RCSection

RCSection(user_name: str = 'Unnamed', *, core_material: Union[int, str, Material], cover_material: Union[int, str, Material], steel_material: Union[int, str, Material], d: float, b: float, cover_to_center_of_bar: float)

Bases: Section

Template for rectangular reinforced-concrete sections.

This section type provides a high-level abstraction for common RC beam and column sections. It automatically generates a fiber layout consisting of a confined core, an unconfined cover, and longitudinal reinforcement bars at a specified offset.

Tcl form

section RC <tag> <coreMat> <coverMat> <steelMat> <d> <b> <dist>

Note

The section is assumed to be rectangular with depth d and width b.
The reinforcement is placed as a single layer of fibers at the four corners of the core (at cover_to_center_of_bar distance from the edges).
This section template simplifies the creation of RC members without requiring manual patch or fiber definitions.

Tip

Use a confined concrete material (like Concrete02 with high peak strain) for the core_material and an unconfined material for the cover_material to accurately model ductility.
If you need custom bar layouts (e.g., side bars or non-uniform spacing), use the general FiberSection instead.

Example

from femora.core.model import Model
import femora.components.section.fiber  # noqa: F401

model = Model()
core = model.material.uniaxial.elastic(user_name="Core", E=3600.0)
cover = model.material.uniaxial.elastic(user_name="Cover", E=3000.0)
steel = model.material.uniaxial.steel01(
    user_name="Steel",
    Fy=60.0,
    E0=29000.0,
    b=0.01,
)
sec = model.section.fiber.rc(
    user_name="Column1",
    core_material=core,
    cover_material=cover,
    steel_material=steel,
    d=24.0,
    b=24.0,
    cover_to_center_of_bar=2.5,
)
print(sec.tag)

Create an RCSection with validated materials and dimensions.

Parameters:

Name	Type	Description	Default
`user_name`	`str`	User-specified name for the section.	`'Unnamed'`
`core_material`	`Union[int, str, Material]`	Reference to the core concrete material.	required
`cover_material`	`Union[int, str, Material]`	Reference to the cover concrete material.	required
`steel_material`	`Union[int, str, Material]`	Reference to the reinforcement material.	required
`d`	`float`	Total section depth.	required
`b`	`float`	Total section width.	required
`cover_to_center_of_bar`	`float`	Concrete cover to bar centers.	required

Raises:

Type	Description
`ValueError`	If materials cannot be resolved, if dimensions are not numeric, or if dimensions are non-positive.