then, the spreadsheet, where the values of the loads can be introduced, will
appear, or using the button . As in this example the vertical loads.

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Example 6: Concrete Wall

Enter the concentrated loads as it is shown in the figure at the border columns and at the middle of
the wall.
A concentrated load is defined by the following:
• The Level to apply the load.
• The Load case of the concentrated load.
• The Magnitude of the concentrated load.
• The Eccentricity of the load; this is used to define in-plane moments in the wall.
• The Distance measured from the left to the right side of the wall; it could be defined as a real
distance (option % unchecked) or as a percentage of the total length of the wall (option %
checked).
Once the concentrated dead loads are assigned, click OK and the loads will appear in the graphic
area:

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Concentrated dead loads in the concrete wall

Additionally, the wall self weight will be considered for the analysis.

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Select the option Include self weight and click on the checkbox.
Now, select Vertical loads /Concentrated; and introduce the following concentrated loads for the
Live Load (LL) conditions as it is shown below:

Enter concentrated live loads and click OK.

Next, the lateral loads will be entered for the Seismic Load Condition (EQ). These loads may be
assigned as concentrate loads or as distributed loads. However, it is recommended to apply lateral
loads as distributed loads, in order to avoid stress concentration in the application point.

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 Example 6: Concrete Wall

Select Loads /Lateral in-plane loads/Distributed and introduce these values for the Seismic load
condition (EQ).

Remember that there is an available tool called Assign distributed load used to enter the same
lateral load to many levels.

Generating load combinations

The program provides different load combination files for each design code. The user will be able to
generate these combinations automatically or define them manually.
In the example, the following design combinations will be entered manually:
• 1.41DL+EQ+0.5LL
• 0.686DL+EQ

Therefore, press the button and introduce or edit the desired combinations.

Edit the default combinations and press OK.

Load combinations can be also automatically entered. Press the button (Home tab, Load
management group) to generate load combinations.
Select the file with the combinations that will be generated.

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List of loads combinations according to the design code. For the example, select ASCE 7-05 factored
load combos and ASCE 7-05 service load combos.
The next figure shows, how the load combinations will be added.

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 Example 6: Concrete Wall

ASCE 7-05 service load combos.

ASCE 7-05 factored load combos.

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Load combinations added through the automatic generator of load combinations.

Entering design data

For this example, the elements to design will be bearing walls, shear wall and columns, two
reinforced layers will be used and spacing will be selected as Design criterion as it is shown in the
next figure.

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Design data for concrete walls and boundary columns.

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Note: If Spacing is selected as Design criterion, the module will check every spacing value in a
descendent order with the complete range of bar sizes until it finds an optimum result. On the other
hand, if Bar size is selected as Design criterion, the module will check every selected bar size in an
ascendant order with different spacing values until it finds an optimum result.

Entering Configuration values

After entering all general data, the user should verify if all values by default of the Advanced options
are correct for the model and the design requirements.

Press the button located in the Home tab, Options group.

Verify that all by default values are correct for the model and the design requirements

Seeing results graphically

Once all the data is entered, the model is ready for the analysis and design.

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Click on the FEM tab to see the analysis result.

Note: When pressing for the first time one of the following buttons: , , , or
when activating the analysis results FEM tab, the Diagrams tab or the Detailing tab, the module will
analyze the model, optimize the reinforced and verify it according to the design code; therefore, the
program may take some minutes depending on the model size.
Once the model is analyzed and the reinforcement is optimized, the module will show, if this is the
case, analysis errors or warnings.

Analysis results obtained by the Finite Element Method (FEM)

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Example 6: Concrete Wall

At the top of the screen the load condition, from which the results are presented, is shown (FEM tab,
Load conditions group). To see the results from another load conditions drop-down the list and select
it.

Select the desired load condition.

This window, also allows seeing the results of displacements of the wall along the X and Y direction,
stresses and resultant forces in the wall. Remember that forces values are shown as force per length
(e.g. kip/ft).

Select the desired graph type

Note: Axial forces are given by Fy; shear forces are given Fxy and in-plane moments are obtained
using the Fy forces respect the middle of the wall portion in consideration.
At the top of the window there is a group of buttons that manage options for the graphs.

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Buttons for FEM results graphic options.

Detailing the wall

Once the wall have been analyzed and designed, the user will be able to see the obtained
reinforcement in the detailing screen.

Press the Detailing tab to enter to the detailing window.

Detailing window.
This window displays a spreadsheet with the reinforcement results. During the design, the program
performs an optimization of the reinforcement in which it obtains the minimum steel area to satisfy
the requirements according to the design parameters the user has entered in the data screen.
Remember that the reinforcement can be edited, changed or deleted at any moment according to the
user requirements. Press the (quick access toolbar) button to verify quickly the influence of these

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Example 6: Concrete Wall

changes. The traffic light, at the lower right corner of the window , is used to check the
design status after any changes.
This spreadsheet has five tabs: Wall Vertical reinforcement, Wall Horizontal reinforcement,
Columns reinforcement, Hoops and Openings reinforcement. Each one of these tabs has buttons to
enter the reinforcement manually (all the commands are organized in the ribbon, Generate
reinforcement group).
The module has assigned different bar sizes and spaces for vertical and horizontal strips. If the user
needs to make sizes and spacing values uniform for reinforcement. Delete all the vertical
reinforcement using the button (from the popup menu displayed with right click over the
spreadsheet area).

Click on the button to enter a continuous vertical reinforcement.

A new vertical reinforcement was assigned to the whole wall and the traffic light is disabled due to
these changes. Now the user can verify if those changes fulfill the requirements and the limitations of
the design code by clicking on the button.
In the same way, it is possible to modify any reinforcement in the different tabs; just make any
change and click on the button. If the traffic light is not green, this means that some of the
changes were not correct according to the code or strength.

Note - If the user wants to return to the initial results of automatic design, the Optimize button
(quick access toolbar) can be used.

Seeing the report

The entire data and results can be seen in the report:

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Press the button shown in the figure.

The report is divided in 2 parts: general information and design.
• General information. This part of the report shows the wall geometry, rigidity elements,
materials, load conditions, and loads.

General information.
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Example 6: Concrete Wall

• Design. This second part of the report shows the design results. It is subdivided in:
• Design results of the shear walls
• Design results of the boundary columns

Bearing walls design results report

Shear walls design results report.

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Boundary columns design results report.

Note: The user can print, save or export the report by pressing the buttons at the top side of the report
screen.

Design Status
The report presents a general status for each story. There are three possible options:
• “OK” when the concrete wall story fulfill all the requirements and limitations of the code
• “Warnings.” when the concrete wall fails one or more limitations of the code.
• “N.G.” when the concrete wall story fails one or more requirements of the code.

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