a users’ manual and tutorial for performing comet structural
TRANSCRIPT
NASA Contractor Report 201653
A Users’ Manual and Tutorial for Performing COMET Structural Analyses Using an Advanced User-Friendly Interface
Charles L. Blackburn, Christine G. Lotts, and Brian H. MasonAnalytical Services and Materials, Inc., Hampton, Virginia
Contract NAS1-19700
January 1997
National Aeronautics andSpace AdministrationLangley Research CenterHampton, Virginia 23681-0001
1
AC
E
A dv
ance
d
C
OM
ET
-Int
erfa
ce
E nv
iron
men
t
A U
SER
S' M
AN
UA
L A
ND
TU
TO
RIA
L F
OR
PE
RFO
RM
ING
CO
ME
T S
TR
UC
TU
RA
L A
NA
LY
SES
USI
NG
AN
AD
VA
NC
ED
USE
R-F
RIE
ND
LY
IN
TE
RFA
CE
Cha
rles
L. B
lack
burn
, Chr
istin
e G
. Lot
ts a
nd B
rian
H. M
ason
Ana
lytic
al S
ervi
ces
and
Mat
eria
ls, I
nc.
Ham
pton
, VA
A r
epor
t pre
pare
d fo
r th
e
Com
puta
tiona
l Mec
hani
cs B
ranc
h
NA
SA L
angl
ey R
esea
rch
Cen
ter
Fore
wor
d
Thi
s us
ers'
man
ual
desc
ribe
s th
e us
e of
a g
raph
ical
inte
rfac
e de
velo
ped
for
the
gene
ral p
urpo
se f
inite
ele
men
t sys
tem
, CO
ME
T.
The
re h
as b
een
som
e co
nsid
erat
ions
giv
en to
use
r-fr
iend
ly c
once
rns
in th
is d
evel
opm
ent a
nd th
ese
cons
ider
atio
ns w
ill c
ontin
ue a
nd
incr
ease
in p
rior
ity a
s th
e co
mpl
exity
of
the
anal
yses
incr
ease
s. W
hen
the
inte
rfac
e is
ful
ly u
ser-
frie
ndly
, it
will
not
be
nece
ssar
y to
wri
te t
his
user
s' m
anua
l.
2 Intr
oduc
tion
The
CO
ME
T s
oftw
are
syst
em is
a h
ighl
y m
odul
ar a
nd f
lexi
ble
stru
ctur
al a
naly
sis
syst
em f
or r
esea
rch
in c
ompu
tatio
nal m
etho
ds
and
for
expl
orat
ion
of n
ew m
ultip
roce
ssor
and
vec
tor
com
pute
r ha
rdw
are.
The
se a
ttrib
utes
: nam
ely,
mod
ular
ity a
nd f
lexi
bilit
y, m
ake
CO
ME
T a
ttrac
tive
to a
naly
sts,
res
earc
hers
, and
dev
elop
ers
in th
e st
ruct
ural
mec
hani
cs d
isci
plin
e. H
owev
er, t
hese
attr
ibut
es c
ontr
ibut
e to
the
com
plex
ity o
f th
e sy
stem
and
mak
e its
usa
ge d
iffi
cult
to g
rasp
. A
lthou
gh th
e en
gine
er/u
ser
who
wan
ts to
per
form
an
anal
ysis
may
unde
rsta
nd th
e da
ta r
equi
rem
ents
and
mat
hem
atic
al m
anip
ulat
ions
req
uire
d to
eff
ect h
is/h
er d
esir
ed r
esul
ts, h
e/sh
e m
ay n
ot b
e ab
le to
,
•id
entif
y th
e pr
oced
ures
and
/or
proc
esso
rs r
equi
red
for
a pa
rtic
ular
ana
lysi
s an
d th
eir
rela
ted
I/O
req
uire
men
ts a
nd
•in
tera
ct w
ith th
e co
mpu
ter
to e
xecu
te C
OM
ET
with
out e
xten
sive
trai
ning
, or
by r
eadi
ng a
pplic
able
doc
umen
tatio
n an
d/or
atte
ndin
g
clas
ses.
Con
sequ
ently
, a v
alua
ble
tool
is lo
st to
the
gene
ric
user
who
may
be
unw
illin
g or
una
ble
to a
ffor
d th
e tim
e on
the
lear
ning
cur
ve b
efor
e
they
can
per
form
mea
ning
ful a
naly
ses.
The
refo
re, t
he d
evel
opm
ent o
f a
user
-fri
endl
y in
terf
ace
will
per
mit
imm
edia
te e
xecu
tion
of th
e
prog
ram
by
a no
vice
use
r w
hile
pro
vidi
ng tr
aini
ng th
roug
h an
inte
ract
ive
quer
y m
ode
such
that
the
user
will
bec
ome
prof
icie
nt w
ith th
e
soft
war
e an
d ha
rdw
are.
Thi
s in
itial
dev
elop
men
t has
bee
n di
rect
ed to
war
d th
e ge
neri
c us
er w
ho w
ill b
e pe
rfor
min
g st
ruct
ural
ana
lyse
s on
a co
mpo
nent
or
an a
ssem
bly
of s
truc
tura
l com
pone
nts.
Fut
ure
deve
lopm
ent w
ill e
nhan
ce th
is u
ser-
frie
ndly
inte
rfac
e to
sup
port
the
deve
lopm
ent o
f th
e sy
stem
by
rese
arch
ers
and/
or c
ompu
ter
scie
ntis
ts.
AC
E (
A dv
ance
d
C
OM
ET
-Int
erfa
ce
E nv
iron
men
t) p
rovi
des
the
capa
bilit
y to
cre
ate
and
exec
ute
a C
OM
ET
run
stre
am f
ile b
y
inte
ract
ive
quer
y of
the
user
and
/or
pull
dow
n m
enu
sele
ctio
ns f
or d
efin
ing
the
I/O
and
the
type
of
anal
ysis
. T
wo
mod
es o
f in
tera
ctio
n
have
bee
n im
plem
ente
d; n
amel
y, "
QU
ER
Y"
(or
novi
ce)
and
"EX
PER
T".
Eac
h of
thes
e m
odes
onl
y ad
dres
ses
the
user
s' c
apab
ility
in
exer
cisi
ng th
e C
OM
ET
pro
gram
and
doe
s no
t ref
er to
thei
r ex
pert
ise
in p
erfo
rmin
g fi
nite
ele
men
t ana
lysi
s or
com
pute
r sy
stem
ope
ratio
ns.
In th
e Q
UE
RY
mod
e, th
e ru
nstr
eam
is c
reat
ed b
y qu
eryi
ng th
e us
er a
nd d
irec
ting
them
to th
e pr
oper
men
u se
lect
ions
. In
the
"EX
PER
T"
mod
e, it
is a
ssum
ed th
at th
e us
er is
fam
iliar
with
the
prog
ram
and
the
use
of w
indo
w-b
ased
app
licat
ion
soft
war
e.
Get
ting
Star
ted
The
AC
E d
evel
opm
ent i
s be
ing
done
on
a U
NIX
bas
ed D
EC
Stat
ion
5000
wor
ksta
tion.
The
app
licat
ion
soft
war
e ca
n be
por
ted
to
othe
r U
NIX
bas
ed w
orks
tatio
ns a
nd m
ainf
ram
es w
hich
sup
port
X-w
indo
ws
and
Mot
if.
The
hos
t com
pute
r m
ust h
ave
suff
icie
nt m
emor
y,
3
both
RA
M a
nd h
ard
disk
, to
satis
fy th
e re
quir
emen
ts o
f bo
th A
CE
and
CO
ME
T.
The
use
r ca
n ru
n A
CE
fro
m a
rem
ote
X w
orks
tatio
n su
ch
as a
Mac
into
sh w
ith M
acX
(ve
rsio
n 1.
2 or
hig
her)
or
a U
NIX
bas
ed w
orks
tatio
n w
ith a
n X
win
dow
ser
ver
runn
ing.
Thi
s Ph
ase
1 im
plem
enta
tion
has
been
res
tric
ted
to p
erfo
rmin
g lin
ear
stat
ic a
naly
ses
on s
tiffe
ned
shel
l str
uctu
res
mad
e of
isot
ropi
c
mat
eria
ls.
It is
ass
umed
that
the
geom
etry
(no
des
and
elem
ents
) of
the
fini
te e
lem
ent m
odel
hav
e be
en p
revi
ousl
y de
fine
d by
a P
AT
RA
N
exer
cise
or
have
bee
n st
ored
in a
CO
ME
T d
ata
base
file
. Fu
rthe
r, th
e PA
TR
AN
neu
tral
file
may
con
tain
con
stra
int,
load
s, a
nd e
lem
ent
orie
ntat
ion
data
and
the
CO
ME
T d
ata
base
file
may
con
tain
all
the
abov
e in
add
ition
to m
ater
ial a
nd s
ectio
n pr
oper
ty d
ata.
The
se f
iles
mus
t exi
st o
n th
e sa
me
com
pute
r w
here
AC
E is
bei
ng e
xecu
ted.
Setu
p W
orks
tatio
n to
Exe
cute
AC
E
AC
E is
exe
cute
d on
a U
NIX
hos
t com
pute
r w
here
CO
ME
T a
lso
resi
des.
It's
win
dow
s ar
e di
spla
yed
on a
rem
ote
X W
indo
w
wor
ksta
tion.
It c
an b
e in
itiat
ed in
one
of
two
way
s. T
he f
irst
way
is to
log
in to
the
host
com
pute
r w
ith th
e "t
elne
t" o
r "r
logi
n" c
omm
and
in a
n xt
erm
win
dow
, the
n on
ce lo
gged
in, e
xecu
te A
CE
with
the
"run
_ace
" co
mm
and.
The
sec
ond
way
is to
exe
cute
a r
emot
e sh
ell t
o th
e
host
com
pute
r, f
or e
xam
ple:
rsh blackbird "setenv DISPLAY workstation:0.0; /usr/bin/X11/xterm -ls -e /csm/bin/run_ace working_directory"
whe
re workstation:0.0
sho
uld
be th
e ne
twor
k ad
dres
s an
d sc
reen
of
your
wor
ksta
tion'
s X
-ser
ver.
The
working_directory
para
met
er s
houl
d be
the
nam
e of
the
dire
ctor
y yo
u w
ant t
o w
ork
in o
n th
e ho
st c
ompu
ter;
it c
an b
e om
itted
if y
ou w
ant t
o w
ork
in y
our
hom
e di
rect
ory.
On
a M
acin
tosh
wor
ksta
tion
runn
ing
Mac
X v
ersi
on 1
.2, y
ou c
an s
et u
p th
e co
mm
and
to b
e ex
ecut
ed o
n bl
ackb
ird
as f
ollo
ws:
setenv DISPLAY "workstation:0.0"; /usr/bin/X11/xterm -ls -e /csm/bin/run_ace "working_directory"
4
whe
re "workstation:0.0" i
s th
e ne
twor
k ad
dres
s a
nd s
cree
n of
you
r w
orks
tatio
n's
X-s
erve
r. Y
ou c
an s
ubst
itute
"®display"
(®
is ty
ped
by h
oldi
ng d
own
the
optio
n ke
y an
d st
riki
ng th
e r-
key)
in p
lace
of
"workstation:0.0"
and
Mac
X w
ill p
lace
the
corr
ect
info
rmat
ion
for
you.
The
"working_directory"
para
met
er s
houl
d be
the
nam
e of
the
dire
ctor
y yo
u w
ant t
o w
ork
in o
n th
e ho
st
com
pute
r; it
can
be
omitt
ed if
you
wan
t to
wor
k in
you
r ho
me
dire
ctor
y .
Sele
ctin
g th
e L
evel
of
Inte
ract
ion
As
men
tione
d ea
rlie
r, A
CE
can
be
run
in tw
o m
odes
of
inte
ract
ion,
"Q
UE
RY
" or
"E
XPE
RT
". T
o be
gin
exec
utio
n of
AC
E, t
ype
run_
ace
-e
C/R
to
exe
cute
AC
E in
the
"EX
PER
T"
mod
e
run_
ace
-q
C/R
to
exe
cute
AC
E in
the
"QU
ER
Y"
(def
ault)
mod
e
whi
ch th
en b
ring
s up
the
AC
E m
ain
win
dow
, sho
wn
in F
igur
e 1.
5
Mai
n M
enu
Bar
Stat
us B
ar"r
adio
" B
utto
ns
Fig
ure
1
•T
he h
oriz
onta
l bar
whi
ch s
pans
the
wid
th o
f th
e m
ain
win
dow
is th
e
m
enu
bar
with
pul
l-do
wn
men
us f
or f
requ
ently
use
d fu
nctio
ns.
•T
he in
term
edia
te r
egio
n be
low
the
men
ubar
is th
e co
ntro
l are
a w
ith "
radi
o " b
utto
ns f
or th
e su
b-gr
oups
of
prob
lem
def
initi
on.
•In
the
low
er le
ft c
orne
r of
the
mai
n m
enu
win
dow
, bel
ow th
e co
ntro
l are
a is
an
info
rmat
ion
box,
cal
led
the
"sta
tus
bar"
. T
he m
ode
of
inte
ract
ion,
the
curr
ent d
irec
tory
(in
this
cas
e, w
ork)
whe
re th
e fi
nite
ele
men
t mod
el r
esid
es, t
he n
ame
of th
e m
odel
file
, and
the
type
of a
naly
sis
are
disp
laye
d in
the
stat
us b
ar.
The
"Q
UE
RY
" m
ode
will
giv
e th
e us
er d
etai
led
info
rmat
ion
on h
ow to
pro
ceed
thro
ugh
the
men
us in
a p
re-d
efin
ed s
tep
by s
tep
man
ner
to
form
ulat
e or
mod
ify
and
exec
ute
the
runs
trea
m.
The
"E
XPE
RT
" m
ode
perm
its th
e us
er to
mak
e hi
s/he
r ow
n se
lect
ions
, with
out g
uida
nce,
fro
m th
e to
p-le
vel m
enu
and
cont
rol a
rea.
6
For
the
pres
ent e
xerc
ise,
exe
cute
AC
E in
the
"QU
ER
Y"
mod
e by
ent
erin
g,
run_
ace
-q
C/R
*
* B
old
Let
teri
ng in
dica
tes
a re
spon
se b
y th
e us
er.
7
AC
E R
oad
Map
The
bas
ic p
roce
dure
to b
e pe
rfor
med
in A
CE
is o
utlin
ed in
the
tabl
e ab
ove.
The
ste
ps r
equi
red
for
crea
ting
and
exec
utin
g a
CO
ME
T a
naly
sis
are
liste
d in
the
orde
r th
at th
ey s
houl
d be
per
form
ed, a
nd th
e A
CE
scr
een
com
pone
nts
used
to in
itiat
e th
e ac
tions
are
show
n. D
etai
led
disc
ussi
on o
f th
e sc
reen
s an
d da
ta is
pre
sent
ed la
ter
in th
is r
epor
t.
Fun
ctio
nA
CE
Scr
een
Com
pone
nt
Spec
ify
anal
ysis
type
Men
u B
ar/A
naly
sis
Inpu
t Mod
el g
eom
etry
Men
u B
ar/F
ile/O
pen
Mod
el D
atab
ase
Sele
ct C
OM
ET
ele
men
tsD
efin
e E
lem
ents
Dia
log
Exa
min
e in
itial
mod
el (
optio
nal)
CO
ME
T G
raph
ics
Proc
esso
r M
enus
Def
ine
mat
eria
l pro
pert
ies
Mat
eria
ls "
radi
o" B
utto
n
Def
ine
sect
ion
prop
ertie
sSe
ctio
n Pr
ops.
"ra
dio"
But
ton
Def
ine/
mod
ify
boun
dary
con
ditio
nsB
C "
radi
o" B
utto
n
Sele
ct a
naly
sis
optio
nsM
enu
Bar
/Pre
fere
nces
/Ana
lysi
s
Exe
cute
Exe
cute
"ra
dio"
But
ton
Post
-pro
cess
res
ults
(op
tiona
l)R
esul
ts "
radi
o" B
utto
n
Don
eM
enu
Bar
/Qui
t
8
Fig
ure
2
Sele
ctin
g th
e T
ype
of S
truc
tura
l Ana
lysi
s
T
he s
cree
n w
ill n
ow a
ppea
r as
sho
wn
in F
igur
e 2
with
the
"HE
LP"
win
dow
in
the
uppe
r ri
ght h
and
corn
er w
hich
is th
e us
ual
loca
tion.
•T
he H
EL
P w
indo
w h
as a
whi
te b
ackg
roun
d an
d co
ntai
ns d
etai
led
inst
ruct
ions
.
• I
t is
note
d th
at th
e "Q
UE
RY
" se
lect
ion
has
been
iden
tifie
d in
the
"sta
tus
bar"
.
Aft
er r
eadi
ng th
e op
erat
iona
l ins
truc
tions
for
the
mou
se a
nd d
ata
entr
ies,
the
user
is in
stru
cted
to c
lick
on th
e A
NA
LY
SIS
men
u ite
m
(whi
ch h
as b
een
high
light
ed)
and
then
sel
ect a
n A
NA
LY
SIS
type
. C
lick
on "
AN
AL
YSI
S".
Not
e: O
n oc
casi
ons,
the
"HE
LP"
win
dow
may
be
"low
ered
" be
low
the
mai
n w
indo
w.
Clic
k on
"H
elp"
but
ton
to r
aise
it to
the
top.
9
Fig
ure
3
Whe
n th
e m
ouse
is c
licke
d on
top
of th
e A
NA
LY
SIS
men
u ite
m,
the
sub-
men
u w
indo
w e
ntitl
ed "
AN
AL
YSI
S O
PTIO
NS
ME
NU
"
is o
pene
d as
sho
wn
in F
igur
e 3.
•Se
vera
l ana
lysi
s op
tions
are
list
ed.
•So
me
men
u ite
ms
can
be s
elec
ted
to r
evea
l ano
ther
leve
l of
men
us (
as in
dica
ted
by th
e th
ree
dots
fol
low
ing
the
nam
e of
the
men
u
item
).
•A
ll ite
ms
exce
pt f
or L
INE
AR
ST
AT
IC a
ppea
r gr
ay in
col
or a
s th
ey h
ave
not b
een
impl
emen
ted
as y
et, b
ut a
re p
lann
ed f
or la
ter
rele
ases
.
Clic
k on
"L
inea
r St
atic
" to
spe
cify
the
anal
ysis
type
to b
e us
ed f
or th
is s
essi
on.
10
Fig
ure
4
Sele
ctin
g th
e Fi
nite
Ele
men
t Mod
el F
ile
The
"st
atus
bar
" in
Fig
ure
4 in
dica
tes
the
sele
ctio
n of
"L
inea
r St
atic
" an
alys
is a
nd th
e "H
EL
P" w
indo
w d
irec
ts th
e us
er to
clic
k on
the
FIL
E m
enu
item
(w
hich
is n
ow h
ighl
ight
ed)
to s
elec
t a f
inite
ele
men
t mod
el f
ile th
at c
urre
ntly
exi
sts
on th
is c
ompu
ter
whe
re A
CE
is
bein
g ex
ecut
ed.
Clic
k on
"F
ile".
11
Fig
ure
5
Aft
er c
licki
ng o
n FI
LE
, the
pul
l-do
wn
men
u ca
lled
"FIL
ES
ME
NU
" ap
pear
s as
sho
wn
in F
igur
e 5.
The
gra
y m
enu
item
s ar
e no
t
avai
labl
e fo
r se
lect
ion
at th
is ti
me
eith
er b
ecau
se th
ey a
re n
ot r
equi
red
at th
e pr
esen
t tim
e, o
r th
ey h
ave
not b
een
impl
emen
ted
as y
et.
The
user
has
bee
n in
stru
cted
to s
elec
t a m
odel
file
; the
refo
re, c
lick
on "
Ope
n M
odel
Dat
abas
e".
Thi
s se
lect
ion
will
cau
se a
ll fi
les
with
a "
pat"
(PA
TR
AN
neu
tral
file
s) o
r "d
bc"
(CO
ME
T d
atab
ase
file
s) e
xten
sion
to b
e se
lect
ed f
rom
the
dire
ctor
y id
entif
ied
in th
e "s
tatu
s
bar"
( in
this
exa
mpl
e, t
he d
irec
tory
is "
wor
k").
As
prev
ious
ly m
entio
ned,
the
thre
e (3
) do
ts f
ollo
win
g a
men
u ite
m in
dica
tes
that
ano
ther
leve
l of
inte
ract
ive
user
res
pons
e fo
llow
s.
For
this
exe
rcis
e, th
e pr
evio
us a
ctio
n op
ened
up
the
win
dow
sho
wn
in F
igur
e 6(
a).
•T
he "
HE
LP"
win
dow
ins
truc
ts th
e us
er to
clic
k on
the
"rad
io"
butto
n de
sign
atin
g th
e fi
le ty
pe c
onta
inin
g th
e m
odel
file
.
•T
he d
efau
lt se
lect
ion
is P
AT
RA
N N
eutr
al F
iles.
•C
licki
ng o
n ea
ch d
ispl
ays
a lis
t of
file
s o
f th
e co
rres
pond
ing
type
ava
ilabl
e in
the
wor
king
dir
ecto
ry.
12
•In
the
even
t tha
t the
mod
el f
iles
are
cont
aine
d in
a d
iffe
rent
dir
ecto
ry th
an th
e w
orki
ng d
irec
tory
, the
use
r ca
n na
viga
te th
e fi
le s
yste
m
to th
e de
sire
d di
rect
ory
by c
licki
ng o
n th
e "O
ne L
evel
Abo
ve"
or "
One
Lev
el B
elow
" as
man
y tim
es a
s ar
e re
quir
ed.
•H
avin
g lo
cate
d th
e de
sire
d m
odel
file
(w
hich
may
req
uire
usi
ng th
e sc
roll
bars
if th
ere
are
too
man
y fi
les
to a
ppea
r in
the
win
dow
),
plac
e th
e cu
rsor
on
top
of t
he f
ile (
for
this
exa
mpl
e, "
dem
o1"
or "
dem
o2")
and
clic
k.
•T
his
will
hig
hlig
ht th
e se
lect
ed f
ile n
ame.
T
he f
ile n
ame
is a
lso
disp
laye
d in
the
" Se
lect
ion "
fie
ld b
elow
the
"rad
io"
butto
ns (
Fig.
6
(b))
.
•T
he n
ame
and
iden
tific
atio
n o
f th
e fi
le w
ill a
ppea
r in
the
"HE
LP"
win
dow
(Fi
g. 6
(b)
).
•Y
ou c
an c
hang
e th
e se
lect
ion
by s
crol
ling
thro
ugh
the
list o
f fi
le n
ames
and
sel
ectin
g an
othe
r fi
le b
y pl
acin
g th
e cu
rsor
on
the
file
nam
e an
d cl
icki
ng to
sel
ect.
Clic
king
on
"Can
cel"
cau
ses
the
file
sel
ectio
n pr
oces
s to
term
inat
e w
ithou
t a f
ile b
eing
sel
ecte
d.
Now
, clic
k on
"Se
lect
" to
sel
ect t
he id
entif
ied
file
13
Fig
ure
6 (a
)
14
F
igur
e 6
(b)
Fig
ure
6 (c
)
At t
his
poin
t, a
smal
l "in
fo"
win
dow
, in
the
cent
er o
f th
e sc
reen
, di
rect
s th
e us
er to
wai
t whi
le th
e de
sign
ated
file
is b
eing
proc
esse
d to
ext
ract
the
data
des
crib
ing
the
fini
te e
lem
ent m
odel
. (T
he p
rese
nt P
AT
RA
N p
roce
ssor
doe
s no
t rec
ogni
ze s
ome
load
ing
data
such
a d
istr
ibut
ed lo
ads,
mor
e th
an o
ne lo
ad o
r co
nstr
aint
cas
e, m
ater
ial p
rope
rtie
s, a
nd s
ectio
n pr
oper
ties.
) S
ee A
ppen
dix
A f
or a
disc
ussi
on o
f ho
w th
e ne
utra
l file
dat
a is
ass
ocia
ted
with
CO
ME
T m
odel
ing
capa
bilit
ies.
15
Gen
erat
ing
the
Run
stre
am f
or D
efin
ing
the
Fini
te E
lem
ent M
odel
Ele
men
t Sel
ectio
n
As
show
n in
Fig
ure
7 (a
), th
e "s
tatu
s ba
r" r
efle
cts
the
nam
e of
the
file
sel
ecte
d an
d th
e "H
EL
P" w
indo
w d
escr
ibes
the
step
s to
follo
w in
sel
ectin
g th
e C
OM
ET
ele
men
t for
mul
atio
ns.
The
se s
teps
are
rei
tera
ted
in a
n ab
brev
iate
d fo
rm in
the
"Def
ine
Ele
men
ts"
win
dow
alon
g w
ith th
e na
me
of th
e m
odel
file
in w
hich
the
elem
ent t
ypes
wer
e fo
und.
Sinc
e th
e el
emen
t typ
es a
re p
urel
y a
func
tion
of th
e ge
omet
ry, i
t is
nece
ssar
y to
sel
ect a
n el
emen
t for
mul
atio
n th
at w
ill d
escr
ibe
the
resp
onse
of
a st
ruct
ural
com
pone
nt r
epre
sent
ed b
y th
is f
inite
ele
men
t mod
el.
For
exa
mpl
e, in
som
e si
tuat
ions
a 2
-nod
e ro
d el
emen
t tha
t
carr
ies
an a
xial
load
onl
y m
ay b
e pr
efer
red
over
the
mor
e co
mpl
ex 2
-nod
e be
am th
at c
arri
es a
xial
and
she
ar lo
ads
and
bend
ing
and
tors
iona
l mom
ents
. T
hese
ele
men
t typ
es c
an b
e
(a)
2-no
de b
eam
ele
men
ts,
(b)
3, 4
, and
9-n
ode
plat
e an
d sh
ell e
lem
ents
,
(c)
8, 1
0 an
d 20
-nod
e so
lid e
lem
ents
and
/or
(d)
12 a
nd 1
5-no
de s
hell-
to-s
olid
tran
sitio
n el
emen
ts (
not i
mpl
emen
ted
in th
e cu
rren
t PA
TR
AN
tran
slat
or).
Sele
ct a
n "e
lem
ent
type
" (t
he s
elec
tion
will
be
high
light
ed)
from
the
top
win
dow
. A
list
of
avai
labl
e C
OM
ET
ele
men
ts
corr
espo
ndin
g to
this
nod
al a
rran
gem
ent w
ill a
ppea
r in
the
win
dow
bel
ow th
e "E
lem
ent T
ypes
" (F
ig. 7
(b)
). A
"H
elp"
win
dow
(Fi
g. 7
(c)
)
will
app
ear
in th
e us
ual l
ocat
ion.
Clic
king
on
a pa
rtic
ular
ele
men
t will
hig
hlig
ht th
at s
elec
tion
(Fig
. 7 (
d))
and
info
rmat
ion
desc
ribi
ng th
e fo
rmul
atio
n of
the
elem
ent
and
the
reco
mm
ende
d us
e w
ill b
e di
spla
yed
in th
e "E
lem
ent I
nfor
mat
ion"
win
dow
(Fi
g. 7
(f
)) w
hich
is in
the
cent
ral p
art o
f th
e sc
reen
.
As
expl
aine
d in
the
"Hel
p" w
indo
w (
Fig.
7 (
e)),
ano
ther
sel
ectio
n ca
n be
mad
e if
aft
er r
eadi
ng th
is in
form
atio
n yo
u fi
nd th
at th
e el
emen
t
does
not
sat
isfy
you
r m
odel
ing
requ
irem
ents
. (A
t thi
s tim
e, A
CE
can
onl
y ac
com
mod
ate
a si
ngle
ele
men
t for
mul
atio
n fo
r ea
ch e
lem
ent
geom
etry
.)
Onc
e a
CO
ME
T e
lem
ent h
as b
een
sele
cted
for
a p
artic
ular
ele
men
t geo
met
ry, r
etur
n to
the
"Def
ine
Ele
men
ts"
win
dow
(Fi
g. 7
(g)
)
and
cont
inue
to s
peci
fy a
CO
ME
T e
lem
ent f
or a
ll re
mai
ning
ele
men
ts g
eom
etry
fou
nd in
the
mod
el f
ile (
Figs
. 7 (
h) a
nd 7
(i)
) un
til th
e
entir
e lis
t is
exha
uste
d. T
he s
elec
tions
do
not h
ave
to b
e do
ne in
ord
er a
nd c
an b
e ch
ange
d. R
efer
ring
to th
e in
stru
ctio
ns in
the
"Hel
p"
16
win
dow
(Fi
g. 7
(e)
), c
lick
on "
Acc
ept"
. Fi
nally
, the
use
r is
ask
ed to
con
firm
his
/her
ele
men
t sel
ectio
ns o
r re
peat
som
e or
all
of th
e
prio
r st
eps.
Clic
k on
the
app
ropr
iate
but
ton.
17
Fig
ure
7 (a
)
18
Fig
ure
7(b)
Fig
ure
7(c
)
19
Fig
ure
7(d)
Fig
ure
7(e)
Fig
ure
7(f)
20
Fig
ure
7 (g
)
Fig
ure
7 (
h)
21
Fig
ure
7 (i
)
Fig
ure
7 (j
)
Ass
umin
g th
at th
e ne
cess
ary
and
rel
evan
t ele
men
ts h
ave
been
acc
epte
d, t
he u
ser
is a
dvis
ed to
wai
t (se
e Fi
g. 8
) an
d th
en th
e fi
nite
Fig
ure
8
elem
ent
mod
el is
dis
play
ed in
a C
OM
ET
Gra
phic
s (C
Gx)
win
dow
as
show
n in
Fig
ure
9 (a
) al
ong
with
the
"mai
n m
enu"
and
"H
elp"
win
dow
s. T
he C
Gx
win
dow
has
its
own
set o
f m
enus
and
its
gene
ral u
se w
ill n
ot b
e do
cum
ente
d he
rein
. T
he "
Hel
p" w
indo
w i
nfor
ms
the
user
of
the
num
ber
of s
ectio
n ty
pes
that
hav
e be
en id
entif
ied
(one
for
"de
mo1
" an
d tw
o fo
r "d
emo2
") a
nd d
irec
ts th
e us
er to
clic
k on
the
high
light
ed "
Mat
eria
ls"
"rad
io"
butto
n in
the
cont
rol a
rea.
Clic
k on
the
"ra
dio"
but
ton
adja
cent
to
"Mat
eria
ls"
(it w
ill
glow
red
).
22
Mat
eria
l Pro
pert
ies
Def
initi
on
Sele
ctin
g th
e M
ater
ials
"ra
dio"
but
ton
disp
lays
a "
MA
TE
RIA
LS
SEL
EC
TIO
N D
IAL
OG
" w
indo
w, a
long
with
an
upda
ted
"Hel
p"
win
dow
(Fi
g. 9
(b)
). F
ollo
win
g th
e di
rect
ions
giv
en in
the
"Hel
p" w
indo
w,
•T
o se
lect
a m
ater
ial t
ype,
clic
k on
the
"op
tion
" bu
tton
labe
led
"Iso
trop
ic",
the
defa
ult m
ater
ial t
ype.
•A
n op
tion
men
u w
ill a
ppea
r lis
ting
seve
ral m
ater
ial t
ypes
suc
h as
Iso
trop
ic, O
rtho
trop
ic, P
last
icity
, 2-D
Ani
sotr
opic
, 3-D
Ani
sotr
opic
,
and
Com
posi
te.
The
mat
eria
l typ
es s
how
n in
gra
y ha
ve n
ot b
een
impl
emen
ted.
•T
he u
ser
is n
ow a
sked
abo
ut th
e lo
catio
n of
the
mat
eria
ls d
ata.
In
othe
r w
ords
, doe
s th
e da
ta r
esid
e on
a a
rchi
ved
data
base
(av
aila
ble
in th
is w
orki
ng d
irec
tory
) or
mus
t the
dat
a be
ent
ered
usi
ng th
e ke
yboa
rd.
•T
o de
fine
a n
ew m
ater
ial (
whi
ch is
the
defa
ult)
, an
swer
"Y
es"
to th
e se
cond
que
stio
n.
•T
o se
lect
a m
ater
ial f
rom
an
arch
ived
mat
eria
ls d
atab
ase,
clic
k on
the
"ra
dio"
but
ton
next
to
"Yes
" a
fter
the
firs
t que
stio
n.
The
but
ton
will
glo
w r
ed.
The
ans
wer
to "
Def
ine
A N
ew M
ater
ial?
" w
ill a
utom
atic
ally
be
set t
o "N
o".
•A
mod
ifie
d "M
AT
ER
IAL
S SE
LE
CT
ION
DIA
LO
G"
win
dow
(Fi
g. 9
(d)
) th
at a
lso
refl
ects
the
new
hel
p m
essa
ges
is d
ispl
ayed
. T
he
user
is in
stru
cted
to c
lick
on "
File
s" m
enu
and
then
sel
ect
the
"Ope
n M
ater
ial D
atab
ase"
opt
ion
(Fig
. 9 (
e)).
Thi
s ac
tion
open
s th
e "M
ater
ial D
atab
ase
Sele
ctio
n" w
indo
w (
Fig.
9 (
f))
whi
ch li
sts
all t
he m
ater
ial d
atab
ase
file
s (t
hose
with
the
file
exte
nsio
n, "
mat
").
•Se
lect
the
desi
red
mat
eria
ls d
atab
ase
file
by
clic
king
on
the
nam
e of
the
file
("m
ater
ials
.mat
" fo
r th
is e
xam
ple)
. T
he s
elec
tion
is
high
light
ed (
Fig.
9 (
g)).
•T
he n
ames
of
the
mat
eria
ls o
f th
e se
lect
ed m
ater
ial t
ype
avai
labl
e in
the
sele
cted
mat
eria
ls f
ile a
re li
sted
in a
scr
olla
ble
sub-
win
dow
of
the
"MA
TE
RIA
LS
SEL
EC
TIO
N D
IAL
OG
" w
indo
w ti
tled
"Mat
eria
ls in
Dat
abas
e Fi
le:"
(Fi
g 9
(h))
.
•T
o se
lect
a m
ater
ial f
or a
dditi
on to
the
runs
trea
m, p
lace
cur
sor
on t
op o
f th
at m
ater
ial a
nd c
lick.
The
sel
ectio
n w
ill b
e
high
light
ed (
Fig
9 (i
)) a
nd w
ill a
ppea
r im
med
iate
ly in
the
sub-
win
dow
cal
led
"Mat
eria
ls S
elec
ted
For
Com
puta
tion:
".
23
•T
he p
rope
rtie
s of
the
high
light
ed m
ater
ial c
an b
e vi
ewed
or
mod
ifie
d. C
lick
on "
Mat
eria
ls P
rope
rtie
s ...
" to
ope
n a
new
win
dow
(Fi
g. 9
(k)
) id
entif
ied
by th
e na
me
of th
e se
lect
ed m
ater
ial.
All
data
in th
is s
crol
labl
e w
indo
w, i
nclu
ding
the
mat
eria
l nam
e,
can
be m
odif
ied.
•T
o m
odif
y, d
oubl
e-cl
ick
or d
rag
with
mou
se b
utto
n pr
esse
d on
the
text
are
a. T
ype
over
the
high
light
ed a
rea
to r
epla
ce te
xt.
Clic
k on
"OK
" bu
tton
or e
nter
a c
arri
age
retu
rn to
acc
ept d
ata
chan
ge o
r "C
ance
l" b
utto
n to
neg
ate
the
chan
ge.
Clic
king
on
the
"App
ly"
butto
n
save
s th
e ch
ange
s an
d ex
its a
nd c
licki
ng o
n th
e "C
ance
l" b
utto
n qu
its w
ithou
t sav
ing
the
mod
ific
atio
ns.
Clic
k on
the
"A
pply
" bu
tton
.
Aft
er c
ompl
etin
g th
e m
ater
ials
spe
cifi
catio
ns,
clic
k on
the
"D
one"
but
ton
to r
etur
n to
the
mai
n m
enu.
24
Fig
ure
9 (a
)
25
Fig
ure
9 (b
)
26
Fig
ure
9(c)
F
igur
e 9(
d)
27
Fig
ure
9 (e
)
28
F
igur
e 9(
f)
Fig
ure
9(g
)
29
Fig
ure
9(h)
Fig
ure
9(i)
30
Fig
ure
9(j)
F
igur
e 9(
k)
31
Ass
igni
ng M
ater
ial a
nd S
ectio
n Pr
oper
ties
to th
e Fi
nite
Ele
men
ts
Hav
ing
sele
cted
the
mat
eria
ls w
hich
will
be
used
in f
orm
ulat
ing
the
fini
te e
lem
ent m
odel
, the
se m
ater
ials
and
sec
tion
prop
ertie
s
mus
t be
assi
gned
to th
e pr
evio
usly
def
ined
ele
men
t typ
es.
In th
is e
xam
ple,
all
EX
43 e
lem
ents
will
be
assi
gned
the
sam
e m
ater
ial (
Al
6061
-T6)
and
sec
tion
prop
ertie
s (0
.1"
thic
k).
The
abi
lity
to g
roup
ele
men
ts (
i.e.;
spar
s, r
ibs,
win
g sk
ins,
fus
elag
e fr
ames
, fus
elag
e sk
ins,
floo
rs, b
ulkh
eads
, etc
.) w
ill b
e in
clud
ed in
a la
ter
vers
ion
of A
CE
. T
he s
ectio
n pr
oper
ty id
entif
iers
whi
ch m
ust h
ave
data
def
ined
in th
is
step
are
ass
ocia
ted
with
the
elem
ent "
pid'
s" f
ound
in th
e PA
TR
AN
neu
tral
file
. Fo
r th
e m
ost s
impl
e m
odel
with
onl
y a
sing
le s
ectio
n
prop
erty
, onl
y on
e pr
oper
ty id
entif
ier
mus
t be
defi
ned.
The
"H
elp"
win
dow
(Fi
g. 1
0 (a
)) in
form
s th
e us
er o
f th
e nu
mbe
r of
sec
tion
type
s th
at h
ave
been
iden
tifie
d (o
ne f
or "
dem
o1"
and
two
for
"dem
o2")
and
dir
ects
the
user
to c
lick
on "
Sect
ion
Prop
s" in
the
cont
rol a
rea.
Clic
k on
the
"ra
dio"
but
ton
next
to
"Sec
tion
Pro
ps"
(gl
ows
red)
. Se
lect
ing
the
"Sec
tion
Prop
s" "
radi
o" b
utto
n di
spla
ys a
"SE
CT
ION
PR
OPE
RT
IES"
win
dow
alo
ng w
ith
an u
pdat
ed "
Hel
p" w
indo
w (
Fig.
10
(b))
. T
he "
SEC
TIO
N P
RO
PER
TIE
S" w
indo
w h
as,
•an
abb
revi
ated
for
m o
f th
e "H
elp"
inst
ruct
ions
;
•tw
o sc
rolle
d lis
t win
dow
s, o
ne to
hol
d th
e lis
t of
sect
ion
prop
erty
ids,
the
othe
r to
hol
d a
list o
f m
ater
ials
sel
ecte
d fo
r co
mpu
tatio
n;
•an
opt
ion
men
u to
def
ine
the
sect
ion
type
(H
omog
eneo
us, L
amin
ate,
Bea
m, C
ontin
uum
); a
nd
•tw
o pu
sh b
utto
ns c
alle
d "S
ectio
n Pr
oper
ties.
.." a
nd "
Don
e", o
ne f
or a
ssig
ning
mat
eria
l and
sec
tion
prop
ertie
s to
the
elem
ents
and
the
othe
r to
exi
t.
32
Fig
ure
10(a
)
33
Fig
ure
10(b
)
34
Fig
ure
10(c
)
F
igur
e 10
(d)
35
Fig
ure
10(e
)
F
igur
e 10
(f)
36
Follo
win
g th
e di
rect
ions
giv
en in
the
"Hel
p" w
indo
w,
•se
lect
a S
ectio
n ID
for
def
initi
on, p
lace
the
cur
sor
on t
op o
f a
Sect
ion
ID f
rom
the
Sec
tion
Pro
pert
y Id
. Lis
t an
dcl
ick
(Fig
. 10
(c))
whi
ch g
ives
the
follo
win
g re
sults
:
•th
e se
lect
ed S
ectio
n ID
is h
ighl
ight
ed,
•th
e as
soci
ated
ele
men
t typ
e is
iden
tifie
d by
the
labe
l
T
he E
lem
ent T
ype
Is :
(9 N
ode
Qua
drila
tera
l in
this
exa
mpl
e),
•
T
he T
ype
of S
ectio
n Is
: "o
ptio
n" m
enu'
s de
faul
t val
ue is
set
to th
e de
faul
t typ
e fo
r th
at e
lem
ent t
ype
( Hom
ogen
eous
in th
is
exam
ple)
and
•th
e us
er is
inst
ruct
ed to
sel
ect a
mat
eria
l fro
m th
e "D
efin
ed M
ater
ials
Lis
t:" a
s in
dica
ted
by F
igur
es 1
0 (
c) a
nd (
d).
Aft
er h
ighl
ight
ing
the
mat
eria
l sel
ectio
n (F
ig. 1
0 (e
)), a
new
"H
elp"
win
dow
(Fi
g. 1
0 (f
)) a
dvis
es th
e us
er a
bout
the
sect
ion
type
s
avai
labl
e an
d th
en in
stru
cts
him
/her
to c
lick
on t
he "
Sect
ion
Pro
pert
ies
..."
butt
on.
A d
ata
inpu
t win
dow
(Fi
g. 1
0 (g
)) ti
tled
with
the
sele
cted
sec
tion
type
("H
omog
eneo
us",
in th
is e
xam
ple)
is n
ow o
pene
d an
d th
e
sec
tion
and
the
mat
eria
l ide
ntif
icat
ion
num
bers
are
fill
ed in
the
corr
espo
ndin
g fi
elds
as
desc
ribe
d in
the
"Hel
p" w
indo
w (
Fig.
10
(h))
The
"Hel
p" w
indo
w a
lso
lists
the
rem
aini
ng in
put r
equi
rem
ents
for
the
sect
ion
prop
ertie
s of
this
par
ticul
ar e
lem
ent t
ype
.
Inst
ruct
ions
for
ent
erin
g or
mod
ifyi
ng d
ata
in th
ese
inpu
t win
dow
s w
as d
iscu
ssed
ear
lier
whe
n de
scri
bing
mat
eria
l pro
pert
ies.
Aft
er c
ompl
etin
g th
e da
ta in
put (
a th
ickn
ess
of 0
.1 in
. was
use
d fo
r th
is e
xam
ple)
, clic
k on
the
"A
pply
" bu
tton
. T
he u
ser
now
rev
erts
to th
e "S
EC
TIO
N P
RO
PER
TIE
S" w
indo
w a
nd s
elec
ts a
noth
er s
ectio
n pr
oper
ty I
D u
ntil
the
list i
s ex
haus
ted.
37
Fig
ure
10(g
)
F
igur
e 10
(h)
For
the
"dem
o2"
PAT
RA
N m
odel
file
, the
sec
ond
sect
ion
ID r
epre
sent
s a
Bar
/Bea
m, a
s in
dica
ted
by th
e ye
llow
text
, (Fi
g.. 1
0 (i
))
and
" The
Typ
e of
Sec
tion
is: "
has
bee
n se
t to
"Bea
m".
Jus
t lik
e be
fore
, sel
ecti
ng t
he m
ater
ial a
nd th
en c
licki
ng o
n "S
ecti
onP
rope
rtie
s ...
" bu
tton
will
ope
n th
e da
ta in
put w
indo
w (
Fig.
10
(j))
that
is ti
tled
"Bea
m"
and
•di
spla
ys th
e id
entif
icat
ion
num
bers
of
the
sect
ion
and
the
mat
eria
l pro
pert
ies
as p
revi
ousl
y se
lect
ed (
Fig.
10
(k))
and
•id
entif
ies
the
inpu
t req
uire
men
ts r
equi
red
to d
escr
ibe
the
sect
ion
prop
ertie
s fo
r th
is p
artic
ular
ele
men
t typ
e.
38
Fig
ure
10(i
)
In th
e ne
xt r
elea
se o
f A
CE
, an
inte
ract
ive
grap
hics
win
dow
will
dis
play
the
beam
cro
ss-s
ectio
n, it
s di
men
sion
s an
d or
ient
atio
n.
Alth
ough
, PA
TR
AN
req
uire
s th
at th
e or
ient
atio
n al
l 1-d
imen
sion
al e
lem
ents
(i.e
.; be
ams)
be
spec
ifie
d at
the
time
of th
eir
gene
ratio
n, th
ene
xt r
elea
se w
ill s
how
this
ori
enta
tion
and
perm
it it'
s m
odif
icat
ion.
Fo
r th
e pr
esen
t tim
e, it
is s
ugge
sted
that
Iy-
y an
d I z
-z r
epre
sent
the
max
imum
and
min
imum
pri
ncip
al m
omen
ts o
f in
ertia
, res
pect
ivel
y, a
nd th
at th
e to
rsio
nal r
igid
ity r
epre
sent
s th
e po
lar
mom
ent o
f in
ertia
,
all m
omen
ts o
f in
ertia
with
res
pect
to th
e ce
ntro
id.
Als
o, th
e ab
ility
of
a be
am to
sup
port
tors
ion
is s
omew
hat c
ompl
ex f
or n
on-c
ircu
lar
sect
ions
and
this
com
plex
ity w
ill a
lso
be d
ealt
with
in a
late
r ve
rsio
n. A
ctua
lly, t
his
late
r ve
rsio
n w
ill a
ccom
mod
ate
the
grou
ping
of
one-
39
dim
ensi
onal
ele
men
ts s
uch
that
they
can
be
desc
ribe
d as
axi
al r
ods,
tors
ion
bars
, she
ar/m
omen
t bea
ms,
or
full
load
car
ryin
g (a
xial
, she
ar,
tors
ion,
and
ben
ding
) be
ams
as w
as m
entio
ned
earl
ier
for
sele
ctin
g va
riou
s pl
ate
and/
or s
hell
elem
ents
(i.e
.; sh
ear
and
mem
bran
e/be
ndin
g
elem
ents
whi
ch w
ould
be
used
to m
odel
a w
ing)
that
may
be
need
ed to
def
ine
a st
ruct
ure.
Fig
ure
10(j
)
F
igur
e 10
(k)
40
Fig
ure
10 (
l)
Fig
ure
10 (
m)
Hav
ing
spec
ifie
d th
e se
ctio
n pr
oper
ties
for
the
beam
ele
men
t, cl
ick
on t
he "
App
ly"
butt
on.
The
use
r is
now
ret
urne
d to
the
"SE
CT
ION
PR
OPE
RT
IES"
win
dow
(Fi
g. 1
0 (l
)) a
nd a
new
"H
elp"
win
dow
(Fi
g. 1
0 (m
)) in
form
s th
e us
er th
at if
all
sect
ion
prop
erty
dat
a
has
been
def
ined
for
all
the
Sect
ion
IDs,
clic
k on
"D
one.
41
Spec
ific
atio
n of
Sol
utio
n C
onst
rain
ts
The
initi
al s
ize
of th
e st
iffn
ess
mat
rix
is d
eter
min
ed b
y as
sign
ing
a fu
ll si
x de
gree
s of
fre
edom
to e
ach
node
of
the
fini
te e
lem
ent
mod
el.
For
thos
e m
odel
s in
whi
ch th
e el
emen
ts c
onne
cted
to th
e no
des
do n
ot r
epre
sent
a s
tiffn
ess
com
pone
nt in
one
or
mor
e of
the
degr
ees
of f
reed
om, t
hen
thes
e pa
rtic
ular
deg
rees
of
free
dom
sho
uld
be d
elet
ed f
rom
the
mod
el a
nd th
e st
iffn
ess
mat
rix
will
be
redu
ced
acco
rdin
gly.
For
exa
mpl
e, a
fla
t pan
el s
ubje
cted
to a
n in
-pla
ne te
nsile
or
com
pres
sive
load
cou
ld b
e m
odel
ed w
ith m
embr
ane
or
mem
bran
e/be
ndin
g pl
ate
elem
ents
, and
the
degr
ees
of f
reed
om r
epre
sent
ing
the
out-
of-p
lane
tran
slat
ion
and
rota
tion
(oft
en c
alle
d th
e
drill
ing
degr
ee o
f fr
eedo
m)
abou
t all
thre
e ax
es w
ould
be
elim
inat
ed.
In s
ome
CO
ME
T a
pplic
atio
ns, t
here
is a
n au
tom
atic
sup
pres
sion
of
the
drill
ing
degr
ees
of f
reed
om a
nd m
ore
cons
ider
atio
n w
ill b
e gi
ven
to th
is in
late
r A
CE
ver
sion
s su
ch th
at th
e us
er w
ill b
e ad
vise
d of
such
and
off
ered
pos
sibl
e fi
xes.
Aft
er th
e us
er h
as d
efin
ed th
e m
ater
ial a
nd c
ross
-sec
tiona
l pro
pert
ies
of th
e va
riou
s el
emen
t typ
es, t
he s
cree
n is
ref
resh
ed (
Fig.
11
(a))
with
a n
ew "
Hel
p" w
indo
w th
at a
dvis
es th
e us
er o
f w
heth
er o
r no
t any
con
stra
ints
des
crib
ing
the
boun
dary
con
ditio
ns h
ave
been
spec
ifie
d. T
he s
peci
fica
tion
of c
onst
rain
ts th
at r
epre
sent
the
boun
dary
con
ditio
ns o
f th
e st
ruct
ure
(i.e
.; si
mpl
y su
ppor
ted
or f
ixed
edg
es)
can
be a
ccom
plis
hed
at th
is ti
me
or th
e co
nstr
aint
s de
fine
d in
the
impo
rted
mod
el f
ile c
an b
e m
odif
ied.
For
the
dem
onst
ratio
n pr
oble
ms
("de
mo1
" an
d "d
emo2
"), t
he b
ound
ary
cond
ition
s w
ere
defi
ned
in th
e PA
TR
AN
mod
el a
nd im
port
ed v
ia th
e ne
utra
l file
.
Due
to th
e pr
edet
erm
ined
seq
uenc
ing
of a
ctio
ns in
the
"QU
ER
Y"
mod
e, th
e us
er is
requ
ired
to
clic
k on
the
"ra
dio"
but
ton
adja
cent
to
"BC
" (s
ee "
Hel
p" w
indo
w).
The
use
r m
ay r
evie
w th
e de
fine
d bo
unda
ry c
onst
rain
ts (
here
, the
y re
pres
ent f
ixed
rot
atio
nal
cons
trai
nts
alon
g th
e ed
ges
and
tran
slat
ion
only
in th
e x-
dire
ctio
n) b
y cl
icki
ng o
n th
e "C
onst
rain
t" b
utto
n in
the
"D
efin
eC
onst
rain
ts"
win
dow
(see
Fig
. 11
(b)
and
corr
espo
ndin
g "H
elp"
win
dow
). T
his
will
ope
n th
e "A
pplie
d D
ispl
acem
ent D
ialo
g"
win
dow
sho
wn
in F
igur
e 11
(c).
42
Fig
ure
11 (
a)
43
For
the
dem
onst
ratio
n pr
oble
m c
hose
n to
illu
stra
te th
is g
raph
ical
use
r in
terf
ace
("de
mo-
2"),
the
edge
s w
ere
inte
nded
to b
e to
tally
cons
trai
ned
in th
e ou
t-of
-pla
ne (
z) tr
ansl
atio
n an
d th
e ro
tatio
ns a
bout
the
x an
d y
axes
. Scr
ollin
g do
wn
the
list o
f co
nstr
aine
d no
des
and
sele
ctin
g ea
ch n
ode,
one
at a
tim
e, b
y pl
acin
g th
e cu
rsor
on
the
node
num
ber
and
clic
king
, the
sel
ecte
d no
de is
sho
wn
dire
ctly
belo
w th
e lis
t of
node
s an
d its
app
lied
cons
trai
nts
are
show
n be
low
the
sele
cted
nod
e. T
he "
radi
o" b
utto
n fo
r th
e co
nstr
aine
d no
de is
turn
ed o
n (r
ed g
low
) an
d th
e en
forc
ed d
ispl
acem
ent o
r ro
tatio
n is
sho
wn
to th
e ri
ght.
The
se c
onst
rain
ts c
an b
e se
t fix
ed o
r fr
ee b
y cl
icki
ng
on th
e "r
adio
" bu
tton
and
the
enfo
rced
dis
plac
emen
t val
ue c
an b
e sp
ecif
ied
as p
revi
ousl
y de
scri
bed
for
data
inpu
t dia
logs
. R
evie
win
g th
e
list o
f co
nstr
aint
s w
ill r
evea
l tha
t the
edg
e (n
odes
25
and
27 th
roug
h 30
as
show
n in
Fig
ure
11 (
c)),
whe
re th
e in
-pla
ne te
nsile
load
will
be
appl
ied,
has
not
bee
n co
nstr
aine
d. T
o re
stri
ct d
ispl
acem
ents
alo
ng th
is e
dge
to e
long
atio
n al
ong
the
x-ax
is, w
e w
ill a
pply
con
stra
ints
to
the
inte
rior
nod
es (
node
s 27
thro
ugh
29)
as f
ollo
ws:
•In
the
botto
m d
ata
win
dow
title
d, "
Con
stra
in N
ode
Num
ber
(and
<C
R>
):"
of th
e "A
pplie
d D
ispl
acem
ent D
ialo
g" w
indo
w (
Fig.
11
(d))
, ent
er 2
7 (s
ee "
Hel
p" w
indo
w a
s ill
ustr
ated
in F
igur
e 11
(e)
).
•R
evie
w th
e co
nstr
aint
set
ting
(Fig
. 11
(f))
and
clic
k on
"ra
dio"
but
ton
adja
cent
to
"W",
"Θ
x", a
nd "
Θy"
(re
d gl
ow o
f
the
"rad
io"
butto
n m
eans
that
par
ticul
ar d
egre
e of
fre
edom
at n
ode
27 is
con
stra
ined
).
If c
onst
rain
ts a
re in
dica
ted
for
othe
r de
gree
s of
free
dom
(i.e
.; "U
", "
V"
and/
or "
Θz"
), c
lick
on th
e "r
adio
" bu
tton
adja
cent
to th
at d
egre
e of
fre
edom
(a
gray
but
ton
mea
ns
unco
nstr
aine
d).
• C
lick
on t
he "
Add
" bu
tton
to in
corp
orat
e th
e ne
w c
onst
rain
ed n
ode
to th
e m
odel
. In
this
exa
mpl
e, th
e en
forc
ed d
ispl
acem
ent
at a
ll no
des
has
been
unc
hang
ed f
rom
the
defa
ult v
alue
of
0.0.
•R
epea
t th
e ab
ove
thre
e st
eps
for
node
s 28
and
29
and
then
clic
k on
the
"D
one"
win
dow
.
•T
o de
lete
a c
onst
rain
ed n
ode
from
the
list,
sele
ct th
e no
de a
nd u
ncon
stra
in a
ll de
gree
s of
fre
edom
by
clic
king
on
the
red
"rad
io"
butto
ns a
ssoc
iate
d w
ith th
e no
de.
44
Fig
ure
11 (
b)
45
Fig
ure
11 (
c)
46
Fig
ure
11 (
d)
Fig
ure
11 (
e)
47
Fig
ure
11 (
f)
48
Spec
ific
atio
n of
App
lied
Loa
ds
As
illus
trat
ed in
Fig
ure
12 (
a), t
he u
ser
is n
ow r
etur
ned
to th
e co
ntro
l are
a an
d th
e "H
elp"
win
dow
info
rms
him
/her
abo
ut th
e
exis
tenc
e or
non
-exi
sten
ce o
f pr
evio
us lo
ad c
ase(
s) d
efin
ed in
PA
TR
AN
.
The
use
r is
now
req
uest
ed to
clic
k on
the
"ra
dio"
but
ton
adja
cent
to
"Loa
ds"
whi
ch o
pens
the
"Def
ine
Loa
ds"
win
dow
as s
how
n in
Fig
ure
12 (
b).
The
pro
cedu
re f
or a
ddin
g ne
w lo
adin
g co
nditi
ons
or m
odif
ying
exi
stin
g lo
adin
g co
nditi
ons
is id
entic
al to
the
proc
edur
e de
scri
bed
for
boun
dary
con
ditio
ns.
The
"D
efin
e L
oads
" w
indo
w in
clud
es a
n "O
ptio
n" m
enu
whi
ch a
llow
s fo
r th
e se
lect
ion
of v
ario
us ty
pe o
f lo
ads.
As
with
all
"Opt
ion"
men
us, p
lace
the
cur
sor
on t
op o
f th
e "O
ptio
n" b
utto
n an
d de
pres
s th
e m
ouse
but
ton
to d
ispl
ay th
e va
riou
s
type
s of
load
s th
at c
an b
e ad
ded
or m
odif
ied.
Whi
le d
epre
ssin
g th
e m
ouse
but
ton,
dra
g th
e cu
rsor
to th
e de
sire
d lo
ad ty
pe.
Onl
y th
e
"For
ce"
optio
n ca
n be
sel
ecte
d fo
r th
is in
itial
ver
sion
and
thos
e sh
own
in g
ray
are
plan
ned
for
late
r ve
rsio
ns.
Als
o, th
is in
itial
ver
sion
can
only
acc
omm
odat
e a
sing
le lo
ad c
ase
but l
ater
ver
sion
s w
ill h
andl
e se
vera
l loa
d ca
ses
and
com
bina
tions
of
vari
ous
load
cas
es.
Sinc
e a
desc
ript
ion
of th
is in
put w
indo
w is
nea
rly
iden
tical
to th
e "A
pplie
d D
ispl
acem
ent D
ialo
g" w
indo
w, c
lick
on t
he"C
ance
l" b
utto
n to
mov
e on
to th
e ne
xt it
em in
the
cont
rol a
rea.
Thi
s co
mpl
etes
the
phys
ical
des
crip
tion
of th
e fi
nite
ele
men
t mod
el.
Not
e : T
he d
ispl
ay o
f th
e ap
plie
d fo
rces
pre
sent
in th
e in
itial
mod
el is
pos
sibl
e th
roug
h in
tera
ctio
n w
ith C
Gx,
the
CO
ME
T G
raph
ic
proc
esso
r.
49
Fig
ure
12 (
a)
50
Fig
ure
12 (
b)
51
Spec
ific
atio
n of
the
Res
ults
A
fter
bei
ng r
etur
ned
to th
e co
ntro
l are
a (F
ig. 1
3 (a
)), t
he u
ser
is r
eque
sted
to c
lick
on "
Pre
fere
nces
" on
the
men
u ba
r an
d
sele
ct "
Ana
lysi
s ...
" fr
om th
e pu
ll do
wn
men
u (F
ig. 1
3 (b
)).
"Pre
fere
nces
" al
low
s th
e us
er to
sel
ect t
he ty
pe a
nd f
orm
at o
f th
e re
sults
and
the
met
hod
for
disp
layi
ng a
nd/o
r re
port
ing
sam
e. O
nly
the
"Ana
lysi
s" o
ptio
n is
ope
ratio
nal i
n th
is in
itial
ver
sion
.
Fig
ure
13 (
a)
Fig
ure
13 (
b)
52
Sele
ctin
g th
e "A
naly
sis
..."
optio
n op
ens
the
"LIN
EA
R S
TA
TIC
AN
AL
YSI
S" w
indo
w a
nd c
orre
spon
ding
"H
elp"
win
dow
sho
wn
in F
ig. 1
3 (c
). T
he "
LIN
EA
R S
TA
TIC
AN
AL
YSI
S" w
indo
w m
akes
dir
ect q
ueri
es o
f th
e us
er w
hich
can
be
answ
ered
with
a "
Yes
" or
"No"
. T
he c
hose
n re
spon
se w
ill b
e hi
ghlig
hted
with
a r
ed g
low
.
Ans
wer
ing
"Yes
" to
que
stio
n 1
will
cau
se a
dditi
onal
que
ries
to b
e di
spla
yed
as s
how
n in
Fig
. 13
(d).
The
se q
uest
ions
rel
ate
to th
e
coor
dina
te s
yste
m o
f th
e co
mpu
ted
stre
sses
(i.e
.; el
emen
t or
glob
al a
xes
syst
em)
and
thei
r lo
catio
n (i
.e.;
node
s, c
entr
oids
, or
inte
grat
ion
poin
ts).
Fut
ure
vers
ions
will
allo
w f
or th
e se
lect
ions
of
stre
sses
that
cor
resp
ond
to v
ario
us f
ailu
re th
eori
es (
e.g.
., vo
n M
ises
, max
imum
shea
r st
ress
, etc
. for
the
isot
ropi
c m
ater
ials
and
Tsa
i-W
u, H
offm
an, e
tc. f
or th
e or
thot
ropi
c m
ater
ials
).
Onc
e th
e ty
pe a
nd f
orm
at o
f th
e re
ques
ted
outp
ut is
spe
cifi
ed, c
lick
on t
he "
AC
CE
PT
" bu
tton
. T
his
com
plet
es th
e
deve
lopm
ent o
f a
CO
ME
T r
unst
ream
.
Not
e: P
laci
ng th
e cu
rsor
and
clic
king
on
the
ques
tions
will
pro
vide
hel
p on
that
que
stio
n in
the
"Hel
p" w
indo
w.
53
Fig
ure
13 (
c)
54
Fig
ure
13 (
d)
Exe
cutio
n
Now
that
the
runs
trea
m h
as b
een
deve
lope
d an
d ac
cept
ed, t
he u
ser
is r
etur
ned
to th
e co
ntro
l are
a an
d as
ked
to c
lick
on t
he"E
xecu
tion
" bu
tton
(Fi
g. 1
4 (a
)).
The
"M
odel
Exe
cutio
n D
ialo
g" w
indo
w is
now
ope
ned,
as
show
n in
Fig
ure
14 (
b), a
nd th
e us
er is
requ
este
d to
rev
iew
his
/her
run
stre
am s
peci
fica
tions
and
then
clic
k on
the
larg
e "E
xecu
tion
" bu
tton
. T
he u
ser
is a
dvis
ed (
Figu
re
14 (
c))
that
the
CO
ME
T r
unst
ream
is b
eing
ass
embl
ed a
nd im
med
iate
exe
cutio
n w
ill f
ollo
w.
The
run
stre
am f
ile is
cre
ated
in th
e w
orki
ng
dire
ctor
y w
ith th
e fi
lena
me
base
d on
the
mod
el in
put f
ile n
ame
and
the
anal
ysis
type
with
the
exte
nsio
n ".
com
" ap
pend
ed.
It is
exe
cute
d
as a
bac
kgro
und
job,
and
aft
er e
xecu
tion
is c
ompl
ete,
the
user
is r
etur
ned
to th
e A
CE
con
trol
are
a.
The
log
file
fro
m t
he a
naly
sis
exec
utio
n is
in th
e cu
rren
t dir
ecto
ry w
ith th
e sa
me
root
file
nam
e as
the
runs
trea
m a
nd th
e ex
tens
ion
of "
.log"
. B
oth
the
run
stre
am f
ile
and
the
log
file
are
text
file
s w
hich
may
be
view
ed, e
dite
d, a
nd p
rint
ed o
utsi
de o
f A
CE
, if
desi
red.
55
Fig
ure
14 (
a)
56
Fig
ure
14 (
b)
57
Fig
ure
14 (
c)
Eva
luat
ing
and
Rep
ortin
g th
e R
esul
ts
Pres
ently
, the
"R
esul
ts"
part
of
AC
E h
as n
ot b
een
impl
emen
ted.
How
ever
, gra
phic
al v
iew
s of
the
resu
lts c
an b
e ob
tain
ed v
ia C
Gx
whi
ch h
as b
een
inte
rfac
ed w
ith th
e C
OM
ET
res
ults
dat
abas
e. A
s pr
evio
usly
sta
ted,
dir
ectio
ns f
or u
sing
CG
x ar
e no
t int
ende
d to
be
part
of
this
use
rs' m
anua
l. H
owev
er, l
ater
ver
sion
s of
AC
E w
ill in
clud
e a
self
-con
tain
ed c
apab
ility
for
gen
erat
ing
vari
ous
grap
hica
l pre
sent
atio
ns
of d
ata
(i.e
.; co
ntou
rs, x
-y, d
efor
med
and
und
efor
med
, etc
.) a
nd r
epor
t for
ms
(i.e
.; ta
bles
).
For
the
incl
uded
dem
onst
ratio
n pr
oble
m (
"dem
o2")
, a C
Gx
gen
erat
ed c
onto
ur p
lot o
f th
e no
rmal
str
esse
s in
the
x-di
rect
ion
is
show
n in
Fig
ure
15.
All
the
resu
lts r
eque
sted
in "
Pref
eren
ces"
are
giv
en in
the
outp
ut f
ile c
alle
d "d
emo2
_lst
atic
.log"
. In
gen
eral
, the
nam
e of
this
file
iden
tifie
s th
e na
me
of th
e m
odel
("d
emo2
") a
nd th
e ty
pe o
f an
alys
is (
linea
r st
atic
). S
ince
this
file
is a
log
of th
e ex
ecut
ion
of th
e A
CE
gen
erat
ed C
OM
ET
run
stre
am, i
t cou
ld b
e re
view
ed in
cas
e of
pos
sibl
e ex
ecut
ion
erro
rs (
Hea
ven
Forb
id!!
!).
Perf
orm
ing
Ano
ther
Ana
lysi
s or
Qui
tting
As
indi
cate
d in
the
"Hel
p" w
indo
w o
f Fi
gure
(15
), a
new
ana
lysi
s ca
n be
gin
by s
elec
ting
a m
odel
file
fro
m th
e "F
ile"
pull
dow
n
men
u or
the
inte
rfac
e ca
n be
exi
ted
by c
licki
ng o
n "Q
uit"
in t
he c
ontr
ol a
rea.
Ano
ther
"po
p-up
" w
indo
w (
Fig.
16)
will
app
ear
in
the
uppe
r ri
ght h
and
corn
er a
nd g
ives
the
user
ano
ther
cha
nce
to d
ecid
e. L
et u
s qu
it w
riti
ng a
nd d
emon
stra
ting
by
clic
king
aso
lid "
Yes
"!!!
!
58
Fig
ure
15
59
F
igur
e 16