I would like to split the self-weight of the structure into different load cases in RFEM. For example:
• self-weight of steel members in one load case,
• self-weight of reinforced concrete elements in another
This is also required in cases such as the Equivalent Lateral Force seismic method, where only the weight of the superstructure should be converted into horizontal inertia loads, while foundations are not contributing to seismic inertia forces.
I could not find a way to enable or disable self-weight for specific parts of the model. The standard self-weight option applies to all elements in the model, without any filtering by material, group, or geometry.
At the moment, we are internally working on an Equivalent Lateral Analysis method as well. Due to this ongoing development, an option to neglect such masses directly as you request in the program is not gonna be implemented.
If you have further questions or suggestions, feel free to let us know!
Thanks for the explanation. One more question related to this topic.
Since selective self-weight assignment is not available, is there at least a workflow to convert the automatically generated self-weight load into regular member/surface loads? In other words, to “explode” the automatic self-weight so that it becomes normal static loads applied directly on elements, without any link to masses.
