Does the current PyNite module support following features

Udayaprasad commented 4 years ago

Does the current PyNite module support following features?

Spring-Tension Only/Compression Only
Rigid Elements for connection
Temperature Load Application

Udayaprasad commented 4 years ago

@JWock82 Could you please help us with the above requirement? I am new to structural engineering, and I am from a software engineering background. I don't know about the 3D structural analysis and its internals to write the code.

I also placed this equation in online but didn't get any help. Please take a look at the below ticket for more details about the problem.

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/63133140/python-package-library-for-linear-non-linear-3d-structural-engineering-finite

Thanks, Uday

JWock82 commented 4 years ago

What your looking for is incredibly technical and complex. What type of nonlinearity are you looking for? Geometric nonlinearity or material nonlinearity. PyNite is a linear and nonlinear-elastic solver. If you want to take problems into the material non-linear (inelastic) range you'll need a different package. PyNite does not handle nonlinear plates either, only frames.

At some point I'll probably add spring supports, but for now springs can be modeled by recognizing that the axial "spring" stiffness of a member is EA/L and adjusting the properties of "dummy" members to provide the stiffness you want. Beams and columns are in reality just really stiff springs.
Similarly, rigid elements can be created from "dummy" beam elements by setting the Iy, Iz, and A properties to really high values relative to everything else, or by adjusting the E value to something really large.
Thermal loads would not be difficult to add to PyNite. I just have been focusing on other priorities.

From your StackOverflow thread, it looks like you're trying to do connection design. Finite element analysis (FEA) is rarely the best choice for connection design unless your doing something really obscure like this, in which case you would want to supplement with lots of destructive testing. In that case I'd recommend getting your hands on a really high-end proprietary package. Finite element analysis is great at giving you pretty looking bad answers, so you really need a strong background in FEA to interpret the results. I see it abused by a lot of engineers.

Other methods of analysis based on mechanics of materials principles, research and testing, and engineering standards (e.g. the AISC Manual of Steel Construction, and AISC 358) are the normal way to handle most connection designs. Connection types are usually governed by the overarching building code.

If you're looking for open source software, you may want to look into FreeCAD, which allows you to model complex parts and then mesh and analyze them. You'll need to be familiar with parametric modeling techniques to use it. It uses Calculix to analyze models. The analysis features are pretty limited. I think it may be able to hand some types of nonlinear problems. FreeCAD has a Python command line interface and supports Python scripts.

Based on your question, I recommend you have someone with a lot of connection design experience help you. Connection failures are often deadly.

Udayaprasad commented 4 years ago

@JWock82 Thank you for your comments. I will talk to my team and share your suggestions.

Udayaprasad commented 4 years ago

@JWock82
We are facing a major blocker in implementing a FEM model for structural analysis. We think PyNite solves all our problems except for modelling tension-only/compression-only spring elements. It would be of great help if my team and I could talk to you and get your inputs on our implementation strategy. Please let me know if this is fine so that I can share my e-mail address. Thank you.

JWock82 commented 4 years ago

Go ahead and e-mail me and I'll respond.

Udayaprasad commented 4 years ago

Hi @JWock82 ,

This is my email ID: uvakalapudi@innominds.com uvakalapudi@innominds.com (or) uday.vakalapudi@gmail.com uday.vakalapudi@gmail.com

Just wanted to reiterate our blockers in implementing a FEM model

Major Blocker:

Unable to model tension-only/compression-only spring elements.

We do see having options of just springs but we are specifically looking for tension-only/compression-only features.

Good to have:

Rigid elements for connection

Temperature load application

(These are not our prime blockers because we can have manual turnaround for these problems)

Any help on our spring modelling issue will be much appreciated. Can you suggest sometime in your timezone, so that I will ask my team members to available for the call?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks again for your time.

Thanks, Uday

On Fri, Jul 31, 2020 at 12:10 AM Craig notifications@github.com wrote:

Go ahead and e-mail me and I'll respond.

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Udayaprasad commented 4 years ago

Thank you, @JWock82 . Your help is really added to the work we are doing currently.

JWock82 / Pynite

Does the current PyNite module support following features #61