A Command Line Two Dimensional Matrix Analyzer

[medeek]

Does anyone know if such a thing exists? I'm looking for a free command line (simple executable file) that I can pass my information to on the command line and it will spit out the reactions, shear, moments, deflections etc... into a text file that I can parse with another program if need be. My intent is imbed this program or call it from other programs and excel spreadsheets. Basically I'm looking for the equivalent of STAAD (the program I am most familiar with for structural analysis) but can be run from the command line by passing it a input text file with all my parameters. I only need the ability to analyze beam and truss members (linear, one dimensional elements) and not plates or bricks. If such a thing does not exist I will have to create it.

 

[medeek]

On a slightly different note, who else has need for such a program?

 

[IRstuff]

There's always the coterie of Matlab clones.

TTFN
faq731-376

Need help writing a question or understanding a reply? forum1529

 

[JoshPlumSE]

I tend to believe SAP IV (old mainframe SAP) is available somewhere. Not sure if you could ever get it to run on one of today's computers. My old company had a customized version that we used occasionally. Here's the kicker.... the input text file is arranged in "cards". Meaning the text file is just a simplified interface to replace the old "punch cards" that the program was developed around.

 

[IRstuff]

Supposedly, SAP IV is here:

http://www.codeforge.com/article/22470

TTFN
faq731-376

Need help writing a question or understanding a reply? forum1529

 

[GregLocock]

I have probably missed something but you can run any solver I have come across from the command line

something like

feasolver -options thisrun.cf

Nastran dumps out text files of inordinate length which can be picked up by any program. parsing them is tiresome but fully documented



Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[GregLocock]

Otherwise yes, scilab or octave would be my choice for postprocessing slabs of numbers

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[IDS]

I have probably missed something but you can run any solver I have come across from the command line

Not quite any solver, a solver embedded in a spreadsheet can't be run from the command line.

But my question is, if you generate the input in a spreadsheet, and read the results back into a spreadsheet for post-processing, why would you want to run the solver from the command line?

My blog post here:

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/2012/09/21/daily-download-5-frame-analysis/

has links to Excel based 2D and 3D frame solvers, including open source code.

"Real soon now" there will be a Python based version, which it should be possible to adapt to run from the command line, if you want to.


Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[medeek]

I need it first and foremost to be a simple command line program since my PERL scripts on my website will occasionally call it. Then later I will integrate it into spreadsheets.

 

[IDS]

I need it first and foremost to be a simple command line program since my PERL scripts on my website will occasionally call it. Then later I will integrate it into spreadsheets.

OK, you won't be able to do that with my spreadsheet, although it comes with some compiled solvers that might be of some use.

Another option if you are happy to do some coding and compiling is to look at "Programming the Finite Element Method" by Smith and Griffiths, which comes with complete Fortran code for frame and full 3D FEA solvers.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[medeek]

So far my search has not turned up anything that fits the bill so I've decided to program an application myself. I'll program it in PERL and then compile it into and executable using ActiveState's PDK. A sample text file input for the program will look something like this:

[pre]<job>
<engr>Nathaniel P. Wilkerson</engr>
<num>001</num>
<date>2014-04-29</date>
</job>
<units>
<length>inches</length>
<weight>lbs</weight>
</units>
<nodes>
1,0,0; 2,0,96; 3,96,0; 4,96,96;
</nodes>
<members>
1,2,1; 2,1,3; 3,3,4; 4,4,2; 5,4,1;
</members>
<properties>
1,1700,5.36,B; 2,1700,5.36,B; 3,1700,5.36,B; 4,1700,5.36,B; 5,1700,5.36,T;
</properties>
<support>
2,FX,FY; 4,FY;
</support>
<memberloads>
</memberloads>
<nodeloads>
</nodeloads>
<releases>
1,1; 4,4;
</releases>[/pre]

 

[loki3000]

use python & numpy instead of perl.
if you want free FEA program, then use Calculix.