Improvements and New Facilities in LUSAS Version 14.6

User Area

Software Release History - Version 14

New Facilities and Improvements in Version 14.6

Overview

Eurocode traffic loading extended
Changes to Discrete Point Loading
Changes to Prestress / Post-tensioning loading
Camber facility added to precast complex box section calculator
New shape interpolation option for use when defining multiple varying sections
Super-T precast beams added to set of supplied pre-cast sections
Changes to the Material Library
Animation of modelling loadcases and basic load combinations
Shell / beam slice results for multiple loadcases
Enhancements to the Print Results Wizard
Using a deformed mesh as a basis for a new analysis
File import of supported third-party software
Draping and visualisation improvements for LUSAS Composite users

Eurocode traffic loading extended

The LUSAS Traffic Load Optimisation software option has been extended to allow the inclusion of the Complementary Load Model as required by the Swedish National Annex to EN1991-2.

The LUSAS Traffic Load Optimisation software option also now includes an option to select EN1991-2 Poland on the main Vehicle Load Optimisation dialog. This sets default values for NDPs and offers Load Model 3 Special Vehicles according to recommendations in EN1991-2 and EN1990, and offers traffic load options from the informative Annex A to EN1991-2.

Changes to Discrete Point loading

Discrete point loading can now be defined as load components in the X,Y and Z directions and not just as loading in a singular X, Y or Z direction.

Changes to Prestress / Post-tensioning loading

Tendon loading has been modified to exploit the changes made to Discrete Point loading, which now allows point loading to be defined as load components in the X,Y and Z directions and not just as loading in a singular X, Y or Z direction, such that:

The number of tendon entries in the Attributes $image\tree3att.gif$ and Loadcase $image\tree3att.gif$ Treeviews are now significantly reduced with only one entry per assignment needing to be present.
Search areas are now created and used by the prestress wizards to define the target to be loaded.
Load factors are now used to represent elastic shortening and these can be seen in the Loadcase $image\tree3att.gif$ Treeview.

Because of these changes, significantly less tendon data is held in the model and in relevant treeviews, and significantly less information needs to be generated when creating the prestress report. As a result, the automated process of deleting any existing tendon loading attributes, calculating new tendon loading, creating new tendon loading assignment data, and reporting on the prestress data created each time the prestress wizard is run is significantly faster. In tests, for models with many hundreds or thousands of tendons that previously took an appreciable time to complete, this automated process took just seconds. Note that when running the prestress wizards on models created prior to V14.6 the initial deletion of the existing tendon data will take longer than that for deleting the equivalent tendon data generated in V14.6.


Simplified tendon loading assignments in Attributes Treeview	Use of load factors on tendon loading loadcases in Loadcase Treeview

Note that by right-clicking on a tendon loading assignment in the Attributes $image\tree3att.gif$ Treeview the search area used for that assignment may be visualised.

Camber facility added to precast complex box section calculator

The complex box section calculator now allows for a camber to be optionally created in the top slab for all permissible section types.


Updated precast complex box sections

New shape interpolation option for use when defining multiple varying sections

A new Function option has been added to the existing Smoothed, Linear, and Quadratic shape interpolation options on the Multiple Varying Section dialog. When the Function option is chosen, a Specify Function Order dialog appears allowing the Order (n) for the function shown on the dialog to be specified. A value of 1.6 is set by default.


Function-based shape interpolation

Super-T precast beams added to section library

Australia and New Zealand open and closed section Super-T beams T1 to T5 have been added to the precast beam section library. Sections can be defined as slab and beam or as beam only. Use Bridge > Precast Beam to access the dialog.


Super-T precast beam dialog

Changes to the Material Library

Concrete material properties have been added for the following countries and codes/references:

India (IRC:21-2000)
New Zealand (NZS 3101-1:2004)

Steel material properties have been added for the following countries and codes/references.

India (IS800:2007)
New Zealand (NZS 3404:1997)

Animation of model loadcases and basic load combinations

Animations can now be created for particular model loadcases that are saved with a model file (previous releases have only permitted results loadcases to be animated). This allows easier and faster visual checking of a staged modelling process and allows animations of these modelling processes to be created automatically.

Results from Basic combination loadcases can also now be selected for inclusion in an animation in just the same way as individual results loadcases can. Results from Envelope and Smart Combination loadcases (that are also both saved with a model file) cannot be animated.


Model loadcase selection for animation

Shell / beam slice results for multiple loadcases

Slice resultant results created using the Utilities > Slice Resultants Beams/Shells menu item can now be output for one or more loadcases:

Active - prints slice results for the active loadcase to a slice output window.
All - prints slice results for all loadcases to a text file named SliceResultantsBeamsShells.prn in the current working directory.
Selected - prints slice results for entered loadcases to a text file named SliceResultantsBeamsShells.prn in the current working directory. As an example, entering 1-5,7 would select loadcases 1 to 7 excluding loadcase 6.

Enhancements to the Print Results Wizard

Results selection

By using the Utilities > Print Results Wizard menu item, selected results values may now be output to the screen in a tabular listing format for multiple loadcases. In addition, and in a similar way in which results can be selected when using the Report Generator, the extent of results can be specified. This now permits selection of results for elements showing results; the visible model; the full model or for a specified group.

When the optional Coordinates checkbox is enabled the global X, Y and Z positions of the nodes or gauss points (as appropriate) can be included as separate columns in the printed output. This enables sorting of nodal and gauss results data by coordinate.

Results display

Results for each selected loadcase are displayed on a separate tab in the print results window. A model info tab also appears in all output windows and provides basic information about the model.

Results manipulation

When the Printed Results window is displayed a context menu can be invoked which allows for the printed results data to be manipulated:

Properties The number of significant figures or decimal places can be changed.
Sorting of data Results data can be sorted in ascending or descending order. In addition, data sorting can be achieved by double-clicking on a header to sort by that column name. A second double-click on the same header will carry-out a reverse sort.
Saving to a spreadsheet The contents of the current tab or all tabs can be saved to a spreadsheet or to a text file.
Copying to the clipboard Selected cells or the whole grid can be copied to the clipboard.
Printing The Print option sends the contents of the active tab to the printer.


Manipulating printed loadcase results

Using a deformed mesh as the basis for a new analysis

A new menu item Utitilies > Mesh > Use deformations allows the deformed mesh caused by one analysis to be used as the starting point for a further analysis. A results file must be loaded in order to activate this menu item. The mesh may be tabulated with node coordinates computed from the deformations in the active loadcase multiplied by a specified factor.

This will benefit users who wish to include initial imperfections in a model prior to running a nonlinear step-by-step buckling analysis, or those involved in High Precision Moulding analysis.

File import of supported third-party software

ABAQUS input files and ANSYS data files can now be imported as the basis for creating a geometry-based or mesh-only model in LUSAS.

Draping and visualisation improvements for LUSAS Composite users

Specifying a draping offset

For LUSAS, FibreSIM and Simulayt Draped Solids and Shells layup methods an offset can be specified to allow a composite layup to be draped on a drape surface which lies within a component. For this situation, a Positive or Negative Offset can be specified according to the position of the drape surface. The Default option should be used when the drape surface is on the face of the component.

Extending the draping grid

LUSAS Draped Solids and Shells grids are automatically trimmed at Surface boundaries. FiberSIM and Simulayt generated grids are not. If required, the draping grid can be extended by one grid row to ensure the edges of the component are fully enclosed by the draping grid. For FiberSIM and Simulayt grids this is specified at the file import stage (accessed via the Attributes > Composite menu item). For LUSAS Draped Solids and Shells grids, this is done via the Draping options on the Model Properties dialog.


Example of FiberSIM or Simulayt generated draping grid (shown grey) being extended by one row	Example of LUSAS Draped Solids and Shells draping grid being trimmed to a surface boundary with infill triangular elements being created

Specifying a drape locking angle

When importing FiberSIM or Simulayt data, a locking angle may be specified so that if an imported grid has a skew angle greater than that specified, an error is generated.

Visualisation of draping grid and active composite layer

When visualising ply directions for a layer in a composite model (accesed via the Visualisations menu option for the Composites entry in the Attributes Treeview) two additional options are now available:

Draw grid - Shows the draping grid for the LUSAS, FiberSIM or Simulayt generated composite lamina name that is set active in the Attributes treeview.
Fill layer planes - Draws the layer in solid fill making it easier to visualise the layer's position within the model.

User Manuals

All relevant documentation has been updated for this new release and is provided in PDF format as part of any V14.6 software download file or on the V14.6 software CD. Changes have been made to the following manuals:

Modeller User Manual
Element Reference Manual
Application Manual (Bridge, Civil & Structural)
Application Examples Manual (Bridge, Civil & Structural)

Changes to Worked Examples

All examples have been reviewed and updated as required for this release. Of particular note are:

Bridge Slab Traffic Load Optimisation: updated to use LUSAS Traffic Load Optimisation with Eurocode EN1991-2 Recommended Values settings. Example also shows comparative results from using National Annex settings for the UK and Sweden.
Simple Grillage: updated to illustrate use of changes to Print Results Wizard

New Worked Example

Track-Structure Interaction to UIC774-3 : Examines the track-structure interaction between a braking train and a single span bridge to replicate (as far as the original test data allows) testcase E1-3 which can be found in Appendix D.1 of the UIC774-3 Code of Practice.

Potential issues for Windows 7 users opening PDF files referenced in CHM files

At the time of releasing the on-line help files for Version 14.6 it appears that some users on Windows 7 machines with IE9 installed may not be able to open the PDF files that are linked in the Contents panel of the LUSAS Modeller Online Help. "Microsoft HTML Help executable has stopped working" is reported when a PDF manual is clicked in the Contents panel.

If problems are found in opening these files in this way please note the following:

Uninstalling IE9 and re-installing IE8 has been found to allow the PDF files to be opened successfully from the Contents panel.
Other workarounds/solutions may be provided by Microsoft during the availability and support of this particular LUSAS software release.
All manuals are supplied in PDF format on the installation kit and these are normally installed into the <LUSAS Installation Folder> /Programs/PDF_Manuals folder.

Retired elements and facilities

None.