Loads
Contents
Assign load to objects
Force loads (point load, line load and surface load) can now be assigned to every type of structural elements in order to make the possible modifications (e.g. moving of a structure with loads ) more efficient.
Assign new load to an object
A new load can be assigned to a structural element using Assign to structure 
option, as the following picture shows.
Load that is assigned to a structural element is shown in green color and it receives analytical ID of an element that it is assigned to. Now, if the structural element is moved, the load will follow the modification.
Assign existing load to an object
A previously defined load can be assigned to a structural element using Assign loads to structure command. This feature allows to decide, which structural element a load acts on. This is useful, if en element is placed at the border of two or more connected structural elements.
Example
The following table shows an example of how important the correct load assignment is, and that is can have significant effect on the results. In the left picture the concentrated moment is assigned to the beam with the fixed end (B.5.1). In the middle picture the moment is assigned to the beam with the hinged end (B.7.1). In the right picture the load is not assigned to any of the structural elements. Below one can see the bending moment diagrams associated with the different load assignment scenarios.
| Load is assigned to the left beam | Load is assigned to the right beam | Load is NOT assigned to any of the beams | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Load assignment |  |  |  |
| Bending moment |  |  |  |
Load on eccentric position
In version 18, there is a possibility to choose whether force loads (point load, line load and surface load) or Mass load are acting on the eccentric structural element or not. The new option can be found in the force loads’ Default settings dialog.
Example:
The following example shows the effect of using Applying load on the eccentric structure option and load assignment. Displacements graphs are shown to the right from each scenario.
| Load is NOT assigned to | Load is assigned to column | |
|---|---|---|
| Load is acting on the eccentric axis |  |  |
| Load is NOT acting on the eccentric axis |  |  |
Load groups of moving loads
In previous versions of FEM-Design, load cases of every moving load were in a different load group, just so these moving loads could act together in load combinations. In version 18, one can put load cases of different moving loads into the same load group.
