RAM Elements (formerly RAM Advanse) v10.0 is now available for download from Bentley SELECT (SELECT login required).
New Name: Starting with v10.0, the software has a new name. RAM Elements is the new brand name which better reflects Bentley’s current business model. For more info please read this post on the Bentley Structural Team blog.
Completely New and Revamped Graphic User Interface: To celebrate this new name, the software now has a new face. Simple, organized, and clean for increased productivity. This highly intuitive user interface makes the process of modeling, analyzing, and designing projects quicker.
ISM Integration: This version of RAM Elements is 100% ISM (integrated structural model) compatible. The ISM is a repository of the structural project information which allows for transferring, coordinating, and storing structural information. When the ISM V8i is released later this year, models can be transferred between RAM Elements, RAM Concept, Bentley Structural, and/or Autodesk’s Revit.
Australian Steel Design: This new version includes the design of steel members per the Australian code AS 4100-1998 including its 1999 supplement 1.
Adjustable Moment Diagrams: Moment diagrams are depicted distinctively in different countries. In some countries the positive moments are plotted on top of the longitudinal axis and in some, the positive moments are drawn below the axis. To address this international need our users have, the moment diagrams are now configurable. Shear diagrams have also been corrected.
Top Reinforcement for Masonry Lintels: Prior to this version, design of lintels only allowed positive moments and thus, bottom reinforcement only. Now lintels can be designed for shear walls where the lateral loads generate negative moments; therefore, top reinforcement is now possible.
New CMU Texture: Previously, masonry units were shown in 3D with the same texture despite the type of unit being used. Now concrete units have a different texture than clay units.
New Units Entry for Soil Bearing: Previous to this version soil bearing shared units with stresses, making it difficult to get a footing design report in the desired units. Now soil bearing has a completely separate entry that lets you set different units for stresses and soil bearing pressures.
Improved Footing Design Reports: Sliding, overturning, bearing, and uplift safety factors are now being reported, despite the user’s choice (providing the soil bearing capacity from the geotechnical report or having the software calculate it).
New Features in v9.5 included:
Hybrid Masonry/Steel Wall Design: This feature lets you model, analyze, and design a hybrid masonry/steel wall based on the International Masonry Institute and the National Concrete Masonry Association standards and included in the IBC. Design this new generation of structural masonry to your projects in just minutes.
New Limit for Masonry Wall Stories: This limit has been increased from 4 to N stories at a time per visit to the module.
ACI 530-05 Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures (ASD): With important additions to tension in masonry walls and lintel design.
Prescriptive Reinforcement Around Openings: The reinforcement around openings in the masonry design module is now available based on ACI 530-05.
Masonry Deflection Calculation: Deflections are calculated based on masonry cracked section properties.
Masonry Joint Reinforcement: As an alternative to horizontal reinforcement with deformed bars, you can now specify joint reinforcement (ladder and truss types) based on ACI 530-05.
Compression-Only Springs: Compression-only springs are included to effectively model certain types of foundations.
Compression-Only Members: Besides the well-known tension-only members available, version 9.5 includes compression-only members too.