RAM Structural System

CONNECT Edition Update 6 – Release 15.06

Load Combination Generator

Last Updated: October 17, 2017
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materials may include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors and may be revised without prior notice.

RAM Structural System 2 Load Combination Generator

 Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................. 4
Chapter 2: The Load Combination Generator .............................................................................5
2.1 Load Case Symbols ................................................................................................................................................................. 5
2.2 Generated Load Combinations .......................................................................................................................................... 6
2.3 Custom Load Combinations ................................................................................................................................................7
2.3.1 Entering Custom Combinations Manually ........................................................................................ 8
2.3.2 Creating Custom Combinations using Templates ..........................................................................9
Chapter 3: Load Combination Templates ................................................................................. 11
3.2 Template Format .................................................................................................................................................................. 11
3.2.1 ID: .....................................................................................................................................................................13
3.2.2 NAME: .............................................................................................................................................................15
3.2.3 CONTROL1: .................................................................................................................................................. 15
3.2.4 CONTROL2 and CONTROL5 ...................................................................................................................16
3.2.5 CONTROL3: .................................................................................................................................................. 19
3.2.6 CONTROL4: ................................................................................................................................................... 20
3.2.7 Reserve Words ........................................................................................................................................... 21
3.2.8 COMBINATIONS: ........................................................................................................................................22
3.2.9 Dropping Combinations and Dropping Terms ............................................................................. 23
3.2.10 Notional Loads ............................................................................................................................................23
3.3 Creating Template Files ..................................................................................................................................................... 24
3.3.3 Copying and Editing Templates ........................................................................................................... 25
3.3.4 Comments in the Template File ........................................................................................................... 26
3.3.5 Testing the New Template ..................................................................................................................... 26
3.4 Errors .........................................................................................................................................................................................26

RAM Structural System 3 Load Combination Generator

 Introduction
1
The Load Combination Generator is a tool that is used by RAM Frame, RAM Concrete and RAM Foundation for
creating load combinations. It provides a means for generating combinations based on specific codes and also
allows the user to manually enter custom load combinations.
Load Combinations are generated from Load Combination template files. While most users will never need to
concern themselves with these files, templates can be modified to generate customized combinations to meet
the specific needs of an engineer's work environment. New templates can also be created. See Chapter 3, Load
Combination Templates for more information on template files.

RAM Structural System 4 Load Combination Generator

 The Load Combination Generator
2
The Load Combination Generator is used to either generate load combinations based on a selected code's
requirements or to enter load combinations manually. This chapter explains how both are done.

2.1 Load Case Symbols

Load Case 'symbols', or abbreviations, are assigned to each load case. These abbreviations are used in the Load
Combination dialogs, the display of the load combinations and several reports. They are also used in the Load
Combination templates.

Table 1 is a list of load cases available to the generator and the symbol associated with them. When these
symbols appear in a template, they will be included in the generated combinations provided the load case has
been analyzed.

Load Case Symbol Load Case It Represents

D Dead Load

Lp Positive Live Load

Ln Negative Live Load

Rfp Positive Roof Load

Rfn Negative Roof Load

Sp Positive Snow Load

Sn Negative Snow Load

W Wind Load

E Earthquake Load

Dyn Dynamic (Response Spectra) Load

O (Oh, not Zero) User Defined Story Force (type "Other")

ND Notional Dead Load

RAM Structural System 5 Load Combination Generator

The Load Combination Generator
Generated Load Combinations

Load Case Symbol Load Case It Represents

NL Notional Live Load

NR Notional Roof

The load combination generator recognizes one additional load case symbol. This is NOT a symbol that will be
seen in the combo generator dialog or in reports. It is valid only in conjunction with controls 2 and 5 (see 3.1.4).

Load Case Symbol Load Case It Represents

N A generic reference to ANY type of Notional Load.

Positive and Negative refer to downward acting Live Loads (Positive) and upward acting (uplift) Live Loads
(Negative). The program automatically detects and treats these as separate Live Load cases, when they occur.

2.2 Generated Load Combinations

Load combinations may be generated automatically by invoking the Combinations – Generate command. All of
the Load Combination templates associated with the selected Design Code currently in use will be listed. A
template is selected by selecting a Code in the Code for Combinations combo box. When a template is selected,
the default parameters are shown and may be modified to meet the engineer’s needs.
Load combinations are displayed as a text string. When in Generation mode, these load combinations cannot be
edited or deleted (although they can be de-selected). Buttons are available to Copy, Paste, Select All, De-select
All, Invert Selection and Delete. When in Generation mode the Paste and Delete buttons are inactive (see
Figure 1).
When the user exits the dialog, the Code for Combinations (i.e. the template used) and the parameters used to
generate combinations are saved along with the generated combinations.
If no generated combinations are desired, “-None-“ should be selected from the Code for Combinations list.

RAM Structural System 6 Load Combination Generator

The Load Combination Generator
Custom Load Combinations

2.3 Custom Load Combinations

The dialog box for Custom Load Combinations (Figure 2) is nearly identical to that of the Load Combination
Generation command. In addition to being able to type in load combinations, the user also has access to the load
combination templates, from which load combinations can be generated and edited.

RAM Structural System 7 Load Combination Generator

The Load Combination Generator
Custom Load Combinations

2.3.1 Entering Custom Combinations Manually

As with the generated load combinations, the combinations are displayed as a text string. Custom combinations
can be created by typing in coefficients and load case symbols exactly as desired (for example, 1.2 D + 0.5 Rfp +
1.3 W1). The load case symbols should match those shown in the Analyzed Load Cases list. A Combination
should not exceed 254 characters, including blanks. Syntax or typographical errors are reported to the user
when the combinations are validated (Figure 3). A combination must not contain more than twenty five load
cases.

RAM Structural System 8 Load Combination Generator

The Load Combination Generator
Custom Load Combinations

If combinations with syntax errors exist (indicated by a red light) when the user clicks Ok, a warning will be
given asking if the user wants to fix the errors. Because the combo generator does not save load combinations
that contain errors, these combinations will be deleted if not fixed.

2.3.2 Creating Custom Combinations using Templates

Custom Load Combinations can also be created by using the templates to generate combinations and then
making changes, if desired. In the Custom Load Combinations dialog, the engineer has access to ALL templates,
regardless of design code selected. At the top of the dialog there are two drop-down combo controls; both are
defaulted to "None".
From the first drop-down combo box, the template ID is selected.

Once a template ID is selected, the Code for Combinations drop-down control lists the available templates for
that material (Figure 4). From this control, a code is selected and the dialog controls become available and the
Generate button becomes active.
At this point, combinations can be generated just as if one was using the Load Combination Generation
command. There are two important differences:
1. Existing combinations are not replaced when new combinations are generated as they are in the Generator.
New combinations are appended to the end of the existing combination list.
2. Because these are Custom Combinations, they can be modified and/or deleted from the combination list.
To edit a load combination, select it in the Load Combinations list and make the desired changes. It should not
exceed 254 characters, including blanks and can have at most twenty five load cases.

RAM Structural System 9 Load Combination Generator

The Load Combination Generator
Custom Load Combinations

In the Custom Load Combinations command, the settings for the generator are temporary. Template ID and code
are not saved, nor are the parameters used for generating combinations; only the combinations themselves are
saved.

RAM Structural System 10 Load Combination Generator

 Load Combination Templates
3
The Load Combination Generator reads an external file to obtain a template and generate the combinations
based on that template. Templates are provided with the program for generating the load combinations for each
building code. The engineer can also create templates.
The use of the load combination templates can be as simple or as complex as the user chooses. Their purpose is
to provide flexibility and, if used correctly, can be a very powerful tool. If used incorrectly or without careful
thought and planning, they can cause more problems than they solve.

3.1 Different ways to use the template files

1. The very simplest way to use the templates is to ignore them. The use of template files should be transparent
to the user. This will be the case for most users.
2. A slightly more advanced approach is to access the templates via the Custom Load Combinations command
and modify any combinations that are generated. The Custom Load Combination command provides access
to all templates (regardless of material) and generates combinations based on the template selected. These
generated combinations can then be edited or deleted. By accessing the templates in this way, one can use
their power without having to edit them directly.
3. The most advanced option is to create and edit your own template files. These templates will then be listed in
the Load Combination dialog, along with the templates provided with the program, the same as if they had
come with the program. They will also be available in the Custom Load Combination dialog.

Note: This is an advanced feature and is not recommended for users who are not experienced with text
editors, scripting or debugging.

3.2 Template Format

Template files must be located in the Tables directory and must have the file extension .cmb.
Each template file contains four primary sections of information:
i. A Template ID (ID:) is located at the beginning of each file to identify the material and design code with
which the template is associated.
ii. The Template Name (NAME:) uniquely identifies a template within its Template ID Group.
iii. The Control section (CONTROL1: through CONTROL5:) defines the controls that will appear in the Parameters
section of the Load Combination Generation dialog box and Custom Load Combinations dialog box and how
those controls relate to the load combinations (see the following figure). These controls provide a means for

RAM Structural System 11 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Template Format

the user to specify variable values or to select options. Not all controls are used for all templates; in fact, some
templates do not use any of the controls.

iv. The last section in the template is the actual combination template (COMBINATIONS:), which lists all
combinations that could be generated using this template.

An example of the template file format is given in the following:

ID: TemplateIDText
NAME: TemplateNameText
CONTROL1: T/F
V10, Variable10Text , MinValue , MaxValue , DefaultValue
V11, Variable11Text , MinValue , MaxValue , DefaultValue
.
.
.
V 1n , VariablennText , MinValue , MaxValue , DefaultValue
CONTROL2: T/F , LoadCaseSymbol , LoadCaseSymbol(opt) , Text
OPTION 1: V20 = Value1 , Option1Text
OPTION 2: V20 = Value2 , Option2Text
.
.
.
OPTION n : V20 = Valuen , OptionnText
DEFAULT: OptionNumber
CONTROL3: T/F
TITLE: TitleText30
V30, CheckedValue30 , UncheckedValue</codeph>30
DEFAULT: ON/OFF
TITLE: TitleText31
V31, CheckedValue31 , UncheckedValue31
DEFAULT: ON/OFF
.
.
.
TITLE: TitleTextnn
V 3n , CheckedValuenn , UncheckedValuenn
DEFAULT: ON/OFF

RAM Structural System 12 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Template Format

CONTROL4: T/F, LoadCaseSymbol, ,Text

V40, Text1, Text2, MinV1, MaxV1, DefV1, MinV2, MaxV2, DefV2
DEFAULT: CALC/USER
CONTROL5: T/F , LoadCaseSymbol , LoadCaseSymbol(Opt) , Text
OPTION 1: V50 = Value1 , Option1Text
V51 = Value1 (2nd option)
.
.
.
V5n = Value1 (nth option)
OPTION 2: V50 = Value2 , Option2Text
V51 = Value2 (2nd option)
.
.
.
V5n = Value2 (nth option)
.
.
.
OPTION n : V50 = Value n , OptionnText
V51 = Value n (2nd option)
.
.
.
V5n = Value n (nth option)
DEFAULT: OptionNumber
COMBINATIONS:
Flag Combination1
Flag Combination2
Flag Combination3
Flag Combination4
.
.
.
Flag Combination n
END:

Those items not in italics should be capitalized as shown. Items shown in italics indicate values or text strings
specified by the user. Colons and commas must be included where shown. Each section is separated by a blank
line as shown. Each of the items in the template is defined below.

3.2.1 ID:
Purpose
The Template ID associates the template with a material (e.g., Steel) and a design code. It is used for two
purposes. When the Load Combination Generator is invoked, it reads all of the template files (files with the
extension .cmb) located in the Tables directory. When a file with a Template ID that matches the current
material and design code is found, the template is read from that file and made available to the Load
Combination Generator.
The second use for the Template ID's is related to Custom Combinations. While an engineer can still type in
Custom Combinations, it is now possible to generate custom combinations based on the templates. In the

RAM Structural System 13 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Template Format

Custom Combinations dialog, all of the templates are available to the user (not just those associated with the
current material and design code). The Template ID's are displayed in a combo box. The user selects a template
type and from there has access to all of the templates associated with that Template ID.

Format
ID: TemplateIDText
The Template ID line begins with ID: followed by the Template ID, TemplateIDText . It must be the first line of
the template file and there can be only one Template ID line per file.

Important: It must be followed by a blank line.

For use in the Load Combination Generator, TemplateIDText must be one of the Template ID’s listed in Table
3:

Template ID Material Design Code

STEEL_ASD Steel ASD Standard

STEEL_LRFD Steel LRFD Standard

STEEL_BRITISH Steel British Standard

STEEL_CAN Steel Canadian Standard

STEEL_EURO Steel Eurocode Standard

STEEL_AS_NZS Steel AS 4100-98 Standard

STEEL_SP_ASD Steel ASD Seismic Provisions

STEEL_SP_LRFD Steel LRFD Seismic Provisions

CONCRETE_ACI Concrete ACI 318

CONCRETE_BRITISH Concrete BS 8110

CONCRETE_CP_65 Concrete CP65

CONCRETE_EC2 Concrete Eurocode 2

CONCRETE_CHINESE Concrete GB 50009 and GB50010

CONCRETE__AS3600 Concrete AS/NZS 1170.0

SOIL_ACI Soil All U.S. codes

SOIL_BRITISH Soil British

SOIL_CP65 Soil CP65

NOTIONAL_BRITISH Steel BS 5950

RAM Structural System 14 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Template Format

If a Template ID other than one listed above is used in a template file, that template will not be available to the
generator. It will, however, be available through the Custom Load Combination dialog.

Note: Note that NOTIONAL_BRITISH is used exclusively for the BS 5950 Lambda Critical feature; it is not
anticipated that that ID will be used in any user-created templates.

3.2.2 NAME:
Purpose
The Template Name uniquely identifies a template within its Template ID group. For example, there are several
combination codes within the STEEL_ASD Template group (e.g., UBC, SBC, BOCA, etc.). It is necessary to be able
to differentiate one template from another. This is done through the Template Name.
When the Load Combinations Generator is initiated, it reads all of the template files and reads into memory all
templates that are associated with a specific Template ID. As it reads each file, it compiles a list of the templates
that are available. This list is displayed in the "Code for Combinations" list. The template that will be used to
generate combinations is selected here by the user.
If a Template Name is duplicated within a Template group, a warning is given.

Format
NAME: TemplateNameText
The Template Name line begins with NAME: followed by the Template Name, TemplateNameText.
TemplateNameText is any convenient name assigned by the user creating the template to identify the
combinations contained in the template. For example, Template Names used in the templates provided with the
program include “AISC ASD”, “IBC 2000 LRFD”, “ACI 318-95/99” and “BS 8110 1997”. The name may include
blanks and may have up to 99 characters. This name must be unique within the Template ID type group. It must
be followed by a blank line.

3.2.3 CONTROL1:
Purpose
Control 1 is a spreadsheet-like grid that accepts input for variables that modify load cases in the load
combination. There can be up to 10 variables associated with Control 1. These variables will be used as load
factors or used to modify load factors as specified in the Load Combinations.

Use this control if the value entered for the variable can be a range of numbers.

RAM Structural System 15 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Template Format

Format
CONTROL1: T/F
V10, Variable10Text , MinValue , MaxValue , DefaultValue
V11, Variable11Text, MinValue, MaxValue, DefaultValue
.
.
.
V1n, Variable1nText, MinValue, MaxValue, DefaultValue
A T (True) indicates that the control is to be used. The subsequent lines define the user interface display.
The Control 1 line begins with CONTROL1: followed by either T or F. An F (False) indicates that the control is not
used, and no additional information is necessary. In this case the Control 1 grids will not appear in the Load
Combination dialog box.
• Each line begins with a variable name starting with V10. The variable name must be followed by a comma.
• After the variable name is a text string that identifies the variable to the user; it will be listed in the first grid
in the dialog box. The text string may include blanks and have up to 50 characters. The text string must be
followed by a comma.
• The next three fields define the data range and default for the variable.

MinValue is the minimum allowable value for that variable; if the user specifies a value less than that, a
Warning will be given by the program.
MaxValue is the maximum allowable value for that variable; if the user specifies a value greater than that,
a Warning will be given by the program.
DefaultValue is the value that will initially appear in the grid, but which the user can change. For
convenience it should be given the value that is most likely to be specified. If there is no suitable default
value, a DefaultValue of -99 can be used. In this case the dialog will appear with that control field
empty; the user is then required to enter a value before the combinations can be generated.

Each of these items must be separated by a comma.

Control 1 may contain the definition for up to 10 variables, V10 through V19. Each one is listed on a separate
line, in the format as previously described. These variables can be used as load factors used to modify load
factors in the combinations listed in the COMBINATIONS: section as explained later in this section.

Note: This section must be followed by a blank line.

An example of a control that will appear in the dialog box:

CONTROL1: T
V10, CaI, 0.05, 2.0, 0.1
An example of a control that will be hidden in the dialog box:
CONTROL1: F

RAM Structural System 16 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Template Format

3.2.4 CONTROL2 and CONTROL5

Purpose
Controls 2 and 5 are identical. This section will use Control 2 as an example but descriptions and instructions
apply to both commands.

Note: If only one of these controls is used, then it must be Control 2. Control 5 cannot be used alone.

Control 2 is a drop-down combo box that gives options for how one particular variable is to behave. Based on the
option selected, a value will be assigned to a variable which will then be applied as a load factor or a load factor
modifier as indicated in the Load Combinations.

Use Control 2 if there are several discrete values that can be assigned to one variable. The engineer using the
template will not be able to enter a value but rather will choose an option that will determine a value.
In some cases, it is desirable to associate more than one value with a given option. This would be the case when
selection of a given option impacts the factors in different load combination in different ways. To accomplish
this, up to 5 additional variables can be defined for each combo box selection. When using multiple variables
with Control 2, it is imperative that each option have the same number of variables (i.e., V20, V21, etc.)
associated with it.

Format
with one variable per combo box selection:
CONTROL2: T/F , LoadCaseSymbol1 , LoadCaseSymbol2 , Text
OPTION 1: V20 = Value1 , Option1Text
OPTION 2: V20 = Value2 , Option2Text
.
.
.
OPTION n : V20 = Value n , Option n Text
DEFAULT: OptionNumber
with multiple variables per combo box selection:
CONTROL2: T/F , LoadCaseSymbol1 , LoadCaseSymbol2 , Text
OPTION 1: V20 = Value1 , Option1Text
V21 = Value2
V22 = Value3
OPTION 2: V20 = Value1 , Option2Text
V21 = Value2
V22 = Value3
.
.
.
OPTION n : V20 = Value 1 , Option n Text
V21 = Value 2
V22 = Value 3
DEFAULT: OptionNumber

RAM Structural System 17 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Template Format

The Control 2 line begins with CONTROL2: followed by either T or F . An F (False) indicates that the control is not
used, and no additional information is necessary. In this case the Control 2 list will not appear in the Load
Combination dialog box.
A T (True) indicates that the control is to be used. The rest of the line contains the additional information
LoadCaseSymbol1 , LoadCaseSymbol2(optional) ,and Text.
LoadCaseSymbol1and LoadCaseSymbol2 are Load Case symbols as given in Table 1 and Table 2 in Chapter 2.1.
These are called dependent load cases. That is, load cases of both types must have been Analyzed in order for
this control to be visible. If the visibility of the control is based on just one load case, either enter the same load
case symbol twice or leave the second load case symbol blank.
Text is the text that will appear above the option list. Notice the location of the commas separating items. If the
second load case symbol is not used, the commas must still be present to preserve the empty space.
Subsequent lines for control 2 contain the information for each combo box option. Each option is defined on a
separate line and must be formatted as follows:
• Each Option line begins with the word "OPTION" followed by a number and then a colon.
• After the colon is the variable name V20= followed by the value that will be assigned to V20 when that option
is selected. The value must be followed by a comma.
• Next is the text string that will appear in the combo box for this option. It may contain blanks and may have
up to 99 characters
If additional variables are defined with each option, the definition of the additional variables follows each option
line. Indentation is not necessary but makes the template more readable. Formatting for the additional variable
lines is:
• Variable name V21= followed by the value that will be assigned to V21 when that option is selected. Up to 5
additional variables (V21 - V25) can be added.
A special value, Ignore, can be specified for V20 or any of the variables. If the option line lists V20 = Ignore,
the program will ignore every load combination that contains both of the dependent Load Case symbols. For
example, this can be used to provide an option to ignore all load combinations that contain both Snow and
Seismic load cases.

Note: Be aware that Ignore and the value 0 (zero) are not the same. Ignore can result in an entire load
combination being eliminated. A value of zero can potentially result in a term with a zero factor which will result
in that term being dropped from the load combination (but the rest of the combination will still be created).

The lines listing the options are followed by a line that says DEFAULT: followed by OptionNumber where
OptionNumber is an integer indicating which of the options is to be initially selected by default.

Important: This section must be followed by a blank line.

An example of Control 2:
CONTROL2: T, S, E, Snow Factor
OPTION 1: V20 = 1.0, Use Full Factor (1.0) on Snow in Combinations with
Seismic
OPTION 2: V20 = 0.25, Use Reduced Factor (0.25) on Snow in Combinations with
Seismic
OPTION 3: V20 = Ignore, Do Not Include Snow in Combinations with Seismic
DEFAULT:1

RAM Structural System 18 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Template Format

3.2.5 CONTROL3:
Purpose
Control 3 is a set of options with check boxes. Depending on whether the option is selected or de-selected, values
will be assigned to variables used as factors or to modify factors in the Load Combinations. There can be up to 10
variables associated with Control 3.

Use Control 3 in “Either/Or” situations. In the example above, the user has the option to either suppress the 1.1
Factor or to apply it.

Format
CONTROL3: T/F
TITLE: TitleText30
V30, CheckedValue30 , UncheckedValue30
DEFAULT: ON/OFF
TITLE: TitleText31
V31, CheckedValue31 , UncheckedValue31
DEFAULT: ON/OFF
.
.
.
TITLE: TitleText3n
V 3n , CheckedValue3n , UncheckedValue3n
DEFAULT: ON/OFF
The Control 3 line begins with CONTROL3: followed by either T or F . An F (False) indicates that the control is
not used, and no additional information is necessary. In this case, the Control 3 list will not appear in the Load
Combination dialog box. A T (True) indicates that the control is to be used, and additional lines of information
are required for each item in the list.
Each item consists of three lines. The first line begins with TITLE: followed by the text string that will be
displayed for that option. The next line begins with the variable V30 followed by two values, CheckedValue30
and UncheckedValue30 . CheckedValue30 is the value that will be assigned to V30 if the option is selected
and UncheckedValue30 is the value that will be assigned to V30 if the option is not selected. The third line
begins with DEFAULT: followed by either ON or OFF . ON indicates that the initial default for the check box
associated with that option is for it to be selected, OFF indicates that it is not to be selected. It is advised to set
the default to the setting most commonly selected.
These three lines are repeated for each option desired, using a different variable for each. The variables V30
through V39 can be used.

RAM Structural System 19 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Template Format

An example of Control 3 is:

CONTROL3: T
TITLE: Suppress 1.1 Factor on Seismic Combos.
V30, 1.1, 1.0
DEFAULT: ON

3.2.6 CONTROL4:
Purpose
Control 4 consists of two selection buttons; one to indicate the use of program calculated values and one to
indicate the use of values entered by a user.

Control 4 is a special control that is used in the RAM Structural System to apply the Redundancy Factor, Rho, to
the seismic load in combinations. As currently implemented, the Use Calculated option will always assign the
calculated value of Rho to the variable. This control can also be used, however, for other purposes if the Use
Calculated option is not used. It is useful when the value of the load factor is dependent upon the direction of the
load case.

Format
CONTROL4: T/F, LoadCaseSymbol, ,Text
V40, Text1, Text2, MinV1, MaxV1, DefV1, MinV2, MaxV2, DefV2
DEFAULT: CALC/USER/USE_ONLY
The Control 4 line begins with CONTROL4: followed by either T or F. An F (False) indicates that the control is not
used, and no additional information is necessary. In this case, the Control 4 options will not appear in the Load
Combination dialog box.
A T (True) indicates that the control is to be used, and the Control 4 line must contain the additional information
LoadCaseSymbol, a blank, and Text. The items must be separated by commas as shown and the blank must be
included (it is not currently used but is to provide for a future expansion of the capability of the control).
LoadCaseSymbol is a Load Case symbol as given in Load Case Symbols (on page 5) Load cases of this type must
have been Analyzed in order for this control to be available. If LoadCaseSymbol is left blank, the control will
always be available (unless the control flag was set to F). Text is the text that will appear above the option.
When CONTROL4 is set to True, the subsequent line in the file must be as follows: it begins with V40 , followed
by parameters associated with that variable.

RAM Structural System 20 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Template Format

Text1 is a text string that will be associated with the first of two edit boxes. The text string may include
blanks and may have up to 4 characters.
Text2 is a text string that will be associated with the second edit box.
MinV1 is the minimum allowable value for that variable as specified in the first edit box; if the user specifies a
value less than that, a Warning will be given by the program.
MaxV1 is the maximum allowable value for that variable as specified in the first edit box; if the user specifies a
value greater than that, a Warning will be given by the program.
DefV1 is the default value that will initially appear in the edit box, but which the user can change. For
convenience it should be given the value that is most likely to be specified.
MinV2 , MaxV2 and DefV2 are the minimum, maximum and default values, respectively, associated with the
second edit box.

Important: Each of these items must be separated by a comma.

The value assigned to the variable V40 is dependent upon the direction of the load case to which it is assigned. If
the load case acts in the global X-axis direction, the value assigned to V40 is the value specified in the first edit
box. If the load case acts in the global Y-axis direction, the value assigned to V40 is the value specified in the
second edit box. If the load case acts at an angle or has components in both the X- and Y-axis directions, the
greater of the values specified in the two edit boxes will be assigned to V40 .
The final line must begin with DEFAULT: followed by either CALC , USER or USE_ONLY . If CALC is specified, the
default selection will be the "Use Calculated" option. If USER is specified, the default selection will be the "Use"
option. USE_ONLY is a special value which should be specified if Control 4 is used for anything other than Rho; it
causes the Use Calculated option to be disabled.

Important: This section must be followed by a blank line.

An example of Control 4 is:

CONTROL4: T, E, , Rho
V40, RhoX, RhoY, 1.00, 1.5, 1.0, 1.00, 1.5, 1.0
DEFAULT: CALC

3.2.7 Reserve Words

At times, the template controls are used to implement a feature specific to the RAM Structural System. In these
cases, a reserve word is used to signal the load combination generator of the specific nature of the variable. It is
recommended that users not use these reserve words as this will result in unintended results (unless they are
used in precisely the same way as is done in some of the templates supplied with the program).

Reserve Word Control Purpose

CALC 4 To apply the Redundancy Factor, Rho, to the seismic load Combinations.

ReserveDirVar 2 or 5 To control how notional loads are combined with lateral loads.

RAM Structural System 21 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Template Format

3.2.8 COMBINATIONS:
Purpose
The COMBINATIONS section of each template is used to explicitly define the load combinations. The load factors
associated with each load case in each load combination are specified.

Format
COMBINATIONS:
Flag Combination1
Flag Combination2
Flag Combination3
Flag Combination4
.
.
.
Flag Combination n
END:
The Combinations section begins with the keyword COMBINATIONS: .
Each subsequent line consists of a flag and a mathematical expression describing a single combination, as
described below. Each combination must be listed.
The Combinations section ends with END: .
Flag is either T: or blank. It indicates whether the combination is to be included when the Tension-only option
is invoked in the analysis performed by RAM Frame.
Combination1 , Combination2 , etc, are mathematical expressions consisting of Factors, Load Case Symbols,
Operators and Variables that define a single combination.
Factors can be any number, positive or negative. Generally there should be one combination with a positive
factor on the Wind and Seismic load cases and another with a negative factor, to account for the reversal of those
load cases. If the factor is 1.0, it can be omitted.
Variables can also be used, either instead of or in conjunction with Factors. The variables and their definition
were described previously in the CONTROLS section. Variables should only be used if the corresponding Control
has been activated and defined. Acceptable variable names are V10 through V19 (from Control 1), V20 through
V25 (from Control 2), V30 through V39 (from Control 3), V40 (from Control 4) and V50 through V55 (from
Control 5). No other variable names will be recognized. The program will automatically assign to the variable the
value entered by the engineer in the dialog box.
The Load Case Symbols are given in Table 1 in Chapter 2.1. They are used to specify the general Load Case type.
In RAM Frame, there may be multiple Wind, Earthquake, Dynamic or Other load cases; each of them are of the
general Load Case type W, E, Dyn, and O, respectively. Any Load Combinations containing those load cases need
only be generically defined once; the program will automatically generate actual load combinations for each load
case of that type.
Operators can be + , - , * (multiply), and / (divide). Parentheses can also be used. Operators must be used
between Factors, Variables and Load Case Symbols.

RAM Structural System 22 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Template Format

An example of a Combinations section is given in the following:

COMBINATIONS:
T: 1.0 * D
T: 1.0 * D + 0.75 * Lp + 0.75 * Rfp
T: 1.0 * D + 0.75 * Ln + 0.75 * Rfn
T: 1.0 * D + 0.75 * Lp + 0.75 * Sp
T: 1.0 * D + 0.75 * Ln + 0.75 * Sn
.
.
.
T: (0.75 + 0.375 * V10) * D + 0.75 * E
(0.75 + 0.375 * V10) * D - 0.75 * E
T: (0.75 + 0.375 * V10) * D + 0.75 * E
(0.75 + 0.375 * V10) * D - 0.75 * E
END:

An example of how a Control works with the Combinations section is the SBC '99 requirements for
concrete design combinations, which call for Av to modify the Dead Load in certain combinations. To
accomplish this, Control 1 of the template is used to assign a value to a variable for Av. It looks like
this:
CONTROL1: T
V10, Av, 0.05, 2.0, 0.1
Av is assigned to variable V10
This control will appear in the Load Combination dialog box, providing a means for the Engineer to
specify a value of Av. In the combination template, V10 is used to modify Dead Load.
(1.1 + 0.5*V10)*D + 0.5*Lp + 1.0*E
When the combinations are generated, the value that the Engineer enters for Av will be substituted
for V10 to calculate the correct factor for Dead Load.

3.2.9 Dropping Combinations and Dropping Terms

The load combination generator has the ability to drop an entire load combination or drop out terms from a load
combination based on following criteria:
• A combination will be dropped if an error occurs when a factor is solved. For example, a divide by zero error
will cause a combination to be dropped.
• A combination can be dropped by using the keyword "Ignore" in either control 2 or 5. If "Ignore" is the value
of the selected and the combination includes both dependent load cases, the combination will be dropped.
• A term will be dropped from a combination if it has a factor that evaluates to zero.
• If a combination includes a notional load term and that notional load is not analyzed, the term will be
dropped from the combination.

RAM Structural System 23 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Creating Template Files

3.2.10 Notional Loads

Notional load cases are treated differently than other load cases with respect to whether the load case in the
combination has been analyzed or not. If the combination includes a notional load, but no notional loads of that
type have been analyzed, the load combination will be generated without the notional load term. On the other
hand, if a combination includes some other type of load that has not been analyzed (e.g., the combination
includes a Wind load term but no Wind load cases have been analyzed), the entire combination will be dropped,
it will not be generated at all.
Sets of notional loads share a common direction. Notional loads acting in different directions will not be included
in the same combination (e.g., an X-direction notional dead load will not be included in the same combination as
a Y-direction notional live load).
If more than one group of notional loads are created (e.g., one group of British notional loads and one group of
user defined notional loads), these groups remain independent of each other. Notional loads from one group will
not be combined with notional loads from another group.

3.3 Creating Template Files

Templates can be created and then reused from project to project. This eliminates the need to recreate
combinations for every project. It is not always necessary, however, to create templates. A number of templates
are included with the RAM Structural System. Before creating template files, first determine if the desired
template has already been supplied or not. If not, determine if a new template should be created, or if custom
combinations should simply be entered manually.

3.3.1 When to Create Your Own Template File

In situations where you will repeatedly use a set of combinations (in several projects), it is useful to create a
template.
For example:
• You often design to a building code that has combinations that are not provided with the program.
• The design philosophy employed by your office is such that it is not satisfied by the combinations provided
with the program, so some modification to the combinations is necessary.

3.3.2 When Not to Create Your Own Template File

You should not create a template file if one has already been provide with the program that creates the
combinations you need. You should not create a template file for a model with specific peculiar conditions that
require special combinations that will not be used again for future models. That is, the combinations are used
only for that one project and not reused. For this situation you should use the Custom Load Combinations
command and create the combinations manually within the program rather than create a template to generate
your project-specific combinations.

RAM Structural System 24 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Creating Template Files

3.3.3 Copying and Editing Templates

While it is possible to create a template from scratch, a simpler approach is to copy an existing template and
make the necessary changes. It is strongly recommended that template files provided by Bentley Systems not be
modified; make modifications to copies only.
The template files are located in the Tables directory and have the extension .CMB. Select a template to copy that
is most like the template that you want to create. Generally it is best to copy a template that is associated with
the same material, if available. This will ensure that the template ID is correct.
An example of a template that uses all five Controls is the IBC 2006 Steel ASD template
(RamSteelIBC2006_ASD.cmb). An example of a template that has all Controls turned off is the AISC ASD Steel
template (RamSteelAISC_ASD.cmb).
The templates provided by Bentley Systems are write protected. If you copy an existing file using Windows
Explorer, you will need to remove the Read Only property before editing the file. If you open the file in a text
editor such as Notepad and save it to a new name, the Read Only property will be removed for you.
After a template has been copied, it can be edited using a simple word editor such as Notepad.
Verify that the ID: field is correct, or specify an ID as explained in Section 3.1.1 (on page 13).
Specify a new name for the NAME: field in the template as explained in Section 3.1.2 (on page 15) . This must be a
unique Name from that used in any other templates that have the same ID.
Determine which Controls are needed, if any. Ask yourself the following questions.
After the Controls have been established, edit or add the load combinations as explained in Section 3.1.8 (on
page 22).
Question: Do any of the combinations that I am going to create use any Factors that might vary from one project
to another?
Answer: If the answer to that question is “No”, then you do not need any Controls. Set them all to False and
you're done with the Controls.
Question: Do I have a factor that could have any of a range of values associated with it?
Answer:
If the answer is “Yes”, you want to use Control 1. See Section 3.1.3 (on page 15) for the specifics of
implementing Control 1.
If the answer is “No”, hide Control 1 by setting it to False.
Question: Do I have a factor that could be one of two or more explicit values?
Answer:
If the answer is “Yes”, you want to use Control 2 or 5. See Section 3.1.4 (on page 16) for the specifics of
implementing Control 2 or 5.
If the answer is “No”, hide Control 2 and 5 by setting them to False.
Question: Do I have a factor that falls into an Either/Or situation (i.e., either apply this value or that value)?
Answer:
If the answer is “Yes”, you want to use Control 3. See Section 3.1.5 (on page 19) for the specifics of
implementing Control 3.

RAM Structural System 25 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Errors

If the answer is “No”, hide Control 3 by setting it to False.

Question: Do I have a factor that varies with the direction of the applied to loads (i.e., the Factor is different for
X-direction load cases than for Y-direction load cases), or do I need to access and apply the Redundancy Factor,
rho?
Answer:
If the answer is “Yes”, you want to use Control 4. See Section 3.1.6 (on page 20) for the specifics of
implementing Control 4.
If the answer is “No”, hide Control 4 by setting it to False.

3.3.4 Comments in the Template File

Comments can appear anywhere in the template file except on the first line. The first line must be the Template
ID.
To indicate that a line is a comment, it is preceded by “ // ” (two slashes).

3.3.5 Testing the New Template

To test the new template, open a model in RAM Frame, RAM Concrete or RAM Foundation and open one of the
combination generation dialogs. Select the new template from the list of codes.
Test the following:
1. Do the Controls look the way you expected them to look?
2. When you click Generate, do you get the combinations you expect?
3. If you change values in the dialog Controls, are these changes reflected in the newly generated combinations?
You should thoroughly test and verify your custom templates.

3.4 Errors
While there are many advantages to using external template files for creating load combinations, it does open up
the possibility for errors to occur. Here are some common problems to watch out for.
Syntax error in the template.
These can occur in the dialog Control section of the template or the Combinations section of the template. There
is a fairly exhaustive syntax checker in the generator. If it encounters a line it cannot read, an error message is
given that shows the errant line. This template will not be available until the syntax error is corrected.
Changing the name of a template that is being used by a model.
In this situation, when the model loads, the template name that is saved with the model will not match what is
now in the template file. An error message will be given stating that the existing load combinations will be
deleted.

RAM Structural System 26 Load Combination Generator

Load Combination Templates
Errors

Solution: return to the Load Combination generator, select a new template and regenerate the combinations.
Incorrect data entered.
Otherwise known as typos. If the user creating the template types in 100 as a dead load factor rather than 1.0,
there is no way for the generator to know that this is incorrect. Custom templates should be tested and verified
very carefully before they are used.

RAM Structural System 27 Load Combination Generator

 Index
C Error Messages 26 name 15
Template ID 9, 13, 14
Code for Combinations 6
templates
combinations 22 L comments 26
comments 26 Load case symbols 5
copying 25
Control 1 15, 16
creation 24
Control 2 16, 17
Control 3 19
N editing 25
Notional Loads 23 format 11
Control 4 20
reserve words 21
Control 5 16, 17
Templates 9
Custom Load Combinations 7 R Testing 26
redundancy factor 20
D reserve words 21
V
Dropped Combinations 23 rho 20
Validate 9
Dropped Term 23
T
E Table of Symbols 5
Entering Combinations 8 template
Control 1 15, 16

RAM Structural System 28 Load Combination Generator