RAPT for complicated slabs

[handex]

Hey Guys,

Looking at getting some software for PT design and have a question about RAPT. Just wondering if many people use rapt for complicated transfer slabs (lots of transfer, soffit and top steps, slab folds, irregular column / wall layouts)?

We have only really used the EFM for more regular projects but since we are doing a lot of architectural based (irregular) walkups etc I was wondering how well rapt handles these?

 

[rowingengineer]

hanex,
go to site

http://www.raptsoftware.com/

then give Gil a call, you can get a trial demo to take a look at.

As for complicated slabs, I generally use a combo approach, using a general finite element program like Strand7 combined with rapt, this allows me to get my shear edges to define strips, which I then put into rapt for design.

An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field

 

[pwht1]

Hey,

I use RAPT for all of those and it seems to be pretty reliable for complex situations. Gil, is extremely helpful and is easy to talk to so giving him a call is probably your best bet.

 

[rapt]

Handex,

RAPT requires the designer to define each design strip, so as RowingEngineer said, if the layout of the supports or loading gets too complex, then you may have to at least use FEM to determine design strips.
RAPT does allow the input of Bending Moment Diagrams/envelopes, so you could input the results from your FEM for a strip into RAPT if you wanted to, or use RAPT's analysis and compare it to FEM results for that strip (making sure you include the Mxy moments in the FEM result using Wood-Ahmer or similar).

But FEM software cannot automate this either. Once you get complicated conditions like this in FEM, the designer has to control the boundaries of the design strips and the location of calculation points (RAPT always does this one for you) if they want to design it properly. And somehow get realistic deflection estimates from it!