Category Archives: Finite Element Analysis

3D Frame with zero stiffness hinges

Posted on April 9, 2019 by

The previous version of 3DFrame allowed for spring releases at beam ends, but if the release stiffness was entered as zero it was treated as a rigid connection for that freedom.  Effectively zero stiffness releases could be modelled by entering … Continue reading →

Posted in Beam Bending, Excel, Finite Element Analysis, Frame Analysis, Newton | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Beam geometric non-linear effects

Posted on April 21, 2018 by

A quick and convenient way to allow for the effect of deformations on the behaviour of beams and columns under axial load is to adjust the beam stiffness matrix, so that the calculated deflections are in equilibrium with the applied … Continue reading →

Posted in Beam Bending, Excel, Finite Element Analysis, Frame Analysis, Newton, UDFs, VBA | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Frame Analysis Resources

Posted on April 17, 2018 by

I recently discovered: Matrix Structural Analysis, 2nd Edition, by McGuire, Gallagher, and Ziemian. which is available for free download: Description The aims of the first edition of Matrix Structural Analysis were to place proper emphasis on the methods of matrix … Continue reading →

Posted in Finite Element Analysis, Frame Analysis, Newton | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Section Properties with MeshPY, including torsion and warping

Posted on December 9, 2017 by

I recently discovered robbie van leeuwen’s structural engineering blog, which has an open-source set of Python routines for calculation of section properties, including torsion and warping constants.  The program uses the MeshPY Library for generating the finite element meshes required … Continue reading →

Posted in Beam Bending, Concrete, Excel, Finite Element Analysis, Frame Analysis, Link to Python, Maths, Newton, Numerical integration, NumPy and SciPy, Strand7, UDFs, VBA, xlwings | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Stepping through 3DFrame

Posted on September 16, 2017 by

Following a recent comment this post looks at the code for setting up the stiffness matrix for a 3D frame, and how to step through any selected part of the code. The general procedure for setting up a 3D stiffness matrix, … Continue reading →

Posted in Beam Bending, Excel, Finite Element Analysis, Frame Analysis, Newton, UDFs, VBA | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Setting up UDF Applications

Posted on September 9, 2017 by

Following a recent comment, this post looks at setting up a user defined function (UDF) on a blank worksheet, using the ConBeamU function as an example. To use a UDF, the VBA code for the function must either be included … Continue reading →

Posted in Arrays, Beam Bending, Excel, Finite Element Analysis, Newton, UDFs, VBA | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Using the Frame Analysis Spreadsheets

Posted on July 20, 2017 by

Following some recent questions in the comments, here are some answers: How can nodal moments be created? The current versions only allow for forces to be applied to beams, but any point load or moment applied at the start or … Continue reading →

Posted in Excel, Finite Element Analysis, Frame Analysis, Newton, VBA | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments