Professional Documents
Culture Documents
GSA Manual PDF
GSA Manual PDF
Help Guide
8 Fitzroy Street
London
W1T 4BJ
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7755 4515
Central Square
Forth Street
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 3PL
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 238 7559
e-mail: oasys@arup.com
Website: http://www.oasys-software.com/
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Copyright © Oasys 1985–2021
All rights reserved. No parts of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems - without the
written permission of the publisher.
Products that are referred to in this document may be either trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the
respective owners. The publisher and the author make no claim to these trademarks.
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document, the publisher and the author assume no
responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of information contained in this
document or from the use of programs and source code that may accompany it. In no event shall the publisher and
the author be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage caused or alleged to have been caused
directly or indirectly by this document.
Table of Contents
1 Overview
................................................................................................................................... 15
2 What's
...................................................................................................................................
new 15
3 GSA
...................................................................................................................................
Analysis Features 16
4 GSA
...................................................................................................................................
Design Features 17
5 GSA
...................................................................................................................................
Program Features 18
6 Documentation
................................................................................................................................... 19
7 Design
...................................................................................................................................
Codes 19
Steel ......................................................................................................................................................... 19
Concrete ......................................................................................................................................................... 21
8 Validation
................................................................................................................................... 23
9 Acknow
...................................................................................................................................
ledgements 23
1 Dockable
...................................................................................................................................
Panes 31
Explorer Pane
......................................................................................................................................................... 32
Output Pane......................................................................................................................................................... 34
Graphics Palette
......................................................................................................................................................... 35
Property Pane
......................................................................................................................................................... 37
2 Table
...................................................................................................................................
View s 44
Single and Multi-page
.........................................................................................................................................................
Tables 44
Field Types......................................................................................................................................................... 44
Cell Operators
......................................................................................................................................................... 45
Basic Operations
.........................................................................................................................................................
in Tables 45
Cutting, Copying
.........................................................................................................................................................
and Pasting in tables 46
Delete and Blank
.........................................................................................................................................................
Records in Tables 47
Find, Replace,
.........................................................................................................................................................
Go To and Modify in Tables 47
Copying To.........................................................................................................................................................
and From Spreadsheets 48
Adjusting Data
.........................................................................................................................................................
Display 49
Colour In Tables
......................................................................................................................................................... 49
3 Output
...................................................................................................................................
View s 49
Output Settings
......................................................................................................................................................... 50
Output View.........................................................................................................................................................
Table Format 51
Selecting Data
.........................................................................................................................................................
to Output 51
Case and Entity
.........................................................................................................................................................
Lists 52
Outputting for
.........................................................................................................................................................
a Selection Set of Entities 52
Enveloping ......................................................................................................................................................... 52
Data Extents......................................................................................................................................................... 52
Output Summary
......................................................................................................................................................... 53
Output By Case,
.........................................................................................................................................................
By Property, By Group 53
Printing from
.........................................................................................................................................................
Output View s 53
Interacting w
.........................................................................................................................................................
ith Spreadsheets 53
4 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
4 Graphic
...................................................................................................................................
View s 54
Changing the .........................................................................................................................................................
Content of a Graphics View 54
Basic Orientation
.........................................................................................................................................................
of the Image 55
Scaling the .........................................................................................................................................................
Image and Zooming 56
Advanced orientation
.........................................................................................................................................................
of the image 58
Identifying What
.........................................................................................................................................................
Is To Be Draw n 59
Graphical Representation
.........................................................................................................................................................
of Entities 60
Current Grid......................................................................................................................................................... 62
Selection Sets
......................................................................................................................................................... 63
Polylines in .........................................................................................................................................................
Graphic View s 65
Adornments......................................................................................................................................................... 67
Shrinking Elements
......................................................................................................................................................... 72
Colour In Graphic
.........................................................................................................................................................
View s 72
Shading Surfaces
......................................................................................................................................................... 73
Unw rap Graphics
......................................................................................................................................................... 73
Highlighting.........................................................................................................................................................
Element Edges 74
Highlight Coincident
.........................................................................................................................................................
Nodes 74
Highlight Coincident
.........................................................................................................................................................
Elements 75
Resetting the.........................................................................................................................................................
Display 75
Analysis and .........................................................................................................................................................
Design Layers 75
Right-click Menus
......................................................................................................................................................... 75
Graphic Fonts.........................................................................................................................................................
and Styles 76
Animation ......................................................................................................................................................... 76
Printing from.........................................................................................................................................................
Graphic View s 77
Cursor Modes .........................................................................................................................................................
in Graphic View s 77
Copying the.........................................................................................................................................................
Graphic Image to the Clipboard 79
5 Chart
...................................................................................................................................
View s 79
Chart Menus ......................................................................................................................................................... 79
Chart Styles......................................................................................................................................................... 80
6 Analysis
................................................................................................................................... 82
Elements ......................................................................................................................................................... 83
Analysis Types
......................................................................................................................................................... 87
Running Analyses
......................................................................................................................................................... 89
Summary ......................................................................................................................................................... 90
7 Sets
...................................................................................................................................
and Lists 90
Lists and Embedded
.........................................................................................................................................................
Lists 91
8 Ax...................................................................................................................................
es, Grids and Grid Planes 94
Axis Sets ......................................................................................................................................................... 94
Use of Axis.........................................................................................................................................................
Sets 96
Projected Axes
......................................................................................................................................................... 96
Grid Axes and
.........................................................................................................................................................
the Current Grid 97
Constraint Axes
......................................................................................................................................................... 97
Element and.........................................................................................................................................................
Member Axes 97
Grid Lines, .........................................................................................................................................................
Planes and Surfaces 97
9 Saved
...................................................................................................................................
View s and Preferred View s 98
Default View.........................................................................................................................................................
Settings 98
Preferred View
.........................................................................................................................................................
s 99
Saved View.........................................................................................................................................................
s 100
Auto View.........................................................................................................................................................
s 100
Units and Numeric
.........................................................................................................................................................
Format 101
View Lists......................................................................................................................................................... 101
Batch Printing
.........................................................................................................................................................
and Saving of View s 101
10 Analysis
...................................................................................................................................
Tasks and Cases 102
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 5
Oasys GSA
1 Titles
................................................................................................................................... 138
2 Specification
................................................................................................................................... 138
Units Specification
......................................................................................................................................................... 138
General Specification
......................................................................................................................................................... 141
Tolerances......................................................................................................................................................... 142
Design Specification
......................................................................................................................................................... 143
Member Internal
.........................................................................................................................................................
Restraint Specification 143
Raft Analysis
.........................................................................................................................................................
Specification 143
Bridge Loading
.........................................................................................................................................................
Analysis Specification 144
Environmental
.........................................................................................................................................................
Impact Specification 145
3 Geometry
................................................................................................................................... 145
Axes ......................................................................................................................................................... 145
Grid Lines......................................................................................................................................................... 148
Grid Planes
......................................................................................................................................................... 149
Grid Surfaces
......................................................................................................................................................... 149
Polylines ......................................................................................................................................................... 150
6 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
4 Materials
................................................................................................................................... 151
Material Grades
......................................................................................................................................................... 151
Material Curves
......................................................................................................................................................... 161
5 Properties
...................................................................................................................................
: Section 162
Section Profile
......................................................................................................................................................... 164
Geometric.........................................................................................................................................................
Section Properties 175
Reference.........................................................................................................................................................
Point 177
Point Voids......................................................................................................................................................... 177
Steel Design
......................................................................................................................................................... 177
Section Modifiers
......................................................................................................................................................... 177
Section Design
.........................................................................................................................................................
Pools 178
6 Properties
...................................................................................................................................
: General 179
Spring Matrices
......................................................................................................................................................... 179
Spring Properties
......................................................................................................................................................... 179
Mass Properties
......................................................................................................................................................... 181
2D Element.........................................................................................................................................................
Properties 182
3D Element.........................................................................................................................................................
Properties 186
Link Properties
......................................................................................................................................................... 187
Cable Properties
......................................................................................................................................................... 188
Damper Properties
......................................................................................................................................................... 188
Spacer Properties
......................................................................................................................................................... 189
External Matrix
......................................................................................................................................................... 190
Environmental
.........................................................................................................................................................
Impact Wizard 190
7 Properties
...................................................................................................................................
: Form-finding 191
Force Density
.........................................................................................................................................................
1D 191
Soap Film .........................................................................................................................................................
1D 191
Force Density
.........................................................................................................................................................
2D 192
Soap Film .........................................................................................................................................................
2D 192
8 Properties
...................................................................................................................................
: Concrete Slab 192
Reinforcement
......................................................................................................................................................... 192
Calculation......................................................................................................................................................... 193
Strength Reduction
.........................................................................................................................................................
Factors 194
9 Nodes
................................................................................................................................... 194
10 Members
................................................................................................................................... 195
Definition ......................................................................................................................................................... 196
Design Properties
......................................................................................................................................................... 197
Miscellaneous
......................................................................................................................................................... 200
1D Member .........................................................................................................................................................
Axes 201
11 Blocks
................................................................................................................................... 202
12 Elements
................................................................................................................................... 203
Element Types
......................................................................................................................................................... 206
Element Axes
......................................................................................................................................................... 212
13 Assemblies
................................................................................................................................... 216
14 Constraints
................................................................................................................................... 217
Generalised.........................................................................................................................................................
Restraints 217
Rigid Constraints
......................................................................................................................................................... 218
Joints ......................................................................................................................................................... 219
Constraint.........................................................................................................................................................
Equations 220
Tied Interfaces
......................................................................................................................................................... 221
15 Loading
................................................................................................................................... 222
Load Case.........................................................................................................................................................
Specification 223
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 7
Oasys GSA
Nodal Loading
......................................................................................................................................................... 224
Beam Loading
......................................................................................................................................................... 226
2D Element.........................................................................................................................................................
Loading 233
3D Element.........................................................................................................................................................
Loading 241
Grid Loading
......................................................................................................................................................... 243
Gravity ......................................................................................................................................................... 247
16 Dynamic
...................................................................................................................................
Response 248
Response.........................................................................................................................................................
Spectra 248
Frequency.........................................................................................................................................................
Damping 258
Mode Damping
......................................................................................................................................................... 259
Load Curve
......................................................................................................................................................... 259
Dynamic Load
.........................................................................................................................................................
Factor 260
Frequency.........................................................................................................................................................
Weighting Curve 260
17 Raft
................................................................................................................................... 260
Soil ......................................................................................................................................................... 260
Raft Interaction
......................................................................................................................................................... 264
Pile Interaction
......................................................................................................................................................... 265
18 Bridge
................................................................................................................................... 265
Alignments......................................................................................................................................................... 265
Paths ......................................................................................................................................................... 266
Vehicles ......................................................................................................................................................... 268
Bridge Variable
.........................................................................................................................................................
Load 268
Influence Effects
......................................................................................................................................................... 270
Path Loading
......................................................................................................................................................... 272
Bridge Loading
......................................................................................................................................................... 273
19 Analysis
...................................................................................................................................
Stages 280
Stage Definition
......................................................................................................................................................... 280
Stage Properties
......................................................................................................................................................... 280
Stage Materials
......................................................................................................................................................... 281
20 Tasks
...................................................................................................................................
and Cases 281
Analysis Case
.........................................................................................................................................................
Definition 281
Analysis Wizard
......................................................................................................................................................... 282
Advanced.........................................................................................................................................................
Solver Settings 298
Soil-Structure
.........................................................................................................................................................
Analysis Progress 306
Combination
.........................................................................................................................................................
Cases 306
Design Wizard
......................................................................................................................................................... 307
21 General
...................................................................................................................................
Data 308
Lists ......................................................................................................................................................... 308
Case Descriptions
......................................................................................................................................................... 309
1 Linear
...................................................................................................................................
Static Analysis 311
P-delta Analysis
......................................................................................................................................................... 311
Linear 2D .........................................................................................................................................................
Element Analysis 312
2 Nonlinear
...................................................................................................................................
Static Analysis 314
Modelling Implications
......................................................................................................................................................... 314
Ties and Struts
......................................................................................................................................................... 315
Dynamic Relaxation
......................................................................................................................................................... 315
Explicit Nonlinear
.........................................................................................................................................................
Static Analysis 316
Analysis of.........................................................................................................................................................
Fabric Structures 316
Form-Finding
.........................................................................................................................................................
Analysis 317
3 Dynamic
...................................................................................................................................
Analysis 319
8 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Modal Dynamic
.........................................................................................................................................................
Analysis 319
Ritz Dynamic
.........................................................................................................................................................
Analysis 320
Explicit Dynamic
.........................................................................................................................................................
Analysis 321
Dynamic Response
.........................................................................................................................................................
Analysis 322
4 Buckling
...................................................................................................................................
Analysis 325
Eigenvalue.........................................................................................................................................................
Buckling Analysis 325
Nonlinear Buckling
.........................................................................................................................................................
Analysis 327
5 Dynamic
...................................................................................................................................
Relax ation Analysis 327
Nonlinear Analysis
.........................................................................................................................................................
Options 328
Dynamic Relaxation
.........................................................................................................................................................
Convergence & Damping 332
6 Model
...................................................................................................................................
Stability Analysis 335
7 Seismic
...................................................................................................................................
Analysis 336
Equivalent.........................................................................................................................................................
Static Procedures 337
Response.........................................................................................................................................................
Spectrum Analysis 338
8 Bridge
...................................................................................................................................
Analysis 342
Modelling Implications
......................................................................................................................................................... 344
Delete Grid.........................................................................................................................................................
Loading Tool 345
Automatic .........................................................................................................................................................
Path Generation 345
Analysis ......................................................................................................................................................... 346
9 Raft
...................................................................................................................................
& Piled-raft Analysis 347
Data Requirements
......................................................................................................................................................... 347
Solution Method
......................................................................................................................................................... 348
Raft Analysis
.........................................................................................................................................................
Steps 349
Piled-raft Analysis
.........................................................................................................................................................
Steps 350
Results ......................................................................................................................................................... 351
Notes ......................................................................................................................................................... 351
10 Analysis
...................................................................................................................................
Stages 352
Modelling Implications
......................................................................................................................................................... 352
Analysis of.........................................................................................................................................................
Stages 353
Results ......................................................................................................................................................... 354
Stages and .........................................................................................................................................................
Graphic View s 355
11 Analysis
...................................................................................................................................
Envelopes 355
12 Environmental
...................................................................................................................................
Impact 356
13 Wave
...................................................................................................................................
loading 356
14 LS-DYNA
...................................................................................................................................
Analysis 359
15 RC
...................................................................................................................................
Slab Reinforcement Design 359
16 Results
................................................................................................................................... 360
Static Analysis
.........................................................................................................................................................
Results 360
Modal Analysis
.........................................................................................................................................................
Results 361
Displacements
......................................................................................................................................................... 362
Reactions ......................................................................................................................................................... 362
Soil Contact
.........................................................................................................................................................
Bearing Pressure 362
Beam Element
.........................................................................................................................................................
Results 363
2D Element.........................................................................................................................................................
Results 370
3D Element.........................................................................................................................................................
Results 374
Assembly .........................................................................................................................................................
Results 375
17 Displaying
...................................................................................................................................
Data and Results 376
Model Data.........................................................................................................................................................
Display Options 376
Load Data.........................................................................................................................................................
Display Options 379
Results Display
.........................................................................................................................................................
Options 380
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 9
Oasys GSA
Bridge Data
.........................................................................................................................................................
Display Options 385
Bridge Results
.........................................................................................................................................................
Display Options 385
Analysis Stage
.........................................................................................................................................................
Data Display Options 386
User Modules
.........................................................................................................................................................
Display Options 386
Analysis Diagnostics:
.........................................................................................................................................................
Error norm 386
Numeric formats
......................................................................................................................................................... 387
1 Reinforcement
...................................................................................................................................
Definition 389
2 Steel
...................................................................................................................................
Design 391
Generating.........................................................................................................................................................
Steel Member Restraints 392
Member Results
......................................................................................................................................................... 392
Steel Checks
.........................................................................................................................................................
to AISC LRFD 394
Steel Checks
.........................................................................................................................................................
to AISC 360-05 394
Steel Checks
.........................................................................................................................................................
to AS4100:1998 395
Steel Checks
.........................................................................................................................................................
to BS5950-1:2000 396
Steel Checks
.........................................................................................................................................................
to EN1993 399
EN1993 National
.........................................................................................................................................................
Annexes 401
Steel Checks
.........................................................................................................................................................
to HKSUOS:05 404
Steel Checks
.........................................................................................................................................................
to IS800 406
Steel Checks
.........................................................................................................................................................
to SANS 10162-1:2011 407
Results ......................................................................................................................................................... 408
Tools ......................................................................................................................................................... 409
3 Member
...................................................................................................................................
Results 409
1 Welcome
...................................................................................................................................
to GSA dialog 412
2 Undo
...................................................................................................................................
and Redo 412
3 New
...................................................................................................................................
Model Wizard 414
Titles ......................................................................................................................................................... 414
Structure ......................................................................................................................................................... 414
Properties......................................................................................................................................................... 414
4 Data
...................................................................................................................................
Generation Wizard 415
Structure Types
......................................................................................................................................................... 415
Portal Frame
......................................................................................................................................................... 415
Grid ......................................................................................................................................................... 416
Orthogonal.........................................................................................................................................................
Frame 417
Truss ......................................................................................................................................................... 418
Vierendeel......................................................................................................................................................... 418
Pratt Truss......................................................................................................................................................... 419
Pitched Portal
......................................................................................................................................................... 420
Roof Truss......................................................................................................................................................... 420
2D Element.........................................................................................................................................................
Orthogonal Mesh 421
2D Element.........................................................................................................................................................
Skew Mesh 421
2D Element.........................................................................................................................................................
Elliptical Mesh 422
3D Element.........................................................................................................................................................
Orthogonal Mesh 423
Generate ......................................................................................................................................................... 423
5 Preferences
...................................................................................................................................
& Settings 423
Preferences
......................................................................................................................................................... 423
Miscellaneous
.........................................................................................................................................................
Preferences 428
6 Sculpting
................................................................................................................................... 430
10 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Sculpt Dialogs
......................................................................................................................................................... 431
Sculpt Geometry
.........................................................................................................................................................
Cursor Modes 440
Creating User
.........................................................................................................................................................
Axes Graphically 441
Creating Grid
.........................................................................................................................................................
Planes Graphically 442
Adding Nodes.........................................................................................................................................................
Graphically 442
Modifying .........................................................................................................................................................
Nodes Graphically 442
Collapsing.........................................................................................................................................................
Coincident Nodes 443
Rounding Nodal
.........................................................................................................................................................
Coordinates Graphically 443
Adding Elements
.........................................................................................................................................................
Graphically 443
Connecting .........................................................................................................................................................
1D Elements Graphically 444
Splitting Elements
.........................................................................................................................................................
Graphically 445
Joining 1D.........................................................................................................................................................
Elements Graphically 448
Convert Orientation
.........................................................................................................................................................
Node to Angle 449
Modifying .........................................................................................................................................................
2D Elements From Linear To Quadratic 449
Modifying .........................................................................................................................................................
2D Elements from Quadratic to Linear 449
Moving and .........................................................................................................................................................
Copying Entities Graphically 450
Extruding Nodes
.........................................................................................................................................................
and Elements Graphically 450
Transforming.........................................................................................................................................................
Nodes Graphically 451
Flexing Lines
.........................................................................................................................................................
of Nodes Graphically 451
Straightening
.........................................................................................................................................................
Lines of Nodes Graphically 453
Flipping Elements
.........................................................................................................................................................
Graphically 453
Spinning 2D .........................................................................................................................................................
Elements Graphically 453
Modifying .........................................................................................................................................................
Elements Graphically 453
Disconnecting
.........................................................................................................................................................
Elements Graphically 454
Deleting Nodes
.........................................................................................................................................................
and Elements Graphically 454
Create Wall/Core
.........................................................................................................................................................
Assembly 455
Creating Rigid
.........................................................................................................................................................
Constraints Graphically 455
Creating Joints
.........................................................................................................................................................
Graphically 455
Creating Nodal
.........................................................................................................................................................
Loading Graphically 455
Creating Element
.........................................................................................................................................................
Loading Graphically 456
Creating Grid
.........................................................................................................................................................
Loading Graphically 457
Deleting Loading
.........................................................................................................................................................
Graphically 458
7 File
...................................................................................................................................
Tools 458
Import GWA .........................................................................................................................................................
Data 458
Footfall Response
.........................................................................................................................................................
Data 458
8 Output
...................................................................................................................................
View Dialogs 459
Wizard: Output
.........................................................................................................................................................
Settings 459
Output Wizard:
.........................................................................................................................................................
Further Options 461
9 Graphic
...................................................................................................................................
View Dialogs 462
Wizard: Graphic
.........................................................................................................................................................
Settings 462
Labels and.........................................................................................................................................................
Display Methods 465
Deformation.........................................................................................................................................................
Settings 473
Contour Settings
......................................................................................................................................................... 474
Diagram Settings
......................................................................................................................................................... 476
Bridge Options
......................................................................................................................................................... 478
Further Options
......................................................................................................................................................... 479
Animation .........................................................................................................................................................
Settings 480
Orientation.........................................................................................................................................................
Settings 481
Graphic Fonts
.........................................................................................................................................................
and Styles 482
10 Chart
...................................................................................................................................
View Dialogs 483
Non-linear.........................................................................................................................................................
Analysis 483
Modal Analysis
.........................................................................................................................................................
Details 483
Harmonic Analysis
......................................................................................................................................................... 484
Periodic Load
.........................................................................................................................................................
Analysis 484
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 11
Oasys GSA
Linear Time-history
.........................................................................................................................................................
Analysis 484
Footfall Analysis
......................................................................................................................................................... 485
Storey Displacements
.........................................................................................................................................................
and Forces 486
Forces on.........................................................................................................................................................
2D Element Cut 486
11 Model
...................................................................................................................................
Tools 487
Manage Data
......................................................................................................................................................... 489
Current Grid
.........................................................................................................................................................
Definition 490
Grid Layout
.........................................................................................................................................................
Definition 491
History ......................................................................................................................................................... 491
Coordination
......................................................................................................................................................... 492
Section Tools
......................................................................................................................................................... 496
Checking Tools
......................................................................................................................................................... 498
Model Tools
......................................................................................................................................................... 500
Contact Constraints
......................................................................................................................................................... 503
Create Grid
.........................................................................................................................................................
Lines 505
Building Modelling
......................................................................................................................................................... 505
Bridge Modelling
......................................................................................................................................................... 508
Dynamics ......................................................................................................................................................... 512
Seismic ......................................................................................................................................................... 513
Offshore ......................................................................................................................................................... 516
Manage User
.........................................................................................................................................................
Modules 520
Result Map......................................................................................................................................................... 521
Miscellaneous
.........................................................................................................................................................
Tools 521
12 Miscellaneous
...................................................................................................................................
Dialogs 522
Find ......................................................................................................................................................... 522
Replace ......................................................................................................................................................... 523
Modify ......................................................................................................................................................... 523
Go To ......................................................................................................................................................... 524
Modify Curve
......................................................................................................................................................... 524
Curve Data
.........................................................................................................................................................
Selection 524
GWA Import
.........................................................................................................................................................
Options 524
CAD Export
.........................................................................................................................................................
Options 525
CAD Import
.........................................................................................................................................................
Options 526
Nastran Export
.........................................................................................................................................................
Options 528
OpenSees.........................................................................................................................................................
Export Options 528
ADC AdBeam
.........................................................................................................................................................
Export 529
AdSec Export
......................................................................................................................................................... 529
Export Member
.........................................................................................................................................................
Input Data to CSV 530
1D Element.........................................................................................................................................................
Results 530
Numeric Format
......................................................................................................................................................... 531
Axes ......................................................................................................................................................... 531
1 Tex
...................................................................................................................................
t Data File Format 533
2 Reinforcement
...................................................................................................................................
Template File 534
3 Curve
...................................................................................................................................
File 538
4 Tab
...................................................................................................................................
and Comma Separated Files 539
1 GSA
...................................................................................................................................
API 542
2 Command
...................................................................................................................................
File 542
12 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
1 Analysis
...................................................................................................................................
in LS-DYNA 547
2 Tex
...................................................................................................................................
t output 549
3 Ex
...................................................................................................................................
port options 549
Input data ......................................................................................................................................................... 549
ADC ......................................................................................................................................................... 550
AdSec ......................................................................................................................................................... 550
PDisp ......................................................................................................................................................... 550
Steel Member(s)
......................................................................................................................................................... 550
Footfall Response
......................................................................................................................................................... 551
AutoCAD ......................................................................................................................................................... 551
SAP2000 ......................................................................................................................................................... 551
Nastran ......................................................................................................................................................... 552
OpenSees......................................................................................................................................................... 553
4 Import
...................................................................................................................................
options 553
Text files ......................................................................................................................................................... 553
AutoCAD ......................................................................................................................................................... 554
PDisp ......................................................................................................................................................... 554
5 Links
...................................................................................................................................
With 3D Modelling Packages 555
Revit ......................................................................................................................................................... 555
IFC ......................................................................................................................................................... 567
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 13
Part I
Oasys GSA
1 About GSA
1.1 Overview
Oasys GSA has developed from a program for the static analysis of three-dimensional structures
composed of skeletal elements, to become a complete analysis package with connection to spreadsheet,
CAD and design programs. GSA has been designed from the outset to be easy for the occasional user, yet
powerful enough to cope with large, complex models. It incorporates options for graphical and tabular
input of data and presentation of results. These allow input data to be entered and edited conveniently and
accurately, errors in the data to be diagnosed, validity of the analysis to be established and performance of
the structure to be assessed.
Things to note
When opening previous files, if the spring, damper or mass property axis is the same as nodal axis,
then the property will be assigned to the node and the 0D spring/damper/mass elements will be
removed.
If the property axis is different to the nodal axis then the stiffness, damping coefficients, or mass/inertia
attributes will be copied to a new property, transformed to the nodal axis direction, and assigned to the
nodes. In this situation compression and tension-only ground springs will become linear springs.
This works for the majority of old files, but in the following cases the results in 10.1 may differ from
previous versions. Warnings will be given if:
ground springs are tension or compression only and axis transformation is needed
ground springs use nonlinear spring curves and the property axis and nodal axis are not orthogonal
each other
the damper property axis and nodal axis are not orthogonal each other
there are analysis stages and spring, damper, or mass elements that are not in all of the analysis
stages.
Note that for model with analysis stages, the “Stage Properties” setting can be used to remove the nodal
stiffness/damping/mass from required stages.
In these situations we recommend that you adjust the model in the old version prior to opening. For
example, in these situations ensure that the nodal and property axes are the same and the properties are
updated as necessary:
When nonlinear spring curves are used by the spring property and the spring and nodal axes are not
orthogonal
Be especially careful where the node has constraints upon it, such as restraints, rigid constraints, joints,
or constraint equations, or if there are settlement loads on the affected nodes.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 15
Oasys GSA
Design
The German steel national annex (DIN EN 1993-1-1:2005) has been added to Eurocode EC3.
Modelling
Meshing by Lines, Areas, and Regions has been replaced by 2D Members
3D members have been added, allowing the meshing of 3D elements. Wedge 6, Pyramid 5, and Tetra 4
element types have been added
Seismic analysis
The following response spectrum has been added:
BIM
Links to Revit 2020
P-delta analysis*
Harmonic analysis*
16 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Large capacity
Sets of nodes may be constrained to act either identically in specified directions, or to act as a rigid body
in specified planes.
Loads may be applied on nodes, on elements or on surfaces representing floor or walls etc. In addition
to forces and moment applied to the structure, load types include gravity, prestress, thermal and
distortion loads.
Restraints and constraints can apply to non-global and user defined axis directions as well to global
axis directions
Displacements and forces are calculated at automatically determined intermediate points along 1D
elements.
Beam sections may be selected from a steel section database, which includes British, European, US
and Australian sections. Other options are to specify the dimensions of a general section (rectangular,
circular, I-section, etc.) or to specify the properties required for analysis explicitly.
Design of steel members with I, H, CHS, RHS and EA sections. Tees and Channel sections are
supported from GSA 8.6 onwards.
Results are available in various forms, including numeric utilization ratios and calculations as rich text.
The different forms of result available mean that the user can avoid information overload, but can still
audit the calculations at a very basic level when appropriate.
Utilization ratios can be plotted (contoured) on the model just like any other numeric result, so enabling
rapid understanding of which parts of a structure are overstressed or are overdesigned.
Calculation results are marked up in colour to draw attention to problems and important results within
the calculations. They are available in both brief and verbose formats.
Restraints can be specified in detail so that the program can evaluate the effective buckling lengths of
complex multi-span beams. Alternatively, the user can specify the effective lengths (as is common in
other steelwork design packages). Assistance is available to set up restraints, which are necessarily
more complex than restraints used in analysis models.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 17
Oasys GSA
All forces and moments are considered in calculating reinforcement areas, i.e. in-plane forces in both
directions, in-plane shear force, out-of-plane bending moments in both direction and twisting moment.
No limit for the shape of the slabs and walls, i.e. not limited the slabs/walls to be rectangle, they can be
any shapes, e.g. triangle and polygon etc.
The reinforcements in the two directions are allowed to be in any angle, i.e. not limited to be right angle
Data Input
For regular structures a Data Generation wizard will allow the user to specify the structure in terms of few
key parameters and automatically generate the model data. For more complex structures structural
geometry and loading data may be input through either the graphical data generator (“Sculpt”) or a more
traditional spreadsheet format.
Sculpt enables all structural geometry to be rapidly generated and edited on the screen using a cursor
controlled by a mouse. Dynamic viewing makes it possible to adjust the model as required. When the
structure is complete, all loading may be similarly generated and displayed diagrammatically. Structures
of complexity varying from simple to large skeletal frame models can be generated and complex 2D
element meshes can be generated using the automatic mesh generation facilities.
The alternative spreadsheet method incorporates many useful features for the generation and copying of
numerical data. Text input is normally specified by selection from a list of available items rather than by
entering numeric codes.
The two data generation methods are linked so that they can be used side by side.
Analysis
When an analysis is requested the data are checked for inter-module consistency. If errors are detected, a
report is prepared and the program returns to the data editing options; if not, the program proceeds with
the analysis with progress being reported to the screen throughout.
Design
Steel Design results are not stored. Instead, they are calculated as required to produce the diagrams,
contours or text output requested by the user, using the input data and analysis results to perform the
calculations.
Concrete Design is handled in two ways in. For beam design the user can export a model to AdBeam for
design. For slab design the required areas of steel are calculated and displayed as graphical or text output
as requested by the user, based on the analysis results.
All types of Design results are only available if the corresponding analysis results are available.
Output
Output can be in the form of tables showing the numerical results, graphics showing diagrams or
contours and charts showing plots of one variable against another for some analysis results
The units used for output may be specified interactively as standard or non-standard and default to those
used for input.
18 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
The axes directions in which results are given may be global, local (nodal or element) or user-defined.
User-defined axes may be Cartesian or cylindrical.
The format of numeric output may be specified in terms of either significant figures or decimal places.
Graphics
The graphics facility in GSA is designed to feel spontaneous in response to the commands of the user.
Various single key commands have the effect of producing standard views, adjusting the orientation, scale
and content of the drawn structure, windowing, zooming, labelling and annotating the display. Dynamic
viewing and animation of results provide powerful tools to aid the engineer in understanding the behaviour
of the structure.
The resulting graphics may be exported to an image file or sent direct to a printer.
Tabular Output
A wide choice of results may be displayed on the screen or printed.
Output results available include displacements, forces, beam stresses, reactions, and analysis details.
Tabular output can contain summaries of maximum and minimum values present in the selected output.
Links to Spreadsheets
Data from tables can be transferred to and from spreadsheets using the standard cut and paste facilities.
The GWA file (ASCII data file) is written as a tab-separated file to facilitate input into spreadsheet
programs.
1.6 Documentation
In addition to the help file there is further documentation on the use of GSA.
Getting Started
Theory
Slab Design
IFC Reference
GSA makes use of third party software. Details can be found here.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 19
Oasys GSA
20 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
1.7.2 Concrete
The table below shows the current or most recent concrete design codes that are available in GSA
ACI318 Building Code Requirements for USA 2014 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002
Structural Concrete (ACI318-14)
ACI318M Building Code Requirements for USA 2014 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002
Structural Concrete (ACI318M-14)
(metric version)
BS EN 1992-2 Eu ro co d e 2 -2 UK 2005
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 21
Oasys GSA
Hong Kong Code of Practice for the Structural Hong 2013 2004 (AMD 2007), 2004, 1987
Code of Use of Concrete Kong
Practice
22 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
SFS-EN1992-1- Eu ro co d e 2 -1 -1 Finlan
1 d
1.8 Validation
Before embarking on any analysis, the user should be aware of its limitations. The user should check the
validity of the results. Computer models should be as straightforward as possible to minimise the risk of
error, and designed to model the effects required by the user, e.g. a model to assess the stiffness of a
structure would not necessarily be the same as one to check the strength. It is often good practice to start
with a simple model and increase the complexity if the need arises.
Oasys Ltd implements a Quality Management System (QMS) that is certified to ISO 9001. The certificate of
approval for the Oasys QMS is published on the Oasys web site. Oasys products are designed, developed
and tested in accordance with the procedures set out in this QMS. A certificate is produced to confirm all
testing has been completed in accordance with the QMS, and this can be provided on request.
1.9 Acknowledgements
Arup
Many engineers have contributed to the development of GSA. In particular the dynamic relaxation solver is
based on the work of Alistair Day, the P-∆ and modal buckling options in GSA were developed in
conjunction with Pat Dallard, the RC Slab options have been developed by Ian Feltham, the footfall
analysis options by Peter Young and Mike Willford and the pattern loading by Don Ho.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 23
Oasys GSA
Resizeable dialogs
Delaunay triangulation
CM2 MeshTools
LAPACK
Resizeable dialogs
Copyright, and License:
Resizeable dialogs, Copyright (c) 2000-2001 by Paolo Messina. All Rights Reserved.
Delaunay triangulation
Copyright, and License:
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and
associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including
without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies
of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following
conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial
portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN
ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH
THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
https://github.com/Bl4ckb0ne/delaunay-triangulation
CM2 MeshTools
Copyright, and License:
http://www.computing-objects.com/content/view/4/14/lang,en/
LAPACK
Copyright, and License:
Copyright (c) 1992-2011 The University of Tennessee and The University of Tennessee Research
24 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Copyright (c) 2000-2011 The University of California Berkeley. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2006-2011 The University of Colorado Denver. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT
HEADER
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that
the following conditions are met:
- Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the
following disclaimer.
- Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the
following disclaimer listed in this license in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the
distribution.
- Neither the name of the copyright holders nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or
promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
The copyright holders provide no reassurances that the source code provided does not infringe any patent,
copyright, or any other intellectual property rights of third parties. The copyright holders disclaim any liability
to any recipient for claims brought against recipient by any third party for infringement of that parties
intellectual property rights.
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT
SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT,
INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR
BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY
WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
http://www.netlib.org/lapack/
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 25
Part II
Oasys GSA
2 Getting Started
GSA is a program for structural analysis, and it is assumed the user has a knowledge of structural
engineering concepts. The GSA help is aimed at explaining the features and use of the program but not
the structural concepts expressed in the program. A new user to GSA should refer to the Getting Started
manual which gives a worked example on the use of GSA.
It is encouraged to use the design layer to define the structure as this makes it easier to adjust the
analysis model, but there is nothing that prevents the engineer from building the model directly in the
analysis layer.
Data Modules
Data in GSA is held in modules that can (in most cases) be thought of as tables. So, for example, a simple
model may have a nodes module, an elements module, a beam sections module and some load
modules. The data for these tables can be entered directly via Table Views. However it is usually better to
use some more convenient (and less error prone) method of entering the data.
This section is concerned with the construction of the geometrical model (nodes, elements and
properties) and does not consider the loading.
There is no one correct way of building a model. The most appropriate method will depend on the shape
and complexity of the model. Familiarity with other programs, such as spreadsheets and CAD packages
will affect the approach, as will the availability of the geometric data in other formats.
Data Generation
The simplest way of constructing a model is to use the 'Data Generation' wizard. Templates are offered for
typical structural forms. The structure is specified by selecting a template and defining a few key
parameters.
Since this method is so quick and easy it is sometimes useful to generate from a template even if it is
known that the resulting geometry will have to be edited to arrive at the desired geometry.
Sculpting Models
Sculpting is the term used for graphical editing of the model via a Graphic View. The clear visual feedback
makes this method popular for all shapes, sizes and complexities of structure.
The mesh generation option in GSA makes sculpting a powerful tool for the meshing of irregular areas
with 2D elements.
Sculpting is covered in more detail in the “Working with the Program” section under “Working with Graphic
Views”.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 27
Oasys GSA
generated in a spreadsheet can either be read as a text file, or included directly in tables using cut and
paste.
Structural models that exist in CAD packages may be transferred to GSA via the DXF and DWG file formats
(provided the information can be saved as a DXF file in the CAD package). This is useful both when the
geometric form has been defined by others and supplied in a CAD format and when it is felt that CAD is
the most appropriate tool for defining the geometry.
BIM
Models assembled in BIM packages can be imported into GSA either via an Industry Foundation Classes
(IFC) file or from the GSA/Revit link.
28 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Part III
Oasys GSA
Wizards
The New Model Wizard and Data Generation Wizard provide a quick way of generating simple structural
forms.
The New Model Wizard runs when you start a new document set up preliminary details about the structure
such as job details, structure type and units. The user may finish at this stage with an empty model or
proceed via “Generate data for the selected structure type” to select a structural form and then generate a
model based on a set of parameters defining this structure. At the end of this process a complete model is
generated ready for loading to be applied.
These wizards are covered in more detail in the GSA Tools section.
Cases
Loading and results are grouped into cases. Loads are grouped into load cases, primary results (those
calculated directly) are grouped into analysis case and secondary results (combinations of primary
results) are grouped into combination cases. For design there are design cases which associate a set of
results with a design code.
Cases are covered in more detail in the Analysis Tasks and Cases section.
Preferences
Preferences are set in the Preferences Dialog available from the “Tools | Preferences” (Ctrl+F7) menu
command.
Toolbar and dockable pane selection and positioning and window sizes are set each time the program is
closed.
Default settings for new Graphic Views and Output Views are saved as preferences. Several preferred
Graphic and Output Views may also be saved as preferences. Details are given in the Working with Saved
Views and Preferred Views
The preferences may be reset to their default “factory” setting by using the “Tools | Reset Preferences”
menu command. The option is given to reset all view settings. Specific view settings may be reset from
the Explorer Pane.
File formats
The default file type for GSA is a GWB file. There is also an editable text file available (GWA) which can be
used when taking data to an earlier version of GSA . The text file format is given in GSA Text (ASCII) Data
File Format
There are also options to interact with other software through Import and Export functions. These are
described in detail in the Interaction with other software section.
Views
Explorer Panes– access to Table Views, Output Views, Saved Views and Preferred Views.
30 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Output Panes– display properties; display results for individual nodes, elements and members; display
reports of the analysis process
Graphic Views – display a graphic image of the model offering graphical editing and graphical
representation of input data and results.
Saved Views and Preferred Views – saving Graphic View and Output View settings for re-use either with
the particular model or as preferences.
Explorer Pane offer tree controls that give access to input data modules (typically Table Views) , Output
Views and Saved Views.
Dockable panes can be moved, floated and closed. When floating they are displayed on top of any other
view and they can be dragged outside the GSA window. They can be docked along any edge of the GSA
window, with any other dockable panes. When docked the part of the screen that is available for other
views excludes that occupied by the dockable panes. The default position can be recalled using the 'View |
Reset Toolbars and Dockable Panes' menu command. All dockable panes can all be toggled on and off
using the 'View | Show or Hide Dockable Panes' menu command (or button on the GSA toolbar), and
individual dockable panes can be opened and closed from the commands in the 'View | Toolbars and
Dockable Panes' sub-menu.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 31
Oasys GSA
Output Explorer pane – gives access to all Output Views that are available for the model.
View Explorer pane – gives access to all Saved Graphic Views and Saved Output Views.
The Explorer panes are dockable panes. The content of the Explorer panes always relates to the current
model.
Against each item is reported the number of records currently specified for the data module.
Delete – delete the contents of the selected module or a branch of modules. (Only enabled when the
clicked item is editable.)
Copy – copy the contents of the selected module to the clipboard in GWA format.
Copy All – copy the whole model to the clipboard in GWA format.
Paste – paste the GWA formatted clipboard contents, overwriting the current data.
Paste Special – specify, via the GWA Import Options dialog box, how to paste the GWA formatted
clipboard data, including the option to overwrite or append and the option to select the modules that are
to be pasted.
32 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Some results are available in more than one Output View, for example displacements are available under
“Nodal Results” as displacement at nodes or under “Beam and Spring Element Results” and “2D Element
Results” as displacements at positions on elements. Results that apply to the model as a whole are
reported as “Global Results”.
The right-click menu includes options to “Specify Output” and to “Open Summary”. “Specify Output”
displays the Output Settings dialog with the clicked item selected, giving the opportunity to further specify
the Output View settings before opening the view. “Open Summary” opens an Output View of just the
summary (Maxima and Minima) of the clicked item. In the “User Modules” branch the right-click menu also
gives access to the user module management dialogs.
View Lists
The right-click menus also offer commands for the management of these.
Opening a New Graphic View or New Output View simply opens a Graphic View or Output View with the
default settings. (These have the same affect as giving the “View | New Graphic View” or “View | New
Output View” menu commands, or the equivalent toolbar commands.)
Preferred views and saved views are offered only if these have previously been saved. An asterisk, “*”, is
appended to “Views” on the tab label when some saved Graphic Views or Output Views are present in the
current model.
Different right-click menus are displayed depending on whether the clicked item is a new view, preferred
view, saved view or view list.
The right-click menu for new views includes the option to reset the settings to GSA default. Note that the
“Tools | Reset Preferences” menu command also gives the option to reset the default Graphic View and
Output View settings.
The right-click menu for preferred views includes options to rename and delete the preferred view and to
“Delete All Preferred Graphic Views” or “Delete All Preferred Output Views”, respectively. Deleting all
preferred views does not reset the default view settings.
The right-click menu for saved views includes options to edit, copy, rename and delete the saved view and
to “Delete All Saved Graphic Views” or “Delete All Saved Output Views”, respectively.
Options to create new view lists, to edit, copy and otherwise manage existing view lists are available in the
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 33
Oasys GSA
Preferred views, saved views and view lists can be printed directly from the right-click menu. Refer to Batch
Printing of Views for details.
Details of how to produce preferred and saved views and view lists are given in the Working with Saved
Views and Preferred Views documentation.
Report Pane – displays task logs (i.e. a history of Report View logs).
Right-click menu
Clicking the right mouse button when the cursor is over the Object Viewer displays a floating menu offering
the following commands:
Copy
Select All
Message Pane
The Message Pane displays properties for a selected item or a set of selected items. It is also where
messages from various operations are displayed.
In Graphic View s:
clicking on a node, element or member causes the properties for that item to be displayed in the
Message Pane, regardless of the current cursor mode.
selecting items and then using the “Graphics | Selection Properties” command displays properties
relating to the current selection.
For Beam, Bar, Tie and Strut elements, selection properties include:
total length,
total area,
For nodes, if two or three nodes are selected, selection properties include:
34 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
angle at nodes.
In Table View s:
In some Table Views properties for the current record can be displayed by giving the “View | Properties”
menu command. The Properties command is also accessible from the Table View right-click menu.
Result Pane
The Result Pane displays results for a selected item. This is done as follows:
1. Open the Result Pane by selecting 'View | Toolbars and Dockable Panes | Result Pane' command (or
clicking the Result Pane button toolbar button if available).
2. Select the required output option from the drop-down list at the top of the Result Pane. Only those
options currently available for the model are displayed.
3. Select the required case or cases in the Cases list at the top of a Graphic View.
4. In the Graphic View, click on a node, element or member to display their results.
The default output option is '<displayed result>'. In this setting clicking on a node, element or member in
the Graphic View causes the currently displayed result in that Graphic View to be reported in the Result
Pane. The currently displayed result in the Graphic View is determined by the following precedence:
3. Node or element displacements (depending on whether a node or element is clicked), if the deformed
image is displayed.
Report Pane
The Report Pane displays a history of all logs generated by GSA tasks, such as analysis and design. For
example, during an analysis the Report View displays the analysis log as it happens; upon completion the
report log stored with the model and displayed in the Report Pane.
The contents of the Report Pane can be deleted by using the Delete Report Logs button on the Report
Pane toolbar.
Graphics Display Palette – provides quick access to frequently used Graphic View settings.
Entity Display Palette – provides a convenient way of specifying the entities that are to be displayed.
Each Graphics Palette includes a toolbar offering options that relate to the palette. All Graphics Palette
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 35
Oasys GSA
toolbars offer the Lock Image Update command. When Lock Image Update is set no updating of the
image in the current Graphic View occurs; unsetting Lock Image Update causes the image to be
regenerated picking up all the changes to the graphic settings that have been applied. Rotating, zooming
or panning the view unsets Lock Image Update. This feature is useful for large models which take a
significant time to update the view.
Reset display adornments – resets the Graphics Settings to the current defaults.
Right-clicking on a field displays a context menu offering the settings dialog for that field, where
appropriate.
Highlight mode – when set the entities selected in the tree control are highlighted in the Graphic View.
Check boxes – when set the tree control is displayed with check boxes against each item to allow
multiple selection.
Reset to all entities – resets the Display List to to 'all' and clears all Volumes.
Right-clicking on an item displays a context menu offering options to open the definition dialog, to select all
entities with that item set, and to display the properties for the item in the Message Pane, where
appropriate.
Label Palette
The Label Palette provides a convenient way of switching label options on and off in the current Graphic
View.
Hide Labels – when set all labels are removed from the display in the current Graphic View, without
adjusting the labelling settings. Unsetting 'Hide Labels' re-displays the labels.
Labels and Display Methods – opens the Labels and Display Methods dialog.
Apply Adornments to Selection – when set labels are applied to the current selection only.
36 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Contour Palette
The Contour Palette provides a convenient way of setting contours in the current Graphic View.
Hide Contours – when set contours are removed from the display in the current Graphic View, without
adjusting the contouring settings. Unsetting 'Hide Contours' re-displays the contours.
Layer combo – sets the output layer for 2D element stress contours.
Apply Adornments to Selection – when set contours are applied to the current selection only.
Diagram Palette
The Diagram Palette provides a convenient way of setting diagrams in the current Graphic View.
Hide Diagrams – when set diagrams are removed from the display in the current Graphic View, without
adjusting the diagram settings. Unsetting 'Hide Diagrams' re-displays the diagrams.
Layer combo – sets the output layer for 2D element stress diagrams.
Apply Adornments to Selection – when set diagrams are applied to the current selection only.
Node properties
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 37
Oasys GSA
Node defaults
The Node Properties pane allows you to set the defaults or edit the properties of selected nodes. See
Nodes for more information.
Axis select from list of Axis Sets to set the node's Constraint Axes
Restraint directions
Spring property gives the node a spring restraint. Select from the list generated from the Spring
Properties table
Mass property gives the node an additional mass. Select from the list generated from the Mass
38 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Properties table
Damper property gives the node a damping value. Select from the list generated from the Damper
Properties table.
Local element size adjusts the local mesh density of a connected member. Note that it only affects 1D
members if the member element size is other than "none"
Element properties
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 39
Oasys GSA
The Element Properties pane allows you to set the defaults or edit the properties of selected elements.
See Elements for more information.
40 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Element Type select from list; see Element Types for more details
Property select from list defined in Properties : Section, Spring Properties, 2D Element Properties, 3D
Element Properties, Link Properties, Cable Properties, Damper Properties, or Spacer Properties tables,
dependant on the Element Types chosen above
Group a user-defined number to aid loading and output; see Output By Case, By Property, By Group,
Colour In Graphic Views for more details
Orientation node input node number; see Element Axes for more details
Orientation angle input rotation angle in degrees; see Element Axes for more details
Releases partially disconnect elements from others; 1D elements only; see Elements for more details
Release stiffness partially disconnect elements from others; 1D elements only; see Elements for more
details
Offsets distance elements from others; see Elements for more details
Dummy elements that are ignored during analysis but can help with area loads; see Elements, 2D
Loads on Load Panels, and Modelling Implications for more details
Member properties
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 41
Oasys GSA
42 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
The Member Properties pane allows you to set the defaults or edit the properties of selected members.
See Members for more information.
Property select from list defined in Properties : Section, Spring Properties, 2D Element Properties, 3D
Element Properties, Link Properties, Cable Properties, Damper Properties, or Spacer Properties tables,
dependant on the member type chosen above
Group a user-defined number to aid loading and output; see Output By Case, By Property, By Group,
Colour In Graphic Views for more details
Orientation node input node number; see Element Axes for more details
Orientation angle input rotation angle in degrees; see Element Axes for more details
Releases partially disconnect resulting end elements from others; 1D members only; see Elements for
more details
Release stiffness partially disconnect resulting end elements from others; 1D members only; see
Elements for more details
Offsets distance elements from others; see Elements for more details
Dummy elements that are ignored during analysis but ; see Elements, 2D Loads on Load Panels, and
Modelling Implications for more details
Automatic offsets
o End 1, End 2 offset 1D member and resulting 1D elements from connected 1D elements
o Internal offset 2D member resulting elements to face of 1D column and connect with a rigid
constraint
1D element type that will be created when the 1D member is meshed, select from list; see Element
Types for more details
2D analysis type that will be created when the 2D member is meshed, select from list, see Element
Types and Rigid Constraints for more details
Element size (m) sets the size of the resulting elements when the member is meshed, see Members
and Element Meshes for more details; if set to n o n e and 1D then there will be no additional meshing
other than that derived from the connecting members; if set to n o n e and 2D or 3D then the default
element size will be 1m. If the 2D member element size is negative then the mesh will consist only of
triangular elements.
Intersect w ith others the member will mesh with other members that overlap with it; eg untick for
crossed Tie bracing or Load Panels to prevent unwanted subdivision of resulting elements
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 43
Oasys GSA
The shaded cells across the top of a table contain default values, which can be changed by the user.
These are placed in the current cell when the cell contents are entered as blank.
For many of the tables there is the option of defining the data in a Wizard. The wizard is available from the
Wizard button in the Data Options toolbar, or from the table context menu or with the shortcut Ctrl+W. The
use of wizards is necessary for some of the modules where it is not otherwise possible to select or set up
the required data.
Changes made in a table are immediately reflected in other tables, Output Views and Graphic Views, and
vice versa.
Note that in general, data cannot be entered or edited if results exist that would be invalidated by the
changes.
The details of the data entered in each table are covered in the Data in GSA section.
In other cases the data to be displayed is more complex or several data modules are related so it is
convenient to display the data on more than one page of a table. This leads to the following options:
For more complex data it is useful to be able to have more than one view on the data in the table, with
different pages providing a view on a different subset of the data. An example of this type of table is the
N o d e s table – here it is convenient to separate the node Coordinates, Constraints and Supports on to
separate pages. These pages give a view of different parts of the same node record. The complete record
can be viewed by selecting the All page. In tables like this there is an “All” page to provide a view of all the
data.
Another situation where multiple pages are convenient is where each record is in itself a table. In these
situations each record forms a page. In these tables the user can right click on the tab to insert or delete
pages or change the name of that page. An example of this type of table is the “Alignments” table, where
each alignment is defined by a table of curvature as a function of chainage.
Sometimes it is convenient to be able to group related modules into a single table. An example of this is
the N o d a l L o a d in g table. Here the N o d e L o a d s , A p p lie d D is p la c e m e n ts and Se ttle m e n ts are grouped
together on a single table: each page of the table relates to a different module.
For the multi-page tables the pages are changed by clicking on the appropriate tab.
Numeric – for item numbers and numeric values (e.g. topology item or node coordinate).
Numeric/Percentage – for entering values such as locations that can be entered as an actual value or
as a percentage (e.g. position of load on a beam).
44 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Selection fields – for selecting from a list of items (e.g. element type). Depending on the “Show drop-
down list in selection fields” preference setting the required item may either be selected from a drop-
down list or typed in directly. In the latter case the program auto-completes with the first option that
matches what has been typed.
Selection/Numeric fields – for selecting from standard items or entering a value for a user defined
property (e.g. an axis Local or Global form list or 1, 2, etc for user defined).
Copy operators
= to copy the value from the same cell in the preceding
record.
==n to copy the values from the same cell and all
following cells in record n.
Increment operators
The increment operators copy the value from the same cell in the preceding record and perform an
operation on that. They apply to numeric fields only.
If the increment, f, is omitted then the default value is used as the increment.
Navigation
Moving around the table is done by using the arrow keys, Tab, Return, mouse clicks or the “Edit | Go
To” (Ctrl+G) menu command.
Ctrl+Home and Ctrl+End move the current cell to the first and last cell in the table, respectively.
Page Up and Page Dow n move the current cell a window-full of records up and down, respectively.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 45
Oasys GSA
Simply navigating to a cell does not put the cell into edit mode.
Editing
The following actions change a cell to edit mode:
Typing in the cell, to cause the existing data to be replaced by what is typed.
Press F2, to highlight the existing data. Subsequent typing will replace any highlighted data.
Press Home or End, to place the cursor at the beginning or end of the existing data, respectively.
Clicking in the current cell, to place the cursor at the clicked position.
Having edited the contents of a cell the contents of the cell must be registered by doing one of the
following:
Press the left or right when the cursor is at the left-most or right-most positions, moves to the adjacent
cell.
In all cases the contents of the cell are validated and if invalid input is detected it must be corrected before
moving.
Selection
To select all the cells containing data, use the “Edit | Select All” (Ctrl+A) menu command or click on the
grey box at the very top left of the table. The selection is highlighted in inverted colours (as with any block
selection)
Select records or fields (rows or columns) of cells by clicking on their headers in the grey area.
Use the “Edit | Select” menu command, which displays a dialogue box where a set of cells can be
defined in terms of records and fields.
Click on the start cell of the proposed block, then click on the final cell while holding down shift.
To cancel a selection, use “Edit | Select None” menu command or click anywhere in the table.
Cut
Cut records from the document and put them on the clipboard. Complete records must be selected before
cutting data. Cutting data to the clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.
Many data records (e.g. loads) are deleted from the Table View after cutting the data. This avoids empty
records and causes subsequent records to be renumbered.
46 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Records that are not renumbered are those whose record numbers are cross-referenced to other data,
and alteration would affect that other data. For example Node record numbers are not renumbered as they
are used to define element topology.
Copy
Copy blocks of selected data to the clipboard as tab delimited text. Copying data to the clipboard replaces
the contents previously stored there. Use the Export command to save selected data as tab delimited text.
Paste
Use the Paste command to insert a copy of the clipboard contents at the currently selected location. Blocks
of data (held in the clipboard in tab delimited format) are inserted if acceptable, see below.
If you highlight a destination block to paste data to, everything in the destination block will be overwritten on
pasting. The size and form of the destination block must be the same as that for data being pasted from.
Pasting a block of data when no cells are selected results in the block being pasted starting at the current
cell. In this case:
If pasting a block to an existing record, GSA gives the option to overwrite the existing data or to insert the
new data. If insert is chosen, data is inserted before the record containing the current cell.
Note that for any of the paste operations, if partial record data is pasted resulting in blank cells, the blank
cells will be set to default values.
Other methods
Note that Cell operators may also be used to copy values from existing cells.
To delete a selected record(s), use “Edit | Delete” (Del) menu command or the Delete key. The action of
the delete key will depend on the type of table. In tables in which no blank records are permitted, deleted
records are removed and the table is closed up. In tables in which blank records are permitted, delete will
clear or blank the selected records leaving subsequent records unchanged. If all the selected records are
already blank, the records are deleted to result in subsequent records being renumbered.
To insert a blank record(s) above the currently selected cell or record, use the “Edit | Insert” (Ins) menu
command. This inserts a record at a time and causes subsequent records to be renumbered.
Specify the exact entry you wish to find. This can be made case sensitive by checking the “Match case”
box.
Choose to search the “whole” table or a just a “selection”. Note – if a selection is required, it must be
highlighted before choosing the find command.
Choose to search “up” or “down” from the current cell. Once the end of the table is reached, the search
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 47
Oasys GSA
Click the “Find Next” button to find the first matching entry, and again for each subsequent matching
entry. GSA displays a warning message if the specified text is not found.
Go to
To find a specific record or page, use the “Edit | Go To” (Ctrl+G) menu command or the “Go To” button on
the Data Options toolbar. The record/page can be specified in several ways:
n go to record/page n
+n go forward by n records
-n go back by n records
Replace
Use the “Edit | Replace” (Ctrl+H) menu command or the “Go To” button on the Data Options toolbar to
perform a search, as for Find, and also replace the specified text or numbers. The Replace Dialog Box
appears. This operates as for Find dialog with additions:
Specify the new entry you wish to replace the existing entry.
Upon finding a matching entry, click the “replace” button, or you can choose to “replace all” matching
entries.
Modify
Use the “Edit | Modify” (Ctrl+M) menu command or the Modify button on the Data Options toolbar to modify
numerical cell entries. Cells containing text remain unmodified. The Table View Modify dialog box appears.
The modifications specified here are applied to every cell value in the “selection” or the “whole” table view.
Specify the “modify by” value to be used in one of the following ways:
Absolute – modify the selection to the absolute value (the modify by is ignored in this case).
Information can be cut/copied from tables in GSA and pasted into spreadsheets and vice versa. Also
results can be copied from Output Views and pasted into spreadsheets. Data copied from GSA or
spreadsheets is held as Tab delimited text.
If the user intends to create data in a spreadsheet, it is recommended that a dummy record be created in
GSA and copied to form a “template” in the spreadsheet.
48 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Font
The font that is used in the table can be selected. This gives a standard Font selection dialog.
Units
This is available in tables in which units are used. Some of the data may be entered in one unit, the units
changed and subsequent data entered in a different set of units. All data in GSA is stored in SI units and
converted to the requested units upon display.
Axes
This option is only available for the nodes table and allows the coordinates to be entered or viewed in a
different sets of coordinates. This allows, for example, some of the nodes can be defined in a Cartesian
coordinate system and other in a cylindrical system.
In tables, the rows for objects that have explicit colour definition are highlighted with a colour-wash
representation of the assigned colour.
Assignment of explicit colours in tables is by use of the Ed it | M o d ify C o lo u r menu command, having first
selected the records that are to be modified. M o d ify C o lo u r is also available on the right-click menu. This
opens the Select Colour dialog. The selected colour is indicated by a colour swatch, and the derived
colour-wash, by the partially hidden colour swatch. Setting the colour to u n d e fin e d unsets the explicit
colour assignment.
Note that explicit colour assignment can also by applied via Graphic Views.
In the element and member tables there is an option to check for and highlight incomplete elements.
These are entities that refer to non-existent nodes or properties, or where topology items are repeated.
Non-existent items are highlighted in red and repeated items are highlighted in blue.
The N e w Ou tp u t V ie w command first displays the Output Settings dialog box. OK opens an Output View
containing the selected output; C a n ce l exits the dialog box without opening an Output View.
You can also open Output Views via the Output explorer. This opens the selected Output View with the
default output specification. Note that the default output specification is “All” cases and the first 25 nodes,
elements or members, so opening an Output View via the Output explorer for a large model can cause
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 49
Oasys GSA
huge quantities of output to be generated. When working with large models it is recommended that Output
Views be opened using the “New Output View” command and that the output specification be carefully
specified before requesting the output to be generated.
Default view settings, preferred views and saved views are available for Output Views. Refer to Working
with Saved Views and Preferred Views for details and to Working with the View Explorer pane for
accessing these.
When a new Output View is opened the default view settings are adopted.
Changes to view settings may be undone and redone using the V ie w | U n d o V ie w (Ctrl+Alt+Z) and V ie w |
R e d o V ie w (Ctrl+Alt+Y) menu commands. These commands are also available on the Standard toolbar.
View settings for the current view may be applied to another Output View by clicking the V ie w s e ttin g s
p a in te r on the Standard toolbar to grab the current settings and then clicking in the other Output View. Click
the “View settings painter” again or press <Esc> to switch off the option without applying grabbed settings.
View settings may be copied to the clipboard from within the Output Settings dialog box. View settings on
the clipboard may be pasted into the view (i.e. applied to the view) either using Ed it | Pa s te (Ctrl+V) or from
within the Output Settings dialog box. Note that Ed it | C o p y copies the actual content of the view (see
Interacting with spreadsheets), not the view settings.
There are often other ways of editing the settings, as described below.
Units
By default the units in which data is output are the model units. These may be adjusted for individual
Output Views from the Output Settings dialog box or by using the W in d o w | Se ttin g s | U n its menu
command. U n its is also available on the Data Options toolbar.
Numeric Output
By default the numeric format in which data is output is as set in the user preferences. This may be
adjusted for individual Output Views from the Output Settings dialog box or by using the W in d o w | Se ttin g s
| N u m e r ic Fo r m a t menu command. The precision of output can be adjusted using the W in d o w | Se ttin g s |
In c r e a s e Pr e c is io n and W in d o w | Se ttin g s | D e c r e a s e Pr e c is io n menu commands; these increase or
decrease the number of significant figures or decimal places, depending on the current N u m e r ic Fo r m a t
setting. N u m e r ic Fo r m a t, In c r e a s e Pr e c is io n and D e c r e a s e Pr e c is io n are also available on the Data
Options toolbar.
Output Axes
By default the axes in which data is output are the default for the data being output. Typically these are
global axes though certain data, like 1D element forces and stresses, is in local axes. The output of most
data can be transformed to specified axes for individual Output Views from the Output Settings dialog box
or by using the W in d o w | Se ttin g s | A xe s menu command. A xe s is also available on the Data Options
toolbar.
Refer to the Output Options for details of default axes and of which data can be transformed.
50 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
New Output Views are opened in the standard Output View format. The default Output View table format is
saved with the default view settings.
A Grid Output View can be opened by giving the ‘Output | Grid Window’ when a standard Output View is
open. The Grid Output View is opened with the same output as is shown in the ‘parent’ standard Output
View and continues to be updated to reflect the ‘parent’ output while the parent view remains open.
There are advantages and disadvantages with each Output View table format. These are summarised as
follows.
Advantages:
Table header of the "active" table remains at the top of the window
Table formatting preserved well to spreadsheets if entire rows are selected and copied into a
spreadsheet
Disadvantages:
Advantages:
Data is copied to the clipboard in tab separated format. This results in data being pasted in cells
correctly when pasting to spreadsheet.
Disadvantages:
Output format is optimised for regular tables of output but is not well suited to notes and other non-
tabular output.
Output options may not be specified directly (though the view does reflect the settings of the parent
standard Output View).
Note that the Output View table format is independent of, and should not be confused with the spreadsheet
format option.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 51
Oasys GSA
Refer to the Output Settings dialog box documentation for more details.
These lists can be specified both in the Output Settings dialog box and via the Lists toolbar by first setting
the Display Option to the required entity type. The list of entities is then specified in the Display List. The
full GSA list syntax is available when specifying the list.
See Outputting for a selection set of entities for an automated way of updating entity lists by selecting items
in a Graphic View.
Note that R e s e t to A ll En titie s (or a ll in the “Lists” toolbar) resets entities lists to result in the whole model
being included thereby disabling any <cu rre n t se le ctio n > settings.
An automated way of achieving this is, on the Lists toolbar for the Output View, to set the Display Option to
the required entity and then setting the Display List to <cu rre n t se le ctio n >. When an entity list is set to
<cu rre n t se le ctio n > that entity list is set to the current selection set for that entity type and is updated as the
current selection is modified. If the current selection is empty then a ll is assumed. Unlike in Graphic
Views, the <cu rre n t se le ctio n > setting remains set and the list continues to be updated with the current
selection until the <cu rre n t se le ctio n > setting is switched off.
3.3.6 Enveloping
Where a case to be output is an enveloping case and the data can be enveloped the output produced
consists of the maximum value and minimum value and a reference to an envelope permutation number
that produced the maximum or minimum value. Note the reference to envelopes in the Output summary
section.
By default the envelope is produced for all components. It is possible to specify that the envelope be of a
particular su b je ct co m p o n e n t in which case other components are output as the coexistent values for the
permutation that produced the maximum or minimum value for the subject component.
Refer to the Output Settings: Further Options documentation for details on how to specify this.
Refer to the Output Settings: Further Options documentation for details on how to specify this.
52 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
For some data components (e.g. element length and element strain energy) a total for that component in
the specified table is included in the summary.
Whether or not the table and summary are output can be set in the Output Settings dialog box.
By default the summary includes only the single worst values. It is possible to set the number of worst
values in the Output Settings: Further Options. This results in several worst values being output in
descending sequence. Note that setting the number of worst values to a large number will result in an
output table of values in descending sequence, as opposed to node or element number sequence.
Selecting By C a se causes the table to be split into separate tables per case.
By Pro p e rty – causes the table to be split into separate tables per element or member property. The
element type is considered when separating the tables so, for example, if there are beam elements with
property one and spring elements with property one these will appear in separate tables. However, Beams
and Bars of property one will appear in the same table since they share the same property.
By Gro u p – causes the table to be split into separate tables per element or member group.
The Pa g e Se tu p command on the Miscellaneous tab of the Preferences may be used to specify the format
of the border on the printed page.
The Pr in t command prints the output in the same font as is used on the screen.
The output may be printed condensed (i.e. in a small font). Typically the smallest font that is legible on
printed output is smaller than that on the screen. Specify the condensed print setting using the W in d o w |
Se ttin g s | Fo n t command. Fo n t is also available on the Data Options toolbar. The print condensed setting
is stored as a preference.
Spreadsheet format arranges tables such that all output for a given entity is output on one line,
concatenating what would otherwise be several lines. Note that when copying data in order to paste it into
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 53
Oasys GSA
a spreadsheet it is advisable either to copy from a Grid Output View if you want to target specific columns.
Otherwise, copying from a Standard Output View would work as well. See Output View table format for
details.
The export option in the Output Settings dialog box writes the output as currently specified (but not
necessarily currently displayed) to file in either tab or comma delimited text format. Note that it is possible
to use this option without displaying the output in an Output View. Do this by giving the “New Output View”
command, then, in the Output Settings dialog box, selecting the required output, exporting, and then
cancelling from the dialog box.
The “Output | Export Output” menu command writes the output as currently displayed to file in either tab or
comma delimited text format.
Copying a selection from the Output View, using “Edit | Copy” (Ctrl+C), copies the selected data onto the
clipboard in a format that is acceptable by most spreadsheet programs.
A number of sculpt tools are provided to enable the model to be edited graphically. Sculpting is
documented in a separate section.
A new Graphic View may be opened using the V ie w | N e w Gr a p h ic V ie w (Alt+1) menu command.
Any of the enabled graphics toolbar buttons may be used to open a Graphic View when one is not already
open. When at least one Graphic View is already open, giving these commands causes the most recently
accessed Graphic View to be made the current view.
By default the rendering of the graphics for a Graphic View is carried out in a separate thread, to provide
better performance and to enable the rendering of the graphics to be interrupted. It is also possible to
open a Graphic View for which the rendering is processed in the same thread as the main GSA
application, by using the V ie w | M is c e lla n e o u s V ie w Op tio n s | N e w Gr a p h ic V ie w (main thread)
command.
Default view settings, preferred views and saved views are available for Graphic Views. Refer to Working
with Saved Views and Preferred Views for details and to Working with the View Explorer pane for
accessing these.
The Graphics Palettes. Refer to the Dockable Panes section for details on accessing these.
the Graphic Settings dialog box or in dialog boxes accessible from this. The Graphic Settings dialog box
can be accessed by:
o using the “Wizard” command on the Graphics Display Palette or Data Options toolbar.
New Graphic Views use the default view settings unless there is a Saved Graphic View named
“startup” (case insensitive) in which case these settings are used.
54 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Changes to view settings may be undone and redone using the “View | Undo View” (Ctrl+Alt+Z) and “View |
Redo View” (Ctrl+Alt+Y) menu commands. These commands are also available on the Standard toolbar.
View settings for the current view may be applied to another Graphic View by clicking the “View settings
painter” on the Standard toolbar to grab the current settings and then clicking in the other Graphic View.
Click the “View settings painter” again or press <Esc> to switch off the option without applying grabbed
settings.
View settings may be copied to the clipboard from within the Graphic Settings dialog box. View settings on
the clipboard may be pasted into the view (i.e. applied to the view) either using “Edit | Paste” (Ctrl+V) or
from within the Graphic Settings dialog box. Note that “Edit | Copy” copies either the actual content of the
view (see Copying the graphic image to the clipboard) or the current selection (see Copying sets to the
clipboard), not the view settings.
There are often other ways of editing the settings, as described below.
The following commands (and their associated accelerator keys) are available from the Gr a p h ic s |
Or ie n ta tio n | Sta n d a r d V ie w s menu to provide standard views of the image. The commands are also
available from the Or ie n ta tio n toolbar.
Plan (P).
X Elevation (X).
Y Elevation (Y).
Isometric (I).
Dragging – Set the cursor mode to Rotate and drag the mouse. The sensitivity of the mouse movement
may be adjusted in the Graphics Preferences.
Shft+Drag w ith the mouse w heel (or middle button) held down (in any cursor mode) operates as
dragging in the Rotate cursor mode.
Arrow Keys – Each keystroke rotates the image about the object point by the amount currently set in the
Graphics Preferences. These commands may also be found in the “Graphics | Orientation | Rotate” menu,
for the sake of completeness.
Explicitly – The orientation may be specified in terms of longitude and latitude in the Orientation Settings
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 55
Oasys GSA
dialog box.
Any operation that causes information to be added or removed from the image will also cause the image
to be regenerated. The image is always regenerated prior to printing.
Regenerating causes the image to be re-established from the data and view settings to result in all items
being drawn at the intended scale.
Note that many operations that change the structure scale reproduce the display without regenerating the
image. This can invalidate the reported scale for diagrams and contours. See Regenerating the image for
more details.
A scale to fit involves an automatic adjustment of the scale, object point, mid-point and eye distance to
result in the image fitting in the current view.
Scaling to fit occurs when any standard view is selected, when the Gr a p h ic s | Or ie n ta tio n | Sc a le to fit
(Ctrl+Home) menu command is given and when D o s c a le to fit is selected in the Graphic Settings dialog
box. Sc a le to fit is also available on the Orientation toolbar.
First the extents of the image are determined. These are based on the undeformed state of the part of the
model currently being drawn.
The mid-point is set to 0,0,0 to result in the object point being drawn at the centre of the view.
A scale is calculated that will result in the extents, in their current orientation, fitting within the Auto-scale
margin as set in the Graphics Preferences. The image is regenerated if the R e g e n e r a te g r a p h ic s o n
s ta n d a r d v ie w preference is set in the Graphics Preferences.
An eye distance is arbitrarily set. This is five times a dimension of the image, where the dimension is the
56 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
near extent to the far extent or, if that is zero, the left to right or the top to bottom.
The scale may be explicitly defined in the Graphic Settings dialog box. Note that when “Lock scale” is
checked in this dialog box the specified scale is preserved when the window is resized and when the
image is printed.
Dragging a rectangle in the window causes the image to be zoomed and panned to result in that
rectangle filling the Window. Only when the aspect ratios of the rectangle and window are identical will
this be exact; otherwise the scale is such that a t le a st all of the rectangle remains visible.
Click pans and zooms in. The image is panned to result in the point clicked on being at the mid-point of
the view. The structure scale is multiplied by (zoom factor) where the zoom factor is a Graphics
Preferences.
Ctrl+Click pans and zooms out. The image is panned to result in the point clicked on being at the mid-
point of the view. The structure scale is multiplied by (1 / zoom factor) where the zoom factor is a
Graphics Preferences.
Shft+Click pans. The image is panned to result in the point clicked on being at the mid-point of the view.
Ctrl+Drag up and down zooms in and out respectively. The sensitivity is governed by the zoom
increment mouse sensitivity Graphics Preferences.
Shft+Drag pans the image. The sensitivity is governed by the pan increment mouse sensitivity Graphics
Preferences.
Rolling the mouse w heel forwards and backwards zooms in and out respectively. Each notch on the
mouse wheel is equivalent to one Zoom In or Zoom Out command. If when rolling the mouse wheel the
cursor is over the Graphic View then the zoom occurs pinned at the cursor position.
Drag w ith the mouse w heel (or middle button) held down pans the image. The sensitivity is as for Shft
+Drag, under Dragging above.
Ctrl+Drag w ith the mouse w heel (or middle button) held down operates as Ctrl+Drag in the Rotate
cursor mode.
Menu commands – The following commands (and their associated accelerator keys) are available from
the “Graphics | Orientation” menu to allow zooming and panning.
Zoom In (Ctrl+Up). Multiplies the structure scale by (zoom factor) where the zoom factor is a Graphics
Preferences.
Pan Right (Shft+Rt). Adjusts the mid-point to result in the picture shifting left by 1/16 of the picture width.
Pan Left (Shft+Lft). Adjusts the mid-point to result in the picture shifting right by 1/16 of the picture width.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 57
Oasys GSA
Pan Up (Shft+Up). Adjusts the mid-point to result in the picture shifting down by 1/16 of the picture height.
Pan Dow n (Shft+Down). Adjusts the mid-point to result in the picture shifting up by 1/16 of the picture
height.
Note that scaling to fit effectively resets any zooming and panning.
Note also that these operations do not affect the object point so, for example, rotations that occur after a
zoom or pan may not have the desired affect unless the object point is adjusted.
Was scaled to fit – The image is scaled to fit the new picture size.
Was by zoom (or the model w as rotated since a scale to fit) – The image is scaled to result in at least
the extents previously shown being visible in the new picture. More will be visible in one direction if the
aspect ratio of the new and old picture sizes are not the same.
This default behaviour may be over-ridden by specifying the structure scale for the printed image in the
Graphic Settings dialog box.
Clicking – Set the cursor mode to Rotate and Ctrl+Click on the node or grid point at which you want the
object point to be set.
Explicitly – Specify the coordinates of the object point in the Orientation Settings dialog box.
Note that scaling to fit resets the object point to the centre of the cuboid surrounding the extents of the
currently drawn part of the model.
If the eye distance has not been set when a perspective projection is requested then a default eye distance
is calculated as when the image is scaled to fit.
Dragging – In the Rotate cursor mode Ctrl+Drag+Lft and +Rt to move the eye distance out and in
respectively. The sensitivity is governed by the eye distance increment mouse sensitivity Graphics
58 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Preferences.
Ctrl+Drag with the mouse wheel (or middle button) held down (in any cursor mode) operates as Ctrl+Drag
in the Rotate cursor mode.
Menu commands – The following commands (and their associated accelerator keys) are available from
the Gr a p h ic s | Or ie n ta tio n menu to adjust the eye distance.
Eye Distance In (Ctrl+Rt). Multiplies the eye distance by (eye distance increment) where the eye distance
increment is a Graphics Preferences.
Eye Distance Out (Ctrl+Lft). Multiplies the eye distance by (1 / eye distance increment).
Explicitly – Specify the eye distance in the Orientation Settings dialog box.
Note that the scale to fit operation sets the extents of the drawn image on the basis of the current volumes
and lists. However, simply specifying a volume or list does not cause the extents or, indeed, object point to
be adjusted.
Note that R e s e t to A ll En titie s (or a ll in the Lists toolbar) resets both the volumes and entities lists to
result in the whole model being drawn.
M o r e:
Volume clipping
Entity lists
Drag the mouse to specify a rectangle (elements within the volume are included; when Ctrl-dragging the
mouse, elements within the volume are excluded.).
Use Ctrl+mouse wheel to specify the near and far extents of the volume. Ctrl+rotate moves the near
plane of the volume; Shft-rotate moves the far plane of the volume; holding the mouse wheel down
while rotating refines the increment of movement.
The view may be in any orientation at the time the volume is specified since part of the definition of the
volume is an axis set which is constructed internally, based on the orientation at the time of forming the
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 59
Oasys GSA
Several volumes may be defined at once at different orientations, some inclusive, some exclusive. The
included entities are the sub-set of entities included in all the volumes.
A volume is u n d o n e by clicking in the Graphic View when the cursor mode is set to Volume. Each click
removes the most recently specified volume. Shft+Click removes all specified volumes for the current
Graphic View.
When the list is a list of elements and the Analysis Layer is being displayed or when the list is a list of
members and the Design Layer is being displayed, the list simply identifies the elements, or members,
that are to be included.
When the list is a list of elements and the Design Layer is being displayed, those members that are made
up of an element in the list are included.
When the list is a list of members and the Analysis Layer is being displayed, those elements that are part
of a member in the list are included.
When the list is a list of nodes then those elements or members attached to nodes in the list are included.
When an entity list is set to “<current selection>” that entity list is set to the current selection set for that
entity type. If the current selection is empty then “All” is assumed. (Unlike in Output Views, once acted upon
the “<current selection>” setting is forgotten about and the list is set to the contents of the model set.)
Another way of specifying the list of entities to be drawn is by using the “Edit | Draw Selection” menu
command. “Draw Selection” is also available on the right-click menu that is displayed when the cursor
mode is set to Select Nodes or Select Elements. The procedure is as follows.
The entity type and list are then set according to the current selection.
Note that all surface colours are affected by the current shading settings, and all colours and symbol sizes
are affected by the current Graphic Fonts and Styles settings.
Note that the colours of entities stated below can be overridden by specifying the colour of entities explicitly.
Nodes
Nodes that are attached to elements or members are drawn only if the ‘dots at nodes’ label option is
switched on; unattached nodes are drawn only if the respective ‘draw unattached nodes’ display method is
60 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
switched on.
By type – each element type is assigned a distinct colour. When 2D elements are displayed ‘filled’ and
‘solid’ the top (+ve z) surface is drawn light grey and the bottom surface is drawn dark grey.
By property – each element property is assigned a unique colour. Elements are coloured according to
their property.
By material – each material is assigned a unique colour. Elements are coloured according to their
material.
By initial stage – each analysis stage is assigned a unique colour. Elements are coloured according to
their initial analysis stage.
Nodes
Materials
Properties
Polylines
Analysis Stages
Displaying colours
When the view is set to colour elements b y p ro p e rty, or b y m a te ria l or b y in itia l sta g e, elements (or
members) are displayed in the colour of the property, material or stage, respectively.
If the colour is set to ‘undefined’ (the default) default colours are assumed.
Setting colours
The colours of objects are assigned using the M o d ify C o lo u r o f Se le c tio n command.
If the view is set to colour elements ‘by property’, or ‘by material’ or ‘by initial stage’ the colours of the
properties, materials or stages of the selected elements (or members), respectively, are modified.
Choosing colours
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 61
Oasys GSA
Colours are chosen in the Select Colour dialog; either by selecting from a list of preset colours or by
picking in a Colour dialog.
The ‘last selected colour’ can be set by picking the currently assigned colour of an object, by using the
right-click ‘Pick Colour of This’ command.
The colour of all objects in the model can be reset to ‘undefined’ by using the ‘Clear Colour Modifications’
command.
The current grid is defined by reference to a grid plane, a grid layout and a set of grid lines.
When displayed in a Graphic View the current grid is represented as grid points or grid lines on the current
grid plane. Grid points are displayed on the current grid plane at the spacing specified by the current grid
layout. Grid lines, which, by definition, are in the global XY plane, are displayed projected onto the current
grid plane, but not at all if the current grid plane is vertical.
A quick way of switching the current grid to one at the elevation of a particular node is to right-click on the
node and give the “Set Current Grid to This” command on the right-click menu. The current grid is set to a
grid on which the node lies, first looking for one parallel to the existing current grid, then for any. If none
exists then the program offers to create one parallel to the existing current grid.
The D ra w Grid command toggles between displaying grid lines, grid points and no grid, but grid lines are
only included in the toggle if grid lines have been specified and grid points are not included if the current
grid layout has been disabled in the Current Grid Definition dialog box.
Snap to grid may be set by giving the Sc u lp t | Sn a p to Gr id Po in ts (Ctrl+Alt+S) menu command (also
available on the Sculpt toolbar). When this is set on, the grid coordinates are the coordinates of the
62 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
nearest grid point or intersection of grid lines on the current grid. Otherwise, the accuracy of the grid
coordinates is based on the screen resolution and the structure scale.
Note that when the construction grid is normal to the picture plane then no coordinates are reported in the
status bar.
There are four selection sets established for a model at the time a model is opened in GSA, referred to as
the model sets. These are sets of nodes, elements, members and grid points. The model sets are initially
empty.
The contents of the model sets may be edited from any Graphic View when the related selection cursor
mode is current. The selected items in a model set are highlighted on the image; when not in the
respective selection cursor mode the highlighting is greyed to indicate that the selection is disabled.
Reverting to that selection mode enables the selection.
Since the model sets are o wn e d by the model and not the particular Graphic View and since the cursor
mode is set for all Graphic Views and not just the current one, the highlighting of the model sets occurs on
all open Graphic Views simultaneously.
It is possible to adorn just items in a model set with labels, diagrams and contouring.
Annotation of diagrams and contouring can be applied to a set. In this case it is not a model set that is
used but a set associated with the particular diagram or contour display. The set is automatically
configured to be of the type (node or element etc.) appropriate for the data being annotated.
Clicking or dragging empties the set, unless the Append to selection when click is unmodified
preference is set (in which case the previous selection is not emptied). Items identified by the click or
drag are selected.
Ctrl+Clicking or Ctrl+Dragging deselects the identified items; otherwise the previous selection is not
emptied.
Shft+Clicking or Shft+Dragging selects the identified items; the previous selection is not emptied.
Right-clicking on an entity displays a right-click menu that includes the option to select that entity. The
previous selection is replaced unless the Append to selection when click is unmodified preference is set.
Ed it | Se le ct All (Ctrl+A)
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 63
Oasys GSA
Ed it | Se le ct N o n e (Esc) – This clears the selection for the current selection mode, but if there are no
items selected for the current selection mode then it clears all other selections.
Ed it | In ve rt Se le ctio n
Ed it | Se le ct Strin g – When in the Select Elements cursor mode this selects a string of elements
attached to and aligned with any currently selected elements. When in the Select Nodes cursor mode
nodes along the string of elements are selected. The straightness tolerance preference is used to
determine whether an element is aligned, allowing this command to be used to select curved strings of
elements and nodes.
Ed it | Se le ct H ig h e st C o in cid e n t – When in the Select Nodes or Select Elements cursor modes this
deselects all but the highest numbered coincident items in the current selection. E.g. If nodes 1 to 30
are selected and nodes 1 and 11 are coincident and nodes 2, 12 and 22 are coincident then giving this
command will result in only nodes 11 and 22 being selected. This command is useful for deleting
coincident nodes and elements (though note that nodes may not be deleted graphically when they are
referred to by elements).
Ed it | Se le ct C lo se To Ve rtica l 1 D Ele m e n ts – When in the Select Elements cursor mode this selects all
1D elements that are within 1º of vertical but are not sufficiently close to vertical to be deemed vertical for
the local element axes definition.
Ed it | Se le ct Ou t-Of-R a n g e – Enabled only when contours are displayed, this command selects all
entities for which the contoured data is out of the range of the current contour settings. E.g. If nodal Uz
0mm then “Select Out-Of-Range” will select all nodes for which the Uz displacement is less than
Switch to the required selection cursor mode (‘Select Nodes’ or ‘Select Elements’, etc.) cursor mode. All
entities within the polyline (as viewed) are appended to the current selection set for that entity type.
When the reference point of selection items is set to Drag to right – all; drag to left – any part, a polyline
specified in the clockwise direction (as viewed) selects all entities wholly within the polyline; whereas an
anti-clockwise polyline selects entities within or partly within the polyline.
Note also the scope for interaction with lists and the clipboard.
Also, when in a selection mode the Ed it | Se le ct L ist menu command allows a list to be appended to the
current selection set. The list can be a saved list, referred to by name, or explicitly defined. This latter option
is a useful method for showing the location of particular items.
Both Sa v e Se le c tio n A s L is t and Se le c t L is t are also available on the Graphic View right-click menu when
in a selection mode.
64 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Also, when in a selection mode the Ed it | Pa s te (Ctrl+V) menu command pastes the list on the clipboard to
the view by appending the items to the current selection set. In this circumstance items in the list may be
separated by either spaces, tabs or may be on separate lines. An error message is given if the content of
the clipboard is not a valid list.
Both C o p y and Pa s te are also available on the Graphic View right-click menu when in a selection mode.
Nothing in a list held on the clipboard identifies the type of list so, for example, it is possible to copy a set of
nodes and paste the resulting list to somewhere where an element list is expected. This is unlikely to be
useful.
The current polyline is drawn with respect to its grid plane axes or, if the grid plane is undefined, the
current grid axes. Polylines are represented in Graphic Views by lines connecting the points and a feint
line closing the polyline. Whether a polyline is considered as closed depends on the context in which it is
used. For example, a polyline used in the definition of a grid area load is assumed to be closed whereas
one used for a grid line load is not.
The current polyline may be edited from any Graphic View when in the Polyline cursor mode. The current
polyline is displayed on the image when in the Polyline cursor mode and greyed when the cursor mode is
changed.
Since the current polyline is “owned” by the model and not the particular Graphic View and since the cursor
mode is set for all Graphic Views and not just the current one, the display of the current polyline occurs on
all open Graphic Views simultaneously.
Selection sets may be formed by selecting entities within the current polyline.
Several sculpt commands require a polyline as input, including Create Grid Loading.
Polylines can include voids. The void is defined by having an anticlockwise set of points around the outer
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 65
Oasys GSA
perimeter which connect to a clockwise set of point to define a void before connecting back to the outer
perimeter.
When in the Polyline cursor mode the properties of the polyline can be obtained using the Gr a p h ic s |
Se le c tio n Pr o p e r tie s command. Se le c tio n Pr o p e r tie s is also available on the Graphic View right-click
menu when in the Polyline mode. The properties include the length, perimeter, area, and accumulated
length.
Polylines are formed using the mouse in the Polyline cursor mode .
Clicking when the grid is drawn adds a point to the polyline at that position on the grid.
Clicking when the grid is not drawn adds a point to the polyline at that position on the picture plane; i.e.
on the plane normal to the line of sight through the object point.
Clicking on a node adds a point to the polyline at the position of the node. If the node is not in the plane
of the current grid the option is given to change the current grid to one at the elevation of the node. If the
current grid is changed then the polyline is displayed in the new current grid plane; otherwise the new
point is positioned at the projected position of the node on the current grid plane.
Dragging an existing point changes the position of that point to the grid position dragged to.
The following commands are also available on the right-click menu when in the Polyline cursor mode.
D e le te Po lylin e Po in t (Del)
Se le ct Po lylin e
Ed it | Se le c t Str in g – This extends the polyline forward from the last polyline segment, adding vertices at
the positions of closest aligned displayed nodes or grid points. The straightness tolerance preference
is used to determine whether a node or grid point is aligned, allowing this command to be used to
select curved polylines.
Also, when in the Polyline cursor mode the Ed it | Se le c t Po ly lin e menu command allows an existing
polyline to be displayed as the current polyline.
Both Sa v e Se le c tio n A s Po ly lin e and Se le c t Po ly lin e are also available on the Graphic View right-click
menu when in the Polyline cursor mode.
66 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
3.4.10 Adornments
3.4.10.1 Labels
Nodes and elements can have labels applied to them. Generally the node and element labels identify
attributes of these such as node numbers, restraint conditions, element numbers, element axes etc.
Axes can also be labelled. An axis set is labelled by displaying the axis triad correctly positioned and
orientated on the image.
Labels can be applied just to a selection of nodes or elements. If this is required then the items should be
selected prior to giving the L a b e ls a n d D is p la y M e th o d s command. Refer to the Applying adornments to a
selection section for details.
Some of the more frequently used labelling options are accessible directly from the Labels toolbar.
Note that resetting the display reverts to the labels set in the default view settings.
Refer to the Displaying Data and Results section for a full list of available options.
The display methods include various options that affect the colour in which elements are displayed. The
colour may be according to the element type, element property, element group, element material, or by the
initial analysis stage in which the element is represented. Colouring by type helps distinguish between,
say, beam and bar elements. When colouring by property each property number used by the model is
automatically assigned a unique colour and the elements are coloured on that basis. Note that in models
referring to a large number of properties the colours of closely numbered properties become less distinct.
Colouring by element group or material is handled similarly.
The display methods also offer the option to set whether the various type of unattached nodes are drawn.
A common use of display methods is to display elements as solid entities. Switching on the Section
Display button on the Graphic Display toolbar has the effect of setting the display method for beams and
bars to Ou tlin e d & Fille d and the display method for 2D elements to Fille d & Th ic k n e s s . Switching this off
reverts to L in e and Ou tlin e, respectively.
Note that resetting the display resets all display methods to the default view settings.
Refer to the Labels and Display Methods dialog box documentation for a full list of available options.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 67
Oasys GSA
3.4.10.3 Diagrams
Diagrams can be drawn on the image to represent various input data and results. Typically diagrams are
associated with nodes or elements; for example, reactions or bending moments. These diagrams are
displayed only if the related node or element is drawn.
Some diagrams are not associated with nodes or elements; for example, grid point loads. These
diagrams are displayed if their position lies within the extents of the currently drawn structure.
Diagrams can be applied just to a selection of nodes or elements. If this is required then the items should
be selected prior to giving the D ia g r a m Se ttin g s command. Refer to the Applying adornments to a
selection section for details.
Ranges of interest, units, numeric format, axes and scaling can be specified. Refer to the Diagram
Settings dialog box documentation for a full list of available options.
Some of the more frequently used diagram options are accessible directly from the Diagrams toolbar.
Selecting diagrams from the toolbar has the same affect as specifying the data type in the Diagram
Settings dialog box and leaving all other settings as default.
Refer to the Displaying Data and Results section for a full list of available diagrams.
Diagrams of several data types can be displayed together in a Graphic View. This can be done either from
the Diagram Settings dialog box, by using the New Diagram tab when a diagram is already being
displayed, or by using the Display Favourites toolbar commands.
Where the diagram is of data that is stored by case, the case displayed is as specified in the Cases field
in the Lists toolbar. Diagrams are drawn for each case referred to in the field; diagrams for each case are
superimposed. Diagram envelopes are displayed for enveloping cases.
See als o :
Scaling of Diagrams, Contours and Deformations
3.4.10.4 Contours
Algorithms exist in GSA to enable any scalar value to be contoured for 1D and 2D elements and nodes.
Contours on nodes are displayed as balloons of varying diameters and colours. Contours on 1D elements
are displayed as barrels of varying diameters and colours.
Contours can be applied just to a selection of nodes or elements. If this is required then the items should
be selected prior to giving the C o n to u r Se ttin g s command. Refer to the Applying adornments to a
selection section for details.
68 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
By default the number of contours displayed is eight; the lowest and highest contour values are set at the
minimum and maximum values of data being contoured and the intervening contours are equally
dispersed.
The values and colours of contours or a constant contour interval can be specified.
The number of contours can be specified. No limit is imposed on the number that may be requested; the
more contours drawn, the less the distinction between colours of adjacent contours (though the colours
may be adjusted manually).
Contouring on elements and members when ‘section display’ is switched on displays the contouring on
the surface of the section for beams and on the top and bottom surfaces of 2D elements. Note that in this
mode it is not the surface values that are being contoured; the same values are being contoured as in
other contour representations but displayed on the surface of the elements.
Units, numeric format, axes and scaling can be specified. Refer to the Contour Settings dialog box
documentation for a full list of available options.
Refer to the Displaying Data and Results section for a full list of data available for contouring.
Where the contouring is of data that is stored by case, the case displayed is as specified in the Cases field
in the Lists toolbar. Contours are drawn for only the first case referred to in the field. Either the maximum or
minimum value is contoured for enveloping cases, as specified in the Contour Settings dialog box.
See als o :
Scaling of Diagrams, Contours and Deformations
When the deformed image is displayed the undeformed or initial state image can be superimposed as a
series of dashed lines. The initial state image is displayed with the deformed image when the In itia l sta te
option is checked in the Deformation Settings dialog box.
The deformation settings can be specified using the Gr a p h ic s | D is p la y | Se ttin g s | D e fo r m a tio n Se ttin g s
menu command. Giving this command opens the Deformation Settings dialog box.
When the deformed image is switched on animating the image results in the deformation being animated.
Note that resetting the display switches off the deformed image.
See als o :
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 69
Oasys GSA
Diagrams and deformed images are drawn for each case specified in the case list. Contouring is
displayed for only the first case in the case list, referred to as the co n to u rin g ca se in the legend.
When Condense Cases is checked, the case list pull-down on the Lists toolbar is automatically trimmed to
offer only those cases in which current diagram and contouring data exists for the currently displayed
entities.
Data scales can be explicitly specified in the Further Options dialog box, which is accessed via the
respective se ttin g s dialog boxes. If they have not been specified or if the D o a u to -s c a le option has been
checked then the scale is automatically calculated to result in a maximum size of diagram etc. of 15mm. If
“Lock scale” is checked the scale for that diagram or contour is not affected by any automatic rescaling.
The auto-scaling process includes a calculation of the extents of the data being displayed. The data
extents are used when calculating contour values and when interpreting extents of interest in diagrams
when expressed in terms of percentages.
Whether data scales or data extents are recalculated when the case is changed depends on the
R e c a lc u la te d is p la y e d d a ta s c a le s o n c h a n g e o f c a s e and R e c a lc u la te e xte n ts o f d is p la y e d d a ta o n
c h a n g e o f c a s e settings in the Graphics Preferences.
Giving the Gr a p h ic s | D is p la y | R e s c a le D a ta (Alt+Home) recalculates the scales for all current diagrams,
contours and the deformed image. R e s c a le D a ta is also available on the Graphic Display toolbar.
A scale factor is applied to the calculated or specified data scale to result in a scale used for the display.
The scale factor is provided to offer a convenient way of increasing or decreasing the displayed scale of
diagrams, contours and deformed image. While the scale factors may be specified via the respective
se ttin g s dialog box usually they are adjusted via the D o u b le siz e o f d ia g ra m s and H a lve siz e o f d ia g ra m s
commands on the Graphic Display toolbar. R e s c a le d a ta resets the scale factor to unity.
The easy way of applying labels, diagrams or contours to a selection set is by using the Gr a p h ic s |
D is p la y | A p p ly A d o r n m e n ts to Se le c tio n command. A p p ly A d o r n m e n ts to Se le c tio n is also available on
the Contours and Diagrams toolbars. While the A p p ly A d o r n m e n ts to Se le c tio n command is set, any
labels, diagrams or contours are applied to the current selection set. If there is no selection of the relevant
type (e.g. no elements selected when bending moment diagrams are requested) then the diagrams are
applied to all entities.
70 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
The A p p ly A d o r n m e n ts to Se le c tio n command is a quick way of specifying what can otherwise be set in
the Labels and Display Methods dialog box or Diagram Settings | Further Options dialog box or Contour
Settings | Further Options dialog box, respectively.
The annotation of 1D element diagrams can either be at diagram peaks or at all points along the element.
Diagram peaks are at element ends and where the diagram gradient changes sign or, when the diagram
is constant along the element, just at the element centre. Annotation is at all points when Fu ll a n n o ta tio n is
checked in the Further Options dialog box which is accessed via the Diagram Settings dialog box.
In the case of contouring, the annotation replaces the contouring; the annotation is displayed in the colour
associated with the interval in which the value being annotated falls. Only the centre value is annotated for
2D elements unless there is found to be space to annotate at each nodal position.
Annotation may by applied to all entities, to a selection of entities or to none. This annotation setting is set
in the Further Options dialog box, which is accessible from both the Diagram Settings and Contour
Settings dialog boxes. Annotation By Se le ctio n is used in conjunction with the Select for Annotation cursor
mode as follows.
1. Specify the diagrams and / or contours. Set the annotation to “By Selection” (the default).
5. Only diagrams and contours set at the time of selecting the nodes or elements are annotated.
The Se le ct fo r An n o ta tio n cursor mode and the An n o ta te Se le ctio n command have no effect on diagrams
and contours that have the annotation setting set to a ll or n o n e.
Some axes options are disabled for particular data options. Refer to the Displaying Data and Results
section for details.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 71
Oasys GSA
depending on the current N u m e ric Fo rm a t setting. All these commands are also available on the Data
Options toolbar.
Shrinking the elements has the effect of pulling the nodal positions of elements towards the element
centre by the current Shrink factor. The Shrink factor is a Graphics Preferences.
The colour in which elements and members are displayed may be by element type, element property,
element group, element material, or by the initial analysis stage in which the element is represented. This
can be adjusted via the Display methods co lo u r e le m e n ts setting.
The default colours assigned elements and members can be overridden by explicitly defined colour.
Explicit colour can be assigned to elements, members, materials, properties, and analysis stages.
Depending on the display methods co lo u r e le m e n ts setting:
when colours are b y typ e then the colour assigned to the entity is used.
when colours are b y p ro p e rty then the colour assigned to the respective property is used.
when colours are b y a n a lysis m a te ria l then the colour assigned to the analysis material is used.
when colours are b y m a te ria l g ra d e then the colour assigned to the material grade is used.
when colours are b y in itia l sta g e then the colour assigned to the analysis stage is used.
The selected colour is indicated by a colour swatch, and the derived colour-wash, by the partially hidden
colour swatch.
Whether it is the explicit colour of the entity, or property, or material, or analysis stage that is modified is
determined by the current display methods ‘colour elements’ setting. E.g. if the ‘colour elements’ setting
is ‘by property’ then it is the colour of the property that is modified.
The last colour assigned is stick y, in as much as that the Select Colour dialog remembers the last colour
specified. The right-click Pic k C o lo u r o f Th is command sets that remembered colour to the colour of the
entity that was right-clicked on, as displayed; e.g. that would be the colour of the property if the co lo u r
e le m e n ts setting is b y p ro p e rty.
All explicit colour assignment can be removed by using the Gr a p h ic s | C le a r C o lo u r M o d ific a tio n s menu
72 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
command.
Note that explicit colour assignment can also by applied via Table Views.
The Shade Surfaces option may be set via the Display toolbar. The Shade Surfaces option is also
available in the Graphic Settings dialog box.
Lighting Settings
The lighting settings are made up of:
The specular exponent, a measure of the shininess of the surface. (Higher values = more shiny)
All lighting settings can be edited in the Lighting Settings dialog box. Open the Lighting Settings dialog box
either by giving the Gr a p h ic s | Or ie n ta tio n | L ig h tin g Se ttin g s menu command or from the Graphic
Settings dialog box.
Unwrap Settings
There are four unwrap modes:
Unw rap auto – unwrap onto a cylindrical surface. The cylinder is centred on the unw rap axes z and the
radius of the cylinder is the automatically assessed max. ‘unwrap axes’ r of the displayed nodes,
factored by the unw rap radius factor.
Unw rap explicit cylinder – unwrap onto a cylindrical surface. The cylinder is centred on the unw rap
axes z and the radius of the cylinder is specified by the unw rap radius.
Unw rap explicit cone – unwrap onto a conical surface. The cone is centred on the unw rap axes z and
the surface of the cone is defined by two cone surface points.
The surface is unwrapped onto the global ZX plane. The cylindrical unwrap modes unwrap splitting at
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 73
Oasys GSA
‘unwrap axes’ θ = 0. The conical unwrap mode unwraps splitting at ‘unwrap axes’ θ = 180 to result in the
apex of the cone at 0,0,0 and ‘unwrap axes’ θ = 0 being aligned with global Z.
The Grab Coor. option may be used in the ‘unwrap explicit cylinder’ and ‘unwrap explicit cone’ options to
populate the unw rap radius or cone surface points, respectively, with data derived from the currently
selected nodes. The coordinates of the selected nodes are transformed into ‘unwrap axes’, as specified at
the time the ‘Grab Coor.’ command is given.
For 1D elements:
Ends of 1D elements that are attached to nodes that have just that element connecting into it are
highlighted.
For 2D elements:
Bad connectivity: Brown lines are drawn along each edge of 2D elements that:
is badly connected to any other 2D element (i.e. linear v. quadratic or different mid-side nodes), or
is attached to only one other element and is upside-down with respect to that.
A proper connection is where two elements are connected the same way up all along their edges.
Mesh discontinuity: Yellow lines are drawn along the edge of a 2D element where no other 2D element
attached to that edge:
lies in the same plane. The Facet angle Results Preference is used as the tolerance in determining
whether two elements lie within the same plane.
74 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
R e se t D isp la y Ad o rn m e n ts resets the settings to the default view settings. Specifically, R e se t D isp la y
Ad o rn m e n ts has the following effect.
All labels and display methods are set to the default view settings.
The entity lists, volumes, orientation, scaling, mid-point and object point are not affected by resetting the
display adornments. The Reset to All Entities menu command may be used to reset to the whole model
being drawn.
The display can be switched between the layers using the Gr a p h ic s | Sw itc h L a y e r (Ctrl+Alt+D) menu
command. The layer may also be set by, on the Lists toolbar for the view, setting the Display Option to
L a ye r and selecting the required layer in the Display List.
Most of the commands offered in the right-click menu are also available from the standard pull-down
menus. However the position dependent commands are only available on the right-click menus.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 75
Oasys GSA
When the cursor is pointing at a node, element or member the right-click menu offers commands that
relate to the item pointed at. For example, N o d e Pr o p e r tie s displays the attributes of the node pointed at,
Ed it Pr o p e r ty opens the property wizard for the element or member pointed at and Go to M a te r ia l D a ta
opens the Materials Table View at the record relating to the element or member pointed at.
The colours of in-fill, lines, text, symbols and background can be set to monochrome.
All colours can be set negative on the screen, to result in a black background.
The fonts and styles can be adjusted in the Graphic Fonts and Styles dialog box.
3.4.22 Animation
The image can be animated to produce an apparently continuous motion of the image in the Graphic View.
The animation can be by bouncing the image between its deflected and undeflected positions or by
stepping through a list of cases. The image can also be automatically rotated about the vertical (global Z)
axis through the object point.
When the case list for the Graphic View is a list of several load cases or several result cases (i.e. analysis
cases or combination cases) then the animation is by stepping through the list of cases. Note that a case
list comprising a mix of load cases and result cases does not satisfy this rule. Thus a case list “1 to 5”,
which, in the typical situation, is equivalent to “L1 to L5 A1 to A5” would not produce animation by stepping
through cases whereas “A1 to A5 C1 to C5” would.
When not animating cases and the deformed shape is switched on animation is of the deformation. When
the deformed image is of a mode shape the animation bounces between full positive and full negative
deflection.
While the image is animating the image can be rotated, zoomed and panned and the perspective view eye
distance can be adjusted. All of these operations can be carried out using the mouse when the Rotate
cursor mode is current.
Animation can be cancelled by giving either the A n im a te command or the Sto p command on the GSA
toolbar. Giving any command that cannot be acted on during the animation will also cause the animation
to stop.
Various animation settings can be specified using the Gr a p h ic s | D is p la y | Se ttin g s | A n im a tio n Se ttin g s
menu command. Giving this command opens the Animation Settings dialog box.
76 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
The Pa g e Se tu p command on the Miscellaneous tab of the Preferences may be used to specify the format
of the border on the printed page.
The scale at which the image is printed generally depends on how the displayed scale was achieved.
Refer to Scaling for printed output (and changed window sizes) for details.
When Pr in t b y c a s e in the Graphic Settings dialog box is checked each case is printed separately.
The underlying graphics code used for printing and print previewing is different to that used for display to
the screen. This may occasionally cause subtle differences between the screen image and the printed
image.
When printing to a monochrome device, lines, text and symbols are automatically output in black and in-fill
is converted to a shade of grey by the program. (The various printers and printer drivers interpret colours
differently, sometimes even to the extent of ignoring some colours.)
Zoom to selection
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 77
Oasys GSA
o Left click
o Left click
Deselect entities
o Left click
Drag vertex
78 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
The image copied to the clipboard is as currently displayed, including orientation, scaling and
adornments.
Note that the WMF image includes the whole of the currently drawn structure, regardless of the current
zoom setting. If only part of the structure is required in the WMF image this should be specified either by
volume clipping or by entity list rather than by zooming.
When copying an image for pasting into the Titles view it is advisable to adjust the Graphic View window
size and aspect ratio to approximately the same as the Bitmap window in the Titles view.
Note that when the cursor mode is a selection mode the C o p y command behaves differently. Refer to
Copying sets to the clipboard for details.
Many of the options for controlling chart view are available on the right-click (context menu) in the chart
view, for example, copying curve data on the chart view from right click menu.
Cursor Tooltip
By default no tooltip is displayed, but there are options to display a tooltip within the graph area. The
options are
Coordinates at Cursor – the tooltip displays the abscissa and ordinate values for the current cursor
position
Curve Values at Abscissa – the tooltip displays the values of all curves for the current abscissa
position. This may not be useful where there are a large number of curves on the chart.
Coordinates of Nearest Point – the tooltip displays the coordinate of the nearest point on any of the
displayed curves.
Chart Style
The C h a r t Sty le option opens the chart style wizard giving extensive control over the chart.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 79
Oasys GSA
Show Symbols
This allows symbols for the nearest curve to be switched on/off.
Hide Curves
Where there are multiple curves it is useful to be able to switch individual curves on and off. When there
are multiple curves the individual curves can be toggled between hide/show. The “Hide” option opens a
dialog listing all the curves. A multiple selection allows a quick switching on or off of a block of curves. Hide
all and show all act as the names suggest.
Line Weight
The allows the lines weight to be increased or decreased. This can be useful to help see the individual
curves more easily.
Curve Style
When near to a curve there is an option to edit the style of that curve. This allows the colour, line style and
weight, symbols etc. to be modified for that curve.
Save Image
There are a number of options for saving the charts in a graphical form. Select the appropriate file type
from png and jpeg.
Export
The export option allows either individual or all curves to be exported. These can be exported as csv curves
for import to spreadsheets, cur files for import to Oasys T/HIS and crv files.
Open in Sigraph
The chart presents a set of results and while the style of the chart and curves can be changed, no post-
processing of this data is permitted. When further processing of a curve or curves is required the data can
be exported to Oasys Sigraph which is designed for manipulation of chart data such as summing,
differentiating, fitting curves, etc.
Show
Allows the user to switch on or off the following:
80 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Bar width
For a bar graph this defines the width of the individual bars
Cursor tooltip
By default no tooltip is display, but there are options to display a tooltip within the graph area. The options
are
Coordinates at Cursor - the tooltip display the abscissa and ordinate values for the current cursor
position
Curve Values at Abscissa - the tooltip displays the values of all curves for the current abscissa position.
This may not be useful where there are a large number of curves on the chart.
Coordinate of nearest point - the tooltip display the coordinate of the nearest point on any of the
displayed curves.
Label: the text that is displayed on the axis; this can be displayed in bold or italic. The label can include the
tag <UNIT>. In this case the tag will be replaced by the unit associated with this axis, for example if the axis
is time and the current units are seconds, <UNIT> will be replaced by [s]. Where the units are not as clearly
defined by the curve data a unit string can by forced by including the unit type explicitly in the tag, for
example <FORCE>.
Autoscale: scale chart to fit the data (default). When Autoscale is selected there is an option to include the
zero value in the autoscale calculation.
Axis Type: display as Linear or Logarithmic axes (depending on the data in the curves).
Axis Position: position either on the zero line or at either extremity of the axis.
Colour
Select a colour for the curve.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 81
Oasys GSA
Component
Depending on the type of data different options are possible. For a scalar only value and modulus are
option, but for vector and tensor curves other components can be selected.
Hide
The hide check box allows individual curves to be switched on or off, The Hide all and Show all extend this
functionality to all curves.
Label
This is a label to identify a particular point on the chart.
3.6 Analysis
Different element types and analysis types are available in GSA. The types of analysis may be limited or
modified by the elements selected.
Analysis Task
Analysis in GSA is organised in tasks. So a linear static analysis or a modal dynamic analysis would each
be a single task.
Analysis Case
Each analysis task consists of one or more analysis cases. For static analysis the analysis cases are
closely associated with load cases, while for a modal dynamic analysis the analysis cases are associated
with modes and frequencies.
82 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
3.6.1 Elements
Element Types
The table below may aid decisions on which kinds of elements should be used in a model.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 83
Oasys GSA
involvi
ng
model
s
contai
ning
these
eleme
nts
cannot
be
combi
ned,
becau
se
they
are
non-
linear.
Treate
d as
bar
eleme
nt for
modal
analys
is
Tie 2 Tension-only element. Stiffness depends on No Bar
section area, Young’s modulus and length. mome eleme
nt nt,
stiffne Beam
ss. eleme
Analys nt
is
cases
involvi
ng
model
s
contai
ning
these
eleme
nts
cannot
be
combi
ned,
becau
se
they
are
non-
linear.
84 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Treate
d as
bar
eleme
nt for
modal
analys
is
Spring 2 A spring can have stiffness in one, or three Relea Nodal
directions specified by one, two or three stiffness ses stiffne
parameters depending on the type selected: for not ss
example: only one parameter is relevant for an axialallowe
spring, whereas three stiffness parameters are d.
required for a general spring. Springs may be
translational or rotational.
Damper 2 Damping elements work as dashpots. These are Relea Nodal
only considered in explicit time-history analysis. ses dampi
not ng
allowe
d.
Link 2 Use links instead of very stiff elements. They Every Rigid
simulate elements with infinite stiffness without link constr
causing numerical solver problems. Various types has a aint
are possible, that are stiff/free in different axes and constr
directions of movement. ained
node
Cable 2 Tension only elements. Connect individual cable Tie
elements together into a cable by giving them the eleme
same property number. nt,
Space
r
eleme
nt
Spacer 2 Spacers don’t affect the stiffness of a model: they Only Cable
only control where the nodes end up on the form- for eleme
found surface. Connect individual spacer elements use nt
together into a cable by giving them the same with
property number. Soap-
film
form-
finding
with
GsRel
ax
solver.
2D Element Types
Quad4 4 Linear shape functions. 2-D
eleme
nt
proper
ty
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 85
Oasys GSA
types
Quad8 8 Quadratic shape functions 2-D
eleme
nt
proper
ty
types
Tri3 3 Linear shape functions Canno2-D
t eleme
calcul nt
ate proper
shear ty
strain types
s
accura
tely
due to
insuffi
cient
degre
es of
freedo
m.
Tri6 6 Quadratic shape functions 2-D
eleme
nt
proper
ty
types
3D Element Types
Brick8 8 Linear shape functions, two types of Brick8
elements available, one is with finite size and one
is for modelling infinite boundary
Wedge6 6 Linear shape functions
86 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Other analysis types need to be set up using the analysis wizard to specify the particular parameters to
control that analysis.
Analysis Options
The main analysis options in GSA are:
Dynamic analysis – modal dynamic, Ritz analysis, explicit time-history analysis and response analysis.
Both modal and Ritz option can be linear or can include P-delta effects (modal P-delta and Ritz P-delta).
The response analyses require a modal or Ritz analysis on which to base the response analysis which
can be response spectrum analysis, linear time history analysis, harmonic analysis, footfall induced
vibration analysis or periodic excitation analysis.
Bridge analysis
Envelope analysis – a method of calculating results for combination cases with many permutations,
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 87
Oasys GSA
Envelope analysis records the permutation number for the maximum and minimum requested values
rather than relying on the result calculation each time they are requested.
Mass analysis – to determines the mass of the structure and the breakdown of mass.
Form finding analysis – for use with fabric and cable element models to determine the structural form.
Analogous to hanging chain model.
Model stability analysis – an analysis of the stiffness matrix to identify potential ill-conditioning problems.
Modal dynamic – Calculates the dynamic characteristics of the structure (natural frequencies and mode
shapes) using eigenanalysis, based on required number of eigenpairs. This is an iterative solution
considering linear behaviour only – struts, ties and cables are modelled as bars.
Ritz – Calculates approximate natural frequencies and mode shapes using force-dependent Ritz vectors.
This considers only linear behaviour – struts, ties and cables are treated as bars.
Buckling – Calculates the buckling characteristics (load factors and mode shapes) using eigenanalysis.
This is an iterative solution considering only linear behaviour – struts, ties and cable are treated as bars.
Does not consider buckling modes involving warping.
Static P-delta – similar to static analysis but the stiffness matrix is modified using geometric stiffness
(from the same or another analysis case).
Modal dynamic P-delta – similar to modal dynamic but stiffness is modified using geometric stiffness
(from a defined load case).
Ritz P-delta – similar to Ritz, but stiffness is modified using geometric stiffness (from a defined load case).
Explicit time history – a non-linear time history analysis using explicit time integration.
Nonlinear static – applies load and uses dynamic relaxation to iterates until nodal forces are in an
equilibrium state. It won’t find all possible results (e.g. snap through buckling may lead to more than one
valid solution). Generally this will be slower than a direct solution and may not always converge. Currently
does not handle brick elements.
Component buckling – allows determination of the effective length of a component (/member), taking into
consideration the restraint afforded by the rest of the structure.
Harmonic – response to a steady state sinusoidal excitation. Based on modal dynamic or Ritz analysis
results.
Linear time history – responses of structures subjected to dynamic loads or base acceleration. Linear
response only, i.e. large deformation and material plasticity are ignored. Based on modal dynamic or Ritz
analysis results.
Footfall – dynamic response analysis of structures subjected to the actions of human footfall. Based on
modal dynamic or Ritz analysis results.
Periodic excitation – similar to footfall but requires the user to define the periodic excitation functions.
Raft – soil-structure analysis of raft and piled-raft analysis. Superseded by modelling using brick
elements.
Bridge – bridge load optimisation with automatic path generation and influence analysis. Lane by lane,
88 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
and carriageway optimisation. As the number of analysis cases in the bridge analysis task depends on
the bridge specification and influence effects etc. all bridge analysis related data are locked once there is a
bridge analysis task.
Envelope – batch envelope generation and storage of envelope results. An alternative to the traditional 'on-
the-fly' envelopes.
The quickest way to run analyses is to use 'Analyse All' on the menu or the GSA toolbar. This runs a simple
static analysis or the analysis tasks that have been set up in the Analysis Wizard, You can also use the
“Analysis | Analyse All” menu command.
Individual analysis cases can be run via the Analysis Tasks window in the Data Explorer or the Analysis
task manager (available from the "Analysis | Manage tasks" menu command).
Giving the “Analyse All” command in this way automatically sets up analysis cases for each load case. (A
discussion on this subject is given in Working with the Program – Cases and Tasks.) A Report View is
opened for reporting progress during the analysis. A check is done on the data and then, provided that
there are no errors a GSS static analysis is performed.
Termination
The analysis may be aborted at any stage during the analysis by using the 'Stop' button on the status bar
or by closing the Report View.
Post analysis
After a successful analysis the 'Analyse All' command will be disabled and results will be available for
viewing in Graphic Views and Output Views. The input data is locked against editing, since any editing of
data upon which results depend would invalidate the results.
After a simple static analysis the results for load case 1 are stored in analysis case 1 etc. Since there is
this unambiguous, one to one relationship between load and analysis cases in this circumstance GSA
does not insist on specific reference to load cases or analysis cases. E.g. '1' may be used to refer to 'L1'
and 'A1'.
Deleting results
The results may be deleted using 'Analysis | Erase All Results' on the menu or the GSA toolbar. When the
analysis cases have been set up automatically, as described in 'Simple static analysis' above, the
analysis cases are deleted with the results.
Analysis cases will be set up automatically only for simple static analysis. If it is required to analyse
compound load cases or analyse using a different method or solver it is necessary to set up analysis
cases to describe the required analysis. This is done in the Analysis Wizard which may be opened using
'Analysis | New Analysis Task' on the menu or the Data Options toolbar.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 89
Oasys GSA
When analysis cases have been set up (in the Wizard) but not analysed yet, the 'Analyse' command is
enabled and will analyse all analysis cases currently at “pre-analysis” status.
Using the “Delete All Results” command when analysis cases exist that have been set up via the Analysis
Wizard does not automatically delete the analysis cases with the results; however the option is given to
delete the analysis cases.
3.6.4 Summary
Analyse
The default analysis option in GSA is a linear static analysis. When this option is selected a linear static
analysis task is created and an analysis case is created corresponding to each load case defined in the
model. The results of the analysis are stored in analysis cases. For a linear static analysis these will be
global results, displacements, forces and moments, etc. corresponding to the applied loads. Modal
analysis also produces displacements, etc. but in this case these are natural frequencies (or load factors)
and mode shapes.
Analysis cases are set up automatically for a simple static analysis and but may also be set up via the
Analysis Wizard. The more advanced analysis options are always defined in the analysis wizard.
The “Analyse All” and “Delete All Results” commands behave as follows:
Analyse All
If no results exist, no analysis cases exist and some loads exist the “Analyse All” command sets up
analysis cases for and invokes a simple static analysis.
If some analysis cases exist that are at pre-analysis status the “Analyse All” command invokes the
analysis of these analysis case.
If the only analysis cases that exist were automatically created by a simple static analysis the “Delete
All Results” command will delete all the analysis cases.
If any analysis cases exist that were not automatically created then the “Delete All Results” command
prompts whether analysis cases are to be deleted.
There is always an opportunity to cancel the operation before any deleting is actually done.
The “Delete All Results” command is enabled whenever analysis cases exist.
It is evident that the “Analyse” and “Delete All Results” commands may both be enabled in some
circumstances.
Lists are used where the user is required to specify a collection of entities. A list is expressed as a string
90 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Sets are only specified and displayed in Graphic Views though they can be translated into lists and used
elsewhere in the program. Forming and working with selection sets is described in detail in Working with
Graphic Views.
Embedded lists are lists included as part of another data record (e.g. the constraint and load records). In
this case the type of list can be inferred from the context and the name of the list is not required, so only the
list definition is required.
Node
Element
Member
Case
Polyline
undefined
List Definition
The definition of a list uses a set of rules so that a list can be defined in a clear and unambiguous manner.
The vocabulary used is case insensitive and consists of:
to – to specify a range
Alternatively a list can refer to another list by name. In this case the list name is enclosed in quotes:
An element list can refer to a grid surface by name (enclosed by quotes). This specifies all elements
included in the grid surface.
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 91
Oasys GSA
Node lists
N – node (optional)
PS – spring property
PM – mass property
PD – damper property
Element lists
E – element (optional)
P – property
- identifies elements that reference the specified property, ignoring stage properties (typical)
PB – beam property
PS – spring property
PA – 2D property (area)
PV – 3D property (volume)
PL – link property
PR – rigid property
PD – damper property
G – group
M – analysis material
MS – steel grade
MC – concrete grade
MP – FRP grade
Member lists
E – member (optional)
P – property
PB – beam property
G – group
M – analysis material
MS – steel grade
MC – concrete grade
MP – FRP grade
92 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
L – member pool
Case lists
L – load case
M – mode
A – analysis case
C – combination case
T – analysis task
n (with no prefix) is only valid when there is an unambiguous relationship between load or mode case
and analysis case.
X – nodes, elements or members on global X line passing through the node following
Y – ditto for Y
Z – ditto for Z
XY – nodes, elements or members on global XY plane passing through the node following
YZ – ditto for YZ
ZX – ditto for ZX
Notes: The items in a list should be separated by one or more space characters, except where there is a
parenthesis to separate items. Lists should not be self-referential. Self reference either directly or indirectly
would result in an error in interpreting the list. A set or list that is undefined or of the wrong type is
interpreted as an empty set of list.
Examples
a and b
not a
a or b
Notes
a and or b – not valid
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 93
Oasys GSA
a b – equivalent to “ a or b ”
The basic axis system is the Global Cartesian axis system, normally referred to as the Global axis system.
All other axis systems are located relative to the Global axis system. Global axis directions are generally
denoted X, Y and Z to distinguish from other, more general axis directions which use x, y and z.
All the axes systems in GSA are right handed axes systems.
94 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
Rotations about the axes follow the right hand screw rule
Predefined Axes
There are a number of predefined axes systems:
X elevation – to give an xy plane for the X elevation (origin at global origin, x in -Y, y in Z and z in -X).
Y elevation – to give an xy plane for the Y elevation (origin at global origin, x in X, y in Z and z in -Y)
Vertical – to give a vertically aligned axis set (origin at global origin, x in Z, y in X and z in Y)
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 95
Oasys GSA
node definition
orientation of loads
orientation of assemblies
examination of results
Note that cylindrical and spherical user defined axes cannot be used in some situations. The following
table summarises the use of cylindrical and spherical axes in GSA.
Beam Loads no
2D Element Loads no
Current Grid Axes yes
Output Axes yes (but data dependent)
So as to arrive at an axis set that lies in the plane of the element, GSA ‘projects’ the xy plane of the
specified axis set on to the element. The method applied for projecting the axes is the same as for
calculating ‘2D element axes defined by axis set’, as described in the 2D element axes section.
96 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
The current grid is a reference to a grid plane and the axes of the current grid are the axes referred to by
that grid plane elevated to the grid elevation defined for that grid plane. The default current grid is the global
grid plane (which refers to global axes and has the elevation set to zero).
The current grid is defined using the M o d e l | D e fin e C u r r e n t Gr id command or the A xe s command on the
Data Options toolbar when the Nodes table is the current view.
The coordinates displayed in the status bar for a Graphic View are displayed in the axes of the current grid
(and also in global axes where these differ). Details of the use of the current grid in Graphic Views is given
in the Working with Graphic Views, Current Grid documentation.
The term g rid a xe s is sometimes used to refer to the xy axes of the grid plane. Since the grid plane is
planar there is no z component, though the z direction may be taken as being orthogonal to the x and y.
If the axis set is cylindrical or spherical a local Cartesian axes is calculated at the location of the node with
x in the radial direction, y in the hoop direction and z unchanged. The x, y and z directions of this local axis
are used.
Spring, mass and damper properties at a node act in the constraint axis of the node.
Grid surfaces - defining how grid loading should be related to grid planes.
Grid Lines
Grid lines are used to set out the basic geometry of typical building structures. The grid lines are typically
aligned with global x and y axes, but can be in a user defined axis to model skewed structures. Where a
circular geometry is required the grid lines can be defined as circular arcs.
Grid Planes
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 97
Oasys GSA
A grid plane is a planar surface, defined as being parallel to the xy plane of a specified axis set. (See Grid
axes and the current grid above.) The orientation of the plane is determined by the axis - typically global,
giving a horizontal plane; but vertical grid planes can be defined by selecting a different axis system. The
location of the grid plane is then fixed by the elevation of the grid plane which defined the z coordinate of
the grid plane axis at which the plane is located.
Horizontal grid planes can be identified as storeys for storey related calculations. A storey tolerance is
used to define what distance above and below the plane are considered to be associated with the plane.
Grid Surfaces
Grid surfaces are used to define how grid loading will be interpreted. A grid surface is located on a grid
plane and defines which elements are considered for grid loading and if these should be 1D or 2D
elements. The set may be further refined by use of the element list. Only elements that both lie within the
grid surface tolerance of the grid surface and are in the element list are included. The other parameters
define how the load should be distributed from the grid location to the analytic elements.
Grid loading is applied to a grid surface associated with a grid planes, positioned in grid plane
coordinates.
View lists are sequenced collections of preferred views and saved views. These may be used to print
particular views in a particular order.
Options to rename and delete views and to reset default settings to GSA default are available on right-click
menus for the View Explorer pane.
This is done by, first, displaying a Graphic View or Output View with the required settings and then using
the V ie w | Sa v e D e fa u lt V ie w Se ttin g s menu command (also on the right-click menus for the views).
Thereafter, whether in the current GSA session or subsequent sessions, new views will adopt the
adjusted default settings.
Stored Data
Since the default view settings are applied to all new Graphic and Output Views, no references to specific
data or results modules are stored.
In the case of Graphic Views this means that no diagrams or contours are stored with the settings.
Furthermore, the orientation of the structure is not stored, leaving the Graphic View to default to an
orientation that is appropriate for the structure.
98 C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021
Oasys GSA
While the default Graphic View settings exclude any diagrams or contours, they do include diagram /
contour settings, i.e. the settings specified in the Diagram Settings dialog and the Contour Settings dialog
other than the reference to the module that is the subject of the diagram or contour. Such settings may be
saved as default by displaying a Graphic View that includes one diagram or contour with the desired
settings and saving the default settings for that view; – the diagram or contour will be ignored but the
related settings will be saved with the default settings.
The Output View table format, whether space separated tables or tab separated tables, is included with
the default Output View settings.
For example, a preferred Graphic View might be saved that has n o d e d o ts labels, e le m e n t x labels and
element sh rin k switched on. This might then be used for the sculpting of skeletal models.
Up to five preferred Graphic Views and five preferred Output Views may be saved.
Stored Data
Since preferred views can be applied to any model, only those settings that are model independent are
stored. So, for example, a preferred Graphic View includes the state of the legend and the diagram
annotation method but excludes the entity lists and scales.
Structure scaling
Case list
Entities lists
Node and element sets to which diagrams and contours are applied
and include:
Structure orientation
Display methods
One diagram or contour (taking the earliest specified for the view)
Case list
Entities lists
C opyright © O as ys 1985–2021 99
Oasys GSA
and include:
The option to save the window size and position is given at the time of saving the preferred view.
Stored Data
Saved views are stored with the model and all settings are stored, including the current print size and
orientation as specified in the Print Setup dialog and, optionally, the window size and position. Note the
special treatment of units and numeric format, below.
If, when a saved view is displayed, the saved window position is found to be outside the extents of the GSA
window then the saved window position is ignored.
Storey View s – Storey views are offered when storey grid planes are present in the model. A storey view is
a plan view of the elements in the storey grid plane, the vertical elements attached beneath the storey grid
plane, with section shape labels and shrink on.
When a Graphic View or Output View is opened, if the units are not specified the model units are
assumed. If the numeric format is not specified the numeric format specified in the Preferences Dialog is
assumed.
Stored Data
A view list is stored as a list of view names coupled with view type, whether saved or preferred Graphic
View or Output View.
To create a new view list right click V ie w L is ts in the View Explorer pane. or right-click on an item in the
View Lists branch and select N e w V ie w L is t. Existing view lists may be edited by right-clicking on the view
list and selecting Ed it “ <v ie w lis t n a m e >” . Both of these open the View Lists dialog.
When saving to file the format of the saved file is determined by the respective ‘batch output file format’
setting in the Miscellaneous Preferences dialog.
a selected view,
remotely (i.e. without running GSA interactively) by COM Automation or by Command File.
The basic analysis unit in GSA is the analysis task. This gives the solver information about the analysis
that is to be carried out such as whether static or modal analysis is requested. Associated with each
analysis task is one or more analysis cases. Each analysis case holds details that are particular to the
case such as the case description. An analysis case may also be thought of as a container for a set of
results.
For example, a static analysis of a dead load case, a live load case and a wind load case would form a
single analysis task consisting of three analysis cases. Multiple analysis tasks can be set up, so, for
example, task 1 may be a static analysis, task 2 a static P-delta analysis and task 3 a modal dynamic
analysis. The Task View gives a way of inspecting and working with these tasks.
pre-analysis – the task is set up but has not yet been analysed
post-analysis – the task has been analysed and the model contains results
When a static analysis of each load case is requested by simply giving the A n a ly s is | A n a ly s e En a b le d
Ta s k s command (or A n a ly s e En a b le d on the GSA toolbar) a static analysis task and analysis cases for
each load case are set up automatically. For every other type of analysis it is necessary to define the
analysis task and cases explicitly using the options described in this section.
Only pre-analysis tasks can be edited. It is useful to edit a task when, say, a solution has not converged
and some minor adjustment is required in the task details.
With the exception of the “Delete all results” command, all deleting of analysis tasks and cases should be
carried out from the Task View.
By using the En a b le d option several tasks may be identified as being ready for analysis. This allows for a
key subset of tasks to be run.
This menu allows new tasks to be created, tasks to be edited, results deleted and analyses selected and
run. So for example a modal analysis task can be edited so that the maximum number of iterations can be
increased if convergence has not been achieved.
The context sensitive menu splits the options into three main categories:
general options – this allows new tasks to be created, all results to be deleted and analyses to be
started.
task specific options – these allow tasks to be edited, renamed, deleted, selected for analysis or their
properties inspected.
case specific options – these allow cases to be renamed, their results to be deleted or their properties
inspected.
General Options
In the context sensitive menu the general options and paste are always present (although some options
may be disabled):
New Analysis Task – opens the Analysis Wizard to allow definition of a new analysis task.
Paste as New Task – pasting a new task (or tasks), appending to the existing tasks (see Copy and
Paste Tasks and Cases)
Manage Tasks – opens a dialog which allows tasks to be quickly marked for analysis and for deletion of
the task/task results.
Terminate Analysis
Batch Analysis – this allows the solver to run without asking for any user intervention. If the Sa v e file
a fte r b a tc h a n a ly s is setting in the Miscellaneous Preferences is set then the data file is automatically
saved to disk upon successful completion of the analysis.
Show Description – this displays the case description rather than the case name in the Task View.
Open – opens the Analysis Wizard to allow the task to be modified. This can be used to completely
redefine the task, but it is more often used to modify parameters or add new analysis cases. If the task
is post-analysis the task cannot be edited but there is and option on the last page of the wizard to delete
results for specific cases.
Copy – copy the selected task (see Copy and Paste Tasks and Cases)
Analyse
Erase results – erases the results from the selected task and any associated tasks.
Edit ca se – opens the Case Definition dialog to allow the case to be modified. This can be only be used
for static analysis options when no results are present.
Delete ca se / Delete ca se results – depending on the status of this case one or other option will be
offered. It is not possible to delete results when other results are dependent on these (e.g. results
referred to by an analysed analysis envelope cannot be deleted).
Properties for ca se
The starting point is to select the type of analysis required, then depending on the analysis type a different
path is followed through the wizard, setting up the task and a case parameters.
When a simple analysis of all the load cases is required the “Create default cases” option gives an easy
way to set up the analysis cases. Likewise the co p y ca se s fro m ta sk option allows the loading conditions
from an existing task to be copied directly to the current task.
The Add and Edit buttons allow quick assembly of new or editing of existing analysis cases. These buttons
bring up a separate dialog that displays all the load cases that exist along with the load case titles (if they
exist). Double-clicking in this list append the load case to the load description. This makes it
straightforward to define loading such as 1.4 × "dead" + 1.6 × "imposed".
In addition to these there is a set of buttons that allow case names and descriptions to be copied to and
pasted from the clipboard. This means that a set of analysis cases can be set up externally, for example in
a spreadsheet:
The up/down arrows give a convenient way to reorder the analysis cases in the task.
exist in the model. The “Paste Special” option allows the data to be appended to or to overwrite the existing
task data.
Task View
The Task View also allows copy and paste operations for task and case data. As with the Data explorer the
information is copied to the clipboard or pasted from the clipboard in GWA format. The copy option in this
case is for the currently selected task. The paste option in this case can paste more than one task at a
time but pasted tasks and cases will always be appended and are subject to renumbering.
GWA records
At its simplest a task is defined by a task record (TASK keyword) and a set of analysis case records (ANAL
keyword). So a simple static analysis might look like:
For the case of simple static or modal analysis the TASK record can be omitted and a default GSS static
analysis task is assumed. The stage number (if required) is then appended to the record.
… or a modal analysis:
In the situation of a paste that appends the data, GSA will reorder the tasks and cases to avoid conflict with
existing tasks and cases. For multiple tasks this can mean reordering within the set of the cases being
pasted.
In GSA the load cases are only used to group loading and are not used directly for analysis. The case type
information is used when exporting concrete design data in establishing which analysis cases may be
relevant.
Consider setting up a model with two load cases, one for dead load and one for live load. It can be useful
to keep these in separate load cases so let us assume the dead load is load case 1 and the live load is
load case 2. If we want to look at the deflections and forces from both of these loads, there are two
approaches: either carry out an analysis with the load in load case 1 and an analysis with the loads in load
case 2 and then combine the results post-analysis, or carry out an analysis with the loads in both load
cases 1 and 2. Provided the analysis is linear these will give the same results but for a non-linear analysis
they will be different. Using the prefix L for load case and A for analysis case we can summarise the
different approaches. In the first case we construct two analysis cases one corresponding to each load
case:
A1 L1
A2 L2
and in the second, one analysis case corresponding to the combined loading in cases 1 and 2
A1 L1 + L2
The description of the analysis case for static loading has the general form
a1 L1 + a2 L2 + …
The concept of analysis cases becomes more useful when applied to modal dynamic analysis where the
results relate to mode shapes of the structure and not to loading. Thus for a modal analysis we may have
ten analysis cases corresponding to modes 1 to 10 and these have nothing to do with loading.
Analysis cases cannot exist in isolation but are defined with respect to analysis tasks.
envelope – e.g. C1 or C2
With the exception of a simple linear static analysis the analysis task is set up in the Analysis Wizard. Once
set up these analysis tasks can be managed in the Task View, where the analysis tasks and associated
analysis cases are displayed in a tree form.
Results for combination cases are inferred from analysis case results and not calculated explicitly.
The syntax of combination cases is similar to that of analysis cases, except that they are based on
analysis cases rather that load cases, thus
a1 A1 + a2 A2 + …
However, the syntax of combination case descriptions is extended to allow specification of enveloping
cases.
As combination cases are linear combinations of analysis cases the results of a combination are only
valid if all the analysis cases are linear. This means that combination cases should not, in general, be
used with P-delta, non-linear analysis cases or when tie or strut elements are present in the model; in this
circumstance the desired effect can be achieved by specifying a combination of load cases in an analysis
case. In addition modal results represent mode shapes rather than a specific solution so combinations of
modal results are unlikely to be helpful.
Envelopes may be specified in the Combination Cases table. The syntax of the combination case
description allows the use of various keywords for describing enveloping combination cases. Typically an
enveloping case will include the keyword “or”, though other syntax is available that is interpreted as such.
An enveloping case represents a number of permutations of simple cases; during the enveloping process
GSA compares the results for each of these simple cases to arrive at an envelope.
Envelopes described in the Combination Cases table are extracted from the permutations that the case
describes at the time of requesting output. This can be a time consuming operation especially when the
enveloping combination case identifies large numbers of permutations. (See below.) Alternatively Analysis
Envelopes may be calculated as a batch operation to store the envelope results for subsequent,
immediate display.
In Output Views the output for an enveloping case reports the maximum and minimum values, each
coupled with the permutation number of the permutation that produced that value. The permutation
numbers are listed against the interpreted simple cases in the Combination Case and Envelope Details
output. Output of envelopes may be either for all components listed or for a defined “subject component”
reported alongside coexistent values for other components.
Note: Where different components being enveloped in a table are related (and a component has a
direction as well as magnitude which can vary between cases – e.g. resolved forces and displacements,
2D element derived stresses) the relationship between the components will not be satisfied where the
values come from different permutations.
The maximum and minimum diagram is drawn and there is an option to annotate just the maximum or
minimum or both.
Note: If a diagram of 2D element derived stresses is requested, what will be plotted is the most positive
Max and Min stresses at the most positive Angle, and the most negative Max and Min stresses at the most
negative Angle. If the Angle is from a different permutation to the Max and Min stresses this is not an
accurate representation of the state of stress.
An enveloping case yields maximum and minimum values, as discussed above. The syntax of the
combination case description also allows operators to be applied to enveloping cases to yield just the
maximum, just the minimum, the absolute or the signed absolute values. These operators are useful for
both specifying the required output and minimising the processing involved in calculating large enveloping
cases. Examples of their use are given in the Syntax of combination case descriptions section.
Rules:
‘0’ (zero) represents a data value of 0.0. I.e. 0.0 × (any case).
A factor outside parentheses implies that the case references within the parentheses each have that
factor applied.
Case names within double quotes may be used instead of case reference numbers.
Recursion is not permitted. I.e. if combination A refers to combination B then combination B cannot refer
to combination A.
Rules:
‘A1 to A5’ is shorthand for ‘A1 or A2 or A3 or A4 or A5”. ‘C2 to C5” is valid but ‘A1 to C5’ is not valid.
References to Case Lists can also be used as shorthand for enveloping; each case in the list is
enveloped. For example, if List 3 is named “complex” and is a case list and has the description ‘C3 A1
to A9 step 2 not A5’ then entering ‘#3’ or ‘"complex"’ in the combination description is shorthand for ‘C3
or A1 or A3 or A7 or A9’.
Where the same name is associated with both a List and a Case the List takes precedence. For
example, if “complex” is the name of both a case list and a combination case then a reference to
‘"complex"’ is a reference to the case list.
as ‘or’.
You can also envelope all of the analysis cases in a task by the task number, for instance ‘T2’ will
envelope all of the cases in task 2.
An enveloping combination case evaluates a number of permutations of factored analysis cases. The
permutations derived from an enveloping combination case are listed in the Combination Case and
Envelope Details output. The output from an enveloping combination case typically reports the
maximum and minimum values occurring in these permutations, and identifies which permutation
produced this value. The user can choose to maximise/minimise a single “subject component” only; the
remaining values in the output will then be the coexistent values (e.g. maximum My y with coexistent Fx ,
Fz etc.).
Rules:
‘C3abs’ yields the greater of the absolute maximum and the absolute minimum value of envelope C3.
‘C3signabs’ is the same as “C3abs” except that the original sign is retained.
For example:
Case Value
A1 1
A2
A3
C3 = A1 to A3
C3max 1
C3min
C3abs 2
C3signabs
C3p2
Note the following limitations when results are produced for a case that includes an enveloping operator,
directly or indirectly:
The permutation references identifying the permutations that cause the results are not output.
“Envelope subject component only” (i.e. envelope of one component reported with coexistent values) is
not available.
Angles for 2D element principal stresses, forces and moments are not output. Principal diagrams are
not available. The values given for derived stresses, forces and moments are the numerical sum not the
vectorial sum (which is conservative).
Optimising envelopes
The enveloping operators may be used to minimise the processing involved in generating results for a
complex envelope which could otherwise require the calculation of thousands of permutations, slowing
down diagram and output view production dramatically.
For example:
C2 A5 to A10 6 Envelope
C3 C1 + C2 24 Envelope
C7 C5 or C6 20 Envelope
Note that:
The “Permutations Calculated” are the total number of permutations for which derived results have to be
calculated and compared to arrive at a value.
C3, C4 and C7 give the same results but C4 will produce them quickest.
The “Envelope” case type yields both maximum and minimum values.
The “Simple” case type yields a single value, even though several permutations may have been
calculated and compared to arrive at that value.
Combination examples
Examples of valid combination case descriptions:
1.6A2
1.0A3
C3 1.0A1
C4 (Same as C3)
C5 C2 + (A4 or A5) 1.4A1 + 1.0A4
1.4A1 + 1.0A5
1.6A2 + 1.0A4
1.6A2 + 1.0A5
1.0A3 + 1.0A4
1.0A3 + 1.0A5
C6 A1 to A4 1.0A1
1.0A2
1.0A3
1.0A4
C7 A5 to A10 1.0A5
1.0A10
C8 (C6max or C6min) + (C7max or C7min) 1.0C6max +
1.0C7max
1.0C6max +
1.0C7min
1.0C6min +
1.0C7max
1.0C6min +
1.0C7min
C9 C6abs + C7abs (Not an envelope)
The following image shows a Graphic View bending moment diagram envelope.
The axis set can be set up either explicitly by entering the axes data in the axes table or graphically by
using the Sculpt | Create User Axes menu command.
Note that an appropriate axis set is automatically set up in the C r e a te Gr id Pla n e and Se t Gr id Pla n e to
Th is options described below.
Next the grid plane should be specified. This can be done either by explicitly entering the grid planes data
in the grid planes table or graphically by using the Sculpt | Create Grid Plane menu command.
Another less direct way of specifying a grid plane is to right-click on a node in a Graphic View and to select
the Set Current Grid to This menu command. The current grid is set to a grid on which the node lies, first
looking for one parallel to the existing current grid, then for any. If none exists then the program offers to
create one parallel to the existing current grid.
2D polylines are used to locate grid loads on the grid plane as follows.
Grid line loads – The load line is defined by a reference to a 2D polyline. When using the Sc u lp t | C r e a te
Gr id L o a d in g | C r e a te Gr id L in e L o a d command a polyline is created from the current polyline (if an
identical one does not already exist) and this 2D polyline is referred to.
Grid area loads – The area is either defined as being the whole plane or as being bounded by a 2D
polyline. When using the Sc u lp t | C r e a te Gr id L o a d in g | C r e a te Gr id A r e a L o a d command a polyline is
created from the current polyline (if an identical one does not already exist) and this 2D polyline is
referred to.
2D polylines can be set up either explicitly by entering the 2D polylines data in the 2D polylines table or
graphically in the Polyline cursor mode. 2D polylines used for grid loading can be generally located. They
do not need to align with elements. They can be wholly within panels or spanning several panels.
Having set up an appropriate 2D polyline the grid loading can be set up either explicitly by entering the grid
point loads data, the grid line loads data or the grid area loads data in the grid loading table or graphically
using the sculpt options for creating grid loading graphically.
The Labels and Display Methods | Display Methods dialog ‘Draw current grid panels’ option displays
panels on the current grid plane.
Grid loading
Grid loading may be displayed as diagrams. Grid Area Loads may also be contoured.
If the current grid plane is not ‘Global’ then only loads that are applied to the current grid plane are
displayed.
Loads are not displayed on invalid panels. Use the Draw current grid panels option to verify that panels are
valid for the grid plane to which the loads are applied.
3.12 Sections
The properties of a beam (or related) element are determined by the section shape and material. These
are defined through a section definition and separate material definitions. In the most general case a
section can be comprise of several component parts and may vary in along the length of the element. The
variation along the length can be either a variation of the section dimensions, or in the case of a concrete
section a variation in the reinforcement.
At present GSA does not support multiple components but does allow for varying section dimensions
along the length of the section.
Sections are assigned a member type, with the basic options being beam or column. For analysis this
makes little difference but there are significant differences for design, for example the reinforcement in a
beam is quite different from the reinforcement in a column. When a member is defined in the GSA model
the type of the member is inferred from the section member type.
The material associated with a section component is defined in two parts: a material type and a material
grade, with an optional analysis material. Choosing a material type give the options of selecting a suitable
material grade. So for a steel material type the steel grades are offered, and for a concrete material type
the grades appropriate to the current design code are offered. For other material type various grade are
also offered but mainly as a means of initialising an analysis material.
If a material type and grade are chosen the relevant properties are copied into the GSA data structure. A
subsequent change to the design code will not update or delete these definitions. If updated properties
are required a new grade should be chosen after changing the design code.
In the case where a material type and material grade have been selected the material properties for
analysis can be inferred from the grade, so the analysis material can be set to 'from Grade' to use grade
derived values. The properties picked up from the grade are:
E – elastic modulus
ν – Poisson's ratio
G – shear modulus
ρ – density
α – thermal expansivity
For many analyses these properties are sufficient, but if the analysis properties need to be modified, for
example an elasto-plastic material, a separate analysis material can be defined.
The shape and dimensions of a section are defined with a section profile. For steel and concrete sections
additional design parameters can be specified.
Sections can have associated environmental parameters, such as embodied energy and CO2. These can
either be read from the environmental database or alternatively entered directly for the section. If no values
are defined for the section the material values are used.
Profile
There are three basic ways of defining this:
Catalogue – this gives the option to choose a section from the different categories in various section
tables. This is intended for steel sections. For a catalogue section the profile description will always start
CAT.
Standard shapes – for most concrete sections a standard section will be used. The required shape is
chosen and the defining dimensions given to construct the section profile. For a standard shape the profile
description will always start STD followed by a characters denoting the section shape, e.g. R for
rectangular or CHS for a circular hollow section.
Geometric definition – for a section that cannot be selected from a catalogue or described by a standard
shape there is an option to define the geometry more directly, either as a perimeter or as a series of line
segments. The most commonly used of these is the perimeter option where the profile is defined by a
series of (y,z) points. This option also allows standard bridge beams to be imported stored as perimeter
sections. For a geometric section the profile will always start GEO.
Once the basic section is defined there are options to manipulate the basic definition by rotating, reflecting
and translating the profile.
Reference point
By default the reference point is taken as the geometric centroid of the section. In some cases it is
convenient to work with a different reference point. There are two options for modifying the reference point.
The first uses the extremes of the section: top/bottom and left/right. If further adjustment s required an
additional (y,z) offset can be specified directly
Tendon positions
Tendon positions are holes in the section are distinct from voids. A rectangular hollow section would be a
section with a void. A tendon position hole is treated as a point area, so is only suitable for small or zero
area holes (positions) such tendon positions in bridge beams.
Bridge beams
GSA has a database of precast concrete bridge beams. These are considered as a special case of
perimeter sections. Rather than defining the perimeter directly the section is read from the database. In
addition to the perimeter, the database holds the positions for tendons. These are also imported as point
voids (holes with zero area). The user can then place tendons at the required positions in the section,
based on the point voids.
Steel
Parameters used in the steel design such as section net:gross area ratio, and maximum plastic:elastic
ratio are defined here.
Concrete
A full description of the section requires details of the reinforcement. For a column the main reinforcement
is assumes to be the same along the length of the column, so only one definition of the reinforcement is
required. For a beam the reinforcement is assumed to be different at the ends from the middle, so three
reinforcement sets are required. The simplest way to define reinforcement is to use the reinforcement
templates. These provide a straightforward way to define the reinforcement for most commonly used
arrangements. In situations where this does not provide sufficient flexibility the general option can be used
which allow individual bars, or various type of lines of bars to be defined, and includes the option for pre-
stressed bars.
When the template option is used the cover, links (stirrups) and aggregate are required to determine the
position of the bars. All bars, and positioning checks are based on the currently selected design code.
For situations where bars are spread across a large section, requiring a large number of bars to be
positioned, there is an option for 'smeared' reinforcement. This assumes the reinforcement is spread
evenly across the section.
3.13 Constraints
In the most general sense constraints are where the user is putting some restriction on the free
displacement of the structure. Some constraint is required on all structures to prevent pure rigid body
motions. Thus in general the minimum number of constraints on a 3D structure is six, three suppressing
the translational rigid body modes and three suppressing the rotational rigid body modes.
In most cases there will be considerably more constraints than the minimum to suppress rigid body
motion. The general case of a constraint can be described by a constraint equation of the form
u s ,i j um, j
j
Settlements
Element offsets
Joints
Constraint equations
Tied interfaces
It is important to avoid conflicting constraints. This is where there is more than a single constraint on a
particular degree of freedom. For example one degree of freedom on a node participating in both a joint
and a rigid constraint. Note that the constraints act on degrees of freedom so a node with a joint
constraining the z direction and a rigid constraint constraining the x, y and zz degrees of freedom, does not
cause any conflict.
There are two situations where GSA temporarily adds constraints to the model during an analysis. With 2D
elements automatic constraints can be added to account for the non-stiff degrees of freedom. The other is
when the user chooses additional restraint in a modal dynamic analysis.
Longitudinal offsets can be applied to 1D elements that refer to section properties (beam, bar, rod, strut
and tie). A positive offset is taken as the 'inwards' direction at both ends of the element, shortening the
flexible part of the element.
Transverse offsets can be applied to 1D beam elements (local y and z axis offsets) and 2D elements
(local z offset)
Taper offseta are used for 1D tapered elements to indicate which portion of the section taper applies to
that element
The basic idea behind link elements and rigid constraints is that one node is selected as the primary
node, and the others are the constrained nodes. Using the geometrical relationship between the
constrained and primary nodes it is possible to define the displacements and rotations at the constrained
node(s) in terms of the displacement and rotation of the primary. Likewise the forces and moments at the
constrained nodes can be transferred to equivalent forces and moments at the primary. Thus it is possible
to remove the constrained nodes from the solution and avoid the potential ill-conditioning problems.
The link element can also act as tension link, maintaining the geometrical relation ship while the element
is in tension; a compression link, maintaining the geometrical relation ship while the element is in
compression or a bar maintaining the fixed length of the link but not applying any constraint on the rotation
of the link. These link types can only be used in the static nonlinear solver.
A custom link works in the same way as a joint by simply coupling degrees of freedom at the constrained
node to the same degree of freedom at the primary. As this does not take account of the geometry of the
element it is possible to create a custom link which does not enforce equilibrium.
The primary node of a link element is taken as the first node in the topology list for the element. The
primary node of a rigid constraint must be specified.
The constraint axes of nodes in a link element or rigid constraint must be the same and may only be
Cartesian; not cylindrical or spherical.
a degree of freedom may not be constrained by more than one rigid constraint, link element, joint or
constraint equation.
a restraint applied at a constrained node may not conflict with the restraint conditions at its primary.
in a linear analysis a primary degree of freedom may not be a constrained degree of freedom to another
constraint. (Does not apply to nonlinear analysis.)
In addition:
the constrained nodes of Joints can be the primary nodes of Links and Rigid Constraints
the constrained nodes of Links can be the primary nodes of Rigid Constraints
Other arrangements of constrained and primary nodes can cause unbalanced nodal forces as well as
total loads and reactions.
There are a number of ways to apply Automatic Constraints but the default method is to look at how flat the
surface is at a node. If all the elements at a node seem to be co-planar then the number of degrees of
freedom at that node are reduced to five rather than the normal six. Gss builds a list of automatic
constraints, which can then be examined by the user after the analysis stage.
3.14 Miscellaneous
3.14.1 Unlock File
It is possible for files to be left in a locked state if GSA terminated in an abnormal manner. In such a
situation the file can be unlocked prior to use with the To o ls | U n lo c k File menu command. This option is
only available when there is no GSA model open.
When a model is opened, names for the two backup files are assigned. These are the filename with “_M”
or “_T” appended, for the manual backup and timed backup respectively, followed by a number to uniquely
associate the backup name with the GSA session. For example, a timed backup file might be called
MyFile_T9.gwb.
A manual backup is made immediately on opening a model. This may be overwritten by the “File | Manual
Backup” menu command.
A timed backup is automatically made periodically. The timed backup interval may be adjusted on the
Miscellaneous tab of the Preferences. Note that setting the interval to zero results in no timed backups
being made; this may be desirable when working with large models that take a long time to save. A timed
backup is only made if there has been a change to the data since the last timed backup. The timer is reset
when the model is saved or ‘saved as’ a GWB file.
The “File | Restore Manual Backup” command may be used to reset the model in your current GSA
session to the state as when the manual backup was taken. The backup data is applied to all views
currently open without changing the view settings. For example a Graphic View will continue to display the
image as currently orientated with the current adornments set but with the backed-up data applied. The
“File | Restore Timed Backup” commands operates similarly when a timed backup exists for the model.
The two backup files are automatically deleted when the model is properly closed. However, if the program
shuts down prematurely (as a result of program malfunction or power failure, etc.) then the backup files
remain on disk. In this circumstance, the next time GSA is run the Welcome dialog invites you to open a
backup file. Note the “Delete all backup files” button on this dialog box that is provided to encourage you to
tidy up your Oasys temporary folder.
A nodal user module consists of one value per node in the model.
An element user module consists of values per position on the element. For 1D elements positions are
expressed in terms of millionths of the way along the element. So for example position 0 is at end 1 of the
element, position 1000000 is at end 2, and position 333333 is a third of the way along the element. Values
must be specified at both ends of 1D elements (i.e. positions 0 and 1000000). For 2D elements a value is
expected at each topology position plus a centre value, though if the ‘centre only 2D’ flag is set only the
centre value is expected . User modules also have a name, a dimension (i.e. whether length, moment, etc.
or dimensionless) and a flag for discrete or continuous contours. A discrete contour is one that represents
the value that exists for that position and does not vary continuously along the element.
A member user module is similar to an element user module except that all members are 1D.
User modules may be supplied to GSA in text file (GWA) format. Refer to the Text File Format document for
a definition of the format. Data should be supplied in SI units. User modules can be appended to a GSA
model that has been saved in text file format and then opened or they can be imported into an existing
model using the File | Im p o r t | Te xt (GW A file ) menu command.
Once a user module has been fed into a model it remains part of the model, being saved in and read from
the GWB file. The user module management dialogs allow user modules to be deleted and renamed.
When user modules are present in a model they are offered as contour and diagram options for Graphic
Views and output options for Output Views. User module data are converted to the current units for display.
Note that contouring of element and member user module data requires values to have been specified at
all nodes on the element.
As well as outputting nodal user module data per node this data can be contoured on elements and can
be output per topology item per element.
If the specified imported user module ID references an existing user module and the imported user
module title data are compatible with the existing user module then imported user module values are
written into the existing user module, preserving the existing values except where overwritten by imported
values. However if the title data are incompatible then the existing values are nulled. Title data are
compatible if the ‘dimension’ and ‘is_centre’ fields are the same.
Available Views
This tree control displays the names of all saved and preferred Graphic Views and Output Views. Views
that are already represented in the view list are marked with a tick. Double clicking on a view that is not
already in the view list will add the view to the bottom of the list. Double clicking on a view that is in the view
list removes all occurrences of that view from the list.
Add
The selected view in the Available Views tree control is added to the bottom of the View List
Remove
The selected view in the View List is removed from the view list.
Move Up
The selected view in the View List is moved up one position.
Move Down
The selected view in the View List is moved down one position.
Print
The views in the View List are printed in the order in which they appear in the list.
Save to file
The views in the View List are saved to file in the order in which they appear in the list. The format of the
saved file is determined by the respective ‘batch output file format’ setting in the Miscellaneous
Preferences dialog.
Arithmetic operations
The arithmetic operators are
+ addition
- subtraction
* multiplication
/ division
^ raise to power of
Normal operator precedence is followed. The constants pi (3.14...) and g (9.81...) are defined. Parenthesis
can be used to clarify the order of operations.
Mathematical functions
The following functions can be used:
Conditional expressions
Conditional expressions can be specified in the form:
The conditional operators are >,<,!=(or <>),>=,<=,==(or=) and the logical operators are && (and) and || (or).
Conditional expressions can be nested.
tap - click
drag - drag
pinch - zoom
press and tap - right-click; press on target and click using a second finger (in Graphic Views)
Standard
GSA
Data Options
Sculpt
Command
Labels
Diagrams
Contours
Orientation
Cursor Mode
Graphic Display
Lists
Keyboard Accelerators (keyboard shortcuts) give a quick route to a selection of commands. They cannot be
customised.
3.15.1 Toolbars
Toolbars provide a short cut to the more commonly used commands. The List and Layer toolbars are
attached to the views to which they relate. All other toolbars can be docked (attached to the application
frame) or floating (free to be positioned by the user). The toolbars can be switched on and off as required
from the “View | Toolbars and Dockable Panes” menu command. Toolbars can be customised by clicking
the dropdown at the right or lower end of the toolbar and selecting "Add and Remove buttons" followed by
the toolbar name.
Standard
GSA
Data Options
Sculpt
Command
Labels
Diagrams
Contours
Orientation
Cursor Mode
Graphic Display
Lists
3.15.1.1 Standard
Paste – paste the data from the clipboard into the model
View settings painter – click once to grab the current view settings then click in a view of the same type to
apply the grabbed settings, or click again to switch off
3.15.1.2 GSA
The GSA toolbar provides access to some of the main GSA options:
Show or Hide Dockable Panes – Toggle on and off all dockable panes
New Analysis Task – Set up a new analysis task using the wizard
Erase Results – delete all the results and optionally the analysis cases
New Design Task – Set up a new design task using the wizard
Toolbar Options – Use the dropdown arrow at the end of the bar to add or remove buttons for additional
commands
The Data Options toolbar gives access to various methods for modify the way data can be viewed or edited
in Table Views, Graphic Views and Output Views:
3.15.1.4 Sculpt
Add Elements Sculpt Tool – use the cursor to add elements and nodes, if required
Copy Selection – move the current selection or copy to create new nodes and elements
Add String of 1D Elements – add a string of elements linking the selected nodes
Toolbar Options – Use the dropdown arrow at the end of the bar to add or remove buttons for additional
commands
3.15.1.5 Command
Command – the sculpt command to be carried out when Execute Sculpt Command is pressed
3.15.1.6 Labels
The Labels toolbar gives quick access to a number of commonly used label options:
Toolbar Options – Use the dropdown arrow at the end of the bar to add or remove buttons for additional
label options
3.15.1.7 Diagrams
The Diagrams toolbar gives quick access to a number of commonly used diagram options:
Apply Adornments to Selection – when set, apply labels, diagrams and contours to the current selection
set
Toolbar Options – Use the dropdown arrow at the end of the bar to add or remove buttons for additional
diagram options
3.15.1.8 Contours
The Contours toolbar gives quick access to a number of commonly used contour options:
Toolbar Options – Use the dropdown arrow at the end of the bar to add or remove buttons for additional
contour options
3.15.1.9 Orientation
The orientation toolbar is associated with the aspects of a Graphic View related to orientation and scaling:
Graphic View Regenerate – regenerate and redraw the view without changing the scale, orientation,
adornments or any other view settings
Toolbar Options – Use the dropdown arrow at the end of the bar to add or remove buttons for additional
commands
The cursor mode toolbar is used to identify what the cursor should do in Graphic Views:
Omit from Display – select elements that are to be omitted from display – the display list is modified to
exclude the selected elements
The graphic display toolbar governs the appearance of the graphical display:
Reset Display – resets the display, only scale and orientation are retained
Toolbar Options – Use the dropdown arrow at the end of the bar to add or remove buttons for additional
commands
3.15.1.12 Lists
The Lists toolbar allows the user to select which cases are to be reported and how the content of the
display is to be adjusted in a Graphic View or Output View. The width of the toolbar automatically adjusts
with the width of the window thereby maximising the size of the Case List and Display List.
Next Case – select the next item in the case list pull-down.
Previous Case – select the previous item in the case list pull-down.
Condense Cases – trim down the cases in the drop list to those where there is data
Broadcast case list – Set this case list in all Graphic Views and Output Views
Display Option – the method by which the display content is to be adjusted. This can be by adjusting the
list of entities, whether nodes, elements or members, or by selecting a saved view, in which case the
settings of the saved view are applied to the current view. In Graphic Views the current grid, layer and stage
can also be adjusted.
Display List – the entity list, saved view, layer or stage, depending on the Display Option setting.
Next Display – select the next item in the current display list pull-down.
Previous Display – select the previous item in the current display list pull-down.
Reset To All Entities – the lists are reset to “all” entities. In Graphic Views any specified volumes are also
cleared.
Pin Display – When pinned selecting a grid surface of elements also sets that as the current grid plane,
and vice versa
BP Colour by property
BR Colour by material grade
Ctrl+C Copy
Ctrl+Alt+C Size Columns to Fit
Copy Selection
D Display option: select how to adjust display content
Ctrl+Alt+D Switch Layer
Ctrl+Alt+Shft+E Add Elements Sculpt Tool
Ctrl+F Find
Ctrl+Alt+F Display excluded entities faint
G Ground View
Ctrl+G Go To
Ctrl+Alt+G Grid Window
Ctrl+H Replace
Ctrl+Alt+H Shine light from here
I Isometric
K Skew View
L Polyline
Ctrl+Alt+L Legend display
ME Select edges
MF Select faces
MT Select topologies
MW Select whole entity
Ctrl+M Modify
Ctrl+Alt+M Move Selection
Ctrl+N New
Ctrl+Alt+Shft+N Add Nodes Sculpt Tool
Ctrl+Shft+N Drag Nodes Sculpt Tool
O Omit from display
Ctrl+O Open
P Plan
Ctrl+Alt+P Perspective
R Rotate
Ctrl+Alt+R Size Rows to Fit
SE Select elements/members
SG Select grid points
SN Select nodes
Ctrl+S Save
Ctrl+Shft+S Save As
Ctrl+Alt+S Snap to Grid Points
V Volume
Ctrl+V Paste
Ctrl+W Wizard
Ctrl+Alt+W Define current grid
X X elevation
Ctrl+X Cut
Y Y elevation
Ctrl+Y Redo
Ctrl+Alt+Y Redo View
Z Zoom
Ctrl+Z Undo
Ctrl+Alt+Z Undo View
F1 Help
Shift+F1 Context help
Zoom Out
Fast rotate down
Rotate
Zoom
Wheel rotate
Zoom extents
Pan
Create Load Panels on Storeys – examines the storey grid planes and creates load panel elements
Create Patterned Loads – allows specification of adverse and beneficial load factors and creates
elements loads for ‘mean’ and ‘difference’ loads.
Create Patterned Load Combinations – allows analysis cases to be selected and sets up the
combinations of ‘mean’ and ‘difference’ analysis cases to give maximum and minimum envelope cases.
Define the dead and imposed loads as normal, then use the ‘Create Patterned Loads’ tool to create a new
set of loads on the model. At this stage adverse/beneficial factors can be specified for the loads and there
is the option to include any of beam loads, face loads and gravity loads. These are then used to create a
mean load case and a set of difference load cases.
Where subscripts G and Q relate to permanent (dead) load and variable (imposed) load respectively, and
sup and inf relate to unfavourable (adverse) and favourable (beneficial) effects respectively.
The final stage is to use the ‘Create Patterned Load Combinations’ tool which then uses the mean load
case and difference load cases to set up combination cases that will give an envelope of the results for the
patterned loading.
Mass modification
There is scope to modify the basic mass of the elements, which can have an effect on both static and
dynamic analysis.
For a beam, bar, tie or strut elements the mass is the area × length × density. There is an option in the
section properties to modify the effective area of the section and this modification can either be applies or
ignored in the mass (and weight) calculations.
For a 2D element the mass is the area × ( thickness × density + additional mass). There is an option to
modify the effective thickness for mass and weight calculations
For mass properties on nodes the mass is specified directly. There is also an option to modify the mass
in different directions. This is only available for dynamic analysis and is primarily intended for fluid
structure interaction calculations.
w fz
w
m
g
Any ‘gravity’ loads are ignored in the additional mass calculation as the mass of these loads is defined
explicitly.
fx ax
fy a y mg
fz az
but the weight calculation corresponds to the factor being 0 for x and y and -1 for z so
fz mg
This is always based on a scalar mass so the mass modifiers applied to a mass properties are excluded.
The weight calculated from the mass is likely to be an underestimate as the mass of connections,
stiffening plates, etc. is ignored. This can be adjusted for by modifying the gravity factor, so for a 10%
An example of the use of sIDs in GSA is when importing a Revit model - the Revit object id is assigned to
the corresponding member's sID.
Specification modules
Result modules
Loosely speaking, a string ID is a string and it is up to the author, or authoring application, to devise a
syntax for the string that makes sense to the author. However, there will be a rapid decline to mayhem if
some rules in the use of sIDs are not adhered to.
An object may have several ‘tag, value’ pairs, possibly written by different authoring applications. e.g.
"{tag1:value1}{tag2:value2}{...}"
An authoring application will devise a sID tag that will stand a good chance of being unique. e.g. "MyApp"
Nested ‘sub-tag, sub-value’ pairs are owned by the authoring application of the enclosing tag.
It is the duty of the authoring application not to destroy or corrupt any sID ‘tag | value’ pairs not written by
itself.
1. Ensure that
i. for 1D Members, hold down the Ctrl key to add a chain of members. Release Ctrl before defining
the last node
ii. for 2D Members, finish by either clicking back on the first node or press Return
a. Ensure that the member type in the Properties pane matches the 2D member
b. To add a void: hold down the Shift keys while adding the corner points. Click back onto the first
node to close the void definition.
c. To add a line: hold down the Ctrl key while adding the lines. Press Esc to exit.
d. To add nodes: hold the Ctrl + Shift keys while adding the nodes. Press Esc to exit.
Meshing tips
Model the member to achieve the desired mesh; this is not necessarily exactly the same as a physical
representation.
Try to avoid placing internal nodes or the ends of internal elements close to member boundaries as this
will produce very small elements. Nodes on the member boundary are OK.
The number of elements generated along an edge will increase automatically as necessary to achieve
a feasible mesh and to reduce large discrepancies in the mesh.
4 GSA Data
This chapter describes the different types of data that can be used to describe the model. The data is
organised in modules and displayed for input and editing in a number of dialogs and tables. It is also
possible to input and edit the data graphically (see 'Sculpting' in the 'Working with the Program' section).
All dialogs and tables can be accessed from the 'Model | Data Modules' pull down menu, or from the Data
explorer. Most tables have wizards which can be accessed from the 'Wizard' button on the 'Data Options'
toolbar, the 'Wizard' option on the table context menu or Ctrl+W.
4.1 Titles
The titles dialog can be accessed from the Data explorer and from the “Model | Data Modules | Titles”
menu command.
The title entries are printed at the top of each page of output. For a new file, certain entries default to those
in the last file that was saved, but can be changed here.
Definition
Job Number, Initials
The job number, and initials are alphanumeric strings used to identify the job and the creator of the model.
This is not used in the analysis.
The title and subtitle of the job and a description specific to this particular model.
Notes
Notes on the model can be stored here. This is a text field that can be appended to as required.
Location information
The location information if used to set some country and site specific information. For most GSA model
this can be ignored. The angle to north is used in some tools to identify the different faces of a building in
terms of north, south, east and west. The currency used the standard ISO 4217 three-letter currency
abbreviations.
4.2 Specification
4.2.1 Units Specification
GSA stores all data in SI unit, but allows the user to specify the units in which his model is defined. These
become the base units for working, however these can be changed at any time.
When creating a new model the user’s preferred units are used. These may be changed in the units
specification at any time. The units chosen here will be the default units used in GSA, however, local
changes of units can be made in individual views.
This can be accessed from the Data explorer, from the 'Model | Data Modules | Specification | Units
Specification' menu command, from the General Specification or from the Structure type page of the New
Model Wizard. The units specification sets the default units for the model.
In addition the Units dialog is accessible from the Diagram Settings, Contour Settings and Output Settings
dialog boxes, and the units button on the Data Options toolbar where there is scope to modify units locally.
In this case units which are not relevant are disabled.
Units
Force
Used for force and force derived units such as moment, etc., but not for stress.
L a rg e length units are used for length and length derived units such as area. Sm a ll length units are used
for data that are typically small such as displacements and cross-sectional dimensions. Se ctio n length
units are typically used for cross-sectional properties.
Large length units are also used in units derived from length, such as moment.
Mass
Used for mass and mass derived units such as inertia, etc.
Time
Used for time and time derived units, such as frequency, etc.
Temperature
Used for temperature and temperature derived units such as coefficients of expansion.
Stress
Like displacements, stresses are one of the main results produced by a structural analysis package, so
they are assigned their own units distinct from force and length. These units are also used for stress
related quantities like the elastic modulus.
Strain
Strain is dimensionless however it is convenient to be able to work with strain units such as µ ε.
Velocity
Acceleration
Sets the acceleration units to be used. Acceleration units are considered as distinct from length and time
units. It is common for accelerations to be specified in g so accelerations are given a separate unit.
Energy
Sets the energy units to be used. Energy units are considered as distinct from force and length units.
Angle
It is convenient to be able to choose between degrees and radians for angle measures.
Reset units
This allow the user to reset the units to
Preferred – those selected in the Preferred Units accessible from the Miscellaneous Preferences.
SI – standard SI units.
kN-m – a more useful set of units for structural analysis based on the SI system of units.
kip-in – an alternative set of units based on those commonly used in the USA.
Notes
Other units are derived from these units, so for instance moments are derived from the force and length
units giving in the SI units set N m.
Note that data considered to be in units of ‘pressure’ (e.g. Grid Area Load values) are reported in units of
Force/Length², not Stress.
A selection of units for each of force, length, etc are offered. For these units the conversion factor are
known. If the required units are not in the list, the user can enter the name and must then set the
conversion factor. The pre-programmed units are:
Mass – kg, t, kt, g, lb, Ton, slug, kip.s²/in, kip.s²/ft, lbf.s²/in, lbf.s²/ft, kip
Temperature – °C, K, °F
Stress – Pa, kPa, MPa, GPa, N/m², N/mm², kip/in², psi, psf, ksi
Along with the units that can be set here the user can also set the preferred currency units. No conversion
takes place between different currencies!
The preferred units are stored in the registry against the current user so that the next time GSA is used the
same units are offered as the preferred units.
length m m ft in
mass kg t slug slug
time s s s s
temperature K °C °F °F
displacement m mm in in
Setting the preferred units has no effect on the current model units.
Definition
Structure Type & Global Restraints
The structure type describes the type of structural model to be considered. The options are
Space – 3D structure type. This is the most general structure type, and all the others can be considered
as subsets of this.
Global restraints are applied to all the nodes in a model, e.g. to model a plane frame in the XY plane, the
user should select a space structure type and apply global restraints in the Z translational, and X and Y
rotational, directions. Global restraints do not need to be specified for directions with implied restraint due
to the structure type. These directions are displayed greyed. In previous versions of GSA there were also
'Plane' and 'Grid' structure types. These are no longer supported but it is straightforward to set up the
appropriate global restraints.
It can be convenient to describe edge loads as pressures or as force per unit length.
Tolerances
There are a number of options in GSA that depend on setting appropriate tolerances that apply to the
whole model.
Units
A base set of units can be selected for the model. These become the default set of units for tables and
graphical views. The current units are displayed in the “Units” group box.
Currency
Currencies are stored using the ISO 4217 currency codes (e.g. GBP for United Kingdom pounds or USD
for United States Dollars). The currency can be changed to any of those supported by GSA or none.
4.2.3 Tolerances
Definition
General
The n o d e co in cid e n ce is the tolerance within which nodes are assumed to be coincident. The g rid p la n e is
the tolerance with which entities are considered to belong to a grid plane. Elements are considered to be
ve rtica l if the element x axis is within the angle from the global z axis. This affects the interpretation of the
element orientation information. Ele m e n t p la n e is the angle within which elements are considered planar
The g rid e d g e stra ig h tn e ss is used when identifying panels on a grid surface (sets of elements that
enclose a region) the elements will be considered to form a single edge if the change in alignment is less
than this tolerance.
The g rid lo a d in g e d g e to le ra n ce is used if a beam or bar element is found inside the radius defined by the
edge tolerance, all of the load is assumed to apply directly to that element at the closest point.
The g rid p la n e to le ra n ce is used to determine if entities are on a grid plane if they are within this distance
of the grid plane.
(This option is only available when this dialog box is opened from the Preferences dialog box.)
The g rid lo a d in g re fin e m e n t to le ra n ce is u se d where a grid surface is multi-way spanning in the algorithm
used to distribute the load uses a number integration scheme. The grid loading refinement tolerance
determines the density of the points used in the integration. Low tolerances will be adequate where a load
is spread over a large number of panels and it is the behaviour of the structure is of interest. Where a
single panel or a small number of panels are loaded and local effects are of interest a higher tolerance
may be preferred.
Notes: The algorithm used is based on equilibrium considerations and not on satisfying the flexibility
conditions, so higher tolerance levels do not necessarily give better results. A high tolerance may slow the
expansion of the grid loading during the analysis.
The m a xim u m d iffe re n ce o f e le m e n t o rie n ta tio n angle is the acceptable difference of the orientation
angles of all the elements constitute a member. The m a xim u m d ista n ce fro m th e ce n tre lin e is the
allowable distance of deviation of the intermediate nodes of a member from the centre line. The o ffse t
d ista n ce fro m cu rve d m e m b e r controls the difference between the arc and the chord for curved members.
Form-finding
The b a r sp a ce r le g le n g th is the acceptable deviation from the specified spacer leg length in form-finding
analysis.
Preferred
(This option is not available when this dialog box is opened from the Preferences dialog box.)
Definition
Steel Design
This is the code that will be used for steel member utilisation checks and design. Internal restraint rules
can be established for the automatic generation of member restraints. A default steel grade can also be
selected.
Concrete Design
The code that will be used for concrete beam and slab design. Superseded codes can be included and
default concrete and rebar models selected for the chosen design code.
The codes displayed are all the concrete design codes that GSA has available. Not all of these may be
available for both slab and beam design.
Predefined reinforcement templates can be defined. These are then offered to simplify the definition of
reinforcement in the section.
Load Design
Definition
Axial buckling
Specifies that the secondary member can provide restraint against major and/or minor axes buckling of
the primary. An angle tolerance provide a limit on deciding which secondary members can provide
restraint.
Specifies that the secondary member can provide restraint to the top and/or bottom flange of the primary
against lateral torsional buckling. An angle tolerance provide a limit on deciding which secondary
members can provide restraint.
Span restraint
Specifies that the spans can provide lateral torsional restrain to the top and/or bottom flange.
Definition
Rigid Boundary Level
The soil layers are defined by a top soil level. This defines the level at which the ground can be considered
rigid. Typically the rock level.
In a soil the E value typically varies with depth through a soil profile. The E ratio determines how many sub-
layers are needed within a single soil layer in the profile. The larger the ratio the fewer the number of sub
layers and the coarser the sol analysis.
Mindlin Method
Use w eighted average – In this method, the average Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio are
calculated between the centroid of each load and the displacement point at which the horizontal
displacement is required.
Use greatest stiffness – In this method, the maximum Young’s modulus that occurs between the
centroid of each load and the displacement point is used for the calculations. The Poisson’s ratio is set
to that of the stratum where the greatest E is found.
Use stiffness at displacement point – In this method, the stiffness at the displacement point is used for
calculating horizontal displacements. The soil properties between the load and the displacement points
are disregarded. This method should be used with caution.
Boussinesq Method
A Boussinesq analysis requires that a global Poisson’s ratio for the soil.
UK_BD37 – For HA and HB loading to the United Kingdom Design Manual for Roads and Bridges.
HK_SDM – For HA and HB loading to the Hong Kong Structures Design Manual.
Using these options where possible makes the most efficient use of the tools available for bridge loading
in GSA. The SV loading types are an approximate implementation of the requirements of BD86
requirements. Intensity of SV vehicle loading is adjusted to compensate for the different load factors (1.1
for vehicles, 1.3 for associated lane loading). SV loading is applied in a similar way to HB loading to BD37,
with HA loading applied over the full width of lanes, not on 2.5m widths within lanes as required by BD86/
BD21; note that this is unconservative if there is little or no transverse distribution in the bridge. All HA
loading is factored by 0.91 (equivalent to Heavy Traffic / Poor Surface to BD21).
UK/HK Loading
To allow for different load factors in different combinations, the user can specify one or more of the
following:
ULS Comb1: for ULS Load Combination 1 (dead and live load only)
ULS Comb3: for other ULS load combinations (dead, live and temperature or dead, live and wind)
Using these options where possible makes the most efficient use of the tools available for bridge loading
in GSA. The SV loading types are an approximate implementation of the requirements of BD86
requirements. Intensity of SV vehicle loading is adjusted to compensate for the different load factors (1.1
for vehicles, 1.3 for associated lane loading). SV loading is applied in a similar way to HB loading to BD37.
HA loading applied over the full width of lanes, not on 2.5m widths within lanes as required by BD86/
BD21/CS454; note that this is unconservative if there is little or no transverse distribution in the bridge. All
HA loading is factored by 0.91 (equivalent to Heavy Traffic / Poor Surface to BD21/CS454).
Note: As the number of analysis cases in the bridge analysis task depends on the bridge specification, the
editing of bridge analysis specification will be disabled if there is a bridge analysis task.
A pedestrian live load factor of 0.8 from CS454 Table 5.32b is be adopted. Elements supporting
footways only, will need to be run with path loading to allow factor of 1.0
A pedestrian width factor of 1*width (the value of 1 from Table 5.32b is adopted).
Global environmental impact parameters are listed for each material type. Highlighting a material type and
clicking Edit (or double-clicking the material type) opens the Environmental Impact Wizard for that material
type.
The reinforcement % for environmental impact is used to combine the concrete values with the rebar
values in determining values for reinforced concrete.
4.3 Geometry
4.3.1 Axes
This feature enables new user-defined axes systems to be specified e.g. to specify an inclined roller
support, to assist in interpretation of results, or to specify the Construction Grid. Axes systems may be
Cartesian, cylindrical or spherical.
Definition
A user axes set is created by specifying the following:
Name
Type
Origin
X Vector
A vector, defined in the global axis system, in the direction of the local x-axis.
XY Vector
A vector, defined in the global axis system, which lies in the local xy-plane.
The user axis origin coordinates are thus defined as ( x, y, z ) above. The rotational orientation is defined in
terms of a vector along the positive xn-axis and a vector in the xnyn plane. These two vectors are defined in
the laterally shifted axes system shown above.
E.g. consider the simple case of rotation about the yn axis alone to give an inclined plane for a support
The x vector could be expressed as ( a, 0, 1). This defines the position of the xn axis.
The rotation of the user axis system about this axis must be defined by specifying any xy vector in the xnyn
plane, apart obviously from the xn axis itself. In our case here, there is no rotation and the vector can be
taken as (0, 1, 0) i.e. the yn axis.
Modify Axis
The modify axis dialog is used to modify an axis set. This dialog can be activated from the Axis Definition
dialog and modifies the axis definition. To apply multiple transformations use this dialog to apply the
modifications one after the other.
Translate by/Rotate by
The user can choose to modify the axis either by translating along one of the current axis directions or
rotating about one of the current axes by the amount specified.
Along/about
This specifies which axis is to be used for the translation or rotation. These are always the current axis
direction of the axis system.
Grid lines are defined as being in the global XY plane. Grid lines form part of the current grid and, when
displayed, are projected onto the current grid plane (unless it is vertical). Grid lines can be displayed in
Graphic Views and can be operated on using sculpt commands.
Straight grid lines are defined by a start position, a length and an angle
Circular arc grid lines are defined by a centre of the arc, a radius, a start angle and an end angle
- where the angles are measured from global X, anti-clockwise about global Z.
The name by which the grid line is referred. Labels must be unique.
Arc
X, Y
The start of a straight line or the centre of a circular arc, in global coordinates.
Length
Theta 1
The angle of inclination of a straight line or the start angle of a circular arc, measured from global X, anti-
clockwise about global Z.
Theta 2
The end angle of a circular arc, measured from global X, anti-clockwise about global Z. (Not required for
straight grid lines.)
The new grid lines are given unique labels, based on the label of the current grid line.
Note that only axes that have a vertical z axis are offered in the list of available axes.
Refer to Use of Grid Planes and Grid Surfaces for a general description of grid planes and their use.
Grid Plane
Name
The name is used only as a label for the grid plane. Where grid planes have to be selected this is the
name that will be displayed.
Type
The grid plane can be either a general grid plane or a storey grid plane. A storey grid plane must exist in a
global XY plane.
Grid axis
Grid planes reference an axis set. This may be global or any user defined axis system. The grid plane is
parallel to the xy plane of this axis set.
Grid elevation
For situations where grid planes are to be stacked at different levels the grid elevation allows the grid
plane to be offset from the axis origin in the local z direction. The elevation defines the height of the grid
plane above the origin.
The grid plane tolerance is used to determine whether an element lies in the grid plane.
Nodes are associated with the storey if they lie within these tolerances of the elevation. The different
tolerance above and below are to allow for situations where there may be a step in the floor levels but
these are to be considered as a single storey at the specified elevation. If the tolerance is set to "auto" then
the nodes are associated with the nearest storey.
Definition
Name
A label for the grid surface. The name is shown when grid surfaces have to be selected.
Grid plane
Element list
Elements included in the grid surface. In some situations only some of the elements are to be considered
to be part of the grid surface (e.g. secondary bracing) so the element list can be used to specify these.
Element type
Elements type of a grid surface specifies the type of elements that are to be considered as part of the grid
surface. It can be 1D or 2D.
This defines a volume (above and below the actual grid plane) within which elements are considered as
candidates for the grid plane. It is used in conjunction with the element list to determine whether an
element lies in the grid surface. A floor may use a relatively small tolerance while a roof structure may use
a much larger tolerance.
Span
The span defines the way in which loading on the grid surface will be transferred from space to the
surrounding elements.
One-w ay – the load is transferred in the specified span direction. The direction is the angle to the x-
direction of the axis defining the grid plane.
Tw o-w ay – an area load on a complete panel. The load is expanded according to the specified
algorithm and distributed in a pattern resembling the back of an envelope. The possible expansion
algorithms are
o Legacy – Legacy option: loads assumed to ripple out to edges of panel (does not work on re-entrant
panels)
o Plane – Uses a plane approximation to distribute the load and adjusts for aspect ratio (load
distribution depends on model refinement)
o Smooth (plane) – Uses a plane approximation to distribute the load; adjusts for aspect ratio and
smooths loads along edges
o Corner (plane) – Uses a plane approximation to distribute the load; adjusts for aspect ratio and
smooths loads along edges, adjusting for corner effects (recommended)
o Simplified tributary areas option. Give simple distribution on fully loaded triangular and quadrilateral
panels as shown below
The legacy option treats loads as a series of point loads applied across the grid plane which ‘ripple’ out to
the elements bounding closed areas. This does not work for re-entrant panels, e.g. L shaped areas.
The plane approximation options treats the load on a panel as a single load applied at the centre of loads
and a set of loads applied around the perimeter that give equilibrium. The loads are determined so that
the aspect ratio of the panel results in a greater load intensity applied to the long edges that the short
ones. The basic version of this gives a mesh-dependent load distribution and can lead to the mid-span
load intensities being too large. The ‘smooth’ variant takes the uniformly distributed loads on the individual
elements and aggregates these along the edges resulting in a linear variation along the panel edges. The
‘corner’ variant assumes that the loads on the ends of edges at internal corners should be reduced so an
adjustment is made to taper the load intensity to zero at these corners.
4.3.5 Polylines
Polylines are used mainly in conjunction with grid loading to define lines or area that are loaded. Polylines
are 2D entities that are interpreted with respect to the x-y plane of a grid plane.
Definition
Name
Grid plane
Poly lines can either exist in 3D space or can be associated with a grid plane
Description
Polylines are defined by a series of x-y or x-y-z coordinates. These are entered as a description of the form:
(x 1,y 1) (x 2,y 2) (x 3,y 3)
or
(x 1,y 1,z 1) (x 2,y 2,z 2) (x 3,y 3,z 3)
A polyline does not need to be closed to represent a polygon – closure will be inferred from the context.
Polyline checks
coincident vertices, or
Invalid lines and vertices are highlighted in the dialog and specific issues in the polyline are reported upon
exiting the Polyline dialog.
The polyline definition dialog is used to define or modify a polyline. This dialog can be activated from the
Polyline table view by giving the “Edit | Wizard” menu command. “Wizard” is also available on the Data
Options toolbar and on the right-click menu for the table view.
4.4 Materials
4.4.1 Material Grades
4.4.1.1 Steel
For steel design a steel material grade must be defined. Properties used in the steel design are taken
from the steel material grade and not from the analysis material. The Grade Wizard should normally be
used to define the steel grade properties.
Definition
The detailed properties are defined here:
Name
Standard Grades
The standard grades allows selection from among a predefined set of properties.
Basic Properties
Density (ρ)
Poisson’s ratio (ν )
Ultimate strain
Environmental Impact
Clicking Environmental Impact enables environmental impact parameters to be specified for this material
by opening the Environmental Impact Wizard. These values then override the global values specified in
Environmental Impact Specification for this material.
4.4.1.2 Concrete
For concrete design a concrete material grade must be defined. Properties used in the concrete section
and slab design are taken from the concrete material grade and not from the analysis material. The Grade
Wizard should normally be used to define the concrete grade properties.
Definition
Name
Standard Grades
The standard grades allows selection from among a predefined set of properties.
Basic Properties
Density (ρ)
Shear modulus(G)
Poisson’s ratio (ν )
Plateau strain (εtran) (note: this not the same as the plateau strain for section design)
Environmental Impact
Clicking Environmental Impact enables environmental impact parameters to be specified for this material
by opening the Environmental Impact Wizard. These values then override the global values specified in
Environmental Impact Specification for this material.
4.4.1.3 FRP
For design including FRP an FRP material grade must be defined. The Grade Wizard should normally be
used to define the FRP grade properties.
Definition
Name
Standard Grades
The standard grades allows selection from among a predefined set of properties.
Basic Properties
Strength
Density (ρ)
Poisson’s ratio (ν )
Material curve
Bond parameters
Environmental Impact
Clicking Environmental Impact enables environmental impact parameters to be specified for this material
by opening the Environmental Impact Wizard. These values then override the global values specified in
Environmental Impact Specification for this material.
4.4.1.4 Aluminium
The Grade Wizard should normally be used to define the aluminium grade properties.
Definition
Name
Standard Grades
The standard grades allows selection from among a predefined set of properties.
Basic Properties
Poisson’s ratio (ν )
Density (ρ)
Environmental Impact
Clicking Environmental Impact enables environmental impact parameters to be specified for this material
by opening the Environmental Impact Wizard. These values then override the global values specified in
Environmental Impact Specification for this material.
4.4.1.5 Timber
The Grade Wizard should normally be used to define the timber grade properties.
Definition
Name
Standard Grades
The standard grades allows selection from among a predefined set of properties.
Basic Properties
Strength (fmk )
Poisson's ratio (ν )
Density (ρ)
Environmental Impact
Clicking Environmental Impact enables environmental impact parameters to be specified for this material
by opening the Environmental Impact Wizard. These values then override the global values specified in
Environmental Impact Specification for this material.
4.4.1.6 Glass
The Grade Wizard should normally be used to define the glass grade properties.
Definition
Name
Standard Grades
The standard grades allows selection from among a predefined set of properties.
Basic Properties
Poisson’s ratio (ν )
Density (ρ)
Environmental Impact
Clicking Environmental Impact enables environmental impact parameters to be specified for this material
by opening the Environmental Impact Wizard. These values then override the global values specified in
Environmental Impact Specification for this material.
4.4.1.7 Fabric
The Grade Wizard should normally be used to define the fabric grade properties.
Definition
Name
Standard Grades
The standard grades allows selection from among a predefined set of properties.
Basic Properties
Density (ρ)
Environmental Impact
Clicking Environmental Impact enables environmental impact parameters to be specified for this material
by opening the Environmental Impact Wizard. These values then override the global values specified in
Environmental Impact Specification for this material.
4.4.1.8 Reinforcement
For reinforced concrete design concrete and reinforcement material grades must be defined. Properties
used in the concrete section and slab design are taken from the concrete and reinforcement material
grades and not from the analysis material. The Grade Wizard should normally be used to define the
reinforcement grade properties.
Definition
Name and Type
The name is only used as a convenient way of identifying a material. The type allows selection between
Standard Grades
The standard grades allows selection from among a predefined set of properties.
General Properties
Strength (fy )
Density (ρ)
Material curve
Stress limits
Strain limits
Miscellaneous Properties
Clicking Environmental Impact enables environmental impact parameters to be specified for this material
by opening the Environmental Impact Wizard. These values then override the global values specified in
Environmental Impact Specification for this material.
The Material Wizard should normally be used to define the analysis material properties.
Name
Material Model
Elastic isotropic
Elastic orthotropic
Elastic-plastic isotropic
Fabric
Though GSA can also analyse the following materials with some solvers:
Drucker-Prager
Mohr-Coulomb
E
G
21
However the shear modulus may be specified independently to allow for the non-isotropic nature of
material such as timber. Note that the shear modulus can only be edited using the Material Wizard.
Elastic orthotropic material - there are three Young’s moduli, three Poisson’s ratios and three shear
moduli need to be defined and they are:
Beam elements
Ex
Gxy, Gzx
Bar, Tie & Strut elements
Ex
2D shell and plate elements
E x, E y
ν xy, * ν yx
E x, E y
ν xy, * ν yx
Gxy
2D plane strain elements
E x, E y, E z
Gxy
2D axisymmetric elements
E x, E y, E z
Gxy
* these values are calculated by GSA from the E values and the complementary Poisson’s ratio.
Elastic-plastic isotropic material - the Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratios and shear modulus etc
parameters are the same as elastic isotropic material.
Yield stress is the tensile and compressive strength of the material, ultimate stress is the
maximum stress the material can sustain, but it is not used in any of the analysis at the moment,
hardening modulus and hardening parameter are used to define the material hardening behavior
that can be used by explicit time history analysis and explicit nonlinear analysis.
In GsRelax nonlinear analysis, material plasticity is considered by beam, bar, tie and strut
elements. Elastic and perfectly plastic material model is assumed in the analysis, i.e. a bi-linear
stress-strain curve is used and the second branch of the stress-strain curve is horizontal, There
is no strain limit and the stress is limited to the yield stress. Ultimate stress, hardening modulus
and hardening parameter are not used in GsRelax nonlinear analysis.
In explicit time history analysis and explicit nonlinear analysis, material plasticity will be
considered by all elements that uses elastic-plastic materials, the stress-strain curve is also bi-
linear and the second branch of the curve can be horizontal if no hardening modulus is defined, if
hardening modulus is defined, the second branch of the curve is sloped up to reflect the strain
hardening of the material. Strain hardening can be considered by explicit analysis if they are
defined. The same as GsRelax analysis, the ultimate stress is not used in the analysis..
Fabric material - Fabric material is only used for 2D fabric (membrane) element, since the element has no
thickness, the unit of Young’s modulus and shear modulus of fabric material is force per unit length.
Fabric material is orthotropic and the following properties need to be defined:
Ex xy
Ey yx
Fabric material can be defined to take tensile force only (the default option) or take both tensile and
compressive forces. If the check box “Allow compression” is checked, fabric will take compressive force,
otherwise, it will take tensile force only.
Other options
Note that these may be available with only some material types.
This command is available from the wizard. You can set the material properties either from materials in a
catalogue or from material grades in the model.
Density
The density of the material to be used in dynamic analysis to calculate masses and in other analysis to
calculate gravity loads.
Temperature coefficient
The temperature coefficient of expansion which is used in conjunction with thermal loading. For orthotropic
material, three coefficients need to be defined for x, y & z directions.
Damping Ratio
The damping ratio is used during a dynamic analysis to calculate an estimate of the modal damping ratio.
Yield stress
The stress at which the material first yields in nonlinear analyses. For design this may be a value specified
by a design code.
Ultimate stress
The stress at which the material will break. This is used mainly for design purposes. This property is not
used by the analysis options in GSA but can be when analysing in LS-DYNA.
Hardening modulus
Once the material has yielded it is assumed to follow a straight-line relationship between stress and
strain. The slope of this line is the hardening modulus. This property is not used by the analysis options in
GSA but can be when analysing in LS-DYNA.
Hardening parameter
This is used in non-linear analysis to determine if the hardening model should be isotropic or kinematic.
This property is not used by the analysis options in GSA but can be when analysing in LS-DYNA.
Allow Compression
This box should be unchecked if the fabric is to allowed to behave like a true fabric and not allow
compression.
Definition
Name
The name is only used as a convenient way of identifying a material (or spring) curve.
Type
Description
This defines the dimension of the non-linear spring curve and the available types are:
Data Table
The data table is used to define the data point on the material curve, it must be in ascending order. When
the data table is used in analysis, if abscissa value is beyond the definition range, the ordinate value will
be taken as zero, ordinate value beyond defined range is not allowed and it will not occur in the analysis.
Diagram
The diagram shows the curve of the non-linear spring defined in the data table.
Basic definition
The basic definition of a section includes:
These are used to identify sections and show elements or members which refer to these.
Material
The material definition breaks into three parts. The first part is the material type. This is one of:
Steel – gives option to assign to various steel design properties to the section
The grade defines the actual material design properties. These depend on the material type. New grades
can be initialized from the standard grades for the current design code. The final material attribute is the
analysis material. This defines a set of elastic properties. If a grade is specified it is possible to refer to
this for the analysis material (from Grade). In this case the required analysis properties are inferred from
the grade.
The profile defines the shape and geometry of the section. These can be either catalogue (steel) sections,
standard section shapes, or shapes defined by geometry (perimeter, or line segments). By default the
reference point is at the centroid of the section. In this case an axial force applied at the centroid results in
no bending. It some cases it can be convenient to change the reference point. The other change to the
section geometry is to add point voids. This allows (small) ducts to be included in the section. This is also
used in conjunction with bridge beams to identify locations for prestress tendons – in this case the voids
are assigned a zero area.
Rate
Modified
This is a flag to indicate that there are section modifiers associated with this section.
Pool
The section can be assigned to a pool. This groups sections for design.
Section Properties
These are the actual section properties of the chosen section, so for example a 400×200mm rectangular
section would have an area of 0.08m².
Modifiers
Each base section property can be modified so that a different value is used in the analysis. So for
example the user may want to increases the axial stiffness of the 400×200mm rectangular section defined
above, so he can either factor the value or replace the value with a new value. So for example a factor of 2
on the area of the section would give an analysis value of 0.16m².
Modifiers on the I and k values apply to either the xy or uv values depending on the axes selected for the
stiffness calculation.
There are flags to say if modified properties should be used in the mass/weight calculations and in the
stress calculations.
Analysis properties
The analysis properties are the base section properties modified as above. These are the values used in
the stiffness calculation. Note that the modified area may or may not be used to determine the mass or
gravity load, so in the above example the stiffness would be based on an area of 0.16m² but the mass and
gravity loads would be based on either an area of 0.08m² or 0.16m².
Name
The name is only used as a convenient way of identifying a particular section. It does not correspond to a
specification of the cross-section.
Material
The material from which this section is made; typically one material will be used for many sections.
Description
This gives a description of the section from which the section properties can be determined. The
description is explained in the “Section Profile” section.
Area
The second moment of area of the beam about the yy and zz axes or uu and vv axes respectively.
The torsion constant for the section; note this is not the polar moment of inertia unless the section is
circular.
k y , k z or k u , k v
The shear factor for shear in the y and z or u and v directions respectively. It is the proportion of the area of
the beam which is effective in carrying shear (i.e. the [Shear Area]/[Total Area]). This can be defined as zero
if the shear deformations are to be ignored.
Note: shear area factors are not supplied for all section shapes.
Type
The type of the section applies only to steel sections and is used in the design checks.
Cost
This allows the user to assign a cost per unit mass to the section. This is primarily intended for steel
sections and is used in design to give an approximate cost to steel work.
If a section shape has been specified, the effect of plasticity on the interaction between axial force and
biaxial bending is modelled. The net bending moment is limited to the plastic capacity of the section for the
current axial force and direction of applied moment. The bending stiffness of a section is halved at first
yield.
If explicitly defined section properties are specified, the interaction between axial and bending yield is
ignored and the plastic section moduli used are approximations.
Bending action is in local element directions; the principal directions of the section are ignored.
Shear action is only modelled elastically and the shear centre is assumed to be at the section centroid.
The first step is to select the basic section definition – catalogue, or standard shape, etc. Depending on
this choice the profile wizard will load either catalogue sections, standard sections, or geometric sections
(perimeter sections, or fabricated and line segment sections). Finally the defined section properties are
displayed and an option is given to convert the section to a perimeter.
Sections are defined with respect to section definition axes, shown in this diagram as x def and y def. The
section is used in GSA such that the section appears as defined, when viewed with the element x axis
pointing into the page. This has the, perhaps unintuitive, consequence of GSA having to translate the
specified ( x def, y def x def, y def) element axes coordinates. (I.e. ( x def,
y def y el, z el).) The translation occurs automatically within GSA, requiring no action from the
user. The distinction between section definition axes and element axes is particularly relevant when
considering geometric sections. Display “Section Shapes” labels in a Graphic View to confirm the
orientation of sections.
Principal Axes
For a doubly non-symmetric section principal axes are not aligned with element axes. In this circumstance
loading applied in element axis directions will produce deflections in the plane orthogonal to the loading
unless there are constraints on the section to prevent this behaviour. If there are such constraints the user
can choose, when defining the section, to prevent this effect by ignoring the Iy z term in which case the Iy y ,
Izz, Ky and Kz values would be used to calculate the element stiffness as if they were principal 2nd
moments of area.
4.5.1.1 Definition
Definition
Name
Definition method
The definition method specifies how the material is to be defined. This breaks down into four main
options.
Standard sections are defined by a shape and its dimensions. The properties are then calculated from
these.
Geometric sections are defined either by a perimeter or by line segments. The properties are then
calculated from these.
The page that follows this will depend on the selection made as this stage.
If the section is referred to by tapered.elements/members, check box "Section tapers along element
length" should be checked on the section wizard, then two different sizes of the section can be defined and
the elements/members refer to this section will be tapered. Catalogue section, Fabricated section, Line
segment section and Point area section cannot be used by tapered elements/members, i.e. check box
"Section tapers along element length" will be always unchecked.and only one section size can be defined
Definition
A catalogue section is defined by
Catalogue
Type
The type is the type of section required e.g. Universal Beam or Equal Angles.
Section
The particular section of the type selected e.g. EA250x250x35. If the section is marked S/S that particular
section has been superseded.
Superseded sections are to be displayed. If the model contains superseded sections this will be checked
on entry.
Transform Section
The basic section may not be in the required orientation, so there is an option to rotate and translate
sections. By default this is not offered.
Catalogues
Catalogues cover sections from the UK, Europe, USA, Canada, Australia,Japan, China, India, Korea,
Russia and South Africa.
Catalogue Sections
For catalogue sections the descriptions based on the catalogue, type and date to provide a string uniquely
identifying the section. This can be constructed as follows:
So for example a British Universal beam of 457 x 152 and mass of 82 kg/m of 15 June 1987 would be:
CAT UB UB457x152x82 19870615
The date field is normally used only to identify superseded sections, so normally the section description
would be abbreviated to
CAT UB 457x152x82
This field is only available for the ellipse section type. It allows superellipses to be entered. A value of 1
Transform Section
The basic section may not be in the required orientation, so there is an option to rotate and translate
sections. By default this is not offered.
Standard Sections
The standard sections are identified by a code for the section shape, followed by a list of dimensions
defining the section. The section shape descriptors can be followed by an optional unit if the section is not
defined in mm, where the shapes are:
circular C d
circular hollow CHS d, t
I section I d, b, tw, tf
tee T d, b, tw, tf
channel CH d, b, tw, tf
angle A d, b, tw, tf
taper TR d, bt , bb
ellipse E d, b, k
general I section GI d, bt , bb, tw, tf t , tf b
recto-circular RC d, b
recto-ellipse RE d, b, df , bf , k
oval OVAL d, b, t
Note:
b width
bb bottom width
bf flat width
bt top width
d depth, diameter
df flat depth
k order
n number of piles
t thickness
tf flange thickness
tw web thickness
In addition, any number of voids may be defined in the section, again by a series of coordinates describing
an unclosed polyline of non-intersecting segments. Voids may not intersect with each other or with the
outline.
The section displayed in the wizard is as viewed from end 1 of the element towards end 2.
The centroid is calculated for the section and the section is assumed to lie centred at its centroid, – not at
the datum coordinates.
Import Options
The section can be imported or exported from a DXF file. For the import to work the DXF file should contain
only LWPOLYLINE or POLYLINE entities that described the perimeter and void in the section. The export
option allows the section to be exported as a series of LWPOLYLINE entities.
The bridge beam option is only enabled if the bridge beam database is available. This gives access to
standard bridge beam sections. These are stored as perimeter sections in GSA, but have associated
tendon positions stored as point voids along with the section geometry.
The calculation of the torsion constant ‘J’ makes use of a numerical technique that is designed for use
specifically on thick-walled sections - that is, section shapes with a sufficient area enclosed within the
perimeter boundary relative to the perimeter length. Thin-walled sections are best considered as a
separate concern and are typically solved using specific thin-walled theory. This theory is not currently
implemented in this solver and hence it is not recommended to calculate the value of ‘J’ for thin-walled
sections in this case. Section shapes that are considered to be too thin will prompt a warning message to
the user, given at the point during the wizard when the value of J is calculated.
Internally, the solver makes use of the ‘membrane analogy’ to construct and solve a particular case of the
Poisson problem. The differential equations along with the specific boundary conditions prescribed for the
torsion problem are assembled and solved numerically by application of boundary element method (BEM)
in a dedicated solver.
Perimeter Sections
There are two types of geometric section: perimeter and line segment. Both are described in terms of 2D
vertices. A perimeter section is specified by a polygon to define the section outline and, optionally, one or
more further polygons to define voids within the outline.
The syntax for geometric sections gives instructions for constructing the shape of the section. The section
must start with a flag to give the type of geometric section. This followed by a series of instructions defining
the shape of the section, separated by spaces. The instructions that are used are:
Perimeter P
Line segment L
and
element axes. (See Section Profile for more information on this.) This translation happens automatically
requiring no action by the user.
The available units are m, cm, mm, ft and in, defaulting to mm.
So for example a rectangular section 200mm wide and 400mm deep defined as a perimeter section
would be:
GEO P M(0|0) L(200|0) L(200|400) L(0|400) L(0|0)
or a hollow rectangular section 200mm wide and 400mm deep with wall thickness of 10mm defined as a
perimeter:
GEO P M(0|0) L(200|0) L(200|400) L(0|400) L(0|0)
M(10|10) L(190|10) L(190|390) L(10|390) L(10|10)
M o r e:
Geometric section properties
The section is described by a series of “Thickness”, “Line to” and “Move to” instructions. An initial
“Thickness” is specified; this is applied to all segments until another “Thickness” is specified. After the
initial “Thickness” the start position in specified by a “Move to” instruction. Thereafter, “Line to” and “Move
to” instructions are given to complete the definition of the section.
The centroid is calculated for the section and the section is assumed to lie centred at its centroid, – not at
the datum coordinates.
The shear factors, K y and K z, are not calculated for line segment sections and are set as zero.
The syntax for geometric sections gives instructions for constructing the shape of the section. The section
must start with a flag to give the type of geometric section. This followed by a series of instructions defining
the shape of the section, separated by spaces. The instructions that are used are:
Perimeter P
Line segment L
and
element axes. (See Section Profile for more information on this.) This translation happens automatically
requiring no action by the user.
The available units are m, cm, mm, ft and in, defaulting to mm.
Definition
Properties
This shows the values of the section properties as used in analysis (i.e. with modification factors applied).
Depending on the stiffness calculation option the modifiers will apply to either the yz or uv values.
Convert to Perimeter
At times it may be useful to convert a section from a catalogue section or a standard shape to a perimeter
(typically where the section may require some adjustment). When this option is selected the original
section can no longer be modified.
Export
The export option allows the section shape to be exported to a DXF file. The section is exported as a series
of LWPOLYLINE entities.
More
The 'More' option displays a more comprehensive list of (unmodified) section property values.
For a perimeter section the section properties are calculated with respect to the coordinate axes using the
following formulae.
1
A xy x y
2
1
Ax xy x y y y
6
1
Ay xy x y x x
6
1
I ox xy x y y 2 yy y 2
12
1
I oy xy x y x 2 xx x 2
12
1
I oxy xy x y 2 xy x y xy 2x y
24
For a line segment section the section properties relative to the coordinate axes are calculated using the
following formulae.
1
A lt
2
1
Ax lt x x
2
1
Ay lt y y
2
2
l2 l2 t2 2 y y
I ox lt x x
12 12l 2 4
2
l2 l2 t2 2 x x
I oy lt y y
12 12l 2 4
l2 t2 x x y y
I oxy lt x x y y
12l 2 4
4a 2 when it is a single closed section
l (a - area enclosed by the line segments)
J t
lt 3
when it is not a single closed section
3
Then, for both perimeter and line segment sections, the centroid of the section and the section properties
with respect to the centroid are calculated as follows.
Ay
xc
A
Ax
yc
A
I xx I ox A y c2
I yy I oy A xc2
I xy I oxy A xc y c
where ( x, y) are the coordinates of a point and ( x c, y c) are the coordinates of the previous point. The
summation is carried out for each point round the section if it is a perimeter section or for each segment if
it is a line segment section.
Note that the torsion constant, J of Perimeter sections, and shear factors, K y and K z of both perimeter and
line segment sections are not calculated and are set to zero.
Definition
Basic Definition
The basic reference point definition allows the reference point on the section – the point at which axial
loads are assumed to apply to be moved from the centroid. This means that axial loads will introduce
bending into the section.
Offset
The basic reference point definition can then be further adjusted by applying an offset specified in terms of
a vector.
Definition
Cold formed
Hot rolled/finished
Welded
The other parameters related to various ratios and reduction factors associated with the section and used
in the design.
Definition
Bending Axes
The section can be considered to bend about either the local (y & z) axes or the principal (u & v) axes. So
for an asymmetric section restrained by a slab it may be preferable to ignore the Iy z term and just have
bending about the y & z axes.
In defining a section the reference point may be adjusted, but this can be overridden for the analysis if
required.
Modifiers
Modifiers can be applied to any of the section properties. The modification can be
Of significance is the special case of modifying the Ky & Kz values to 0. In this case beam elements are
considered as simple beams, rather than shear beams.
Stress Calculation
Applying modifiers to the section means that the stress calculation is not straightforward, so there are
options:
Don't calculate
Miscellaneous
The clear modifiers option returns the properties to standard properties derived from the section.
The simple beams option sets the shear factor to zero so that shear stiffness terms are not included in the
calculation.
The multiple sections option is mainly intended for situations where there are several physical sections
modelled as a single section property but where the properties are simply a multiple of the base
properties, for example a hanger which may comprise two identical bars which act together but don’t
interact with each other.
The actual pool referenced by a member will depend on the member type and material type.
Definition
Name
Sections
The Sections are a list of section that are included in the pool. This attribute is set for the individual
sections.
Definition
Name
K(i,j)
The stiffness terms defining the upper triangle of the 6 x 6 stiffness matrix. The stiffness matrix must be
positive definite.
Definition
Name
Type
Lock-up – single translational degree of freedom, active when the spring reaches the lock up limit
Gap – single translational degree of freedom, active when the gap closes
Friction – three translational degrees of freedom, active when a gap closes, and generates a transverse
friction force
If it is linear spring or tension only or compression only springs, springs stiffness can be defined here
directly. Most spring types only require a single stiffness, but the general spring has six degree of freedom
and six spring stiffness need to be defined, if type is friction, three friction coefficients need to be defined. If
spring is nonlinear, the reference to the nonlinear spring curve (material curve) need to be defined here
and no stiffness definitions are needed, the relationships of force-displacement and moment-rotation of
the spring are defined by the referred nonlinear spring curve.
Material Matrix
For a spring defined by a matrix the stiffness characteristics are defined in a material matrix. This allows
for definition of the 6 × 6 stiffness matrix. This can only be referenced by nodal springs.
Lock-up
Lock up elements have no stiffness until the element locks up at the specified displacements. At this point
the element behaves as a spring with the defined stiffness. The lock up for tension and compression are
both defined as positive values.
Friction Coefficient
For a friction spring the transverse (shear) forces are limited to the by the friction coefficient × the normal
force.
Damping Ratio
The damping ratio is used during a dynamic analysis to calculate an estimate of the modal damping ratio.
Spring Properties
Spring elements define both conventional 'springs', but also other 1D elements which are not defined as
beams or bars. The characteristics of these are described below.
Tension only – uniaxial nonlinear spring element. This element have no stiffness under compressive
loading and creates penetration without any resistance.
Compression only – uniaxial nonlinear spring element. This element have no stiffness when subjected
tensile loading/displacements. Under tensile loading this element will create gap.
Connector – six degree of freedom linear spring element coupling two different parts. Program
automatically calculate the stiffness for this element using total stiffness at connecting nodes.
Lock-up – uniaxial nonlinear spring element, active when the spring displacement reaches the lock up
limit. Similar to the Connector element, program automatically calculate the stiffness for this element
using total stiffness at connecting nodes. This stiffness can be overridden by providing stiffness greater
than zero in the element property definition.
Gap – special type of compression only spring element with initial gap. Initial gap is calculated from the
element nodal positions. This element will have zero stiffness in the analysis while the displacements
are within the initial gap or element is subjected to tensile loading. Program automatically calculate the
stiffness for this element using total stiffness at connecting nodes. By default program assigns very high
stiffness. This stiffness can be overridden by providing stiffness greater than zero in the element
property definition.
Friction – Gap element with two additional translational degrees of freedom. When axial stiffness is
active, this element will generate frictional resistance in transverse directions. This element will have
zero stiffness in the analysis while the axial displacements are within the initial gap or element is
subjected to tensile loading. Program automatically calculate the stiffness for this element using total
stiffness at connecting nodes. By default program assigns very high stiffness. This stiffness can be
overridden by providing stiffness greater than zero in the element property definition.
Usually Compression only elements subjected to tensile loading requires large number of iteration to
converge, if the stiffness is high.
To identify the elements, which creates the convergence issue, start the analysis using very low axial
stiffness and check for the convergence.
Verify the results and check if the elements are subjected to tensile loading or creates gap then leave
the stiffness of those elements as it is or reduce even further to increase the convergence.
If the results of the spring elements indicates large penetration beyond acceptable limit, then slowly
increase the axial stiffness for those elements until acceptable results obtained.
In case, the non-convergence is due to rigid body motion between the two bodies replace the elements
with friction elements.
Similar to Compression only elements, use very low stiffness and check for the convergence by running
the analysis.
If the results creates large gap beyond acceptable limit, increase the axial stiffness of the elements.
Friction Element
This type of elements have the convergence issues either when they are subjected tensile loading or
when these elements are subjected lateral movement.
To avoid convergence issues due to tensile loading on the element follow similar steps defined for
Compression only elements.
To avoid non-convergence due to lateral movement, start providing transverse stiffness equal to 1/10th
stiffness in normal direction or less. Increase the stiffness gradually for the elements subjected to
compressive loadings.
If the property is used by a node, the nodal constraint axis of the node will be used as the spring property
axis.
Definition
Name
Mass, Inertia
This defines the mass and a (symmetric) inertia tensor. The terms that make up the inertia tensor are
described more fully in the theory section.
Care should be taken in defining the off-diagonal terms to ensure a positive definite matrix so that the
resulting principal inertias are positive.
Mass Modifiers
The mass modifiers allow the mass to be varied in the different directions. These can be specified as a
mass value or as proportion of the actual mass. This only applies to mass and in dynamic analysis.
Typically this is used to add mass in some directions when a structure is in contact with a fluid.
Property Type
Name
Color
Define the color of the elements that use this property when element coloring by property on graphic view
Element Type
The types of 2D properties available will depend on the structure type. For the 2D structure types (plane
stress, plane strain and axisymmetric) only the type corresponding to the structure type is available.
Likewise for non 2D structure types the plane strain and axisymmetric types are not available, although the
plane stress option is. The types are:
Plane Strain – plane effects only (no out of plane strain), it is only active/used when the Structure Type is
"Plane strain"
Axisymmetric – in plane effects only (the out of plane direction is the hoop direction), it is only active/
used when the Structure Type is "Axisymmetric"
Curved Shell – a general shell element which may be curved out of plane, Curved shell cannot be used
in GSA analysis at present, it can be used to build a GSA model and export to other software to do the
analysis
Load Panel – an element which is used only for the distribution of loads. It has no stiffness, so does not
need material or thickness parameters. For more information see 2D Loads on Load Panels
Axis
Users may assign an axis to be used to define the orientation of 2D elements. If the axis is set to
“Topological” the orientation of the element will be determined by the first two nodes of the elements and
the orientation angle. If an axis (global or user defined) is assigned here then that axis will be projected on
to the element plane to determine its orientation.
Material
The material definition breaks into three parts. The first part is the material type. it is one of:
Steel
Concrete - if it is concrete, then concrete slab property can be set for RC slab design
FRP
Aluminium
Timber
Glass
Fabric
The second part is material grade index that this 2D property refers to. The material grade with actual
material design properties is defined in material grade table. If material type is assigned and material
grade is defined, analysis can use this material grade as the analysis material when "from Grade" is used
in "Analysis" column.
The third part is the Analysis material index that this 2D property refers to. The analysis material property
can be defined in Analysis Material table. If analysis material is set to "from Grade", then the material
properties defined by the material grade will be used in the analysis.
Profile/Thickness
In the simplest case this defines the thickness of the 2D elements. No thickness definition is needed if
material type is fabric, and a unit thickness is assumed for plane strain and axisymmetric structure types.
For a shell element there are four options for defining the property
Decking slab – a composite concrete slab based on steel decking and is defined on the next page of
the dialog
Hollow – a hollow core concrete slab and is defined on the next page of the dialog
Layered composite – a layered shell that needs to be exported to LS DYNA for analysis and is defined
on the next page of the dialog
Reference Surface
The reference surface is a virtual plane that the in-plane forces are assumed to act in a 2D element. If the
reference surface is the top or bottom surface, in-plane loads will also generate a bending moment. The
reference surface setting is only used by shell elements. There are two parameters to define the reference
surface, "Surface" defines top, middle or bottom of the 2D elements as the reference surface, "Offset"
defines an extra offset from the selected top, middle or bottom surface. If offset is zero, then the selected
Property Modifiers
There are four factors, three for stiffness modifications and one for volume modification. The three
stiffness modifiers are for in-plane stiffness, bending stiffness and through thickness shear stiffness, the
volume modifier is for modifying the volume that is used to calculate the mass and self-weight of the
elements. By using the property modifiers, the 2D element properties can be different from those
calculated by the given thickness which may be useful to deal with situations such as cracked concrete
slabs (reduced bending stiffness due to cracking) or hollow slabs where the stiffness of the slab in
bending and in-plane will be less than that for a solid slab.
The modifiers can be an absolute values or a percentage of the calculated values from the given
thickness. For Plane Strain, Axisymmetric or Fabric elements, these modifications are not relevant so they
are not enabled.
Additional Mass
Normally the gravity loads on a 2D element are calculated from the density and thickness or modified
volume. Fabric elements have no thickness but it may still be desirable to assign a mass, or where a slab
is modelled which has a non-structural screed that adds mass. Both of these situations are provided for
by the additional mass per unit area. This mass is in addition to the mass implied by the thickness and
density.
The support pattern and reference edge are applicable only to load panel elements. The support pattern
defines the number of edges to which the load is transferred and the reference edge sets the selection of
the free/loaded edges. For more information see 2D Loads on Load Panels
Definition
Decking option
The decking can either be user defined, where the thickness and dimensions defining the profile must be
specified, or selected from a catalogue of standard decking profiles.
The angle of the decking determines how the slab stiffness are determined. At 0° the properties calculated
are for the slab in the slab span direction and the concrete in the trough is assumed to contribute to the
stiffness, while at 90° the troughs are ignored.
Profile
The profile description is either a reference to the selected standard profile e.g. CAT RLSD Ribdeck AL
(0.9) of a string of the form 'STD D 50 0.9 300 120 140 10 40' where the numeric values related to the
depth, thickness and profile dimensions.
Syntax
The description of hollow slab profile is
where
D – decking slab
b1, ... b5 – the dimensions which define the shape of the profile
Definition
Slab thickness
The top and bottom zones are assumed to have the same thickness and the material is assumed to be
concentrated in these zones.
Typically the central part of the slab will have some material so a percentage can be specified here. A zero
percentage will give the same results as a solid slab
Syntax
The description of hollow slab profile is
where
H – hollow slab
Effective depth
These are the effective depths for bending and in-plane stiffness calculations, based on an overall
thickness, D, top and bottom zones of thickness, t, and proportion of material in void, v
Dˆ vD 1 v 2t
For bending effects the effective thickness that gives an equivalent second moment of area is:
~
D vD 1 v 3
6 D 2t 12 Dt 2 8t 3
Definition
The composite shell is defined from the bottom up in layers. Each layer is defined by an analysis material,
a thickness and an optional angle for orthotropic materials. The total thickness of the shell is determined
from the sum of the layer thicknesses.
Syntax
The description of hollow slab profile is
where
L – layered slab
The material, thickness and angle are repeated for each layer.
Definition
Name
Element Type
Whether it is a solid or infinite element (infinite elements are used to model the surrounding areas in soil
modelling.
Axis
Users may assign an axis to be used to define the orientation of32D elements. If the axis is set to local the
orientation of the element will be determined from the topology (point 1 and point 2 will be taken to define
the x axis). If another axis (global or user defined) is assigned here then that axis will be projected on to the
element to determine its orientation.
Material Analysis
The material definition breaks into three parts. The first part is the material type. This is one of:
Steel – gives option to assign to various steel design properties to the section
The grade defines the actual material design properties, which depend on the material type. New grades
can be initialized from the standard grades for the current design code. The final material attribute is the
analysis material. This defines a set of elastic properties. If a grade is specified it is possible to refer to
this for the analysis material (from Grade). In this case the required analysis properties are inferred from
the grade.
Definition
Name
Type of Linkage
The type should be set to “All” to make a link completely rigid. There are however many cases in which it is
useful to make a link rigid in a plane (for example in modelling floor slabs). The following planes can be
specified:
yz y z xx
zx x z yy
xy x y zz
The “pin” linkage types do not include the rotational degrees of freedom at the constrained node in the
rigid body displacements. Note that the “pin” condition applies only to the constrained node - the rotational
degrees of freedom at the primary are always retained.
The above options can be used in both the Gss and GsRelax solvers. A further set of options are available
for use only in the GsRelax solver:
Custom – the link works like a joint linking the nodes in the specified coupled directions
Constraints
More details are given in Link elements and rigid constraints. Care should be taken to avoid conflicting
constraints.
Definition
Name
Stiffness
The stiffness of cables is specified directly rather than through the area and Young’s modulus, which are
less clearly defined for cables. This stiffness is equivalent to AE (area × elastic modulus).
Mass
For gravity loading and dynamic analysis it is necessary to be able to associate a mass with cables. This
is specified as a mass per unit length.
Temperature Coefficient
To allow for thermal effects in cables the temperature coefficient of expansion is required. Used in the
same way as the temperature coefficient of expansion for beam and bar elements.
Damping Ratio
The damping ratio is used during a dynamic analysis to calculate an estimate of the modal damping ratio.
Definition
Name
Type
Axial
Torsional
General
Dashpot constant
The relevant dashpot constant must be supplied. x for an axial damper, xx for a torsional damper and all
six for a general damper.
If the property is used to by a node, the nodal constraint axis of the node will be used as the damper
property axis.
Spacer elements are only used in form-finding analysis. They are ignore in all other solutions.
Definition
Name
Spacer Axis
The axis number, which is only used when the spacer leg length type is “Projected Ratio”. (Global or user
defined axis, local axis is not available.)
Type
Geodesic – Geodesic spacers will reposition the nodes in 2 directions within the tangent plane. The
tangent plane is defined by the normal vector of the node on a 2D fabric surface.
Free – Free spacers will reposition the node in only one direction; the tangent direction is defined by the
two legs of the spacer connected to the node.
Bar – Bar spacers will reposition the nodes in all three directions. Bar spacers can be imagined as Tie
elements except the spacer element length will be adjusted during form-finding analysis to meet the
nodal spacing requirement.
Proportional – Final spacer leg length will be proportional to the original leg length.
Ratio – Final leg length of the spacer elements will form a geometric series using the ratio defined in
the Spacer leg ratio column.
XY plane projected ratio – Final projected leg length of the spacer on the xy plane of the Spacer Axis will
form a geometric series with the ratio defined by the spacer leg ratio.
X axis projected ratio – Final projected leg length of the spacer on the x Spacer Axis will form a
geometric series with the ratio defined by the spacer leg ratio.
Spacer stiffness
If the spacer is imagined as a Tie element, the spacer stiffness is equal to EA (where E is the Young’s
modulus and A is section area). If zero is specified, a default value will be used in form-finding analysis.
This is only used when spacer leg length type is Ratio or Projected Ratio. For example,
li 1
r
li
Definition
Node and Direction
A node and direction identifies a degree of freedom (row or column in the structure matrices), so this
identifies the stiffness and mass to associate with a particular degree of freedom.
The is the stiffness and mass associated with the defined degree of freedom. If only static analysis is
required then the mass terms can be ignored.
Note
The terms defined for stiffness and mass should not lead to non-positive definite matrices.
Definition
When the Environmental Impact Wizard is accessed from the Material Wizard for a concrete material type,
separate tabs are offered to enable environmental parameters to be specified for both concrete and rebar.
There are two types of form finding properties: force density 1D and force density 2D for 1D and 2D
elements respectively and soap film 1D and soap film 2D for 1D and 2D elements respectively.
Force Density
The final axial force ( f) and the final length ( l) of the element that uses this property will satisfy the following
equation
f = l × FD
where FD is the force density.
Axis
If a local axis is used, the force in the Bar, Tie and Strut elements that use this property will be equal to that
defined in Force column.
If a user defined axis number is input, the projected element force along the X axis direction of this axis set
will be constant and equal to the force defined. This can be used to model prestressing using hanging
weights supported by inclined ties. Here the force is constant in a projected direction, and the element
force varies as the element local axis moves.
Force
The constant force (in the x-axis direction of the axis defined by column) of Bar, Tie and Strut elements that
use this property in soap-film form-finding analysis. The Young’s modulus of these elements will be set to
zero in the form-finding analysis in order to achieve constant axial force.
Force density
The final axial stress (σ) and the final area ( A) of the 2D element that uses this property will satisfy the
following equation
σ = A × FD
where FD is the force density.
Stress in x
The constant stress in x direction of the 2D elements that use this property in soap-film form-finding
analysis. The Young’s modulus of these elements will be set to zero in the form-finding analysis in order
to achieve constant in-plane force.
Stress in y
The constant stress in y direction of the 2D elements that use this property in soap-film form-finding
analysis. The Young’s modulus of these elements will be set to zero in the form-finding analysis in order
to achieve constant in-plane force.
Definition
Name
The name is used only as a label for the slab design property.
Grades
The grade of reinforcement. This refers to a material entry in the reinforcement grades module.
Bar Direction
The bars are aligned in two directions A and B, relative to the element x axis. Normally these will be
orthogonal, but the angle between the two directions can be adjusted to suit.
These distances locate the position of the bars from the top and bottom of the slab. As no bar size is
specified these are distances to the centre of the reinforcement.
The minimum area of reinforcement to be provided in the top or bottom face. A minimum area of
compression reinforcement for each face in each direction can also be specified – either according to
code or a user specified value.
4.8.2 Calculation
A number of parameters which control the calculation can be adjusted.
Definition
Solution Method
The information below presents a practical overview of the two methods. More detail on the RC Slab
analysis procedure is available in the RC Slab theory section.
Two solution methods are available; a ‘fast’ method and a ‘rigorous’ method.
Fa s t m e th o d
The ‘fast’ method selects a faster non-iterative solution method wherever the loading is considered to be
either predominately in-plane or predominately out-of-plane. For each element position where this be a
reasonable assumption, this method will yield faster analysis times. When the loading is not considered
to be predominately in-plane or out-of-plane, the method will fall-back to the slower iterative technique. The
decision is made independently for each element position, on a position by position basis.
The user may also restrict use of the non-iterative technique to any case where the total reinforcement
area is below a certain percentage of the total cross-sectional area. Should the total reinforcement
calculated by the ‘fast’ method be above this threshold, the iterative technique is used.
Any use of the non-iterative technique will typically lead to slightly more conservative results. Note that by
design, its use is limited to those cases that represent the most favourable trade-offs between analysis
time and approximation accuracy.
R ig o r o u s m e th o d
The ‘rigorous’ method selects the iterative solution technique in all cases. This approach will always yield
the most accurate result available, regardless of any opportunity for a performance/approximation trade-off.
A common work-flow scenario may be one that adopts the ‘fast’ method during the early stages of design,
before later switching exclusively to the ‘rigorous’ approach.
Note that the ‘rigorous’ method is equivalent to the (sole) solution technique prior to GSA version 8.7.
Design Thickness
By default the thickness used is the thickness defined in 2D element property for the analysis. If this
proves difficult to reinforce the slab, the thickness can be overridden as a trial thickness to see if a solution
can be found without the need to change 2D element property thickness and redo the analysis. Once a
suitable thickness is worked out, it can be used as the slab thickness in 2D element property, in this case,
a re-analysis should be carried out after modifying the analysis (2D element property) thickness.
Eccentricity
The minimum eccentricity to be used in the design, it is normally taken from the relevant design code, but it
can be overridden and defined explicitly.
Additional eccentricity is used to consider the second order effect (increase) on the applied moment due to
the slenderness of the slab. It is an user defined parameter to incorporate the second order moment if the
slab is slender.
Two-way spanning modifier, normally 0 should be used for for one-way spanning slab and 50 to 100% for
two-way spanning slab, see details for how to work out the two-way spanning modifier on RC slab theory
manual.
Stress/strain limits
The value of x/dmax will normally be that specified in the design code but can be overridden if required.
The design strain limit (εsu) limits the allowable strain in the section. This may be a function of both the
concrete and reinforcement material. The crack rotation limit is specified in some of the codes, but is
normally 90°.
For codes (ACI and Australian codes) which implement a strength reduction factors there is a φ factor for
in-plane compression and a φ factor for in-plane tension & bending. Depending on the forces/moment on
the section the φ value will vary between the limits for compression and tension. The actual reduction
value used will depend on the actual strain plane across the slab.
Note
Typical compression and axial tension & bending reduction values are 0.65 and 0.9 respectively.
4.9 Nodes
Nodes are used to locate points in space. Elements are located in space by referring to nodes in their
topology lists. Loads may be applied to nodes. The Node Definition dialog may be used to define node all
attributes of nodes.
Basic Definition
Node Coordinates
Coordinates are defined with respect to the current grid plane, which defaults to the global grid (i.e. global
axis directions). Coordinates are stored in global axes, regardless of the current grid plane. For structures
specified as “Plane”, only X and Z are required; for “Grid” only X and Y.
The ‘Sculpt | Node Operations | Convert Nodes to Standard’ and ‘... | Convert Nodes to Grid’ commands
may be used to convert the node status, maintaining their position in global space.
Constraint Axis
Constraint axes are used for specifying restraints, joints, constraint equations and applied displacements
and results at nodes, in non-global directions.
The constraint axes default is global, but user-defined axes can be specified by typing the axis record
number as specified in the Axes Table.
Restraint Direction
Any combination of translational and rotational restraint can be specified for each node. Restraints will be
in global or user-specified axis directions, depending on the constraint axis.
Nodal Stiffness
Nodes can be assigned a stiffness. The stiffness is specified as a property. These properties act in the
constraint axis system of the node.
Nodal Damping
Nodes can be assigned a damping. The damping is specified as a property. These properties act in the
constraint axis system of the node.
Nodal Mass
Nodes can be assigned a mass and inertia. This is specified as a property. These properties act in the
constraint axis system of the node.
The node definition dialog is used to define or modify a node. This dialog can be activated from Nodes
table view using the wizard button or from a Graphic View by selecting a node and then “Edit Node” from
the right-click menu.
The units are displayed in the top right corner of the dialog.
Name
The name is used only as a label for the node. (default: blank)
Coordinates
The location of the node in the global axis system in the current units. Plane structures have only x and z
coordinates; grid structures have only x and y coordinates. In these cases the coordinate that is not
relevant is greyed.
Constraints
The constraints define if the node is fixed in particular directions. This is done by selecting an axis,
normally global and selecting the directions to restrain. Directions that do not apply for that structure type
are disabled. The restraint types Free, Pin and Encastre options provide a shortcut to setting the flags for
the individual degrees of freedom. The symmetry options in the xy plane, yz plane and zx plane provide
shortcuts for applying the boundary conditions corresponding to symmetry in these planes. The symmetry
options do not unset other restraint conditions.
See als o :
Axis Sets
Definition Axes
Generalised Restraints
Conflicting constraints
4.10 Members
Members are the entities that are the building block for GSA models. Members can be 1D (linear), 2D
(area), or 3D (solid) entities. Members are defined by topology, so are located with reference to nodes.
Local axis orientations are defined using orientation angles and nodes. 1D members have end fixities
defined by releases and release stiffnesses.
Members should not be confused with elements, which are used for analysis.
Each member is assigned a property number and a group number. The property number is used to
assign the section or 2D property and through that the material information.
Members, as opposed to elements, are suitable for coordination and round-tripping with BIM software
programs. In BIM oriented workflows, the design layer containing members interacts with both BIM models
as well as the GSA analysis model.
This wizard can be activated from the Members table view using the wizard button or from a Graphic View
by selecting an member and then 'Edit Member' from the right-click menu. The basic definition includes
geometry and topology. This leads to separate pages for end conditions and effective lengths for steel and
concrete members design_properties. Finally offsets can be assigned.
Member forces are required for the design calculations. Since analysis results are calculated for
elements, not members, it is necessary for there to be a relationship between elements and members.
This relationship is formed automatically by GSA when generating elements for analysis from members.
4.10.1 Definition
The member wizard can be activated from the Members table view using the wizard button or from a
Graphic View by selecting a member and then “Edit Member” from the right-click menu.
Definition
Name
Type
Members are assigned a type. This embraces both one dimensional (1D) and two dimensional (2D)
members:
The ‘void cutter’ member types can be used to create voids in intersecting or coplanar 2D members.
Property
These are the properties that define the type, shape and dimensions of the section or 2D properties. Either
choose a property from the list or type in a property number.
Group
This defines the group to which the member belongs. No further information is required to define a group.
Topology
The geometry of the member is defined through the topology. The syntax for member topology depends on
the member type:
1D members
2D members
3D members are defined by a closed boundary mesh of triangles and/or triangle strips.
To create a 3D cube, where the base is a clockwise loop of nodes 1-4 and the top is a clockwise loop of
nodes 5-8 the topology is: ‘1 2 4 3; 5 6 8 7; 1 5 2 6 3 7 4 8 1 5’ (where the first triangle strip is the base,
second the top and third the sides of the cube).
Orientation node and angle
The orientation of 1D members is controlled by an orientation angle and an orientation node. The
orientation node along with the end nodes defines the xy plane of the member.
For 1D members the orientation angle defines the rotation of the members about its axis from the default
orientation, so for example setting an I beam to work as an H beam. For 2D members the orientation
angle relates to a rotation about an out-of-plane axis from the local x direction defined by the properties.
The angle is measured in degrees.
Releases
The releases are used when mapping members to elements to provide appropriate element releases in
the analysis model.
This specifies the member conditions that apply at the ends of a 1D member. See the design properties
for more information.
Meshing
When creating elements from members (Model | Coordination Tools | Create Elements from Members)
GSA needs to know how to create element meshes. Typically the meshing will take account of other
members, but the members can be meshed independently or excluded altogether. The resulting mesh
will be influenced by the target mesh size for the resulting elements.
Tapered 1D member
An 1D member can be tapered from one end to the next if the member refers to a section that includes two
different size sections. See section definition on how to define section for tapered members.
End restraints
End restraints define how the end connections of the member affect the effective length calculations (for
both Steel and Concrete members). These are applicable only to 1D members.
The description specifies the degrees of freedom that are restrained by the connection. Individual
rotational and translational terms can be restrained but the most common connections can be selected
Pinned – top flange laterally restrained. Nominal torsional restraint. No restraint against rotation
Fixed – encastre
Free – no restraint
Full rotational – top flange laterally restrained. Nominal torsional restraint. Both flanges fully restrained
against rotation on plan
Partial rotational – top flange laterally restrained. Nominal torsional restraint. Both flanges partially
restrained against rotation on plan
Custom – determine the detail of the particular connection. Note that inconsistent combinations of
restraints will be automatically updated
Effective Length
The options to determine effective lengths of 1D members are
Automatic – uses only the member end conditions and the geometry of the structure to define the
effective lengths in accordance with the design specification.
Define the internal restraint on the member – both point restraints (where another member is
connected) and span restraints (such as a slab on the top flange of a beam)
The 'All Spans' drop down provides a shortcut to set the restraint condition for all spans along the member.
The Advanced option allows restraints along individual spans to be specified.
The 'All Points' drop down provides a shortcut to set the restraint condition for all points along the member.
The Advanced option allows restraints along at points to be specified.
This is the height at which the load is assumed to act which can have a destabilizing effect on the
member. By default this is relative to the shear centre, but can be relative to the top or bottom flanges.
Note
GSA automatically detects and registers points and spans based on the nodes and elements along the
member. When a Design Task is executed, GSA automatically generates the member internal restraints to
assign point and span restraints. If the 'All Spans' member restraint is set to advanced the spans restraint
conditions can be specified for individual spans. Likewise if the 'All Points' member restraint is set to
advanced the spans restraint conditions can be specified for individual positions along the member.
Some of the attributes of a restraint being set in combination with others imply other restraints are also
set, even though the user has not specifically stated that the additional restraint axes are restrained. For
example, if both the top and bottom flanges of a member are laterally restrained, then it is clear that St.
Venant torsion is also achieved at this location as well. Similarly, if the top flange is restrained and full St.
Venant torsion restraint is also manually restrained, then the bottom flange is assumed also to have been
restrained. With regard to warping restraint, a more conservative approach is taken, and minor axis
bending restraint is not assumed to imply warping restraint of the flanges, nor is warping restraint
assumed to imply any overall bending restraint of the section. This is because (using an example)
although an RHS section may have its “major-axis” flanges welded to a stiff end plate (thus achieving
flange warping restraint), the webs could be free. This would allow significant minor axis bending flexibility
in comparison to a section that had been welded all round. Inconsistent end restraints are automatically
updated to ensure that sensible conditions are set.
Partial
Full
Bottom Flange Warping None
Partial
Full
Torsion None St. Venant torsion restraintFull restraint is assumed
if both flanges are laterally
Friction/ Bearing on
restrained.
support only
Partial
Full
Major Axis Rotation None Major (stiff) axis restraint
Partial
Full
Minor Axis Rotation None Minor (weak) axis restraint
Partial
Full
You can specify the restraint conditions for individual points if you set the 'All Points' member restraint
option to 'Advanced'.
Internal Points
Add, Delete, Modify, +, -
Buttons to add, delete and modify point restraints. Add and Modify invoke the Restraint Definition dialog for
points, which then allows translational and rotational modes to be set. The 'Point' field in the Restraint
Definition dialog relates the index of the node for which the restraint is being modified. For example if the
internal nodes along the member are 3, 6, and 5, point 1 edits the restraint at node 3, point 2 edits the
restraint at node 6 and so on.
You can specify the restraint conditions for individual spans if you set the 'All Spans' member restraint
option to 'Advanced'.
Spans
Add, Delete, Modify, +, -
Buttons to add, delete, and modify span restraints. Add and Modify invoke the Restraint Definition dialog for
spans. As with point restraints, the 'Span' field relates to the index of the span along the member.
4.10.3 Miscellaneous
Where a member may have offsets these are defined here.
Members also support ‘Automatic axial offset’. This option, when checked, applies offsets automatically
based on the geometry of the member, and that of the member(s) that connect to it. Automatic offsets are
only applied when the member has an I, rectangular, or a circular section profile. The value of the offset is
set to half the section depth (or width, as applicable) of the connecting member section when the
connecting angle is 90o (allowing for a tolerance).
Definition
Time line & exposure
The member can be assigned timing information. This includes the time the member is created and
removed (a removal time of zero means it is not removed). For concrete members there is also the option
to specify the start of drying ad the age at which it is loaded. The exposed faces can also be specified.
Fire resistance
The required fire resistance can be specified as 30 , 60, 90 , 120, 180 or 240 minutes.
Allows offsets to be specified at the nodes. Offsets are in local axis directions. Two kinds of offset are
defined
axial offsets – which are in the axial direction towards the centre of the member, and
Automatic axial offsets will apply an offset to the end of a beam based on the shape and dimensions of the
column to which it is attached.
Dummy member
This is a member which is defined, but does not participate in the design process.
The definition of the member y and z axes then depends on the member's orientation, verticality,
orientation node and orientation angle. The member is considered vertical in GSA if the element is within
the “vertical element tolerance”.
Non-vertical members
If an orientation node is not specified, the member z axis of a non-vertical member defaults to lying in the
vertical plane through the member and is directed in the positive sense of the global Z direction. The
member y axis is orthogonal to the member z and x axes. The member y and z axes may be rotated out of
this default position by the orientation angle.
Vertical members
If an orientation node is not specified, the member y axis of a vertical member defaults to being parallel to
and is directed in the positive sense of the global Y axis. The member z axis is orthogonal to the member x
and y axes. The member y and z axes may be rotated out of this default position by the orientation angle.
If an orientation node is specified, the member xy plane is defined by the member x axis and a vector from
the first topology position to the orientation node, such that the node has a positive y coordinate. The
member z axis is orthogonal to the member x and y axes. Specifying an orientation node overrides the
“vertical member” and “non-vertical member” definitions described above. The member y and z axes may
be rotated out of this default position by the orientation angle.
With an orientation angle the member y and z axes are rotated from their default positions about the
member x axis by the orientation angle in the direction following the right hand screw rule. This occurs
regardless of whether or not the member is vertical and of whether or not an orientation node is specified.
4.11 Blocks
The block wizard can be activated from the Block table view using the wizard button. Blocks allow for rapid
creation of models by allow replicas of groups of members to be defined.
Definition
Name
Members
Replicate
The replicate feature allows multiple copies of a member to exist in the model. The copies (replicas)
remain linked to the geometry of the original member.
Offset spacings can be defined in the global x, y and z directions. This can be in the format "4 4 4" to define
three replicas at 4m spacing or using the shorthand "3@4" to create the same result. The syntax types can
be mixed e.g. "6 3@4 8" to expand to five replicas with spacings of "6 4 4 4 8".
4.12 Elements
An Element is an entity that is analysed. Its topology and position is defined using Nodes and Offsets. Its
orientation is defined by the element axis set which depends on the topology of the element and the
orientation node and angle. Its end fixity is defined partly by the behaviour of the Element Type and partly by
the element Releases.
Elements can be created via the Element wizard or via the data tables.
The types of element offered depend on the structure type specified. The definition of the element
behaviour varies with the solver chosen in the Analysis Wizard.
Each element is assigned a property number and a group number. The property number is used to assign
stiffnesses, material and other relevant properties to the element in the appropriate properties table. The
group number can be used for data management.
In general Elements are treated as individual entities. However there are two element types that are
treated as a linked set of entities during analysis. These are Spacer and Cable Elements. The GsRelax
solver will link adjacent Spacer or Cable elements together to form a chain.
Any element can be made into a dummy element to result in it being ignored during analysis. The dummy
attribute can be set in the Element Wizard or graphically using the Sculpt command to Modify Elements.
Elements should not be confused with members, which are used for design.
Definition
Element Type
1D – Beam Bar, Rod, Tie, Strut, Cable, Spring, Damper, Link, Spacer
Dummy Element
When checked, the element is specified as a dummy element and is ignored during analysis.
This item is labelled according to the element type. It specifies the properties that are used for analysis to
determine the stiffness and mass matrices. Either choose a property from the list or type in a property
number.
Property
The property number defines which properties relate to a particular element. The property table to which
this item points will depend on the element type. Each of the property tables starts with Property Number 1.
Note that each complete linked chain of spacer elements should have a unique spacer property
number. This number should be given to each of the individual 2-noded spacer elements that make
up the chain.
An element can have more than one property definition for form-finding analysis. These are all defined
using the same Property number.
For example if a bar is given property number 3 in the Elements Table all analysis solvers will normally
look for Property 3 in the Beam Sections property table for the required physical properties of the bar.
However, if the analysis selected is soap film form-finding, Property 3 in the 1-d soap-film form finding
properties table will be used instead if information has been input. Similarly, if the analysis selected is
force-density form-finding, Property 3 in the 1-d force-density form finding properties table will be used
instead if information has been input.
Beams, bars, ties, struts and 2D elements that require material definitions reference these through the
relevant property table.
Group
The user can split the structure into Groups of elements, which can be used to:
reduce the quantity of tabular output or clarify plots, when only nominated group(s) are shown.
Topology
All elements are located in space through the nodes to which they attach. The number of nodes defining
the topology depends on the element type:
beams, bars, ties, struts and springs have two topology items;
For 1D elements the order in which the topology is defined will determine the local x direction. For link
elements the first node in the topology list becomes the primary node. In the Gss solver this implies a
constraint on the other (constrained) node.
For 2D elements the topology order is anti-clockwise when looking on the top surface of the element. All
the corner nodes are identified first, followed by the mid-side nodes. The local axes of a 2D element will
depend on the topology order unless overridden by the axis in the “2D Element Properties”.
For 3D elements the topology order is anti-clockwise when looking on the top surface of the element. The
four lower corner nodes are identified first, followed by the upper corner nodes. The local axes of a 2D
element will depend on the topology order unless overridden by the axis in the “2D Element Properties”.
Orientation
The orientation information is used to establish the local axes of an element. The definition of the element
axes depends on the element type, the orientation node and the orientation angle. The angle is measured
in degrees.
Both orientation node and angle are used to define the orientation of beam, bar, tie, strut and spring,
damper elements for which the spring property axis is set to local. The orientation angle is used to define
the orientation of the 2D elements, but this can be modified by the 2D element axis defined in the “2D
Element Properties”. Link, cable and spacer elements use neither orientation node or angle to define the
orientation.
Note for fabric 2D elements the warp axis aligns with the element local x axis.
Offsets
The flexible part of an element may be offset from the nodal positions by specifying an offset. Offsets may
be used where the flexible part of an element is less than the full length of the element or where the
centreline of the element does not coincide with the line between the nodes at each end. For example
where a beam is connected to a large column, it may be desirable to offset the flexible part of the beam by
half the column width from the node. Offsets are treated as rigid arms between the node and the flexible
part of the element.
Care should be exercised before using offsets to ensure that this feature is appropriate. Offsets cannot be
used in GsRelax and attempts to use them will result in an error message.
By default, Beam and 2D elements transfer moment to nodes and adjoining elements; releases may be
applied to these elements to allow free rotational movement.
Releases may be set for each element axis direction, for each topology item.
A release on an offset element is located at the offset position, not at the node.
On beams:
Each degree of freedom at each end of the beam element can be released. If the degree of freedom is
released a stiffness can also be applied to connect the end of the beam to the node.
Fully fixed – the end of the beam is not released in any direction
Release translations – the translation degrees of freedom are released, allowing the end of the element
to translate freely, but the rotations are still fixed to the rest of the structure
Release moments – the moment degrees of freedom are released for the element, but translations are
still fixed to the rest of the structure
Remove stiffness – the releases are retained but the stiffnesses are removed.
Note: care should be taken when applying releases that the resulting element does not become unstable.
Various checks for invalid restraints are carried out to prevent singularities at a later stage in the analysis.
It is invalid to:
release moment degree of freedom at both ends of beam and one of the corresponding translational
releases
Note that releasing the x axis at both ends of a beam element will result in an element free to spin about
its axis. Where a fully released beam is required it is usually preferable to use a Bar element.
Tapered 1D elements
An 1D element can be tapered from one end to the next if this element refers to a section that includes two
different size sections. See section definition on how to define section for tapered elements.
See als o :
Element Types
Element Axes
A rod element is similar to a bar element but also includes torsional stiffness. The orientation of rods is
the same as for a beam element with an orientation node and angle. Releases and offsets are not
allowed.
A strut element is a two-noded element with axial stiffness only. A strut will have zero stiffness under
tensile forces.
If a modal analysis is requested the model must behave linearly. In this case tie and strut behaves exactly
like a bar element.
Spring Elements
A spring is a two-noded element in which stiffnesses are specified explicitly rather than derived from
geometrical properties. The orientation of a spring is defined in the same way as a beam element with the
x axis along the damper and the y and z directions defined by an orientation node and/or orientation angle.
For a zero length spring the orientation is defined by the constraint axis of the first node.
In general a spring is defined by a stiffness, but there are variants on the springs, defined by the spring
properties, that allow more specialized behaviour.
The quad and triangle elements are planar 2D elements. Quad elements can be either linear, with four
nodes, or quadratic, with 8 nodes (four corner nodes and four 'mid-side' nodes). similarly the triangle
elements can be either linear, with three nodes, or quadratic, with 6 nodes (three corner nodes and three
'mid-side' nodes). For plane stress, plain strain or axisymmetric structure types these are limited to acting
purely in the plane of the element, but in a space structure, these can act both in-plane and out of plane (in
bending).
For the non-linear static solver, only the linear variants can be used. In this case the solver converts each
quad element during the analysis into four triangular elements by creating an additional 'node' in the
centre of the quadrilateral.
There are two methods for their out-of-plane formulation (Mindlin or MITC) and two methods for in-plane
behaviour (Bilinear or Allman-Cook). See the Advanced Solver Settings for more details on the differences.
The in-plane variants apply only to linear elements.
The quadratic elements have greater accuracy that the linear elements, but at the expense of a larger
model. Quadrilateral element provide greater accuracy that triangular elements.
Infinite brick and wedge elements are defined by one face which then stretches in an infinite direction in an
orthogonal axis.
Link Elements
A link is a two-noded element which links two nodes rigidly in the directions specified in the Link
Properties module. The element is assumed infinitely stiff in the link direction. Most link types preserve
equilibrium but in the case of a custom link the same restriction apply as for a joint and equilibrium is not
enforced.
Cable Elements
Cable elements are elements with only an axial stiffness. They way these elements work depends of the
normal or sliding options.
A normal cable behaves like a tie element, only the properties are specified differently.
In a dynamic relaxation, non-linear analysis, with the sliding option, cable elements model a sliding cable
chain. The cable chain is multi-noded and takes tension only. Between the two end nodes of the cable
chain forces are transferred to adjoining elements and nodes in a direction perpendicular to the cable
only. Thus maintaining a constant tension along the length of the cable. To define the multi-noded cable
chain input a list of 2 noded individual cable elements. The program connects individual cable elements
together to form a continuous chain of linked elements by linking common node numbers. A cable cannot
be branched.<<add figures here>> Each individual length of cable must have a unique property number.
An isolated (2 noded) cable element will behave as a tie.
Damper Elements
A damper is a two-noded element with no stiffness, so it does not contribute in static analysis. Instead it is
defined by dashpot constants providing viscous damping. The orientation of a damper is defined in the
same way as a beam element with the x axis along the damper and the y and z directions defined by an
orientation node and/or orientation angle. For a zero length damper the orientation is defined by the node
constraint axis of the first node. The damper characteristics are defined in the damper properties.
Spacer Elements
Spacer elements are only for use in soap-film form-finding analysis with the GsRelax solver. Spacer
elements are ignored by the Gss solver. Each Spacer chain joins a line of nodes and is, in effect, the
opposite of the sliding Cable element. Spacer behaviour is described in detail in the Form-Finding theory
section. Spacer chains do not apply any force to their nodes in a direction normal to the surface of the
adjoining triangles and quads. Spacers therefore do not affect the surface that is form-found; they only
control the position of nodes on the surface that is formed. Spacer chains do not exert any force onto the
end nodes of the chain. Because of this, an isolated Spacer element will have no structural effect. To
define the multi-noded Spacer chain input a list of 2 noded individual spacer elements with the same
property number. Each individual spacer chain must have a unique property number. The program
connects individual elements together to form a continuous chain of linked elements by linking common
node numbers. A spacer cannot be branched.
The element axes are defined relative to the undeformed geometry of the structure. For linear analysis
these remain unchanged during the analysis, but for non-linear analysis, element axes will be updated
during the analysis according to the current deformed positions of the elements..
Beam elements including bars, rods, ties and struts are defined by two nodes locating the ends of the
element. The x axis of the element is along the axis of the element (taking account of any offsets) from the
first topology item to the second.
The definition of the element y and z axes then depends on the element's orientation, verticality, orientation
node and orientation angle. The element is considered vertical in GSA if the element is within the “vertical
element tolerance”.
Non-vertical elements
If an orientation node is not specified, the element z axis of a non-vertical element defaults to lying in the
vertical plane through the element and is directed in the positive sense of the global Z direction. The
element y axis is orthogonal to the element z and x axes. The element y and z axes may be rotated out of
this default position by the orientation angle (β).
Vertical elements
If an orientation node is not specified, the element y axis of a vertical element defaults to being parallel to
and is directed in the positive sense of the global Y axis. The element z axis is orthogonal to the element x
and y axes. The element y and z axes may be rotated out of this default position by the orientation angle.
If an orientation node is specified, the element xy plane is defined by the element x axis and a vector from
the first topology position to the orientation node, such that the node has a positive y coordinate. The
element z axis is orthogonal to the element x and y axes. Specifying an orientation node overrides the
“vertical element” and “non-vertical element” definitions described above. The element y and z axes may
be rotated out of this default position by the orientation angle.
With an orientation angle the element y and z axes are rotated from their default positions about the
element x axis by the orientation angle in the direction following the right hand screw rule. This occurs
regardless of whether or not the element is vertical and of whether or not an orientation node is specified.
Cable Elements
Cable elements act only in the axial direction, so only the x axis is defined following the same definition as
the x axis of a beam element.
Link Elements
The local axes of link elements are the same as the constraint axis of the primary node.
Typically using a global axis or a user defined axis to define 2D element local axis can result in consistent
If "topological" is used in 2D element property, 2D element local axis is defined as follows: The z axis
direction of the 2D element local axis is always perpendicular to the 2D element plane and it is defined as
Then the three axes of the 2D element local axis are defined as:
x = c2 c1 y=n×x z= n
where c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , & c 4 are the coordinates of topology nodes 1, 2, 3 & 4 of the element, the coordinates of
the node should include any offset.
If global or user defined axis is used in 2D element property, the x axis of 2D element local axis is the
projection of the control vector "X" onto the 2D element plane and the other two axes of the 2D element
local axis can be determined accordingly as shown below.
The control vector "X" depends on the type.of the user defined axis,
If it is Cartesian, the control vector "X" is the same as the x axis of the Cartesian axis,
If it is Cylindrical, the control vector "X" is the projection of vector R onto the xy plane of the cylindrical axis,
the vector R is the vector from the origin of the cylindrical axis to the element center.
If it is Spherical, the control vector "X" is equal to the vector from the origin of the spherical axis to the
element center.
If the control vector "X" is perpendicular to the 2D element plane, then the vector normal to the plane
defined by the control vector "X" and the z axis of the 2D element property axis will be used as the control
vector "X". For Cartesian axis, the new vector will be the same as y axis of the 2D element property axis.
Once the control vector X is known, the 2D element local axis can be calculated as follows:
y=n×X x=y×n z= n
x, y & z are the three axes of the 2D element local axis.
If an orientation angle is defined, the calculated 2D element local axis is rotated by the orientation angle in
a positive direction about the element z axis.
Typically defining 3D element local axes by reference to an axis set results in more consistent local axes in
the mesh.
If "topological" is used in 3D element property, 3D element local axis is defined as follows: The z axis
direction of the 3D element local axis is always perpendicular to the 2D element plane of the base and it is
defined as
Then the three axes of the 3D element local axis are defined as:
x = c2 c1 y=n×x z= n
where c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , & c 4 are the coordinates of topology nodes 1, 2, 3 & 4 of the element.
4.13 Assemblies
Assemblies are way to define an entity that is formed from a collection of elements or members and can
be thought of as a ‘super-element’. This is not an analysis entity but just a convenience for post-
processing such as cut section forces. Typical uses of assemblies include cores, where the core is
modelled with 2D finite elements, or trusses where the truss is modelled with top and bottom chords and
bracing. In both these cases the assembly is identified by a list of included elements.
Unlike the analysis elements, an assembly does not have a clearly define orientation and location of
reference point so these must be defined explicitly.
Assembly results can be in the form of tabulated output, diagrams and contours of displacements, drifts
and force/moments, for analysis and combination cases, including envelopes.
The ‘Model | Checking Tools | Check Assemblies’ tool checks all assemblies for missing topology items
and invalid geometry configurations.
Name
Entity
Assemblies can be defined in terms of members or elements. Only elements related to the member list or
element list are considered. Spring and damper elements are ignored.
Topology
Orientation Node
The plane formed by the topology items and the orientation node is the xy plane of the assembly. The
orientation node cannot be collinear with the topology nodes.
Internal Topology
This is a list of nodes that define the curve of the assembly. The order of the nodes is not important as the
nodes are ordered along a vector between ends one and two.
Curve Fit
For a curved element there is a choice of how the curve is fitted to the points. The default is to use
Lagrange interpolation to fit a curve through all the intermediate points. The other option which is only valid
if there is just a single internal topology item is for a circular arc from end one passing through the internal
node to end two.
Extents
The extents of the assembly can be specified directly as end 1 and end 2 or GSA can determine this from
Point Definition
The is how the assembly is defined internally (as use for assembly forces and moments). See Assembly
Results for more information.
4.14 Constraints
4.14.1 Generalised Restraints
Generalised Restraints allow a set of restraint conditions to be applied to a list of nodes, saving the effort
of specifying restraints for individual nodes in the “Nodes | Restraints” table. The generalised restraints
and nodal restraints work together to apply restrain to the model. Car must be taken to avoid conflicting
constraints.
Definition
Name
Stage List
This specifies a stage list using one any of the forms detailed in “Lists”. If this is set to “all” the restraint
applies to the whole model, irrespective of stage. Otherwise it applies only to the specified stage(s).
Node List
This specifies a node list using any of the forms detailed in “Lists”. These include a list definition to select
nodes on a specified plane.
Restraints
Specifies the directions that are to be restrained. Restraints are applied in the constraint axes of each
individual node, as specified in the Nodes module.
Generalised Restraints act in addition to Nodal Restraints. The user should remain aware of this to avoid
duplication and general confusion.
Generalised restraints are not affected by the Sculpt “Modify Nodes” operation – it adjusts the Nodal
Restraints. A warning is given when the user is about to modify Nodal Restraints in Sculpt when
Generalised Restraints are specified.
In Output Views, the Nodes table reports the nodal restraints and the generalised restraints separately.
The Supports table reports the total restraints (nodal + generalised).
Restraint Hierarchy
Restraints are a constraint on the model where the displacement at a node in a particular direction is set
to zero. Restraints can be applied to a model in several ways and it is important to understand the different
restraint methods.
For a “Plane” structure type the active degrees of freedom are x, z and yy. So the remaining three degrees
of freedom are ignored in the analysis. This has the same results are restraining all the out-of-plane
degrees of freedom. This feature is set by the program when the user selects a structure type from the
“General Specification”.
Global restraints
In some it is useful to restrain all the degrees of freedom in model in a particular direction. For example
modelling a slab with plate elements, where the plate elements have no stiffness in the x and y directions,
it may be useful to apply global restraints in the x and y directions. These are also set on the “Analysis
Specification”.
Nodal restraints
Nodal restraints are the most commonly used restraint type. Here particular degrees of freedom at a node
are restrained. So, for example, to create a pinned support, the user can apply restraints to a node in the x,
y and z directions. These are set in the Restraints page of the “Nodes” table view or in the Node Wizard.
Generalised Restraints
Generalised restraints are similar to nodal restraints except that they are applied to a list of nodes. It is
therefore possible to use a list specifying all the nodes on a plane so as to apply restraint across all of the
base of a structure.
The total restraint on a node is the sum of all of the restraints acting on it.
Rigid constraints are similar to link elements except that the number of nodes is not limited. The
differences between link elements and rigid constraints is discussed elsewhere.
Definition
Name
Stage List
This specifies a stage list using one any of the forms detailed in “Lists”. If this is set to “all” the constraint
applies to the whole model, irrespective of stage. Otherwise it applies only to the specified stage(s).
Node List
This specifies a node list using any one of the forms detailed in “Lists”. These include a list definition to
select nodes on a specified plane.
Primary
The reference node to which the “constrained” nodes are attached. The primary node may be included in
the node list.
Type of Linkage
This should be set to “All” to make the constraint completely rigid. There are however many cases in which
it is useful to make a constraint rigid in a plane (for example in modelling floor slabs) or a plate. The
following planes can be specified:
L in k a g e L in k e d d e g r e e s o f fr e e d o m
all x, y, z, xx, yy, zz
all (pin) x, y, z
xy plane x, y, zz
yz plane y, z, xx
zx plane x, z, yy
xy plane (pin) x, y
xy plane (pin) x, y
yz plane (pin) y, z
zx plane (pin) x, z
x plate x, yy, zz
y plate y, xx, zz
z plate z, xx, yy
x plate (pin) x
y plate (pin) y
z plate (pin) z
custom any
The “pin” linkage types do not include the rotational degrees of freedom at the constrained node in the
rigid body displacements. Note that the “pin” condition applies only to the constrained node - the rotational
degrees of freedom at the primary are always retained. The degrees of freedom linked are always in the
constraint axis of the nodes and all nodes must be assigned the same constraint axis.
Coupled directions
For most constraint types the couple directions are fixed, but for custom links they must be specified
explicitly. This can lead to behaviour that is not consistent with a ‘rigid’ condition.
4.14.3 Joints
Joints allow nodes to be tied in the specified translational or rotational directions. Unlike rigid constraints,
joints do not impose equilibrium on the model.
Definition
Name
Stage List
This specifies a stage list using one any of the forms detailed in “Lists”. If this is set to “all” the joint
applies to the whole model, irrespective of stage. Otherwise it applies only to the specified stage(s).
Primary
Constrained
The node coupled to a “primary” node so that it shares the coupled degrees of freedom.
Directions
Specifies the translational and rotational directions that are linked by this joint.
If the constrained and primary nodes are coincident there are no problems with joints, however if the
constrained and primary nodes are not coincident there can be moment imbalance since forces are
transferred directly to the primary node and no account is taken of the moment implied by the force times
offset. If this is to be modelled, rigid constraints should be used instead.
Joint Limitations
Joints are a facility to allow two nodes to be coupled in particular directions. Thus to create a pin joint, two
nodes can be defined at the two parts of the structure to be joined. These are included in a joint, which is
linked in the required directions (e.g. x, y and z). In a joint as in a link element there is a constrained and
primary node and the linked degrees of freedom are simply shared between the constrained and the
primary node. The axis directions of a joint are the constraint axis directions of the constituent nodes. This
means that if a direction is linked this may be different for the two nodes in the joint; in this circumstance a
warning is given, though in the case of GsRelax analyses this is treated as an error.
While a link element or rigid constraint uses the geometrical relationship between constrained and
primary to ensure equilibrium, this is not true for joints. Thus joints in which the nodes are not coincident
will not in general be in equilibrium. To guard against this problem the user is warned if the nodes are not
coincident.
Definition
Name
Stage List
This specifies a stage list using one any of the forms detailed in “Lists”. If this is set to “all” the constraint
equation applies to the whole model, irrespective of stage. Otherwise it applies only to the specified stage
(s).
Constrained
The node coupled to a set of “primary” nodes so that it shares the coupled degrees of freedom
Direction
Equation
The equation is a set of factors, nodes and directions. The displacement of the “constrained” node is the
summation of the factored displacements at the primary in the specified directions.
Any linear equation can be set up and there is no requirement that the constraint equation preserves
equilibrium in model, so care should be taken that no artificial constraint is introduced into the model.
The displacement of the constrained node is the summation of the factored displacements at the primary
in the specified directions. Care should be taken when mixing translational and rotational freedom.
Constraint Equations
Constraint equations are the most fundamental way of specifying a constraint on a node. This constrained
node is related to one or more primary nodes. The displacement at the constrained node in a particular
direction is a function of the displacements in a particular direction at a set of primary nodes. The basic
relationship can be specified in the form:
us .i am um. j
m
So for a node whose displacement is the average of two other nodes this is of the form
For primary nodes 101 and 102 the equation would be of the form 0.5N101x + 0.5N102x.
Rigid constraints and joints can be thought of as particular instances of constraint equations.
The axis directions of a constraint are the constraint axis directions of the constituent nodes. While a link
element or rigid constraint uses the geometrical relationship between constrained and primary to ensure
equilibrium, this is not true for the more general constraint equation. Thus care should be taken when
defining constraint equations to ensure that no unwanted constraint is applied to the model. Also the
factors in the constraint equation are dimensionless, so if these are to represent actual relative positions
of nodes care should be taken with units.
As tied interfaces do not give proper continuity conditions across the boundary they should not be used in
area where accurate determination of stresses is required.
Definition
Name
Stage List
This specifies a stage list using one any of the forms detailed in “Lists”. If this is set to “all” the tied
interface applies to the whole model, irrespective of stage. Otherwise it applies only to the specified stage
(s).
Constrained Type
The constrained side of the tied interface can be defined either as nodes or elements. When elements are
selected GSA will find the nodes on the constrained side that need to be connected.
The nodes in the constrained list are tied to elements in the primary list to form a continuous entity. The
primary retains all its degrees of freedom. The primary elements must be 2D elements, but the
constrained elements can be of any element type (although link elements should be avoided as these will
give rise to conflicting constraints). So for example a beam element can be connected to the face of a 2D
elements.
Type of Linkage
There are two options for the type of linkage if the constrained type is “nodes”:
Auto – the tied interface behaves as tied if the constrained type is element and rigid if the constrained
type is node.
Tied – the tied interface connects the node on the constrained side to the element faces on the primary
side using constraint equations.
Rigid – the tied interface take the node on the constrained side as a primary and creates a rigid
constraint making the element on the primary side rigidly connected with the node.
The third of these options is intended for situations where the node represents a line entity such as a
column that is to be attached to a slab. In this case, if the beam element cross section is a similar size to
the 2D element on the other face the effect of the connection will be to make the 2D element behave in a
manner close to being rigid. This option will not work where there are nodes to connect to the same
element face or adjacent element faces.
The rigid linkage cannot be used when the constrained type is element as this would constraint conflict.
Surface Tolerance
This is used to limit the nodes that are connected to only those along the edge. Nodes outside this
tolerance are excluded from the tied interface.
Tied Interface
A tied interface works by connecting the nodes associated with the constrained elements to the elements
on the primary side to form a continuous entity.
A tied interface is a way of joining two meshes with dissimilar mesh densities by establishing a set of
constraint equations to “stitch” the nodes on the constrained side to those on the primary side. The tied
interface can be used to attached elements along two edges or elements on an edge to a face, or to
connect a beam element to the face of a 2D element.
The primary elements must be 2D elements, but the constrained elements can be of any element type
(although link elements should be avoided as these will give rise to conflicting constraints). The primary
retains all its degrees of freedom.
The elements on the primary side should be of the same size as or larger than those on the constrained
side for the tied interface to work well. The accuracy of the tied interface will be controlled by the mesh size
on the primary side.
4.15 Loading
GSA provides a number of different ways to apply loads to a model. The simplest option is nodal loading
where forces are applied directly to nodes. This is not recommended for 2D and 3D elements. The next
level of loading applies loads to the elements, either beam loading, 2D element loading or 3D element
loading. In the solver these use shape functions to give loading on the nodes compatible with the
elements to which the load is applied. Grid loading is a different type of loading which is applied to a grid
surface. An algorithm then distributes this loading from the grid surface to the surrounding beam
elements. This is useful for models where floor slabs are not modelled explicitly.
Gravity is the final load type. This is different from the other load types as it is specified as an acceleration
in the z direction.
Cursor Mode toolbar. “Copy” (Ctrl+C) will copy these to the clipboard and they can then be pasted directly
into the appropriate loads table. No check is made to see if a list of elements is being pasted into a node
load table or vice versa.
Checks can be made that the loading has been applied correctly by requesting a load diagram.
Projected Loads
Irrespective of the type of loading applied all loading results in a set of forces and moments at nodes
which are assembled into a structure force vector. For a number of load types loads can be projected.
When projected the load intensity is applied to the projected length of the element as shown below.
Locking of Loads
In general, input data may not be edited when a model has been analysed and results are present.
Loading is an exception to this rule in that loads, of any type, are only locked against editing if they are
applied in a load case which is referred to by an analysis case that has been analysed. This means that
un-analysed load cases can be edited and appended to and new load cases can always be created.
The Load Cases are simply titles for these load cases defined elsewhere.
Definition
Name
The name for a load case where the loads are defined elsewhere.
Case Type
Defines the type of load case. The options offered are specific to the selected load design code, but
include dead, live, snow, seismic, etc.
Source
Category
Specified the category of loading. The options offered are specific to the selected load design code, but
include domestic office, storage, roof, etc.
Direction
Include
See also:
Definition
Name
Node List
This specifies a list of nodes to be loaded using any one of the forms detailed in “Lists”. The list may be a
single item.
In sculpt: The node list is set to the current selection set. The node list cannot be edited in the dialog
Load Case
This is the load case in which the load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects
together.
Axis
Direction
Value
Applied displacements are different to the other load types and are also distinct from settlements.
Applied displacements apply to a particular load case and the node is free in all other load cases. Warning
– applied displacements should not be used in conjunction with other loading in the same analysis case.
Applied displacements can be applied in local (i.e. node constraint axis), global or user defined axis
directions. User axes can be Cartesian, cylindrical or spherical.
Definition
Name
Node List
This specifies a list of nodes to be displaced using any one of the forms detailed in “Lists”. The list may be
a single item.
In sculpt: The node list is set to the current selection set. The node list cannot be edited in the dialog.
Load case
This is the load case in which the displacement applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load
effects together.
Axis
Direction
Value
4.15.2.3 Settlements
A settlement forces a node to move a specified distance in a specified global or local direction in a
particular load case, where the node has been restrained in the relevant direction.
It has no effect on any other load cases. Note that no axis is specified for settlements are the settlement is
in the node constraint axis.
Definition
Name
Node List
This specifies a list of nodes to settle using any one of the forms detailed in “Lists”. The list may be a
single item.
In sculpt: The node list is set to the current selection set. The node list cannot be edited in the dialog.
Load Case
This is the load case in which the settlement applies. The load cases give a way of grouping load effects
together.
Direction
Value
Typically settlements are used to examine differential settlement of the structure. The distortion of the
structure can be calculated by applying a series of displacements or settlements (typically in the z
direction) at the base of the structure.
Settlements should not be confused with Applied Displacements. It is useful to think of settlements as
“constraints”, and applied displacements as “loads”.
A settlement is applied in the constraint axis directions of the node to which it is applied.
the solution into an equivalent set of nodal forces and moments. When a position along an element is
required this may be specified as an actual distance (e.g. 2.46) or as a percentage (25%).
The most commonly used option is the beam loads which applies loads at specified positions along the
elements.
Prestress allows prestress loads to be applied to elements. Beam distortions are a different and little
used option which allows an element to have a displacement discontinuity along the element. This is only
valid for linear elements. The final load type for beam element is thermal where temperature or
temperature gradients can be applied to the elements.
Beam Loads offer the option to specify the load as a projected load. When “projected” is set the distributed
load is specified as the intensity applied to the projection of the element on the surface normal to the
direction of the load; the load intensity actually applied to the element is then
W cos θ
where θ is the angle between the element and the surface normal to the direction of the load, and W is the
specified load intensity. A typical application of projected loads is for snow loads on inclined rafters.
Beam loads can be applied in local (i.e. element axis), global or user defined axis directions. User axes
can only be Cartesian; not cylindrical or spherical.
Definition
Name
Beam List
This specifies a list of beam, bar, tie, strut or link elements to load using any one of the forms detailed in
“Lists”. The list may be a single item. Note that beam loads applied to cable elements are ignored.
In sculpt: The beam list is set to the beam and bar elements in the current selection set. The beam list
cannot be edited in the dialog.
Load case
The load case in which the load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects together.
Type
The user has a choice of the type of loading applied to the elements.
Linear – load which varies linearly along the length of the element
Patch – a load applied to a section of the element with linear variation between the end points
Tri-linear – similar to a patch load but the load tapers off to zero outside the patch
Axis
The direction of the load is with respect to this axis set. Setting this to Local implies element local axes
and Deformed local implies a element local axis that is embedded in the element as it deforms (GsRelax
only).
Projected
Normally, by default, loads are applied along the length of the element. In some cases it may be more
appropriate to project the loads on to the element, e.g. (vertical) snow loading on an inclined roof may be
considered more easily as a projected load.
Direction
Position 1
This is only relevant for point loads and patch loads. For a point load this is the location of the load
measured from end 1 of the beam; for a patch load it is the start of the patch load measured from end 1 of
the beam Position 1 can be specified as a length or as a percentage of the length of the element, e.g.
either 1.2 or 15%.
In sculpt: When the position of a patch load is specified, in absolute terms, to extend beyond the end
of the element(s) the load is automatically “broken up” and applied to elements positioned to take the
load. A warning is given if such elements cannot be found.
Load 1
Load magnitude. For a point load this is the load value; for a uniform load this is the load intensity; for a
linear load this is the load intensity at end 1; for a patch load this is the load intensity at Position 1.
Position 2
This is only relevant for patch loads and is the end of the patch load measured from end 1 of the beam.
Position 2 can be specified as a length or as a percentage of the length of the element, e.g. either 2.4 or
85%.
Where it is intended that a position should refer to end 2 of the beam 100% should be used instead of
entering the actual length. Otherwise a rounding error in the element length calculation may result in an
error being reported for the load.
Load 2
Load magnitude. For a linear load this is the load intensity at end 2 and for a patch load this is the load
intensity at Position 2.
The vector of the equivalent nodal load will not change orientation as the element deflects, even if a local
axis has been specified for the load direction. This can lead to inaccuracies in the case of large deflections
and results should be checked.
4.15.3.2 Pre-stress
Prestress is a general description covering prestress loads, initial strains and initial lengths. In all cases
the result is a prestress condition (set of forces and/or moments) in the element.
Definition
Name
Beam List
This specifies a list of beam, bar, tie, strut or cable elements to load using any one of the forms detailed in
“Lists”. The list may be a single item.
In sculpt: The beam list is set to the beam and bar elements in the current selection set. The beam list
cannot be edited in the dialog.
Load Case
The load case in which the load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects together.
Type
The user has a choice of the type of loading applied to the elements.
Prestress Force – This is the force in the element with undeflected nodes, before the structure is
allowed to relax into its deflected shape. The resultant force will not necessarily be the same, since the
attached structure’s stiffness and applied loading also affect the position of the nodes. This option is
equivalent to the Initial Strain and Lack of Fit options: The three prestress types are related by the
relevant element’s stiffness and length alone. A positive prestress force is equivalent to a negative Initial
Strain or lack of Fit, and will result in a tension in the element for normal structures.
Initial Strain – This allows the natural length of an element to be longer (positive) or shorter (negative)
than the distance between its undeflected node positions. The difference in length is the initial strain
multiplied by the node-to-node distance. The eventual length of the element depends on the stiffness of
the attached structure, and the other applied loading.
Lack-of-Fit – Similar to Initial Strain, with the two being related by the element’s undeflected node-to-
node length.
Tendon Prestress – Concrete elements are commonly prestressed using tendons or wires. This option
allows the simulation of a tendon by the application of equal and opposite forces to the ends of the
element. Since the tendon’s stiffness is much lower than the beam’s, the tendon’s elastic properties do
not need to be modelled, and the tendon force is assumed to remain constant over the elastic range of
beam deflections. The tendon can be offset from the element’s centroid to induce a moment as well as
an axial force. A positive tendon prestress force causes compression in the element. The element
forces output from the model are those for the “concrete” section alone: e.g. an unloaded cantilever
element that had a prestress applied would show a negative axial force despite having no load applied
to the tip.
The magnitude of the prestressing load. This applies only to the prestress force and tendon prestress
load types. A positive force implies a tensile prestress force or a tensile tendon prestress.
Prestress Offsets
The offsets in local (y, z) directions of the tendon prestress. This allows for the introduction of prestressing
moments in addition to prestressing force. This applies only to the tendon prestress load type and can
only be applied to beam elements. Note that the prestress offset cannot be used in the static non-linear
solver.
Initial Strain
The initial strain in the element used to define a lack-of-fit. The value specified should be the factor of the
element length by which the element is too long or too short. A positive value means the element is too
long compared with the nodal distance and will induce compression in the element, a negative value will
introduce tension in the element.
Lack of Fit
The length by which the element is too long or too short. A positive value means the element is too long
compared with the nodal distance and will induce compression in the element, a negative value will
introduce tension in the element.
4.15.3.3 Distortion
Distortions are used to model the effect of introducing a cut in an element and applying a translational or
rotational displacement across the cut.
The GsRelax solver can only deal with rotational distortions (excluding torsional distortions) and only when
applied to the ends of elements.
The main application of beam distortion is to generate influence diagrams. This makes use of Muller-
Breslau’s principle to determine influence coefficients from the deflected shapes resulting from member
distortions.
Definition
Name
Beam list
This specifies a list of beam, bar, tie or strut elements to which the distortion loads apply using any one of
the forms detailed in “Lists”. The list may be a single item. Note that distortion loads applied to cable
elements are ignored.
In sculpt: The beam list is set to the beam and bar elements in the current selection set. The beam list
cannot be edited in the dialog.
Load case
The load case in which the distortion applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects together.
Direction
Position
The position along the element at which the member distortion is applied. Position can be specified as a
length or as a percentage of the length of the element, e.g. either 1.2 or 15%.
Displacement
The magnitude of the distortion applied to the element – either a displacement or rotation.
4.15.3.4 Thermal
In many cases it is useful to consider the effect of thermal loading on a structure. Thermal loads can have
two effects. A uniform temperature change causes the element to expand axially but induces no bending.
However, the thermal gradient option defines a linearly varying strain through the thickness of the element
so resulting in both axial expansion and bending. The positions of the temperatures are used to define the
temperature gradient.
Either constant temperatures or temperature gradients can be applied to an element. In either case the
temperature values specified are changes in temperature from ambient.
The temperature gradient is defined by applying temperatures at notional lower and upper surfaces.
These need not coincide with the actual lower and upper surfaces of the element (which may not be
known). The temperature gradient is then calculated from the top and bottom temperatures ( T top and T bot)
and the top and bottom locations ( p top and p bot) as follows:
Definition
Name
Beam List
This specifies a list of beam, bar, tie, strut or cable elements to which the thermal loads apply using any
one of the forms detailed in “Lists”. The list may be a single item.
In sculpt: The beam list is set to the beam and bar elements in the current selection set. The beam list
cannot be edited in the dialog.
Load Case
The load case in which the thermal load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects
together.
Type
The user has a choice of the type of loading applied to the elements.
Uniform Temperature
For temperature gradients the temperature profile is defined by the temperature at two points, referred to
as the lower and upper surfaces. This defines the location and temperature rise that applies in the
negative y or z directions relative to the neutral axis. A negative value denotes a position “below” the neutral
axis.
This defines the location and temperature rise that applies in the positive y or z directions relative to the
neutral axis.
Face loads should be used where a load distributed over the face of a 2D element is required and edge
loads where it is the edges of a 2D element. Prestress loads can be thought of either as prestress forces
or tendon prestresses applied to the element or an initial strain. Thermal loads can be applied to consider
either a uniform temperature rise or a thermal gradient on the element.
Face loads cannot be used for plane stress, plane strain or axisymmetric elements.
Face loads offer the option to specify the load as a projected load. When “projected” is set the distributed
load is specified as the intensity applied to the projection of the element on the surface normal to the
direction of the load; the load intensity actually applied to the element is then
W cos θ
where θ is the angle between the element and the surface normal to the direction of the load, and W is the
specified load intensity. A typical application of projected loads is for snow loading on an inclined roof.
Definition
Name
2D Element List
This specifies a list of 2D elements to load using any one of the forms detailed in “Lists”. The list may be a
single item.
In sculpt: The 2D element list is set to the 2D elements in the current selection set. The 2D element list
cannot be edited in the dialog.
Load Case
The load case in which the load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects together.
Axis
The axis may be Global, Initial Local, Deformed Local or the number of an axis set specified in the Axes
module.
Loads applied in Initial Local directions are applied in the element axis directions with the element axes
being based on the undeformed state of the element.
Loads applied in Deformed Local directions are applied in the element axis directions with the element
axes being based on the deformed state of the element. Loads applied in Deformed Local directions may
only be specified for non-linear analysis.
Projected
By default, loads are applied at the specified intensity over the element. In some cases it may be more
appropriate to project the loads on to the element, e.g. (vertical) snow loading on an inclined roof may be
considered more easily as a projected load.
Type
The user has a choice of the type of loading applied to the elements.
Uniform – uniform load applied over the whole face of the element
Variable – load which varies across the face of the elements interpolating between values specified at
the corner nodes
Point – force can be applied at a point on the face of the elements. The position of the point load on the
face can be specified in ( r , s ) coordinates. (Based on two-dimensional shape function)
If the elements to which this relates are load panels then the load type must be uniform.
Direction
The direction in which the load applies, with respect to the specified axis.
Pressure
The pressure to apply to the element. For point type load, force at the point to be specified (not pressure).
For a uniform face load a single pressure value is required and for the variable face load a value is
required for each corner node on the element. The pressure over the face is interpolated from the corner
values.
Position of load
Position of load is applicable for point load type. The position of the point load to be specified in ( r , s )
coordinates based on two-dimensional shape function.
The vector of the equivalent nodal load will not change orientation as the element deflects, even if a local
axis has been specified for the load direction. This can lead to inaccuracies in the case of large deflections
and results should be checked.
Linear 2D elements can be defined as load panels. A load panel element is not structural and so does not
contribute to the stiffness or mass of the structure. The purpose of the load panel is to allow loads to be
defined as a face load on 2D elements and then distributed to the beam elements surrounding the 2D
element. In many ways face loads on load panels gives an alternative to grid load.
A 2D element is specified as a load panel in the properties. A load panel element does not have a
material, thickness, etc. Instead a support type and reference edge are specified. The support pattern
defines the number of edges to which the load is transferred and the reference edge sets the selection of
the free/loaded edges.
All edges supported - the load is distributed to the edges in proportion to the contributing areas.
Three edges supported - the load is distributed to the supporting edges so that as far a possible
equilibrium is maintained. The edge opposite the reference edge does not take any load
Tw o edges supported - the load spans from the sides adjacent to the reference edge.
Tw o adjacent edges supported - the load is taken on the reference edge and the “next” edge on the
element.
One edge supported - the load is all attributed to the reference edge. The moment due to the offset of
the load is ignored.
Cantilever support - the forces are distributed as for one edge supported but the moment is applied to
the edge so that equilibrium is achieved.
Setting the ‘Load panels’ labelling option in the Labels and Display Methods: On Elements dialog tab
displays the load distribution pattern on load panels.
The loads from the load panels are distributed by searching for beam/bar elements that bound the panel
and attributing load to these elements based on the support condition. If the bounding beam/bar elements
are dummy elements these elements cannot take load so an appropriate support condition should be
selected to ensure that no load is attributed to the dummy elements.
For elements with rigid offsets the basic load distribution is modified to avoid loads on the rigid offsets.
Edge loads can be applied in local, global or user defined axis directions. Local is interpreted as follows:
y is the direction into the element, in the plane of the element and normal to the edge of the element at
Definition
Name
2D Element List
This specifies a list of 2D elements to load using any one of the forms detailed in “Lists”. The list may be a
single item.
In sculpt: The 2D element list is set to the 2D elements in the current selection set. The 2D element
list cannot be edited in the dialog.
Load Case
The load case in which the load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects together.
Axis
The axis may be Global, Initial Local, Deformed Local or the number of an axis set specified in the Axes
module.
Loads applied in Initial Local directions are applied in a direction that relates to the element edge. The x
direction is the direction along the edge in the topology order direction. The y direction is the direction into
the element, in the plane of the element and normal to the edge of the element at the point at which it is
applied. The z direction is orthogonal to the x and y directions. The element is taken as being in its
undeformed state.
Loads applied in Deformed Local directions are in directions as described for Initial Local directions
except that the element is taken as being in its deformed state. Loads applied in Deformed Local
directions may only be specified for non-linear analysis options.
Edge
The edge of the element that is loaded. The edges as defined by the topology items are
Ed g e To p o lo g y ite m s
edge 1 1 2
edge 2 2 3
edge 3 3 4
edge 4 4nono 1
Direction
The direction in which the load applies, with respect to the specified axis.
Stress at Ends
The stress to apply to the element. The stress along the edge is interpolated from the end values.
analysis being performed for nodal forces only. No nodal forces are applied to quad dummy nodes.
The vector of the equivalent nodal load will not change orientation as the element deflects, even if a local
axis has been specified for the load direction. This can lead to inaccuracies in the case of large deflections
and results should be checked.
4.15.4.3 Pre-stress
Prestress loads can be thought of either as prestress forces, tendon prestress applied to the element or
an initial strain. The tendon prestress option allows for the prestress to be offset by a constant distance
from the centre of the element in the thickness direction to induce bending.
The prestress or initial strain is applied in either the local x or y direction or in both directions.
Definition
Name
2D Element List
This specifies a list of 2D elements to load using any one of the forms detailed in “Lists”. The list may be a
single item.
In sculpt: The 2D element list is set to the 2D elements in the current selection set. The 2D element
list cannot be edited in the dialog.
Load Case
The load case in which the load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects together.
Type
The user has a choice of the type of loading applied to the elements.
Tendon prestress – an in-plane force is applied to the element at an offset from the neutral axis. Only
the latter option induces forces and moments in the element.
Direction
The direction in which the load applies in element local axes. This can be x, y or both x and y directions
where x and y are element local directions.
Prestress Force
The prestress force (load per unit length) to apply to the element.
Initial Strain
The prestress force (load per unit length) and offset (in the local z direction) to apply to the element. When
the offset is specified the element is loaded by an in-plane force and a moment.
4.15.4.4 Thermal
In many cases it is useful to consider the effect of thermal loading on a structure. Thermal loads can have
two effects. A uniform temperature change causes the element to expand axially but induces no bending.
However, the thermal gradient options define a linearly varying strain through the thickness of the element
so resulting in both in-plane expansion and bending.
Definition
Name
2D element list
This specifies a list of 2D elements to which the thermal loads apply using any one of the forms detailed in
“Lists”. The list may be a single item.
In sculpt: The 2D element list is set to the 2D elements in the current selection set. The 2D element
list cannot be edited in the dialog.
Load Case
The load case in which the thermal load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects
together.
Type
The user has a choice of the type of loading applied to the elements.
Gradient in local z – load which varies through the thickness of the elements, but not across the surface
of the element
Uniform Temperature
The temperature rise relative to the background temperature applied to the whole element.
Temperature at Position
For temperature gradients the temperature profile is defined by two values, the temperature at the top and
bottom surfaces. For general temperatures the temperature is defined at the top and bottom surface for
each corner of the element.
2D element thermal loads have two diagram outputs: in-plane and gradient. Note that if the All Load
Diagrams option is chosen then both will be shown superimposed.
2D Thermal In-plane
The in-plane diagram and contour shows the average thermal change on the element or at the nodal
locations.
2D Thermal Gradient
The gradient diagram and contour shows degrees per unit length through the thickness of the element. In
this instance the 2D thickness is 0.1 m, so the gradient from a one degree change is shown as 10.
Definition
Name
3D element list
In sculpt: The 3D element list is set to the 3D elements in the current selection set. The 2D element list
Load case
This is the load case in which the load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects
together.
Face
Fa c e 1 2 3 4 5 6
Load type
The user has a choice of the type of loading applied to the elements.
Uniform – uniform load applied over the whole face of the element
Variable – load which varies across the face of the elements interpolating between values specified at
the corner nodes
If the elements to which this relates are load panels then the load type must be uniform.
Direction
The direction in which the load is applied, with respect to the specified axis.
Axis
The direction of the load is with respect to this axis set. Setting this to Local implies element local axes.
Projected
When set, the load is projected from onto the element to result in the magnitude of the load actually
applied to the element being the specified magnitude factored by an amount dependent on the inclination
of the element to the load direction. (E.g. for snow loading.)
Value
The magnitude of the load specified at the corner nodes of the element.
4.15.5.2 Thermal
Thermal loads on 3D elements can either be uniform giving rise to a uniform thermal strain across the
element, or variable with temperature specified at each node.
Definition
Name
3D Element List
In sculpt: The 3D element list is set to the 3D elements in the current selection set. The 3D element list
Load Case
This is the load case in which the load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects
together.
Load Type
The user has a choice of the type of loading applied to the elements.
Temperature
Grid loads can be grid point loads, grid line loads or grid area loads. In all cases these loads are
expanded to beam type elements.
The loads are not applied directly to the structure but by comparing the location of the loads relative to
elements in the structure. The advantage of grid loads is that the loads can remain unchanged if the local
definition of the structure changes, with the disadvantage that the loads are not tied to the structure.
The structure is considered as a collection of polygonal regions bounded by elements. These regions are
referred to as panels. The panel associated with the loading is found and provided a number of checks
are satisfied the load can be considered as a load on the structure. It is possible, though neither
necessary nor desirable, to expand grid loading into an equivalent set of beam loads. Alternatively the grid
loads are expanded as required by the solver.
Loads on a one-way spanning grid surface are assumed to span from one side of the panel to the other
as is carried on a plank (or set of unconnected planks) spanning across the panel in the span direction.
Thus a point load on a one-way spanning panel produces a pair of point loads on the panel edges.
Area loads on a two-way spanning grid surface are treated in a special way if the panel is triangular or
rectangular and the simplified tributary areas option is set, otherwise two-way spanning panels are treated
in the more general way described below. For simplified tributary areas the angle at each corner is
bisected and the intersection of these lines is used to split the panel up in to three of four regions. For a
rectangular panel this leads to the typical “back of an envelope” pattern. The load on each these regions is
then assumed to be applied to the nearest edge.
Loads on two-way spanning panels are assumed to radiate in all directions from the point where the load
is applied to result in a load which varies around the edge of the panel. Line loads are considered by
dividing the line into a series of short segments each of which can be considered as an equivalent point
load. Integrating the loading from each of these points gives the loading from the line load. Area loads are
considered in a similar way but in this case a grid is superimposed on the loaded area. The cells of the
grid are trimmed (if required) for panel and load boundaries and then the load is considered as set of
equivalent point loads. As with the line loads the total load is the integral of all the point load contributions.
In all cases the load distributions are chosen to result in a set of loads which are in equilibrium with the
defined grid loading.
Grid point loads must be located so as, either, to coincide with an element or to be bounded by a closed
polygon of elements. The grid loading edge tolerance is used to determine whether a load is applied
directly on an element.
If the grid surface associated with the load is 2D element type, the grid point load will be transferred as a
point load on the coincided 2D element. If the grid point load coincides with corners or edges of more than
one 2D elements, the load will be transferred to the first element that program identifies and ignore the
other elements.
Definition
Name
Grid Surface
The plane in which the load is located and the plane that defines the elements that attract the load. Note
that the load is not necessarily applied in grid plane axis directions (see Axis, below).
In sculpt: The grid plane is set to the current grid. The grid plane cannot be edited in the dialog.
Grid Coordinates
The grid coordinates of the load point. Only the x and y coordinates (or r and θ if the grid plane is
cylindrical) are defined, the z axis is taken as zero.
In sculpt: A grid point load will be defined at each point on the current polyline. The grid coordinates cannot
be edited in the dialog.
Load Case
This is the load case in which the load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects
together.
Axis
The axis in which the load is applied. Setting this to local specifies implies panel local axes.
Direction
Value
Grid line loads must be located so as, either, to coincide with an element or to be bounded by a closed
polygon of elements. The grid loading edge tolerance is used to determine whether a load is applied
directly on an element.
If the grid surface associated with the load is 2D element type, the grid line load will be transferred as point
loads on each of the 2D elements which intersects with the grid line load. Position of the point load is at
the centroid of the grid line segment that intersected with the 2D element. Intensity of the point load is also
calculated from the intersected grid line segment. If the grid line load coincides with edges of more than
one 2D elements, the load will be transferred to the first element that program identifies and ignores other
element.
Definition
Name
Grid Surface
The surface in which the load is located and the surface that defines the elements that attract the load.
Note that the load is not necessarily applied in the underlying grid plane axis directions (see Axis, below).
In sculpt: The grid plane is set to the current grid. The grid plane cannot be edited in the dialog.
2D Polyline
Line loads are defined by a polyline. This can either be a reference to a polyline specified in the polylines
module, or the polyline can be defined explicitly in the load record. If a polygon is embedded in the load
record it should be of the form ‘(x0,y0), (x1,y1), ... (xn,yn) (unit)’, where the ‘(unit)’ part is optional.
The polyline is defined in grid coordinates (i.e. x and y coordinates in the grid surface). Note that the
vertices are defined by Cartesian x-y coordinates even when the grid plane is cylindrical.
In sculpt: An existing 2D polyline identical to the current polyline is referenced or the current polyline is
saved as a 2D polyline and referenced. The 2D polyline cannot be edited in the dialog.
Load case
This is the load case in which the load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects
together.
Axis
The axis in which the load is applied. Setting this to local implies panel local axes.
Direction
Projected
When the load and the structure are not orthogonal the load applied to the structure depends on whether
the load is taken as applying along the length of the polyline or the length of the polyline projected on to the
structure in the load direction.
Values
The magnitude of the load at the ends of the polyline. A linear variation between the ends is assumed.
If the grid surface associated with the load is 2D element type, the grid area load will be transferred as
point loads on each of the 2D elements which intersects with the grid area load. Position of the point load
is at the centroid of the intersected polygon between the grid area load and the 2D element. Intensity of the
point load is also calculated from the intersected grid area load polygon.
Definition
Name
Grid Surface
The surface in which the load is located and the surface that defines the elements that attract the load.
Note that the load is not necessarily applied in the underlying grid plane axis directions (see Axis, below).
In sculpt: The grid plane is set to the current grid. The grid plane cannot be edited in the dialog.
Load Type
Area loads can either apply to the whole plane, in which case the load boundary is the structure boundary,
or to a polygon on the grid surface. If the loaded area is defined by a polygon this can either be a reference
to a 2D polyline defined outside the grid loading or a polygon embedded in the load record.
2D Polygon
If the area loads are applied to a reference to a polygon the polygon is defined by reference to a 2D
polyline. If a polygon is embedded in the load record it should be of the form ‘(x0,y0), (x1,y1), ... (xn,yn) (unit)’,
where the ‘(unit)’ part is optional.
The polyline is defined in grid coordinates (i.e. x and y coordinates in the grid plane) and is assumed to
close back to the starting point – it is not necessary to explicitly close the polyline. Note that the vertices are
defined by Cartesian x-y coordinates even when the grid plane is cylindrical.
In sculpt: An existing 2D Polyline identical to the current polyline is referenced or the current polyline is
saved as a 2D Polyline and referenced. The 2D Polyline cannot be edited in the dialog.
Load Case
This is the load case in which the load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects
together.
Axis
The axis in which the load is applied. Setting this to local implies panel local axes.
Direction
Projected
When the load and the structure are not orthogonal the load applied to the structure depends on whether
the load is taken as applying to the area of the polygon or the area of the polygon projected on to the
structure in the load direction.
Value
4.15.7 Gravity
Gravity loads are a special case of body loads i.e. loads that apply internally throughout the body rather
than being applied externally to the body. Unlike the other load types, gravity loads are an acceleration
applied to mass in the structure.
Gravity loads are one way to account for the dead weight of the structural elements, but excluding any non-
structural loads. However gravity loads can be applied in any global direction so it is possible to use gravity
loads to model transverse effects as well as vertical effects. The gravity load considers all the mass of the
structure that is modelled. Non-structural elements, floor slabs etc which are not modelled explicitly are
excluded. The gravity loads are defined in terms of 'g', thus a normal gravity loading on the structure is
Normally gravity is thought of applied to the whole structure. In some cases it is convenient to look at
gravity applied to a subset of the structure. In this case gravity loads are applied to elements specified by a
list.
This is useful where design checks which require different gravity factors on different spans. So for
example if elements 1, 3, 5, … are assigned gravity loading in load case 1 and elements 2, 4, 6, … are
assigned gravity loading in load case 2. Then it is possible to examine the effects of adverse and
beneficial loading using L1 + 1.4L2 and 1.4L1 + L2.
Definition
Name
Element List
This specifies a list of elements to which the gravity loads apply using any one of the forms detailed in
“Lists”. The list may be a single item, but is typically “all”.
In sculpt: The element list is set to the elements in the current selection set. The element list cannot be
edited in the dialog.
Load Case
The load case in which the gravity load applies. The load case gives a way of grouping load effects
together.
Gravity Factors
for normal static structures with the global Z-axis vertically upwards. However to model seismic effects it
may be useful to apply a static horizontal loading of, for example, 0.25g in the X direction in which case the
factors may be (0.25, 0, 0).
Application
Gravity loads apply to the following element types:
Beams, bars, rods, ties and struts – through the area, density and length.
2D Elements – through the thickness, density and area. plus the additional mass per unit area and area
Spring, damper, link and spacer elements are considered massless, so attract no gravity load.
Name
The name is used only as a label for the response spectrum.
Spectrum type
The user has a choice of the type of spectrum to use. This can be code defined to one of
ASCE 7-05
ASCE 7-10
AS 1170-2007
Eurocode 8 : 1994
Eurocode 8 : 2004
FEMA 356
GB 50011-2001
GB 50011-2010
IBC 2000
NBCC 2015
UBC 1994
UBC 1997
or
User defined
Depending on the spectrum type a different set of information is required to define the spectrum. The
spectra are defined via the Response Spectrum Wizard.
Spectrum values
Spectrum values
Damping
CQC and other double sum combination methods require a damping value to establish the coupling
coefficients between modal responses. The default option is constant 5% damping, but this can be
changed to code specified damping, modal damping values or a table of damping values.
No adjustment from
code
Newmark-Hall : 50th
percentile
Newmark-Hall : 84th
percentile
ISO 19901-2
Eurocode 8
Site Class
Sites are classed as one of A, B, C, D or E depending on the soil. Type F soil requires specialist
geotechnical advice and is not included as an option.
SS and S1
These are the short period response acceleration parameter and the 1s response acceleration parameter
as defined in section 11.4.3. Seismic Hazard maps for the USA are available from the U.S. Geological
Survey web site by following the USGS hyperlink.
Occupancy Category
The occupancy category from Table 1-1 is used to define the seismic design category (Tables 11.6-1 and
11.6-2) and the importance factor (I) (Table 11.5-1).
The response modification factor (R) and deflection amplification factor (Cd) are determined from Table
12.2-1 and section 12.9.2.
The approximate fundamental period of the building (section 12.8.2.1) is calculated from equation (12.8-7)
T = Ct(hn )x
The building period coefficient, Ct , depends on the type of building frame. The frame types are:
Steel moment-resisting
Eccentrically braced
Other
It may be unconservative to reduce spectral values for low periods. This option ignores the reduction and
extends the plateau to cover the low periods.
Site class
Probability factor
The location-dependent value Z of the hazard design factor from table 3.2.
Spectrum
The performance and ductility factors are based on the the structure type and the material. These are
defined in Table 6.5(A).
Additional parameters:
Frame type
The Frame type governs the value of kt for use in equation 6.2(7).
Subsoil Class
Sites are classed depending on the subsoil as A, B, C, D or E as described in Part 1-1 Table 3.1.
The importance factor allow am amplification for topographical effects depending on the type of structure.
Spectrum
The spectrum values to use depend on the level of damping in the structure as expressed in the damping
ratio. Elastic spectra only.
Behaviour (q, qd )
A behaviour factor is defined which adjusts the level of the spectral values. A separate value, qd, can be
applied to scale the displacements. If qd is not specified the value is q is used instead. Design Spectra
only.
A lower bound factor sets a minimum level below which the spectrum cannot fall. Design Spectra only.
Subsoil Class
Sites are classed depending on the subsoil as A, B, C, D or E as described in Part 1-1 Table 3.1.
The importance factor allow am amplification for topographical effects depending on the type of structure.
Spectrum
The spectrum values to use depend on the level of damping in the structure as expressed in the damping
ratio. Elastic spectra only.
Behaviour (q)
A behaviour factor is defined which adjust the level of the spectral values. Design Spectra only.
Subsoil Class
Sites are classed depending on the subsoil as A, B, or C as described in Part 1-1 Section 3.
Spectrum
The spectrum values to use depend on the level of damping in the structure as expressed in the damping
ratio. Elastic spectra only.
Behaviour (q)
A behaviour factor is defined which adjust the level of the spectral values. Design Spectra only.
Site Class
Sites are classed as one of A, B, C, D or E for the soil type as described in Table 1615.1.1. Type F soil
requires specialist geotechnical advice and is not included as an option.
SS and S1
These are the short period response acceleration parameter and the 1s response acceleration parameter
as defined in Section 1.6.1.1. Seismic Hazard maps for the USA are available from the U.S. Geological
Survey web site by following the USGS hyperlink.
The empirical period of the building (Section 3.3.1.2.2) is calculated from equation (3-7)
T = Ct(hn )β
The building period coefficient, Ct , and the building period exponent, β, depend on the type of building
frame. The frame types are:
Steel moment-resisting
Eccentrically braced
Wood
Other
1.6.1.5.2)
It may be unconservative to reduce spectral values for low periods. This option ignores the reduction and
extends the plateau to cover the low periods. FEMA 356 1.6.1.5.1 states that “Use of spectral response
accelerations calculated using Equation (1-8) in the extreme short period range (T<T0) shall only be
permitted in dynamic analysis procedures and only for modes other that the fundamental mode”.
Seismic analysis is required when the seismic intensity in 6 or greater. If the value is greater than 9 more
detailed analysis than response spectrum analysis is required. For design intensities 7 and 8 there are
lower and higher values of design ground accelerations. Reference should be made to the code for the
appropriate intensity for a particular site.
Site Class
Sites are classed depending on the soil type and shear wave velocity. from Type I (for firm soil) to Type IV
(for weak, soft soil).
Building Category
Ty p e Str u c tu r e
the importance factor is 1 but this can increase to 1.5. Determine the importance factor (I) from Table 6.
Seismic Group
Three different seismic design groups (1, 2 and 3) are defined in the code. The characteristic period is a
function of this design group
Seismic Recurrence
Two different scenarios are considered: frequent earthquakes with a smaller ground acceleration and rare
earthquakes with a larger ground acceleration. The frequent earthquake is one with a probability of
exceedance of 63% within a design period of 50 years. The rare earthquake is one with a probability of
exceedance of 2-3% within a design period of 50 years.
The spectrum values to use depend on the level of damping in the structure as expressed in the damping
ratio. This value will adjusted the spectral accelerations.
Site Class
Sites are classed as one of A, B, C, D or E for the soil type as described in Table 1615.1.1. Type F soil
requires specialist geotechnical advice and is not included as an option.
SS and S1
These are the short period response acceleration parameter and the 1s response acceleration parameter
as defined in Section 1615. Seismic Hazard maps for the USA are available from the U.S. Geological
Survey web site by following the USGS hyperlink.
Importance Factor
Determine the importance factor (IE) from Section 1616.2 and Table 1604.5.
The approximate fundamental period of the building (Section 1617.4.2.1) is calculated from equation (16-
39)
T = Ct(hn )¾
The building period coefficient, Ct , depends on the type of building frame. The frame types are:
Steel moment-resisting
Eccentrically braced
Other
It may be unconservative to reduce spectral values for low periods. This option ignores the reduction and
extends the plateau to cover the low periods.
Seismic Zone
The seismic zones are defined as II, III, IV or V (See Fig. 1 and Annex E).
Soil Type
Sites are classed depending on the soil type as one of Type I (rock or hard soil), Type II (medium soil) or
Type III (soft soil).
Importance Factor
For most buildings the importance factor is 1 but this can increase to 1.5. Determine the importance factor
(I) from Table 6.
Depending on the structure type a different response reduction factor can be used. Determine the
response reduction factor (R) from Table 7.
The spectrum values to use depend on the level of damping in the structure as expressed in the damping
ratio. (See Table 3). This value will normally be adjusted during an analysis.
It may be unconservative to reduce spectral values for low periods. This option ignores the reduction and
extends the plateau to cover the low periods.
Seismic Zone
Subsoil Class
Spectrum
The spectrum values to use depend on the level of damping in the structure as expressed in the damping
ratio. Elastic spectra only.
Behaviour (q)
A behaviour factor is defined which adjust the level of the spectral values. Design Spectra only.
Zone Number
This is the Zone in which the structure is to be located and is one of 1, 2A, 2B, 3, 4 as defined in Table 23-
I).
Soil Type
Enter S1, S2 or S3 for the soil type as described in Table 23-J. Type S4 soil requires specialist
geotechnical advice.
Importance Factor
The structural system factor (Rw) is determined from Table 23-O (building structures) or 23-Q (non-
building structures).
Enter the value of the empirical building period derived from the code. (Clause 2334(b) 2A.)
It may be unconservative to reduce spectral values for low periods. This option ignores the reduction and
extends the plateau to cover the low periods.
Zone Number
This is the Zone in which the structure is to be located and is one of 1, 2A, 2B, 3, 4 as defined in Table 23-
I).
For Zone 4 the seismic source type is categorised by types A, B or C determined form Table 16-U.
For Zone 4 the spectrum will depend on the distance to a known seismic source in the range 2km to
15km. See Table 16.
Soil Type
Enter SA, SB, SC, SD or SE for the soil type as described in Section 1636. Type SF soil requires specialist
geotechnical advice.
Importance Factor
The structural system factor (R) is determined from Table 16-N (building structures) or 16-P (non-building
structures).
Enter the value of the empirical building period derived from the code (Section 1630.2.2) or set to zero for
automatic calculation based on frame type.
The empirical period of the building (Section 1630.2.2 – Method A) is calculated from equation (30-8)
T = Ct(hn )¾
The building period coefficient, Ct , depends on the type of building frame. The frame types are:
Steel moment-resisting
Eccentrically braced
Other
It may be unconservative to reduce spectral values for low periods. This option ignores the reduction and
extends the plateau to cover the low periods.
Import
The user is given a file selection dialog to select the file to import. The files supported are:
The files must contain values of displacement / velocity / acceleration as a function of period / frequency.
FREQUENCY
PERIOD
DISP
VELOCITY
ACCELERATION
Export
The user is given the option of exporting a file. This allows a file to be modified if required and then re-
imported into GSA. The files supported are:
Modify
In many cases the imported file contains the correct data but the data needs some modification, such as
scaling so that the units are correct. See Modify Curve.
4.16.1.14 Damping
Scale response spectrum
When a constant or modal damping option has been selected the used is given the option of scaling the
spectrum to allow for different levels of damping.
Code defined scaling only – the spectrum is modified if the code allows for this, otherwise it is left
unchanged.
New mark-Hall : 50th percentile – the median acceleration modifiers from Newmark and Hall (1982) are
applied to the calculated spectral values
New mark-Hall : 84th percentile – the acceleration modifiers at one standard deviation from Newmark
and Hall (1982) are applied to the calculated spectral values
Definition
Name
The name is used only as a label for this frequency damping table definition.
Description
Damping table consists of a series pair of data that gives the frequency and the corresponding total critical
damping ratio. The description is a string in the form of '(f1,d1) (f2,d2) (f3,d3) ...' to describe each pair of the
frequency and damping ratio. The description can be typed directly in the table or entered as a table in the
wizard.
Frequency damping curves can be exported and imported as text (.txt or .csv) files.
Definition
Name
The name is used only as a label for this damping table definition.
Default Damping
If damping ratios of any modes have not been defined in this module, the default damping ratio is used for
those modes in harmonic analysis, time-history analysis and footfall analysis.
Description
Damping table consists of a series pair of data that gives the mode number of modal dynamic analysis
and its corresponding total critical damping ratio. The description is a string in the form (m 1,d1) (m 2,d2)
(m 3,d3) ...' to describe each pair of the mode and damping ratio. The description can be typed directly in the
table or open the wizard to input the mode and damping ratio numerically.
Mode damping curves can be exported and imported as text (.txt or .csv) files.
Definition
Name
The name is used only as a label for this load curve definition.
Description
Load curve consists of a series pair of data that defines the load factor at the corresponding time. The
description is a string in the form of (t1,v1) (t2,v2) (t3,v3) ...' to describe each pair of the load factor and time.
The description can be typed directly in the load curve table or open the wizard to input the load factor and
time numerically. When used in the analysis, if analysis time is beyond the defined range, the load factor
will be taken as zero.
Load curves can be exported as text (.txt or .csv) and imported as text (.txt or .csv) or PEER ground motion
files.
Definition
Name
The name is used only as a label for this dynamic load factor definition.
Description
Dynamic load factors consists of a series points of data that defines the periodic load frequency, DLFs for
first, second, third and fourth harmonic components. The description is a string in the form
'(f1,d1,1,d1,2,d1,3,d1,4) (f2,d2,1,d1,2,d2,3,d2,4) (f3,d3,1,d3,2,d3,3,d3,4) ...' to describe each point of the periodic load
frequency and dynamic load factors. The description can be typed directly in the dynamic load factor table
or open the wizard to input the frequencies and dynamic load factors numerically.
Definition
Name
The name is used only as a label for this frequency weighting curve.
Description
A frequency weighting curve consists of a series points of data that defines the relationship between
vibration frequency and weighting factor. The description is a string in the form of (f1,w1) (f2,w2) (f3,w3) ...'.
The description can be typed directly in the frequency weighting curve table or open the wizard to input the
frequencies and weighting factor.
Frequency weighting curves can be exported and imported as text (.txt or .csv) files.
4.17 Raft
4.17.1 Soil
4.17.1.1 Soil Profiles
Soil profiles are vertical columns through the ground which are separated into levels of strata. A new table
is created for each soil profile.
The lateral extent of each soil profile is specified later as a soil zone.
Definition
Name
Levels
The levels are defined in terms of the level at top of each stratum and the number of intermediate
displacement levels.
Displacement levels sub-divide each layer of soil into a number of sub-layers. For example the
specification of two intermediate displacement levels will divide the layer of soil into three sub-layers.
This also defines the number of stress calculation points, with depth, for the Boussinesq solution. The
stresses are calculated at the centre of each sub-layer.
The basic soil properties are the Young’s modulus & Poisson’s ratio. Where non-linear behaviour is
required a non-linear soil curve can be assigned to individual layers of strata.
The pile-soil interaction property allows the selection of a pile-soil interaction property to be associated
with each layer of a soil profile.
Notes
The number of displacement levels calculated is determined as the larger of:
a generated number (n) taken from the Maximum Allowable Ratio (Ra) between values of Young’s
modulus (E).
log Eb Et
n
log Ra
Definition
Name
Extents
This is defined in terms of rectangular areas specified by corner x and y co-ordinates. The soil zones are
therefore aligned with the Cartesian coordinate system.
Soil zone areas may overlap. If this occurs then the profile relating to the soil zone with highest allocated
number will be used in the calculation.
If no soil zone is specified then the first soil profile is assumed to be widespread. Similarly, if
displacements are to be calculated for locations that are wide of any soil zones then the first soil profile will
be used.
For models of materials where the relationship between stress and strain is non-linear a non-linear curve
must also be specified.
Definition
Name
The nonlinear soil curve is specified as a factor on the stiffness (Young’s modulus). This can be defined
by the specification of a curve of strain versus stiffness factor. The secant stiffness at a particular strain is
then the specified E value × factor.
C
ult B
The values of δ represent the relative displacement between the pile and the elastic ground soil near it.
That is, δ is the non-linear deformation of the soil local to the pile, which is usually behaving in a non-linear
manner.
For rectangular piles, Bx and By are the side width of the rectangular section, p = 2Bx + 2By and D = p/π
For H & I sections, Bx is the flange width, By the web height + 2 × flange thickness, p the complete
perimeter (roughly 2 × web height + 4 × flange) and D = (2Bx + 2By )/π .
Definition
Name
Pile-Soil Interaction Curve (coefficients) in X, Y & Z or the curve used for pile base
These define the interaction curves used for x, y and z interaction and for the pile base interaction
The maximum soil bearing/shear stress-in X, Y, Z & pile base at both top and bottom of each layers of
the soil.
Definition
Name
Curve
For each PSIC, the coefficient C(d) is a function of d, d is normalised relative displacement, i.e. d = δ/B or
δ/D, δ, B & D are explained in Pile-soil interaction property table. If d is outside the defined range on
positive or negative side of PSIC curve, the last C value on positive or negative side of the curve will be
used as the corresponding C value, i.e. the curve is extended horizontally on both positive and negative
sides.
Definition
Name
The orientation of the loading plane. A load in the vertical plane and no rotation angle is in the XZ plane.
Define the rotation angle of the load about the global z axis.
The coordinates of the centre of the rectangular loading area (x, y, & z in global axis).
Width x
Length y
Loading plane Angle of local x from Global direction of Global direction of Global direction of
orientation global x local z load (normal) local x load local y load
(tangential) (tangential)
Horizontal plane 0 -Z X Y
Vertical plane 0 -Y X -Z
Vertical plane 90 X Y -Z
Definition
Node List
Interaction Area
A rectangular area can be defined for the interaction nodes by x and y dimensions in global axis if
"Automatic" option is not used. If 'Automatic' is selected, the interaction areas will be calculated by GSA
automatically. If an interaction node is connected to one 1D element or parallel 1D elements, the
interaction area cannot be generated. If an interaction node is connected to the middle nodes of quadratic
2D elements, the interaction area also cannot be generated, in these two cases, the interaction area has
to be defined explicitly by the x and y dimension.
Interaction Elevation
This defines the elevation of the raft nodes that interact with soil, the elevation is relative to vertical level
used in soil profile definition. If 'Automatic' is selected, the z coordinate of the interaction nodes will be
used as the interaction elevation.
The minimum pressure that can be exerted on the soil, with a positive value being compression.
If a negative minimum pressure is specified then this is the maximum tensile pressure the soil can
sustain.
The maximum pressure that can be exerted on the soil. If the soil pressure is higher than the maximum
pressure during raft analysis, the soil pressure will be constant and and equal to this maximum pressure.
Definition
Node List
A list of nodes that interact with soil.
Interaction Area
If Automatic is selected, the interaction areas will be calculated by GSA automatically, otherwise, X, Y and Z
represent the dimension of the beam section of the pile covered by the interaction nodes. The perimeter is
the perimeter length of the pile section that are used by pile-soil vertical shear interaction.
Interaction Elevation
The elevation of the pile nodes interacts with soil. If Automatic is selected, the Z coordinate of the
interaction will be used as the interaction elevation. The user defined interaction elevations are relative to
elevation used in soil profile.
4.18 Bridge
4.18.1 Alignments
An alignment is the basic setting out feature for bridges, defined in terms of chainage and straights or
radii. The vehicle paths are then related back to alignments. A structure may have multiple alignments.
Definition
Name
The name is used to identify the alignments where they are referred to. The name is displayed on the tab
in the Alignment table. This can be adjusted by double clicking on the tab or right-clicking on the tab and
selecting the modify option.
Chainage
Distance along the Alignment from the origin. The origin of the alignment (chainage 0) is at the origin of the
axis system of the Grid Plane, see below.
Curvature
Straight, Right Curve or Left Curve (looking in the direction of increasing chainage).
Radius
The instantaneous radius curvature of the curve at that chainage. A circular curve is defined by two
chainages with the same curvature, and a transition curve by two chainages with different radii (or a radius
and a straight. Curvature varies linearly along the transition as in a standard highways transition). A typical
alignment is illustrated below.
The formulae for the transition curves are taken from the “County Surveyors’ Society” Tables.
If a change of curvature without a transition is needed then a very short transition length needs to be used.
Grid Plane
The alignment has to be positioned in space relative to the structure. The grid plane provides this
positioning with zero chainage at the origin of the grid plane and the alignment at this point aligned with
the positive x axis of the grid plane.
4.18.2 Paths
Paths define traffic lines along a bridge related to the alignments. These can be for trains, road vehicle or
pedestrians. Different path types are used for the different ways of using the tools available for bridge
loading described in Step-by-Step guide to Bridge Loading.
For highway loading, if a design code has been specified in the Bridge Loading Analysis Specification
dialogue then the full width of a carriageway between kerbs is entered (the notional width for HK
carriageways without raised kerbs), along with any footways, and the programme will automatically divide
this into lanes and vehicle paths for analysis. In all other cases the user must specify Lanes individually,
plus Vehicle paths if vehicles are not to be placed central in Lanes.
Paths must be defined before carrying out an Influence Analysis, or using the Bridge Loading table to set
up load cases, and can be used to position vehicles in the Generate Vehicle dialog. Paths are used in
conjunction with an alignment to define the road or railway track geometry.
Definition
Path Name
The name of the path will be used in the Bridge Loading table and the Generate Static Vehicle dialog to
Path Type
The deck section is split up into paths. The paths can be of the following types:
Vehicle – to define a vehicle path straddling lanes, or to place vehicles off centre within a lane, where
automatic path generation is not available.
Carriagew ay 1 w ay – for roads where automatic lane generation is available, carrying 1 way traffic,
minimum width 5m.
Carriagew ay 2 w ay – for roads where automatic lane generation is available, carrying 2 way traffic,
minimum width 5m.
No checks are made on whether Footway and Lane paths overlap, but a severe warning is given if Footway
and Carriageways defined from a single alignment overlap. In this case (or if there are overlaps between
carriageways defined from different alignments, which are not identified by the program) the user will need
to review the Static Bridge Loads and delete any overlapping loads. Any gaps between lanes will be
considered as central reserves and left unloaded.
Path Group
The deck can be considered as a series of groups of paths. Thus a two lane dual carriageway consisting
of six paths could be considered as four groups – two carriageway groups (each containing two paths),
and two footway groups. The central reserve is formed by the gap between the central lanes. Vehicle paths
should be given the same group number as the lanes they straddle.
Alignment
The Alignment which this path follows. For highways this will normally be the same for all paths.
Offsets / Gauge
The values entered here define different things depending on the path type.
For footways and lanes: offsets from the Alignment to the left and right sides of the path. Vehicles will
always be placed centrally in the path.
For tracks: offset to the centreline of the track, and track gauge (rail spacing, standard gauge – 1.435m).
When the path type is track it is possible to specify how the load will be split between the left and right rails
by specifying the percentage of the load taken on the left rail.
The number of marked lanes on a 1 way or 2 way carriageway. Use for CS454 assessment only.
4.18.3 Vehicles
For bridge analysis a vehicle is defined as a pattern of loading based on axle and wheel positions. User
defined arrangements of wheel loads forming a vehicle are defined here for use in bridge loading or to
generate static vehicle load. Wheels are always positioned in pairs symmetrically about the central axis,
but can have different intensities of load to allow for lurching, wind loading etc.
Definition
Name
The name is used to identify the vehicles where they are referred to. The name is displayed on the tab in
the Vehicle table. This can be adjusted by double clicking on the tab or right-clicking on the tab and
selecting the modify option.
Axle Location
The wheel position is defined by the distance each wheel is offset from the centreline (i.e. ±y coordinate). A
wheel load is then specified for the left and right respectively looking in the direction of increasing x.
Width
This specifies the width of the vehicle used when checking vehicle paths.
A variable load comprises a variable uniformly distributed load (UDL) and knife-edge load (KEL).
A variable UDL is a uniformly distributed load that has a uniform intensity (force/length or force/area) for
each path, which can depend on the loaded length or loaded area.
A KEL is a line load applied over the width of the Path. If CS454 KEL is selected this will also vary
depending on the length loaded by the UDL.
A number of standard variable loads implement the requirements of specific design codes.
You can specify additional variable loads. This is most easily done using the Bridge Variable Load wizard.
The intensity of the load is defined by a series of segments. Transition points between each segment can
be defined. Each segment of the VUDL curve between transition lengths has intensity per unit length per
path. This is defined by power-law functions to give a loading intensity which varies with loaded length:
Where the variable UDL is in kN/m, A is Factor in kN, n is index, and L is loaded length in m.
Up to three segments of variable UDL can be specified. You need to ensure the intensity matches either
side of the transition length.
The load intensities are constant for the first and last segments respectively, with the intensity of the
intermediate zone defined by:
120
W 2
L Transition Parameter
The load intensities are constant for the first and second segments respectively. The load intensity of the
third zone is a curve defined as:
3000 55 B
W 30
L 50
where: W – lb/tf²; B – ff.
The load intensity curve is a 4-segment curve defined in CS454 Table 5.19a. No user configuration is
permitted.
L 230
L0.67
L 336
L0.67
L > 50m 36
L0.1
Linear
The intensity of the load is defined by straight lines between transition points. The first and last straight
lines are horizontal, joined by an intermediate line.
KEL Types
None
No KEL is applied
Constant
A constant KEL is applied across the path, regardless of the length loaded by UDL. A constant UDL of 0 is
the same as type ‘None’
CS454
Varies with the length loaded by the UDL and is defined in CS454 Table 5.19a. No user configuration is
permitted.
L 82
L 120
Definition
Name
Different KEL types can be selected, with a value specified where applicable.
UDL curve definition varies with Curve type. Common options include:
Number of Segments
The number of segments used to define the complete VUDL (with a maximum of three).
Transition Point
The load length up to which the previous segment applies and beyond which the next segment applies.
Graph
This provides a view of the load intensity as a function of load length (or area). This is provided as visual
confirmation of the VUDL definition.
The total effect is the sum of the factored individual effects. Note that only the Effect columns in the Static
Bridge Loads table will be affected in this way. The total effect is used to find the critical load pattern but the
magnitude of the loads (and so of the moments and forces produced by analysing them) is independent of
the effect factors.
Definition
Name
The name from the first line with a given effect number is used to identify the effect. Names from
subsequent lines with the same effect number are ignored.
Effect
The effect number will normally be the same as the line number, unless the user chooses to combine
effects (for example to maximise the sum of the reactions from a series of supports on a single column).
Node
Factor
The effect to be calculated can be factored, but will normally be 1. Non-unity factors can be used to
combine effects (e.g. to maximise the weighted average of a number of reactions), but note, this is an
advanced feature.
Type
The axis and direction relative to that axis to be used for calculation.
Note: As the number of analysis cases in the bridge analysis task depends on the influence effects, the
editing of influence effects will be disabled if there is a bridge analysis task.
Displacement, rotation, force or moment in the specified direction at the specified position on any single
beam element.
The total effect is the sum of the factored individual effects. Note that only the Effect columns in the Static
Bridge Loads table will be affected in this way. The total effect is used to find the critical load pattern but the
magnitude of the loads (and so of the moments and forces produced by analysing them) is independent of
the effect factors.
Definition
Name
The name from the first line with a given effect number is used to identify the effect. Names from
subsequent lines with the same effect number are ignored.
Effect
The effect number will normally be the same as the line number, unless the user chooses to combine
effects (for example to maximise the sum of the bending moments from a series of elements across the
width of a deck).
Beam
Position
Factor
The effect to be calculated can be factored, but will normally be 1. Non-unity factors can be used to
combine effects (e.g. to maximise the average moment either side of a node, two effects with factors of 0.5
could be used), but note, this is an advanced feature.
Type
Direction
Note: As the number of analysis cases in the bridge analysis task depends on the influence effects, the
editing of influence effects will be disabled if there is a bridge analysis task.
Definition
Path
The path name to be loaded. A number of restrictions apply to combinations of path and load types:
Footway paths can only be loaded with KEL or UDL loads using Variable Loads (to place accidental wheel
loads on footways use the Generate Static Vehicle dialog.)
Load Type
A number of standard path loadings implement the requirements of specific design codes.
The user can define other loading which consists of one of the following:
User Vehicle + variable load: any standard or user defined vehicle combined with any standard or user
defined variable load. An exclusion length can be specified, see below.
User variable load: any standard or user defined variable load (UDL and KEL).
EC1:LM3 Generic: any standard or user defined vehicle, combined with a UDL outside the exclusion
length (see below) and a second vehicle placed within the UDL in accordance with EN 1991-2 (EC1).
Note that UDL in GSBridge is defined as kN/m/lane, while UDL in EC1 is defined in kN/m².
The components of the Standard loading can be factored independently (to allow for 25 units of HB for
example). Note that the VUDL factor specified for variable loading is applied to both UDL and KEL.
Variable Load
Details of the Variable loads (UDL and KEL) are defined in the variable load module. The factor can be
used to modify the intensity of standard variable loads (to allow for lane factors). A knife edge load (KEL) of
the intensity specified in the variable load definition be placed at one point only on the lane.The KEL will
always be placed normal to the alignment. To place a KEL at a skew the Grid Point loads will need to be
modified after optimisation and expansion.
Standard footway loading intensity is for a unit width footway and the factor is the footway width (modified
by reduction factors for wide footways).
UDL(1kN) is a 1kN/m/lane UDL which can be factored to give any intensity of constant UDL.
Vehicle
Details of the Vehicles are defined in the Vehicle module and referred to here.
The factor can be used to modify the intensity of standard Vehicles (for example to reduce the standard 45
unit HB vehicle to a lower intensity).
The exclusion length is measured from the midpoint of the vehicle to the point where the VUDL starts on
either side of the vehicle (so an exclusion length of 0 gives an uninterrupted VUDL).
Note: As the number of analysis cases in the bridge analysis task depends on path loading data, the
editing of path loading will be disabled if there is a bridge analysis task.
All bridge loading defined in this table is defined relative to paths specified in the Paths table. Single
vehicle load cases can also be defined in the “Generate Static Vehicle” dialog from the “Model | Bridge
Modelling | Generate Static Vehicle Load” menu command. Note that once the load cases have been
generated changes to this table or the data to which it refers will not affect the generated load.
Definition
Name, Group
Each Group forms a single load case when expanded into grid point loads, with Name from first line in
group used as the load case title.
Path
The path name to be loaded. A number of restrictions apply to combinations of path and load types:
Footway paths can only be loaded with KEL or UDL loads (to place accidental wheel loads on footways
use the Generate Static Vehicle dialog.)
If "Bridge design loading code" is selected in "Bridge Loading Specification", the bridge analysis has to be
done first, then the carriageways paths can be populated to the path dropdown list and the static bridge
loads can be defined and expanded.
Load Type
Static vehicle – standard vehicle from the list below, or a vehicle defined in the Vehicle table, placed
centrally in the path with the datum (normally the centre of the rear axle) at the chainage specified. A
single grid point load will be generated for each wheel of the vehicle. The magnitude of the wheel loads
can be factored (for example the standard 45 unit HB vehicle can be factored to represent smaller
vehicles). Note that vehicles can also be positioned in space and wheel loads represented by patches
rather than point loads using the Generate Static Vehicle dialog.
Static KEL – a series of six grid point loads (or two point loads for tracks) will be generated to simulate a
line load, equally spaced across the width of the path at the chainage specified. The intensity of the KEL
is the total line load. The KEL will always be placed normal to the alignment. To place a KEL at a skew
the Grid Point loads will need to be modified after expansion.
Static UDL – a series of grid point loads will be generated to simulate a UDL over the full width of the
path. Lines of six point loads (or two point loads for tracks) equally spaced across the path at regular
intervals will be generated in a single load case (combined with any other static loads with the same
bridge case number). The intensity of the UDL is defined per unit length of the path, not per unit area.
Vehicle
Magnitude of UDL (positive) per unit length (not per unit area) along the alignment. Note that with large
offsets on curved alignments the intensity per metre of path will not correspond exactly to this value.
Effect is given where the static bridge load has been derived by the Optimiser. The effect is the magnitude
(in SI units) of the effect being optimised resulting from the current line of static bridge loading, derived
from the influence line. The group total effect is the sum of the effects for a single group of static bridge
loads, and can be used by the user to decide how to combine the different groups to maximise a particular
effect.
All bridge loading defined in this table is defined relative to paths specified in the Paths table. Note that
once the load cases have been generated changes to this table or the data to which it refers will not affect
the generated load. Each entry forms a series of load cases when expanded into grid point loads.
Definition
Name
The name is used as the basis of the load case title for the expanded bridge loads. The individual load
cases are identified as title.1, title.2, etc.
Path
The path name to be loaded. A number of restrictions apply to combinations of path and load types:
Footway paths can only be loaded with KEL or UDL loads (to place accidental wheel loads on footways
use the Generate Static Vehicle dialog.)
If "Bridge design loading code" is selected in "Bridge Loading Specification", the bridge analysis has to be
done first, then the carriageways paths can be populated to the path dropdown list and the static bridge
loads can be defined and expanded.
Load Type
Moving vehicle – vehicle as above positioned at successive intervals along the path. Each vehicle
position appears in a separate load case.
Moving KEL – a series of six grid point loads (or two point loads for tracks) will be generated to simulate
a line load, equally spaced across the width of the path at the chainage specified, positioned at
successive intervals along the path. The intensity of the KEL is the total line load. Each KEL appears in a
separate load case. The KEL will always be placed normal to the alignment. To place a KEL at a skew
the Grid Point loads will need to be modified after expansion.
Define first and last positions of the KEL or of the origin of the vehicle (normally the back axle) on the path.
Interval
Vehicle
Note this loading on constant width carriageways is best dealt with by specifying the design code in the
Bridge Loading Analysis Specification dialogue when paths and loading will be generated automatically.
For varying width carriageways or local analysis where the loaded area under individual wheels is
important the following components are available:
Vehicles
HB45-6 – 45 unit HB vehicle to BD37 with 6m between central axles (to generate other weights of HB
vehicle use the load factor column).
HB45-11, HB45-16, HB45-21, HB45-26 – 45 unit HB vehicles with larger spacing between central axles.
VUDL
HA (UK) – full HA loading to BD37
Path Loading
HA (UK) – VUDL + 120kN KEL
HB + HA(UK) – Vehicle+VUDL – exclusion length for HB vehicles is 25.2m from the end axles.
HB+HA(Hong Kong) – Vehicle+VUDL – exclusion length for HB vehicles is 25.2m from the end axles.
Shadow HB + HA(UK) – HA VUDL outside the exclusion length for an HB vehicle, to use when the vehicle
straddles two lanes
Shadow HB + HA(HK) – HA VUDL outside the exclusion length for an HB vehicle, to use when the vehicle
straddles two lanes
These loads should normally be applied to Lane Paths between 2.5m and 3.65m wide. Where lanes are
less than 3.5m wide then the HB vehicle does not fit entirely within a single lane. In this case vehicle paths
can be used to place the vehicle eccentrically, with Shadow HB + HA loading on the lane paths.
Vehicles
UIC 71/RU axles – locomotive axles for RU loading to BD37. These are the same as the axles for UIC
71. Note that the UDL to be applied either side of these axles is not included.
SW/0 – works train, two 15m long UDLs 133kN/m separated by 5.3m gap.
SW/2 – works train, two 25m long UDLs 150kN/m separated by 7m gap.
Path loads
These loads will normally be applied to Track Paths with the default standard gauge of 1.435m. Effects of
lurching and centrifugal effects can be modelled using the Left Rail Factor when specifying the Track Path.
Note that dynamic factors are not included in the above loads and need to be applied separately.
Loading for two different US Loading codes has been included as detailed below.
The older AASHTO 16th Edition loading, H20-44 or HS20-44 consisted of either a UDL+KEL or a Truck
load, and has been retained since it forms the basis for other load criteria. It can also be factored by 0.75
to give H15-44 or HS15-44 loading.
The newer AASHTO LRFD loading HL-93 uses the HS20-44 truck, but applies one or two trucks
simultaneously with a UDL.
In both codes the influence effect being considered affects the magnitude of loading. Enveloping different
load cases for different effects will therefore be overconservative.
To match the requirements of the codes, Lane paths for AASHTO loading should normally be 10 ft (3m)
wide and placed within 12ft (3.6m) notional lanes (central in the 12ft lanes for internal lanes with HL-93
loading).
Because the AASHTO vehicles are not symmetrical the direction of travel needs to be considered. (…+
Path Loadings take the vehicle travelling in the most onerous direction.
Vehicles
– Truck load
VUDL
Sidew alk (AASHTO) – full sidewalk loading on a 1 foot strip (i.e. 85lb/ft for short lengths)
Path Loadings
Sidew alk (AASHTO)
H20-44 – Vehicle H20-44 or UDL + 1 or 2 KEL (magnitude and number of KEL depends on type of effect
– Moment / Shear / Hogging Moment)
HL-93 – UDL + tandem or 1 or 2 truck loads – zero exclusion length. (magnitude and number of trucks
depends on type of effect – Normal / Hogging Moment / Internal Reaction)
Note that dynamic factors are not included in the above loads and need to be applied separately.
Load Model 1 from the Draft prEN 1991-2 dated 22/8/01 has been allowed for as follows:
Vehicles
EU-TS300 – 2 axles 300kN each
Path Loads
EU-LM1:Lane1 – UDL 9×(path width) kN/m + Vehicle EU-TS300, zero exclusion length
EU-LM1:Lane2 – UDL 2.5×(path width) kN/m + Vehicle EU-TS200, zero exclusion length
EU-LM1:Lane3 – UDL 2.5×(path width) kN/m + Vehicle EU-TS100, zero exclusion length
These loads should normally be applied to 3m wide lanes, (except the EU-LM1-Other path loading which
can be applied to any path width).
Note that for very short spans, less than about 7m, Load Model 2 (single axle loading) may govern. Load
Model 3 (abnormal load) is defined in National Annexes to the code. These models need to be considered
separately.
Loading from the draft DR 00375 code dated September 2001 has been allowed for as follows:
Vehicles
M1600-3.5 – 6 axle vehicle 120kN/axle 3.5m centre spacing
Path Loading
M1600 – UDL 6kN/m + Two Vehicles, M1600-3.5 and M1600-5, at least 6.5m clear between them,
placed in worst positions, zero exclusion length
S1600 – UDL 24kN/m + Two Vehicles, S1600-3.5 and S1600-5, at least 6.5m clear between them,
placed in worst positions, zero exclusion length
To BD86/04 (UK)
Note this loading on constant width carriageways is best dealt with by specifying the design code in the
Bridge Loading Analysis Specification dialog when paths and loading will be generated automatically. For
varying width carriageways or local analysis where the loaded area under individual wheels is important
the following components are available:
Vehicles
NOTES: See BD86 for details of vehicles, Dynamic Factor has been included in axle load definition. Slow
speed vehicles have lower axle loads but smaller exclusion lengths. Overload factor, OF, has been applied
to a particular axle in these vehicles, this can be slightly unconservative since BD requires factor to be
applied to the most onerous axle.
SV-Train-1.2ToLow Chain – Normal speed travelling in direction of decreasing chainage, 1.2m between
trailer axle groups
VUDL
HA (UK) – full HA loading to BD37
Path Loading
NOTES: These loadings select the most onerous of the vehicles listed, regardless of traffic direction. HA +
loadings include full HA(UK) Loading and should have VUDL factored to suit BD21 lane factors. Because
ULS factor on SV vehicles is 1.1 while on HA loading it is 1.3 an additional factor is needed to account for
this (in full carriageway optimization the SV vehicle loading is factored by 1.1/1.3). Exclusion lengths are
measured from end axles and are 25m for normal vehicles and 5m for slow vehicles.
These loads should normally be applied to Lane Paths between 2.5m and 3.65m wide. Where lanes are
less than 3.5m wide then the SV vehicles do not fit entirely within a single lane. In this case vehicle paths
can be used to place the vehicle eccentrically, Shadow HB + HA loading placed on the lane paths will
approximate to lane loading in this case, but will not give correct exclusion lengths.
Definition
Stage Name
Element List
The list of elements that are included in this stage. The list syntax is described in the “Sets and Lists”
section of “Working with the Program”.
Creep Coefficient
This option allows creep to be considered for concrete materials by specifying a creep coefficient. The
properties are modified as follows:
E G
E , G
1 1
It may be useful to ignore releases that have been assigned to beam elements. Analysis stages allow
releases to be excluded when this is required.
Definition
Stage
Type
Element Property
The property number as given in the Elements table. I.e. the whole model element property number.
Exa m p le
Elements that have Beam Section properties (i.e. beams, bars etc.) that have property number 2 in the
Elements module (i.e. have Beam Section 2 properties in the whole model) are to have Beam Section 15
properties in analysis stage 1.
Definition
Stage
Element Material
Stage Material
Creep Coefficient
The creep coefficient used for concrete materials in stage. Click C o d e in the wizard to get a code-specific
creep value.
Definition
Name
Description
This is where the description of the analysis case is entered. See Analysis Case Descriptions. The dialog
lists all the existing load cases by name, where the name exists, or by number, and all the case
descriptions. Double clicking on any of these entries adds the expanded load description to the
description field.
Definition
Task Name
This is a name to associate with this task. This is used as the basis of the analysis case name, so that if
there is more than one modal analysis the particular modes can be clearly identified.
Solution Type
Static – linear static, static P-delta, non-linear static and non-linear static explicit analysis.
Dynamic response – response spectrum, pseudo response spectrum, harmonic analysis, linear time
history analysis, footfall analysis and periodic load analysis
Bridge – bridge optimisation analysis (pre-analysis and no analysis case should exist).
The solver option depends on the analysis requested. The task number is determined by GSA, but the
initial case can be specified by the user.
Imperfection
GSA can apply a range of imperfections in an analysis. The most commonly specified imperfection is an
imperfection which is a function of height. This option allows for an imperfection in the x or y direction as a
linear function of height. More complex imperfections are set in the Advanced options.
Analysis Stage
The analysis task will refer to the selected stage. If stages are not required the 'Whole mode' option
includes everything in the model.
For GsRelax a blank entry is allowed for form-finding analysis. In this case the analysis will find the
equilibrium position under form-finding forces only.
Definition
The details of the loading associated with each analysis case are displayed in a list box
On entry this will be empty and as new cases are defined they are added to the list. In the list box the items
can be selected by clicking on the Name field. Normal rules for shift+click and control+click apply to this
control.
Add
Allows the user to add new cases. A Case Description Definition allows the user to enter the name and
description.
Delete
Modify
Allows the user to modify the name and description of the analysis case.
Sets up a set of default analysis cases, one for each load case.
For a static P-delta analysis the user must specify the basis for the geometric stiffness The options are:
Result case
The basis on which the geometric stiffness is calculated. The first option requires a separate solution for
each analysis case as a new geometric (or differential) stiffness matrix is required for each analysis case,
based on the load in that case. The second option allows a load definition (e.g. 1.2L1 + 1.2L2) to be
specified. In this case GSA first analyses the structure under this load and generates a geometric stiffness
from the resulting forces/moments. In the third an analysis case or combination case is specified and the
geometric stiffness is constructed from the results in this analysis case. The combination cases must be
a simple combination (only one permutation).
Definition
Number of Modes & Start Mode
Specify the number of modes required from the eigenanalysis. Occasionally it is only higher modes that
are of interest. The start mode allows the lower modes to be excluded.
All eigensolvers are iterative. This is used to set up the maximum number of iterations that will be allowed.
It is rare that this value will need to be increased. The maximum number of iterations can also be set in
the Gss Analysis Settings dialog.
Additional Restraint
For a large class of structure the horizontal ad vertical modes are essentially uncoupled. In these
situations it may be better to do separate modal analysis for horizontal and vertical modes. The unwanted
degrees of freedom can be suppressed using the additional restraints; for example, setting ‘horizontal’
additional restraint will produce vertical modes only.
The frequency shift specifies the frequency around which the modes are calculated. The modes closest to
this frequency are retained. This options allows for frequencies outside the range of interest to be
discarded. These natural frequencies will still be calculated but the results are discarded rather than
stored.
Filtering Modes
There are often a significant number of modes which contribute little to the overall dynamic response. This
option allows these modes to be filtered from the results on the basis of their effective mass contribution.
For each mode the magnitude of the effective mass is compared with the structure mass. Results for the
modes where this contribution is below the cutoff get discarded. So for the filter set to 0.02 any mode
whose effective mass contribution is less than 2% of the total mass will be ignored.
Mass Option
This specifies how the mass of the elements is to be included in a dynamic analysis, the following three
options are available:
Lumped mass at nodes - in this option, the total element mass is assigned to the nodes of the
element and form the element mass matrix, the proportion of the total mass at each node depends
on the length (1D element), area (2D element) or volume (3D element) covered by the nodes for 1D,
2D and 3D elements respectively, e.g. the two nodes of a beam element will each have half of the
total mass of the element, the 4 nodes of a rectangular Quad4 element will each have 1/4 of the total
mass of the element. The element mass matrix from this option is a diagonal matrix, this option
should be used in most cases unless local vibration modes of the elements are interested.
Calculate mass from the element shape function - in this option, the element mass matrix, called
consistent mass matrix, will be calculated using the same shape function for element stiffness
matrix calculation. The principle of this method is that the work done by the inertia forces of the
distributed mass within the element is the same as the work done by the inertia forces of the
calculated nodal masses are equal. The element mass matrix from this option is not diagonal. This
option is normally used if element local vibration modes are interested
Ignore element mass except for nodal mass - if this option is selected, the mass of all elements
except explicitly defined nodal masses will be ignored in the dynamic analysis. The nodal masses
will be always considered in modal dynamic analysis
A scale factor can be applied to modify the element masses. This is typically used to increase the mass to
allow for connections.
In addition to the mass of the elements, extra mass can be inferred from loads (Case definition) applied in
a particular Direction, with a Scale factor if required. This is used where “dead loads” have been applied to
the structure which represent mass in the real structure. Only externally applied forces are included; the
effect of gravity (i.e. self weight) is taken into account by the mass option.
P-delta Case
The basis on which the geometric stiffness is calculated. This can either be a load description (e.g. 1.2L1
+ 1.2L2) or an analysis or combination case (e.g. A3 or C4). When a load description is specified, GSA first
analyses the structure under this load and generates a geometric stiffness from the resulting forces/
moments. When an analysis or combination case is specified the geometric stiffness is constructed from
the results in this analysis or combination case. Combination cases can only be simple combination
cases (i.e. of the form a.Aa + b.Ab + ... )
This option is only present if a “modal dynamic p-delta” analysis has been requested.
The analysis will start from time zero, this termination time defines the duration of the analysis, once the
analysis time reaches or passes this time, the analysis will stop.
This table is used to define the dynamic loads and their variations based on the load curves. The load
curve in the first column is used to define the variations of the load or load combination given in the second
column. There is no limit for the number of load curves and loads to be used in the analysis.
Analysis option
Two options available and they are linear and geometrically nonlinear. If linear option is selected, the
analysis will be geometrical linear analysis, i.e. geometrically nonlinear effects are ignored. If
geometrically nonlinear is selected, the analysis will be geometrically nonlinear analysis, i.e. large
deformation and element geometric stiffness are considered. If elastic-plastic material is used for some
or all elements, the elastic-plastic material properties will be considered for the relevant elements.
This allows the analysis to be started from the end of another analysis, e.g. the time history analysis can
start from the end of a static analysis with only self-weight loads. Once this option is defined by giving an
analysis case number that has analysis results, the analysis will start after moving all the nodes to the
deformed positions according to the given analysis case, the loads used in the given analysis case will be
included and kept constant during the explicit time history analysis.
Element masses will be lumped at the element nodes, this factor can be used to magnify or reduce the
element masses used in the analysis.
Case definition: define the load or load combination that is used to derive masses
Scale factor: the factor is used to magnify or reduce the masses derived from loads
Damping option
Damper elements: check this box to include damping from damper elements. If there is no damper
element in the model, checking this box will make no difference
Rayleigh damping: define Rayleigh damping by specifying two frequencies and corresponding two critical
damping ratios. Wizard is available for defining the Rayleigh damping by giving alpha and beta parameters
directly.
Whole model results can be saved at constant time interval or at variable time intervals defined in the
table. The whole model results are saved and associated with analysis cases as other analysis. Whole
model results are normally saved as larger time intervals.
Selected node and element results can also be saved at constant time interval or related to analysis time
steps (multiple of analysis time step as the saving time interval)
Selected node and element results are saved as analysis task results, i.e. the results are associated with
the analysis task rather than analysis case, the results can be presented with chart view.
Definition
Number of Ritz Vectors
The number of Ritz vectors in each of x, y and z, and thus the number of modes required from the
eigenanalysis.
All eigensolvers are iterative. This is used to set up the maximum number of iterations that will be allowed.
It is rare that this value will need to be increased. The maximum number of iterations can also be set in
the Gss Analysis Settings dialog.
Mass Option
This specifies how the mass of the elements is to be included in a dynamic analysis.A scale factor can be
applied to modify the element masses. This is typically used to increase the mass to allow for
connections.
In addition to the mass of the elements, extra mass can be inferred from loads (Case definition) applied in
a particular Direction, with a Scale factor if required. This is used where “dead loads” have been applied to
the structure which represent mass in the real structure.
P-delta Case
The basis on which the geometric stiffness is calculated. This can either be a load description (e.g. 1.2L1
+ 1.2L2) or an analysis or combination case (e.g. A3 or C4). When a load description is specified, GSA first
analyses the structure under this load and generates a geometric stiffness from the resulting forces/
moments. When an analysis or combination case is specified the geometric stiffness is constructed from
the results in this analysis or combination case. Combination cases can only be simple combination
cases (i.e. of the form a.Aa + b.Ab + ... )
This option is only present if a “Ritz p-delta” analysis has been requested.
4.20.2.9 Buckling
Buckling is an eigenanalysis to find the load factors and modes of buckling.
Definition
Number of Modes
All eigensolvers are iterative. This is used to set up the maximum number of iterations that will be allowed.
For some buckling analyses this value may need to be increased. The maximum number of iterations can
also be set in the Gss Advanced Settings dialog.
The load factor shift specifies the load factor around which the modes are calculated. The modes closest
to this frequency are retained. The cut-offs allows for load factors outside the range of interest to be
discarded. These buckling modes will still be calculated but the results are discarded rather than stored. A
lower cutoff of zero will ensure that negative modes are ignored.
P-delta Case
The basis on which the geometric stiffness is calculated.. This can either be a load definition (e.g. 1.2L1 +
1.2L2) or an analysis or combination case (e.g. A3 or C4). When a load description is specified, GSA first
analyses the structure under this load and generates a geometric stiffness from the resulting forces/
moments. When an analysis or combination case is specified the geometric stiffness is constructed from
the results in this analysis or combination case. Combination cases can only be simple combination
cases (i.e. of the form a.Aa + b.Ab + ... )
Definition
Mass Option
This specifies how the mass of the elements is to be included. A scale factor can be applied to modify the
element masses. This is typically used to increase the mass, for example to allow for connections.
In addition to the mass of the elements, extra mass can be inferred from loads (Case definition) applied in
a particular direction, with a scale factor if required.
Definition
Element Slenderness
When checked, slenderness effects on individual beam elements are included by the use of stability
functions. These obviate the need to include intermediate nodes in beam elements to consider their
stability.
When checked, the magnitude of each load increment (except the first increment) will be chosen
automatically by the program. The load applied in the first increment is specified as a percentage of the
total imposed loads. During the analysis, the loading is increased until the specified limits are exceeded.
These limits can be expressed in terms of nodal displacement (translation or rotation) or load factor. They
are defined in the GsRelax Analysis Task Control page of the Analysis Wizard. The magnitude of the
automatic load increment is chosen by the program according to the likelihood of the convergence of the
analysis in the previous load increment: the easier the previous load increment was to converge, the larger
of the current load increment will be, and vice versa. If the analysis cannot converge for the current load
increment, the load increment is reduced until the analysis does converge or the specified minimum load
increment is reached. If the specified minimum load increment is reached, the analysis will stop; the
current load level is probably the ultimate capacity of the model. The records of the incremental load
factors and corresponding displacements are available after the analysis as “Global Results | Load Factor
/ Displacement Relationship” output.
Definition
Load increment
In a nonlinear analysis the load can all be applied at the start - sin g le lo a d in cre m e n t or in a u to m a tic lo a d
in cre m e n ts. If the latter then the proportion of the total loads applied in the first load increment should be
specified.
Load case – this load is applied at the start of the analysis and remains constant throughout the analysis.
This can be used, for example, for dead loads.
Analysis case – the analysis starts from the results of the specified analysis case - the initial analysis
case can be a linear static analysis or nonlinear analysis.
Definition
Nodal displacement/rotation limit
A node need be selected which will be monitored and the analysis will terminate when the displacement/
rotation at the specified node and direction reaches the limiting displacement or rotation
The analysis will terminate when the load factor has been reached or passed the specified load factor
limit. The load factor is the multiplier on all the loads defined by the load combination of this analysis case
The analysis proceeds as for the single increment option except that no results are stored. Instead, the
resulting deflected coordinates and equilibrium element distortions overwrite the original data to create a
modified data file.
So a p -film fo r m -fin d in g
The analysis proceeds as for the single increment option except soap-film properties are used for
elements where these have been defined. The resulting deflected coordinates and equilibrium element
forces overwrite the original data to create a modified data file.
Fo r c e -d e n s ity fo r m fin d in g
The analysis proceeds as for the single increment option except force density properties are used for
elements where these have been defined. The resulting deflected coordinates and equilibrium element
forces overwrite the original data to create a modified data file.
Post Analysis
Spacer element are used to control form-finding and avoid poor meshes. Post analysis it is possible to
save axial forces generated in spacer elements as prestress
Beam and similar element also generate load axial forces which can be stored as prestress.
Definition
Displacement Termination
Set the maximum permitted deflection or rotation at a node. The analysis terminates when this condition is
reached.
Set the max load factor at which the program should cease to search for the model capacity. Use this to
avoid unnecessary analysis.
The program will successively increase the load factor. The size of each increment can be limited here.
In this option, the effective length of a chain of compressive Beam elements in a structure can be
estimated. Elements specified should not be Bars or Struts.
The axial load in these elements will be increased, while the rest of the model is subjected to the defined
analysis case. Thus the effective restraint offered to the member by the surrounding structure can be
investigated.
The program analyses the structure with 100% imposed loads. The program stores the equilibrium
element forces and adds a small disturbance to the member under investigation. The next step is to
reanalyse with the resultant element forces and imposed loads from the initial analysis but with a factored
axial force in the member under consideration. This is repeated until the member in question buckles.
Definition
Elements
Input a list of elements to be investigated for individual component buckling. These must be adjacent
beam elements.
Updating the graphic and progress report slows the analysis down. Therefore it is advisable to update
these views more frequently during the initial runs of the model, reducing the frequency or disabling the
views as the performance of the model becomes familiar.
If the option to save residuals to file is selected then the residual forces and moments at the last iteration
calculated are saved in user modules in a GWA file. This GWA file can then be imported into the model
using the “File | Import | Text (GWA file)” command to make the residuals available for tabular and
contoured display.
Definition
Modal Analysis Task
If more than one set of modal dynamic results exist GsSpec needs to know which set of results are to be
used. In this situation the task selection is enabled with a list of the available analysis tasks.
Separate or CQC3
Normally a response spectrum analysis considers each direction separately, and some rule if used to
combine the effects from different directions. a CQC3 analysis considers all three directions concurrently.
Combination Method
This determines how the modes are to be combined. The combination methods offered are
Absolute sum
Modified Rosenbluth
The CQC combination method requires damping value which depends on the particular analysis options.
The combination of basic responses allows for an SRSS combination across the different directions.
Axis
In general the calculation is carried out in global axes, however a different axis can be specified provided
that the z axis is aligned with the global z axis.
Source
This allows for this analysis to be included as a source for combining results.
Each of the x, y and z directions can be selected for inclusion in the analysis. The spectra that have been
defined are offered as options or the user may enter a spectrum number directly. The user may select
particular modes to be included in the response, although in most cases the default of “all” will be most
appropriate.
Rigorous or Fast
This option is only relevant for This gives a choice between a rigorous calculation only applies for
combination method which couple the responses in different modes (CQC and modified Rosenbluth). A
rigorous calculation calculates the coupling between all modes. A fast calculation ignores the coupling
between modes where the coupling coefficient is less than 1%.
Note
There are two combination in response spectrum analysis. The part of the calculation is for the response
in each mode. These modal responses need to be combined to get the response to excitation in that
direction. This can use any of the combination methods noted above but is generally CQC. Once the
response in the individual direction has been calculated these need to be combined to get overall
responses. The second combination is to combine the results for different directions. The simplest is a
linear combination where there is a full contribution from one direction and reduce combinations from the
others. This can be handled just like any other combination case. The other option is the SRSS option and
this takes the responses calculated in the first step and then combines these using SRSS.
Definition
Storey drifts
Storey drifts can be specified at various locations. A storey drift is identified by a name, a location in the
global xy plane and a list of storeys that are included. By specifying storeys it is possible to carry out drift
calculations where storey levels may be different in different parts of the structure.
In a response spectrum analysis relative displacements cannot be calculated from the difference in the
response displacements at the nodes but need to be calculated from the relative modal displacements.
The relative nodal displacement is specified by a name, a pair of nodes and an axis for the output.
Definition
Pseudo Dynamic Details
The dynamic details must be supplied for each pseudo mode to be considered. These are the frequency,
model mass and effective mass. Only the pseudo modes for which values are not specified will be
included in the analysis
Definition
Modal Analysis Task
If more than one set of modal dynamic analysis results exist it needs to know which set of results are to be
used. If only one modal dynamic analysis task is available, it will be used by the analysis.
Excitation
Excitation can be a force excitation which requires a magnitude and locations of the dynamic loads, the
syntax of the description of the loads is the same as that for static analysis, e.g. 1.4L1+1.6L2. The other
excitation option is base excitation where the base acceleration is defined by the load curve and the
direction of the excitation can be in global X, Y or Z direction or in any direction defined by global X, Y & Z
vectors. This direction vector only defines the direction of the base acceleration and its length is not used
in the analysis, e.g. direction vector (1, 2, 3) will be the same as direction vector (2, 4, 6) . the ground
accelerations defined by the load curve can be scaled up and down by the scaling factor that is also
defined at this page of the wizard.
Output Options
Two output options are offered; (1) "Save results at intervals of specified seconds" is to define the time
interval when the full set of analysis results are saved in the analysis cases; (2) "Interval for time-history
results" is to define the time interval for plotting analysis results (e.g. displacements and acceleration etc)
versus time curves on chart view.
Time Step
This defines the time step in the analysis, if it is too large, the analysis may diverge. Normally the
automatic time step should be used but this can be overridden if required.
f(t) = a sin(ω t)
Definition
Modal Analysis Task
If more than one set of modal dynamic analysis results exist it needs to know which set of results are to be
used. If only one modal dynamic analysis task is available, it will be used by the analysis.
Load Description
The load description defines the spatial distribution of the harmonic load. The syntax of the description is
the same as other analyses, e.g. 1.4L1+1.6L2.
Excitation Frequencies
The excitation is assumed to cover a range of frequencies: define the lowest, highest frequencies and the
frequency increment. These will be used to generate the actual frequencies to be used in the harmonic
analysis. The number of harmonic analysis cases will be equal to the number of input harmonic
frequencies determined by the lowest, highest frequencies and frequency increment.
Definition
Modal Analysis Task
If more than one set of modal dynamic analysis results exists then GSA needs to know which set of results
is to be used. If only one modal dynamic analysis task is available, it will be used by the analysis.
Load Description
This defines the magnitude and spatial distribution of the periodic loads, the syntax of the description of
the loads is the same as that for other analyses, e.g. 1.4L1+1.6L2
This defines the dynamic load factor curves to be used for this analysis. Dynamic load factor curves are
defined in Dynamic load factor table.
Excitation Frequencies
This defines the range of the periodic load frequencies to be considered in the analysis as well as the
increment of the periodic load frequency. Smaller increment of the frequencies will give more accurate
results, but will result in a longer analysis time and vice versa.
Definition
Modal analysis task
If more than one set of modal dynamic analysis results exist it needs to know which set of results are to be
used. If only one modal dynamic analysis task is available, it will be used by the analysis.
Excitation Method
1. Self excitation - the excitation node will be the same as response node, i.e. only excite the response
node itself for obtaining its response (maximum response may be missed)
2. Full excitation - Rigorous - excite all the specified excitation nodes for each of the response nodes. For a
large model, this will take very long time for the analysis to complete.
3. Full excitation - Rigorous (exclude response node) - excite all the specified excitation nodes for each of
the response nodes but exclude the response node. For a large model, this will take very long time for
the analysis to complete.
4. Full excitation - Fast - use search technique to determine the nodes to be excited for each of the
response nodes in order to reduce the computing time (maximum response may be missed, but better
than self excitation)
Response Nodes
Node list to define the nodes that the responses will be calculated in the analysis. Responses will not be
available if the nodes are not included in the response node list.
Excitation Nodes
Node list to define the nodes that will be excited for evaluation of the response of the response nodes. If
search technique is used, only a selection of the nodes, that will generate large response at the response
nodes according to search technique, will be excited to evaluate the responses of the response nodes. If
self excitation method is used, the definition of excitation nodes is not required, so it will be greyed out.
Number of Footfalls
Direction of Responses
The direction of response in the GSA global axis direction. It can be in Z (vertical), X, Y or XY plane
(horizontal). Note that it is the response direction in GSA global axis, not the Basicentric axes of the human
body described in BS6472 and BS6841.
The Frequency Weighting Curve (FWC) is used in calculating the response factors. Standard and user
defined curves can be used.
The following standard frequency weighting curves are available in GSA: Wg, Wb and Wd. These
weightings are defined in BS 6841:1987, a document which also describes how they might be applied to
comfort, perception, health and so on. These defined weightings have been adopted and applied in
various ways in other subsequent BS documents, as summarised below in the case of the assessment of
human exposure to vibration in buildings.
Wg is the weighting adopted in BS6472:1992 for the assessment of human exposure to vertical
vibrations in buildings. It is presented as a base curve with a multiplier corresponding to the response
factor metric in the frequency range 1-80 Hz. The horizontal weighting is also presented as a base curve
which is similar to the Wd weighting and is shown in the frequency range 1-100 Hz.
Wb is the weighting specified in BS6472-1:2008 for the assessment of human exposure to vertical
vibration in buildings; Wd is the corresponding weighting for horizontal vibration. The weighting functions
are presented in the form of charts showing the weighting curves in the frequency range 0.1 to 100 Hz.
This defines the way of the structure to be excited (the dynamic Load Factor to be used). The options are:
Walking on floor (AISC SDGS11) – AISC Steel Design Guide Series, Floor Vibration Due to Human
Activity.
Walking on floor (AISC SDGS11 2nd ed) – AISC Steel Design Guide Series, Floor Vibration Due to
Human Activity.
Walking on floor (SCI P354) – SCI P354 – Design of Floors for Vibration: A New Approach.
Walking on stair (AISC SDGS11 2nd ed) – AISC Steel Design Guide Series, Floor Vibration Due to
Human Activity.
Walking on stairs (SCI P354) – SCI P354 – Design of Floors for Vibration: A New Approach. method is
used.
Running on floor (AISC SDGS11 2nd ed) – AISC Steel Design Guide Series, Floor Vibration Due to
Human Activity.
User defined Dynamic Load Factor – from the ‘Dynamic Load Factor’ table
Walking Frequency
Defines the range (minimum & maximum) of walking frequencies to be considered in the analysis.
Definition
Maximum No. of Iterations
The soil structure interaction is an iterative procedure so that maximum number of iterations should be
specified. If convergence has not been reached by this stage the user is prompted whether to continue or
abandon the analysis.
PDisp Analysis
For the PDisp part of the analysis the user should choose which model is used for the soil. This can be
Mindlin
Boussinesq
The user should refer to the PDisp manual for more information about these soil models.
Displacement Residual
The solution is converged when the convergence criteria are met. The convergence can be based on
either or both of the relative displacement or absolute displacement change from one iteration to the next.
Force Residual
This is only used for piled-raft analysis and it is the tolerance of the pile-soil interaction force.
These options are to allow the user to view the progress on the solution. The options are
Show stiffness contour – a Graphic View with contours of the stiffness of the 'soil springs'.
Show deformed shape – show the deformation of the structure as the solution progresses. With this
option the deformation magnification should also be specified.
Post-process Options
PDisp input data files may be written every specified number of iterations. This includes the pressure
exerted by the raft on the soil at that iteration.
Soil stiffness from the analysis can be saved in the input data at the end of the analysis. Note that this
option modifies the input data. Subsequent soil-structure analysis of any analysis case will use the saved
support stiffnesses as initial soil stiffnesses, as usual.
This option is disabled if any results exist for other than soil-structure analyses.
Definition
In either case the subsequent steps can be carried out using the Tools: Optimise Bridge Loading and
Expand Bridge Loading, and a final static analysis.
Bridge analysis can result in very large post-analysis files. This option trims the results so that only those
at the influence points are retained, resulting in significantly reduced file sizes.
4.20.2.28 Envelopes
The use of analysis envelopes is described in the Step-by-Step Guide.
Definition
Description
Enter the envelope description here, using the syntax of combination case descriptions.
Select how many analysis cases to generate for 1D element results. Choose from:
Worst along element – generate one pair of analysis cases for each result type, corresponding to the
position (as specified in 1D element results) with the greatest result value.
Per node – generate two pairs of analysis cases for each result type, corresponding to node positions 1
and 2.
1D Element Results
Opens the 1D Element Results dialog box for the specification of the positions along 1D elements at
which displacements and forces are to be calculated.
Select how many analysis cases to generate for 2D element results. Choose from:
Worst in element – generate one pair of analysis cases for each result type, corresponding to the
position (node or centre) with the greatest result value.
Centre only – generate one pair of analysis cases for each result type, corresponding to the result value
at the centre of each element.
Per node and centre – generate up to nine pairs of analysis cases for each result type, corresponding
to each node position and the centre of each element.
Tree Control
Select which results to generate envelopes for by ticking the boxes. Each nodal result type generates one
pair of analysis cases; the number of cases for each element result type depends on the element
envelope case settings.
Definition
Low Stiffness Modes
In most cases a handful of modes (say 5) should suffice. This will identify area of the model that have zero
(or low) stiffness. This may be due to lack of proper connectivity. The 'correct' number of modes will
depend on how ill conditioned the model is and how many errors there are. As a rule of thumb, if the result
from running the analysis returns all eigenvalues as small, double the number of modes requested.
The shift option allows highly ill conditioned models to be solved successfully. If the default value does not
work, the shift can be increased by moving the slider to the right.
The high stiffness modes are usually less of an issue, but these enlarge the condition number. In
particular short elements with high section properties can give rise to ill conditioning.
See stability analysis for details about the Model stability analysis.
Definition
Analyse Now
Advanced
For most analyses all the information required to specify the analysis is now ready. However, advanced
user may wish to adjust some of the solver parameters. The details of what can be adjusted will depend
on the model and the analysis options chosen.
It is generally best to use default settings for analyses, adjusting these should be done carefully as it is
possible to change parameters resulting in inaccurate solutions.
4.20.2.31 Damping
Modal analysis is carried out ignoring damping, however much of the dynamic post-processing relies on
damping to get a solution.
Definition
Damping Option
Constant – a constant damping ratio is specified which is used for all modes
Damping vs Frequency – the damping ratio is calculated for the required frequency by interpolation from
the specified frequency/damping table. If the frequency is outside the range defined in the table the
damping ratio of the nearest end value is used.
Damping vs Mode – the damping ratio for the mode is determined from the specified mode/damping table.
For modes not defined in the table the standard damping ratio will be used.
Modal (material) Damping – the damping ratios calculated for the material in a modal dynamic analysis
are used. If the damping ratio is not available from a modal dynamic analysis, the analysis cannot be
carried out.
Definition
Solution Details
There are three matrix solvers in GSA, each with different characteristics:
Active Column
Sparse Direct
The original GSA solver is the active column solver. This is a robust solver for both static and modal
solutions, but has largely been superseded by the sparse direct solvers. The default solver is the sparse
parallel direct solver - this is the best solver, in most cases, for medium to large modes and can be used
for both static and modal solutions. Generally the sparse parallel direct solver is significantly faster than
the active column solver.
This allows a factor to be applied to the stiffness as a whole. Either stiffening the structure (>0) or
introducing more flexibility (<0).
Lock Releases
For some analyses it may be desirable to ignore releases at the ends of beam elements and consider all
connections fully fixed
Limiting minimum:maximum stiffness ratio – this is the limit where Gss will trigger a warning about
possible ill-conditioning problems.
Minimum stiffness distinguished from zero – this is the limit at which a stiffness is considered. Any
stiffness value less than this value is considered to be zero.
Where there are reservations about the integrity of the model it is useful to get feedback on the solution.
The error norm gives a measure of the error in the solution and the condition number gives feedback on
the best accuracy that can be expected.These options allow for forcing of the calculation of the error norm /
condition number of the matrix.
The stiffness and mass/geometric stiffness matrices can be stored in matrix market format. This can then
be loaded into programs such as MATLAB for further analysis.
4.20.3.2 Eigensolution
Both the modal dynamic analysis and buckling analysis make use of an eigensolver. These are iterative
so it is useful to be able control the solution procedure.
Definition
Eigensolver
There are two eigensolvers available in GSA: Subspace Iteration and Spectra.
The maximum number of iterations can be set here and the associated convergence tolerance.
The number of subspace vectors (always higher than the number of modes requested) has an impact on
the progress of the iteration. Select ‘auto’ to use GSA defaults but in case convergence is slow, try a
number between 1.1 times to 2 times the number of modes requested.
Shift Strategy
The shift strategy accelerates the solution in the case of dynamic analysis (but not currently in buckling) so
it must be set to ‘None’ when doing a buckling analysis. For dynamic analysis, select ‘Aggressive’ for fast
convergence and use ‘Conservative’ or ‘None’ only if there are issues converging with aggressive. This is
only available for the Subspace Iteration option.
Normalisation
The results of a modal analysis are mode shapes which can be scaled arbitrarily. By default modes
shapes are normalised so that the maximum displacement is 1m, but different normalisation can be set
by selecting an appropriate length unit.
When the analysis is dynamic there is an alternative which is to normalise the modes shape based on the
modal mass. This option scales the mode shapes so that the modal mass is 1kg, by default, or to the
mass units selected.
Ignore Offsets
Offsets in element mass can give rise to off diagonal terms in the mass matrix. This increases the
memory footprint of the solution, and in general will have little influence on the overall solution, so these
can be ignored.
A Ritz analysis sets up load vectors for each of the required directions which correspond to a unit gravity
load. For symmetric structures this can sometimes lead to a problem in that torsional responses are not
captured. This option applies a randomization to the gravity load vector to seed a torsional response. The
same randomization is applied in each run.
Available separately for both in-plane and out-of-plane problems, GSA provides a separate additional
method for the formulation of the element’s stiffness. In each case there is an original formulation kept for
consistency with existing models, and an improved formulation based on refinements to the standard 2D
element isoparametric theory. More information is provided below on the differences between the different
options.
In general, both later formulations are driven by a desire to upgrade the performance and/or stability of
GSA’s Linear TRI / QUAD elements, admitting their use in a wider spread of applications where a
preference for linear elements is of practical concern. Both make use of changes to the element
formulation that help alleviate common problems of shear locking that is symptomatic of standard linear
TRI and QUAD elements. As a general rule, the improved formulations perform much better in bending-
type problems than their original formulations. Note however that the formulations remain as elements
based on linear approximation theory and so while improved, do not match the bending performance of
quadratic elements (but at greater computational cost).
Mindlin – Original formulation consistent with versions of GSA v8.4 and previous. Based on Mindlin-
Reissner plate theory.
MITC – An improved formulation that both removes the inherent problems of out-of-plane shear locking
with the traditional Mindlin formulation while not reducing the number of stiff modes and the
consequential problems of hourglassing.
Bilinear – Original formulation consistent with versions of GSA v8.5 and previous. Uses a linear
interpolation for the dependent variable in both dimensions.
Allman-Cook – An improved formulation that makes use of the local zz ‘drilling’ degree of freedom to
add four additional stiff modes of deformation. While not required by the basic formulation, these modes
both help alleviate in-plane shear locking while also gaining the practical significance of providing
access to stiff ‘zz’ degrees of freedom.
By default both options are set to the recommended, later formulations. The default in-plane and out-of
pane formulations can be set in the preferences. This preference setting can be found in the
miscellaneous tab of the GSA Preferences.
This governs the method by which the non-stiff degrees of freedom on 2D elements are handled. This
problem arises because the 2D elements do not have any zz stiffness. The options are
Geometry based automatic constraints, Flatness parameter – This approach removes the degrees of
freedom with no stiffness based on a geometric or pseudo stiffness criterion. The surface is planar and
the degree of freedom removed if the minimum principal pseudo stiffness is less than the flatness
parameter. This is the recommended option.
Stiffness based automatic constraints, Zero stiffness value – This approach removes the degrees of
freedom with no stiffness based on the directions of principal stiffness at the nodes. The degree of
freedom surface is removed if the minimum principal stiffness is less than the zero stiffness value.
Artificial zz stiffness in shells – This approach retains the degrees of freedom but assigned a small
artificial stiffness to shells in the zz direction. This option should be used with caution.
When tied interfaces are used with shell elements with five degrees of freedom (no drilling degree of
freedom) there can be issued in setting up the constraint equations used by the tied interface. Assigning a
full set of degrees of freedom avoids this problem.
Geometry Checks
Normally when the element geometry is poor the results are likely to be less reliable. The default
behaviour of Treat geometry check failures as Errors will cause the analysis to abort when poor
geometry is found. Selecting Severe w arnings allows the analysis to continue despite the presence of
badly shaped elements.
Choosing the Allman-Cook formulation activates the local ‘zz’ degrees of freedom through refinements to
the stiffness formulation that connect the local rotational ‘zz’ freedoms to the in-plane translational
stiffness of the element. The results provides a means to connect a moment applied in the ‘zz’ direction to
translational strain of the element. While this has the clear advantage in practical problems, consideration
must be made to allow for a suitably stable connection. Specifically, ‘zz’ moment connections to 2D
elements made over a single node are not recommended as these can cause unwanted local
deformations around the individual node and possible imbalances in load transfer. A warning from the
solver is provided in this case. Either use additional in-plane beams to distribute the load connection over
a local finite area or use a rigid constraint to achieve a similar effect. As an example, if tying a column to a
slab, the area under the column itself may be a suitable candidate area to use for the connection.
Definition
Number of Cycles to Check Residuals
The convergence of the solution depends on the magnitude of the residual vector, however checking the
residual takes time so it is usual to not calculate this at every time step.
A dynamic relaxation solution assigns dummy mass to the nodes which is updated during the solution. In
general it is best to leave the updating to the Automatic option, but the user can also take control of how
frequently this happens. IN some cases it may be better not to update the dummy mass, and instead
specify a dummy mass factor directly.
Damping
There is a choice of using viscous damping (based on the pseudo velocities) or artificial damping (based
on displacements). This can be handled automatically. or with a user defined percentage of damping.
Definition
Use reduced integration (this w ill override the 2D element formulation)
This mean that instead of full integration of the elements a simpler integration scheme with fewer
integration points will be used leading to a faster solution.
2D elements / 3D elements
Definition
Residual
The convergence of the analysis can be adjusted by selecting the “Advanced” button. This will allow you to
adjust the damping and mass, and the frequency at which the dynamic relaxation process is paused to
check residuals, and recalculate the dummy mass.
Termination
Set the maximum number of cycles or the length of time (clock time) for which the analysis should run
before terminating.
4.20.3.8 Results
GSA can calculate a large range of results. However not all these results may be required so this allows
for selection of particular results to be stored. For an explicit solver these can be selected separately for
Full Model Results and for Selected Model Results
Definition
Nodal Results
Allows the user to select which nodal results are to be retained following the calculation. Some results will
not be available depending on the solver option requested.
Element Results
Allows the user to select which element results are to be retained following the calculation. Some results
will not be available depending on the solver option requested.
Centre-only
When checked 2D element forces and stresses and 3D are stored at centre positions only, not at nodal
positions. Tabular output and diagrams will be reported at element centres only; contouring will use the
centre value at each nodal position to result in a constant contour value across each element (unless
results are averaged at nodes). When combining centre only results with results from tasks that do store
results at nodal positions the centre value will be used as the nodal value.
4.20.3.9 Pre-load
Definition
Element Pre-load
Allows the user to specify a pre-load to be applied to the elements. This pre-load must refer only to
prestress beam or 2D loads. The internal loads are used to calculate a geometric stiffness (Kg matrix) for
the element which is added into the normal element stiffness K. By providing an “out-of-plane” stiffness
this allows pre-tensioned bars to be analysed in the linear solver.
This allows certain terms to be excluded from the geometric stiffness matrix. The options are
Suppress torsional buckling terms in the Kg matrix - this can be useful in situations where a low torsion
constant can lead to spurious torsional modes that would be suppressed by the warping restraint that is
not included in the calculation if it is known that the end connection will act to suppress the torsional
modes.
Suppress torsional and lateral-torsional buckling terms in the Kg matrix - similar to previous option but
removing more of the destabilizing terms.
Treat the beam element as a bar for Kg terms - includes only the Euler buckling.
Elements Excluded
At times it can be useful to exclude some elements from the geometric stiffness matrix and this option
allows elements to be specified which should not contribute to the geometric stiffness matrix. if all
elements are excluded this reduces a P-∆ analysis to a linear analysis, so it should be used with care.
Element forces
When constructing the geometric stiffness element forces are required. When these are not available it is
possible to synthesize these form displacements, but this is only an approximation when these relate to a
non-linear analysis.
4.20.3.11 Imperfection
Real structures are not the perfect structure envisaged by the designed but contain imperfections. The
design codes try to ensure that imperfections are considered in the design process. This feature allows
imperfections to be included in the analysis.
Definition
Geometric imperfection
A geometric imperfection is specified by a set of equations defining how the x, y and z coordinates are
modified for the analysis. The simplest imperfection is typically where the x (or y) coordinate is a function of
the height of the node on building
If for example a buckling analysis has been carried out then it may be appropriate to check an imperfection
in which the structure assumes a scaled value of one of the buckling model shapes. Select and scale a
result case as appropriate.
Random imperfection
Clear imperfections
4.20.3.12 Raft
There are times when it may be difficult to achieve convergence, particularly where the soil stiffness varies
significantly over the site. Adjusting the damping and stiffness parameters may help achieve convergence.
Definition
Damping Coefficient
The damping coefficient relates to damping of the numeric solution, and is where the proportion of the old
spring stiffness that is to be retained is specified. For a damping coefficient d the new stiffness will be
f
ki 1 d ki 1 d
x
Raft analysis needs an initial stiffness for the soil. The closer this is to the actual soil stiffness the more
rapid the convergence is likely to be. At the start of the analysis an initial support stiffness is assigned to
the all soil interaction nodes that do not have support stiffness explicitly defined.
The explicit solver calculates a critical time step based on the natural frequency of the mesh. For stability
the time step must be less than this. By default the time step is set as a percentage of the critical time
step, but a user defined time step can be specified. To ensure stability nodal masses can be adjusted, but
a maximum mass scaling factor should be specified to avoid too much divergence from the real inertia
characteristics of the structure.
Progress Dialog
This displays a dialog with summary information for the analysis. Note this slows the analysis, so is more
useful as a diagnostic tool.
4.20.3.14 LS-DYNA
This allows various key parameters to be included in the LS-DYNA export. Refer to the LS-DYNA manuals
for a detailed description of these parameters.
Definition
Command line
This specifies the command line to run on exiting the analysis wizard
Determine the memory and number of processors for parallel execution available to LS-DYNA when
running
Element formulation
This allows the user to specify the element formulations to be used for quad and triangle elements and for
beams.
Integration factor k
LS-DYNA assumes the sections are a collection of point areas which are integrated to get the element
forces. The parameter k determines how a section will be discretised.
Include file
This allows a pre-prepared data file to be include in the LS-DYNA keyword file.
Damping
This allows the user to adjust the solution damping parameter.
Residual
This allows the user to adjust the displacement residual.
Pause / Start
This allows the user to pause and restart the soil-structure analysis.
Stop
This will terminate the soil-structure analysis.
Note combinations are only valid for linear solutions and should not be used to combine results from non-
linear analyses. A mode details description is given in Working with the Program – Combination cases
and Working with the Program – Enveloping in GSA
Definition
Name
Description
Defines the analysis cases and factors that constitute the combination case (e.g. 1.4A1 + 0.8A3). An
envelope of any number of cases can be specified as part of the combination, for example to view the
worst case results for a number of cases. See “Cases” in “Working with the Program” for details of the
syntax for combination cases.
A1, A2 …
In the case of a simple combination (e.g. 1.4A1 + 0.8A3) these are the factors that apply to the particular
analysis cases.
Note
The note is not used by the combination case but gallows a note to be stored against the combination
case.
Notes
Append to description
To assist in creating the case description the append options allow the user to select analysis cases,
other combinations cases or lists (of cases) or a list of cases to envelope and add to the description. The
cases selected are then appended to the description.
Expand
A combination case may refer to another combination case that is defined as a simple combination. If this
is the case the expand to analysis cases will convert the description to one in terms of analysis cases
only.
Opening the Design Tasks page in the Cases and Tasks folder in the data explorer, and selecting New
Design Task from the right-click Context menu.
A Design Task is collection of specifications that guide the automated, iterative design or checking of
members. A Design Task is analogous to an Analysis Task in that there can be multiple Design Tasks all
of which are saved with the model. Design Tasks must be executed to carry out either a design or a check
based on the parameters defined in the task.
Results of the checks are saved as design histories in members and member utilizations that are
available for output and contouring.
Definition
Name
Option
A design task can be set up either for steel member or RC member design. The RC member design is not
currently implemented.
Member list
Design is carried out for selected members. This specifies the members that are to be included in the
design task, although the list can be 'all'. Non-steel members are ignored in steel design
Definition
Strength Design
The combination case reference considered in strength design must be specified. Both an upper limit and
lower limit can be set for the target utilization. The lower limit does not alter the design, it only produces an
inefficiency warning.
Design Objectives
Select a primary and a secondary objective for design. The primary objective will control the choice of
section but where there is ambiguity the secondary objective is used to determine the design.
Section Assignment
Members can be designed on an individual or a group basis. When on an individual basis each member
can end up with a different section after the design. When grouped all members with the same pool
reference will be assigned the same section. The grouped option will generate fewer variations, but
provide a more conservative solution, as some members will be 'over-designed'. It is also possible, at
least theoretically, that grouped design may fail to converge, especially when doing strength design.
Lists may be pre-defined separately by name and stored in the Lists module and later referenced by that
name in e.g. the beam loads module; alternatively they may be specified directly in that module itself.
Definition
Name
Type
Node
Element
Member
Case
Definitions
The entities that make up the list. The list syntax is described in the “Sets and Lists” section of “Working
with the Program”.
Definition
Name
Description
This can be any valid case description, so will typically be of the form “1.6A1 + 1.4A2”.
The combination case dialog can be activated from Case Descriptions table view by giving the “Edit |
Wizard” menu command. “Wizard” is also available on the Data Options toolbar and on the right-click
menu for the table view. Case descriptions can be descriptions of load cases, analysis cases or
combinations cases. Case descriptions are used to store commonly used case descriptions. For
example, the dead load may have contributions from several load cases. The combination of the loads can
be entered as a case description and this can then be used when a case is required in an analysis task.
5 Analysis in GSA
5.1 Linear Static Analysis
For most users the most common use of GSA is for linear static analysis. The Getting Started manual
guides a new user through the stages of building and carrying out a linear static analysis. In all cases a
knowledge of linear static analysis is a pre-requisite for the more advanced analysis options.
Analysis
A linear static analysis can be carried out using the A n a ly s is | A n a ly s e A ll menu command. (See Running
Analyses.)
Results
The results of a linear static analysis break down into three categories:
Nodal results – e.g. displacements at all nodes and reactions at restrained nodes
Details of results available and how they can be viewed are in the Results Display Options section.
The aim of a P-delta analysis analysis is to take account of the changes in the stiffness of he structure as
a whole due to the load.
In most cases a P-delta analysis follows on from a linear static analysis, so a model set up for skeletal
static analysis is the normal starting point. The results of P-delta analysis are similar to those for a linear
static analysis.
Analysis
In a P-delta analysis there is a geometric (or differential) stiffness in addition to the normal structure
stiffness. The geometric stiffness is derived from the forces in the structure, so within the solution there
are two passes. The first pass establishes the forces in the structure allowing the geometric stiffness to
be established for the second pass. The GSA solver handles both passes in a single solution task.
A P-delta analysis is set up using the Analysis Wizard from the A n a ly s is | N e w A n a ly s is Ta s k menu
command. For a P-delta analysis there is then a choice
P-delta analysis with each analysis case defining its own differential stiffness
For a true P-delta analysis the loads used to establish the geometric stiffness are then used in the
solution in the second pass (the first option above). However there are circumstances where one load
dominates, for example the dead loads in a bridge, so it is possible to base the geometric stiffness on
one set of loads and analyse for another set of loads.
Once this is selected the analysis cases are defined in the same way as for a static analysis and finally
the user is give a choice to analyse immediately or later.
In linear static analysis, provided the model is properly restrained, the structure should always be stable,
so a solution is always possible. In a P-delta analysis this is not necessarily the case. If the axial (or other)
forces in the element are too high the elements may be unstable so that a solution cannot be found.
Results
The same set of results is available from a P-delta analysis as for a linear static analysis. Details of
results available and how they can be viewed are in the Results Display Options section.
The effect of the geometric stiffness is to either stiffen the structure, reducing displacements, if the internal
forces are predominantly in tension or make the structure more flexible, increasing displacements, if the
internal forces are predominantly in compression.
For a true P-delta analysis the results for each analysis case are based on a different stiffness matrix so
superposition of results in combination cases should be avoided. Even scaling of analysis case results
will be incorrect, as the stiffness depends on the loading.
Modelling using 2D elements is less intuitive than modelling with skeletal elements, and very different
results can be obtained for the same problem, by changing mesh size for example.
Structure types
There are a number of different types of 2D analysis available in GSA depending on the structure type set
in the General Specification
Plane stress – where a condition of plane stress (in-plane stresses only) is required, for example a
shear wall.
Plane strain – where a condition of plane strain (in-plane strains only) is required, for example a tunnel
section.
Axisymmetric – where a radial slice of an axisymmetric structure is required, for example a cylindrical
tank.
Plane stress, plane strain and axisymmetric analyses are restricted to 2 dimensions (x and y only).
Elements
There are two aspects of 2D elements that need to be considered: the geometrical aspects (element
shapes and mesh) and the appropriate properties.
In skeletal analysis the element mesh is defined by the structure, while in 2D analysis the user needs to
provide a mesh of 2D elements which will give an adequate representation of the structural behaviour in
the region. This will usually be done using the option for generating 2D element meshes.
The type of element chosen will depend on the type of structure and the analysis method that will be used.
2D elements can be either quadrilateral or triangular and linear (nodes at the corners) or quadratic (nodes
at corners and at mid-sides). The recommended elements for linear analysis are quadratic quad (Quad8)
elements. However it is often more convenient to generate a mesh of Quad4 elements and use the Modify
elements command on the Sculpt toolbar to convert the elements from linear to quadratic before analysis.
Internally the elements are mapped onto simpler shapes, so for example, a Quad8 element regardless of
its shape is mapped to a square. The further the shape of the element departs from a square the less
accurate the elements are likely to be.
The properties of 2D elements are defined in the 2D Element Properties table. For plane stress, plane
strain and axisymmetric structures no type is required as this is implied by the structure type. For space
elements there is a choice of:
Flat shell – an element which has both in-plane and out-of-plane stiffness
So to model a shear wall the plane stress type may be appropriate, while for a slab the flat shell may be
the best choice.
It is useful to be able to assign a set of axes to 2D elements that applies to a whole group of elements
irrespective of the individual orientations. This can be done by setting the axis in the property table.
The added mass allows for an extra non-structural mass, such as a screed, to be included when gravity
loads as being considered.
Loading
Loading can be applied to 2D elements in a similar way to loading on beam elements, on individual or
lists of elements. The 2D element loading modules are accessible from the 2D Element Loading table.
The loading types are:
Face Loads
Edge Loads
Prestress
Thermal
The loading that can be applied will depend on the type of element, so for example face loads cannot be
applied to plane stress elements and edge loads cannot be applied to flat plate elements. In general it is
preferable to apply loads to elements than to the nodes around the elements as the nodal forces resulting
from 2D loads are far from intuitive.
Results
The same set of results is available from a 2D element analysis with a number of additional results for
forces and moments, and stresses in 2D elements.
Results for 2D analysis are often most easily understood graphically. This can be done by selecting the
Gr a p h ic s | D is p la y | Se ttin g s | C o n to u r Se ttin g s or Gr a p h ic s | D is p la y | Se ttin g s | D ia g r a m Se ttin g s
commands or the C o n to u r s e ttin g s or D ia g r a m s e ttin g s buttons on the Graphic display toolbar. Details of
results available and how they can be viewed are in the Results Display Options section.
Unlike analysis with beam elements there is no requirement for continuity of stress and force results
across 2D elements so contour discontinuities are to be expected. The user may choose in the contour
settings to average the results at the nodes giving smooth contours, but this should not be done until the
user is satisfied that the discontinuities are minor, so as not to mask poor results. Large discontinuities
indicate that the mesh is too coarse. 2D elements results are discussed in more details in Interpreting
Data and Results – 2D element results.
If all results for 2D elements are stored the model can become very large, so the user may select which
force and stress results to store. This can be done from the To o ls | Pr e fe r e n c e s menu command; select
R e su lts and select the 2 D Ele m e n t R e su lts that are required. This has no effect on existing results and
only affects subsequent analyses.
Geometric non-linearity – where the loading causes changes in the shape of the structure which must
be taken into account in order to get an accurate solution.
Material non-linearity – where the loading causes material to behave in a non-linear manner, typically
through yielding.
Different analysis options in GSA allow these effects to be accounted for in different ways.
The simplest geometrically non-linear problem is a static P-delta analysis. This takes account of the fact
that displacements in the structure can be either beneficial or detrimental to its performance.
The simplest material non-linearity problem is static analysis with ties and struts. In this case the material
can take either no compression or no tension.
More general non-linear static analysis will model both geometrical and material non-linear effects. Non-
linear data types are made available in the data tables. The options given are the basic Non-linear static
analysis and Fabric analysis. Once a non-linear analysis preference has been set and the model defined
it can be analysed with a non-linear analysis solver.
There are two analysis solvers for non-linear analysis. One is called GsRelax and is based on Dynamic
Relaxation, the other is an explicit solver. The GsRelax solver takes a completely different approach to the
GSS solver. Because of this some data items function differently with the GSS and GsRelax solvers. Other
data items are only appropriate for use with a specific solver option. The data affected is mentioned briefly
below and is covered in detail in the relevant data definition sections.
M o r e:
Modelling implications of non-linear static analysis
analysed Gss, non-linear or GsRelax results will probably contain invalid results. Combination Cases
should only be used for producing envelopes in these cases.
The effect of the geometric stiffness can be included by selecting a static P-delta analysis rather than a
static analysis.
Cables – similar to tie element but the properties are specified differently.
Non-linear behaviour is only appropriate for a static analysis and cannot be incorporated into a modal
analysis (dynamics or buckling). In these cases these elements behave as bars.
If the solution fails to converge or the results are insufficiently accurate (for example as indicated by a large
residual in the Total Loads and Reactions) then you can adjust the number of iterations and the
convergence tolerance in the Advanced dialog in the Analysis Wizard.
2D Elements – Quad 4 and Tri 3 are the only 2D elements allowed with the non-linear analysis solver
and their properties must be set to Plane Stress, Plane strain or Fabric.
Properties
Materials – To take account of material non-linearity, User Defined Materials with a yield stress can be
defined using the materials wizard. The user defined materials are assigned to the section in the
selection/numeric material field of the Section table.
Cases
As the principle of superposition is not valid for non-linear behaviour results from different analyses must
not be added together. To mitigate this an analysis can be performed in steps with loads being applied
incrementally during the analysis and the intermediate results stored. These incremental load options are
offered by the Analysis Wizard.
Dynamic data
Although the solver uses a method called dynamic relaxation, the non-linear options cannot be used to
study the dynamic behaviour of a structure. Any data relating to dynamic analysis included in the model will
be ignored during GsRelax analysis.
Within the wizard an Analysis Case can be defined or selected, the loading can be applied in one or many
steps and the particular non-linear analysis selected. The basic analysis option is sin g le in cre m e n t. This
will set up an analysis which most closely follows a linear static analysis in that the results are the forces
and deflections in the model for imposed loading defined as an analysis case. The loading is all imposed
on the model at the start of the analysis. Only one analysis case is analysed at a time, so for multiple
cases the solutions are sequential.
The dynamic relaxation solver uses an iterative process controlled by damping. The results and progress
of the analysis can be viewed and adjusted while it is in progress. The iterative process can be tuned in
the analysis wizard, and the format and frequency of reporting analysis progress adjusted.
Results
Once the analysis has converged to a solution, the results are available for display in Output Views and
Graphic Views. During the analysis a report window displays the checks, and the intermediate results for
the multi-increment analyses. This report window also displays the results summary for individual
component buckling and automatic increment options.
Modelling implications
Proceed in the same way as for a non-linear static analysis using Quad 4 and Tri 3 element types to define
fabric elements. The initial geometry of the fabric surface is a function of the stress in the fabric and the
support geometry. To define the geometry prior to analysing the fabric structure, a Form-Finding Analysis
can be performed. This is the most likely method of defining a fabric model.
Enter the Fabric Material properties in the fabric materials table. The warp direction will be aligned with the
element x axis of each 2D element. It is worth considering this before starting to input fabric elements.
Then open the 2D element properties table. Set the property type to Fabric. Type the Fabric Material
property record number to assign the Material.
2D element prestress loading defines the prestress in warp and weft (element x and y) directions.
Alternatively the element prestress data (for membrane and 1D elements) will be generated during a
Form-Finding analysis.
Spacer elements will probably have been used in a Form-Finding analysis to generate the model. These
elements and associated prestress loading should be deleted prior to analysis as a real fabric structure.
Fabric analysis is the same as Non-linear analysis except that fabric elements are enabled. Therefore the
same analysis options apply.
When a form-finding analysis converges, the nodal co-ordinate data is overwritten with the deformed
shape, and load cases are created from the equilibrium element distortions. Therefore the form-finding
analysis method is suitable for investigating construction sequences of non-linear structures using the
option “form-finding analysis – ignoring form-finding properties”.
Before embarking on a form-finding exercise consider the approximate shape and the boundary
conditions required. This should include estimating the average radii of curvature of membranes and
boundary cables, and identifying fixed high and low points. Use approximate hand calculations to estimate
the state of equilibrium prestress that will result.
Spacer elements are used to control the mesh (nodal spacing) in soap-film form-finding analysis. These
elements are ignored in all the other analysis options.
Use Quad4 and Tri3 to define fabric elements. The initial geometry of the fabric surface only needs to be
an approximation of the final expected geometry. Therefore generating simplified flat grids of 2D Quad4 or
Tri3 elements can be a fast method of constructing a model. The edges of these simplified grids can be
modified to form the boundaries and supports as required.
During soap film form-finding, the nodes within soap film elements tend to wander and coalesce. Spacer
elements and Spacer Properties should be input to control the final node positions generated during the
form-finding process.
A state of prestress needs to be defined in fabric and boundary elements using Soap Film Properties to
give the desired geometry and boundary conditions.
Once the model is defined store the data to a new file name as the results will overwrite the original data.
Set up the analysis using the Analysis Wizard and selecting the “Form finding” solver option. An analysis
case is prompted for but external loading is not always needed for form-finding. If no external loading is to
be considered a blank entry is acceptable.
Once converged, the deflected shape represents a form that is in equilibrium with the specified soap film
forces. The resulting forces in Elements with “real” properties will be in equilibrium with their deflected
shape. These forces will differ from any prestress input for “real” elements. The option is given to overwrite
the data file with the deformed geometry and to store resulting forces as a specific prestress load case.
The procedure is the same as for soap film form finding, except that force density properties are defined
instead or as well as soap film and real properties. When force density form finding is selected in the
Analysis Wizard, the program uses force density properties where these exist.
The analysis is therefore identical to the static non-linear analysis. The results, however, are reported very
differently. The displaced nodal co-ordinates overwrite the original geometry and element distortions and
tensile forces are stored in the additional load case. The structure in the deformed shape plus the
additional load case is in equilibrium with the total loading applied in the form-finding analysis. So if the
deformed model is analysed with the same applied loading as before plus the new load case, negligible
further movement should occur. An exception to this occasionally arises where distributed element loading
has been used, as the equivalent nodal loads of the element loads will be generated based on the
deformed geometry. They are different from the equivalent nodal loads used in form-finding analysis that
were generated based on original undeformed geometry.
The dynamic characteristics of a structure are best captured through a linear modal analysis or a Ritz
analysis. A modal analysis is used to determine the natural frequencies and the accompanying mode
shapes, which represent free vibration of the structure without reference to any loads. A Ritz analysis is
similar to a modal analysis, but can better target significant modes with approximations to the real modes.
There are a number of dynamic response analysis options which follow from a modal or Ritz analysis and
which make use of these dynamic characteristics. These include seismic response using response
spectrum analysis, linear time-history and harmonic analysis and footfall analysis.
Where nonlinearity has to be considered the only option is a time history solution. This is available with
the explicit time history analysis option.
Modelling Implications
In most cases a dynamic analysis follows on from a linear static analysis, so a model set up for static
analysis is the normal starting point. The dynamic response should normally be considered in three
dimensions so generally global restraints should be avoided.
In a modal analysis there is a structure mass matrix in addition to structure stiffness matrix. This is
assembled from the element mass matrices in a similar way to the stiffness matrix. This requires some
additional specification information, which is set when setting up a modal analysis. The user must decide
how the mass is to be distributed around the structure and can derive additional mass from loading.
The three mass options allow for the mass of the structure to be accounted for in different ways.
Mass lumped at nodes – the mass of the elements (including mass properties) is lumped at the nodes
(inertias are ignored). For a beam element half of the mass is assigned to each node.
Masses calculated from the element shape function – the mass and inertia of the element are
accounted for.
Mass of mass properties only – the mass of the structural elements is ignored and the user has to
specify mass properties on nodes to distribute mass around the structure.
In general the first option will be the most useful. If the mass calculated from the element shape function is
used it may lead to modes which involve vibration of individual elements rather than the structure as a
whole.
The element mass is derived from the element properties and geometry. For beam and bar elements the
mass is not the catalogue mass per unit length but is derived from the unmodified section area, element
length and material density.
In most cases not all the mass of the structure is accounted for by the mass of the structural elements, but
some is represented in the model as loading on the structure. The option to derive mass from loads
allows for some loading to be converted to mass for the modal analysis. Loads are vectors, whereas
mass is a scalar so the direction allows the appropriate component of the loading to be selected. The
converted loads (load component divided by g) are then considered like lumped masses at the nodes.
Results
The results for a modal analysis are similar to those for a static analysis, but the interpretation of the
results is different.
The displacements represent the mode shape, rather than an actual deflected form, and are arbitrarily
scaled or normalised. The default normalisation gives a maximum displacement of 1m. The basis of
normalisation can be changed in the GSS Advanced Settings | Eigensolution dialog, both in terms of units
and whether based on mode shape or modal mass.
In addition to the modal displacements, forces and reactions there are the dynamic details results with
information such as frequency, modal mass and stiffness, participation factors and effective masses. All of
these quantities will depend on the displacement units in that they depend on the modal displacements.
Details of results available and how they can be viewed are in the Results Display Options section.
Modelling implications
A modal P-delta dynamic analysis is set up using the Analysis Wizard from the A n a ly s is | N e w A n a ly s is
Ta s k menu command. Select the M o d a l P-d e lta option. The next page is similar to the page for a modal
analysis without P-delta effects with the difference in this case that a P-delta case should also be defined.
Results
The same set of results is available from a modal P-delta analysis as for a linear modal analysis.
If the geometric stiffness acts to stiffen the structure the result will be that the natural frequencies are
increased, while if the geometric stiffness reduces the stiffness of the structure the result will be that the
natural frequencies are lowered.
Modelling implications
In a Ritz analysis there is a structure mass matrix and structure stiffness matrix, just as with the modal
analysis.
A Ritz analysis is set up using the Analysis Wizard from the A n a ly s is | N e w A n a ly s is Ta s k menu
command. Select the R itz a n a ly s is option. The next page allows the user to specify the task name (a
name to associate with this modal analysis), the number of Ritz vectors and the “load” direction, and the
maximum number of iterations. The number of Ritz vectors determines the number of approximate modes.
The number that are required will depend on the structure and what is to be done with the modal results.
Details of results available and how they can be viewed are in the Results Display Options section.
Modelling implications
A Ritz P-delta analysis is set up using the Analysis Wizard from the A n a ly s is | N e w A n a ly s is Ta s k menu
command. Select the R itz P-d e lta option. The next page is similar to the page for a Ritz analysis without P-
delta effects with the difference in this case that a P-delta case should also be defined.
Results
The same set of results is available from a modal P-delta analysis as for a Ritz Analysis.
If the geometric stiffness acts to stiffen the structure the result will be that the natural frequencies are
increased, while if the geometric stiffness reduces the stiffness of the structure the result will be that the
natural frequencies are lowered.
With an explicit time history solution the analysis time step depend on the mesh frequency, so small, stiff
elements which have a high frequency will require a small time step that can control the overall solution
computational effort.
Modelling Implications
An explicit time-history solution proceeds from a knowledge of the structure at a given time, being used to
calculate an acceleration which is then used to predict the state at the next time step. With an explicit time
history solution the analysis time step depends on the mesh frequency, so small, stiff elements (which
have a high frequency) will require a small time step. This limiting time step controls the stability of the
analysis, and so can control the overall solution computational effort.
An explicit solution can require a large number (1000s) of iterations, so results are only output at intervals
requested by the user. Unlike other analysis options an explicit solution allows two types of output –
results for the whole model and results for selected nodes and elements. The whole model results form a
(relatively small) set of analysis cases where results such as displacements, forces, etc. are stored for all
nodes and elements. The selected node and element results are normally output at a much small time
step so that significant results can be tracked as a function of time. These are stored as task results,
rather than analysis case results and are normally viewed as charts.
Analysis
An explicit time-history analysis is set up using the Analysis Wizard from the A n a ly s is | N e w A n a ly s is
Ta s k menu command. Select the Exp lic it tim e h is to r y option. The following page allow the user to specify
the task details, including the spatial and temporal aspects of the load, and the distribution of the structure
mass and specification of the damping.
Results
The results for an explicit time history analysis fall into two sets – whole model results and time history
results. The whole model results are similar to those for a static analysis, but with the option of velocity
and acceleration results for nodes. These display the state of the model at that snapshot in time.
The selected node and element results give the variation with time and they can be viewed charts.
Details of results available and how they can be viewed are in the Results Display Options section.
The initial displacements and initial velocities are assumed to be zero in GSA linear time history analysis.
Linear time history analysis utilizes modal dynamic analysis results (frequencies, mode shapes & modal
masses etc), so at least one modal dynamic analysis must exist with results before doing linear time
history analysis.
Modelling implications
Linear time history analysis utilizes modal dynamic analysis results, so the construction of a GSA model
for linear time history analysis is the same as that for modal dynamic analysis. See the modelling
implications of Modal dynamic analysis for the requirements of building up a model for modal dynamic
analysis which also applies to linear time history analysis.
The spatial distribution and magnitude of the dynamic loads are defined in the same way as for defining
loads for static analysis. Load combinations (e.g. 1.4L1 + 1.6L2) can also be used in linear time history
analysis. The variation of the dynamic loads along with time is defined by load curve in the load curve table.
As linear time history analysis utilizes the results of modal dynamic analysis, at least one modal dynamic
analysis task must be analysed before doing linear time history analysis.
Results
The results of a linear time history analysis include nodal displacements, velocities and accelerations and
element forces and moments at the chosen time intervals. In addition, the nodal displacements, velocities
and accelerations can also be plotted against time on the output of chart views.
See als o :
This analysis utilizes modal dynamic analysis results, so modal dynamic analysis must be conducted
before doing this analysis.
Modelling implications
Harmonic analysis utilizes modal dynamic analysis results and the construction of GSA model for
harmonic analysis is the same as that for modal dynamic analysis. See Modelling implications of Modal
dynamic analysis for the requirements of building up a model for harmonic analysis.
The magnitudes and locations of harmonic loads can be defined in the same way of defining a static load.
Load combination (e.g. 1.4L1 + 1.6L2) can also be used in harmonic analysis. Harmonic loads vary
sinusoidally and its frequency is defined in the ‘Harmonic Analysis’ page of the analysis wizard.
The results of modal dynamic analysis are essential for harmonic analysis, before doing harmonic
analysis, at least one modal dynamic analysis task with analysis results must exist.
Results
The results of a harmonic analysis are the same as that from Response Spectrum Analysis, they include
nodal displacements, velocities and accelerations and element forces, moments and stresses etc. The
results are not a set of results in equilibrium but the maximum values that can be expected in the whole
history of the vibration response. This means that it is not possible to calculate meaningful intermediate
forces and moments along individual elements. Any analysis cases or combination cases that include
harmonic analysis results will only use linear interpolation of results along the element.
The results can be viewed in the same way as those from other analyses. See section Results Display
Options section for viewing the results.
In addition to the normal node and element results mentioned above, chart views that show the nodal
responses (e.g. displacement, velocity and acceleration etc) versus harmonic load frequencies are also
available.
See als o :
Analysis Wizard : Harmonic Analysis
1. Willford, M.R. & Young, P. (2006) A Design Guide for Footfall Induced Vibration of Structures, The
Concrete Centre, CCIP-016.
2. Smith, A.L., Hicks, S.J., & Devine, P.J. (2009) Design of Floors for Vibration: A New Approach, The Steel
Construction Institute, P354.
3. AISC Steel Design Guide Series, Floor Vibration Due to Human Activity.
In addition to the three design guides, user defined DLF (Dynamic Load Factor) curve can also be used in
footfall analysis if you know the Fourier coefficients of each of the harmonic components of the footfall
loads.
As footfall analysis utilizes modal dynamic analysis results, modal dynamic analysis results must be
available before doing footfall analysis.
Response factors from footfall analysis are calculated using frequency weighting curves (FWC), i.e. the
calculated RMS accelerations times the weighting factors from the chosen frequency weighting curve, then
divided by 0.005 m/s 2 to get the response factors. Frequency weighting curve can be standard or user
defined, there are three standard frequency weighting curves (Wb, Wd and Wg) from BS6841 that can be
used directly by footfall analysis. User defined frequency weighting curves can also be used in footfall
analysis if it has been defined in Frequency weighting curve table, this makes it possible for GSA footfall
analysis to cope with any type of frequency weighting options.
Modelling Implications
Footfall induced vibration analysis utilizes modal dynamic analysis results and the construction of a GSA
model for footfall analysis is the same as that for modal dynamic analysis. See modelling implications of
modal dynamic analysis for the requirements of setting up a model for Footfall analysis.
The results of modal dynamic analysis are essential for footfall induced vibration analysis, before doing
footfall induced vibration analysis, at least one modal dynamic analysis task with analysis results must
exist. As the footfall analysis is only concerned with vertical excitation it may often be appropriate to
constrain the modal analysis to exclude horizontal motion by applying additional restraint.
For more details see Analysis Wizard : Footfall Induced Vibration Analysis
Results
The results of a footfall induced vibration analysis are all nodal results and they include:
Resonant analysis
Peak acceleration
Critical nodes
Transient analysis
Peak velocity
These results can be viewed from contours, diagrams and output tables.
After a footfall induced vibration analysis, chart views that show the plot of response factor versus walking
frequency, velocity versus time, etc. are also available for individual response nodes.
Periodic load analysis utilizes modal dynamic analysis results (frequencies, mode shapes & modal
masses etc), so at least one modal dynamic analysis must exist with results before doing periodic load
analysis.
Modelling implications
Periodic load analysis utilizes modal dynamic analysis results, so the construction of a GSA model for
linear time history analysis is the same as that for modal dynamic analysis. See the modelling
implications of Modal dynamic analysis for the requirements of building up a model for modal dynamic
analysis which also applies to periodic load analysis.
The spatial distribution and magnitude of the periodic loads are defined in the same way as for defining
loads for static analysis. Load combinations (e.g. 1.4L1 + 1.6L2) can also be used in periodic load
analysis. The dynamic load factors of each of the harmonic components of the periodic loads at a given
frequency are defined in the dynamic load factor table.
As periodic load analysis utilizes the results of modal dynamic analysis, at least one modal dynamic
analysis task must be analysed before doing periodic load analysis.
Results
The results of a periodic load analysis include the nodal displacements, velocities and accelerations. In
addition, the nodal displacements, velocities and accelerations can also be plotted against frequencies of
the periodic loads from chart view output.
See als o :
Analysis Wizard : Periodic Load Analysis
There are two approaches to buckling – eigenvalue buckling and non-linear buckling. Eigenvalue buckling
analysis looks at buckling load factors and the corresponding buckling mode shapes, for a structure with a
particular load. Non-linear buckling analysis looks at the response of the structure to a particular load as
the load is increased and the effects of buckling begin to show. Non-linear buckling cannot, in general,
reveal higher modes.
When a column is subjected to an increasing compressive axial load its ability to carry transverse load is
reduced until the Euler load is reached when it can no longer carry any transverse load. For a given axial
load the ratio of the Euler load to the actual load is the load factor for that mode. If the column is supported
at its midpoint then the first mode will be suppressed and higher modes with corresponding higher loads
factors are possible. The eigenvalue buckling analysis extends this concept from a simple column to the
whole structure, to determine global modes of buckling.
Sufficient modes should be selected for the buckling analysis to ensure that all the modes of concern are
identified.
Buckling analysis
In a P-delta analysis there is a geometric or differential stiffness in addition to the normal structure
stiffness. The geometric stiffness is derived from the forces in the structure, so the solution requires two
passes. The first pass establishes the forces in the structure allowing the geometric stiffness to be
established for the second pass, which solves for the modes. The GSA solver handles both passes in a
single solution procedure.
A buckling analysis is set up using the Analysis Wizard from the A n a ly s is | N e w A n a ly s is Ta s k menu
command. Select the option to create new analysis cases, then select the Modal Buckling option. The next
page allows the user to specify the task name (a name to associate with this modal analysis), the number
of modes and start mode, and the maximum number of iterations. In most cases only the number of
modes needs to be changed here. The number of modes that are required will depend on the structure
and what is to be done with the modal results. For a simple structure or where all that is required is the
frequency of the fundamental mode only a few modes are required, while a large, complex structure may
require up to or in excess of 100 modes.
Limitations
Eigenvalue buckling only works for linear elements. Tie and strut elements are treated as bars for buckling
analysis. In the GSA solver cable elements in general act like tie elements. For a buckling analysis cables
are assumed to act in a similar way to bar elements. So for a buckling analysis the geometric stiffness of
the tie, strut and cable elements are identical to those for a bar.
5.4.1.2 Results
The results for a buckling analysis are similar to those for a static analysis, but the interpretation of the
results is different. The displacements represent the mode shape, rather than an actual deflection form,
and are arbitrarily scaled to give a maximum displacement of typically 1m. In addition to the modal
displacements, forces and reactions there are the buckling details results with information such as load
factor, modal stiffness and geometric stiffness.
Details of results available and how they can be viewed are in the Results Display Options section.
In general negative eigenvalues mean that buckling cannot occur under the loading as applied. However if
the loading is reversed so that tension and compression are reversed in the structure then the load factors
would become positive. If the magnitude of the load factors is greater than 10 then the effects of buckling
can generally be ignored. But for values between 1 and 10 further checks are required. The load factor
should not be considered as a factor of safety against buckling. It is better to think of the effects of buckling
being ever present, and it being necessary to make specific allowance for then if the load factor is less
than 10.
There are a number of non-linear analysis options that can be used to investigate the behaviour of a
structure as it approaches its first mode of buckling. It can be helpful to run the model through the modal
buckling analysis first to get an estimate of the buckling load factor, then create a new model with
imperfection introduced based on the first mode shape.
The automatic load increment option in non-linear static analysis should be used to search for the
collapse / buckling load of a model, starting form a predefined first increment. Note that the loads are
increased monotonically in this analysis.
Individual component buckling analysis can be used to estimate the maximum axial force capacity of an
element or a chain of elements. This option should be used to estimate the effective restraint to the
elements offered by the surrounding structure under a particular load combination.
The individual component buckling analysis will give axial force - deflection/rotation results for the
elements under consideration. These are reported in the A xia l Fo r c e / D is p la c e m e n t R e la tio n s h ip Output
View option and the relationship can also be plotted using chart view.
The automatic increment analysis will give load factor deflection/rotation results per load increment for the
node under consideration. These are reported in the L o a d Fa c to r / D is p la c e m e n t R e la tio n s h ip Output
View option and the relationship can be plotted using chart view
This is similar to linear elastic static analysis except that material and geometrical non-linear effects will
be considered. Also the post processing of results is different from linear static analysis as the principle of
superposition is invalid in non-linear analysis. Therefore results from single increment analysis should
not be combined and a different approach to load capacity factors and incremental loading is needed.
In order to match the loading from a linear analysis and combination cases the lo a d in g for a nonlinear
analysis should be factored and combined. Thus the loading may be specified as 1.4L1+1.6L2. It is also
possible to use a combination case such as 1.6C1. In this case the loading implied by that combination
will be used.
Note that each dynamic relaxation run relates to a single analysis case and that results should not be
combined post analysis. Combinations of loads and factored analysis cases should be run through the
solver. If the task is form-finding with no imposed loading, a blank load case can be input. Note that in the
case of incremental load options, the solver generates analysis cases for each load stage.
Non-linear analysis can be used to show the change in stiffness of the whole model as loading increases.
This can be used to investigate near-collapse large deflection behaviour, plastic behaviour, and buckling.
Automatic load increment, and Individual component buckling analysis options are offered to investigate
these issues. With these options, the imposed loading specified is used to define the loading pattern.
Analysis cases are generated by the program using factored versions of the load pattern.
As the solver is iterative, non-convergence can occur. This may be due to inappropriate damping, or an
inadequate number of iterations. However it will also occur if the model is a mechanism (possibly due to a
modelling error), or is approaching model capacity. Non-convergence problems should be investigated.
With incremental loading options, the solver monitors the convergence rate for each analysis. If an initial
run at low load converges the program stores the information about the convergence process. This initial
run shows that the model is not inherently unstable. If convergence becomes significantly harder to
achieve as the load increases it is likely that the model has reached capacity.
Note that the model capacity is dependent on the simplifications used in the modelling process
(particularly material properties, and node positions), and may not have any relation to the ultimate
capacity of the real structure defined by codes of practice.
Another use of the nonlinear solver is for Form-finding. This process will transform a data file with
approximate geometry and prestress loading into a data file with an accurate 3 dimensional form in
equilibrium with the boundary conditions and prestress. Selecting form finding analysis options tells the
solver to use form finding properties for the elements where these are defined, and to create new data
representing the final equilibrium geometry and prestress. This new data overwrites the original data.
Multiple increment
In this option, the total applied loads will be divided into a number of equal or unequal increments. The first
increment will be analysed, and then the load will increase in steps one increment at a time. An analysis
case is generated with the total accumulated load for each load stage. Results are stored for each
Automatic Increment
In automatic increment analysis, the program is searching for the structural capacity of the model, by
successively increasing the load factor up to a maximum specified. The structural model capacity can be
defined as the load at which analysis ceases to converge, or, the load at which predefined excessive
deflections occur. This option can also be used to investigate the load factor at which serviceability criteria
(deflections or rotations at key nodes) are met.
In this option, the magnitude of each load increment (except the first increment) is automatically selected
by the program. The first load increment is specified as a percentage of the total imposed loads. Analysis
cases are generated by the program with the loading increasing until specified limits are exceeded or the
capacity of the model is found. These conditions can be limits on deflection or loading and are defined in
the Relaxation Analysis Task Control dialog. The automatic load increment scheme is as follows:
1) Do the first increment analysis (the increment level is known) and record the number (N) of cycles being
used.
2) Determine the limit of cycles allowed for the following increment analyses, 5×N is used.
a) If the previous three or more increment analyses are all converged within the limited cycles, the
current increment will be 1.328×Last_increment
b) If the previous two increment analyses are all converged within the limited cycles, the current
increment will be 1.236×Last_increment
c) If only the last increment analysis is converged within the limited cycles, the current increment will be
1.15×Last_increment
d) If the analysis cannot converge within the limited cycles, the current increment will be reduced by a
factor of 0.618, if it still cannot converge, the increment will be reduced by this factor again.
e) If the increment determined above is larger than the maximum increment allowed, the maximum
increment will be used.
f) If the increment determined above is smaller than the minimum increment specified, the analysis will
be terminated.
4) Do nonlinear analysis under the current load level (previous loads plus the current load increment,
previous nodal displacements are carried over from the previous loads (if converged) to speed up the
process )
5) Check displacement and/or load factor limit, if satisfied, stop the analysis, otherwise Go to Step 3.
The program uses the convergence information from each run to pin-point the load at which convergence
fails, or increases the load until the specified limits are exceeded. This is deemed to be the structural
capacity of the model.
The program analyses the structure with 100% imposed loads. This is called the first step analysis. If this
converges, the structure is well conditioned; the number of cycles required for convergence under applied
loads is stored as a measure of the stability of the structure. The program stores the equilibrium element
forces and adds a small moment to the member under investigation. (Buckling will not occur without a
small disturbance to the member)
The next step is to reanalyse with the resultant element forces and imposed loads from the initial analysis
but with a factored axial force in the member under consideration. This is repeated until the member in
question buckles.
Buckling is deemed to occur when the analysis fails to converge within 5 times the number of cycles that
achieved the convergence in the first step analysis. If snap through occurs in the analysis, the buckling
load will not be given directly by the analysis, but the buckling load can be found out by plotting load–
deflection curve using the data given in the report view. If a load deflection curve is not output, check the
results carefully.
5.5.1.3 Form-finding
In these analyses, 100% of imposed loads are applied at the start of the analysis. However there may be
no external loading required as the form can be generated by finding equilibrium geometry for the
prestress state. If no imposed loading is required, input a blank load case.
The analysis proceeds as for the single increment option except the appropriate form-finding properties
(soap film or force density) are used for elements where these have been defined. Otherwise uses form-
finding uses normal element properties.
The commonest method of form-finding is with Triangles or Quads which have been given a uniform
pretension and whose stiffnesses have been set to zero. Because the elements have no stiffness, the
pretension is unaffected by changes of strain and so is “locked in” to the elements. They therefore behave
like a soap film. If the pressure on the elements is zero they will form the “least area” surface within their
boundary. A popular example of such a surface is the hyperbolic paraboloid; this is formed in a square in
which two opposite corners have been raised. If the elements have a uniform pressure load, they will
simulate an inflated bubble. The elements will only converge within conditions where a soap film could be
formed; each point on their perimeter must be prevented from shifting inwards and they cannot be
restrained internally at an isolated node since this would act like a pinpoint in a soap film. Equally in a
surface that is being formed between a ring and a large base, the elements below the ring may form a
narrow neck and collapse inwards if the ring is too small or too high.
If the pressure on the elements is zero, the shape that is form found is not affected by the size of the
pretension and the pretension may be set to any reasonable value. If the elements have a pressure load,
the curvature of the surface formed depends on the pretension. The greater the pretension, the flatter will
be the form found surface. The pretension that will provide a given curvature can be estimated from the
following equations.
the surface being formed. However Spacers offer a better means of controlling nodes. Advantages of
using Spacers are that they position nodes on smooth curves with regular spacing and that the positioning
of the nodes adapts automatically when the boundary of a surface is changed. Also if one uses a geodesic
Spacer to form the boundary of a strip from a surface that will be flattened to make a cutting pattern, the
curvature of the edges of the cutting pattern will be minimised and fabric wastage reduced.
In the form finding process these boundary cables can be thought of as elastic bands. They are used
when the precise length of the members they represent is not critical. They are modelled by a line of Ties
whose Young’s modulus has been set to zero using 1D soap film properties. The prestress in the ties is
set to a constant tension using 1D soap film properties. The ties’ forces are unaffected by their lengths
and their nodes will shift to a position where the ties’ forces are in equilibrium with the tension of the
surface of which they form the edge.
As with 2D soap film form finding elements, nodes in constant tension cables may need to be prevented
from wandering. They can be controlled by duplicating the Ties with a “free” spacer or by restraining them
to move in a plane approximately normal to the cable.
The required prestress in the cable depends on the desired curvature of the cable. For a boundary cable to
“soap film” Triangles and Quads
radius of curvature
prestress area soap film tension
2
Force density form-finding is a method of form-finding cable networks which originated over 20 years ago
in Germany. The tension in each link of the network is made proportional to its length. The resulting
stiffness matrix is valid for any displacements and so the method enables linear structural analysis
programmes to form-find. The form that is found is that giving the minimum strain energy i.e. the form
which minimises the sum of the squares of the lengths of the links multiplied by the stiffnesses of the
links.
1D elements – the force density form finding properties set the value of force/length for succeeding bars.
2D elements – force density form finding properties can be used to set the values of (force per width)/area
for triangles or for the triangles into which succeeding quads are split. This allows fabric surfaces with
different warp and weft tensions to be form-found but the shapes of the elements are generally very
irregular.
This form-finding analysis is the same as normal non-linear analysis, but at the end of the analysis, there
will be no analysis results being produced, instead, the model will be modified and a new load case will
be generated to represent the state of the structure at the end of form-finding analysis. Since the deformed
geometry and the newly generated load case are representing the state of the structure at the end of form-
finding, so the actual analysis results can be obtained by analysing the deformed structure with the
original loads used in form-finding analysis plus the new load, this analysis option can be used for
continuation analysis and staged analysis. To achieve this, a form-finding analysis need to be carried out,
then modifying the structure if necessary and then do the final stage analysis. If multiple stage analysis is
required, further form-finding analysis is required after the previous form-finding analysis.
The initial position is the undeformed structure at rest with no forces other than prestress in the elements.
As the iterations progress, the elements deflect and their internal forces increase until the deflected shape
and internal forces are in equilibrium with the applied loads. If further loading is then to be applied, or
damping or convergence parameters adjusted, it is quicker to start iterating again from this deflected,
loaded position. This is termed continuation analysis.
A particular case of continuation analysis is form finding. After form-finding analysis, options will be given
to update the nodal coordinates and save the current member forces. In this case the nodal coordinates
will be overwritten with the coordinates of the deflected shape, the equilibrium element forces will be
saved as prestressed forces equivalent distortion loads in an extra load case.
Form finding can be used to carry out continuation analysis. For example, any model, (not only zero
stiffness form-finding models), can be analysed with the form-finding option, ignoring the form finding
properties. This will perform the same analysis as single increment analysis. Opting to modify the node
coordinates and save current member forces at the end of the form-finding analysis will guarantee that the
current deformed state of the structure has been kept. If the resulting model is re-analysed with the load
case combination used in previous form-finding analysis plus the extra load case just created, the
structure will not deform any more since it is already in the equilibrium state.
The usefulness of this option is that it allows the structure to be modified between the first step form-
finding analysis and the second stage normal analysis. For example, extra loading, elements or
constraints can be added to the structure after form-finding analysis, then the structure can be analysed
again with the extra load case being included in the load combination. This process could be used to
model the construction stage of a structure.
During GsRelax analysis, analysis progress information will be shown in the progress dialog box. This
allows users to assess the progress of the run. In particular they can check that the simulated damped
vibration has not become unstable and that the residuals are decreasing. There are three options for
progress information: full progress information, summary progress information and no progress
information. From the progress dialog box it is possible to reset the residual target, dummy mass factor
etc or even to stop the analysis by clicking the relevant button
Summary of the analysis progress information includes the current cycles, maximum cycles, current
residuals and residual targets.
Full analysis progress information includes the above plus, the maximum displacement and rotations.
Also a graphics view will be periodically updated to show the deflected shape as the analysis progresses.
The frequency of updating the progress dialog box and updating the graphic view can be set prior to the
analysis. The analysis speed is slightly affected by the frequency of updating the progress information, but
the speed is significantly affected by the frequency of updating the graphic view especially for large
structures. It is recommended not to update the graphic view too frequently for medium and large size
structures.
Optimising Convergence
By default automatic adjustment of dummy mass factors, dummy inertia factors, and damping occurs.
However if convergence problems occur, the user can override these values and disable the automatic
adjustment. This can be done before analysis in the Convergence control box accessed by selecting
“Advanced” in the Analysis wizard. It can also be done from the progress dialog box. More details on
Optimising Convergence are given below.
Termination
The user can set single target values for force and moment residuals. Alternatively the user can specify a
target Residual Percentage. These are set as GsRelax Control Parameters.
It is important not to set too rigorous target values and to monitor results. The target values may be less
than the errors that are generated by the computer. In such cases the structure does not shift significantly
as cycles repeat and the residuals do not decrease. The run should be terminated since the best possible
accuracy has been achieved.
If the analysis does not converge it will be stopped after the number of cycles, or a length of time specified
as termination controls. Non convergence should be investigated as it is possible to improve
convergence by adjusting damping, or modifying a badly conditioned model. It is also possible that an
acceptable solution can be achieved with higher out of balance forces and that the convergence criteria
should be relaxed by adjusting the residual controls.
In addition, limits can be set to control the automatic load increment option. With this option GsRelax is
searching for the “capacity” of the model by successively increasing the load factor. The capacity can be
defined as the load at which analysis ceases to converge, or, the load at which excessive deflections or
rotations occur. This can also be used to investigate the load factor at which certain serviceability criteria
are met.
For most structures there is a load factor beyond which the capacity becomes unimportant, as the loading
will never be achieved, even considering normal safety factors. With the automatic load increment option it
is important to set the max load factor at which the program should cease to search for the model capacity.
Use this to avoid unnecessary analysis.
The Inertia Factor only has an effect if the structure contains nodes to which moments are applied.
The mass button on the progress dialog box is used to adjust individual mass factors and it is normally
not necessary. Setting individual mass factors is only necessary in the following circumstance. At a later
stage of the analysis, the maximum residual stays at the same node in the same direction and the
residual decreases very slowly. This may indicate that the dummy mass in that direction is too large, so
the convergence rate may be boosted by setting a small mass factor for the node in the relevant direction.
However, be aware that if the mass factor is too small, the analysis might diverge.
If the structural flexibility cannot be judged before the analysis, use the default dummy mass and inertia
factor (1.0). After the analysis starts, the dummy mass factor can be adjusted according to the residual
information shown. If the maximum residual reduces too slowly it may be necessary to reduce the dummy
mass factor. Otherwise if the maximum residual does not tend to reduce but jumps around, this may
suggest that a larger dummy mass factor or damping is needed.
Viscous Damping
There are two types of viscous damping, one is viscous damping and one is artificial viscous damping.
Viscous damping will apply the specified (or automatically selected) percentage of the critical damping to
the system and artificial viscous damping will artificially reduce the velocity at each cycle by the specified
(or automatically selected) percentage. Once artificial viscous damping is used, kinetic damping will be
disabled automatically. It is possible to modify the viscous damping applied each cycle to the linear and
angular velocities of nodes. The damping is specified as a percentage (a percentage of 2 causes
velocities to be factored by 0.98 each cycle if it is artificial viscous damping or applies 2% of the critical
damping to the system if it is viscous damping ) and is applied separately to linear and angular velocities.
The default percentages of damping is automatically selected by the program, if this does not help the
analysis to converge, a fixed percentage of damping can be specified or altered during the analysis.
Recommended percentage of damping are 0.1 to 20 percent for linear velocities and 1 to 40 percent for
angular velocities.
The more closely a structure approximates to a tuning fork, piano string, drum membrane or anything else
that has a single vibration mode, the greater the damping required for fast convergence. If such structures
are insufficiently damped they will oscillate instead of coming to rest in their position of equilibrium.
However most real structures, at least as simulated by the program, do not vibrate in a simple mode and
require little damping.
It is possible to speed up the convergence of a typical complex structure by specifying a small damping
percentage. In particular the damping should be small if a structure has to deflect significantly to achieve
equilibrium, since the “terminal” velocity of the nodes as they shift towards their equilibrium position
depends directly on the damping. The speed of convergence can be improved by factors of 10 or more, by
reducing the damping in this case. However, the user must be prepared for the solution process to “blow
up” if this is done.
With viscous damping, the theoretical ideal for a structure that vibrates in a simple mode is to have low
damping initially and to increase the damping as the structure approaches its equilibrium position.
The damping for angular velocities will only have an effect if the structure contains beams. The damping
for angular velocities should generally be greater than the damping for linear velocities. Since typically
displacements are of a greater order than rotations, target values are met more quickly for moment
residuals than for force residuals and convergence is not significantly delayed by increasing the damping
for angular velocities.
Generally high damping (5 to 20%) should be used for soap film form-finding. If too low damping is used,
the solution process is likely to “blow up”, and even with high damping convergence is usually quite rapid.
Low damping (0.1 to 2%) should be used for force density form-finding.
Kinetic Damping
The program monitors the kinetic energy of the structure. When the maximum kinetic energy is passed, the
analysis is automatically adjusted using the principles of kinetic damping outlined in the GSA Theory
manual. The structure is brought to rest and the process restarted. If artificial viscous damping is used,
kinetic damping will be disabled.
If a GsRelax analysis “blows up” because the simulated damped vibration becomes unstable, the user
should re-run the analysis with higher damping. If there are still problems the user should attempt to
locate the spot where the forces first start to increase by watching the analysis progress dialog box. If the
user is satisfied that the data file is correct and the analysis still blows up even with high damping (20%),
the user should seek advice. The most likely causes of problems are extreme imposed displacements or
imposed rotations, or a large difference between the specified “initial length” of a bar or a beam and the
actual distance between its end nodes.
The smaller the residual target (Control Parameter) the more difficult it will be for GsRelax analysis to
converge. If a larger residual is acceptable, do not try to set too small one in the analysis.
Even layouts of element meshes make the analysis converge more easily. In the example below,
convergence will be quicker for the model with the most even mesh layout.
Eigenvalues of the stiffness matrix, which can be viewed from Glo b a l R e s u lts | M o d e l Sta b ility
Su m m a r y in the Output Explorer.
Assuming the number of low stiffness modes requested was w and high stiffness modes was h, then
virtual energies for modes 1 to w represent element virtual kinetic energies whereas modes (N-h) to N
represent element virtual strain energies. Here N stands for the number of degrees of freedom in the
model.
Once the contours are generated, it can be seen that a handful of elements have relatively large energies
(compared with other elements) in either low stiffness or high stiffness modes. These are to be viewed in
conjunction with the eigenvalues reported in the Model Stability Summary output. The eigenvalues
corresponding to low stiffness modes (the first w eigenvalues) will often have a ‘gap’ in their magnitude
i.e. there is an i < w such that
If such a gap is not found in the w smallest eigenvalues computed, the task must be modified by
increasing w (say by doubling it) and executed again.
Elements with large relative virtual kinetic energies (low stiffness modes) are badly connected with the rest
of the model. This can happen, for example, when beam elements are free to spin about their X axis due to
insufficient restraints when moments are released or when they are connected to bars. Another common
reason is when a beam is normal to the plane of a connected QUAD8 element, it does not have restraint
against rotation about its axis.
Elements with large relative virtual strain energies (high stiffness modes) are ones that have
disproportionately large stiffnesses compared with other elements in the model. The most common
reason for this are beams with very short lengths but a large section size, which can result when a model
is imported from CAD.
In both cases, the model definition in the vicinity of the elements identified needs to be examined for the
presence of modelling errors. Once such errors are found and fixed, the task must be run again to ensure
the condition number is below the warning threshold. Thus the analysis is an iterative procedure.
ASCE 7 (USA)
Eurocode 8 (Europe)
GB50011 (China)
IBC (USA)
IS1893 (India)
UBC (USA)
Modelling Implications
The basic model can be built as any other GSA model but the following points should be considered for
seismic analysis.
Define storeys for the structure. Most codes make reference to storeys at some point and for simple
structures they can be defined automatically by the M o d e l | C r e a te Sto r e y Gr id Pla n e s menu command. A
storey is defined by a height in the Z direction along with appropriate storey tolerances.
Codes give the situations where floors are allowed to be treated as rigid diaphragms. Where this is the
case create rigid constraints (xy-plane type) either graphically or if you have defined storeys using the
M o d e l | C r e a te R ig id M e m b r a n e s fr o m Sto r e y s command.
In most cases seismic design will be carried out with reference to a particular design code, GSA supports
to a lesser or greater extent UBC 1994, UBC 1997, IBC 2000, FEMA 356 (rehabilitation code) Eurocode 8
(1994 and 2003) and Ordinanza PCM 3274 (Italian). The seismic data is stored along with the response
spectrum data as the two are closely interrelated.
In all seismic analysis the first stage is to determine the levels of ground motion that are to be considered.
This can be expressed in different ways and varies from one code to another and will typically vary
depending on the type of building. When working to a particular code, the various parameters required will
be defined in the code. Values are either supplied by the code or have to be found by reference to external
sources. For example the US Geological Survey gives detailed information of SS and S1 values for all of the
USA.
Equivalent Static
The equivalent static load is based on the base shear, which in turn depends on the period of the building.
This can either be specified directly or based on the code approximation. The code period is usually
defined as a function of the height of the building
T = C(h)n
The coefficients C and n are defined in the code.
GSA uses the details defined for the response spectrum along with the weight of the building and the
period to calculate the base shear, V. The base shear is then distributed over the storeys, s, in the building
based on the storey weight, w and height above ground, h.
V Ft ws hs
Fs n
wi hi
i 1
where F t is a concentrated force at the top defined for some of the seismic codes, but set to zero for most
codes. F s represents the total force applied at the storey. This is then distributed across the nodes on that
storey in proportion to the nodal masses.
Accidental Torsion
The equivalent static load procedures require accidental torsion loads to be considered. These are to
represent the effect of a displacement of the centre of mass of the storeys. In GSA the accidental torsion
loads are calculated so that the moment applied to the storey is proportional to the equivalent static storey
forces F s.
Ms = k dFs
This depends on the building dimension d at the storey level which is determined by GSA. The factor k is
specified in the seismic code (typically 5%).
GSA generates a set of nodal forces that create a moment for the storey that satisfies the equation above
without generating any lateral force, so that this can be used n conjunction with the equivalent static load.
Response spectrum
A modal response spectrum analysis is a statistical approach that looks at the elastic response of the
structure taking account of the response in all the calculated modes. While this gives a good estimate of
maximum values of displacement and force/moment it effectively only produces an envelope of these
values, so it can be difficult to examine all the results of interest or combine these results with those from
other analyses.
The modal analysis should contain sufficient modes to capture the dynamic characteristics of the
structure. In general the sum of the effective masses (in the relevant directions) should be around 90% of
the total mass of the structure. For tall structures it is typically easier to capture the effective mass in the
horizontal direction than the vertical this being a reflection of the relative greater flexibility in the horizontal
direction.
A response spectrum is a curve of the maximum acceleration response of a series of single degree of
freedom system oscillators of different natural frequencies with a given level of damping to a given
excitation.
So starting from the seismic record (acceleration time history) as shown below and a given level of
damping
The response spectrum is then the maximum acceleration response of a single degree of freedom
system to the excitation.
In practice the response spectrum is usually code defined. In this case the curve is an envelope of the
spectra that would be calculated from a series of possible earthquakes. The actual values are determined
from a selection of parameters which include such factors as the seismicity of the region, the ground
conditions, the importance of the building, etc.
The response of the structure in any direction for a given mode can then be determined with reference to
the frequency, participation factor and the spectral value as
aspectral f i
xi i 2 i
2 fi
In this equation:
aspectral f i
i 2
2 fi
Modal combinations
Once the responses in each mode are calculated they must be combined over the modes. A number of
different combinations are provided
Square Root Sum of Squares (SRSS) – better than the absolute sum but can underestimate the
response where there are closely spaced modes
Complete quadratic combination (CQC) – the most commonly used method which allows for
interaction between closely spaced modes
q qi ij qj
i j
where
3
8 i j i rij j rij 2
ij 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 rij 4 i r 1 rij
j ij 4 i j rij
i
rij
j
i , j dampingin mode i, j
2 3
8 1 rij rij 2
ij ji 2 2 2 2 ii 1
1 rij 4 rij 1 rij
q qi ij qj
i j
where
2 1
2 i j fi fj
ij 1
i j i i f j fj
The same combination can be used for any modal response, such as displacement, force or base shear.
We define an origin o for our calculation which is at the centre of mass on plan (x,y) and at the base level
(z) of the structure.
Then, where the subscript i refers to nodes, j to modes and k the excitation direction
Where m is the nodal mass, I the nodal inertia, u and θ the modal displacement and rotation and c is node
coordinates and
a jk p fac, jk .aspec. j
Where PF jk is the participation factor for mode j in the k direction and a s pec ,j is the spectral acceleration for
the frequency corresponding to mode j.
And
Fk F jk
CQC
Mk M jk
CQC
Then if k is the x direction the base shear from this calculation is Fk ,x, the overturning moment is M k ,y y and
the torsional (twisting) moment is M k ,zz.
When the origin of the calculation is changed to the global origin then these calculations give total dynamic
forces moments.
Other results
The (dynamic) base shear for a given mode can be calculated from the response spectrum and the
effective mass
Vi meff ,i aspectral f i
udrift
i
h
Two useful results are the ratio of effective mass in the modes considered to the total mass and the base
shear coefficients.
meff i
i
mass ratio
M tot
Vd Vd
base shear coefficien t
M tot g Wtot
Limitations
The response spectrum method is essentially a statistical method which aims to give maximum
responses, so it does not provide a consistent set of results but rather an envelope of the maximum
results. This can lead to difficulties in interpreting and using the results of a response spectrum analysis.
So
Element forces results are from combining the modal forces, so these are not the same as calculating
the results from the response displacements at the nodes.
Storey drifts are not the same as the difference in response between floors.
Displacements, etc. in transformed axes will be conservative (as maximum x is combined with
maximum y).
Warning: any derived results should from a response spectrum case should be used with caution as
these will tend to over-estimate the actual effect. So for example in RC Slab in-plane forces and bending
moment will both be made positive while design may require bending moments of the opposite sign to the
in-plane forces.
Details of results available and how they can be viewed are in the Results Display Options section.
A) The most powerful tools are available for specific design codes and constant width carriageways.
B)For other design codes or more complex carriageway geometry, lane by lane optimisation is possible.
C)When an influence analysis is not appropriate, loads can be placed directly on a structure.
The steps to be carried out are described below and should normally be carried out in sequence:
Method A
For UK or HK design loading (HA and HB), assessment loading (HA and SV), EC1-UK loading (LM1 and
LM3) Australian (AS), or US (AASHTO or LRFD) only on constant w idth carriagew ays
1. Use the Bridge Specification dialog to select the design code, limit state(s) to be considered and
loading type.
7. Carry out a Bridge Load Optimistion analysis which will produce analysed Grid Loading load cases and
Combination Cases.
The Bridge Analysis generates data for a number of input modules. These are generally deleted
automatically when the Influence Analysis is deleted.
For large files with many Influence Effects the Bridge analysis may take a long time.
The process may be split into two stages by carrying out an Influence Analysis (which includes
Optimisation in this method) and reviewing the Influence Lines and generated Static Bridge Loads before
Expanding Bridge Loading and carrying out the final static analysis. Note that the user will then need to
create Combination Cases manually, so this is only recommended for large models where the user wants
to make manual changes to Static Bridge Loading (for example to delete cases which will not govern
design by inspection, such as sagging at supports). If the user wants to make minor alterations to the
generated loading, without deleting cases, the recommended approach is to carry out a full Bridge
Analysis first, then delete the static Analysis Cases (using the Analysis Wizard, not Delete All Results
which will delete the Carriageway Paths and Static Bridge Loads as well) and Grid Loading (using the
Delete Grid Loads Tool), then modify the Static Bridge Loading, and follow steps 11 and 12 of method B.
Method B
To optimise on a lane by lane basis for any design code
1. Use the Bridge Specification dialog to set the design code to "U n d e fin e d ".
2. Define a User Axis with origin at the start of the alignment, chainage 0 and the x axis in direction of
increasing chainage (or arrange the model so that the alignment starts at global (0,0,0) in the Global X
direction).
3. Define a Grid Surface on which the load is to be applied. Note that all bridge loading is applied in the
Grid Surface, and that the elements selected in this plane need to either all be 2D elements or all form a
simple grillage with 1D elements only that meet at nodes. Further details of these restrictions are given
under Grid Point Loads.
4. Define an Alignment, defined by a series of curvatures at chainages and the Grid Plane.
5. Define a series of Paths – lanes/footways/tracks/vehicle path (defined by offsets from the Alignment,
note that positive offsets are to the right of the alignment, looking in the direction of increasing chainage,
not in the direction of positive local y) along which bridge loading is to be moved. Paths need to be within
closed panels of the structure (or within the 2D element mesh), except at the ends of the structure.
6. Define a series of Node Influence Effects or Beam Influence Effects that are to be maximised/minimised
by the optimiser. To optimise for stresses in 2D elements, add small beams joining adjacent nodes.
For axial stress a single beam is sufficient, for bending stresses a straight line of beams is needed.
8. Carry out an Influence Analysis using the Brid g e option in the An a lysis W iz a rd. Tip: It is often useful to
save the results at this stage to allow a quick return to this point.
9. Use the Optimize Path Loading Tool to derive Static Bridge Loads for each Path Load and each
Influence Effect. Tip: increase the default group number by one to allow the group number and load case
number to be made identical to the analysis case number, see step 12.
10.Use the Expand Bridge Loading Tool to convert Static Bridge Loads (or Moving Bridge Loads) to Grid
Loads. Note that only the Grid Loads form part of the input data to a static analysis, and changes to the
other data described above will not have any effect on subsequent analysis unless the old Grid Point
Loads are deleted and new ones generated using this tool.
11.Carry out a Static Analysis of the Grid Load cases using the analysis wizard. Tip: create default analysis
cases then delete the dummy load case created at step 10 to make analysis case numbers identical to
load case numbers.
12.Using the Total Effect information in the Static Vehicle Loads module as a guide, set up Combination
Cases to give the worst effect due to simultaneous loading on several Paths.
Having gone through these steps once for a model it is sometimes useful to use the GSBridge dialog box
to carry out steps 9 to 12 in one operation. Expanding Bridge Loads generates Grid Loading and 2D
Polylines. The Delete Grid Loading Tool allows these to be deleted quickly before carrying out another
analysis.
Note that generated Static Bridge Loads are not deleted automatically with the Influence Analysis Results
in this method, and should normally be deleted before carrying out another Influence Analysis.
Method C
2. Use the Bridge Specification dialog to set the design code to “Other”.
5. The Generate Static Vehicle Loading tool can be used to place a vehicle directly on the Grid Plane,
otherwise:
8. The Generate Static Vehicle Loading tool can also be used to place a vehicle directly on a path, or offset
from an alignment, otherwise:
9. Vehicles can be moved along Paths at regular intervals as Moving Bridge Loads and Static Bridge
Loads can be placed directly on paths.
10.Not used
Bridge loading is applied to Grid Planes in GSA, and the results from a Bridge Load Optimisation analysis
will depend on the type of grid plane chosen. The Technical Note on Grid Loading describes in detail how
the loads are distributed to elements and defines some of the terms used below. Some knowledge of how
the load is transferred from space on to the structure will avoid some of the potential problems associated
with bridge analysis.
Structure edges
When checking the paths a pass is made along the path checking where the path first crosses and where
it last leaves the structure and looks for any positions between these where the path fa lls o ff the edge of
the structure. The method of doing this relies on identifying the edge of the structure. If no edge can be
found the checks will fail.
Note: Where a bridge deck is constructed from longitudinal beams with transverse beams that cantilever
out from the main beams, the resulting comb like sides cannot be interpreted as edges of the structure.
This problem can be avoided by adding dummy elements between the tips of the cantilever elements.
These elements are ignored in the analysis but they allow the identification of the structure edge and
panels for loading.
Tolerances
When checking which elements lie in the grid plane and thus those forming the deck the Grid p la n e
to le ra n ce is used. If the deck is not flat the tolerance may be adjusted to include all deck elements, but if
panels are significantly out of the grid plane a solution is unlikely to be found.
When checking for the start and end chainages for bridge analysis the Grid lo a d in g e d g e to le ra n ce is
used. This may require adjustment if the path is reported as crossing the edge of the structure.
Note: Increasing the number of points will increase the analysis time, so the number of points should be
chosen to be sufficient but not excessive.
Carriageway Path load optimisation is performed automatically after the influence analysis. Basic Bridge
Loads are derived as for lane by lane optimisation and then combined in accordance with the rules in the
UK NA to EN1991-2 to give a single maximum (most positive) and minimum (most negative) Static Bridge
Load case for each influence effect. The lane factors for each possible transverse position of the SV/SOV
vehicle and the effect of each case are available in the EC1 Optimisation Summary output table.
5.8.4 Analysis
Bridge load optimisation is selected in the Analysis Wizard.
Influence analysis
Optimization
Expansion
Static analysis
For method A as described in the Step-by-Step guide to Bridge Loading all these stages are usually
carried out in a single operation, while for method B it is more likely that only the influence analysis will be
carried out initially and the other operations will be done using the tools described.
The influence analysis is carried out by applying a unit load across the width of the path at a series of
positions along each path, the result for each influence effect being extracted for each load position. As
this involves solving for many sets of loads the influence analysis can be quite slow.
The influence analysis is selected in the Analysis Wizard. The influence analysis is carried out by applying
a unit load across the width of the path at a series of positions along each path, the result for each
influence effect being extracted for each load position. As this involves solving for many sets of loads the
influence analysis can be quite slow.
The optimization uses the path loading and the influence results to determine the most onerous load
positions (those that maximise the response at the positions of the influence effects) and creates a set of
static bridge loads.
The third stage in the bridge analysis is to carry out a static analysis of the structure subject to the static
bridge loads determined by the optimizer. The first stage in this analysis is to expand the bridge loads
Model | Bridge Modelling | Expand Bridge Loading menu command. This converts the bridge loads defined
in the “Bridge Loads” table into loads on the structure. The static analysis is then selected in the “Analysis
Wizard”.
Influence Analysis
For bridge loading, where large concentrated loads move across a structure, it is often useful to plot
influence lines to determine the optimum position of a load to maximise an effect.
Each point on an influence line is the magnitude of a specified effect (eg moment, displacement, reaction
etc) at a specified point on the structure (node or position on element) of a unit load, plotted at the point of
application of the load. An influence line is the line joining these points along the line of travel of the load.
The influence analysis option in GSA produces influence lines along the centre of every path specified in
the Paths module (or on key automatically generated paths), for each effect specified in the Node Influence
Effect and Element Influence Effect modules.
The influence lines are produced by analysing the effect of a knife edge load (KEL) at approximately 100
points along each path, and storing the specified effects only.
All the influence lines produced by this analysis are stored in a single analysis case, and can be viewed in
graphical or tabular form. As an aid to optimisation, details of each lobe of an influence line, where a lobe
is generally the section of the influence line between points of zero influence, can also be tabulated. For
Lane Paths only, lobes are split where the effective lobe length (the base length of a triangle with the same
maximum value as the lobe) would be less than 90% of the actual lobe length.
The path load optimisation tool uses the results of an influence analysis to generate a series of Static
Bridge Loads, based on the loading information specified in the Path Loading module.
For each influence effect and each entry in the Path Loading module, the optimiser produces two groups of
static bridge loading, to give the maximum (most positive) and minimum (most negative) effect.
Path loading can be a standard (code dependant) load type, or a user defined load type. For details of the
application of standard type loading the user should refer to the relevant code, details of the versions of
codes used are given in the description of Path Loading. User defined path loading can be made up of
vehicles, KELs, and VUDLs.
The following rules are used for optimisation, these are based on the UK loading code (BD37) but are
generally applicable:
Unless noted otherwise in the definition of Standard Bridge Loading only one KEL or vehicle will be
placed in each path, across the width of the path.
VUDLs will always be applied over complete lobes of an influence line (except when placed outside a
vehicle exclusion length, see below) and over the full width of the path.
For Vehicle + VUDL loading, the VUDL will be placed starting at the specified exclusion length either
side of the midpoint of the Vehicle (if effect at this point is adverse, or at the start of the next adverse lobe
if not). Loaded length for calculating intensity of VUDL is the total length of adverse lobes, including each
adverse lobe in the exclusion length.
Intensity of VUDL will be calculated for the sum of the lengths of the adverse lobes. The worst case from
1, 2 or more lobes loaded will be determined.
An alternative modelling option is to create a solid finite element (FE) mesh using the M o d e l | R a ft
M o d e llin g | C r e a te So il FE M e s h command. With an FE mesh representing the soil the analysis can be
run as a normal static analysis.
Vertical support stiffness for the soil interaction nodes may be specified in which case the specified
stiffness are used as the initial stiffness for the interaction nodes, if the specified initial support spring
stiffness are closer to the real soil stiffness, the analysis speed can be enhanced, but it has no effect on
the analysis results. If nodal support stiffness are not defined, default initial nodal support stiffness will be
used, the default initial nodal support stiffness can be modified on the Analysis Wizard when setting up the
raft & piled-raft analysis.
Raft can be modelled by grillage using beam elements or modelled by 2D elements. For piled-raft model,
the piles need to be modelled by a number of beam elements and the beams must be vertical (in global Z
direction).
The loading to the soil from raft and/or piles is generated automatically during raft or piled-raft analysis and
they should not be included in PDisp rectangular load table. Only additional loads, i.e. extra to the loads
from raft and piles should be defined in PDisp rectangular load table.
The Pile Interaction table defines the nodes on the piles to interact with soil. This table is opened from the
M o d e l | D a ta M o d u le s | R a ft | Pile In te r a c tio n menu command or from the Data explorer using the D a ta |
R a ft | Pile In te r a c tio n option. The pile-soil interaction areas (dimensions of X, Y, Z & perimeter) of the pile
interaction nodes can be defined on this table or choose Automatic to allow GSA to calculate the
interaction areas automatically. The same as raft interaction nodes, the elevation of the interaction can
also be defined explicitly or choose Automatic to take the nodal z coordinate as the interaction elevation.
The graphical display of raft and pile interaction nodes and/or raft and pile interaction areas are available
from Graphic View label options.
The first stage in a raft analysis is a linear static analysis. The soil is represented by support springs of the
interaction nodes. For raft nodes, only vertical interaction is considered and for pile nodes, the interaction
in all three directions will be considered.
After linear static analysis, the support spring forces are known, so the pressures on soil can be
calculated using the nodal interaction areas. Then, a PDisp soil settlement analysis is carried out to obtain
soil settlements. From these settlements and the spring forces, new support stiffness can be calculated
for the interaction nodes. For pile interaction nodes, the reaction forces from soil will be calculated based
on the differences of pile displacements and soil settlements using the data defined in Pile-soil interaction
table and Pile-Soil Interaction Coefficient (PSIC) curves. This iteration continues until the raft and pile
displacements and soil settlements are compatible, i.e. differences of soil settlements and raft
displacements are smaller than the predefined tolerance.
If maximum pressure of soil has been specified for the raft interaction nodes and the maximum pressure
has been reached, the check of the compatibility of raft displacements and soil settlements will be
ignored, i.e. the raft displacements and the soil settlements are allowed to be different.
By default, the temporary support springs used during the analysis will be deleted after the analysis is
converged or cancelled. However, if Sa v e s o il s tiffn e s s box is checked in the analysis wizard, the support
spring stiffness at the last iteration will be kept, therefore the Raft model will be modified.
1. Build up a raft model, the raft can be modelled by a grillage using beam elements or by a horizontal
plate using 2D elements.
2. Define loads on the raft in the same way as for doing other GSA analysis.
3. Open R a ft A n a ly s is Sp e c ific a tio n dialog box from the Data explorer or from menu M o d e l | D a ta
M o d u le s | Sp e c ific a tio n | R a ft A n a ly s is Sp e c ific a tio n ... to define rigid boundary level etc soil settlement
analysis parameters
7. Now we are ready to do raft analysis by going through the analysis wizard start from menu A n a ly s is |
N e w A n a ly s is Ta s k ... in the same way as doing other GSA analysis.
Note:
The data described above are the data always required for doing raft analysis. There are also some other
PDisp data which are not always required and necessary in most of the raft analysis. If they are required,
they can be defined as explained below:
1. N o n -lin e a r C u r v e – If soil non-linearity needs to be considered and the soil strain - Young’s modulus
(or Young’s modulus reduction factor) relationship is known, the non-linear curve defining the strain -
Young’s modulus reduction factor can be defined and then referred to by the relevant soil profile. Once
this has been done, the soil Young’s modulus will be changing according to the current soil strain so
non-linear properties is considered. This is non-linear curve is only used when Boussinesq is selected
for soil settlement analysis.
2. So il r e c ta n g u la r lo a d – The loads defined in the “Soil rectangular load” table are the loads acting
directly on the soil in addition to the loads on soil come from the raft. Normally, these loads are not
required as the soil loads from raft are defined as raft loads. The loads on raft will be transferred to soil
through the interaction nodes during the analysis. If there are really some extra loads directly on the soil,
e.g. construction loads acting on directly on soil outside the building, they can be defined here to
increase the flexibility of GSA raft analysis.
See als o :
Notes on raft analysis
1. Build up a piled-raft model, the raft can be modelled by a grillage using beam elements or by a
horizontal plate using 2D elements. A pile should be model by a number of vertical beam elements,
since pile-soil interaction is defined by the nodes on the pile, the number of beam elements used to
model a pile depends on the length and section sizes of the pile. Normally, 10 beam elements may be
required to model a single pile.
2. Define loads on the raft in the same way as for doing other GSA analysis. If there are loads acting on
pile directly, they can also be defined.
3. Open R a ft A n a ly s is Sp e c ific a tio n dialog box from the Data explorer or from menu M o d e l | D a ta
M o d u le s | Sp e c ific a tio n | R a ft A n a ly s is Sp e c ific a tio n ... to define rigid boundary level and other soil
settlement analysis parameters.
6. Open Pile -s o il in te r a c tio n p r o p e r tie s table from the Data explorer or from menu M o d e l | D a ta M o d u le s |
R a ft | So il | Pile -So il In te r a c tio n Pr o p e r tie s to define the pile-soil interaction properties. The properties
include the maximum soil stresses (strengths) at the top and bottom of each soil layer in X, Y & Z
directions as well as at the pile base. The interaction in X, Y & base are normal contact strength and the
interaction in Z is shear strength between pile surface and soil in vertical direction. A Pile -s o il
in te r a c tio n p r o p e r ty is referred to by one or more soil layers in soil profile table. The pile-soil
interactions are non-linear and the non-linear relationships are defined by Pile -s o il in te r a c tio n
c o e ffic ie n ts which is a curve defining the relationship between normalized relative soil-pile
displacements and the reduction factor of the soil strength. Which Pile -s o il in te r a c tio n c o e ffic ie n ts
(c u r v e s ) to be used for this pile-soil interaction in X, Y, Z & base need to be defined in this table as a
reference to the Pile -s o il in te r a c tio n c o e ffic ie n ts table.
7. Open Pile -s o il in te r a c tio n c o e ffic ie n ts table from the Data explorer or from menu M o d e l | D a ta
M o d u le s | R a ft | So il | Pile -So il In te r a c tio n C o e ffic ie n ts to define the pile-soil interaction coefficients
(curves). These coefficients (curves) define the relationship between the normalized relative soil-pile
displacements and the reduction factor of the soil strength. It is used (referred to) by the Pile-soil
interaction properties.
9. Open Pile In te r a c tio n table from the Data explorer or from menu M o d e l | D a ta M o d u le s | R a ft | Pile
In te r a c tio n to define the nodes on piles to interact with soil. The interaction areas of the pile interaction
nodes can be defined on this table or choose Automatic to allow GSA to calculate the interaction areas
automatically. The elevation of the interaction can also be defined here or choose Automatic to take the
nodal z coordinate as the interaction elevation. Normally the elevation of soil-pile interaction should be
automatic as pile interaction nodes are not at the same level.
10.Now we are ready to do piled-raft analysis by going through the analysis wizard start from menu
A n a ly s is | N e w A n a ly s is Ta s k ... in the same way as doing other GSA analysis.
See also the section on raft analysis steps and the iteration scheme in section Raft Analysis
5.9.5 Results
Raft & piled-raff analysis results
They are the same as from other GSA analysis, e.g. the nodal displacements and element forces/
moments etc.
Interaction results
The interaction results include the contact pressures between raft interaction nodes & soil as well as the
contact pressure and shear pressure between pile interaction nodes and soil. These results can be
contoured on graphic or viewed from tabular outputs.
The total reaction at all soil supports can be viewed from To ta l L o a d s & R e a c tio n s o u tp u t.
5.9.6 Notes
Combination of Raft analysis results
In general, raft analysis results cannot be combined as it is non-linear analysis if not all raft interaction
nodes are in contact with soil or piles are included. However, if it is a pure raft analysis and all the
interaction nodes are in contact with soil (not separated from soil) in the raft analysis cases to be
combined, the combination of those raft analysis cases can be used since in this case the results are
linear.
The PDisp data created in GSA can also be exported to PDisp data file. The export can be done from the
File | Exp o r t | PD is p (PD D file ) command. If Raft results exist when exporting PDisp data the equivalent
soil loads will be calculated and they will be exported along with the other PDisp data.
Creating a new model in this way will modify the current model so it is recommended that the current
model be saved before running this command.
The support stiffness are derived from the soil reaction forces and the nodal displacements. If raft analysis
results exist for several analysis cases then an analysis case must be selected for the calculation.
Continuation runs
The C r e a te N e w R a ft M o d e l tool can be used to restart a raft analysis since the preserved support
stiffnesses will be used as initial stiffnesses in subsequent raft analyses.
It is sometimes useful to do an initial analysis with coarse convergence criteria to examine the potential for
convergence. The raft analysis can then be continued by using the C r e a te N e w R a ft M o d e l tool to
generate a model with revised initial support stiffnesses and then analysing with more demanding
convergence criteria.
If soil stresses are not interested and soil non-linearity is not considered, use Mindlin method.
If soil stresses are required or soil non-linearity need to be considered, use Boussinesq method.
Piled-raft analysis:
The model is set up in the usual way. In the context of staged analysis the model that is set up without
reference to an analysis stage is referred to as the whole model. The following should be considered
The elements that constitute an analysis stage will be a list of elements from the whole model so the
whole model must be the superset of all analysis stage elements.
The element properties used in an analysis stage default to the whole model properties. The properties
for a given property number may be replaced for specific stages (see below) so whole model element
property numbers should be organised accordingly.
Nodal restraints and nodal springs are applied in all stages in which the nodes to which they are
applied are active. If it is required that a node be restrained in some stages but not in others then this
must be done in the Generalised Restraints module (see below), not in the Nodes module.
Analysis stages are defined in the Stage Definition module. A stage has a name and a list of elements that
are to be active for the stage. Other data that contributes to the definition of the stage is as follows.
If the properties associated with an element property number are to be different for a specific analysis
stage the required property record may be mapped on to the element property number for the stage in
the Analysis Stage Properties module. This module does distinguish between different property types
so mapping Beam Sections record 10 on to element property number 5 will only affect elements that
refer to Beam Section property 5. Note that the element local axes may not vary from stage to stage so,
for example, changing the 2D Element Property axis from that specified for the whole model will result in
an error.
Generalised restraints may be associated with a particular stage. When the stage is set to zero the
restraint condition is applied to the nodes in the whole model, irrespective of stage. Otherwise it is
applied just in the specified stage. If it is required to apply a restraint to a stage made up of all the
elements in the whole model but not to all stages then a stage must be set up containing all of the
elements.
Rigid constraints may be associated with a particular stage, as for Generalised Restraints. Note that it
is valid for the constrained node list to identify nodes that are not active for the stage; a warning is given
in this circumstance. The primary node is implicitly active for the stage.
Joints may be associated with a particular stage, as for Generalised Restraints. The joint is ignored if
either the constrained or primary node is not active for the stage.
Constraint equations may be associated with a particular stage, as for Generalised Restraints. The
equation is ignored if either the constrained or any primary node is not active for the stage.
Note that when specifying element lists references to element properties in the list (to identify elements
with a specified property) are always interpreted as whole model element properties. For example, beam
loads applied to elements PB5 are applied to beam and bar elements that have element property number
5 in the whole model even if the analysis of that load case is of a stage for which the beam section
property has been mapped to a different record.
The elements that are included in the analysis are those defined in the stage definition. Any other
elements are inactive in this analysis and are ignored.
The properties and materials can be modified from the base properties for an analysis stage using either
the analysis stage properties or analysis stage materials. If an element has a property that is modified for
an analysis stage, e.g. beam property 1 is mapped to property 7, then the properties used as those of
property 7. It is an error if the material type changes between the property definitions, so if section 1 is
concrete then section section should also be concrete if it is to be used in the analysis stage. The
materials can also be mapped. e.g. is the element references concrete material 1 but for the analysis
stage this maps to material 5 then the material properties used for this element are those of material 5.
The definition of an analysis stage material will always override the material implied by an analysis stage
property which in turn will override the material implied in the base element definition.
The other change that can be applied in an analysis stage is creep. Creep can only be applied to concrete
elements. If a creep is defined for the analysis stage that creep value is applied to all the concrete
elements in that analysis stage, it is ignored if the elements are not concrete. If the creep is specified in
the analysis stage materials then this can only be specified if the material is concrete and this creep value
will override the value specified for the analysis stage as a whole. The effect of creep is to modify the E and
G values of the material.
E G
E , G
1 1
5.10.3 Results
Results are produced for analysis stages in the same way as for whole model analysis. Values of zero are
stored for nodes and elements that are inactive for the stage.
Results are not output for inactive nodes and elements where this is reasonable, though records
representing that data are reported if, say, output is requested for several cases and the node or element
is active in some of the cases.
When combining results from different analysis stages there are circumstances in which it is
inappropriate to output the combined values. The following restrictions apply.
Combined element stress and force results (and results derived from these) are not output when the
geometric properties of the element differ for any of the analysis cases being combined. For this
purpose geometric properties are deemed to differ:
If any Beam Section description differs or if any modification factor, other than a shear factor modification
factors, differs.
respectively. Properties for other element types are not checked for consistency and are deemed not to
differ. Note that the material is not checked for consistency so these results will be combined even if any
material differs.
Combined reactions are not output when the restraint condition differs for any of the analysis cases
being combined.
Combined rigid constraint, joint and constraint equation forces are always output regardless of whether
the constraint condition for the node differs for the analysis cases being combined.
Result envelopes are not output when the result for any contributing permutation is not calculated for any of
the reasons stated above.
In staged analysis combined 2D element stresses and forces are not averaged across elements when
the geometric property (i.e. thickness) or material differs for either element being considered for any of the
analysis cases being combined.
Setting the current stage to other than whole model has the following affect.
Elements not in the current stage are either not drawn or drawn in wire-frame style, depending on
whether “Draw inactive elements” is set on the Display Methods page of the Labels and Display
methods dialog box.
Element properties, restraints, rigid constraints, joints and constraint equations displayed are those
relating to the current stage.
When edges are highlighted the edge calculation is based on the elements that are active for the current
stage.
The display of results is independent of the current stage. Results are produced by the analysis of a stage
so it is the stage that relates to the analysis case that determines whether or not results are available for a
node or element and the analysis stage properties are used in calculating beam stresses, etc.
The analysis stage in which an element first appears can be labelled by setting the In itia l sta g e option on
the On Elements page of the Labels and Display methods dialog box. Elements can be coloured
according to the analysis stage in which they first appear by setting C o lo u r Ele m e n ts | By in itia l s ta g e on
the Display Methods page of the Labels and Display methods dialog box.
References to element properties in the element list on the Lists toolbar (to identify elements with a
specified property) are always interpreted as whole model element properties regardless of the current
stage.
The specification of an analysis envelope includes a case description, that describes which cases are to
be compared, and the result types for which envelopes are required. In the case of element results it is
also necessary to specify whether an envelope is required at each node on the element or just at the worst
position. Setting up an analysis envelope task produces several analysis cases: a case each for the
maximum and minimum values for each position for each data type selected. Performing the analysis
determines which permutation causes the maximum or minimum value for the data type at the position at
each node or element.
Having produced the analysis envelope the results to which the envelope permutation refers plus
coexistent values can be output in Graphic Views, as contours or diagrams, and in Output Views as tables
of results.
A set of environmental impact parameters can be assigned to the structure for each material type: Steel,
Concrete, Rebar, FRP, Aluminium, Timber, Glass, and Fabric. These global values are assigned in the
Environmental Impact Specification dialog.
The global environmental impact parameters can be overridden by parameters assigned to material
grades via the Grade wizards.
Note that the parameters are based on material type. Elements and members must be assigned to
materials of a defined type to accrue environmental impact.
Where an element refers to a concrete material type, the parameters assigned to the element are both the
concrete and rebar parameters in the specified proportion.
In Output Views: the ‘Environmental Impact Summary’ output reports environmental impact to ta ls per
property, per material property and for the whole structure. Recycled content is proportioned by the quantity
of total material, resulting in total recycled content for the structure. The user should judge whether the
summation of the user defined impact is valid.
In Graphic Views: environmental impact parameters can be contoured on elements, for the current stage,
and on members.
6. Skip level (whole elements below this level are not considered in the wave load generation).
7. Skipped elements list (elements in this list are not considered in the wave load generation).
8. Option to define the number of points along elements for the generated poly-loads.
9. A summary file (*.sum) will be generated after running Wave Loading which summarizes the wave
profile data and the total wave loads.
Key w ords 1st data 2nd data 3rd data 4th data
CURRENT_PROFILE H e ig h t C u rre n t
ve lo city
DRAG_AND_INERTIA H e ig h t CD CM
MARINE_GROWTH H e ig h t Th ick n e ss
SKIP_LEVEL H e ig h t
POLYLOAD_POINT N u m b e r o f p o in ts
Note:
WAVE Key word for wave profile (one entry only and compulsory)
Wave height wave height, the vertical distance from valley to peak
Wave period wave period (second)
Water depth Water depth – distance from seabed to surface
Wave direction 0 is in X axis direction and the angle is measured in degree on anticlockwise
direction
STRUCT_Z_ORIGIN Key word for GSA structure origin (one entry only, if omitted zero is assumed)
Distance from seabed to GSA structure origin, e.g. .if sea-bed is at –60 on GSA coordinates,
STRUCT_Z_ORIGIN should be 60.
WAVE_THEORY Key word for wave theory (one entry only and compulsory)
Either STOKES or AIRY
CURRENT_PROFILE Key word for current profile (as many entries as needed and optional)
Height distance to seabed
Current velocity current velocity at the above given water level
DRAG_AND_INERTIA Key word for drag and inertia coefficients (as many entries as needed and
compulsory)
Height distance to seabed
CD Drag coefficient at the given water depth
CM Inertia coefficient at the above given water level
MARINE_GROWTH Key word for marine growth, radium growth of the tubular members (as
many entries as needed and optional)
Height distance to seabed
Thickness growth thickness at the above given water level
SKIP_LEVEL Key word for elements skip level (one entry only and optional)
Height distance to seabed, elements below this level will be skipped in wave
load calculation
SKIPPED_ELEMENTS Key word for skipped elements (as many entries as needed and optional)
Element list list of the element number that to be skipped in wave load calculation
(refer to the GSA documentation for details of valid element list syntax)
POLYLOAD_POINT Key word for the number of points of the poly-loads (one entry only and optional,
default is 8)
Number of points the number of the generated poly-load points
!
!Wave_theory STOKES or AIRY
WAVE_THEORY STOKES
!
! Current profile height current_velocity
CURRENT_PROFILE 0 0.55
CURRENT_PROFILE 100 0.55
!
! Drag and Inertia Height CD and CM
DRAG_AND_INERTIA 0 1 2
DRAG_AND_INERTIA 60 1 2
DRAG_AND_INERTIA 60.1 0.7 2
DRAG_AND_INERTIA 100 0.7 2
!
! Marine_Growth Height Thickness
MARINE_GROWTH 0 0.05
MARINE_GROWTH 60 0.05
MARINE_GROWTH 60.1 0
MARINE_GROWTH 100 0
!
SKIP_LEVEL 10
SKIPPED_ELEMENTS 1 to 5
POLYLOAD_POINT 15
Modelling implications
The key idea is that the GSA model should form the reference model and that the extra data required for an
LS-DYNA model should be included as part of the GSA data. Normally the different attributes required for a
DYNA analysis are assigned by use of an analysis stage.
The key area where LS-DYNA requires more detail is in the material models. To achieve this a number of
LS-DYNA specific material models are included. These are defined in the material wizard, by checking the
DYNA material option
Once the task is created an LS-DYNA keyword file is written and opened in the selected LS-DYNA
environment.
Results
The LS-DYNA results are not copied back to GSA for post-processing.
Two directions of reinforcement are specified; these need not be orthogonal. Reinforcement areas per unit
width are calculated for each direction at the top and bottom of the slab.
To use these features, reinforcement grade needs to be defined which is referred to by concrete slab
property, concrete slab property should be referred by 2D element property that include concrete material
grade. Concrete design code need to be defined in design specification.
Theory
The input data for calculating reinforcement areas at a node of 2D elements include: forces and moments,
reinforcement directions, section depth and concrete and reinforcement material properties.
RC slab design arrives at a solution by dividing the section into 3 layers each with a certain state of in-
plane stresses. These layered stresses are in equilibrium with the applied loads. The reinforcement
requirements for each layer are then calculated and apportioned to the user specified reinforcement
positions.
The results consist of areas of reinforcement for the top and the bottom of the point in the two specified
directions, if reinforcements cannot be calculated, empty results will be produced that indicates failure due
to inappropriate input data..
Modelling Implications
RC slab reinforcement design is carried out directly on a 2D element model that represents a slab or a
wall. The data required additional to the analysis model data are the Concrete Slab Properties,
reinforcement grade, concrete grade and the selection of an RC Slab design code. Concrete slab property
may be designed before or after analysis.
The d e sig n p ro p e rty number in the 2 D e le m e n ts p ro p e rtie s table identifies the Concrete Slab Design
Property record associated with the element. Reinforcement is not calculated for elements that do not have
Concrete Slab Design Properties. Refer to Concrete Slab Properties wizard for details of Reinforcement
definition and Calculation definition.
Results
There is no stage at which the user requests a design to be processed. Instead, when the data is correctly
specified to enable the design calculations to be carried out the design results options become available.
The design results are calculated only at the time they are needed for display. The D e s ig n | C h e c k D e s ig n
D a ta menu command may be used at any stage to establish whether the data has been correctly
specified for RC slab design.
Reinforcement areas can be shown in Graphic Views as contours and diagrams, and in Output Views as
tables of RC Slab Reinforcement. Areas shown with positive values represent tension reinforcement.
Areas shown with negative values represent compression reinforcement.
Occasionally the process fails to produce a result for a particular point in a slab. The reason for such a
failure is given in the Output View RC Slab Reinforcement table. Such failures are displayed in contoured
output as out-of-range values, typically displayed black.
5.16 Results
5.16.1 Static Analysis Results
The basic results of an analysis are the displacements and rotations at nodes, generally referred to as
displacements. All other results are derived from the displacements. The forces or stresses in elements
depend on the loading on the elements and the displacements at nodes. The force and stress results
available will depend on the element types. The other results at nodes are the reactions. Reactions at
nodes are calculated by looking at all the element forces and the load applied to the node. For an
unrestrained node these should be in equilibrium but for a restrained node the out-of-balance force must
be balanced by the reaction force.
Once the scaling for the modes is fixed there are a number of other results specific to modal analysis.
These are described below.
Dynamic Analysis
The motivation for a modal dynamic analysis is to characterise the dynamic response of a structure in
discrete modes. Along with the mode shape (the eigenvectors) are the load factors (the natural
frequencies). The “Global Results – Buckling Details” reports the following data:
Frequency
Modal mass
Modal stiffness
Centre of mass
Participation factors
The natural frequencies (f), modal stiffness (k) and modal mass (m) are related as follows:
1 k
f
2 m
The effective masses can be used to check that sufficient modes have been chosen to capture the
dynamic behaviour of the structure. In the limit the sum of the effective masses for each of the global
direction should approach the total mass of the structure.
Buckling Analysis
The motivation for a buckling analysis is to characterise the response of a structure, to the given loading, in
discrete modes. Along with the mode shape (the eigenvectors) are the load factors (the eigenvalues). The
“Global Results – Buckling Details” reports the following data:
Load factor
Modal stiffness
The load factor (λ), modal stiffness (k) and modal geometric stiffness (kg) are related as follows:
Note that load factors may be positive or negative. Negative load factors are not a cause for concern,
however if the loads leading to a negative load factor can be reversed the factor will become positive.
5.16.3 Displacements
Displacements (or mode shapes) are calculated at the nodes. When viewing results graphically it is
useful to be able to see deflections at intermediate points on elements. The displacements at these
intermediate points are not stored by calculated as required, from the end conditions on the element and
any load on the element. The number of intermediate points at which these are calculated can be selected
by the user, but GSA will add points that are significant e.g. points at which distortion loads are applied.
The magnitude of the displacements in a mode shape is not significant, only the relationship between the
displacements and the modal details.
Displacements can be viewed in a number of ways. The most direct way is to display the deformed
geometry using the D e fo r m e d im a g e command on the Graphical Display toolbar, but the displacements
can also be displayed as diagrams or contours.
5.16.4 Reactions
Reactions are calculated at constrained nodes. The constraint can be due to a restraint or a spring
support.
1. A load is applied to a degree of freedom that is not active in the model. For example, from applying a
moment to the end of a bar element. In this case the load is reported as being applied, but is ignored by
the solver.
2. The imbalance is as a result of the numerical solution itself. This may be evidence of ill-conditioning.
You can run a model stability analysis to check for disproportionately large stiffnesses.
To help differentiate the difference within a model, an entry ‘Ignored loads’ is reported that accounts for the
first type of error above.
The pressure is reported as zero if the node is restrained in the vertical direction. After the analysis this
situation will only arise if the node has been restrained explicitly. Note, however, that during raft analysis a
temporarily restraint may be applied to a node in order to impose a settlement during the iterative process,
to result in the bearing pressure being reported as zero at that stage in the analysis.
Element rotations are calculated by interpolation from the element end rotations. The end rotations for an
element are those of the node unless the element end has degrees of freedom that are released. In these
situations the rotation at the end of the element has to be calculated.
The basic equation relating force and displacement for the element if
{f} = [K]{u}
This can be partitioned depending on whether a degree of freedom is released on not.
fr K rr K rf ur
ff K fr K ff uf
where the subscripts r and f refer to released and fixed respectively. Knowing the forces that result from the
loads on the element and the displacements at the fixed degrees of freedom we can extract the following
equation for the displacements at the released degrees of freedom.
5.16.6.2 Forces
Forces are calculated at the end of beam, bar, tie, strut, cable and spring elements, from the
displacements at the nodes.
The most commonly used beam force results: Fx axial force diagram, Fz shear force diagram and My y
bending moment diagram are available from the Diagrams toolbar.
Intermediate Forces
Forces, and other force based results, along elements are calculated from the end conditions on the
element and any load on the element. The positions at which intermediate forces are reported can be
specified either in terms of a number of equidistant points or by selecting intermediate forces at interesting
points.
For moments: an interesting point is located at every point load on the beam and at the ends of every
distributed load. It also places points at a number of equidistant points along distributed loads. In Graphic
Views the number of equidistant points along distributed loads is dependent on the number of elements
currently being displayed: if more than 50 elements are displayed then the number is 3, if less than 5
elements are being displayed (even if there are many more in the whole model) then the number is 19. In
Output Views the number is always 3.
For shear forces: an interesting point is located immediately to either side of every point load on the beam
and of each end of every distributed load.
Sign Convention
The force in the beam at any point is the force required to maintain equilibrium if the beam is cut at that
point and the end 2 part of the beam is discarded. Thus:
For a beam viewed horizontally with its Z-axis pointing vertically up, a positive My y is hogging.
For a beam viewed horizontally with its Y-axis pointing vertically dow n, a positive Mzz is hogging.
Drawing a graph of the numerical output of moment and shear force gives:
Shear force diagram: positive corresponds to negative slope of bending moment diagram where a
bending moment diagram reads from left to right (as viewed) or bottom to top, if vertical.
Where beam section properties have been modified from the base values the properties used in the
stress calculation depend on the Stre ss C a lc. Ba sis setting for the property. The Stre ss C a lc. Ba sis
determines whether the modified or unmodified properties are used and can also be set to result in the
stresses not being calculated.
A – Axial stress
B – Bending stress
C – Combined stress
S – Shear stress
Only axial stresses are output for sections that have properties explicitly defined.
Fx
A
area
M yy M zz
By Dz , Bz Dy
I yy I zz
For non-symmetric sections there is an interaction between the two directions. So a bending stress about
one axis will depend on the moments about both axes. In this case the bending stresses are:
1
By 2
I zz M yy I yz M zz Dz ,
I yy I zz I yz
1
Bz 2
I yz M yy I yy M zz D y
I yy I zz I yz
C1 is the maximum extreme fibre longitudinal stress due to axial forces and transverse bending
C2 is the minimum extreme fibre longitudinal stress due to axial forces and transverse bending
Fy Fz
Sy , Sz
area y area z
The shear stresses are of most use for steel structures so the shear stresses are calculated based on
the shear area ( a re a y and a re a z) in BS 5950-1:2000 cl.4.2.3, and they depend on the section shape and if
the section is rolled or welded. The section dimensions are shown below:
and a re a is the area of the section. The shear areas are calculated as follows:
In the case of simple beams where the shear area factor is set to zero the actual area is used giving an
average shear stress value.
rectangular
RHS
circular
CHS
Tee
channel
angle
oval
A new property – CT (or WT) the torsion modulus – is loaded or calculated for these sections.
Torsional stress
Torsional stress is calculated ignoring warping of the section by using the torsion modulus CT (or WT). We
then get the maximum torsional stress from
M xx
ST
CT
The values for CT are calculated from Bautabellen für Ingenieure, Klaus-Jürgen Schneider, (pp 4.30 &
4.31) and Formulas for Stress and Strain, Roark and Young, McGraw Hill (Table 20)
Shear Stress
The calculation of the shear stresses SEy and SEz are calculated as described in the Technical Note:
Calculation of Shear Areas with the exception of ovals which are calculated from the equation:
2
K n
3 a
b
where K is the shear area factor, n = 1.75 for a<b and 1.5 for a>b, with load being applied in the b direction.
The maximum shear stress = shear force / [K(stress) × total area]. The expression gives a that tends to 2/3
(as for rectangles) for tall, narrow ellipses where b>>a.
The axial force and bending moments combine to give σxx . The shear stresses are a combination of the
through thickness shear + torsion. To combine the shear stresses the through thickness shear stresses
are rotated into components parallel and perpendicular to the surface of the section and the torsional
shear stress is added to the component parallel to the surface.
~
xy xy T
~ T
xz xz 0
Note: in most cases this is an over estimate of the von Mises stress.
SED d
2
SED
2E
which represents the strain energy density at a point in the material. For beam elements it is more
convenient to integrate this over the area (whole or partial) of the section and express the result as strain
energy per unit length. So considering the axial stresses only the extensional (e) and bending (b) strain
energies per length for the section are:
F2
SE e
2 EA
M2
SEb
2 EI
Values of strain energy density may be output for the Web, the Flange or the Total value, though Web and
Flange values are only output for I section and rectangular hollow sections with unmodified section
properties. In the case of rectangular hollow sections “Web” refers to the sides of the section and “Flange”
refers to the top and bottom of the section.
The average strain energy density is the average density along the element or member.
SED d
2
SED
2E
A related quantity is the cross strain energy density. The cross terms are calculated from the forces in one
analysis case (i) and the displacements in a different analysis case (j). This can be used to provide
information about how to optimise a structure by indicating where stiffening will be most effective.
This quantity is useful only for linear materials where this is equivalent to:
i j
cSED
2E
For beam elements it is more convenient to integrate this over the area (whole or partial) of the section and
express the result as cross strain energy per unit length. So considering the axial stresses only the
extensional (e) and bending (b) cross strain energies per length for the section are:
Fi F j
SE e
2 EA
MiM j
SEb
2 EI
Values of cross strain energy density may be calculated for the Web, the Flange or the Total value, though
Web and Flange values are only output for I section and rectangular hollow sections with unmodified
section properties. In the case of rectangular hollow sections “Web” refers to the sides of the section and
“Flange” refers to the top and bottom of the section.
Note that unlike strain energy density which must always be a positive value the cross strain energy
density may be negative.
These results differ from most GSA results in that they are not specific to a single analysis case so they
are stored as an Element User Module. Use the “Tools | Cross Strain Energy Density Results” command
to generate the user modules.
Mz M x . Fz / Fx
ty
Fx
My M x . Fy / Fx
tz
Fx
2D element results (forces and stresses) are most conveniently viewed as contours or diagrams.
Diagrams may be more useful in principal stresses with the direction information are required.
Sign Convention
Membrane stresses are positive when tensile (i.e. positive direct strain).
The derived stresses are useful ways of understanding how the element responds to the loading. The
derived stress options are:
principal stresses – stresses rotated so that there no shear stresses showing flow of stress in metals,
concrete
maximum shear
von Mises – a measure of the distortional stress used in yield functions to see how close the material is
to yield ( σy ield vm
=0)
The stress is calculated on an element by element basis (unlike the displacement) so it is possible, and
in fact very likely, that the stresses at a node in one element will not match up with the stress at the same
node in an adjacent element. In some cases, where there is a discontinuity in the material properties or
the thickness of the elements, it is correct that there is a local stress discontinuity, however in other cases
this stress difference will be a measure of the error in the solution.
When contour plots of the stresses are required, or when a stress value is required for further calculation it
is better to have a single value. The values from all the elements at a node can be averaged to give a
single value at the node. However it should be remembered that the stresses which look smooth and
continuous on the plots are in fact calculated as a series of discontinuous stress patches.
check that the stress gradients are low within the elements, particularly in regions of high stress
check that the stress discontinuities between elements are small — look at the stress errors
Note that the moment terms follow the Timoshenko convention in which the moment M x is based on the
stress in the x direction. With the Timoshenko convention if a slab is in compression on the top face in
both the x and y directions the moments are both negative.
Sign Convention
Positive in-plane forces result from positive in-plane stresses.
Positive bending moments result from positive top surface stresses relative to the bottom surface
stress. (This corresponds to the Timoshenko (1964) sign convention.)
Note that moments are based on the bending stress (i.e. they are not defined as being about any axis).
The element must be the same order as the reference element (both linear or both quadratic).
The element must lie in the same plane as the reference element (i.e. no averaging over folds).
The stress results for all the elements meeting the above criteria are then averaged to get the mean stress
value.
The stress averaging ignores the complexities of the stress field that results from having other elements
attached to the reference element, for example beam framing elements, or 2D stiffening elements.
Stress error
It is useful to be able to quantify the error in the different stress values at nodes. This can be done by
contouring the stress error based on the von Mises stress in the elements meeting at a node. The stress
error is the standard deviation of the element stresses:
2 2
n av
n
e
n
where n is the number of elements meeting at the node and the summation is over the n elements. The
error reported at the centre of the element is the average of the nodal errors.
Deriv ed stresses
Stresses are a tensor value so there are six possible stress components that can be reported for any
position on the element – three direct stresses and three shear stresses. The x and y stresses are in the
plane of the element and z in the through thickness direction. When a user axis is selected the stresses
are projected on to the plane of the element so that z remains normal to the element surface.
The derived stresses are useful ways of understanding how the element responds to the loading. The
derived stress options are:
principal stresses – maximum, minimum and intermediate stresses rotated so that there no shear
stresses showing flow of stress in metals, concrete
maximum shear
von Mises – a measure of the distortional stress used in yield functions to see how close the material is
to yield ( σy ield vm
=0)
The stress is calculated on an element by element basis (unlike the displacement) so it is possible, and
in fact very likely, that the stresses at a node in one element will not match up with the stress at the same
node in an adjacent element. In some cases, where there is a discontinuity in the material properties or
the thickness of the elements, it is correct that there is a local stress discontinuity, however in other cases
this stress difference will be a measure of the error in the solution.
When contour plots of the stresses are required, or when a stress value is required for further calculation it
is better to have a single value. The values from all the elements at a node can be averaged to give a
single value at the node. However it should be remembered that the stresses which look smooth and
continuous on the plots are in fact calculated as a series of discontinuous stress patches.
check that the stress gradients are low within the elements, particularly in regions of high stress
check that the stress discontinuities between elements are small – look at the stress errors
An assembly can be either straight of curved. A curved assembly can either be defined with a third node on
the arc or by a curve using Lagrange interpolation through a set of nodes. The line or curve joining the
topology items defines the x axis of assembly. An orientation node defines the xy plane of the assembly,
and the local z axis is normal to the x axis and xy plane.
As well as defining the basic assembly it is important to specify where results are required. GSA offers a
number of options for this:
Number of points – the internal result positions are spaced evenly along the assembly.
Spacing of points – the internal result positions are set at the specified spacing.
By storey – the internal result positions correspond to the storeys (for Vertical axis only)
Explicit – the internal result positions are specified directly along the x axis of the assembly.
The results for an assembly are broadly in two categories: displacements and forces. In both cases the
results are calculated for each of the internal positions. At each of these positions a cutting plane is
specified which is normal to the x axis of the assembly. A check is made to see which elements are cut by
this plane. These results are then reported or displayed in the graphics for the assembly as a whole.
The topics within this section indicate how different data may be displayed.
Joints * *
Rigid Constraints * *
Constraint * *
Equations
Tied Interfaces * *
Elements *
Element Numbers *
Property Numbers *
Group Numbers *
Section Descriptions *
Section Shapes *
Orientation Node Dots *
Orientation Node *
Numbers
Orientation Angle (total) *
Element Lengths *
Element Releases *
Element x axis *
Element Axes *
Element Principal Axes *
Element Direction Global * *
Cosines
Members *
Member Numbers *
Property Numbers *
Design Property *
Numbers
Restraint Property *
Numbers
Group Numbers *
Section Descriptions *
Section Shapes *
Orientation Node Dots *
Orientation Node *
Numbers
Orientation Angle (total) *
Member Lengths *
Member Restraints *
Member x axis *
Member Axes *
2D Element Shape *
Checks
2D Element *
Projected Axes
Nodal Spring *
Property
RC Beams *
Grid Planes *
Grid Plane Axes *
Standard Materials * * *
User Defined * * *
Materials
Fabric Materials
Beam Sections *
Area * *
Moment of Inertia, I y y Local * *
Torsion Constant, J * *
Shear Factor, K y Local * *
A × Ky Local * *
A × Kz Local * *
E×A * *
E × Iyy Local * *
E × I zz Local * *
G× J * *
G × A × Ky Local * *
G × A × Kz Local * *
Section Descriptions *
Section Shape *
Beam Section *
Summary
Beam Design *
Properties
Spring Properties *
Non-linear Spring *
Properties
Mass Properties *
Mass * *
2D Element *
Properties
Thickness *
Additional Mass *
Link Properties *
Cable Properties *
Spacer Properties *
RC Bar Limits *
RC Beam Design *
Properties
Response Spectra *
Basic Responses *
Raft & Pile
Interaction
Numbers *
Areas *
Lists *
Grid Point *
Loads
Force Global * *
Grid Line *
Loads
Force Global * *
Grid Area *
Loads
Force Global * * *
Node Loads *
Force Global * *
Moment Global * *
Applied *
Displaceme
Translation Global * *
nts
Rotation Global * *
Settlements *
Translation Global * *
Rotation Global * *
Beam Loads *
Point Force Global * *
Point Global * *
Moment
Mass Details *
Dynamic *
Details
Dynamic *
Summary
Buckling *
Details
Response *
Spectrum
Details
Steel Design *
Summary
Load Factor / *
Displaceme
nt
Relationship
Axial Force / *
Displaceme
nt
Relationship
Total Loads *
and
Reactions
Deformed *
Elevation
Nodal Global * * * *
Displaceme
nts
Nodal Global * * (on nodes * * (on nodes
Velocities & elements) & elements)
Nodal Global * * (on nodes * * (on nodes
Acceleration & elements) & elements)
s
Reactions Global * * * *
Rigid Global * * * *
Constraint
and Joint
Forces and
Moments
Nodal Global * *
Forces and
Moments
Nodal Mass * *
Soil Nodal (on nodes * (on nodes
Results & elements) & elements)
Maximum 2D * *
Moment,
Mmax
Minimum 2D * *
Moment,
Mmin
Angle to *
Mmax
Maximum 2D * *
Force, Nmax
Minimum 2D * *
Force, Nmin
Angle to *
Nmax
2D Element 2D Moment * *
Projected
2D Moment, * * *
Moments
Mx
2D Moment, * * *
My
2D Moment, * * *
Mxy
2D Moment, | * * *
Mx|+|Mxy|
2D Moment, | * * *
My|+|Myx|
2D Element 2D Force * *
Projected
2D Through- *
Forces
Thickness
Shear
2D Force, Nx * * *
2D Force, Ny * * *
2D Force, * * *
Nxy
2D Through- * *
Thickness
Shear, Qx
2D Through- * *
Thickness
Shear, Qy
2D Element 2D Stress, *
Derived Principal
Stresses
2D Stress, * *
Max
2D Stress, * *
Min
2D Stress, Global * *
Angle to Max
2D Stress, * *
Max Shear
2D Stress, * *
Von Mises
2D Stress, * *
Average
2D Element 2D Projected Global * * * *
Projected Stress, xx
Stresses
2D Projected Global * * * *
Stress, yy
2D Projected Global * * * *
Stress, zz
2D Projected Global * * * *
Stress, xy
2D Projected Global * * * *
Stress, yz
2D Projected Global * * * *
Stress, zx
2D Element * *
Stress Error
Soil 2D * *
Element
Contact
Bearing
Pressure
RC Slab * * *
Reinforceme
nt
Element * *
Strain
Energy
Assembly * * *
Displaceme
nts
Assembly * * *
Forces and
Moments
Paths * *
Standard *
Vehicles
User *
Vehicles
Standard *
Bridge VUDL
User Bridge *
VUDL
Node * *
Influence
Effects
Beam * *
Influence
Effects
Path *
Loading
Static Bridge *
Load
Moving *
Bridge Load
Beam *
Influence
Lobe Details
Influence *
Lines
Stage *
Definition
Stage *
Properties
{f R} = {f u}
{uR} = [K] {f R}
uR
e
u
where
2
u ui
Modal analysis
In a modal analysis the error norm is always calculated. The calculation for a dynamic analysis is as
follows:
K {u} [ M ]{u}
e
K {u}
[ K ]{u} [ K g ]{u}
e
[ K ]{u}
E (N/m²) ν ρ (t/m³)
Engineering 3 sig. figures 205.E+9 7.85
The preferred numeric format is set in the Miscellaneous Preferences. This can be adjusted locally for
Output Views using the Numeric Format button on the Data Options toolbar.
6 Design in GSA
6.1 Reinforcement Definition
Bar group type
This specifies the type of group. There are several options:
Group types that position bars parametrically, based on the section geometry
Units
The default units for all dimensions is mm. Other units can be specified here.
Circle centre, radius and angle of first bar (relative to section’s y axis)
The simplest bar groups can be defined as a number of bars or bars at a given pitch
Group defined by number of 4B16 4No grade ‘B’ bars, diameter 16mm
bars
Group defined by pitch B16-200 16mm diameter grade ‘B’ bars at 200mm centres
Note, the bar grade is either the material grade tag (defined in the reinforcement grade property) or the
grade name.
For example, in Eurocode, 500B reinforcement can be referred to as “B” (e.g. 4B16) or “500B” (e.g.
4”500B”16)
Groups can contain multiple layers of reinforcement by adding ‘+’ between two (or more) simple groups
Bundled bars
Where bundled bars are required, the bar diameter can be prefixed with the number of bars per bundle
Bundled bars by number 4(2)B16 4No bundles, each containing 2No 16mm bars
Bundled bars by pitch (2)B10-150 Bundles of 2No 10mm bars at 150mm centres
Multiple diameters 2B32 2B16 2B32 6No bars in a single layer. The input order is
maintained.
Alternately placed bars B20-200 B16-200 AP 16mm bars alternately placed with 20mm bars at
200mm centres. The pitch must be equal.
Members and the corresponding element definitions must be in-sync with each other. The ‘Highlight
inconsistent elements’ display under Graphic settings highlights Members and Elements that are out of
sync.
Design Task
2. Design grades available to the project must be populated under ‘Material | Material Grades | Steel’.
3. Populate the Section Library. The ‘Add Catalogue Sections’ and ‘Add Standard Sections’ tool under
‘Model | Section Tools’ can be used to add several section sizes to the library at once.
4. Group Members and assign each group to a Pool. Add Sections into the relevant Pools from the Pool
definition wizard.
7. From the Design Task view | Right click menu, choose to either design or check the task.
The Design Task uses a code checker as specified in the Design Specification. The ‘Notes on Code
Checks’ section outlines the checks, design code references and assumptions for each code of practice.
The analysis capabilities allow the user to determine forces and stresses in elements. The steel design
option checks these against the capacity of the members. Steel design is integrated within GSA so that the
design model coexists with the analysis model. Steel design is carried out on the design model using
analysis results to establish the steel utilisation to the selected design code.
M o r e:
Tools
Manually, by editing them from the Member Definition dialog or using the Property Pane
Automatically, while a Design Task is executed. When generating restraints automatically, GSA uses the
parameters defined in the Design Specifications.
Verbose text
During the member checks, much of the calculation is written to this part of the result. This is the place to
look if you do not understand any of the other results a member is getting.
Brief text
Contains a summary of the exceptional (bad and interesting) things that have happened during the check.
Summary text
Textual summary of the utilisation ratios and flags that have been set.
M o r e:
Steel Member Design: Utilisation ratios
All of the utilisations are the worst of their kind encountered along the member’s length.
Envelopes of utilisation ratios are the maximum and minimum of the utilisation ratios calculated for each
permutation in the envelope.
Ratio Comment
Overall worst of all the other utilisation ratios
Local Combined local force/capacity interaction
Local Axial
Local Moment Major local major axis moment
Local Moment Minor local minor axis moment
Local Shear Major
6.2.2.2 Flags
These can give a quick indication of what has happened in the member’s check.
FAIL BUCKLE
The effect sway of frame on the effective length of members has not been considered in member buckling
check.
Definition
Section Classification
Section is classified as Compact, Non-compact and Slender in accordance with AISC360-05 Clause B4
and Table B4.1.
Tension
Section is checked at the ends of every sub-span of the member for the moments and forces acting on it.
Tension capacity at a section is calculated in accordance with AISC360-05 clause D2. Sections in tension
uses the user defined ‘Net Area Ratio’ to compute Net Area and ‘Effective net area factor (Beta)’ to
compute Effective Net Area.
Compression
Compression force is checked in accordance with AISC360-05 Chapter E. Checker uses appropriate
equations depending upon the section shape and local buckling class. Effective length factor for the
members under compression is taken in accordance with the AISC360-05 Table C-C2.2.
Bending
Section is checked for bending in accordance with AISC360-05 Chapter F using appropriate equations.
Shear
Shear is checked according to AISC360-05 Chapter G using appropriate equations. While calculating the
shear strength steel checker assumes that the section web is unstiffened.
Torsion
At present, any significant torsional moment (greater than 5% of the torsional capacity) causes a warning.
Interaction checks
The section is checked against all the applied forces in accordance with AISC360-05 Clause H1 and H2.
Any torsion on the section is ignored from the interaction checks.
Moments used in the interaction check includes the moments due to eccentricity in axial force. Eccentricity
may be due to end connection and due to shift in neutral axis in case of Unsymmetrical slender sections.
Limitations
Limitations are the similar to for BS5950-1:2000. See BS5950-1:2000 Limitations for more details.
Members subjected to bending are classified as Compact, Non-compact and Slender sections in
accordance with AS4100:1998 clause 5.2 and Table 5.2. The effective section modulus is computed using
the appropriate clause from AS4100:1998 5.2.3, 5.2.4 and 5.2.5.
Members subjected to axial compression are classified as Compact, Non-compact and Slender sections
in accordance with AS4100:1998 clause 6.2.3
Local Checks
Sections are checked at the ends of every sub-span of the member for the moments and forces acting on
it.
Shear
Shear is checked according to AS4100:1998 clause 5.11. While calculating the shear strength steel
checker assumes that the section web is unstiffened.
The shear area is calculated based on clear web depth between flanges for the welded sections, and
based on full web depth for rolled section. For RHS and Box sections the shear area is based on two clear
web depths.
Shear capacities are reduced to account for moment in the direction of shear force according to
AS4100:1998 5.12.3
Bending moment
Moment capacity at a section is calculated in accordance AS4100:1998 clause 5.2.1. See Effective Section
Properties for details on calculation of effective section modulus.
Axial Force
Compression capacity at a section is calculated in accordance with AS4100:1998 clause 6.2.1. See
Effective Section Properties for details on calculation of effective area of section.
Tension capacity at a section is calculated in accordance with AS4100:1998 clause 7.2 and 7.3. Sections
in tension use the user defined ‘Net Area Ratio’.
Torsion
At present, any significant torsional moment (greater than 5% of the torsional capacity) produces a
warning.
The section is checked against all the applied forces using the equations in AS4100:1998 clause 8.3.4.
The choice of equations used depends on the section shape and the section’s local buckling class.
Moments used in the local interaction check include the moments due to eccentricity in axial force.
Eccentricity may be due to end connection and to shift in neutral axis in case of Unsymmetrical slender
sections.
Buckling Checks
Axial Buckling
The member is checked along its length for major axis axial buckling and minor axis axial buckling
according to AS4100:1998 clause 6.3.3.
Unsymmetrical sections are also checked for torsional and flexural torsional buckling according to
AS4100:1998 clause 6.3.3. Lambda value will be computed in accordance with clause 6.3.4.
At present the effective length of the member is calculated from the factors available in AS4100:1998
Figure 4.6.3.2.
Members with full lateral restraint are checked for Lateral torsional buckling in according to AS4100:1998
clause 5.3. Lateral restraints are verified in accordance with AS4100:1998 clause 5.3.2.
Lateral torsional buckling is checked in accordance with AS4100:1998 clause 5.6.1 and 5.6.2(i) for the
member without continuous restraints. Effective lengths for lateral torsional buckling are calculated
according to AS4100:1998 clause 5.6.3.
Buckling Interaction
Interaction checks are carried out according to AS4100:1998 clause 8.4.5.1 and 8.4.5.2 for compression
and tension members respectively. Reduced moments used in compression member checks are
calculated using the simplified equations in AS4100:1998 clause 8.4.2.2 and 8.4.4.1.
This section explains particular (non-obvious) significances of input data to the BS5950-1:2000 member
checker. See Step By Step Guide: Steel Design and the Steel Member Design chapter for general steel
design input requirements.
In order to limit the effects of plasticity at the serviceability limit state (SLS), the design code limits the
maximum benefit that can be obtained at the ultimate limit state from allowing the section to become
plastic in bending. To comply with BS5950-1:2000 4.2.5.1, the limit should be set to 1.2 for simply
supported members and cantilevers, and 1.5 for members with moment continuity between spans. If the
ratio is set to 0, the checker will assume 1.2 (which is the more conservative choice available).
BS5950-1:2000 4.7.10.2 and Table 25 make reference to the A-A, B-B and V-V axes in relation to axial
buckling. The V-V axis is the minor principal axis. The AA and BB axes are the X-X and Y-Y axes, but which
is which depends on the design of the connections of the member to the rest of the structure. The checker
only knows about the applied member restraints.
The rotational restraint applied by a two bolt group in clearance holes in one leg ( clause 4.7.10.2 (a) )
should be represented by restraining the section:
The rotational restraints applied by a two bolt group, one of which uses a kidney shaped hole should be
represented by restraining the section:
The rotational restraint applied by a single bolt group should be represented by leaving the member free
about both the X-X and Y-Y axes.
The local capacity check needs to know which legs are connected at the location of the check ( clause
4.6.3.1 ). This information is partly provided by the rotational restraints if they are applied as above. In
cases of ambiguity, the connection restraint settings are used. Restraint settings “A” and “B” imply that
legs A and B respectively are connected. Where both legs are connected, both “A” and “B” should be set.
Even if “A” and/or “B” are not set, the checker can often make assumptions using the rotational restraints
alone. Examples of connections requiring use of “A” and “B” include all those consisting of a single bolt
through either leg.
Local Checks
At each end of each subspan (LH and RH), the member’s section is checked for the moments and forces
applied to it.
Allowance for slenderness is made by the use of effective section properties, and the full design stress,
which is considerably less conservative than the adoption of a lowered design stress in conjunction with
the gross section properties (as used by the Blue Book [19]).
Depending on the section’s properties, the method of checking may vary. For example, if the section is
doubly-symmetric and compact or plastic, biaxial bending may be checked using the Mrx and Mry method
which reduces the moment capacities with increasing axial load.
Shear
Shear is checked only if the section’s web(s) are not slender. Warning is given if the section is slender in
shear.
Bending moments
Moments are conservatively enhanced if slenderness leads to the effective centroid of the section moving,
and axial force is present.
Mcx and Mcy are always calculated (reduced by coincident shears in either direction), and compared with
the applied moments. The interaction of transverse shear is not covered by BS5950-1:2000 (which is
therefore potentially non-conservative). This deficiency is rectified by the use of a Von Mises type capacity
reduction. Shear force parallel to webs in bending is considered in accordance with BS5950-1:2000.
Mrx and Mry (moment capacities with coincident axial force) are calculated for plastic and compact doubly
symmetric sections, and compared with the applied moments. They are not reduced by coincident shears.
For this reason, their use is inhibited by “high” shears: (Fv >0.6Pv ) in either direction.
Axial force
Sections in tension use the user controllable Net Area Ratio to determine net area.
Slenderness is calculated differently for sections in overall tension, than for sections in compression.
Torsion
At present, any significant torsional moment (greater than 5% of the torsional capacity) causes a warning,
because torsion is not explicitly catered for by the code. The torsional capacity is calculated as follows: (1)
CHS - thin wall theory is used; (2) RHS - thin wall theory is used but warping restraint is ignored; (3) I
section - based on formulas in Table 20.4 in the book of “Roark’s formulas for stress and strain” 5th
edition.
The section is checked against all the applied forces (except torsion) using the appropriate equations in
BS5950-1:2000 4.8.2 and 4.8.3. The choice of equations depends on the section shape and the section’s
local buckling class.
Buckling Checks
The member is checked along its length for major axis axial buckling, minor axis axial buckling and LT
buckling in turn. Once complete, relevant interactions of the buckling modes are considered.
Each buckling mode check searches for appropriate buckling spans using the design restraints that have
been applied to the member. Each buckling span is checked individually. Cantilever spans at either end of
members are recognized and catered for.
The effective buckling length calculated can be overridden to either a multiple of the member length or to
an absolute length. If this is done, the whole member length is used for determination of buckling
parameters, such as equivalent uniform moment factors and applied axial forces.
Buckling interaction
During checks for the simple buckling modes (axial/major axis, axial minor axis, and LT) note is made of
various parameters needed later when the buckling interaction check is carried out. These parameters are
stored for each sub-span of the member. (See BS5950-1:2000 4.8.3.3)
Mb2 – opposite sense moment capacity in the LT span (for reverse curvature spans)
MLT2 – opposite sense major axis bending moment in the LT span (for reverse curvature spans)
m LT – equivalent uniform moment factor for major axis moment in relevant LT span
m x – equivalent uniform moment factor for major axis moment in the major axis axial span
m y – equivalent uniform moment factor for minor axis moment in the minor axis axial span
m y x – equivalent uniform moment factor for minor axis moment in the major axis axial span
The checker steps through the sub-spans looking at this interaction data. It only carries out an interaction
check once for each permutation of buckling spans, to reduce the volume of output.
Interaction is carried out according to clauses BS5950-1:2000 4.8.3.3.1, 4.8.3.3.2 and 4.8.3.3.3 depending
on the section shape. The variant (c) that allows biaxial bending moments is always used, even when
there is only bending about a single axis.
Limitations
Torsion not fully considered.
Whole structure stability issues are not considered, since the checker only knows about one member at
a time. Users must construct their models to account for these effects if appropriate.
Input data
All cases provided to the checker are assumed to be ultimate limit state (i.e. the member forces are fully
factored). Any non ULS cases – e.g. unfactored wind load – will be treated as if they are ULS, and so will
result in non-conservative utilizations.
For angles connected through one leg, the tensile strength of a section is affected by shear lag. To comply
with EN 1993-1-8:2005 3.10.3 the Effective net area factor (Beta) is used to compute the design tensile
strength. This factor is calculated for a single bolt. The effect of shear lag in tension is ignored for
members with other section shapes.
When considering Member Restraints for angle sections EC3 interprets restraint settings “A” and “B” as
relating to the longer and shorter leg respectively. Where both legs are connected, both “A” and “B” should
be set.
Local Checks
Sections are checked at the ends of every sub-span of the member for the moments and forces acting on
it.
Checks are carried out for Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 and Class 4 sections. Local buckling effects for
Class 4 sections are included by an effective width in accordance with EN 1993-1-5.
For Class 4 CHS sections a reduced yield stress is used to account for local buckling.
Shear
Shear is checked according to EN 1993-1-1:2005 clause 6.2.6 if the section’s web(s) are not slender. A
warning is given if the section is slender in shear.
Bending moment
Moment capacity is calculated in accordance with EN 1993-1-1:2005 clause 6.2.5 and compared with the
applied moments. Allowance is made for shear and torsion in moment capacity according to EN 1993-1-
1:2005 6.2.8.
Moment capacities are reduced for Class 1 and Class 2 sections to account for axial force as per EN
1993-1-1:2005 6.2.9.1.
Axial force
Compression and tension capacities are calculated in accordance with EN 1993-1-1:2005 6.2.4 and 6.2.3
respectively and compared with the applied axial force. For sections in tension the user defined ‘Net Area
Ratio’ and ‘Effective net area factor (Beta)’ are used to determine tension capacity.
Torsion
At present, any significant torsional moment (greater than 5% of the torsional capacity) produces a
warning. See BS5950-1:2000 for more details.
The section is checked against all the applied forces using the equations in EN 1993-1-1:2005 6.2.9 and
6.2.10. The choice of equations depends on the section shape and the section’s local buckling class.
Buckling Checks
The member is checked along its length for major axis axial buckling, minor axis axial buckling, torsional
buckling, flexural torsional buckling and lateral torsional buckling. Interaction checks are carried out
according to EN 1993-1-1:2005 6.3.3; see National Annexes for interaction factors. See BS5950-1:2000 for
more details on buckling checks.
Limitations
Section classification is based on axial force and major axis bending moment. Minor axis bending
moment is disregarded.
Elastic critical moment for lateral-torsion buckling is calculated in accordance with Annex I of EN 1999-1-
1:2007. When the loads on the member are not found in the appropriate table of Annex I of EN 1999-1-
1:2007, the worst values of C1, C2 and C3 are taken from the appropriate table assuming the ends are
pinned.
Clause 6.3.2.2.
λLT,0 = 0.4, β = 0.75 and table 6.5 of EN 1993-1-1:2005 are used for the lateral torsional
buckling curve. For the sections not available in the table, buckling curve d is used.
f = 1-0.5(1-kc )[1-2.0(λLT-0.8)2] and f <= 1.0; Table 6.6 are used for the correction
factor kc .
Interaction factors:
Annex B is used for interaction factors. For other than doubly symmetric sections, the λ
value used for calculating interaction factors in any direction (say λx or λy ) is the largest
value of the following three
2) λT for torsion.
Table B.3 is used for equivalent uniform moment factors; steel checker assumes that the
spans are loaded with uniform loading.
Effective Length:
Effective buckling lengths for flexural buckling are calculated in accordance with Table 22
of BS5950-1:2000.
Clause 6.3.2.2.
Welded sections:
Interaction factors:
Effective Length:
Effective buckling lengths for flexural buckling are calculated in accordance with Table 22
of BS5950-1:2000.
Clause 6.3.2.2.
λLT,0 = 0.4, β = 0.75 and table 6.5 of EN 1993-1-1:2005 are used for the lateral torsional
buckling curve. For the sections not available in the table, buckling curve d is used.
f = 1-0.5(1-kc )[1-2.0(λLT-0.8)2] and f <= 1.0; Table 6.6 are used for the correction
factor kc .
Interaction factors:
Effective Length:
Effective buckling lengths for flexural buckling are calculated in accordance with clause
Other checks:
1) Combined bending, axial and shear force is checked in accordance with the
clause 11.3.1.1 to 11.3.1.3 of NEN 6770
Clause 6.3.2.2.
Note: The coefficient f is only applicable to the members without intermediate lateral
restraints and no warping at the ends.
Interaction factors:
2) χT for torsion.
Effective Length:
Effective buckling lengths for flexural buckling are calculated in accordance with Table 22
of BS5950-1:2000.
Members are classified as Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 and Class 4 sections in accordance with
HKSUOS:05 Table 7.1 and 7.2. The channel webs are classified according to BS5950-1:2000 Table 11
since HKSUOS:05 does not specify the same. Effective section properties are calculated according to the
appropriate clause from HKSUOS:05 clause 11.3.4. For flanges with non-uniform compression the
effective width of the plate is calculated according to EN 1993-1-5:2006 clause 4.4.
Class 3 semi-compact sections subjected to bending are designed using effective plastic modulus
according HKSUOS:05 clause 7.5.
Local Checks
Sections are checked at the ends of every sub-span of the member for the moments and forces acting on
it.
Shear
Shear is checked according to HKSUOS:05 clause 8.2.1. Shear is checked only if the section’s web(s) are
not slender. A warning is given if the section is slender in shear.
Bending moment
Moment capacity at a section is calculated in accordance with HKSUOS:05 clause 8.2.2. See Effective
Section Properties for details on calculation of effective section modulus.
Moments are conservatively enhanced if slenderness or end connection leads to the effective centroid of
Moment capacities are reduced to take account of high shear according to HKSUOS:05 clause 8.2.2.2 and
compared with the applied moments.
Axial Force
Compression capacity at a section is calculated in accordance with HKSUOS:05 clause 8.9.1. See
Effective Section Properties for details on calculation of effective area of section.
Tension capacity at a section is calculated in accordance with HKSUOS:05 clause 8.6. Sections in tension
use the user defined ‘Net Area Ratio’.
Torsion
At present, any significant torsional moment (greater than 5% of the torsional capacity) produces a
warning.
The section is checked for interaction of axial, shear and moments using the equations in HKSUOS:05
clause 8.9.1 and 8.2.1.
Moments used in the local interaction check include the moments due to eccentricity in axial force.
Eccentricity may be due to end connection and to shift in neutral axis
Buckling Checks
Axial Buckling
The member is checked along its length for major axis axial buckling and minor axis axial buckling
according to HKSUOS:05 clause 8.7. Unsymmetrical sections are checked for torsional and flexural
torsional buckling according to the HKSUOS:05 clause 8.10. At present the effective length of the member
is calculated from the factors available in HKSUOS:05 Table 8.6 based on the restraints on the member;
this value can be overridden from the steel design properties.
Unsymmetrical sections are checked for torsional and flexural torsional buckling according to the
HKSUOS:05 clause 8.10
Lateral torsional buckling is checked in accordance with HKSUOS:05 clause 8.3, Appendix 8.1.and
Appendix 8.2.
Appendix 8.2 provide guidance to calculate λLt for uniform I, H and channel with equal flanges. It also
suggested to use recognized buckling analysis for other section shapes. Currently BS5950-1:2000
formulations are using to calculate λLt for RHS and T sections.
Buckling Interaction
Interaction checks are carried out according to HKSUOS:05 clause 8.9.2. Since it is assumed that the
analysis results are inclusive of second order p - small delta analysis, the amplification factor is ignored
for non-sway frame members.
IS800:1984 does not use Max Plastic/Elastic Ratio specified in the design property.
For Member Restraints, IS800:1984 interprets connection A and B in the following manner.
For angle sections A and B stand for longer, shorter leg respectively. Where both legs are connected,
both A and B should be set.
For I and RHS sections, A stands for the web and B for flange.
Local Checks
Following Local checks or Section checks are carried out at each end of each subspan.
Shear is checked only for unstiffened webs. A warning is generated if the web is slender as per
IS800:1984 6.7.3.1. Shear is check to Clause 6.4.1 and 6.4.2.
Torsion checks
At present, any significant torsional moment (greater than 5% of the torsional capacity) causes a warning,
because torsion is not explicitly catered for by the code. See BS5950-1:2000 local checks for details.
Axial tensile, compressive and bending strength checks are carried as per section 4, 5 and 6 of
IS800:1984 respectively without considering the effect of buckling (only local).
The section is checked against all the applied forces (except bearing) using the appropriate equations in
IS800:1984 7.1.1.b, 7.1.2 and 7.1.4.
Buckling Checks
Following Buckling checks or member checks are carried out at for every member. See BS5950-1:2000
buckling checks for details.
Axial compression strength checks will be carried along major axis and minor axis as per the section 5 of
IS800:1984.
The member is checked against lateral torsion buckling strength as per IS800:1984 6.2.3 and 6.2.4.
These checks are carried out for the appropriate equations stipulated in section 7 of IS800:1984.
The rupture strength of a section connected through one or more elements of section is affected by shear
lag. To comply with IS800:2007 6.3.3 and 6.3.4, the Effective net area factor (Beta) is used to compute the
design tensile strength of such sections to account for tearing of net section.
Members are classified as Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 and Class 4 sections in accordance with SANS
10162-1:2011 Table 3 and 4.
Effective section area is calculated in accordance with SANS 10162-1:2011 clause 13.3.3.
Effective section modulus for the section with class 3 or better web and class 4 flange is calculated in
accordance with SANS 10162-1:2011 clause 13.5. If the web is class 4 and flange is class 3 or better then
the revised factored moment of resistance is calculated in accordance with SANS 10162-1:2011 clause
14.3.4. Checker doesn’t support the section if both the flange(s) and web are class 4.
Local Checks
Sections are checked at the ends of every sub-span of the member for the moments and forces acting on
it.
Members with Angle sections are treated as strut and tie only member and the shear and moment
capacities are assumed as zero.
Shear
For the webs of section with two flanges shear capacity is calculated using elastic analysis in accordance
with SANS 10162-1:2011 clause 13.4.1.1. This clause applies for I,Channel sections with shear acting
along the web and also for RHS sections.
For all other cases maximum shear stress is calculated in the section and compared with 0.66*phi*fy. The
effect of shear buckling is not considered and this is non-conservative.
Bending moment
Moment capacity at a section is calculated in accordance with SANS 10162-1:2011 clause 13.5 and clause
14.3.4. See Effective Section Properties for details on calculation of effective section modulus. Moment
capacity of a section is assumed as zero whose flanges and web are class 4
Moments are conservatively enhanced if slenderness or end connection leads to the effective centroid of
the section moving, and axial force is present.
Axial force
Compression capacity at a section is calculated in accordance with SANS 10162-1:2011 clause 13.3.1
and 13.3.4 and assuming member length as zero. See Effective Section Properties for details on
calculation of effective area of section.
Tension capacity at a section is calculated in accordance with SANS 10162-1:2011 clause 13.2. Sections
in tension use the user defined ‘Net Area Ratio’.
Torsion
At present, any significant torsional moment (greater than 5% of the torsional capacity) produces a
warning.
The section is checked for interaction of axial and moments in accordance with SANS 10162-1:2011
clause 13.8.2 (b) and 13.8.3 (b).
Moments used in the local interaction check include the moments due to eccentricity in axial force.
Eccentricity may be due to end connection and to shift in neutral axis.
Buckling Checks
Axial buckling
The member is checked along its length for major axis axial buckling and minor axis axial buckling
according to SANS 10162-1:2011 clause 13.3.1
Singly symmetric and unsymmetrical sections are also checked for torsional and flexural torsional
buckling according to SANS 10162-1:2011 clause 13.3.2. Doubly symmetric sections are checked for
torsional buckling in accordance with SANS 10162-1:2011 clause 13.3.2 (a).
SANS 10162-1:2011 Annex E (Figure E.1) is referred to estimate effective length factor using the restraint
condition.
Lateral torsional buckling is checked in accordance with SANS 10162-1:2011 clause 13.6.
Buckling interaction
Interaction checks are carried out according to SANS 10162-1:2011 clause 13.8.2 and 13.8.3
Limitations
Clause 15.3.4 suggest that “The factored resistances of the first compression web member and its
connection shall be determined with their respective resistance factors, ?, multiplied by 0.85”. To
account for this user should explicitly enter the reduced yield strength in the steel design property.
Section with class 4 flange and class 4 webs are not supported.
6.2.12 Results
Running a Design Task produces the following results and output
Member Design History – accessed from Output Explorer | Member Results. This outline the design
history for each member, recorded over multiple runs of Design Tasks.
Member User Modules – accessed from Output Explorer | User Modules. These contain the utilizations
of each Member in the Design Task post-design.
Apart from the above, GSA also presents force and displacements results for Members. These are
accessed from Ou tp u t Exp lo r e r | M e m b e r R e s u lts .
Results are available for any valid analysis case or combination. There is no stage at which the user
requests a design to be processed. Instead, when the data is correctly specified to enable the design
calculations to be carried out the design results options become available. The design results are
calculated only at the time they are needed for display.
The “Design | Check Design Data” menu command may be used at any stage to establish whether the
data has been correctly specified for steel design. The details of any problems appear in a message box
that is displayed after this command is given.
A convenient way of inspecting results for individual members in rapid succession is to use the Result
Pane.
Select the type of results to be shown from the dropdown menu at the top of the window. Once the Object
Viewer window is set to display member results (for example: brief results), the member to be inspected is
selected by clicking on the relevant member in any graphic view that is showing any members. The view
could usefully be displaying a contour of member utilization, so that members of particular interest could
be picked.
Steel utilisation factors can be output in the same way as stress results, i.e. they may be shown in Graphic
Views as contours or diagrams, in Output Views as tables of steel utilisation, or in the Result Pane.
Steel design summaries, brief calculations, verbose calculations and effective lengths are also available
in Output Views and the Result Pane.
6.2.13 Tools
Various menu items are available to assist you in the construction and maintenance of design models.
These are accessible from the Model | Coordination menu:
Result Description
Member Displacements Aggregate of Element displacements along the Member
Member Forces and Moments Aggregate of Element forces and moments along the Member
Steel Utilisation Worst utilisation from Member local strength and buckling checks
Steel Design Calcs (Verbose) Detailed steel design calculation output for buckling checks and local
strength along the member
Steel Design Calcs (Brief) Detailed steel design calculation output for buckling checks and local
strength at critical points along the member
Steel Member effective lengths Member effective lengths calculated for each buckling sub-span along the
member
Member deflection Member displacement relative to support, as defined by restraint
conditions at ends and internal points
Member span to max. deflection Ratio of deflection over the span that carries that deflection
ratio
Me m b e r D e fle ctio n and Me m b e r Sp a n to Ma x. D e fle ctio n R a tio results require member end conditions to
be set and are only applicable to members with no intermediate supports.
7 GSA Tools
7.1 Welcome to GSA dialog
The Welcome to GSA dialog is displayed on entry to GSA and is designed to assist the user to get started
quickly.
Start
New Model: Takes the user to the New Model Wizard to allow simple structures to be defined with the
minimum effort.
Undoing Edits
The Ed it | U n d o (Ctrl+Z) menu command undoes the last edit on the data.
The Ed it | R e d o (Ctrl+Y) menu command redoes edits that have been undone.
Data edits are preserved in an undo buffer (i.e. remembered) regardless of how the edits were applied
(i.e. whether via tables, sculpt or batch operation).
The undo buffer is cleared when the file is closed. It is frozen when an analysis is done and only unfrozen
when all results are deleted.
The redo buffer is cleared when any edits are carried out on the data and when the file is closed.
Edits are preserved in the undo and redo buffers as individual edit operations, though several edit
operations may be associated with one undo step. So, for example, modifying 10,000 elements in one
sculpt command constitutes 10,000 undo operations but just one undo step. The Undo command undoes
one step.
There is a limit to the number of operations that are preserved in the undo and redo buffers. This limit may
be adjusted in the Input Data Preferences. GSA preserves at least one undo step and one redo step if
called upon to do so. In our example, even if the maximum number of preserved undo operations is set to
5,000, the 10,000 modified elements will be preserved in the undo buffer and one Undo command will
undo all of the element modifications.
The option to undo analysis and design task results may be set in the Input Data Preferences. When this
is set, an analysis or design task becomes an undo step and the first undo after an analysis will cause the
results and any analysis cases generated during the analysis to be deleted. A subsequent undo will undo
the last edit done before the analysis, etc. Redo is not available for an analysis.
When the undo analysis preference is not set, undoing an analysis is not available and the undo and redo
buffers are cleared upon commencing any analysis.
Undo for edits may be enabled or disabled in the Advanced Preferences. When Undo is disabled then the
undo and redo buffers are cleared and no edits are preserved in the undo buffer until Undo is enabled
again.
The undo and redo buffers reside in the memory of the computer. The larger these buffers are, the greater
the demand will be on the memory resources. This should be considered when adjusting the undo limit
and undo analysis preferences, especially when working on a machine with limited memory available.
Note that:
Setting the undo limit preference to a huge number will result in data for that many operations being
preserved in the undo buffer.
Switching the undo analysis preference on will result in the undo and redo buffers coexisting in memory
with the results generated during the analysis.
Undoing Views
The V ie w | U n d o V ie w (Ctrl+Alt+Z) menu command undoes the last change in view settings in the current
Graphic View or Output View. Undo View is also available on the Standard toolbar.
All changes to the view settings are preserved in the undo view buffer. In the case of a Graphic View this
means changes in orientation (e.g. dragging to rotate), scale (e.g. zoom), content (e.g. volume and entity
list), adornments (e.g. labels, diagrams and contours), case list etc.
View settings that are undone are preserved in a redo view buffer.
The undo view buffer is associated with the view. Each Graphic View and each Output View has its own
undo view buffer which is cleared when the view is closed.
The redo view buffer is cleared when any changes are made to the view settings and when the view is
closed.
Multiple undo view and redo view steps are possible, currently set at 32 steps. The limit is not adjustable.
Definition
Job Number
Initials
The title of the job, the subtitle that this model relates to, and calculations specific to this model.
Notes
Notes on the model can be stored here. This is a text field that can be appended to as required.
7.3.2 Structure
This page sets up the basic details of the structure. Cancelling at any time will result in no new document.
Definition
Structure Type
The structure type describes the type of structural model to be considered. The options are
Space – 3D structure type. This is the most general structure type, and all the other can be considered
as subsets of this.
Previous versions of GSA offered ‘Plane’ and ‘Grid’ structure types. These have been removed as structure
types but the same conditions can be achieved with a Space structure and setting the appropriate global
restraints.
Units
Opens the Units dialog to allow the user to set a default set of units for the structure. The current units are
reported on the page.
Grid Data
Grid lines and grid planes can be assigned to give a framework for subsequent model generation.
7.3.3 Properties
Definition
Design Codes
Selects the steel and concrete design codes. These can be changed later, but code changes require
mapping of some of the data, so it is useful to settle on the appropriate design code at an early stage.
Material Grades
In general steel and concrete grades will be needed when creating a model. This allows steel and
concrete grade to be selected based on the selected design codes. You can also define the default
reinforcement grade for use in the RC Slab Reinforcement Design table.
Sections
Sections are one of the key items in many GSA models. If there are a set of sections that relate to the
current project it is convenient to be able to set these up as group of sections, rather than have to set up
each individually. Options are provided for catalogue sections and standard sections. Along with this a
standard slab profile can be defined.
Generate Data
Selecting 'Generate data for the selected structure type' closes the New Model Wizard and opens the Data
Generation Wizard to allow the definition of simple structural forms.
Portal
Grid
Orthogonal frame
Truss
Vierendeel
Pratt truss
Pitched portal
Roof truss
2D element grid
Selecting one of these will lead directly to the page to define this structure.
Definition
Generation
The user can choose to create analysis and/or design models with
Generate members
Generate elements
The width of the structure is defined by the number of bays of equal bay width.
The height of the structure is defined by the number of storeys of equal storey height.
Column
Opens the Section Wizard to allow the column section to be selected. This is marked as unspecified until
a section is assigned when the actual section will be displayed.
Beam
Opens the Section Wizard to allow the beam section to be selected. This is marked as unspecified until a
section is assigned, when the actual section will be displayed. On the Orthogonal Frame page, there are
separate buttons for the beams spanning in the x direction and for the beams spanning in the y direction.
Include supports
Encastre supports are created at the base of the columns. By default no restraints are applied to the
model.
A gravity load is set up in load case 1 applied to all elements. By default no loading is applied to the model.
7.4.3 Grid
The information supplied on this page provides a description of a grid, which is subsequently used to
generate the structural model. The units of length are reported on the dialog, alongside a sketch of the
structural form.
Definition
Generation
The user can choose to create analysis and/or design models with
Generate members
Generate elements
The plan layout is defined by the number of bays of equal bay width in each of the two directions, with the
option of including a skew of the elements or members in the y direction.
Beams
Opens the Section Wizard to allow the section to be selected for the beams spanning in the x and y
directions. This is marked as unspecified until a section is assigned when the actual section will be
displayed.
A gravity load is set up in load case 1. By default no loading is applied to the model.
Definition
Generation
The user can choose to create analysis and/or design models with
Generate members
Generate elements
The width of the structure is defined by the number of bays of equal bay width.
The height of the structure is defined by the number of storeys of equal storey height.
Column
Opens the Section Wizard to allow the column section to be selected. This is marked as unspecified until
a section is assigned when the actual section will be displayed.
Beam
Opens the Section Wizard to allow the beam section to be selected. This is marked as unspecified until a
section is assigned, when the actual section will be displayed. On the Orthogonal Frame page, there are
separate buttons for the beams spanning in the x direction and for the beams spanning in the y direction.
Slab
Open the 2D Property Wizard to allow definition of the slab properties to apply to floor members.
Include Supports
Encastre supports are created at the base of the columns. By default no restraints are applied to the
model.
A gravity load is set up in load case 1 applied to all elements. By default no loading is applied to the model.
7.4.5 Truss
The information supplied on these pages provides a description of a truss, a Vierendeel truss, or a Pratt
truss, which is subsequently used to generate the structural model. The units of length are reported on the
dialog, alongside a sketch of the structural form.
Definition
Generation
The user can choose to create analysis and/or design models with
Generate members
Generate elements
Specify the width of the truss and the number of bays between supports.
Depth
The distance between the neutral axes of the top and bottom chords.
End Style
Cornice – overhanging.
Facia – vertical.
Mansard – sloping.
Bar elements should be used for bracing. By default beam elements will be used.
Opens the Section Wizard to allow the top and bottom chord, bracing and vertical sections to be selected.
This is marked as unspecified until a section is assigned when the actual section will be displayed.
The verticals are only relevant if the facia option is selected, otherwise this item is disabled.
Include Supports
Pin supports are created at the ends of the span. By default no restraints are applied to the model.
A gravity load is set up in load case 1 applied to all elements. By default no loading is applied to the model.
7.4.6 Vierendeel
The information supplied on these pages provides a description of a truss, a Vierendeel truss, or a Pratt
truss, which is subsequently used to generate the structural model. The units of length are reported on the
dialog, alongside a sketch of the structural form.
Definition
Generation
The user can choose to create analysis and/or design models with
Generate members
Generate elements
Specify the width of the truss and the number of bays between supports.
Depth
The distance between the neutral axes of the top and bottom chords.
Opens the Section Wizard to allow the top and chord and vertical sections to be selected. This is marked
as unspecified until a section is assigned when the actual section will be displayed.
Include Supports
Pin supports are created at the ends of the span. By default no restraints are applied to the model.
A gravity load is set up in load case 1 applied to all elements. By default no loading is applied to the model.
Definition
Generation
The user can choose to create analysis and/or design models with
Generate members
Generate elements
Specify the width of the truss and the number of bays between supports.
Depth
The distance between the neutral axes of the top and bottom chords.
Bar elements should be used for bracing. By default beam elements will be used.
Opens the Section Wizard to allow the top and bottom chord, diagonal and vertical sections to be selected.
This is marked as unspecified until a section is assigned when the actual section will be displayed.
Include Supports
Pin supports are created at the ends of the span. By default no restraints are applied to the model.
A gravity load is set up in load case 1 applied to all elements. By default no loading is applied to the model.
Definition
Generation
The user can choose to create analysis and/or design models with
Generate members
Generate elements
The width of the structure is defined by the number of bays of equal bay width.
Specify the height from ground to the eaves and the height from the eaves to the ridge.
The length of the structure is defined by the number of frames of equal frame spacing.
Opens the Section Wizard to allow the column, rafter and beam section to be selected. This is marked as
unspecified until a section is assigned when the actual section will be displayed.
Include Supports
Encastre supports are created at the base of the columns. By default no restraints are applied to the
model.
A gravity load is set up in load case 1. By default no loading is applied to the model.
Definition
Generation
The user can choose to create analysis and/or design models with
Generate members
Generate elements
Specify the width of the truss between supports and the depth of the truss at the ridge.
Bar elements should be used for bracing. By default beam elements will be used.
Opens the Section Wizard to allow the rafter, tie and bracing section to be selected. This is marked as
unspecified until a section is assigned when the actual section will be displayed.
Include Supports
Pin supports are created at the ends of the span. By default no restraints are applied to the model.
A gravity load is set up in load case 1. By default no loading is applied to the model.
Definition
Width, Number of Elements
Specify the overall width of the grid in the two directions. This width is subdivided by the number of
elements in the two directions.
2D Property
Opens the 2D Element Property dialog to allow the element properties to be defined. This is marked as
unspecified until a section is assigned when the actual section will be displayed.
Include Spacers
This generates spacer elements along the 2D element edges for use in form finding.
If spacers are to be generated this opens the spacer properties wizard to allow properties to be defined for
internal spacer elements (those between 2D elements) and around the edge.
This generates 1D elements around the edge of the grid of the type selected.
Section
If edge elements are to be generated this allows the properties for the edge elements to be specified.
Definition
Coordinates
Specify the coordinates of the four corners of the grid. The program will generate a mesh with in the
boundary defined by straight lines between the corners, but the resulting mesh may be warped since the
corner nodes are not required to lie in a plane.
Mesh Density
2D Property
Opens the 2D Element Property dialog to allow the element properties to be defined. This is marked as
unspecified until a section is assigned when the actual section will be displayed.
Include Spacers
This generates spacer elements along the 2D element edges for use in form finding.
If spacers are to be generated this opens the spacer properties wizard to allow properties to be defined for
internal spacer elements (those between 2D elements) and around the edge.
This generates 1D elements around the edge of the grid of the type selected.
Section
If edge elements are to be generated this allows the properties for the edge elements to be specified.
Definition
Bottom, Top and Height
Specify the major and minor axis dimensions at the bottom and top of the mesh. If height is non-zero the
mesh will be 3D , and if zero it will form a planar 2D mesh.
Blend to Square
If selected, the bottom or top of a frustum or outside edge of a planar grid is square.
Mesh Density
This width is subdivided by the number of elements in the two directions. To create a solid or hollow
polygon, pyramid or pyramidal frustum, set the circumferential density equal to the number of sides in the
polygon.
2D Property
Opens the 2D Element Property dialog to allow the element properties to be defined. This is marked as
unspecified until a section is assigned when the actual section will be displayed.
Include Spacers
This generates spacer elements along the 2D element edges for use in form finding.
If spacers are to be generated this opens the spacer properties wizard to allow properties to be defined for
internal spacer elements (those between 2D elements) and around the edge.
This generates 1D elements around the edge of the grid of the type selected.
Section
If edge elements are to be generated this allows the properties for the edge elements to be specified.
Definition
Geometry
Number
7.4.14 Generate
This page confirms that you have entered the data to generate a model if you select Finish, the model will
be generated.
Definition
Company Information, Language, File Locations, Page Setup
The company logo, specified as a bitmap and name can be adjusted as required.
GSA has limited support for languages other than English. Select the language as appropriate.
The file locations specifies the Preferred Files and Folders where GSA will look for various data and
temporary files
Page setup controls the appearance of printed output - borders, logos, etc.
GSA models hold a set of tolerances. Preferred values for these can be stored for creation of new models.
The units set up a preferred set of units for use when creating a new model.
GSA has a number of section catalogues available. This allows a preferred catalogue to be selected. The
section wizard will then default to this catalogue.
Data IDs
When there are references between modules it is possible to reference by number, name or name and
number. This sets the preferred option.
Labels
Set preferences for labelling restraints, releases and rigid constraints. For restraints and releases the
choice is between “Text” labelling or “Symbol” to indicate the type of restraint or release. For rigid
constraints the option is to include or exclude dots at the constrained and primary nodes.
Property Tips
Property tips can be displayed alongside the cursor when the cursor hovers over an entity (node, element,
member, ...). “Brief” displays the reference of the entity plus some other key properties (e.g. topology of
elements). “Full” displays the full properties for that entity (i.e. the same properties as are displayed on the
Message Pane when an entity is clicked on).
Set the preferred saved image settings that govern the output of graphic images. This option opens the
Saved Image Settings.
7.5.1.2 Graphics
This page handles preferences that relate to Graphic Views.
Definition
Scaling, Auto-scale margin
Scaling to fit produces a scale that will result in the image fitting within this margin within the picture area.
The margin is expressed as a percentage of the picture dimension.
When checked, an auto-scale is calculated for each diagram and contour specified whenever the Cases
list is changed for a Graphic View.
When checked, the maximum and minimum values for each diagram and contour specified are calculated
whenever the Cases list is changed for a Graphic View. This has impact on contours when default contour
values are used or when contours are specified in terms of percentage of extents and on diagrams when
diagram extents are expressed in terms of percentage of extents.
The sensitivity of the mouse can be adjusted in terms of the affect that 1mm of mouse movement has on
the operation in question. The operations that may be tuned in this way are:
Horizontal and vertical rotational increment – the number of degrees of rotation per mm of mouse
movement in the Rotate cursor mode.
Zoom increment – the amount the scale is factored per mm of mouse movement in the Rotate cursor
mode.
Eye distance increment – the amount the eye distance is factored per mm of mouse movement in the
Rotate cursor mode.
Pan increment – the amount the image is panned in picture mm per mm of mouse movement in the
When using the mouse in the Rotate cursor mode to rotate, zoom, pan or adjust the eye distance the
image is drawn as a ghost image if the number of elements being drawn is larger than the number set
here. Note that the “number of elements being drawn” is affected by the current Volume and entity list.
When using the arrow keys to rotate the image rotate by this many degrees per arrow key stroke.
When checked, the “Graphics | Orientation | Zoom In” (Ctrl+Up) and “… | Zoom Out” (Ctrl+Dn) menu
commands change the scale up or down to the next engineering scale instead of factoring the scale by the
zoom factor.
When “zoom to engineering scale” is not set, the “Graphics | Orientation | Zoom In” (Ctrl+Up) and “… |
Zoom Out” (Ctrl+Dn) menu commands factor the scale by this amount.
Shrink factor
When shrink elements is set reduce the size of drawn elements by this amount.
7.5.1.3 Sculpting
This page handles preferences that relate to sculpting and to entity selection in Graphic Views.
Definition
Reference point of selection items
This setting defines the reference point of entities for entity selection and for determining whether an entity
is within a volume. It does not affect the identification of point entities, i.e. nodes and grid points.
Any part – If any topological point or the centre of the entity is in the selection area then the entity is
selected. Click on any part to select a single entity.
All – If all topological points and the centre of the entity are in the selection area then the entity is
selected. Click on any part to select a single entity.
Drag to right – all, drag to left – any part – If the selection area has been formed by dragging the
mouse from left to right then the selection is as “All” otherwise it is as “Any part”.
At centre – If the centre of the entity is in the selection area then the entity is selected. Click on the centre
to select a single entity.
When checked, previous selections are not emptied by a plain click or drag. Otherwise the shift key must
be used while selecting, to append to the selection.
When checked, selected entities are highlighted by a line along or around the entity. Otherwise highlighting
is done by a symbol at the entity centre.
When checked, the position of the cursor on the construction grid is deemed to be at the nearest grid point.
Otherwise the position is the actual position of the cursor, to an accuracy dependent on the structure scale
and the screen resolution: the larger the scale and the finer the resolution, the greater is the accuracy of
the position.
The coordinates of this position (the grid coordinates) are displayed in the status bar.
Lists are normally copied collapsing ranges to condense the string. This option permits list to be copied
with each item included explicitly. The separator can be select to suit.
Pick tolerance
When selecting entities by clicking, an entity is selected if it is found within the pick tolerance of the cursor
position. The pick tolerance is expressed in mm as measured on the screen, regardless of the structure
scale.
Two entities are deemed to be coincident if they lie within this tolerance of each other. The tolerance for
coincidence is expressed in m as measured on the model.
Various operations, especially sculpt operations, use this setting as a default and then allow this default to
be adjusted before the operation is carried out. Other operations use this setting directly.
Straightness tolerance
When selecting entities that must form a straight line the straightness tolerance is used to check the angle
between pairs of entities to decide if they lie on a straight line. The straightness tolerance is expressed in °
.
7.5.1.4 Input
This page handles preferences that relate to the input data.
Definition
Precision
When tables require a selection from a set of options this can either be displayed as a conventional drop-
down, or can be an edit file which matches the options as the user types.
For simple combinations of analysis cases it can be convenient to specify analysis case factors directly in
a spreadsheet style, but the number of fields depends on the number of analysis cases in the model. Set
the number of analysis cases to be accommodated in the combination cases table, here.
The limit to the number of operations that are preserved in the undo and redo buffers. Refer to Working
with the Program – Undo and Redo for more details.
Enables the option to undo analysis and design. Refer to Working with the Program – Undo and Redo for
more details.
Material models
GSA has a limited number of material models which can be used in analysis, however it has links to other
programs which include many more material models. This provides an option to offer material models
specific to LS-DYNA and OpenSees.
7.5.1.5 Result
This page affects the way output is presented.
Definition
Numeric Format
The numeric format governs the way that numbers are output. The settings in the preferences form the
default for output and apply to any new output views or diagram. Existing output views and diagrams are
not updated but the numeric format can be adjusted for each diagram or output view.
Engineering – numbers are output to the specified number of significant figures with exponents which
are multiples of 3
Scientific – numbers are output to the specified number of significant figures in exponent form.
Units
Facet Angle
When results for 2D elements are averaged some checks have to be made that stresses should be
averaged across elements. When the boundary between elements is not flat but an edge the averaging
should not take place. This is determined by the “Facet angle”.
Entity Output
Selecting text output for a large model with many cases can be slow. To speed up the output it can be
limited by default to a set number of entities when the total number of entities exceed the user defined
limit. This can be adjusted/overridden in the output specification.
Full results for 2D and 3D elements (i.e. results at all topology items ) can use lots of memory and this
level of detail is often not required, so the results at centre only allows the user to only keep one set of
results per element - the values at the element centre.
Selecting text output for a large model with many cases can be slow. To speed up the output it can be
limited by default to a set.
7.5.1.6 Miscellaneous
This page handles miscellaneous preferences that do not fit clearly into any other category.
Definition
Messages
It is often useful to be able to limit the number of error and warning messages that are be displayed.
Limiting the number of messages is achieved by setting the number of messages. Selecting 'omit lists in
notes' reduces the amount of output by giving the details but not a list of entities to which that applies.
GSA will write a backup file either on demand (a manual backup) or at a timed interval (a timed backup)
The timed backup interval set here is used to determine the frequency of the timed backups. Setting the
timed backup interval to zero disables the timed backup mechanism. Other options allow tailoring of what
is included in the backup .
Startup
The ‘Welcome’ dialog when opening GSA is optional and is controlled by the Show Welcome dialog
option. When opening a file initial graphic and output views can be activated.
Batch Output
Batch ‘save to file’ options for Sa ve d Gra p h ic Vie ws and Sa ve d Ou tp u t Vie ws will be saved in the format
specified here.
COM Objects
When using the GSA COM interface it can be beneficial to create a new GSA instance for each COM object.
Solver options
The LS-DYNA environment to launch when setting up an LS-DYNA task can be specified. Also it is
possible to set the D3PLOT version to be used when exporting from GSA. More recent versions of
D3PLOT provide better support for files from GSA, but these features will be regarded as a corrupt
database by earlier versions. LS-DYNA plot files store displaced coordinates rather than displacements.
For linear static analysis these can be small compared with the coordinates so this option allows the
displacements to be autoscaled to provide more accuracy and better visuals in D3PLOT.
LS-DYNA – GSA can be used to create analysis tasks for LS-DYNA, but has no direct link with LS-DYNA.
The user can set up a link to the LS-DYNA shell environment to provide a direct connection from GSA.
Advanced – The advanced preferences allow threading to be controlled and diagnostic information to be
requested.
Open this dialog box from the Basic page of the 'Preferences'.
Definition
Resolution of png and jpeg
The resolution of images can be either set to scre e n re so lu tio n or selected p rin t re so lu tio n.The latter is
preferred for higher quality output.
Image size
Adjust the image size based on the window size or specify a size directly.
Definition
The default steel section catalogue is selected. The other catalogues remain available for selection in the
Section Wizard.
Definition
Section Database
Pathname for the database where characteristics of catalogue sections are stored. The user may choose
to specify and use a particular location for this file, or may choose to use the default location. The default
location is that of the installed section database file in the program directory.
The choice of default or specified location is stored in the system registry for the current user, together with
the pathname of the specified location. Hence these options may vary depending on which user is running
the program.
Temporary Files
Folder for manual and timed backup files, and for temporary files used during analysis. The user may
choose to specify and use a particular folder, or may choose to use the default folder. The default folder is
the system temporary folder.
The choice of default or specified folder is stored in the system registry for the current machine, along with
the pathname of the specified location. These are picked up whichever user is logged in there.
Mappings Database
Pathname for the file holding the section mappings for the GSA to Revit link.
The choice of default or specified location is stored in the system registry for the current user, together with
the pathname of the specified location. Hence these options may vary depending on which user is running
the program.
GDI overlay in Graphic View s – when checked, the legend, selection marks and rubber-banding are
drawn using GDI. Otherwise these items are drawn using OpenGL or GDI depending on the ‘Crude
graphics rendering in Graphic Views’ setting.
Analysis Options
Perform analysis in a separate thread – when checked, analysis is performed in a separate thread
allowing other GSA activity to continue during analysis, and analysis to be interrupted.
Number of threads for parallel solver – specifies the number of cores/processors that are to be used by
the parallel solver. When set to ‘auto’ all cores/processors available will be used.
Debug Diagnostics
These should normally be unchecked, but can be useful for tracking down problems in the GSA code.
General Options
Enable undo for model data – when checked, undo is enabled for edits carried out on the model. Refer to
Working with the Program – Undo and Redo for more details.
Use w hole model undo logic – changes the way that data is saved to support undoing sculpting and bulk
tool edits.
7.6 Sculpting
Editing the model in a Graphic View is referred to as sculpting. Generally sculpting is done either by using
the mouse directly on the image in one of the Sculpt Geometry Cursor Modes or by executing a sculpt
command on a selection set or polyline.
All sculpt commands are accessible from the Sculpt menu. Sculpt Geometry Cursor Modes are also
accessible from the Sculpt toolbar. Other frequently used sculpt commands are accessible from the Sculpt
toolbar by selecting the required command in the Sculpt Command field and then executing this by clicking
the Execute Sculpt Command button. The Sculpt Command field is initialised with a list of commonly used
sculpt options. However this list is dynamic in that the most recently used command is placed at the top of
the list, whether the command has been picked from the Sculpt menu or from the Sculpt Command field.
Several 2D element sculpt commands are appended to the list when 2D elements are present in or added
to the model. This functionality allows rapid repetition of a sculpt operation and easier access to all sculpt
commands used frequently within a session. The Sculpt toolbar may be switched on and off from the
Cursor Mode toolbar as well as by giving the “View | Toolbars | Sculpt” menu command.
To abort an operation, press Escape or click outside the Graphic View. This will not undo operations
already carried out on nodes or elements but will abort the current operation. The “Edit | Undo” command
can be used to undo operations.
Many of the sculpt operations apply default values to the attributes of the entities that are being sculpted.
The default values used for this purpose are the data defaults for the model. These may be edited in the
Property Pane.
Some nodes or grid points must be selected prior to opening this dialog box. These nodes or grid points
are used to define the origin, x vector and xy vector of the axis set. The xy vector need only be defined for
space structures so three nodes or grid points must be selected for space structures; otherwise two.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Sculpt | Create User Axes” menu command or from the Sculpt toolbar
when the current view is a Graphic View.
Overw rite set – The defined axis set will overwrite the existing set specified here.
Name
The name of this axis set.
Type
Whether the axis set is Cartesian, Cylindrical or Spherical.
Axes Definition
Use the spin control to select the required axes from the various axes that can be defined by the selected
nodes or grid points. The origin, x vector and xy vector identified by the current selection are displayed in
the dialog box and the axes are displayed on the Graphic View.
See als o :
Creating user axes graphically
The Connect 1D Elements dialog box is used to connect beams, bars etc. that intersect, maintaining
element releases and offsets as originally defined. The standard case is where two elements that cross
are connected. Sculpt creates a new node at the point of intersection and replaces the two original
elements with four elements meeting at the new node. Also, a 1D element aligned with the edge of a 2D
element will be split at each 2D element node.
The elements that are to be connected must be selected prior to opening this dialog box. Two or more
elements must be selected.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Sculpt | 1D Element Operations | Connect 1D Elements” menu
command when the current view is a Graphic View.
Offset tolerance
The offset tolerance defines the maximum separation of two elements at the point at which they “cross” for
the elements to be deemed to be intersecting.
Trim tolerance
If an element crosses another within “trim tolerance” of the element end then the element is trimmed to
Split loads and replace references to old elements with references to new
When checked, loads applied to original elements are mapped onto new elements and, other than in
loading records, references to the original elements in element lists are replaced by references to the new
elements. Note that the splitting of loads does not occur where a load is applied to an element because
that element is included in a saved list or grid surface that is referred to by the loading record rather than
being referred to directly in the loading record list. See Connecting 1D elements graphically for more
details.
The Split 1D Elements dialog box is used to split beams, bars etc. into a number of parts maintaining
element releases and offsets as originally defined.
The elements that are to be split must be selected prior to opening this dialog box. Non-1D elements will
be ignored.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Sculpt | 1D Element Operations | Split 1D Elements” menu command
or from the Sculpt toolbar when the current view is a Graphic View.
Split in n equal parts – The selected elements will be split into this many equal parts.
Split at n [length] – The selected elements will be split into two parts at this many model units of length
from the end of the elements. The length can be specified from end 1 or from end 2.
Split at n % – The selected elements will be split into two parts at this percentage of the way along from
end one of the elements.
Split at existing nodes – The selected elements will be split at every node found within the specified
coincidence tolerance along its length. If the align nodes option is checked then found nodes are moved
onto the line of the original element.
Split at plane – The selected elements will be split where they intersect the specified plane. The plane
may be specified by a grid plane or by three nodes. To define the plane by three nodes, first select the
three nodes that define the plane; then select the elements that are to be split; then open this dialog box.
Selected elements that do not intersect the plane will be ignored.
Split loads and replace references to old elements with references to new
When checked, loads applied to original elements are mapped onto new elements and, other than in
loading records, references to the original elements in element lists are replaced by references to the new
elements. Note that the splitting of loads does not occur where a load is applied to an element because
that element is included in a saved list or grid plane that is referred to by the loading record rather than
being referred to directly in the loading record list. See Splitting elements graphically for more details.
Preview
Display the consequences of this operation in the current Graphic View without committing to applying the
operation. Exiting this dialog box by “Cancel” will “undo” the preview.
The original elements are deemed to be of a shape as defined by the shape function of the elements. So
splitting a non-planar Quad8 element, which is a quadratic element, will result in a mesh fitting a
paraboloid surface.
The Quad elements that are to be split must be selected prior to opening this dialog box. Non-Quad
elements will be ignored.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Sculpt | 2D Element Operations | Split Quad Elements” menu
command when the current view is a Graphic View.
Preview
Display the consequences of this operation in the current Graphic View without committing to applying the
operation. Exiting this dialog box by “Cancel” will “undo” the preview.
See als o :
Splitting elements graphically
New elements of the same type are created and the original element releases and offsets are maintained.
The original elements are deemed to be of a shape as defined by the shape function of the elements. So
refining a non-planar Quad8 element, which is a quadratic element, will result in a mesh fitting a
paraboloid surface.
The Quad elements that are to be refined must be selected prior to opening this dialog box. Non-Quad
elements will be ignored.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Sculpt | 2D Element Operations | Refine Quad Elements” menu
command when the current view is a Graphic View.
Refined corner
Select the corner at which the refinement is to occur.
Preview
Display the consequences of this operation in the current Graphic View without committing to applying the
operation. Exiting this dialog box by “Cancel” will “undo” the preview.
See als o :
Splitting elements graphically
The original elements are deemed to be of a shape as defined by the shape function of the elements. So
splitting a non-planar Tri6 element, which is a quadratic element, will result in a mesh fitting a paraboloid
surface.
The Tri elements that are to be split must be selected prior to opening this dialog box. Non-Tri elements
will be ignored.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Sculpt | 2D Element Operations | Split Tri Elements” menu command
when the current view is a Graphic View.
Split into Tri elements – The selected elements will be split into Split along each edge Tri elements per
edge.
Split into Quad elements – The Split along edge is specified for each edge, abiding by the following
rule:
When splitting Tri elements into Quads there must be an equal split along two of the edges. The split
along the other edge must be an even number and not greater than the equal split plus 2.
If the two equal splits are into 2 then the split along the other edge must also be 2.
The Kite diagonal : Skirt height ratio may be specified to adjust the mesh.
Preview
Display the consequences of this operation in the current Graphic View without committing to applying the
operation. Exiting this dialog box by “Cancel” will “undo” the preview.
See als o :
Splitting elements graphically
The elements that are to be disconnected must be selected prior to opening this dialog box.
Where several elements are to be disconnected from a particular node it may be necessary to flip some of
the elements to result in the particular node appearing at the same nodal position for all selected
elements, prior to opening this dialog box.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Sculpt | Disconnect Elements” menu command when the current view
is a Graphic View.
Topology
The selected elements will be disconnected at the specified nodal position.
See als o :
Disconnecting elements graphically
The entities that are to be moved or copied must be selected prior to opening this dialog box.
In describing the operation of the move or copy, below, the term “subject node” is used. When moving
nodes the “subject nodes” are the selected nodes. When moving other entities the “subject nodes” are the
nodes attached to the selected entities. When copying nodes the initial set of “subject nodes” is the
selected nodes; when making multiple copies “subject nodes” of subsequent sets is the previous copy
set. When copying, say, elements the initial set of “subject nodes” is the nodes attached to selected
elements, etc.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Sculpt | Move Selection” menu command or the “Sculpt | Copy
Selection” menu command when the current view is a Graphic View.
Axes
Opens the Axes dialog box. The move or copy performs coordinate transformations with respect to the
current axes. Axes default to the axis set defined for the current grid (not adjusted by the grid plane
elevation).
Shift – The specified coordinates are transformed from the definition axis set to global. The shift ‘by’
coordinates are added to the respective coordinates of the “subject” nodes; the shift ‘to’ coordinates
overwrite the respective coordinates of the “subject” nodes.
Shift ‘to’ is only available when ‘moving, not ‘copying’. Shift ‘to’ x, y, and z (all three) is only available
when moving nodes.
The default ‘shift by’ vector is the vector from 1st current polyline point to the 2nd point, if specified.
The default ‘shift to’ coordinates are the coordinates of the first selected entity.
Rotate – The coordinates of the subject nodes are rotated about the specified axis of the definition axes
by the specified number of degrees. A positive rotation is as defined by the “right hand screw” rule.
Reflect – The coordinates of the subject nodes are reflected through the specified plane of the definition
axes.
Number of copies
Specifies the number of copies to be made. This is disabled when moving entities or when copying by
reflecting.
Copy references
When checked, where copied nodes/elements are referred to in data modules references to the new
nodes/elements are added.
The references are copied in the Lists module first, if in lists is checked, and are not repeated in
subsequent modules if the copy has been done in the Lists module to a list that is referred to in the
subsequent module. However, in the case where in lists is not checked and, say, in loading is checked
and a load is applied by reference to a list in the Lists module then the load will be “copied” by appending
to the list field in the loading module.
Where at least two nodes in a Rigid Constraint are copied a new Rigid Constraint is created for the new
nodes.
Preview
Display the consequences of this operation in the current Graphic View without committing to applying the
operation. Exiting this dialog box by “Cancel” will “undo” the preview.
Further options for moving and copying can be in found in Moving and copying entities graphically and
Definition Axes
7.6.1.9 Extrude
A set of nodes, elements or members must be selected prior to opening this dialog box, to serve as the
basis of the extrusion.
The extrude operation copies a set of nodes by a specified number of increments and increment length
either along a specified Axis of a specified axis set or along a specified Alignment, if any Alignments are
defined. The option is given to Include Beam elements along extrusion and to Include Quad4 elements
along extrusion during the extrusion process.
If the selected elements (or members) have the same local axes then selecting the ‘local’ axis option
specifies the local element axis set as the axis for the extrude; otherwise, similarly, if the selected nodes
have the same constraint axes then these will be the local axis directions. Note that the entity type used for
local axis interpretation is independent of the type of entities being extruded. E.g. When extruding nodes, it
is possible first to select the element that is to define the local axis directions, then to select the nodes that
are to be extruded before opening the Extrude dialog.
Coincident nodes
The option is given to check for an existing node within the coincidence tolerance of the position of a
required node before creating a new node.
The extrusion can be preview ed before committing to the creation of nodes and elements.
See als o :
Extruding nodes and elements graphically
7.6.1.10 Flex
The nodes that are to be flexed must be selected prior to opening this dialog box.
The flex operation moves a set of nodes, that are initially approximately in a line, into a specified shape.
The shape can be linear, circular, elliptical or parabolic. The new position of one of the nodes is specified;
this node is referred to as the shift node. A more complete description of the flex operation is given in the
“Flexing lines of nodes graphically” section of the Working With GSA chapter.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Sculpt | Flex Line of Nodes” menu command when the current view is a
Graphic View. “Flex Line of Nodes” is also available on the right-click menu that is displayed when the
cursor mode is set to Select Nodes. Invoking Flex via the “Sculpt | Flex Line of Nodes” menu command
assumes the middle node as the node to be explicitly shifted; Flex via the right-click menu requires that a
node has been right-clicked and this node is assumed as the shift node. Either way the shift node can be
re-selected from within the Flex dialog box.
Axes
Opens the Axes dialog box. The shift coordinates are expressed with respect to the current axes. Axes
default to the axis set defined for the current grid (not adjusted by the grid plane elevation).
Shift node
The node that is shifted to the shift coordinates. The shift node must be one of the current selection of
nodes. Nodes at the ends of the line of nodes may be selected as the shift node only when flexing linearly.
Note that the current shift node is highlighted on the Graphic View.
Shift coordinates
The shift coordinates specify the new position of the shift node. Note that Shift By vector specifies a shift
relative to the initial position and Shift To position is an absolute position. In both cases the coordinates
are with respect to the defined axes for the flex. Note also the special case of a circular flex with specified
radius, described below.
Flex shape
The flex may be specified in one of the following ways:
Linear – The nodes are arranged linearly between the end nodes and the shift node. The shift node may
be an end node. Shifting an internal node results in two lines of nodes meeting at the shift node. This
option may be used to align or evenly distribute a set of nodes.
Circular – The nodes are arranged on a circular arc that goes through the end points and the new
position of the shift node.
Elliptical – The nodes are arranged on an ellipse or a sheared-ellipse that goes through the end points
and the new position of the shift node. If the shift node is shifted normal to the line between the end
nodes then a true ellipse is formed. If the shift node is also shifted parallel to the line then the ellipse is
sheared to result in the shift node being positioned at its shift coordinates.
Parabolic – The nodes are arranged on a parabola or a sheared-parabola that goes through the end
points and the new position of the shift node. If the shift node is shifted normal to the line between the
end nodes then a true parabola is formed. If the shift node is also shifted parallel to the line then the
parabola is sheared to result in the shift node being positioned at its shift coordinates.
When the flex shape is set to circular the Circle radius may be specified. Note that when the circle radius
is specified the shifted position of the shift node is used only to indicate the general direction of the flex; the
shift node is shifted onto the circle defined by the end points and radius (which is not necessarily the
specified shift position).
Spacing of nodes
Space evenly – The nodes are spaced evenly between the end nodes and the shift node.
Space proportionally – The spacing of the nodes between the end nodes and the shift node remain at
the same proportion as their initial spacing along the line of nodes.
This spacing is only true for linear and circular flexes. Elliptical and parabolic flexes use this spacing to
distribute the nodes along the line of nodes before projecting them onto the ellipse or parabola. So, for
elliptical and parabolic flexes, the spacing is a basis for the final positioning of the nodes, not an actual
spacing.
Preview
Display the consequences of this operation in the current Graphic View without committing to applying the
operation. Exiting this dialog box by “Cancel” will “undo” the preview.
See als o :
Definition Axes
If the drag is on to another existing node then the operation takes into account the existing node,
depending on the current ‘drag on node’ setting:
Drag on node – Collapse – the dragged node is deleted and references to the dragged node are replaced
with references to the target node. So, for example, an element attached to the dragged node will end up
being attached to the target node.
Drag on node – Joint – the dragged node is moved to the same position as the target node and a joint is
created to connect the dragged and target nodes. The target node is made the primary of the joint and the
default linkage is applied.
Drag on node – Co-locate – the dragged node is moved to the same position as the target node.
The current ‘drag on node’ setting may be set via the ‘Sculpt | Sculpt Geometry Cursor Modes’ menu, or the
right-click menu when in the Drag Nodes Sculpt Tool.
When the construction grid is switched on clicking somewhere where there is no node causes a new
node to be created at the grid coordinates with default attributes. This new node then becomes the next
item in the topology sequence of the new element.
When creating 1D elements a new node can be created for end 2 on the line of an existing 1D element by
clicking on the existing element. The position of the new node is determined by the current ‘snap’ setting:
Snap - Centre – the new node is located at the centre of the existing element.
Snap - Perpendicular – the new node is located such that the new element is normal to the existing.
Snap - Align w ith Grid Axis – the new node is located such that the new element is parallel to the most
appropriate axis of the current grid plane.
The current ‘snap’ setting may be set via the ‘Sculpt | Sculpt Geometry Cursor Modes’ menu, or the right-
click menu when in the Add Element Sculpt Tool.
To achieve the expected connectivity the existing element is split at the new node. In some circumstances
the new node will be located beyond the end of the existing element, in which case the existing element is
not split and a new element is created along the ‘extension’ of the existing element.
Giving the Create User Axes command displays the Create User Axes dialog box in which the number,
name and type of the axis set are specified and the nodes or grid points defining the origin, x axis and xy
vector are identified. The user axis set is then created.
4. If an existing grid plane is found upon which the selected items lie, the option is given to simply set that
as the current grid.
5. If an existing axis set with an xy plane parallel to the plane on which the selected items lie is found, this
is identified as the grid axis for the new grid plane. Otherwise an appropriate axis set is defined.
6. If elements have been selected then those elements are identified as the element list for the new grid
plane.
8. On pressing OK the new grid plane is created and so to is the new axis, if required. The option is given
to set this new grid plane as the current grid.
1. The attributes assigned to new nodes are taken from the data defaults as set in the Property Pane.
3. Adjust the construction grid such that grid points occur at desired nodal positions.
The right-click menu that is displayed when the cursor is pointing at a node offers commands to view the
current attributes of the node, to open the Node Wizard for that node and to open the Nodes Table View at
that node.
The support conditions and constraint axes of nodes can be modified using the Property Pane when the
cursor mode is set to Select Nodes. “Modify” is also available on the right-click menu when the cursor
mode is set to Select Nodes. The procedure is as follows.
2. Select the nodes to be collapsed. Note that only coincident nodes will be collapsed so there is no harm
in selecting nodes that are not coincident.
4. Specify the coincidence tolerance, i.e. the tolerance used to establish whether two nodes are coincident.
(This value defaults to the tolerance for coincidence specified on the Sculpting page of the Preferences
dialog box.)
Note that bizarre modifications to the topology of the model will occur if the coincidence tolerance is too
coarse.
Note also that various other sculpt commands offer the option to collapse coincident nodes created during
that sculpt operation.
Note that a “Round Coordinates” command is also offered on the right-click menu when the Nodes table
is displayed. This rounds coordinates for all nodes in the model.
1. The element type and other attributes assigned to new elements are taken from the data defaults as set
in the Property Pane.
3. If selecting grid points then new nodes will be created at the grid point positions. The attributes
assigned to the new nodes are taken from the data defaults as set in the Property Pane.
4. Select grid points or nodes. New elements will be strung generally along the line of the items selected.
If the selected items do not lie vaguely along a line then the sequence in which the items are connected
by elements may not be as expected.
The standard case is where two elements that cross are connected. Sculpt creates a new node at the
point of intersection and replaces the two original elements with four elements meeting at the new node.
An offset tolerance is specified for the operation. This defines the maximum separation of two elements at
the point at which they “cross” for the elements to be deemed to be intersecting.
A trim tolerance is also specified. If an element crosses another within “trim tolerance” of the element end
then the element is trimmed to end at the crossing point.
A 1D element aligned with the edge of a 2D element will be split at each 2D element node.
Generally the attributes of the original elements are adopted by the new elements and the local directions
of the new elements generally align with those of the original. However, the element releases in the new
elements are established to result in releases at only the existing positions; a release at end one of the
original element results in a release at end one of only the element at that position.
The option is given to split loads and replace references to original elements with references to new
elements. Note that the splitting of loads does not occur where a load is applied to an element because
that element is included in a saved list or grid surface that is referred to by the loading record rather than
being referred to directly in the loading record list. In this circumstance references to the old element in the
saved list or grid surface are replaced by references to the new split elements. For example:
Element 12 has a linearly varying load applied to it and is split. If the element list for the beam load
record is “12” then that load will be split correctly, whereas if the element list is “#1” and element 12 is
included in saved list 1 then that load will not be split. However, in list 1 reference to element 12 will be
replaced by the numbers of the new split elements, resulting in a saw-tooth load pattern along the
new elements. (The “Delete Displayed Loading” command may be helpful in rectifying such
problems.)
1. Set the cursor mode to Select Elements. Two or more elements must be selected.
2. Select the elements to be connected. Elements that are not 1D or 2D will be ignored by this operation
and no action will be taken if only 2D elements are selected.
4. Specify how the elements are to be split in the Connect 1D Elements dialog box.
Generally the attributes of the existing element are adopted by the new elements and the local directions of
the new elements generally align with those of the existing. However, the element releases in the new
elements are established to result in releases at only the existing positions; a release at end one of the
existing element results in a release at end one of only the element at that position.
Note that bizarre modifications to the topology of the model will occur if coincident nodes are collapsed
during the operation and the coincidence tolerance is too coarse.
Splitting 1D Elements
1D elements can be split using the “Sculpt | 1D Element Operations | Split 1D Elements” menu command.
The option is given to split loads and replace references to original elements with references to new
elements. Note that the splitting of loads does not occur where a load is applied to an element because
that element is included in a saved list or grid plane that is referred to by the loading record rather than
being referred to directly in the loading record list. In this circumstance references to the old element in the
saved list or grid plane are replaced by references to the new split elements. For example:
Element 12 has a linearly varying load applied to it and is split. If the element list for the beam load
record is “12” then that load will be split correctly, whereas if the element list is “#1” and element 12 is
included in saved list 1 then that load will not be split. However, in list 1 reference to element 12 will be
replaced by the numbers of the new split elements, resulting in a saw-tooth load pattern along the
new elements.
A warning is given when this circumstance arises (though it’s always worth checking). The “Delete
Displayed Loading” command may be helpful when rectifying such problems.
2. Select the elements to be split. Elements that are not 1D will be ignored by this operation.
4. Specify how the elements are to be split in the Split 1D Elements dialog box.
Splitting 2D Elements
The 2D element splitting options described below are sometimes used as a means of generating a 2D
element mesh. Note that an option for generating 2D element meshes is also available in GSA.
In each of the 2D element splitting options the shape of the existing element is interpolated recognising
the shape function of the element. Thus splitting a Quad 8 element, which is a quadratic element, results
in new elements fitting the implied quadratic surface.
The option is given to split loads and replace references to original elements with references to new
elements. Note that the splitting of loads does not occur where a load is applied to an element because
that element is included in a saved list or grid plane that is referred to by the loading record rather than
being referred to directly in the loading record list. In this circumstance references to the old element in the
saved list or grid plane are replaced by references to the new split elements, which may have bizarre
consequences. A warning is given when this circumstance arises (though it’s always worth checking). The
“Delete Displayed Loading” command may be helpful when rectifying such problems.
2. Select the elements to be split. Elements that are not Quad 4 or Quad 8 will be ignored by this operation.
4. Specify how the elements are to be split in the Split Quad Elements dialog box.
2. Select the node at which attached 2D elements are to be refined. Non-2D elements will be ignored by
this operation.
Understandably, refining the mesh at more than one node on an element will have bizarre consequences.
Alternatively, Quad 4 and Quad 8 elements can be split into two elements along adjacent edges using the
“Sculpt | 2D Element Operations | Refine Quad Elements” menu command. This may be used to bring
about a mesh refinement at a corner of the existing element. The procedure is as follows.
5. Select the elements to be refined. Elements that are not Quad 4 or Quad 8 will be ignored by this
operation.
7. Specify corner at which the elements are to be refined in the Refine Quad Elements dialog box.
2. Select the elements to be split. Elements that are not Quad 4 or Quad 8 will be ignored by this operation.
2. Select the elements to be split. Elements that are not Triangle 3 or Triangle 6 will be ignored by this
operation.
4. Specify how the elements are to be split in the Split Tri Elements dialog box.
The option is given to split loads and replace references to original elements with references to new
elements. Note that the splitting of loads does not occur where a load is applied to an element because
that element is included in a saved list or grid plane that is referred to by the loading record rather than
being referred to directly in the loading record list. In this circumstance references to the old element in the
saved list or grid plane are replaced by references to the new split elements. For example:
Element 12 has a linearly varying load applied to it and is split. If the element list for the beam load
record is “12” then that load will be split correctly, whereas if the element list is “#1” and element 12 is
included in saved list 1 then that load will not be split. However, in list 1 reference to element 12 will be
replaced by the numbers of the new split elements, resulting in a saw-tooth load pattern along the
new elements.
A warning is given when this circumstance arises (though it’s always worth checking). The “Delete
Displayed Loading” command may be helpful when rectifying such problems.
2. Select the elements to be split. Elements that are not 1D will be ignored by this operation.
4. Specify how the elements are to be split in the Split 1D Elements dialog box.
In each of the 2D element splitting options the shape of the existing element is interpolated recognising
the shape function of the element. Thus splitting a Quad 8 element, which is a quadratic element, results
in new elements fitting the implied quadratic surface.
The option is given to split loads and replace references to original elements with references to new
elements. Note that the splitting of loads does not occur where a load is applied to an element because
that element is included in a saved list or grid plane that is referred to by the loading record rather than
being referred to directly in the loading record list. In this circumstance references to the old element in the
saved list or grid plane are replaced by references to the new split elements, which may have bizarre
consequences. A warning is given when this circumstance arises (though it’s always worth checking). The
“Delete Displayed Loading” command may be helpful when rectifying such problems.
2. Select the elements to be split. Elements that are not Quad 4 or Quad 8 will be ignored by this operation.
4. Specify how the elements are to be split in the Split Quad Elements dialog box.
2. Select the node at which attached 2D elements are to be refined. Non-2D elements will be ignored by
this operation.
Understandably, refining the mesh at more than one node on an element will have bizarre consequences.
Alternatively, Quad 4 and Quad 8 elements can be split into two elements along adjacent edges using the
“Sculpt | 2D Element Operations | Refine Quad Elements” menu command. This may be used to bring
about a mesh refinement at a corner of the existing element. The procedure is as follows.
5. Select the elements to be refined. Elements that are not Quad 4 or Quad 8 will be ignored by this
operation.
7. Specify corner at which the elements are to be refined in the Refine Quad Elements dialog box.
2. Select the elements to be split. Elements that are not Quad 4 or Quad 8 will be ignored by this operation.
2. Select the elements to be split. Elements that are not Triangle 3 or Triangle 6 will be ignored by this
operation.
4. Specify how the elements are to be split in the Split Tri Elements dialog box.
The attributes of the first element in the string are applied to the new element. The new element is offset by
the offset amount at each end of the string of elements.
References to the original string of elements are replaced by with references to the new element.
Loads applied to the string of elements are transferred to the new element. Note that the transfer of loads
does not occur where a load is applied to an element because that element is included in a saved list or
grid plane that is referred to by the loading record rather than being referred to directly in the loading record
list. In this circumstance references to the old element in the saved list or grid plane are replaced by
references to the new split elements.
The entities that are to be modified must be selected prior to giving this command.
When moving nodes, the selected nodes are moved. When moving other entities, the associated nodes
are moved if they are associated only with entities that are being moved; if the associated nodes also have
entities (of the same type) attached that are not being moved then new nodes are created at the new
topology positions.
When copying nodes, only copies of the nodes are created. When copying other entities, copies of the
entities and attached nodes are created.
When copying, the option is given to copy references to the copied entities to result in constraints and
loading etc. being copied.
Existing entities can be moved and copied using the “Sculpt | Move Selection” and “Sculpt | Copy Selection”
menu commands, respectively. The procedure is as follows.
1b.Form a polyline to define the shift vector; – the vector from the first point to the second point is
used.
5. Specify the action to be taken in the respective Move or Copy dialog box.
Note that bizarre modifications to the topology of the model will occur if coincident nodes are collapsed
during the operation and the coincidence tolerance is too coarse.
An extrusion can be formed using the “Sculpt | Extrude Selection” menu commands. The procedure is as
follows.
3. Select the nodes or elements or polyline to form the basis of the extrusion.
Note that the generated nodes and elements may be bizarre if either coincident nodes are collapsed
during the operation and the coincidence tolerance is too coarse or if the extrusion is based on a set of
nodes that cannot be ordered sensibly along a line.
z + abs( sin(x) ) * pi
Operations may be with respect to standard (e.g. global) or user defined axis sets.
Existing nodes can be transformed using the “Sculpt | Node Operations | Transform Geometry” menu
command. The procedure is as follows.
Nodes can be flexed using the “Sculpt | Flex Line of Nodes” menu command. “General commands | Flex
Line of Nodes” is also available on the right-click menu that is displayed when the cursor mode is set to
Select Nodes. Invoking Flex via the “Sculpt | Flex Line of Nodes” menu command assumes the middle
node as the node to be explicitly shifted; Flex via the right-click menu requires that a node has been right-
clicked and this node is assumed as the shift node. Either way the shift node can be re-selected from
within the Flex dialog box. Since right-clicking on the shift node is the quicker method, that method is
described in the following procedure.
Flex is a high level operation designed to cope with a wide variety of circumstances. Understanding the
internal processes will help determine the outcome of some, apparently less predictable, flex requests.
The following notes describe some of the internal flex processes.
1. On entry to the Flex dialog box the current set of nodes is organised, internally, into a line, referred to as
the flex line. The flex line is established as follows.
o The nodes are ordered along a vector pointing from the most extreme node to the centre of the set of
nodes.
o Nodes are re-ordered along a vector stretching between the end nodes.
2. This internal organisation of the nodes is the starting point of any flex operation. So, flexing a set of
randomly dispersed nodes linearly by shifting an end node by nothing will result in that set of nodes
being dispersed along the line between end nodes.
o The nodes to be flexed are dispersed along the line(s) formed between the end nodes and the shifted
node.
o “Even” spacing results in separate, even spacing on either side of the shifted node.
o “Proportional” spacing results in spacing that is proportional to the position of the nodes on the flex
line.
o Only internal nodes (not end nodes) of the set of nodes may be selected as the shift node.
o If the circle radius is not specified the centre and radius of the circle are established from the three
points on the circle: the two end nodes and the shifted node.
o If the circle radius is specified the centre of the circle is established from the two end nodes and the
radius. Note that the shifted position of the shift node is used only to indicate the general direction of
the flex. The circular arc is formed in the plane of the end nodes and the shifted position of the shift
node, arcing towards the shifted position. The shift node is then flexed onto the circle, which is not
necessarily the specified shift position.
o “Even” spacing results in separate, even angles on either side of the shift node.
o “Proportional” spacing results in angles that are proportional to the position of the nodes on the flex
line.
5. The methods for flexing in elliptical and parabolic shapes are similar, as follows.
o Only internal nodes (not end nodes) of the set of nodes may be selected as the shift node.
o An ellipse/parabola is established symmetrical about a line normal to the flex line, through the end
nodes and the position of the shift node shifted by only the component normal to the flex line.
o “Even” spacing results in separate, even spacing on either side of the shift node along the flex line.
o “Proportional” spacing results in spacing undisturbed from the ordered position on the flex line.
o The nodes are then flexed normal to the flex line onto the parabola.
o If the shift node has been shifted by a component parallel to the flex line then the ellipse/parabola is
sheared to result in the shift node arriving at its shifted position.
o Note that this method does not result in flexed nodes that are actually evenly or proportionally spaced.
6. Use the “Preview” command in the Flex dialog box to confirm the consequence of a Flex operation
before committing to the operation.
Note that bizarre modifications to the topology of the model will occur if coincident nodes are collapsed
during the operation and the coincidence tolerance is too coarse.
Elements can be flipped using the “Sculpt | Flip Elements” menu command. The procedure is as follows.
Note that this operation only affects data in the elements module, namely element topology, releases and
offsets. E.g. it does not adjust loading data therefore loads are effectively flipped with the elements.
Elements can be spun using the “Sculpt | 2D Element Operations | Spin 2D Elements” menu command.
The procedure is as follows.
Note that this operation only affects data in the elements module, namely element topology, releases and
offsets. E.g. it does not adjust loading data therefore loads are effectively spun with the elements.
The attributes of elements, including the element type, can be modified using the Property Pane when the
cursor mode is set to Select Elements. “Modify” is also available on the right-click menu when the cursor
mode is set to Select Elements. The procedure is as follows.
4. Specify the required changes to the attributes in the Modify Entities dockable pane.
An element is disconnected by the creation of a new node, located at the same position as the original and
with the same attributes (constraint axis, restraints, etc.) as the original. The topology of the selected
element is then adjusted to refer to the new node instead of the original. The option is given to create a
joint of default linkage that joins the new and original nodes.
Several elements can be disconnected in one operation. Where several are disconnected from the same
node in one operation they are connected to the same new node.
In the situation where several elements are to be disconnected from the same node but the node appears
at different nodal positions in the topology lists for some of the elements the “Flip Elements” command
may be used to orientate the elements appropriately for the disconnect operation. The elements may be
“re-flipped” following the disconnection to return to the original orientation.
4. Specify the nodal position at which the elements are to be disconnected and whether joints are to be
created in the Disconnect Elements dialog box.
Unused nodes (i.e. nodes drawn red) can be deleted. When attempting to delete nodes that are in joints,
rigid constraints or constraint equations but otherwise unused, the option to delete these is given. Nodes
that are attached to any element or referred to as an orientation node or a grid plane elevation node cannot
be deleted graphically.
1. Set the cursor mode to Select Nodes or Select Elements, depending on whether nodes or elements are
to be deleted.
The assembly will have spacing defined by storey so if storeys are not present GSA will ask if these should
be generated.
The assembly will be aligned with the vertical (global z) axis. The bounding box for the selected entities is
calculated and the x axis of the assembly is defined at the centre of this bounding box. A node is created at
the bottom and top of the bounding box to define the assembly topology. An orientation node is created at a
1m offset from the bottom node.
4. Open the Rigid Constraints table and set the type of linkage as required.
Note that this process results in all selected nodes being included in the rigid constraint node list and the
highest numbered of these being the primary. The fact that the primary is also represented in the node list
is not a problem.
2. Select the nodes that are to form joints. Note that only coincident nodes will be joined; non-coincident
nodes will be ignored. The tolerance used for establishing coincidence in this operation is the tolerance
for coincidence on the Sculpt page of the Preferences dialog box.
4. Open the Joints table and set the direction of the joint as required.
Node loads
Applied displacements
Settlements
The “Create Nodal Loading” menu is also available on the right-click menu that is displayed when the
cursor mode is set to Select Nodes. The procedure is broadly the same for creating each load type and is
as follows.
4. Specify the load in the respective nodal load definition dialog box.
Operations may be with respect to standard (e.g. global) or user defined axis sets.
Node loads can be mapped on nodes using the “Sculpt | Create Nodal Loading | Map Node Loads on
Nodes” menu command. The procedure is as follows.
4. Specify the action to be taken in the Map Node Loads dialog box.
Beam Loading
o Beam Loads (note the extended patch load feature described below)
o Prestress
o Distortions
o Thermal
o Face Loads
o Edge Loads
o Prestress
o Thermal
Gravity
The “Create Element Loading” menu is also available on the right-click menu that is displayed when the
cursor mode is set to Select Elements. The procedure is broadly the same for creating each load type and
is as follows.
4. Specify the load in the Beam Load Definition, Beam Prestress Definition, Beam Distortion Definition,
Beam Thermal Load Definition, 2D Element Face Load Definition, 2D Element Edge Load Definition, 2D
Element Prestress Load Definition, 2D Element Thermal Load Definition or Gravity Load Definition
dialog box respectively.
Operations may be with respect to standard (e.g. global) or user defined axis sets.
Beam and face loads can be mapped on elements using the “Sculpt | Create Element Loading | Map
Beam Loads on 1D Elements” and “Sculpt | Create Element Loading | Map Face Loads on 2D Elements”
menu commands, respectively. The procedure is as follows.
4. Specify the action to be taken in the Map Beam Loads or Map Face Loads dialog box, respectively.
2. Define a polyline to locate the loading. The polyline will be used according to the grid load type being
created.
o Grid point loads will be created at each point on the polyline. A single point polyline will suffice.
o A grid line load will be created along the polyline. At least two polyline points are required.
o A grid area load will be created within the closed polyline or across the plane defined by the first three
polyline points. Either way at least three polyline points are required.
3. Give the “Create Grid Point Loads”, “Create Grid Line Load” or “Create Grid Area Load” command.
4. Specify the grid load in the respective grid load definition dialog box.
1. Set the Cases list to the load case(s) in which the loads that are to be deleted are specified. Make sure
that none of the load cases in the list have been analysed; the program will not allow cases referred to
by analysed, analysis cases to be deleted.
The consequence of this operation is that the lists in the affected loading records have “not (<deleted
entities>)” appended unless the resulting list is empty, in which case the loading record is deleted.
When the option to “append” is not selected data records that are identified by record number (and often
referred to by that number) such as nodes, elements and properties, overwrite existing data; other data
append to existing data. When “append” is selected, the node numbers, element numbers and load cases
numbers, and references to these, are renumbered in the imported data to follow on from the existing
data.
Definition
Nodes to export
This is the list of nodes whose modal responses are written for use by the footfall response spreadsheet.
The program offers “all”, “<current selection>” if any and the stored node lists.
This is the sets of nodes that comprise a path. These are defined by GSA lists. The user may select none
or select one or more of the node lists. Any nodes defined in these lists are automatically added to the
nodes exports in the node list.
Where there is more than one modal analysis task, the user must select the task to output.
The default Output View settings are stored as preferences. Refer to Working with the Program: – Default
View Settings for details.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Output | Output Settings” (Ctrl+W) menu command or the Wizard button
on the Data Options toolbar when the current view is an Output View.
Definition
Data (tree control)
The selected data will be output. Many of the items are tables containing several components.
Multiple selection can be made by holding down the Ctrl or Shift key while selecting.
When checked, results are output for the centre position on the element only and not the nodal positions.
When checked, results are averaged across elements at common nodes. (See stress averaging in 2D
elements for details.)
This is enabled only when a 2D element result is selected and when ‘Centre values only’ is not selected.
By Case
When checked, data that is output in table format and per case is output in several tables, each table being
the output for one case in the cases list. Otherwise each case is output on consecutive lines per entity.
By Property
When checked, data that is output in table format and per element or member is output in several tables,
each table being the output for one property represented in the element or member list. Otherwise all
entities in the corresponding list are output in one table.
In separating the elements into properties heed is taken of the property type, so beam elements with
property one will appear in a different table to spring elements with property one.
By Group
When checked, data that is output in table format and per element or member is output in several tables,
each table being the output for one group represented in the element or member list. Otherwise all entities
in the corresponding list are output in one table.
The table is the table of data specified. The summary is a short table of maxima and minima encountered
per component of data in the table and, in some cases, the total accumulated in the table. Checking
“Output Table” and “Output Summary” switches the output of the table and summary on.
Specifies the list of cases, nodes, elements or members to be represented in the output. This is ignored
for data that is case, node, element or member independent.
The lists may also be specified on the Lists toolbar associated with the view.
Apply
Applies the current settings to the image without exiting the dialog box.
Reset
Resets all settings except the data type to the default view settings.
Copy
Copy all of the current view settings to the clipboard in text format, GWA syntax.
Paste
Paste the view settings from the clipboard. The view settings must be in text format, GWA syntax.
Export
Write the currently specified output to file in tab delimited, comma delimited or HTML format. The output
need not have been displayed previously in the Output View and neither does exporting the output to file
cause the output to be displayed to the Output View.
Copy Output
Write the currently specified output to the clipboard in tab delimited format. The output need not have been
displayed previously in the Output View and neither does copying the output to the clipboard cause the
output to be displayed to the Output View.
Generate user modules for each case of each component of currently specified output. User modules are
only generated for data that are per node or per element. E.g. not properties or modal frequencies.
1D Elem Results
Opens the 1D Element Results dialog box for the specification of the positions along 1D elements at
which displacements and forces are to be output for this view.
Units
Opens the Units dialog box for the specification of the units in which the data are to be expressed for this
view.
Numeric Format
Opens the Numeric Format dialog box for the specification of the numeric format in which the data are to
be expressed for this view.
Axes
Opens the Axis dialog box for the specification of the axes in which the data are to be transformed for this
view.
Further Options
See als o :
Working with Output Views
Open this dialog box from the Wizard: Output Settings dialog box.
Definition
Subject Component (tree control)
The selected component is identified as being the “subject component”. For this to be useful it must be a
component of the data that has been selected for output in the Wizard: Output Settings dialog box.
The “subject component” is used in the “Data Extents of ‘Subject Component’ ” and “Envelope ‘Subject
Component’ only” options described below.
When checked, a range of interest, or extents, can be specified. Records in the output in which the “subject
component” does not lie within the specified extents are disregarded, both in the table and in assessing
the maxima and minima for the summary.
See “subject component”, above, for details on specifying what this is.
into account.
When “Exclusive” is selected values w ithin the extents are deemed to be out of range. Otherwise values
within extents are within range.
When checked and when the case being output is an enveloping combination case only the “subject
component” is enveloped; coexistent values are output for other components. Otherwise each component
is enveloped.
See “subject component”, above, for details on specifying what this is.
Specifies the number of records of maxima and minima per component to be output in the summary.
When checked output for a given entity is concatenated into one line.
Data references
Data references, such as constraint axis references, may be reported either by number, by name or by
name and number. If no name is given then the reference is by number, regardless of this setting.
See also:
Enveloping in GSA
The default Graphic View settings are stored as preferences. Refer to Working with the Program: – Default
View Settings for details.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Graphics | Graphic Settings” (Ctrl+W) menu command or the Wizard
button on the Data Options toolbar when the current view is a Graphic View.
Definition
View name
When specified and when the legend is displayed, this text appears at the top of the legend, both on the
screen and on printed output.
The “Scale to fit” option on the Orientation toolbar may also be used to do this.
Shrink elements
When checked the size of drawn elements is reduced by the preferred shrink factor. Details are given in
Shrinking elements.
This may also be set using the “Graphics | Display | Shrink” menu command or via the Display toolbar.
Shade surfaces
When checked the shade of colour filled surfaces is adjusted according to the current lighting settings.
Details are given in Shading surfaces.
Highlight edges
When checked, intended and unintended edges of the structure are highlighted. Details are given in
Highlighting element edges.
This may also be set using the “Graphics | Display | Highlight Edges” menu command or via the Display
toolbar.
Case list
Specifies the list of cases, nodes, elements or members to be represented in diagrams, contours and the
deformed shape. This is ignored for data that is case independent.
Note that, while typically a single case will be specified, a list of cases can be specified to result in
diagrams and deformations being superimposed for all cases. Contours are only displayed for one of the
cases in the list.
The cases may also be specified on the Lists toolbar associated with the view.
Print by case
When checked, diagrams and contours for each case specified in the case list are printed separately. See
Printing from Graphic Views. This also affect the saving of the image file.
Note that when “Recalculate extents of displayed data on change of case” in the Graphics Preferences is
checked and the data scale is not locked in the Further Options dialog box for the contour or diagram the
data scale will be recalculated for each case.
When the Analysis layer is being displayed only elements that are connected to nodes in the node list and
included in the element list are drawn.
When the Design layer is being displayed only members that are connected to nodes in the node list and
included in the member list are drawn.
The entities may also be specified on the Lists toolbar associated with the view. Selecting All on this
toolbar resets all entity lists to “All” (and deletes any specified volumes).
Note that selecting All on the Lists toolbar associated with the view also has the effect of deleting any
specified volumes (and resets all entity lists to “All”).
Stage
Select the analysis stage to be displayed.
This may also be set using the “Graphics | Display | Legend Display” (Ctrl+Alt+L) menu command.
Note that the same information may be displayed in a message box by giving the “Graphics | View Legend”
menu command. In this circumstance the contour colour panel is excluded.
Automatic scaling is based on the picture area, – excluding the legend panel when this option is checked.
Apply
Applies the current settings to the image without exiting the dialog box.
Copy
Copy all of the current view settings to the clipboard in text format, GWA syntax).
Paste
Paste the view settings from the clipboard. The view settings must be in text format, GWA syntax.
Reset display
Resets all settings except the data type to the default view settings.
Refer to Working with the Program: – Resetting the display for details.
This may also be set using the “Graphics | Display | Reset Display” menu command or via the Display
toolbar.
Other settings
All of the options in this group open the respective settings dialog box. Other ways of accessing these
settings are as follows.
Labels – “Graphics | Display | Labels and Display Methods” menu command or via the Display toolbar.
Deformation – “Graphics | Display | Settings | Deformation Settings” menu command. The deformed
image may be switched on or off via the Display toolbar.
Contour – “Graphics | Display | Settings | Contour Settings” menu command or via the Display toolbar.
Commonly used contour options are available on the Contours toolbar.
Diagram – “Graphics | Display | Settings | Diagram Settings” menu command or via the Display toolbar.
Commonly used diagram options are available on the Diagrams toolbar.
Further details can also be found in Working with Graphic Views, Working with Saved Views and Preferred
Views and Working with Sets and Lists.
Some of the more frequently used labelling options may also be switched from the Labels toolbar.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Graphics | Display | Labels and Display Methods” menu command or
from the Graphic Display toolbar when the current view is a Graphic View. This dialog box may also be
opened from the Graphic Settings dialog box.
See also:
M o r e:
Labels and Display Methods: Axes
7.9.2.1 Axes
The Axes page of the Labels and Display Methods dialog box is where various types of axes may be
switched on for display in the current Graphic View. All axis sets are displayed as colour coded axes triads.
Global axes
Output axes – display all axis sets referred to by all diagram and contour displays in the current Graphic
View
User axes – display all user axes for which the origin lies within all currently defined volumes
Grid plane axes – display all grid plane axes at the grid elevation
Data IDs, such as axis or grid plane references, may be labelled either by number, by name or by name
and number. If no name is given then the reference is by number, regardless of this setting.
Reset Page
Resets the label settings on this page to the default view settings.
Apply
Applies the current settings to the image without exiting the dialog box.
7.9.2.2 Nodes
The Nodes page of the Labels and Display Methods dialog box is where various types of node related
labels may be switched on for display in the current Graphic View.
Dots at nodes
Node IDs
Constraint axis IDs are labelled in the format “a” followed by the axis set number, only at nodes for
which the constraint axes are not global
Restraints and Supports – restraints are represented either by symbol or by text label, depending on
the Data Display Preference; spring supports are labelled in the format “SprSpt.” followed by the
direction codes
Joints – primary nodes are labelled in the format “Jt” followed by the direction codes. A line is drawn
from each constrained node to its primary
Rigid constraints – primary nodes are labelled in the format “Rgd” followed by the direction codes. A
line is drawn from each constrained node to its primary
Constraint equations – constrained nodes are labelled in the format “CEq” followed by the direction
codes. A line is drawn from each primary node to its constrained
Tied interfaces – each node that is part of an interface has a brown dot
Raft interaction numbers are labelled in the format “R” followed by the interaction number
Pile interaction numbers are labelled in the format “P” followed by the interaction number
Data IDs, such as constraint axis references, may be labelled either by number, by name or by name and
number. If no name is given then the reference is by number, regardless of this setting.
The Apply to group of options determines which nodes in the current Graphic View are to have the node
labels applied. They are as follows:
Apply to, Selection – the labels are to be applied to the currently selected nodes; this is only enabled
when the cursor mode is “Select Nodes” and some nodes are selected
Apply to, Current set – the labels are to be applied to the same set of nodes to which labels are
currently applied, regardless of the current cursor mode and selection set; this is only enabled when
node labels were previously applied to a selection set
Reset Page
Resets the label settings on this page to the default view settings.
Apply
Applies the current settings to the image without exiting the dialog box.
Element IDs
Property IDs – labelled in the format “pb” (etc. depending on element type) followed by the number
Analysis material IDs – labelled with the material name; analysis material names are preceded by “m”
followed by the number
Material grade IDs – labelled with the grade name; grade names are preceded by “st”, “c”, “a”, “g”, “frp”,
“r” or “t” followed by the number
Section descriptions – beam section descriptions are labelled for all beams and bars, etc.
Section shapes – outlines of cross-sections are drawn for all beams and bars, etc.
Orientation node dots – node dots are drawn at all nodes that are referenced as orientation nodes by
the currently displayed elements
Orientation angle (total) – the angles are labelled in the format “o” followed by the angle in degrees; the
angle is the orientation angle required to achieve the orientation without the influence of an orientation
node or property axis set
Element edges – an arrow aligned with edge one is drawn from the first node to the second node of
each 2D element
Initial stage IDs – labelled in the format “s” followed by the number of the first analysis stage in which
the element appears
Element releases – lines are drawn for each release to represent the release axis at the position the
release is specified
Member restraints – drawn with a symbol which is a stylized representation of the restraint
Element x axis – arrow-heads pointing in the direction of the element x direction are drawn at the centre
of each element
Element axes – axes triads representing the element axes are drawn at the centre of each element
Principal axes – axes triads representing the element principal axes are drawn at the centre of each
element for which the principal axes are not aligned with the element axes
Load panels – on 2D load elements the reference edge is identified and lines are drawn to indicate the
load pattern
2D member reinforcement
This allows the displace of reinforcement resulting from Concrete 2D member design.
Data IDs, such as property references, may be labelled either by number, by name or by name and
number. If no name is given then the reference is by number, regardless of this setting.
The Apply to group of options determines which elements in the current Graphic View are to have the
element labels applied. They are as follows:
Apply to, Selection – the labels are to be applied to the currently selected elements; this is only enabled
when the cursor mode is “Select Elements” and some elements are selected
Apply to, Current set – the labels are to be applied to the same set of elements to which labels are
currently applied, regardless of the current cursor mode and selection set; this is only enabled when
element labels were previously applied to a selection set
Reset Page
Resets the label settings on this page to the default view settings.
Apply
Applies the current settings to the image without exiting the dialog box.
On Assemblies
Assembly IDs – displays both numbers and names
Assembly axes – axis triads representing the assembly axes are drawn at the assembly axis origin for
each assembly, plus the assembly name
Assembly shapes - when the assembly has defined extents, this shows them at each calculation point
On Polylines
Polyline IDs
Polyline names
The Data IDs setting is ignored for polylines as the names and numbers are displayed explicitly.
Data IDs, such as assembly IDs, may be labelled either by number, by name or by name and number. If no
name is given then the reference is by number, regardless of this setting.
The Apply to group of options determines which entities in the current Graphic View are to have the entity
labels applied. They are as follows.
Apply to, Current set – The labels are to be applied to the same set of geometric entities to which
labels are currently applied, regardless of the current cursor mode and selection set. This is only
enabled when entity labels were previously applied to a selection set
Reset Page
Resets the label settings on this page to the default view settings.
Apply
Applies the current settings to the image without exiting the dialog box.
Symbol
Coil
Symbol
Weight
Line
Section Outline – the edges of the section are drawn; the hidden lines are not removed
Outline & Filled – the edges and faces of the section are drawn; only the faces are coloured according to
the Colour Elements setting
Outline & Filled Background – the edges of the section are drawn; the faces are drawn in the
background colour to simulate the removal of the hidden lines
An equivalent solid rectangular section is calculated for elements that have explicitly defined beam section
properties. In this context bar refers to all generic bar elements.
Line
Coil
Outline
Outline Edges
Filled
When the elements are drawn “filled” only the faces are coloured according to the Colour Elements
setting.
When the thickness is drawn the top and bottom surfaces are drawn offset from the plane of the element
by half the thickness.
Outline
Outline Edges
Filled
On
Outline
Filled
Colour Entities
The options are as follows:
By type – elements are drawn in their standard colour. Note that 2D elements are coloured differently on
the top (positive z) and bottom (negative z) surfaces
By property - GSA assigns colours by dividing a colour spectrum into as many parts as there are
properties in the model
By group - GSA assigns colours by dividing a colour spectrum into as many parts as there are groups in
the model
By pool - GSA assigns colours by dividing a colour spectrum into as many parts as there are pools in
the model
o Concrete - green
o FRP - magenta
o Timber - brown
o Glass - lilac
By material grade - GSA assigns colours by dividing a colour spectrum into as many parts as there are
materials in the model
By initial stage - the program assigns colours by dividing a colour spectrum into as many parts as there
are analysis stages in the model. An element is coloured according to the first analysis stage it appears
in
Draw options
Inactive elements - elements that are flagged as being dummy (non-analysed) elements and elements
that are not included in the current stage are drawn as a wire-frame; otherwise such inactive elements
are not drawn
Offset marks - lines are drawn from the node to the flexible part of the element for elements that are
offset to represent the rigid arm of the offset
Load panel edges - highlights beam elements that are identified as forming an edge to a load panel
element. For loading to be transferred from a load panel to the surrounding beam elements the load
panel must be completely bounded by beam elements
Current grid panels - draws panels on the current grid surface: an area bounded by beam, bar, strut, tie,
or rod elements, some of which can be set to dummy; in the process of expanding grid loading valid
panels are identified for the grid surface to which the load is applied
Nodes at shrunk position - shifts the position at which nodes are displayed to the average of half-way
towards the shrunk end of attached elements; this is useful for identifying coincident nodes and their
attachments (e.g. at joints or tied interfaces)
Member Mesh - displays the mesh of analysis elements that will be created when using the command
Create Elements from Members
Highlight Edges - highlights the 1D entity ends and 2D entity edges that are not connected to another
such entity
Orientation – draw dots at nodes that have been referenced as orientation nodes (but not as an
element topology)
Constrained – draw dots at nodes that have been referenced by a constraint, e.g. a Rigid Constraint,
Joint, Constraint Equation or Tied Interface (but not as an element topology)
Reset Page
Resets the display method settings to the default view settings.
Apply
Applies the current settings to the image without exiting the dialog box.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Graphics | Display | Settings | Deformation Settings” menu command
when the current view is a Graphic View. This dialog box may also be opened from the Graphic Settings
dialog box.
The deformed shape may also be switched on and off from the Graphic Display toolbar.
Scaling, Magnification
Specifies the amount by which the displacements are magnified in the deformed image (but see also
“Factor by” below). This is disabled when “Do auto-scale” is checked.
Scaling, Factor by
The calculated or specified magnification value is factored by this amount to arrive at the total
magnification factor used when magnifying the displacements for the deformed image.
The “Double size of diagrams” and “Halve size of diagrams” options on the Graphic Display toolbar adjust
this value.
Scaling, Do auto-scale
When checked, an auto-scale is done. See Scaling of diagrams, contours and deformations for details.
The “Rescale data” option on the Graphic Display toolbar may also be used to do this.
1D Elem Results
Opens the 1D Element Results dialog box for the specification of the positions along 1D elements at
which displacements and forces are to be calculated.
Note that as well as specifying the number of points at which the deformed shape is calculated, the 1D
Elem Results settings offered here are also the default settings for all new contour and diagram settings
for the current Graphic View.
Apply
Applies the current settings to the image without exiting the dialog box.
For additional information see Deformed image and Scaling of diagrams, contours and deformations
Open this dialog box by giving the “Graphics | Display | Settings | Contour Settings” menu command or
from the Graphic Display toolbar when the current view is a Graphic View. This dialog box may also be
opened from the Graphic Settings dialog box.
Definition
Data (tree control)
The selected data will be contoured for the first case only in the Cases list on the Lists toolbar.
RC Slab Reinforcement
This contour setting will be offered in the tree control if RC Slab design is enabled and if the RC Slab
design code has been set to a valid code, or to “undefined”.
Reset
Resets all settings except the data type to the default view settings.
Clear
Envelope method
When the case being contoured is an enveloping combination case, this setting determines what values
of the envelope are output. Select whether to contour the Minimum, Maximum, Absolute (i.e. the greater of
the absolute Min and absolute Max) or Signed Absolute (i.e. as Absolute but keeping the original sign)
values.
When checked, the centre value is applied to the nodal positions per element to result in constant
contouring values for each element.
When checked, results are averaged across elements at common nodes. (See stress averaging in 2D
elements for details.)
This is enabled only when a 2D element result is selected and when ‘Centre values only’ is not selected.
Number of contours
This field is disabled when the contour values are specified in terms of a “constant interval”.
Contours based on rounded range – contours are dispersed at rounded intervals between the
minimum and maximum extents of data values being contoured, rounded down and up, respectively.
o Set middle contour to zero – the middle contour is set at zero and contours are assigned at different
rounded intervals above and below zero to cover the rounded range. Where all data being contoured
is +ve the lowest contour is set at zero (and vice versa for all -ve data).
Equal +ve and -ve contour intervals – the middle contour is set at zero and contours are
assigned at the same rounded intervals above and below zero to cover the rounded range.
o “Contours based on rounded range” produces contours from -30 to +15 in intervals of 5.
o “... - Set middle contour to zero” produces contours at -30 -20 -10 zero +5 +10 +15.
o “... - Equal +ve and -ve contour intervals” produces contours from -30 to +30 in intervals of 5.
When contours are based on a rounded range the specified number of contours is used only as a
guide.
Contours based on actual values – the specified number of contours is evenly dispersed between the
minimum and maximum extents of data values being contoured.
Specify constant interval – contours are spaced at the specified interval, based at zero or a multiple of
ten if zero is not within the range being contoured.
Note that these options use the automatically calculated data extents. These may or may not be
recalculated upon a change of case, depending on the current preferences but will be recalculated upon a
“Rescale data”. (See scaling of diagrams, contours and deformations for details.)
See the section on ‘Graded by value’ for the behaviour of ‘Automatic Contour Values’ in that circumstance.
When “Specify contour values and colours” is selected clicking the adjacent “Specify” button opens the
Contour Values dialog. In this, contour values (or percentages) and colours may be specified for some or
all contours. The values of contours for which no value is specified are interpolated between known
contour values, where the lowest contour defaults to the minimum extent and the highest to the maximum
extent. The colours of contours for which no colour is specified are also interpolated. For filled contours the
colour relates to the contour interval between “this” contour and the next. The lowest contour is numbered
zero.
Labels may also be specified in the Contour Values dialog. These are displayed in the legend against the
respective contour interval.
When set, the size of contour blobs at nodes and the thickness of the displayed contour barrels is
determined by the “Node and 1D entity contour size” setting in the “Graphic Fonts and Styles” dialog and
not scaled according to the value being contoured. The scaling factor is applied.
When set, contour intervals that would have been painted white are left unpainted. This includes out-of-
range values and intervals for which the colour has been manually set to white.
The ‘Graded by value’ option contours only data at the specified contour values; data at other values are
treated as out of range. When contour values are calculated automatically for this option a contour value is
set for every discrete data value encountered in the part of the structure being contoured, and colours are
assigned automatically. ‘Graded by value’ is only available for some data types, e.g. properties, grid
loading, ...
Apply
Applies the current settings to the image without exiting the dialog box.
Value | Percent
When “Percent” is selected the contour values specified are interpreted as a percentage of the extents of
the data being contoured. Otherwise the values are interpreted as being data values in the current contour
setting units.
This field is disabled when “Contours based on rounded range” or “Contours based on actual values” is
set.
Magnitude | Signed
1D Elem Results
Opens the 1D Element Results dialog box for the specification of the positions along 1D elements at
which displacements and forces are to be calculated.
Units
Opens the Units dialog box for the specification of the units in which the contour values are to be
expressed.
Numeric Format
Opens the Numeric Format dialog box for the specification of the numeric format in which the contour
values are to be expressed.
Axes
Opens the Axis dialog box for the specification of the axes in which the contour values are to be
transformed.
Further Options
For more information see Contours, Scaling of diagrams, contours and deformations and Displaying Data
and Results
This is a multi-paged dialog box. Each page holds the settings for one diagram. On entry, each currently
specified diagram appears on a separate page and the last page is named “New Diagram”. The “New
Diagram” page may be used to specify another diagram in addition to what is already displayed.
Alternatively existing diagrams may be re-specified.
Some of the more frequently used diagrams may also be switched from the Diagrams toolbar.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Graphics | Display | Settings | Diagram Settings” menu command or
from the Graphic Display toolbar when the current view is a Graphic View. This dialog box may also be
opened from the Graphic Settings dialog box.
Definition
Data (tree control)
The selected data will be represented as a diagram for all cases in the Cases list on the Lists toolbar.
Reset
Resets all settings except the data type to the default view settings.
Clear
When checked, loading diagrams are drawn as three components in output axes directions. Otherwise
loading is shown in the direction in which it is applied. (Beam loading is always broken down into
components in output axes directions.)
When checked, diagrams are drawn at the centre position on the element only and not the nodal positions.
When checked, results are averaged across elements at common nodes. (See stress averaging in 2D
elements for details.)
This is enabled only when a 2D element result is selected and when ‘Centre values only’ is not selected.
When checked, a range of interest, or extents, can be specified. Portions of diagrams that do not lie within
the specified extents are drawn faint (but see “Hide excluded diagrams”, below).
When “Percent” is selected the extents specified are interpreted as a percentage of the extents of the
diagram data. Otherwise the values are interpreted as being data values in the current diagram units.
When “Exclusive” is selected values w ithin the extents are deemed to be out of range. Otherwise values
within extents are within range.
When checked the out of range portions of diagrams are not displayed. Otherwise the out of range
portions of diagrams are drawn feint.
Annotate envelope
When annotating envelope diagrams select whether to annotate the Minimum and Maximum, Minimum
only or Maximum only values.
When checked, all diagrams are drawn in the plane of the picture regardless of the direction associated
with the data being represented. This allows diagrams to be displayed when the orientation of the image
would otherwise cause the diagram to be invisible; for example, when drawing vertical (global Z direction)
loads on a plan view.
When checked, diagrams are drawn in their simplest state. Normally diagrams along 1D elements are
drawn with bars at points along the element at which values have been calculated. Simple diagrams
exclude these bars.
Bridge Options
Opens the Bridge Options dialog box. The button is enabled only when a relevant data option is selected.
1D Elem Results
Opens the 1D Element Results dialog box for the specification of the positions along 1D elements at
which displacements and forces are to be calculated.
Units
Opens the Units dialog box for the specification of the units in which the diagram values are to be
expressed.
Numeric Format
Opens the Numeric Format dialog box for the specification of the numeric format in which the diagram
values are to be expressed.
Axes
Opens the Axis dialog box for the specification of the axes in which the diagram values are to be
transformed.
Further Options
Apply
Applies the current settings to the image without exiting the dialog box.
See als o :
Diagrams
Open this dialog box from the Diagram Settings dialog box. It is only accessible when a relevant diagram
data option is selected.
Definition
Alignments
Specify the list of alignments that are to be included. This option is disabled when it is not relevant to the
current diagram.
Paths
Influence effect
Specify the Node Influence Effect or Beam Influence Effect that is to be considered. This option is disabled
when it is not relevant to the current diagram.
Draw edges
When checked the edges of paths are drawn. This option is disabled when it is not relevant to the current
diagram.
Open this dialog box from the Contour Settings or Diagram Settings dialog box.
Definition
Scaling, Scale
Specifies the scale at which the contour or diagram is to be drawn (but see also “Factor by” below). This is
disabled when “Do auto-scale” is checked.
When contouring the scale is used in the contouring of nodal data for the diameter of the balloons and 1D
element data for the diameter of the barrels. Scaling does not come into the contouring of 2D element
data.
Scaling, Factor by
The calculated or specified scale is factored by this amount to arrive at the total scale used.
The “Double size of diagrams” and “Halve size of diagrams” options on the Graphic Display toolbar adjust
this value.
Scaling, Do auto-scale
When checked, an auto-scale is done. See Scaling of diagrams, contours and deformations for details.
The “Rescale data” option on the Graphic Display toolbar may also be used to do this.
When checked any auto-scaling produces an engineering scale. (Defaults to the preference setting for
each new contour or diagram specified.)
Annotation
Annotation, All – This contour or diagram is annotated for all entities regardless of whether they are
selected in the “Select for annotation” cursor mode.
Annotation, By Selection – This contour or diagram is annotated for entities selected in the “Select for
annotation” cursor mode.
Annotation, None – This contour or diagram is not annotated for any entities regardless of whether they
are selected in the “Select for annotation” cursor mode.
Usually it is convenient to leave the annotation setting set at “by selection” and use the “Select for
annotation” cursor mode to interactively interrogate the image. When working with contouring and multiple
diagrams it is sometime useful to specify which are to be annotated.
For 1D element diagrams, when checked diagrams are annotated at each point along the element at
which values have been calculated. Otherwise annotation appears at element ends and where the
gradient of the diagram changes sign or at the middle of the element if the diagram is constant along the
element.
For 2D element contours, when checked annotation is displayed at the element centre and at each node.
Otherwise annotation is displayed at the element centre and, if space permits, at each node.
This setting does not switch annotation on. It does affect how annotation is displayed when it is switched
on. Refer to Annotating diagrams and contours for more details.
Apply to
The Apply to group of options determines which entities in the current Graphic View are to have this
contour or diagram applied. They are as follows.
Apply to, Selection – This contour or diagram is to be applied to the currently selected entities. This is
only enabled when the cursor mode is “Select Nodes” when the data is nodal or “Select Elements”
when the data is per element, and some entities are selected.
Apply to, Current set – This contour or diagram is to be applied to the same set of entities as it is
currently, regardless of the current cursor mode and selection set. This is only enabled when this
contour or diagram was previously applied to a selection set.
Open this dialog box by giving the “Graphics | Display | Settings | Animation Settings” menu command.
This dialog box may also be opened from the Graphic Settings dialog box.
(Animation may be switched on by giving the “Graphics | Display | Animate” menu command or from the
Orientation toolbar.)
Definition
Period of animation
Specifies the approximate time to be taken to animate from the undeformed position through to maximum
deformation and back to undeformed. Mode shapes are animated from positive deformation to negative
deformation; in this case the period is for a half animation cycle.
When animation is by stepping through the cases in the cases list the period of animation specifies the
approximate time to step through all of the cases.
When Override w ith modal period if animating mode shape is checked and a mode shape is being
animated the period of animation is automatically set to the modal period and the specified value is
ignored. However the specified period of animation is used if ( 0.1s < modal period < 60s ).
When checked the scales of diagrams and contours are reduced with the deformation.
This assumes a linear relationship between diagram / contour data and deformation, which may not be
appropriate. This feature is only offered for visualisation purposes.
Specifies the approximate time to be taken to rotate the model through 360°. Rotation only occurs when
“Do rotate when animating” is set.
Rotation mode
Do rotate – The model is rotated about the object point when animated.
Rotate if undeformed – The model is rotated about the object point when animated if the image is
undeformed. No rotation occurs if the image is deformed.
See also:
Animation
Open this dialog box by giving the “Graphics | Orientation | Orientation Settings” menu command. This
dialog box may also be opened from the Graphic Settings dialog box.
Definition
Projection, Perspective view
When checked the image is drawn in a perspective projection. Otherwise the image is drawn
orthographically.
Specifies the distance from the object point to the point at which the model is viewed. The shorter this
distance is the greater the effect of a perspective projection.
Specifies the longitudinal position of the eye point, about a vertical axis through the object point. By default,
zero longitude produces a view looking in the positive Y direction. 90° longitude produces a view looking in
the negative X direction.
Specifies the latitude of the eye point, about a horizontal axis through the object point in the picture plane.
By default, zero latitude produces an elevation. 90° latitude produces a plan.
Object point, X, Y, Z
Mid-point, X, Y, Z
Picture rotation
Specifies the rotation of the display about the line of sight in degrees. Clockwise rotation is specified by a
negative value.
Apply
Applies the current settings to the image without exiting the dialog box.
See also:
Open this dialog box by giving the “Window | Settings | Fonts and Styles” menu command when the current
view is a Graphic View.
In this context “Print” applies to WMF output as well as printed output and print previews; “Screen” applies
to bitmap output and the screen image.
Definition
Colour over-rides
Over-ride the default colours to produce Grey in-fill, Black lines, Black text, Black symbols or White
background on Print or Screen.
Negative colours
Inverts the default colours on screen to produce, for example, the image on a black background.
Scaling factors
Feature size
Specify the Spring coil radius size in mm as drawn. This is used when drawing spring elements.
Specify the Node and 1D entity contour size in mm as drawn. This is used as the contour blob size and
barrel width when “Constant thickness size on nodes and 1D entities” is set in the “Contour Settings”
dialog and when values of “Infinity” or “no value” are being contoured.
Non-linear analysis
Modal analysis
Harmonic analysis
Footfall analysis
1. Automatic load increment analysis. For this analysis, the chart view will plot the curve of overall load
factor versus nodal displacement (rotation) used in the analysis.
2. Component buckling analysis. For this analysis, the chart view will plot the curve of axial force of the
member versus the nodal displacement (rotation)
After opening the non-linear analysis chart view setting dialog box, just select the analysis cases from the
list box and click OK, the chart views will be presented.
Task
This identifies the task from which the results are to be extracted. This must be either a modal or Ritz
analysis or a response spectrum analysis.
Output option
The output from this is a bar chart with the result as a function of mode. The options that can be output are
selected from:
Participation factor
Effective mass
Effective inertia
Modal multiplier
Spectral acceleration
Participation factors and effective mass/inertia are plotted for all three directions (X, Y and Z). The modal
multiplier, spectral acceleration and elastic base shear are plotted for each response case.
Output nodes
Node list to define the output nodes in the chart views.
Output nodes
Node list to define the output nodes in the chart views.
If more than one linear time history analysis tasks exist, choose the one to be used in generating the chart
views. If only one linear time history analysis task is available, it will be used in generating the chart views.
Output nodes
Node list to define the output nodes in the chart views.
Modal contributions
Check this box if the contributions from a particular mode or a number of modes need to be plotted. If this
box is Unchecked, the total responses will to be plotted.
Mode list
List of the modes to be plotted for their contributions to total responses, it is only available if ‘Modal
contributions’ box is checked.
Response node
The response node number used for the plot. It can be typed in or selected from the list. It must be a single
node number.
Excitation node
The excitation node number used for the plot. It can be typed in or selected from the list. It must be a single
node number.
Walking frequency
The walking frequency to be used in “Velocity v. Time” plot. It will not be used for other plots, so it is
disabled if “Velocity v. Time” plot is not selected on the tree control.
Storey Displacements
This option calculates the displacements of the each storey and reports in-plane displacements and
rotation about the global z axis.
Storey Drifts
This option calculates the relative displacements of the each storey and reports in-plane displacements
and rotation about the global z axis.
Storey Forces
The storey forces are calculated at mid-storey height. The structure is cut at this level and the force
summed on the cutting plane.
Force Calculation
To provide more control over the force calculation the elements to be considered can be specified (for
example to select a single core in a building). By default the force/moment calculations are about the
global origin, but this can be offset if this is convenient. Where the model contains 2D elements there is an
option to use averaged 2D stresses to calculate storey forces, otherwise unaveraged stresses are used.
Result case
This allows any analysis or combination case (provided it has a single permutation) to be selected for
which the displacements of forces will be calculated.
Storey drift and displacement calculations are calculated from the average of all the selected nodes on that
storey. Rotations are about the centre of mass of the storey.
If the selected case is a response spectrum cases, the displacement/drift will be calculated for each mode
individually and these results combined using the appropriate combination method for that case.
Grid plane
This identifies the grid plane on which the element lie that are to be cut.
Output selection
The output from this is a chart, or set of charts, with the variation of force/moment per unit length along the
cut. These results are defined in a local axis for each segment of the polyline where z is the grid plane z
axis, y is the direction along the cut (for the current segment) and x is in the outward normal direction from
the cut. Thus the in-plane forces on the cut are Nx , and the bending moment about the cut are Mx , and the
through thickness shear forces are Qx . Stresses may be averaged or unaveraged.
When output “By Case” is selected a new chart is created for each case. When “By Component” is
selected a new chart is created for each selected component. If both “By Case” and “By Component” are
selected then there is a new chart for each case and component.
Result case
This allows any analysis or combination case (provided it has a single permutation) to be selected for
which the displacements of forces will be calculated.
History
Coordination
Section Tools
BIM Utilities
Manipulate Model
Apply Offsets
Mesh Generation
Contact Constraints
Investigate Model
Extract Sub-model
Comparing models
Building Modelling
Raft Modelling
Bridge Modelling
Dynamics
Seismic
Storey Masses
Offshore
Wave Loading
Miscellaneous Tools
Offered in this dialog are options to manipulate the data for the model as a whole. Any data management
operation that causes nodes or elements to be renumbered also renumbers references to these items in
other modules. (This can take a long time for large models.)
Data management of nodes, elements and load cases can be selected for execution in one pass.
Nodes
Delete blank nodes
Deletes all blank nodes, renumbering subsequent nodes and the references to these in other modules.
References to blank nodes are also deleted.
Deletes any references to blank nodes. E.g. node loads applied to blank nodes.
Renumbers all nodes in a specified range by a constant increment. The increment can be negative but
cannot be such that a node will be renumbered to less than one. If the specified renumbering results in a
node being renumbered to the number of an existing node the renumbered node will overwrite the
existing. References to renumbered nodes in other modules are also renumbered.
Renumbers a specified list of nodes. The nodes that are to be renumbered can specified as:
an ordered list of nodes – the ‘to’ field must also be an ordered list of the same number of items. E.g.
from "11 13 15" to "21 3 25" renumbers node 11 to node 21, 13 to 3 and 15 to 25.
a GSA node list – the ‘to’ field must be the new number of the first item in the node list; other node
numbers are incremented by the same amount, thereby preserving gaps. E.g. from "2 to 6 step 2" to
"102" renumbers node 2 to node 102, 4 to 104 and 6 to 106.
Renumbers all nodes progressively along the direction of a specified vector. The vector is specified in
global axes. References to renumbered nodes in other modules are also renumbered.
Deletes nodes in the specified list. Nodes that are referenced by elements or members are not deleted.
References to deleted nodes in other modules are also deleted.
Elements
Delete blank elements
Deletes all blank elements, renumbering subsequent elements and the references to these in other
modules. References to blank elements are also deleted.
Deletes any references to blank elements. E.g. beam loads applied to blank elements.
Renumbers all elements in a specified range by a constant increment. The increment can be negative but
cannot be such that an element will be renumbered to less than one. If the specified renumbering results
in an element being renumbered to the number of an existing element the renumbered element will
overwrite the existing. References to renumbered elements in other modules are also renumbered.
Renumbers a specified list of elements. The elements that are to be renumbered can specified as:
an ordered list of elements – the ‘to’ field must also be an ordered list of the same number of items. E.g.
from "11 13 15" to "21 3 25" renumbers element 11 to element 21, 13 to 3 and 15 to 25.
a GSA element list – the ‘to’ field must be the new number of the first item in the element list; other
element numbers are incremented by the same amount, thereby preserving gaps. E.g. from "PB1" to
"102" renumbers the lowest numbered element that references beam section 1 to element and other
elements that reference beam section 1 are incremented by the same amount.
Renumbers all elements progressively along the direction of a specified vector. The vector is specified in
global axes. References to renumbered elements in other modules are also renumbered.
Deletes elements in the specified list. References to deleted elements in other modules are also deleted.
Deletes unused properties and materials without renumbering anything. If ‘Exclude sections’ is ticked no
beam sections are deleted.
Deletes all blank properties and materials, renumbering subsequent records and the references to these
in other modules. References to blank records are also deleted.
Loading
Renumber list of load cases
Renumbers a specified list of load cases. The load cases that are to be renumbered can specified as:
an ordered list of load cases – the ‘to’ field must also be an ordered list of the same number of items.
E.g. from "11 13 15" to "21 3 25" renumbers load case 11 to load case 21, 13 to 3 and 15 to 25.
a GSA case list – the ‘to’ field must be the new number of the first item in the case list; other load case
numbers are incremented by the same amount, thereby preserving gaps. E.g. from "2 to 6 step 2" to
"102" renumbers load case 2 to load case 102, 4 to 104 and 6 to 106.
Deletes all loads applied in any of the load cases specified in the list of load cases.
GSA reports coordinates transformed to the (elevated) axes of the current grid plane.
Grid points are displayed in Graphic Views in the xy plane of the current grid plane and according to the
current grid layout.
Grid lines are displayed in Graphic Views projected onto the xy plane of the current grid plane
See Grid axes and the current grid for details of the axes of the current grid.
Definition
Grid Plane
A reference to a grid plane. If the grid plane does not exist the “Global grid” is assumed.
Click the Grid Plane... button to edit the currently selected grid plane, or a copy of it, if the current one is a
standard grid plane, or a new grid plane if “<new>” is selected.
Grid Layout
A reference to a grid layout. If the grid layout does not exist the “Default” layout is assumed.
Set the grid layout to <disabled> to remove the option from the Draw Grid command.
Click the Grid Layout... button to edit the currently selected grid layout, or a copy of it, if the current one is a
standard grid layout, or a new grid layout if “<new>” is selected.
Grid Lines
Click the Grid Lines... button to edit the grid lines for the model.
A grid layout defines a distribution of grid points. Grid layouts are referred to by the current grid and are
positioned with respect to the axes of the current grid plane at z=0 elevation. Grid layouts can be displayed
in Graphic Views and can be operated on using sculpt commands.
Definition
Name
The name (or number) may be used to refer to the grid layout.
Spacing
The spacing of grid points, defined separately for the x and y directions.
Automatic Extents
When “automatic extents” is not set, the minimum and maximum x and y extents of the region of grid
points.
7.11.4 History
This dialog is accessed from the 'Model | History' menu command.
Definition
A history of automatically recorded events is displayed in chronological order. An event is an occasion
when the model has been opened in GSA and saved. The date, time, duration of each event is reported
Notes
A note can be added to existing items and new items to record significant stages in the model history.
New
These delete individual or all records. This might be of use is an old model is to become the basis of a
new model.
7.11.5 Coordination
7.11.5.1 Create Elements from Members
If a model is defined in the design layer then it is relatively straightforward to create an analysis model from
this. For the selected members the 'Model | Coordination Tools | Create Elements from Members' option
the properties of the members allow the generation of appropriate 1D elements and 2D elements or rigid
diaphragms as appropriate.
A check allows existing elements to be retained or overwritten with new elements based on the member
definition.
In addition it is possible for other attributes such as orientation and offsets to get out of sync.
The 'Model | Coordination Tools | Synchronise Members and Elements' option allows either elements to
be updated from members or vice versa.
Members
Select the members for which a timeline is to be created.
Adjust
The adjustment allow times to be set for creation of the member, start of drying, age at loading and
removal of the member. The start of drying and age at loading are only applied to concrete members and
are for use in determining creep and shrinkage effects.
The nodes that form the sub-model and the nodes that form the boundary between the sub-model and the
remainder of the model are identified. A new model is then created for the sub-model. Nodes on the
boundary are fully restrained. Properties are copied directly. Constraints and loading are updated to
include only those associated with the sub-model. Tasks are updated based on the tasks selected for the
sub-model.
Definition
Titles
This selects the part of the model to be extracted, and the analysis tasks whose results are required. For
dynamic tasks there are option for global versus local treatments See below.
Options
There are a number of options to guide the creation of the sub-model. The most significant is the option to
trim rigid constraints that cross the boundary introduced by the sub-model.
Local
If the mode is predominantly local it may be more appropriate to consider the boundary of the sub model
as fixed and to carry out a modal analysis of the sub-model. In this case the model extraction is
straightforward. In this case the analysis task is copied directly
Global
It is not possible to carry out a sub-model modal analysis when the mode is global. In this case the modal
results are used to create a set of static loads
The modal analysis of the full model gives us eigenvalues and eigenvectors which satisfy
Kφ i Mφ i = 0
i
Kφ i = λ iMφ i
Kφ i = pi
where
pi = λ iMφ i
When extracting the sub-model the frequency (eigenvalue) and mode shape (eigenvector) can be used to
create a set of node loads:
n
pi = λ i n M n φ i
n
pi = (2πf i)2 . n M n φ i
The modal task in the full model is mapped to a static task in the sub-model. As for the static analysis the
displacements at the boundary nodes are used to determine settlements at the boundary nodes and the
inertia loads are saved as node loads. The static analysis of these loads will then recover the mode
shapes of the original model.
Given a shape from a pseudo modal analysis the scaling for each mode i, for excitation in the j direction is:
aspectral
ui i, j
2 fi 2
Where
i, j
i, j ~
m
If the pseudo modal analysis is carried out using the static procedure above, and the frequency and
participation factor are known from the primary model, then the modal contribution to the response
spectrum analysis can be estimated. Thereafter the combination is just as for any normal modal analysis.
Definition
Generation
The user can choose to create analysis and/or design models with
Generate elements
Generate members
The width of the structure is defined by the number of bays of equal bay width.
The height of the structure is defined by the number of storeys of equal storey height.
Column
Opens the Section Wizard to allow the column section to be selected. This is marked as unspecified until
a section is assigned when the actual section will be displayed.
Beam
Opens the Section Wizard to allow the beam section to be selected. This is marked as unspecified until a
section is assigned, when the actual section will be displayed. On the Orthogonal Frame page, there are
separate buttons for the beams spanning in the x direction and for the beams spanning in the y direction.
Location
This is used to locate the new frame with respect to the existing structure. This is done by identifying the
corner of the new structure that relates to a specific position or node on the existing structure.
Include Supports
Encastre supports are created at the base of the columns. By default no restraints are applied to the
model.
The generation tool initially creates a new set of nodes and elements. This option allows new nodes co-
located with existing nodes to be removed and the new structure to connect with the existing.
The Create Members from Elements command generates members from 1D elements.
Definition
Element List
You can select which elements are available for “conversion” using the combo-box at the top of the dialog
box. You can either use a predefined list by using the pull down part of the box, use the current selection
set by pressing the button below, or type in your own list of elements. The default list is All.
Elements already covered by a member will not be used even if they are in the element list. This means
that you can create members from elements in several stages (possibly with different settings each time)
without worrying that you are going to end up with coincident members.
Creation Options
This group of settings allows you finer control over how members are generated:
Setting Description
Divide members at change of elements’ group If this checkbox is set, then all the elements in a
member must have the same group, otherwise the
member construction tool ignores elements’ groups.
Divide members at intersections with columns You select which direction “columns” run in using the
x,y,z list box. This causes members to be broken at
columns. Tip: This feature can be used to
differentiate secondary beams from primary beams
by setting the “column” direction to the direction of the
primary beams. The secondary beams will be
broken (discontinuous) where they meet the primary
beams, even if they are continuous in alignment.
Member straightness tolerance All steel members are assumed in their check
calculations to be straight, however, the analysis
model may not be exactly aligned. Use this setting to
allow definition of members from elements that
aren’t exactly in line with each other (though they
must all be connected together). Be careful not to be
too generous with this setting, because although the
members will be created without complaint, the
resulting calculations may be invalid.
Definition
Member Type & Material
Depending on the context the member type can be preset and a material grade is then chosen for the
section. An analysis material can be assigned or the option to derive properties from the grade can be
selected.
A catalogue and type are selected and then the corresponding sections are listed and can be selected.
Name
Normally each section should be assigned a unique name, so the name specified is a template that can
be expanded for the individual sections.
# – section number
So for example for a steel section with a grade S450 and a profile UB457x191x89 and a name 'Steel <g>
<d>' would result in a name Steel S450 CAT UB UB457x191x89'.
Details for steel design, such as net : gross area ratio can be specified.
Definition
Member Type & Material
Depending on the context the member type can be preset and a material grade is then chosen for the
section. An analysis material can be assigned or the option to derive properties from the grade can be
selected.
This only provide a limited number of section types - those most commonly used: rectangular, circular, tee
and I sections.
The dimensions required change depending on the chosen profile. The dimensions are specified as lists,
so the depth can be for example '400 500 600' for discrete sizes or '400 to 600 step 50' for ranges.
Name
Normally each section should be assigned a unique name, so the name specified is a template that can
be expanded for the individual sections.
# – section number
So for example for a concrete section with a grade C40/50 and a rectangular profile 400 × 400 and a name
'Concrete <g> <d>' would result in a name 'Concrete C40/50 STD R 400 400'.
Definition
Check
Lists
Normally multiple lists will be selected and checked. If any entities are missing or duplicated these are
added to new lists.
Titles
Specification
Grid lines
Planes
Polylines
Nodes
Elements
Members
Sections
2D Properties
3D Properties
Spring Properties
Link Properties
It does not list what the differences are, only that there are additions, modifications, or deletions.
The recommended method for finding the differences between two versions of the same structure is to
use the “File | Export | Input Data (GWA file)” menu command to save the input data for each model in GWA
format. Then use a proprietary file-difference analysis tool such as CSDiff to highlight the differences. (At
the time of writing, CSDiff is available as a free download.)
At each node where a load is applied, a new mass property that matches that load is created and applied
to that node.
This dialog can be accessed from the “Model | Model Tools | Create Nodal Mass | From Loads” menu
command.
This command creates a set of mass properties that give a nodal mass corresponding to a specified load
in a given direction.
If the tool is run before properties have been assigned to 2d elements, the additional mass is assumed to
be zero.
Definition
Case Definition
Direction
This specifies the direction of load to be used in the conversion of the force (a vector) to mass (a scalar).
This will in most cases be the z direction.
Scale Factor
The loads are scaled by this factor before being assigned mass.
Element Group
This specifies the group number for the generated mass elements. This should be chosen so that these
elements can be accessed as a unique group.
Analysis Stage
This specifies which analysis stage is to be considered in the creation of mass, defaulting to the whole
model.
This dialog can be accessed from the “Model | Model Tools | Create Nodal Mass | From Grid Loads” menu
command.
This command creates a set of mass properties that give a nodal mass corresponding to a specified load
in a given direction.
Definition
Case Definition & Scale
The case definition allow the loading to be specified – either a single analysis case (e.g. A2) or a
combined case (e.g. 1.4A1 + A2). The overall case description cane also be scaled by the scaling factor.
Expansion
There is choice of expansion of grid point loads, grid line loads and grid area loads. Any loads that do not
map on to the structure are ignored. Only the vertical component of load is considered and loads in the
positive z direction will result in negative masses.
Elements
To make this work for stages it is possible to define a list of elements that will be excluded. This can be
used to ensure that secondaries are not considered when determining where mass can be placed.
These dialogs can be accessed from the “Model | Model Tools | Create Nodal Mass | From Element Mass”
and “Model | Model Tools | Create Nodal Mass | From Member Mass” menu commands.
The tools allow the mass of 1D elements and members to be converted to nodal mass properties at the
ends. Once these have been created the mass of the original elements should be ignored.
Definition
An element list specifies the 2D elements to be flipped.
Definition
Element List
Offset
There are a number of offset options available. Beams can be offset to element faces (offset in xy plane),
beams can be offset to be level with column nodes (offset in z), or alternatively the reference point of the
section can be modified. The most general option allows offsets to be assigned to elements by individual
section.
The Split Warped 2D Elements command splits each non-planar Quad element that is currently selected
into two Tri elements.
Definition
Load Case
The elements that will provide grid loading from their weight. This can be based on the specified
properties of the elements or the analysis properties.
Definition
Case
Scaling
Orientation
Definition
Elements
For each 2D element in the element list, a node will be created at the element centre and that node will be
connected to the 2D element by a constraint equation.
Stage
Springs
The centre node will optionally have a soil spring specified by a nodal stiffness property.
Raft Interaction
If this is to be used for a soil-structure interaction the relevant raft interaction areas can be determined.
Definition
Nodes
For each 2D element edge represented in the node list, a node will be created at the element edge centre
and that node will be connected to the 2D element by a constraint equation.
Stage
Springs
The centre node will optionally have a soil spring specified by a nodal stiffness property.
Definition
Stage List
Coupled directions
The directions to be coupled referred to the local directions of the constrained node.
Definition
Node/Beam
2D Element
Link Type
The link can be either a tied or rigid constraint. The rigid option constrains the 2D element to which the
node is tied.
Stages
Tolerance
If there is a node on the 2D element within this tolerance, the node will be linked directly to this node rather
than a set of constraint equation connecting the whole face.
This has a reasonable chance of success for a simple model but may give unexpected results for a mode
complex model.
Definition
Grid planes and tolerance
The grid planes are used to define the floors, but to ensure that the correct beam elements are considered
there are three options
all elements – picks up any beam elements that lie within the given tolerance of the grid planes
element on grid surface – the grid surfaces on the grid planes are used and the elements considered
are those that exist on the grid surface
element list – this is similar to the first option with the exception that only the elements in the selected
list are considered
2D Property
Choose either an existing property to assign to the mesh or create a new 2D property.
The more general tool creates facades on the whole model, with out as a list of ‘Exterior Nodes’ and
‘Exterior Elements’.
These are normally used in conjunction with the Create Load Panels on Surface to skin a structure.
The Create Facade List tool can be useful in identifying the nodes on facades.
Definition
Element List
An element list is used to define the surface - either the current selection, a saved list or a user defined list
of beam elements.
Group
Sets a group for the load panel elements which will be created.
Properties
Properties are assigned for simple load panels (triangular and rectangular panels) and compound load
panels (general polygonal panels) - typically the support conditions will be different for the two.
Panel List
A new list can be created to make it easier to identify the load panels.
Tolerance
Create Dummy Base Elements – ensure that ground level can accept load panels -
Create Facade List – creating a list of elements on the exterior of the structure
Create Load Panels for Element List – based on the list of elements on the exterior of the structure
create a set of load panels (but with default properties)
Definition
Elements
Only these elements will be considered for pattern loading. This allows the technique to be applied to one
part of the model, for example a single floor.
This specifies the adverse and beneficial factors (γG,sup and γG,inf ) for dead and the adverse and beneficial
factors (γQ,sup and γQ,inf ) imposed loads. These are used to set up mean and difference loads
These are the descriptions of the loads cases that specify the dead and imposed load patterns. This
allows for the specification of the spatial distribution of these loads.
Include Loads
Determines which loads should be included in the load patterns. Only beam force/moment loads, face
loads on load panels and gravity loads are considered.
The loads specified in the relevant load cases are factored according to the equations above. One load
case for the mean loads and one load case for each element considered for pattern loading. A set of load
case titles are set up for these with the title “Mean load” for the means load and “Difference load L#” for the
difference loads when # is the element number. These new load cases should then be included in the
analysis task.
Definition
Analysis Case for Mean Loads
This is the analysis case that contains the mean loads (fmean)
These are the analysis case that contains the difference loads (∆fi). These are assumed to be contiguous.
f A max f mean fi
i
f A min f mean fi
i
This will set up a series of combination cases that correspond to the ∆fi analysis cases. The absolute
value of these are then combined with the analysis case corresponding to the mean loads to give the
maximum and minimum cases. So for example if the mean case is A3 and the difference cases are A4 to
A8. Then assuming no other cases the combination cases will be defined as follows:
C1 A4
C2 A5
C3 A6
C4 A7
C5 A8
Definition
Members
Select the list of members to be updated. Any existing timeline for these members will be overwritten.
Timeline
The timeline specifies when the seleced members are created, and for concrete members when they start
drying and age at which they are loaded.
Definition
Vehicle
The vehicle which contributes the load. This can be either a standard vehicle or a user defined vehicle.
Load Case
In Space
The vehicle is positioned in space. The vehicle is located at coordinates (x, y, 0) in the axis set and the
vehicle is rotated by the angle about the z axis. Loads are dispersed onto elements included in the
element list; other elements are ignored in the load expansion process.
By Alignment
The vehicle is positioned at a chainage and offset relative to an alignment curve. An alignment curve is
defined by a set of chainage and curvature values in the Alignment and Alignment Curve tables. Loads are
dispersed onto elements included in the element list; other elements are ignored in the load expansion
process.
By Path
Vehicles can also be positioned in Paths. In this case the offset is from the centre of the path instead of
Advanced
Normally each wheel load is represented by a single grid point load. The advanced button gives access to
the Wheel Patch Definition dialog which allows the user to specify that each vehicle wheel load should be
represented by a series of grid point loads in a rectangular patch.
The wheel patch definition dialog is accessed from the “Generate Static Vehicle Load” dialog and allows
the user to specify that each vehicle wheel load should be represented by a series of grid point loads in a
rectangular patch. This will only affect the analysis if the patch size is large compared to the panel size of
the grillage. The patch size will generally be determined from loading code requirements for the contact
area of the wheel with the road surface and the spread of load down to the neutral axis.
Definition
Axle Number
The user selects the axle number to define.
Contact Area
The length of the contact area along the length of the vehicle and the width of the contact area across the
width of the vehicle.
Definition
Optimisation
The Static Bridge Loads module contains two types of load, optimised loads and user defined loads. The
user can edit optimised loads, which converts them to user defined loads. Three options are given for
what should happen to existing Static Bridge Loads when a new optimisation is carried out:
Delete existing optimised bridge loads only (user defined loads retained)
Append to existing static bridge loads (all existing optimised loads converted to user defined loads).
The first group number to be generated. If existing Static Bridge Loads are to be retained this needs to be
greater than the largest existing group number.
Definition
Expand Bridge Loading
The first load case number to be generated. This must always be greater than the largest existing load
case.
Definition
Alignment and Chainage
Choose the alignment along which to extrude a model and the start and end chainages for the extrusion.
This defines the basic geometry of the model.
The extrusion places a set of elements along the alignment. This controls both the element size and the
section to apply to the bridge deck.
7.11.13 Dynamics
7.11.13.1 Modal Forces
In a modal analysis the structure can be considered as a series of single degree of freedom (spring /
mass) oscillators. To carry out post-processing for effect of loading using the modal results requires
construction of the corresponding modal forces. These are defined as the dot product of the load vector
and the mode shape.
Definition
Analysis Task
Load Cases
Definition
Node List
This is the list of nodes whose modal responses are written for use by CEAP.
Mode List
The list of modes that are exported to the modal damping file.
Damping
This specifies the percentage damping that is to be specified. This value is output for all modes. Any
variation of damping from one mode to another must be made by editing the modal damping file.
This gives information about the mass mobilised in a particular direction for a particular mode, but gives
no indication as to which part of the structure this is associated with. The effective mass by part modifies
this equation to work for the elements, k , in the list so that
2
T
ik mk u jk
~
m k
ij , part
mˆ
Normally we are interested in the summation over all the modes so we arrive at his value by summing the
modal participation factors to report
~
m ~
m
j , part sum ij , part
i
Definition
Parts
These are the lists of elements that are to be considered that are to be considered.
Analysis Task
This is the dynamic analysis (modal or Ritz) for which the effective masses are to be calculated.
Target Value
Most seismic code require that a target percentage of the mass is recovered. Values that do not meet the
target will be highlighted. This can be compared with either total mass or unrestrained mass.
By default only the summation of the effective masses over the modes is reported but mode by mode
results can be provided if required.
7.11.14 Seismic
7.11.14.1 Equivalent Static / Accidental Torsion Load
This dialog can be accessed from the “Model | Seismic | Equivalent Static / Accidental Torsion Load” menu
command. This command creates a load case corresponding to either an equivalent static load or an
accidental torsion load to a selected seismic code.
Definition
Load Type
The same dialog is used for both Lateral load (equivalent static load) and Accidental torsion.
A list of the dynamic response cases allows the particular case to be selected. The base shear calculated
in this analysis will then be used.
To calculate either equivalent static or accidental torsion loads requires a seismic code to be selected and
a set of code related parameters (e.g. peak accelerations, importance factors, etc.). The required seismic
parameters are defined in the response spectrum, so either an existing can be used or a new spectrum
defined. The appropriate procedure from the code is followed. Both the fundamental period and base
shear are code values by default, but can be overridden.
Where the static procedures are used the program has to calculate the weight (or mass) of the structure.
In most cases the dead load should be included in the seismic weight along with a component of live
load. This uses the normal load syntax e.g. 1.4L1 +0.25L2. Leave blank if none.
Details
The direction of loading will be generated for either the X or Y direction. Z is assumed to be vertical. The
mass offset is required for accidental torsion calculations. This is the percentage of the building
dimension used in the accidental torsion case. By default this is 5% to satisfy the codes, but can be
adjusted if required. GSA determines the building dimension by looking at the nodes that comprise the
storey. Both the base level and number of storeys can be controlled by the user.
Output
The output from this is a set of node loads. These are created for the load case specified. A title can be
used to identify this case.
To use this tool you must first have a Response Spectra and Load Curve defined in the appropriate table.
The output time history field sets the name of the resulting load curve. The curve will still be added to the
table if this field is blank.
Definition
Time History Curve
If the file contains more than one time-history record select the appropriate record.
Spectrum Details
Specify the details such as title, number of spectral values and acceleration option to be used in the new
spectrum.
Damping
Set the level of damping for use in the spectrum calculation. This must be greater than zero.
Peak Acceleration
By default the peak acceleration is derived from the input time history but the user can override this value
and set a desired maximum acceleration.
Definition
Reference spectrum
Each peak is smeared across bu the broadening factor to avoid unrealistic dips.
The existing spectrum can be updated with the broadened spectrum or a new spectrum can be generated
from the reference spectrum.
Definition
Time History Curve & Title
Select the appropriate time history curve from those in the file, and set a title as appropriate.
This dialog can be accessed from the “Model | Seismic | Storey Masses” menu command. In order to use
this option the model must contain storeys and there must be at least one dynamic analysis task.
Definition
Analysis Task
A list of dynamic analysis tasks are displayed. The mass calculation is based on the mass specification
for the modal analysis (including additional mass).
SI or User Units
recover directly the scaled modal values. This dialog creates a set of combination cases that correspond
to the modal case scaled by the modal multiplier.
aspectral
i f parti 2
2 f
So that for each mode there is a combination case of the form α iAm .
Response spectrum
The response spectrum is used to define the spectral acceleration. This may be different for horizontal and
vertical excitation, and will be affected by the participation factor, so the direction must also be specified.
Modal task
Any dynamic modal (or Ritz) task with results is made available. The process will then generate a set of
combination cases which scale the modal values according to the response spectrum and direction.
7.11.15 Offshore
7.11.15.1 Wave loading
The wave loading tool calculates wave loads on 1D elements using the Morison equation. Wave loading is
an option on the Tools menu. The wave profile is supplied in a text input file (wave profile data file). The
calculated wave loads are represented by beam loads. The wave loads can be calculated according to
either Airy linear theory or Stokes’s Fifth Order theory that can be set in the wave profile data file.
6. Skip level (whole elements below this level are not considered in the wave load generation).
7. Skipped elements list (elements in this list are not considered in the wave load generation).
8. Option to define the number of points along elements for the generated poly-loads.
9. A summary file (*.sum) will be generated after running Wave Loading which summarizes the wave
profile data and the total wave loads.
Key w ords 1st field 2nd field 3rd field 4th field
DRAG_AND_INERTIA H e ig h t CD CM
MARINE_GROWTH H e ig h t Th ick n e ss
SKIP_LEVEL W a te r le ve l
POLYLOAD_POINT N u m b e r o f p o in ts
WAVE Key word for wave profile (one entry only and compulsory)
Wave height wave height, the vertical distance from valley to peak. If wave height is zero, the
wave loads generated will be from current only and phase angle will be ignored
Wave period wave period (second)
Water depth water depth – distance from seabed to surface
Wave direction 0 is in X axis direction and the angle is measured in degree on anticlockwise
direction
PHASE Key word for phases (one entry only compulsory) in unit of degree
Start phase first phase to be calculated
STRUCT_Z_ORIGIN Key word for GSA structure origin (one entry only, if omitted zero is assumed)
Distance from seabed to GSA structure origin (i.e. GSA global Z axis origin), e.g. .if sea-bed is at –60 on
GSA global coordinate system, STRUCT_Z_ORIGIN should be 60.
WAVE_THEORY Key word for wave theory (one entry only and compulsory)
Either STOKES or AIRY
CURRENT_PROFILE Key word for current profile (as many entries as needed and optional)
Height distance from seabed
Current velocity the current velocity at above water 'Height' level
DRAG_AND_INERTIA Key word for drag and inertia coefficients (as many entries as needed and
compulsory)
Height distance from seabed
CD drag coefficient at above water 'Height' level
CM inertia coefficient at above water 'Height' level
MARINE_GROWTH Key word for marine growth, radium growth of the tubular members (as many
entries as needed and optional)
Height distance from seabed
Thickness growth thickness at above water 'Height' level
SKIP_LEVEL Key word for elements skip level (one entry only and optional)
Water level GSA Z coordinate, elements below this level will be skipped in wave load
calculation
SKIPPED_ELEMENTS Key word for skipped elements (as many entries as needed and optional)
Element list list of the element number that to be skipped in wave load calculation (refer to
the GSA documentation for details of valid element list syntax)
POLYLOAD_POINT Key word for the number of points of the poly-loads (one entry only and optional,
default is 8)
Number of points the number of the generated poly-load points
POLYLOAD_POINT 15
Definition
User modules can be:
deleted
renamed
exported
generated
These operations may be carried out for individual user modules by first selecting the required user
module.
Modify
Open the Modify User Module dialog for the selected user module to allow that module to be deleted,
undeleted or renamed.
Delete
Flag the selected user module for deletion. If already flagged for deletion then this button switches off that
flag.
Export
Generate
Create a new user module by applying the one of the following functions to the values in the selected user
modules.
min()
max()
abs()
signabs()
sum()
srss()
Export All
Reset All
Resets settings for all (nodal / element) user modules to the state on entry to this dialog box.
Delete All
Result Map
Elem. Force Stress Stress
Case Disp. Vel. Acc. React. Mass Force 2D Energy
Disp. 1D 2D 3D
This operation does not report any errors or failure to identify elements on which to place the load, however
a check can be made using the “Analysis | Check Data” menu command before carrying out this operation.
Definition
Grid Loading Case
The load case that is to be expanded. All grid loads in this case are expanded.
The grid loads are expanded in the same load case. The expanded loads are retained and the grid loads
deleted.
The grid loads are expanded and the expanded grid loads are save in a new load case. The grid loads are
retained.
The load case for expanded grid loads, if the grid loads do not overwrite the grid loads.
See also:
Tolerances Specification
Definition
Storey Displacements
This option calculates the displacements of the each storey and reports in-plane displacements and
rotation about the global z axis.
Storey Drifts
This option calculates the relative displacements of the each storey and reports in-plane displacements
and rotation about the global z axis.
Storey Forces
The storey forces are calculated at mid-storey height. The structure is cut at this level and the force
summed on the cutting plane.
Force Calculation
To provide more control over the force calculation the elements to be considered can be specified (for
example to select a single core in a building). By default the force/moment calculations are about the
global origin, but this can be offset if this is convenient. Where the model contains 2D elements there is an
option to use averaged 2D stresses to calculate storey forces, otherwise unaveraged stresses are used.
Result Case
This allows any analysis or combination case (provided it has a single permutation) to be selected for
which the displacements of forces will be calculated.
Storey drift and displacement calculations are calculated from the average of all the selected nodes on that
storey. Rotations are about the centre of mass of the storey.
If the selected case is a response spectrum cases, the displacement/drift will be calculated for each mode
individually and these results combined using the appropriate combination method for that case.
Find w hat
Match case
Find in
The search can either be in the selected text or the whole file.
Direction
Find Next
Close
7.12.2 Replace
The replace dialog is available from the “Edit | Replace” (Ctrl+H) menu command and from the Replace
option on the Data options toolbar. This is used to find values in tables and replace with another value.
Find w hat
Replace w ith
The string that will replace the found string in the table.
Match case
Replace in
The search can either be in the selected text or the whole file.
Find Next
Replace
Confirms that you want to replace the found string with the new string.
Replace All
Confirms that you want to replace all occurrences of the old string with the new string.
7.12.3 Modify
The modify dialog is available from the “Edit | Modify” (Ctrl+M) menu command and from the Modify option
on the Data options toolbar. This is used to modify numeric values in tables. It does not apply to text or list
fields.
Modify by
Add
Factor
Pow er
The existing table values will be raised to the power of the specified value.
Absolute
Modify in
The modification can either be in the selected text of the whole file.
7.12.4 Go To
The go to dialog is available from the “Edit | Go To” (Ctrl+G) menu command and from the Go To option on
the Data options toolbar. This is used to go to a particular line in a table.
Go to w hat
Record number
Factor curve by
The user can choose to apply a factor to the curve to scale the values.
Normalise curve to
The user can choose to scale the curve so that the maximum value is as specified.
Abscissa
Ordinate
The default behaviour for the importing of GWA data is that data records that are identified by record
number (and often referred to by that number) such as nodes, elements and properties overwrite existing
data; other data, such as constraints and loading, append to existing data.
Data options
Data records relating to data options that are not checked will be ignored by the import.
Import mode
The import mode setting only affects the handling of node, element, load case and analysis task and case
Import mode, Overw rite – When overwrite is selected, imported nodes and elements overwrite
original nodes and elements of the same number and imported loads are imported into their
respective loading modules, with no adjustment to the load case numbers.
Import mode, Append – When append is selected, imported nodes, elements and load case
numbers are renumbered so as to follow on from the existing data. Items in the imported model are
incremented by the highest number in the original model; gaps in item numbering in both the original
and imported model are preserved. For example, model A has two nodes: 2 4, as does model B;
model B is appended to model A to result in model A having 4 nodes: 2 4 6 8. References to the
renumbered nodes and elements in the imported data are renumbered.
Note that the following data are overwritten, even when the import mode is set to Append:
All properties
Materials
Analysis cases
Combination cases
Entity colours
Entity colours in the CAD file can be assigned in 3 different ways.
Colour by layer: Elements will be exported to layers based on their respective property numbers. In this
case, the entities are coloured by layer, and so inherit the layer colour, which in turn is based on the
element property.
Apply GSA element colours to CAD entities: Elements will be exported to the same layer in the CAD file,
with colours corresponding to the element type in the GSA model.
Apply colours based on GSA element groups: Elements will be exported to the same layer and their
colours will be based on the GSA element group numbers.
Export
The user can choose to export the “Analysis” layer or the “Design” layer, exporting respectively elements
and members.
Export 3D sections
If this is checked 3D representations of beams will be exported as well as a wireframe representation. The
3D sections lie on a separate layer, whose name is based on the element property name by prefixing
“3D_”.
This will list all the layers in the AutoCAD drawing, and the user can select the ones that have to be
imported.
Names of the element properties will be based on names of the layers in AutoCAD.
Enables the property page where the relationship between layers and property names/property numbers
can be edited.
Tip: To automatically assign sections to the given property, the section description must be enclosed
within curly braces { and } as a part of the layer name.
Tip: The default attributes of all the properties will correspond to the defaults in the property tables of the
current model.
Note: The property numbering will start from the highest section property number in the model. Changing
the property number to a value already present in the property tables will overwrite it without any warning.
Point
Specifies how AutoCAD points are to be treated in GSA.
Line
Specifies how AutoCAD lines are to be treated in GSA.
Poly Line
Specifies how AutoCAD polylines (LWPolyLine, 2DPolyLine and 3DPolyLine entities) are to be treated in
GSA. The user can specify if curve fitting is to be used for curved polylines.
Polygon Mesh
Specifies how AutoCAD polygon meshes are to be treated in GSA. This allows the user to specify two
entities, so for example the mesh may be modelled in GSA as quad elements stiffened by a beam mesh.
Note: If the units selected do not correspond to the units in which the drawing was made, import may not
behave as expected. For example, if a CAD drawing of a roof truss is in meters, and it is imported in mm,
the element sizes could be too small in the GSA model and/or the nodes can get collapsed since they
would be too close to each other.
Shift the origin of the model to…: Specifies the coordinates of the new origin (in metres, with respect to
the CAD origin) which all model coordinates are transformed to. When the origin is shifted a grid plane is
created at the CAD origin, enabling coordinates to be viewed with respect to the CAD origin, despite the
shift in origin.
Importing CAD models created with coordinates that are offset a long distance away from global origin
results in nodal coordinates with high order of magnitude. This can lead to rounding and precision errors.
To avoid such a situation, the coordinates can be transformed to a point closer to the model. (In
determining whether the model is offset away from the global origin, GSA only uses entities from the layers
selected on the ‘Select Layers to Import’ page.)
Rounding Tolerance
Same as rounding tolerance.
Connect 1D elements
Same as Connect 1D elements.
Auto Offset
Sets element offsets for horizontal beam elements automatically.
Coincident nodes
Sets tolerance for collapsing coincident nodes. See collapse coincident nodes.
Nastran data can be written in either small or large fields. In general large field format is preferable.
This determines if items such as loading should be written (static) or the user asked for the number of
modes (dynamic or buckling).
Analysis stage
Some versions of Nastran (e.g. MSC/Nastran) support section shape information. If this option is selected
the section dimensions are exported otherwise only the section properties (area, second moments of area
etc) are exported.
If this is ticked section modifiers are taken into account when writing section properties, otherwise they are
ignored.
Analysis stage
Cases
Choose whether to export GSA bars as OpenSees Truss or Corotational Truss elements.
Choose whether to export GSA beam sections as OpenSees Elastic or Fiber sections.
Input the number of subdivisions in the Y and Z directions of rectangular sections when Fiber sections are
selected.
Input the number of subdivisions around the circumference and in the radial direction of rectangular
sections when Fiber sections are selected.
Input the number of subdivisions along and across the flanges and webs of I, T, channel, double channel,
angle, double angle, taper, general I, taper T, taper angle and taper I sections when Fiber sections are
selected.
Design code
RC beam list
The list of RC beams (members defined as concrete beams) to export. The defaults is all.
Save File
If this option is checked GSA will try to open AdBeam with the first file exported.
There may, at times, be a mismatch in the design codes supported by GSA and those supported by
AdSec, so it may be that AdSec cannot open the file generated by GSA.
Section List
Members List
This gives a choice of exporting a list of members. If the member option is chosen, one section will be
generated for each of the positions.
Cases
Save File
If this option is checked GSA will try to open AdSec with the first file exported.
The format of the file is not guaranteed to be stable, so do not rely on older versions of this data to be
compatible with future editions of SteelDesign.
Members
Cases
The exported file contains a member definition for each member/case combination specified. Each
member is titled so as to identify the GSA model, member number and case.
During analysis, displacements and forces are calculated for 1D elements at the element ends.
Intermediate results can then be calculated during post-processing, as needed. These results can be
calculated at any position along the elements. The positions at which 1D element intermediate results are
calculated depend on these settings.
Note that these settings are not exclusive; intermediate results can be calculated at both interesting points
and a number of equidistant points.
At interesting points
When checked: intermediate results are calculated at positions that are interesting, based on the result
being output and the applied loading in the case being considered.
For example:
An interesting point for shear forces is immediately to either side of a point load.
An interesting point for moments is at point loads, and along UDLs. (The number of interesting points
along a UDL is set arbitrarily by the program, depending on context.)
Intermediate results are calculated at the specified number of points evenly spaced along elements.
When checked: intermediate results, including displacements, forces and results derived from these are
calculated for bar elements. Otherwise only end values are reported for bars.
The numeric format allows the user to adjust the format of numeric output. The default settings are set in
the Miscellaneous page of the Preferences.
Engineering – numbers are output to the specified number of significant figures with exponents that are
multiples of 3.
Scientific – numbers are output to the specified number of significant figures in exponent form.
See also:
Numeric Formats
7.12.17 Axes
The Axes dialog is accessible from the “Diagram Settings”, “Contour Settings” and “Wizard: Output
Settings” dialogs: various Sculpt dialog boxes, and the axis button on the “Data Options” toolbar.
This allows the user to choose the appropriate axis system from:
Global
X-elevation
Y-elevation
Local
User – the user can then select a user defined axis from the list.
Not all of the axis options may be enabled depending on the context.
See also:
Axis Sets
With the default (.gwa) file extension the file is read/written in an international format. This is
recommended where files have to be transferred between offices in different countries. The alternative
options read/write files using the local settings for decimal points and list separators (see 'Windows
Settings') for ease of importing the files into spreadsheets.
Each record consists of a keyword and a number of fields each separated with a tab (comma or
semicolon if in CSV format). There may only be one record per line, but a record may be continued on
more than one line. To spread a record over several lines a continuation marker (a \) should be placed in
the next field position on that line. Comments can be included in the file on any line after a comment
marker (an !) character. The \ should precede any comments and anything after the continuation marker
will be treated as a comment. Both comments and continuation characters should be separated from the
fields by a tab. Blank lines (no space or tab characters) are acceptable. A blank field is interpreted as a null
string for string fields and a zero for numeric fields.
With any of the text file formats the files can be written in either SI or model units. In any file the units
assumed to be SI until a UNIT_ record is encountered. This then changes the units for all subsequent
records.
where n is the number of points, xi is the value of the abscissa and yi is the value of the ordinate.
The syntax of all aspects are described in detail in the Text File Format document.
Units
GSA data is stored in SI units both in GWB files and in the program. In text files, however, data units are set
by UNIT_DATA records, defaulting to SI.
When reading a GWA file GSA registers the current unit for each unit type, defaulting to SI. Units may be
adjusted several times in one GWA file. For example, for NODE records that precede any UNIT_DATA
LENGTH records coordinates will be read as being in metres; after any UNIT_DATA LENGTH records
coordinates in NODE records will be taken as being in the last specified unit of LENGTH.
For clarity, all length related values in GWA records use the LENGTH option and not DISP etc., regardless
of the dimension option implemented elsewhere in the program.
When writing GWA files GSA offers the option to export in SI units or model units. When the option to export
in model units is taken a set of UNIT_DATA records is written at the top of the file, specifying the current
model units, and all data are written in those units.
When used from the COM interface(GwaCommand ), the default units while reading the file are model units.
It’s worth noting that when using GET GwaCommand , GSA is actually writing a GWA file and while using SET,
GSA is reading it in.
Names
Whenever records have a field for the object name it may be entered in double quotes "..." to specify that
any characters forming part of the name are not field separators. GSA outputs names surrounded by
quotes whenever a field separator character is part of the name.
String Ids
Most GSA objects can have an associated string ID (sID). In text files sIDs are assigned as follows:
For sIDs to be recognised for any object a sID must first be assigned to the model by a SID record.
Then a sID is defined for an object by appending a colon (‘:’) to the keyword; the text following the colon
specifies the sID.
Having assigned a model sID it is not necessary to assign sIDs to every object.
SID, {Mesh:assigned}
Format
The format of the specific records is as follows:
Rebar Template
This file is delimited by a <rebar> </rebar> pair of tags. Inside these tags the following tags define the
different types of reinforcement
Beam Template
The beam template is of the form
<beam>
<<link>>
<<layer>>
<<layer>>
<<layer>>
<<layer>>
</beam>
where
<<layer>> – is the layer definition (one for top & bottom, and middle & ends)
<col-rect>
Name,Cover,Number,Arrange,Size,Grade,Bundle
<<link>>
</col-rect>
where
<<layer>> – is the layer definition ( one for end-top, end-bottom, mid-top, mid-bottom)
<col-circ>
Name,Cover,Grade,Bundle
<<link>>
<<layer>>
<<layer>>
</col-circ>
where
<col-perim>
Name,Cover,Grade,Spacing,Size,Bundle
<<link>>
</col-perim>
where
Link Template
The link template is of the form
<link>
Size,Legs
</link>
where
Layer Template
The perimeter column template is of the form
<layer>
Pos,Number,Size,Rows,Bundle
where
end-top
end-bottom
mid-top
mid-bottom
inner
outer
Example
!
! rebar template
!
<rebar>
<beam>
Beam C-1,0.025,500B
<link>
0.02,2
</link>
<layer>
end-top,4,0.02,1,1
</layer>
<layer>
end-bottom,2,0.012,1,1
</layer>
<layer>
mid-top,2,0.02,1,1
</layer>
<layer>
mid-bottom,4,0.020,2,1
</layer>
</beam>
<col-rect>
Rect A-1,0.025,8,2,0.032,500B,2
<link>
0.02,2
</link>
</col-rect>
<col-rect>
Rect B-1,0.020,4,1,0.025,500B,2
<link>
0.02,2
</link>
</col-rect>
<col-circ>
Circ D-1,0.025,500B
<link>
0.02,2
</link>
<layer>
outer,4,0.02,1,3
</layer>
</col-circ>
<col-perim>
Perim E-1,0.027,0.15,0.016,500A,3
<link>
0.02,,2
</link>
</col-perim>
</rebar>
Curve File
The format of the file is as follows:
Title
X label <TYPE/FACTOR>
Y label <TYPE/FACTOR>
Curve identifier
x0, y1
x1, y1
…
CONTINUE
Title
X label <TYPE/FACTOR>
Y label <TYPE/FACTOR>
Curve identifier
x0, y1
x1, y1
…
By default TYPE is undefined and the FACTOR is 1. This is to allow backwards compatibility in that old
programs reading curve files would not require any modification: the labels would just give some
additional information. Newer versions would be able to read this information and give tighter control over
the data.
Unit Types
The current options for TYPE are:
The FACTOR is the value by which the data values should be multiplied to convert to SI units (e.g. 0.01 for
cm).
Example
Test curve
Time <TIME>
Relative acceleration <ACCELERATION/0.001>
Reference point 1
0, 0
1, 1
2, 4
3, 9
4, 16
The API uses COM automation to allow commands to be issued from a separate process via a set of VBA
or C++ instructions. The separate process could be a separate program or, indeed, a VBA script in a
spreadsheet.
In the Command File method a series of instructions are listed in a text file. This is then submitted to GSA
as a command line instruction. For example:
GSA commands.gwc
The COM interface is ‘versioned’, i.e. each minor and major release of GSA has COM classes specific to
that release. (N.b. COM was unversioned in GSA 8.3.1 and earlier.) Instantiating these classes will
specifically invoke the version of GSA they correspond to. Whilst this gives the flexibility to bind to a
particular release of GSA, it is also possible to “always” bind to the latest release. The choice of whether a
programmer wants to bind to a version specific COM class or version independent COM depends on how
s/he invokes GSA COM (see the section ‘Early and Late Binding’ in the GSA COM API Reference).
invokes to the current version of GSA. (To make an older version “current”, simply run the GSA.exe in the
program files folder of the particular version.)
Further details are available in the GSA COM API Reference Manual.
On machines that have access to several versions of GSA it is necessary to be explicit in specifying the
version of GSA that is to be run. For example:
The double quotes are necessary when the path includes spaces.
Alternatively the command file can be run when in GSA by selecting a GWC file in the “File | Open”
command.
A log file will be created to record the execution of each of the commands in the GWC file.
The command file consists of a series of records, each record consisting of a command followed by any
required arguments in parenthesis and separated by commas.
There may only be one command per line and only one line per command.
Where command arguments are strings these should be enclosed in double quotes (e.g. "test.gwb")
Core commands
{
Open (filename)
file n a m e – the name of the file to be opened, including path and extension.
Save ()
Save the data to the default file (i.e. overwriting the file that was opened or last saved).
SaveAs (filename)
file n a m e – the name of the file to be saved, including path and extension.
Close ()
Exit ()
Analyse ()
If no task is specified(or task is 0), analyse all unanalysed tasks if analysis tasks exist;
otherwise do linear static analysis of each specified load case.
Delete (option)
Delete results.
View commands
PrintView (option)
<name> – print the first view or view list found with the specified name.
<name> – save the first view or view list found with the specified name.
This feature is provided to make it simpler to maintain a single reference model and analyse in the
appropriate tool.
Analysis Parameters
The Analysis Wizard allows an LS-DYNA keyword file to be created, generally for a selected analysis stage.
The analysis parameters for specification of timings, excitation and elements formulations. Termination
and output times (whole model and time history) can be set. Excitation can be selected as a force
excitation or base excitation. Assemblies can be specified – these are exported as cross sections.
In addition to the mass of the structure additional mass can be added for the LS-DYNA analysis. This is
selected as a loading which is converted to a mass elements when creating the LS-DYNA model.
The final stage in the analysis task selects a keyword file for output and the environment to launch. A
default environment can be set in the Preferences.
Materials
GSA is used primarily for materially linear problems, while LS-DYNA generally uses non-linear materials.
To accommodate this a number of LS-DYNA material models can be defined in GSA. The following
models are available for LS-DYNA:
Concrete EC2
Hysteretic Beam
Hysteretic Reinforcement
Plastic Kinematic
Seismic Isolator
Some of these material models refer to Load Curves in LS-DYNA. These are defined as Material Curves in
GSA, and transferred as load curves.
Spring/damper elements
LS-DYNA considers some spring elements as variants of beam elements and in general regards springs
as single degree of freedom entities. These simple springs are written as *ELEMENT_DISCRETE. For
simple springs the orientation option (VID) is set to 0 so the spring acts along the axis between the nodes.
For more general springs the GSA element is written as a DYNA element for each stiff direction. In this
case the orientation option is set to the number of an *DEFINE_SD_ORIENTATION record with option
(IOP) set to 1 and a vector defining the direction of action (XT,YT,ZT). Springs and dampers are
differentiated by using different material definitions. For a spring the element relates to a *MAT_SPRING_
definition and a damper refers to a *MAT_DAMPER_VISCOUS definition.
The properties for a linear elastic spring are written as *MAT_SPRING_ELASTIC defining the stiffness (K).
A non-linear spring is written as *MT_SPRING_NONLINEAR_ELASTIC with the spring curve written as a
load curve referred to by LCD. Tension and compression only springs are written as
*MAT_SPRING_INELASTIC and a load curve is generated for the stiffness (LCFD) and the compression
tension flag is set (CTF) as required
GSA springs
Linear spring in all 6 dof - This is written as a *ELEMENT_BEAM with ELFORM set to 6 with a
*MAT_LINEAR_ELASTIC_DISCRETE_BEAM defining the stiffness in all 6 dof
Non-linear spring in all 6 dof - This is written as a *ELEMENT_BEAM with ELFORM set to 6 with a
*MAT_NONLINEAR_ELASTIC_DISCRETE_BEAM defining the material curves of stiffness in all 6 dof. If
some of the dof are linear these must be converted to (non-linear) material curves
Tension-only and compression only springs - These must be converted to a nonlinear spring and can then
be written as *ELEMENT_DISCRETE with material *MAT_SPRING_INELASTIC
Lockup elements - These must be converted to a nonlinear spring and can then be written as
*ELEMENT_DISCRETE with material *MAT_SPRING_INELASTIC
Connector elements - These are exported as *ELEMENT_BEAM with ELFORM set to 6 with a
*MAT_LINEAR_ELASTIC_DISCRETE_BEAM defining a stiffness in all 6 dof of 1e10.
GSA Damper
Linear damper in all 6 dof - This is written as a *ELEMENT_BEAM with ELFORM set to 6 with a
*MAT_LINEAR_ELASTIC_DISCRETE_BEAM defining the stiffness in all 6 dof.
Rayleigh damping
In addition to damper elements , Rayleigh damping can be specified. Rayleigh damping is written as α
and β in the *DAMPER_GLOBAL record and *DAMPING_PART_STIFFNESS respectively.
Composite shells
GSA does not provide options to analyse composite shells. To allow for this in LS-DYNA there is an option
in the 2D element properties wizard to define a composite shell. This allow a series of layers to be
specified in terms of a material, a thickness and an angle. If these are specified the element thickness is
the sum of the thicknesses of the layers.
These output the data displayed in the current view, in the selected file format.
For output views the export options is also available from the “Output Wizard”. This allows the data or
results to be exported without generating the output view first. (The option to copy output directly to the
clipboard is also offered in the “Output Wizard”.)
The layout of the information exported from an output view can be changed to “spreadsheet format” from
the “Further Options” dialog in the Output Wizard. In this form the results for all positions on an element are
output on one line per case, rather than the normal style of one line for each element position.
Input data
SAP2000
Nastran
OpenSees
AutoCAD
PDisp
ADC
AdSec
Steel Member(s)
Footfall Response
Text output
GWA - this is used as a means of transferring data from GSA in one version or on one machine to
another. These files are tab separated and country independent.
TXT - this is used to transfer data from GSA to other programs such as spreadsheets. These files are
tab separated and the decimal point is determined from the Windows regional settings. So for example
in the UK the decimal point will be a "." but in France this would be a ",".
CSV - this is similar to the TXT option and is normally used to transfer data from GSA to other programs
such as spreadsheets. These files use the list separator and the decimal point as determined from the
Windows regional settings. So for example in the UK the decimal point and list separator would be a "."
and "," respectively but in France these would be a "," and ";" respectively.
10.3.2 ADC
This exports RC beam data for design in ADC/AdBeam.
The GSA model must contain RC beams (members defined as concrete beams) and analysis results for
this option to work.
Having set up RC beams corresponding properties the “ADC AdBeam Export” dialog allows the user to
select a list of beams for selected load combinations. The export creates an AdBeam model for each
beam.
Each member must be oriented to point in the same direction with the x axes pointing along the beam.
Minor axis bending and shear, axial loads and torsion in the beams are ignored.
The beam member properties in the design layer may differ from the corresponding element properties
in the analysis layer.
10.3.3 AdSec
This exports section data for design in AdSec.
The GSA model must contain either concrete beam or column members for this option to work. If results
are present forces and moment can be extracted from these and set as loads in AdSec. If members are
chosen, one file is created for each member. For beam members three sections are exported (left, middle
and right) and for columns a single section is exported.
The export may fail if materials are not specified as concrete or steel.
The design code in GSA may at time be unsupported in AdSec leading to a failure to read the file.
10.3.4 PDisp
This exports the PDisp data (compatible with PDisp 17.7.2) used in a raft model in the PDisp format. If raft
results exist when exporting PDisp data the equivalent soil loads will be calculated and they will be
exported along with the other PDisp data.
This will only work where there is at least one set of modal results.
10.3.7 AutoCAD
GSA can export DWG/DXF files that can be read by CAD packages such as AutoCAD and Microstation.
The CAD Export Options dialog allows the user to specify the content of the exported CAD file. A target
version of AutoCAD may be selected; depending on the version selected there will be some variation in the
way in which the GSA details are exported. GSA data is stored in SI units, but these may not be convenient
units for the CAD program, so the user may select appropriate length units. The user can also choose to
export from either the GSA Analysis Layer or the GSA Design Layer. Beam elements or members may be
exported either as lines or as lines and 3D sections.
The model can be exported as either a wire-frame model or as wire-frame with 3D sections. Each property
can be assigned to a different layer and the 3D sections can be written to separate layers from the wire-
frame model. The restraints on a model are exported to a Restraint layer. The 3D sections are written as
blocks consisting of 3D faces. Alternatively, elements can be exported based on their group numbers,
wherein entities created from those elements will have colours based on the element group.
If a section property in GSA is named "Main Beam" and has the description "CAT%UC%UC152x152x23%
19860501" then the elements with this property will be represented in wire-frame style in a layer named
"Main_Beam{CAT%UC%UC152x152x23%19860501}", the elements will be represented as 3D in a layer
named "3D_Main_Beam" and a block will be created with the section information called BM_MAIN_BEAM.
10.3.8 SAP2000
The model data can be exported to a SAP2000 S2K file.
This option is not thoroughly tested and should be used with caution. Any problems should be reported to
Oasys.
10.3.9 Nastran
The model data can be exported to a a Nastran bulk data file.
Export
The user can select:
Static, modal dynamic or buckling solution options and number of modes for eigenvalue solutions.
Restrictions
The following restrictions apply:
Spring elements in non-global directions are approximate. The spring is assumed to act in the closest
global direction.
Face load axes are ignored and pressure assumed normal to surface.
CBAR elements will generally take PBAR or PBARL property cards, CBEAM elements will generally take
PBEAM or PBEAML property cards. The ‘L’ suffix indicates that the property is defined by its dimensions,
rather than defining the section properties explicitly. This is useful when element stress output is required,
as Nastran automatically chooses the main stress recovery points of the section, or if you want to optimize
on a particular dimension. See the Nastran manual for further information.
When converting GSA models into Nastran models the option is given writing either of the four property
formats mentioned above. Using the PBEAML card is the only way to ensure that the shear centre, centre
of mass and neutral axis are correctly defined for sections that do not have two axes of symmetry, such as
angles, channels or tees. Sections that are defined explicitly in GSA are written as PBEAM or PBAR cards,
regardless of whether section shape information is requested.
The disadvantage of using PBEAML cards is that some pre-processors may not be able to read and
rewrite them.
10.3.10 OpenSees
The model data can be exported to an OpenSees TCL file.
Export
The user can select:
To export steel and concrete beams (as separate choices) as OpenSees elastic, nonlinear or
displacement beam columns.
Restrictions
The following restrictions apply:
Spring elements in non-global directions are approximate. The spring is assumed to act in the closest
global direction.
Face load axes are ignored and pressure assumed normal to surface.
Text
AutoCAD
PDisp
GWA - this is used as a means of transferring data from GSA in one version or on one machine to
another. These files are tab separated and country independent.
TXT - this is used to transfer data to GSA from other programs such as spreadsheets. These files are
tab separated and the decimal point is determined from the Windows regional settings. So for example
in the UK the decimal point will be a "." but in France this would be a ",".
CSV - this is similar to the TXT option and is normally used to transfer data to GSA from other programs
such as spreadsheets. These files use the list separator and the decimal point as determined from the
Windows regional settings. So for example in the UK the decimal point and list separator would be a "."
and "," respectively but in France these would be a "," and ";" respectively.
10.4.2 AutoCAD
GSA allows you to open/import CAD drawings stored in DWG or DXF formats.
The way in which AutoCAD features are interpreted will depend on the user selections in the CAD Import
wizard. The following points should be noted:
Sections – Sections can be set up from layers. The section description must be given in the layer name
enclosed in curly braces: { }.
Entity colours – Entity colours can be used to map to element group numbers.
Lines – These can be used to create 1D (two-noded) elements such as beams bars, ties, struts, etc.
Points – These can either be used to create nodal mass or spring support properties or specify pinned
restraints.
Arc / Circle / Ellipse – These can be interpreted in the same way as lines, but are subdivided either by
specifying an angle or a number of segments.
Polygon Mesh – These can be interpreted as 2D or 1D elements. Two options are allowed for the
polygon mesh; this allows, for example, quad elements to be stiffened by beam elements on the grid
lines.
3D Face / Poly Face Mesh – These are interpreted as 2D (3-noded triangle or four-noded quad)
elements.
Note: when importing from a Polygon Mesh or 3D Face / Poly Face Mesh and ‘Quad4’ is selected:
where two of the four vertices are coincident, a Tri3 element is created; where more than two
vertices are coincident an error is reported.
Other options – Other post-import options such as selecting units for import, tolerance for collapsing
coincident nodes, tolerance for rounding node coordinates etc can also be specified.
1. Open a DWG/DXF file – Give the ‘File | Open’ command and, in the Open dialog, set ‘Files of type’ to
‘CAD Files (*.dwg, *.dxf)’. (note that the .dwg or .dxf file must not be
2. Import an CAD file into an existing model – Give the ‘File | Import | AutoCAD (DWG/DXF files)’ menu
command and, in the Import CAD dialog set ‘Files of type’ to DWG or DXF.
Selecting a DWG or DXF file will then open the CAD Import wizard. Follow the wizard instructions to import
the drawing into a new GSA model.
10.4.3 PDisp
PDisp data (PDD) files from Windows PDisp 17.7.2 or earlier version can be imported into GSA. The
analysis results in PDisp data will be ignored in the importation since they are meaningless when
imported into GSA.
Export to Oasys GSA – create a new GSA model from a Revit model or synchronise an existing GSA
model with changes from a Revit model.
Update from Oasys GSA – synchronise an existing Revit model with changes from a GSA model.
Import from Oasys GSA – create a new Revit model from a GSA model.
Following the Recommended Practice will improve coordination between the GSA and Revit models.
GSA Layer
You must select which GSA layer to export to.
Design Layer – GSA members are created. These will then have to be converted to elements within
GSA.
Analysis Layer – GSA elements are created. These will then have to be checked for connectivity within
GSA.
See ‘Recommended Practice’ for the pros and cons of each option.
Entities
The option is given to export the whole model or, if a selection has been made in Revit, just the selection.
See ‘Recommended Practice’ for information on why you might want to export all properties.
Clear Log
The log is saved automatically on completion of the operation. The folder and filename of the log file is the
same as the specified GWB file but with the extension RTF.
If ‘Clear Log’ is checked the log file associated with the GWB file being exported to is deleted at the start of
the operation.
o The GSA grid plane name is assigned the name of the level.
o The GSA grid line name is assigned the name of the grid.
Each Revit column, beam and brace is written as GSA a member or element, depending on whether
‘design layer’ or ‘analysis layer’ is selected (see above).
o If existing nodes are not found at the required locations then new nodes are created.
o A Revit Floor is deemed structural if the “Structural” option in its properties is checked.
o A Revit Wall is considered structural if it has the “Enable Analytical Model” option checked in its
properties and provided its structural usage is not “non-bearing”.
o Walls/Floors with openings may not translate to GSA 2D members accurately. The user may require
manual editing of the said members.
When exporting to the analysis layer, the Analytical Projection Plane is handled as follows:
o For beams,
1. if set to ‘Center of Beam’ the GSA element is offset downwards by half the beam depth.
o For columns
1. Only ‘Top of Column’ at the top and ‘Bottom of Column’ at the bottom are handled. No offset is
applied.
2. Revit materials associated with written columns, beams and braces are written as GSA
materials.
1. the Revit ‘Minimum Yield Stress’ is translated to the GSA ‘Yield Stress’ and
2. the Revit ‘Minimum Tensile Strength’ is translated to the GSA ‘Ultimate Stress’.
o For concrete materials the Revit ‘Concrete Compression’ is translated to both the GSA ‘Yield Stress’
and ‘Ultimate Stress’.
Revit family types associated with written columns, beams and braces are written as GSA sections.
o GsRevit attempts to find a valid GSA section basing the section description on:
2. Does the section description approximate to a catalogue section name, whether with the type at
the beginning or end of the name?
o If no matching section name is found then an attempt is made to create a standard section based on
1. If a depth, width and thickness are defined then a standard rectangular hollow section is
created.
2. If a depth and width are defined then a standard rectangular section is created.
o The GSA section name is assigned the Revit section description, whether the symbol ‘Type
Comment’ or symbol name.
Revit Floor and Wall types are written as 2D Element properties, with the same thickness and name as
the Revit types. The materials associated with these types will not exported, hence the 2D element
properties will carry a dummy material reference of 99.
If a related GSA object is found then only the data controlled by Revit for that object is updated. Extra data
is not affected.
Please note that this does not apply to Floors and Walls and their types.
Known Issues
Restraints are not handled.
GSA objects that relate to deleted Revit objects are not deleted.
GSA Layer
This updates from the selected GSA layer. It’s best to keep this in line with the layer the model was
originally exported to.
Grid Planes / Levels: Any changes to the elevations of GSA grid planes will reflect as changes in the
elevation of the related Revit levels.
Grid Lines / Revit Grids: Changes to grid line start point will be transferred.
o Revit offsets are changed as necessary to accommodate changes in the elevation of reference levels.
o Revit offsets are changed as necessary to accommodate changes in the elevation of reference levels.
o Changes in beam orientations can be translated – although this may not necessarily yield useful
results.
Element property references: Element property references may be changed but the references must be
to properties that are either a. related to Revit family types (i.e. a section that has been exported from
Revit to GSA.) An element referring to a “Framing Section” must refer only to other Framing Sections.
See ‘Recommended Practice’ OR b. If referencing new section property, the section in question must be
imported into Revit as new Family.
Sections properties:
o Newly created section properties can be imported into Revit. A new section can only be referenced by
columns or by Framing. If it is referenced by both, it will be ignored for the import.
o Changes to existing section properties is not reflected in the corresponding Revit Families.
Materials: Properties of materials can be edited. However, creating new materials is not allowed since
this is not supported by Revit. See ‘Recommended Practice’.
Known Issues
Changes made to GSA 2D members will not be translated, yet.
There may be unexpected results while trying to update Revit beam systems, if their coordinates have
been changed inside GSA or while updating Revit levels whose elevations have been changed via GSA
grid planes that have Revit beam systems defined on them.
When a beam is ‘hosted’ on a column or where two or more beams are ‘joined’, changing their
coordinates inside GSA may result in unexpected behaviour such as the Revit elements becoming
disjointed.
Map Sections
Click ‘Map Sections’ to begin mapping GSA section properties to the corresponding Revit Family types.
This may take a little long depending on the number of sections in the GSA model. During this, GsRevit
tries to load the new family types into the Revit model. If prompted for overwriting a pre-loaded Family Type,
please choose ‘Yes’.
Note: If a GSA section maps to ‘N/A’ for a Revit Family type, it signifies that GsRevit has not been able to
find a suitable match for the section among the Family Types loaded in the project. If a family type refers to
N/A, elements referring to the corresponding section will not be imported.
The section mapping utility currently works only for catalogue steel sections. For standard sections and for
concrete sections, load the appropriate Family Type into the model before starting the import process. See
‘Recommended Practice’ for more information on this.
Levels
Use GSA grid planes – GsRevit will create levels at elevations corresponding to GSA’s grid planes.
Use existing levels – All elements created will be based on the existing levels in the model.
Coordination
Vertical GSA 1D members/elements can be imported as Revit columns or braces.
Inclined GSA 1D members/element can be imported as Revit beams, braces or slanted columns.
GSA 2D Member can be imported as a wall or slab in Revit as per the section
Determine Revit element type from GSA member type. This is applicable when importing GSA from
the design layer and it overrides the setting above, except where a horizontal GSA member is
specified in GSA as a column member type; in this case the member will be imported as a Revit
beam or brace according to the setting above.
Option to map Revit entities using GSA entity id shared parameter where there is no mapping by
'unique ID' : 'SID'
Filter
The filter allows selective import of entities
2. From Model | Checking Tools, run ‘Check Model Suitability for BIM Coordination' Command
3. GSA produces the following output in the Report Pane after checking model suitability for BIM
coordination:
4. ‘Warning: Members are not present in this model’: It’s advisable to coordinate with the GSA Design
layer. Use ‘Model | Coordination Tools | Create Members From Elements...’ to automatically
generate members.
Note: If the Automatic tool does not split members at the correct locations, try changing the
elements list and Column direction options in tandem. Alternatively you could also use the sculpt
options to create members manually wherever needed.
5. Error: Some sections are referred by both vertical and non-vertical elements. GSA Sections that are
referred to by vertical and non-vertical members cannot be imported. However, vertical and slanted
column can refer to same GSA section. Use ‘Tools | BIM Utilities | Rationalize sections for BIM
Coordination’ to correct these.
6. Warning: Check Grid Plane definitions and ensure they represent structure levels.Grid planes
elevations in GSA model should represent levels elevations. To graphically iterate through the grid
planes in the model, first turn on the grid display from ‘Sculpt | Draw Grid’ or the toolbar option,
then switch to ‘Cur Grid’ in the Display drop down in the graphics view.
You can now loop through all grid planes in the model by using the buttons. More on
grid planes is in the manual under ‘GSA concepts | Grid Planes’.
7. Creating new grid planes: Change to ‘Select Node’ cursor mode and select 3 nodes lying on the
proposed plane. ‘Sculpt | Create Grid Plane’ will create a grid plane if one doesn’t exist. See
‘Sculpting | Creating grid planes graphically’ in the manual.
8. Section Mapping: The section property table contains cross sections of members used in the
model. These need to be mapped to Revit Families. This can be done in two ways, one by editing
‘Mappings.db3’ file using SqLite or by editing mapping table (Section 10) in mapping section
wizard.
Caution: If you modify the mappings.db3 file, make sure to save it in a different location – since
reinstalling GSA would overwrite this file. In this case, the path to your version of mappings.db3
can be set in GSA by ‘Tools | Preferences | Basic | File Locations | Mappings Database file’.
9. In Revit, run ‘External Tools | Import From Oasys GSA’ and select the following options
10.On clicking next, “Import from GSA: Mappings” screen will appear where user can see list of
mapped/unmapped GSA section. User can specify mapping here and on clicking Next, changes will
be saved in mapping database at path displayed on top.
11.When mapping sections, make sure no sections are <Unmapped>. Sections mapped INVALID will
not be imported.
GSA has a tool that facilitates splitting section properties into Beam(non-vertical) sections and
Column(vertical) sections. The command ‘Rationalize sections for BIM coordination’ in the Tools
menu examines all sections in the section property table. If any of them is referred to by both
vertical and non-vertical entities, the tool creates a new section property and gets the vertical
entities to refer to the new section.
Each Revit column, beam and brace is reflected in GSA as a single member or beam element,
depending on whether Design Layer or Analysis Layer is selected. Note the following:
The commands ‘Model | Manipulate | Create Elements from Members’ and ‘Model | Manipulate |
Create Members from Elements’ can be used to initially create Members from Elements and vice-
versa but subsequent coordination(between the design and analysis layer) will need to be done
manually. To assist in checking consistency of section property references, the tools ‘Update
Element sections’ or ‘Reset Member sections’ in the Design menu might be helpful.
Creating levels
All the new entities created by GsRevit will map to the nearest level available. Since Revit
Columns span between 2 valid levels, it’s important for the levels to properly reflect elevations of
the column ends. GsRevit can try and create levels from GSA’s grid planes, but the user can also
create them manually before invoking the import.
2. Open a new Revit model from one of the templates for Metric or for Imperial.
3. If you plan to use grid planes for creating levels, for best results, ‘Level 1’ in the Revit model
may be deleted. If not, levels may be defined at appropriate elevations manually.
4. Load the appropriate family types which are used in the GSA model. If a particular section is
being used both as a column and as a beam in GSA, make sure to load them separately in the
Revit model, under Structural Column Family types and Structural Framing Family types.
5. It’s best to start the import from an ‘Elevation’ view rather than the default 3D view.
The Revit model is now ready for receiving the GSA model file.
Note: After the import process, Revit may display warnings against errors in the models. Choose
‘Unjoin Elements’ in such a situation.
GsRevit can be registered interactively by running GsaRegister.exe, which may be found in the GSA
program folder.
Revit Structure is not installed in the default location. The automated install-time registration assumes
that Revit is installed in its default location, <C:\Program Files\Autodesk Revit Structure x>. When
running GsaRegister.exe interactively there is an opportunity to specify the location of Revit.
The version of Revit Structure that you have installed is not supported.
Refer to file GsRevit_ReadMe.pdf (installed in the Docs folder beneath the GSA program folder) for the
latest information on GsRevit, including supported versions.
Note: The Mappings.db3 file will be overwritten whenever a new version of GSA is installed. Before making
changes, copy the mappings file to a different folder and change GSA Preferences to reflect the new
location.
The tables GsRvt_Framing and GsRvt_Columns contain section mappings for Revit Framing Family
Types and Column Family Types respectively. A brief description of the fields -
GSA_Section_Description: Use the section description from GSA Section Property table. See Section
Profile.
Revit_Family_Type: The name of the family type. This name must either be contained in the text file
accompanying the family rfa file(as in the case of Steel Catalogue families) or they must be ‘defined’
in the rfa file.
Revit_Family: The name of the family file on the disk, without the extension.
GsRevit searches for family files in locations listed in Revit ‘Options | File Locations | Places’.
10.5.2 IFC
The IFC file format is a widely-used format supported by variety of software for civil engineers. It describes
building and construction data. It is not meant to replace proprietary formats of any particular software but
to provide a universally recognized general format, even if the functionality to interchange data is limited.
Oasys GSA includes both IFC Import and Export with some limitations.
Export from Oasys GSA to IFC: exports the whole GSA model into a new IFC file.
Import from IFC to Oasys GSA: imports IFC objects into the current GSA project. Not all objects are
transferred into Oasys GSA. A log of the import process is available to users.
Update from IFC to Oasys GSA: applying changes onto current GSA objects from a modified IFC file is not
currently implemented.
Credit: the implementation uses IfcOpenShell library which depends on Open Cascade library.
There may be other applications that have not been tested. Note that exporting to Autodesk Revit is
recommended to be done primarily by GSA Revit plugin (GsRevit), not via IFC.
All entities will be exported to IFC, i.e. the user has no option to reduce the export to part of a model. The
user can choose whether to export the design layer, analysis layer or both layers.
Layer(s) to export
1. Design layer: members are exported. Elements are skipped during export (default).
2. Analysis layer: elements are exported. Members are skipped during export. The IFC file will be typically
larger than if the design layer is exported since each GSA element has to be represented as one IFC
object.
3. Both: both design and analysis layer are exported to IFC file. This is not recommended.
Colors
GSA lets you decide how the IFC objects are colored.
2. By type: different entity types within GSA are assigned different colors. (default)
Shell elements
There are several ways how to represent shell surfaces in IFC.
2. As faces (e.g. a box consists of six faces so the thickness is determined). Not an efficient setting.
3. As solids (an area is extruded by thickness, i.e. usually by thickness of a slab or a wall). This is the
default setting and the format expected by Tekla Structures.
Beams
The cross-sections of beams can be represented in two ways.
IFC files are imported into the current GSA document (typically a blank document). The smaller the IFC file
is, the faster the process.
for Tekla Structures rev. <= 20, unselect Pour objects in “Advanced tab” (other settings in the Advanced
tab are not known to have a functional impact on import into GSA).
11 Bibliography
1. AISC Steel Design Guide Series, Floor Vibration Due to Human Activity.
2. ASCE 4-09, Seismic Analysis of Safety-Related Nuclear Structures and Commentary, ASCE 2010 (Draft)
3. ASCE 7-05, Loads for Buildings and Other Structures Seismic Loads, ASCE, 2005
4. ASCE 7-10, Loads for Buildings and Other Structures Seismic Loads, ASCE, 2010
5. Bathe K-J, Finite Element Procedures in Engineering Analysis, Prentice Hall, 1982
6. Bathe, K. J. and Dvorkin, E. N., A four-node plate bending element based on Mindlin/Reissner plate
theory and a mixed interpolation, International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Vol 21,
367-383, 1985
7. Bell W.W, Matrices for Scientists and Engineers, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1975
8. BS6841 - 1987, Measurement and evaluation of human exposure to whole-body mechanical vibration
and repeated shock.
10.CEN, ENV 1998-1-1, Eurocode 8 – Design Provisions for Earthquake Resistance of Structures – Part 1-
1: General Rules – Seismic actions and general requirements for structures, 1994.
11.Chopra A.K, Dynamics of Structures – Theory and Applications to Earthquake Engineering, Prentice
Hall, 1995
12.Clough R.W & Penzien J, Dynamics of Structures, 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, 1993
13.Coates R.C, Coutie M.G & Kong F.K, Structural Analysis, Nelson, 2nd edition, 1980
14.Criswell H, Highway Spirals, Superelevation and Vertical Curves, County Surveyors’ Society / The
Carriers Publishing Co. 1969
15.Eurocode 8: Design of structures for earthquake resistance- Part 1: General rules, seismic actions and
rules for buildings, EN1998-1, 2004, European Committee for Standardization
16.FEMA, Prestandard and Commentary for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings, FEMA 356, ASCE/
FEMA, 2000.
17.Ghali A. & Neville A.M, Structural Analysis, Chapman and Hall, 1978
18.Higham N. J., Accuracy and Stability of Numerical Algorithms, Second edition, SIAM, 2002.
19. Higham N. J. and Tisseur F, A Block Algorithm for Matrix 1-Norm Estimation, with an Application to 1-
Norm Pseudospectra. SIAM Journal of Matrix Anal. Appl., 21(4): 1185-1201, 2000. http://
dx.doi.org/10.1137/S0895479899356080
21.Indian Standard – Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures, IS 1893 (Part1) : 2002,
Bureau of Indian Standards
22.International Conference of Building Officials, Uniform Building Code UBC-94, Whittier, CA, 1994
23.International Conference of Building Officials, Uniform Building Code UBC-97, Whittier, CA, 1997
24.International Conference of Building Officials, International Building Code 2000, Whittier, CA, 2000
25.Levy R & Spillers W.R, Analysis of Geometrically Nonlinear Structures, Chapman and Hall, 1994
26.Newmark N.M & Hall W.J, Earthquake Spectra and Design, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute,
Berkeley, Calif., 1982
28.SI units and recommendations for the use of their multiples and of certain other units BS5555:1993,
ISO 1000:1992(E)
29.Smith, A.L., Hicks, S.J., & Devine, P.J. (2009) Design of Floors for Vibration: A New Approach, The Steel
Construction Institute, P354
30.Steel Construction Institute & BCSA, Steelwork Design Guide to BS5950-1:2000 Volume 1 Section
Properties Member Capacities 6th Edition (2001)
31.Timoshenko S.P & Woinowsky-Krieger S, Theory of Plates and Shells, McGraw Hill, 1964
32.Timoshenko S.P & Goodier J.N, Theory of Elasticity, McGraw Hill, 1970
33.Wilson E.L, Three Dimensional Dynamic Analysis of Structures – With Emphasis on Earthquake
Engineering, Computers and Structures Inc., 1997
34.Wilson E.L, der Kiureghian A & Bayo E, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, Vol. 9, 187–
194 (1981)
35.Willford, M.R. & Young, P. (2006) A Design Guide for Footfall Induced Vibration of Structures, The
Concrete Centre, CCIP-016.
12 Glossary
1D elements
Beam, Bar, Tie, Strut, Spring, Damper, Link and Cable are all 1D elements.
2D elements
Quad 4, Quad 8, Triangle 3 and Triangle 6 are all 2D elements.
3D elements
Brick 8, Wedge 6, Pyramid 5, Tetra 4
AASHTO
Acronym for “American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials”.
Alignment
An alignment defines a line in space, relative to a grid plane, from which lanes tracks or vehicle are
positioned.
Analysis layer
The analysis layer is a view of elements in a Graphic View.
Applied displacement
A degree of freedom where the displacement is known at the beginning of the analysis, rather than being
solved for.
Axes triad
Axis sets are displayed in Graphic Views as colour coded triads. The red, green and blue lines represent
the x, y and z axes respectively.
Bandwidth
The width of array required to store a matrix clustered around the diagonal, with the diagonal elements
along the first column. A small bandwidth will be more efficient in the storage required.
Bar element
A particular type of finite element used to model elements designed to take only axial load, e.g. truss
members.
Beam element
A particular type of finite element used to model beam, column and bracing structural elements. GSA uses
a linear beam element with 2 nodes.
Beta angle
The angle used to define the orientation of beam elements in space and the local axis directions of 2D
elements. Also called Orientation angle.
Buckling analysis
An analysis to determine the buckling response of a structure. This can be either an eigenvalue analysis
for linear structures or a non-linear buckling analysis.
Cable element
Cable elements are primarily used in fabric analysis. Cables are similar to tie elements but are defined by
a stiffness and mass per unit length, rather than a cross section.
Click
Clicking is the action of pressing and immediately releasing the left mouse button.
Coincident nodes
Coincident nodes are two or mode nodes that are positioned within a defined distance of each other.
Constraint
A constraint on a degree of freedom, such as an applied displacement, rigid link, repeat freedom or
restraint.
Current grid
A reference to a grid plane. Coordinates are defined and reported in the current grid axes. The grid drawn
in Graphic Views is defined by the grid layout of the current grid.
Cycle
This is a single time step in the dynamic relaxation solution process. During a cycle the model is
assumed to be a set of linked nodal masses accelerating through space. At the end of each cycle the
position, velocity and forces acting on the nodes are calculated, the resulting accelerations calculated, and
the process repeated.
Degree of freedom
A freedom of a node to move in a particular direction this may be either a translational or rotational
direction.
Design layer
The design layer is a view of members in a Graphic View.
Diagonal array
An array which has non-zero elements only on the diagonal.
Displacement vector
The calculated displacements at all the degrees of freedom in the structure.
Drag
Dragging is the action of pressing the left mouse button down and moving the mouse before releasing the
mouse button.
Dummy element
An element that has its dummy attribute set. Dummy elements are ignored during analysis. Certain results
Dynamic analysis
An analysis to determine the dynamic response of a structure. A modal analysis gives the dynamic
characteristics of the structure while a time-history analysis or response spectrum analysis gives the
structural response.
Eigenvalue
Part of the solution of an eigenproblem. A dynamic analysis is an example of an eigenproblem and the
natural frequencies correspond to the eigenvalues.
Element
An element is an entity that is analysed. An analysis model is made up of elements.
Engineering scale
An engineering scale is a scale of 1, 1.25, 2, 2.5 or 5 multiplied by a power of 10.
Entity
A node, element or member.
Eye distance
The eye distance in a Graphic View is the distance from the eye point to the object point.
Eye point
The eye point in a Graphic View is the position from which the model is being viewed.
Finite element
A mathematical representation of a piece of the structure located by nodes and contributing to the
stiffness/inertia of the structure.
Force vector
The collection of forces applied to an element or to the structure as a whole. Normally the force vector for
the structure is known and we wish to calculate the displacements. Once the displacements at the nodes
are calculated we then want to calculate the internal forces in the elements.
Form-finding
A process by which the natural shape of a fabric structure is established.
Full image
The full image is a Graphic View image that displays all aspects of the currently specified view.
Gaussian elimination
A method for solving large systems of linear equations by successively removing degrees of freedom.
Geometric stiffness
The additional stiffness of an element that results from the load in the element.
Ghost image
The ghost image is a Graphic View image that displays a cuboid representing the global extents of the
image. A triad representing the global directions is drawn at the object point. A dashed triad is drawn at the
mid-point of the view.
Global axes
The global axes are the axis set to which all other axes relate. The datum axis set for the model.
Grid axes
The axes referred to by a grid plane. Commonly used to refer to the axes of the current grid.
Grid layout
Defines the distribution of grid points or grid lines as drawn in Graphic Views.
Grid plane
A grid plane is a way of defining a plane for loading etc by reference to an axis set and elevation.
Grid structure
A Grid structure is one modelled in the global XY (horizontal) plane. Global restraints are applied to the
model to force it to deform only in the Z direction.
Hourglassing
Hourglassing arises with under-integrated elements where there are insufficient stiffness terms to fully
represent the stiffness of the element and is noticeable in the results by an hourglass pattern in the mesh.
Increment
Used in non-linear, GsRelax analysis to define a single load stage. An increment represents the total
imposed loads that are deemed to be present at the time of analysis. It is equivalent to an analysis case
generated internally by the GsRelax Solver. For example with single increment analysis a single analysis
case is created and all loads are applied at the start of analysis. Whereas with a 2-stage multiple
increment analysis, the first increment could be an analysis case with half the load applied and the
second increment is an analysis case with the total load applied.
Inertia matrix
Same as mass matrix.
Influence analysis
An analysis that calculates the effect at a point due to load at a series of points along the structure.
Joint
A joint is a constraint which links two nodes together in specified directions and is used for modelling
features such as pinned connections.
Legend
The legend is the panel of information that describes the content of a Graphic View. The legend may be
displayed either on the Graphic View or in a message box.
Linear element
A finite element with a low order shape function and no mid-side nodes.
Link element
A link element is a two node element that is rigid in the specified directions, and transfers forces and
moments through the structure.
List field
This is a field that allows the user to enter a list. The syntax of the list is then checked before the field is
accepted.
Lumped mass
A mass (and inertia) at a node. A lumped mass is treated as a one node element.
Mass matrix
The relationship between force and acceleration in a linear system. In finite element analysis we consider
the inertia of the element as represented by the element mass matrix and the inertia of the whole structure
as represented by the structure mass matrix.
Member
A member is an entity that is designed. Typically a member relates to one or more elements.
Mid-point
The mid-point is a 3D vector used to specify the pan in a Graphic View. The mid-point vector is the position
of the mid-point of the picture relative to the object point in picture axes.
Modal analysis
Modal analysis solves an eigenvalue problem either for a dynamic or buckling analysis of the structure.
Node
A point in space. Nodes are used to define the location of the elements.
Normalisation
A way of scaling a vector or matrix. For example the displacement vector for a node can be normalised,
producing a displacement magnitude of one at that node.
Numeric field
A numeric field allows the user to enter a number. Depending on the context this will be either a real
number (e.g. a coordinate) or a whole number (e.g. a load case).
Numeric format
The format used for the display of numbers. The choice is engineering, to a number of significant figures,
decimal, to a number of decimal places, or scientific, to a number of significant figures.
Numeric/percentage field
This is a field that allows the user to enter either a number or a percentage. These fields are used to allow
the user to specify position in either an absolute sense (number e.g. 0.25) or a relative sense (percentage
e.g. 10%).
Object point
The object point is the point about which rotations occur in a Graphic View. Also, in perspective views the
position of the eye is measured from the object point.
Orientation angle
The angle used to define the orientation of beam elements in space and the local axis directions of 2D
elements.
Orientation axes
The axes about which orientations occur in Graphic Views.
Orientation node
The node used to define the xy-plane for orientation of beam elements.
Panel
A panel is an area bounded by beam elements.
Path
A path is the line across a structure followed by a lane, track or vehicle.
Picture axes
The picture axes in a Graphic View are x, left to right, y upwards and z out of the plane of the picture.
Plane structure
A Plane structure is one modelled in the global XZ (vertical) plane. Global restraints are applied to the
model to force it to deform only in the XZ plane.
Prescribed displacement
See “Applied displacement” and “Settlement”.
Quad element
A linear or quadratic element used in two dimensional analyses with 4 sides and 4 or 8 nodes defining the
element.
Quadratic element
A finite element with a higher order shape function – usually with mid-side nodes.
Reaction
Force which is generated at restraint.
Restraint
A degree of freedom that is fixed so that it is no longer free. Special cases of restraints are pins and
encastré supports. (See also: Member Restraint and Restraint Property.)
Selection field
This is a field that allows the user to choose from a list of options.
Selection/numeric field
This is a field that allows the user to either choose from a list of options or enter a number (e.g. when
specifying a material either a standard material can be selected or a user defined material specified).
Settlement
A degree of freedom which is restrained and given a fixed displacement prior to analysis.
Shear beam
A particular type of finite element similar to a beam element but taking account of shear deformations.
Skyline array
A storage scheme which only holds the entries in the stiffness or mass matrix which are on and above the
diagonal. Its name derives from the outline of the array elements that are stored.
Space structure
A Space structure is one that may be modelled in 3 dimensions.
Spacer element
A spacer element is used to control the mesh during a form-finding analysis.
Spring element
An element which is defined by stiffnesses in each of the translational and rotational directions. Used to
model springs and features such as elastic supports.
Static analysis
A static analysis loads at how the structure responds to loads which do not vary with time.
Stiffness matrix
The relationship between force and displacement in a linear system. In finite element analysis we
consider the stiffness of the element as represented by the element stiffness matrix and the stiffness of
the whole structure as represented by the structure stiffness matrix.
Structure scale
The structure scale is the scale at which the structure is drawn in a Graphic View.
Strut element
A strut element is similar to a bar element in that it has axial stiffness only, but will only take compressive
forces. Note that since this is a non-linear element, post-analysis combining of results is inappropriate.
Subspace iteration
A technique for solving for eigenvalues and eigenvectors iteration of large systems, by projecting the
Text field
A text field allows the user to enter a string of text and is normally used for names.
Thread
Threads are a way for a computer program to fork (or split) itself into two or more simultaneously running
tasks.
Tie element
A tie element is similar to a bar element in that it has axial stiffness only, but will only take tensile forces.
Note that since this is a non-linear element, post-analysis combining of results is inappropriate.
Topology
The list of nodes which define an element or member.
Torce lines
Torce lines are generalised thrust lines for two or three dimensions. In 2D (plane frame analysis) they are
synonymous with thrust lines (i.e. they show the line of action of axial load) but in three dimensions they
can contain both torque and force components, hence the name.
Tree control
A tree control is a standard Windows control that offers options via expandable branches. Click on the “+”
Sometimes multiple selection of items is possible. This is achieved by holding the control key down to
continue selection or the shift key to include all items between the currently selected and the item Shft-
Clicked.
Triangular element
A linear or quadratic element used in two dimensional analyses with 3 sides and 3 or 6 nodes defining the
element.
Unattached node
An unattached node is one that is not referenced in the topology list of an element.
Variable UDL
A variable UDL is a uniformly distributed load whose intensity varies depending on the loaded length. This
is used in bridge analysis.
Vehicle
A vehicle is defined as a list of axle positions and loadings along with an overall width for use in bridge
analyses.
VUDL
See Variable UDL.
Wireframe image
The wireframe image is a Graphic View image that represents 1D elements as lines and 2D elements as
outlines and displays nothing else, regardless of the current settings for the view.
X elevation axes
The X elevation axis set is a standard axis set that has its xy plane in the global YZ plane.
Y elevation axes
The Y elevation axis set is a standard axis set that has its xy plane in the global XZ plane.
Cross Strain Energy Density Results command delete from Data Explorer pane 32
369 extents in output views 52
CSA 19, 21 Manage Data Dialog 489
CSV selecting what to output 51
batch saving saved views to 101 Data Explorer pane 32
CSV (GWA) file data generation
syntax 533 2D elliptical mesh 422
CSV file 2D orthogonal mesh 421
export options 549 2D skew mesh 421
import options 553 3D orthogonal mesh 423
current grid constructing a model 27
definition dialog 490 grid 416
fundamentals 97 orthogonal frame 417
in graphic views 62 pitched portal frame 420
current polyline in Graphic Views 65 portal frame 415
Cursor Mode Toolbar 127 Pratt truss 419
cursor modes roof truss 420
in Graphic Views fundamentals 77 structure types 415
Curve Data Selection Dialog 524 truss 418
Vierendeel 418
curves
alignment data 265 Data Management
extrude geometry along alignment 438 comparing models 499
Modify Curve Dialog 524 import GWA data 458
custom links Data Options Toolbar 124
fundamentals 116 data preferences 426
properties 187 data scaling unreliable message 56
cut 46 decking slab
Forces on 2D Element Cut 486 2D properties 184
Cut section forces Decrease Precision command
Assemblies 216 in graphic views 71
cutting default view settings
copying and pasting in tables 46 details 98
cutting 1D elements graphically 444 introduction 98
cylindrical axes fundamentals 96 Define Current Grid command 62
defining current grid
-D- in graphic views
definition
62
fundamentals 108
-P- Pick Colour of This command 72
pick tolerance
page setup changing 425
preferred 423 piled-raft
Page Setup command 77 introduction to analysis 350
output 53 piled-raft analysis
Pan Down command 57 step by step 347
Pan Left command 57 pitched portal frame
Pan Right command 57 data generation 420
Pan Up command 57 Plan command 55
panels plane strain
draw 469 new model wizard 414
graphical display 113 plane stress
Paste 46 new model wizard 414
Paste command 46, 65 Planes
paste GWA data Grid 97
from Data Explorer pane 32 PNG
paste special Dialog 524 batch saving saved views to 101
pasting in tables 46 point voids
path generation section 177
Hong Kong 345 points
UK 345 member restraints 200
Path Loading dialog 272 Polyline Properties command 65
paths polylines
data 266 check for validity 150
Optimise Path Loading 510 data 150
patterned load definition dialog 150
Create Patterned Load Combinations 507 draw 469
Create Patterned Loads 506 in Graphic Views 65
fundamentals 133 length 65
P-delta analysis selecting within 63
step by step 311 pools
P-delta modal dynamic analysis section 178
step by step 320 portal frame
P-delta results data generation 415
introduction 311 pitched 420
P-delta Ritz analysis positive result 516
step by step 321 post-analysis 89
Pdisp Prat truss
export options 550 data generation 419
import options 554 precision 335
perimeter preferences
section 172 basic 423
periodic load analysis steel catalogue 429
step by step 325 preferred folders 429
permutations preferred units
-T- Check
data
498
221
definition dialog 221
Tab Separate Tables command 51
timber
table views
material grade 155
colour in 49
time history 285, 286
data display in 49
select 515
Object Viewer 34
Time history analysis
properties 34
step by step 322
working with views 44
time step
tables
-W-
wall/core
assembly 455
warped 2D elements
split 502