Tag Archives: Programming the Finite Element Method

Non-linear frame analysis; moment curvature and self-weight

Posted on October 10, 2016 by

The Python/Fortran/Excel frame analysis program (previous version here) now has several new features added to the 2D-solver routines: The beam bending behaviour may now be specified with moment-curvature tables, rather than the linear-plastic behaviour required in the previous version. Beam … Continue reading →

Posted in Arch structures, Beam Bending, Concrete, Excel, Finite Element Analysis, Fortran, Frame Analysis, Link to dll, Link to Python, NumPy and SciPy, Strand7, VBA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Non-linear Frame Analysis – Scipy solvers

Posted on September 11, 2016 by

The frame analysis spreadsheet presented in the previous post has been updated to use the solvers included in the Scipy package.  There is now an option to use either the Cholesky solver, or an iterative sparse solver.  The main advantages of … Continue reading →

Posted in Arrays, Beam Bending, Excel, Finite Element Analysis, Fortran, Frame Analysis, Link to dll, Link to Python, Newton, NumPy and SciPy, Strand7, UDFs, VBA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Non-linear Frame Analysis

Posted on September 3, 2016 by

Another example using Fortran code published in Programming the Finite Element Method (5th ed. John Wiley & Sons, I.M. Smith, D.V. Griffiths and L. Margetts (2014)), this post provides a spreadsheet based frame analysis program including non-linear bending behaviour and … Continue reading →

Posted in Beam Bending, Excel, Finite Element Analysis, Fortran, Frame Analysis, Link to dll, Link to Python, Newton, NumPy and SciPy, Strand7, UDFs, VBA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Retaining wall analysis – FEA and hand calculations

Posted on August 17, 2016 by

I have used the PlateMC spreadsheet described in the previous post to compare the results of a finite element analysis of a retaining wall with a similar analysis using the commercial package Strand7, and a simple hand calculation using Coulomb … Continue reading →

Posted in Excel, Finite Element Analysis, Fortran, Frame Analysis, Geotechnical Engineering, Link to dll, Link to Python, Newton, NumPy and SciPy, Strand7, UDFs, VBA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Plane Strain FEA – Non linear staged analysis

Posted on August 13, 2016 by

Continuing the recent series of posts featuring Fortran based FEA routines, the spreadsheet from the previous post has been revised: The spreadsheet allows for a staged analysis, with additional elements placed in layers for any number of construction stages. Temporary loads … Continue reading →

Posted in Beam Bending, Concrete, Excel, Finite Element Analysis, Fortran, Geotechnical Engineering, Link to dll, Link to Python, Newton, NumPy and SciPy, UDFs, VBA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

FEA slope analysis; effect of mesh size

Posted on July 31, 2016 by

The last version of the FEA slope analysis spreadsheet (presented here) allows the slope shape and element density to be easily varied.  This post looks at the effect of varying the density from very coarse to fine, with constant soil … Continue reading →

Posted in Excel, Finite Element Analysis, Fortran, Geotechnical Engineering, Link to dll, Link to Python, Newton, VBA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Linking Excel to Fortran with ctypes; update

Posted on July 27, 2016 by

In the previous post arrays were created in Python and passed to a Fortran dll as ctype pointers.  The data written to these arrays in the Fortran routines was then converted back to Python arrays with statements such as: nodedisp = npc.as_array(nodedisp).  … Continue reading →

Posted in Excel, Finite Element Analysis, Fortran, Link to dll, Link to Python, Newton, NumPy and SciPy, VBA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments