FE Stress Analysis in SFrame

[Sheamoose]

Good Day,

I set up a simple model of a 2 inch thick plate to perform a FE stress analysis in SFrame. One end of the plate is fixed and there has a tension load of 36kips on the other... material properties were assigned (steel) and quadrilateral elements meshed. The programe runs without any errors or warnings, however, the result is zero stresses everywhere.

Would anybody have an idea of what I'm missing here?

 

[Twoballcane]

What software are you using and what is a SFrame (for us who are not in structures)?

Also, what did your hand calcs say it should be?

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[Sheamoose]

Thanks for the reply,

SFrame is the software. It is mainly used for building design and I have never actually used it to model anything other than beams, columns and trusses. So, it may not be a suitable program for this problem.

I wasn't really descriptive enough... the plate is actual shaped like a horse shoe with the two ends fixed and the load applied at the apex of the 'U'. So, there is actual bending stresses as well as tensile stresses. The load is actual 225kN instead of 36kips (Sorry).

For the hand calc's; I assumed that the supports are pinned because I don't know exactly how to get the fixed-end-moments for a curved member. That simplified the analysis to get a max bending stress of 196MPa.

Anyways Twoballcane... I was just hoping that anyone more familiar with SFrame may have realized a step that I have missed.

 

[crisb]

How have you applied the load.....is it applied as a point, line, or area load?

I am not familiar with SFrame but it's possible that it only "supports" certain types of load on plate/shell/area elements. Another possibility is that you need to put dummy beam elements in if you are applying point or line loads.

 

[cdsigmon]

If you could attach the .TEL file I could have a quick look at it.

From what you describe it seems like it should be possible in S-Frame but without any further information or seeing how it is set up in the program I cant say for sure.

 

[Sheamoose]

Thanks cdsigmon, must appreciated.

Attached is the file. I have been playing around with some different custom sections for each member… so the model will closely resemble the 2 inch thick plates.

 

[cdsigmon]

After doing a quick run I am getting results on the posted file for the FE stresses, and also reactions at the supports.

One quick thing to check is whether you are looking at the results for the Load Cases or the Load Combinations. Looking at the Load Cases I am able to generate results, but looking at the Load Combinations (which none are defined in the model) everything is zeroed out like you mentioned before.

 

[Sheamoose]

Thanks. I had made a little progress since the initial email and was able to view the results.

I was having trouble with the members and nodes of the DXF, however that problem was remedied and I was able to view results.

Thanks for your help.

When you model a plate or a shell you still have to assign section properties to all the members. I used a section that is 50mm wide and 50mm high? Which doesn't really resemble the solid plate. Would you have any more insight on how to define the members section props?

Cheers