FEA Results

Access the Steel I-Girder Training Example

Follow the steps below to open the Steel I-Girder Training Example.

1. Log in to your account, click Project in the top-right, then click NEW in the top-left corner.

   

   
2. Under Example Project, click New Project within Steel I-Girder Training Example.

   

   
3. Provide a name for your project and open the example.

   

   

View FE Results of the Steel I-Girder Training Example

Follow the steps below to view steel I-girder FEA results.

1. Make sure the FEM button in the top-middle of the screen is active — the Analysis button only appears when FEM is on. When the Analysis button appears in the top-left, the FE model has been compiled and is ready to run.

   
2. Click the > button on the left to expand the side button panel.

   
3. In the expanded panel, click FEA to open the Finite Element view.

   
4. Click Analyze to run the finite element analysis.

   

   Analysis for this project typically takes around 1.5 minutes to complete.
5. To collapse the side panel, click the < button. The drop-down menu in the lower-left of the screen lets you choose what to display.

   
6. Click DATA at the bottom-middle to slide up the spreadsheet so you can interact with the data.

   

   

The common steps before investigating FE results are now complete.

The remaining sections explain how to read each type of finite element result. Use the links below to jump to a section.

• Deformed Shape
• Node Reactions
• FESpring Results
• FELine Results
• FEComposite Results
• Construction Stage Results
• Result Combination Results
• Display Live Load Critical Vehicle Positions

Results can be reported in either of two coordinate systems. Be aware which one is active when you read values.

• Global Coordinate System: a single fixed system for the entire model.

  

  image-20240904-081936.png
• Local Coordinate System: aligned with the bridge's PGL/Alignment — X along the alignment, Y transverse, Z vertical. Nodes and springs are generated in the Local system, but settings such as a bearing's Bearing Rotation can rotate the local axes for individual elements.

  

  image-20240904-101627.png

  

  image-20240904-083720.png

  

  image-20240904-083812.png

Deformed Shape

Follow the steps below to view the deformed shape.

1. With the FEA view active, choose Deformed from the drop-down menu to visualize the deformed shape for: i) result cases, ii) construction stages, or iii) result combinations / envelopes.

   
2. Adjust the deformation scale with the scale input next to the drop-down.

   

Node Reactions

Follow the steps below to view node reactions.

1. Click the FEA tab in the lower-left to switch into the FEA view.

   
2. The available FE results appear under Results in the tree view.

   
3. Open Node Reactions under either Local or Global. The spreadsheet reports values for: i) result cases, ii) construction stages, iii) result combinations / envelopes. Filter by tab and tree-view item, or use the drop-down menu to switch between loadings.

   

   

FESpring Results

Follow the steps below to view FESpring results.

1. Under the FEA tab in the lower-left, select Element End Forces (External Local/Global) in the tree view. This displays FESpring results (two-node values for two-node springs) for: i) result cases, ii) construction stages, iii) result combinations / envelopes.

   
2. After picking a result case, construction stage, or combination, use the Element column filter to narrow the results.

   
3. The filter pop-up shows spring results as Forces (X/Y/Z) and Moments (X/Y/Z) using the convention illustrated in the screenshot.

   

FELine Results

Follow the steps below to view FELine results.

1. With the FEA view active, choose FELine Forces or FELine Stresses from the drop-down to visualize forces/stresses for: i) result cases, ii) construction stages, iii) result combinations / envelopes.

   
2. Under the FEA tab in the lower-left, select FELine Forces to display values for the selected FEA case. Use the FELine column filter to narrow the results.

   

Viewing FELine Results Graphically

Set each drop-down to the result form you want to display graphically.

Viewing FELine Results Numerically

1. Click the FEA tab in the lower-left to switch to the FEA view.

   
2. The available FE results appear under Results in the tree view.

   
3. Open FELine Forces (Internal). The spreadsheet reports values for: i) result cases, ii) construction stages, iii) result combinations / envelopes.

   
4. Filter by FELine to narrow the results to a specific group.

   

FEComposite Results

Follow the steps below to view FEComposite results.

1. With the FEA view active, choose Composite Forces from the drop-down to visualize FEComposite results for: i) result cases, ii) construction stages, iii) result combinations / envelopes.

   
2. Pick the composite group of interest, then click Show to display its results.

   

Viewing FEComposite Results Graphically

Set each drop-down to the result form you want to display graphically.

Viewing FEComposite Results Numerically

1. Click the FEA tab in the lower-left to switch to the FEA view.

   
2. The available FE results appear under Results in the tree view.

   
3. Open Composite Element Forces (Sectional). The spreadsheet reports values for: i) result cases, ii) construction stages, iii) result combinations / envelopes.

   
4. Filter to a specific composite group as needed.

   

Construction Stage Results

Follow the steps below to view staged-construction FEA results.

1. With the FEA view active, make a selection from the topmost drop-down. The remaining drop-downs adjust automatically based on your choice.

   
2. Choose Construction Stages from the next drop-down.

   
3. Choose the construction stage of interest.

   

Viewing Stage Results Incrementally

1. In the spreadsheet, results for each stage are reported either incrementally or cumulatively, identified by the Incremental or Cumulative Force column. The three-dot menu to the right of the drop-downs toggles between the two. The graphics view shows only the elements built up to the selected stage.

   
2. Click the visibility button to toggle between displaying the entire structure and only the constructed elements.

   

   

Viewing Stage Results Cumulatively

1. To switch to cumulative results for a stage, click the three-dot menu and choose Display Cumulative Results. The spreadsheet now shows the cumulative load effects of every stage up to the selected one. To narrow further, choose Filter Cumulative Results by Load Type and pick the load type.

   

   

   

   

   
2. Click the visibility button to display the entire structure.

   

   

Result Combination Results

Follow the steps below to view load-combination FEA results.

1. With the FEA view active, make a selection from the topmost drop-down. The remaining drop-downs adjust automatically.

   
2. Choose Combinations from the next drop-down.

   
3. Choose the result combination of interest.

   
4. The selected combination's results are now displayed.

   

Display Live Load Critical Vehicle Positions

1. Click the FEA tab in the lower-left to switch to the FEA view.

   
2. The available FE results appear under Results in the tree view.

   
3. Open Node Reactions (Local) and select Loading from the drop-down. Choose LLHL93Case.LiveLoad under Live Load in the tree view.

   

Vehicle positions can be reviewed for several result types: node displacements, element end forces, FELine forces, and FEComposite forces. FEComposite forces and stresses take longer to compute than node reactions because of the extra steps needed to determine vehicle positions.

1. To see the vehicle position responsible for a specific reaction, click the corresponding cell in the spreadsheet.