Hello community,
I want to represent a cold-bent glass pane as a panel model in RFEM 6. However, my first approach using line support forced displacement leads to singularities.
The goal is to later apply surface loads (e.g., wind) to the already deformed system. In the long term, this should result in a cold-bent insulating glass unit considering the climatic loads through the gas volume.
Does anyone have experience or tips on the best way to model such panes?
Thank you very much!
Hello @Fabian_Allgayer 
,
For this scenario, I would recommend an imperfection of the type "static deformation". Here, you create the desired deformation in a separate load case through loads and can then apply it (optionally scaled) as a pre-deformation to the system.
The FE mesh deformed in this way is then used as the basis for all load combinations to which the corresponding imperfection is assigned.
You can find more details in the following documentation:
RFEM 6 - Imperfection static deformation
If you have any further questions or need support, I am happy to help! 
Best regards,
Fabian
Hello @fabian.felber,
Thank you for your suggestion.
Are stresses generated by an imperfection (static deformation) due to the imperfection? In my case, only the deformations are shown in this load case, but no residual stresses generated by the pre-deformation. This also corresponds with my previous knowledge of other imperfections, as these are generally considered stress-free. Or am I mistaken here?
For my calculation, I need the residual stresses from a cold deformation. These stresses and deformations should then be superimposed with the "normal" loads afterwards. However, the loads should be applied to the already deformed system.
Do you have any tips or advice for me?
Thank you very much.
Hello @Fabian_Allgayer,
to consider the stresses/deformations of different states, our Construction Stages Add-On is recommended.
Here you can create imposed states and use them for subsequent loads, etc.
In the specific case, in the first step, the "bending" could be generated by load by supporting the surface with springs.
In the following state, the surface support can be replaced by lateral support to achieve the installation state.
In the last step, the additional loads are then applied.
Glas-kaltgebogen_01.rf6 (10.9 MB)
I have attached a small example to show how I imagine the modeling.
Best regards