Seminar Notes

BASIC MSC.NASTRAN Linear Static

and Normal Modes Analysis
The MSC.Software Corporation
Training and Education

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BASIC MSC.NASTRAN
Linear Static and Normal Modes Analysis
SEMINAR NOTES

NA*V70.5*Z*Z*Z*SM-NAS101-NT1

June 1998

DISCLAIMER
The concepts, methods, and examples presented in this text are for educational purposes only and
are not intended to be exhaustive or to apply to any particular engineering problem or design. The
MSC.Software Corporation assumes no liability or responsibility to any person or company for direct
or indirect damages resulting from the use of any information contained herein.

Printed in U.S.A.
1999 by The MacNeal-Schwendler Corporation
All rights reserved.

The MacNeal-Schwendler Corporation

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE
1.0

SECTION
INTRODUCTION TO MSC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
COMPANY OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
WHAT IS MSC/NASTRAN?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MSC CLIENT SUPPORT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MSC TRAINING AND EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2.0

INTRODUCTION TO FINITE ELEMENT THEORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MATRIX THEORY OF STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
(HISTORICAL SKETCH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
OVERVIEW OF THE MATRIX METHOD
OF STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FUNDAMENTAL STRUCTURAL
ANALYSIS REQUIREMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BASIC EQUATION OF THE DISPLACEMENT METHOD . . . . . . . . .
INTERPRETATION OF ELEMENTAL STIFFNESS
MATRIX [K] AND STIFFNESS COEFFICIENTS (kij) . . . . . . . . . .
DISCRETIZATION OF CONTINUOUS STRUCTURE . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXAMPLE: DIRECT FORMULATION OF ROD ELEMENT
STIFFNESS MATRIX BY DISPLACEMENT METHOD . . . . . . . . .
OTHER EXAMPLES OF ELEMENTAL
STIFFNESS MATRICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GLOBAL STIFFNESS MATRIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CONSTRAINING THE STRUCTURE RIGID BODY MOTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
OVERVIEW OF FINITE ELEMENT SOLUTION PROCEDURE . . . . .
REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3.0

2-1
2-3
2-4
2-5
2-6
2-7
2-8
2-10
2-14
2-16
2-18
2-20
2-22

INTRODUCTION TO FINITE ELEMENT MODELING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

GOAL OF FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INPUT TO THE FINITE ELEMENT MODEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
OUTPUTS FROM THE FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS. . . . . . . . . . . .
MODELING GUIDELINES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
UNITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4.0

1-1
1-2
1-4
1-6
1-7

3-1
3-2
3-4
3-5
3-6

INTRODUCTION TO MSC/NASTRAN INPUT FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

MSC/NASTRAN INPUT FILE - OVERALL VIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DELIMETER ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SAMPLE MSC/NASTRAN INPUT FILE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FORMAT OF MSC/NASTRAN DATA ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
i

4-1
4-3
4-4
4-7

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.)

TITLE

SECTION
SMALL FIELD FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FREE FIELD FORMAT IN THE BULK DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LARGE FIELD FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GENERAL RULES FOR BULK DATA INPUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CONTINUATION ENTRIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GENERATION/REPLICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GENERATION/REPLICATION OF
CONTINUATION ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GENERATION/REPLICATION EXAMPLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
COMMON ENTRY FORMAT ERRORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
THE NASTRAN STATEMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FILE MANAGEMENT SECTION (FMS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5.0

5-1
5-2
5-3
5-4
5-5
5-6
5-7
5-9
5-10

CASE CONTROL SECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1

INTRODUCTION TO THE CASE CONTROL SECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CASE CONTROL COMMAND - DATA SELECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CASE CONTROL COMMANDS - OUTPUT SELECTION. . . . . . . . . .
CASE CONTROL SET DEFINITIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CASE CONTROL SORT OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SORT1 FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SORT2 FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CASE CONTROL COMMANDS - SUBCASE DEFINITION . . . . . . . .
CASE CONTROL EXAMPLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7.0

4-16
4-17
4-19
4-20
4-21

EXECUTIVE CONTROL SECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

INTRODUCTION TO THE EXECUTIVE CONTROL SECTION . . . . . . . .
SELECTED EXECUTIVE CONTROL STATEMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . .
DEFINITION OF DMAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MSC/NASTRAN SOLUTION SEQUENCE
FOR STATIC ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A ROAD-MAP FROM MSC/NASTRAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F04 OUTPUT FILE FROM SOL 24 STATIC ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . .
EPSILON (RESIDUAL ERROR VECTOR) AND
STRAIN ENERGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
STRUCTURED SOLUTION SEQUENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RIGID FORMAT SOLUTION SEQUENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6.0

4-9
4-10
4-11
4-12
4-13
4-15

6-1
6-2
6-4
6-9
6-11
6-12
6-14
6-17
6-19

BULK DATA SECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.0-1

INTRODUCTION TO THE BULK DATA SECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MSC/NASTRAN COORDINATE SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GRID POINTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SINGLE-POINT CONSTRAINTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ii

7.1-1
7.1-2
7.2-1
7.3-1

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.)

TITLE

SECTION
MATERIAL PROPERTIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MSC/NASTRAN ELEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ZERO-DIMENSIONAL (SCALAR) ELEMENT LIBRARY. . . . . . . . . . .
ONE-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CALCULATION OF TORSIONAL CONSTANT J
FOR PROD, PBAR, AND PBEAM ENTRIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CROD EXAMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CBARAO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CBEAM ELEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TWO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TWO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CQUAD4 ELEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
QUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION ALTERNATE PROPERTY ENTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
THREE-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RECOMMENDED USES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CHEXA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MSC/NASTRAN LOADS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FORCE AND MOMENT ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXAMPLE INPUT FOR FORCE AND
MOMENT ENTRIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DISTRIBUTED LOADS (PLOAD) IN MSC/NASTRAN . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXAMPLE INPUT FOR PLOAD1 ENTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXAMPLE INPUT FOR PLOAD4 ENTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GRAV ENTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
THERMAL EFFECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXAMPLE OF APPLYING THERMAL EFFECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
LOAD ENTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
THE LOAD REQUEST TREE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8.0

7.4-1
7.5-1
7.6-1
7.7-1
7.7-6
7.7-8
7.7-14
7.7-37
7.7-44
7.8-1
7.8-2
7.8-3
7.8-4
7.8-6
7.8-18
7.9-1
7.9-2
7.9-3
7.10-1
7.10-2
7.10-3
7.10-5
7.10-6
7.10-10
7.10-12
7.10-14
7.10-15
7.10-18
7.10-19

INTERMEDIATE MODELING PRACTICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.0-1

SET NOTATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MULTIPOINT CONSTRAINTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
R-TYPE (CONSTRAINT) ELEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SINGULARITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PARAM, AUTOSPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
STRUCTURAL SYMMETRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MESH TRANSITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TYPES OF PLATE ELEMENT DISTORTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
iii

8.1-1
8.1-2
8.1-5
8.1-6
8.1-7
8.2-1
8.2-8
8.2-10

CYLINDRICAL AND CIRCULAR ELEMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2-10

MODEL DEBUGGING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.3-1
9.0

PARAMETERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PARAMETERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PRINTOUT GENERATED BY PARAM,PROUT,1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PRINTOUT GENERATED BY PARAM,GPECT,1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PRINTOUT GENERATED BY PARAM,EST,1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10.0

NATURAL FREQUENCIES AND NORMAL MODES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1

GOVERNING EQUATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MASS MATRIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
THEORETICAL RESULTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
REASONS TO COMPUTE NATURAL FREQUENCIES
AND NORMAL MODES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IMPORTANT FACTS AND RESULTS REGARDING
NORMAL MODES AND NATURAL FREQUENCIES . . . . . . . . . .
METHODS OF COMPUTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
COMPARISON OF EIGENVALUE
EXTRACTION METHODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NORMAL MODES ANALYSIS ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11.0

10-1
10-3
10-7
10-11
10-12
10-16
10-18
10-20

LINEAR BUCKLING ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1

THEORY OF BUCKLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SOLUTION OF THE EIGENVALUE PROBLEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
SOLUTION SEQUENCES FOR BUCKLING AND
STABILITY PROBLEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXAMPLES OF NONLINEAR BUCKLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RULES FOR SOL 105 BUCKLING ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DATA ENTRIES FOR LINEAR BUCKLING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EEIGB ENTRY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXAMPLE - SIMPLE EULER COLUMN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
REFERENCES FOR BUCKLING AND
STABILITY ANALYSIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

12.0

9-1
9-2
9-4
9-5
9-6

11-1
11-2
11-3
11-5
11-6
11-7
11-8
11-10
11-16

FILE MANAGEMENT SECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1

FMS OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DBSETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
REQUIRED DBSETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TYPICAL FILES GENERATED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RESTARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AUTOMATIC RESTARTS (SOLs 101-200). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RESTART EXAMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RESTART EXAMPLE - COLD START . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
COLD START F04 FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
iv

12-1
12-2
12-3
12-4
12-5
12-6
12-7
12-8
12-9

COLD START F06 FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

RESTART EXAMPLE - DATA RECOVERY RESTART . . . . . . . . . . .
RESTART EXAMPLE - PREFERRED METHOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RESTART F04 FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RESTART F06 FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RESTART EXAMPLE SUMMARY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MANIPULATING THE DATABASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ASSIGN AND INIT STATEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXAMPLES - ASSIGN AND INIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXPAND STATEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXAMPLE - EXPAND STATEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXAMPLE ASSIGNING A FORTRAN FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13.0

12-11
12-14
12-15
12-16
12-18
12-21
12-22
12-23
12-24
12-25
12-26
12-27

MSC/NASTRAN DOCUMENTATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

DOCUMENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4

14.0

STRUCTURE PLOTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PLOT ENTRIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
VIEWING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXAMPLE - PLOT INPUT FILE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PLOT SET 1 LABEL BOTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PLOT SET 1 SHRINK, LABEL GSPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
PLOT STATIC DEFORMATION 0 SET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15.0

B-1
B-3
B-4
B-6
B-7
B-8
B-9

MSC/NASTRAN MODEL CHECKOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1

MSC/NASTRAN MODEL CHECKOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1

BASIC MSC/NASTRAN SEMINAR OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this seminar is to introduce you to MSC/NASTRAN.
The seminar will stress proper data formats and basic concepts in the
use of MSC/NASTRAN finite element analysis to solve engineering
analysis problems.
You are not expected to leave as an expert in basic MSC/NASTRAN.
However, if you leave here with a better understanding of
MSC/NASTRANs data structure, capable of executing simple analyses on your own, and with the knowledge of where to look for answers to your questions, then this seminar has been a success.

vii

SECTION 1
INTRODUCTION TO MSC
COMPANY OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
WHAT IS MSC/NASTRAN? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
MSC CLIENT SUPPORT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6
MSC TRAINING AND EDUCATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

COMPANY OVERVIEW

The MacNeal-Schwendler Corporation (MSC) has been supplying

sophisticated computer-aided engineering tools since 1963.
MSC is the developer, distributor, and supporter of the most
complete and widely-used structural analysis program in the world,
MSC/NASTRAN.*
NASTRAN development was initiated in 1966 under the
sponsorship of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
based on the known requirements of the aerospace industry for
structural analysis. MSC has been involved in NASTRAN since its
inception and has marketed its own enhanced, proprietary version
MSC/NASTRAN since 1972.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

*NASTRAN is a registered trademark of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

1-1

WHAT IS MSC/NASTRAN?
MSC/NASTRAN is a general-purpose, finite element analysis
program capable of solving a wide variety of engineering problems
including:
Linear static analysis
Static analysis with geometric and material nonlinearity
Transient analysis with geometric and material nonlinearity
Normal modes and buckling analysis
Direct and modal complex eigenvalue analysis
Direct and modal frequency analysis and random response
Direct and modal transient analysis (including response spectrum
analysis)
Linear static and vibration analysis with cyclic symmetry
Linear and nonlinear steady-state heat transfer
Transient heat transfer
Aeroelasticity
Multilevel superelements

1-2

WHAT IS MSC/NASTRAN? (Cont.)

Design sensitivity and optimization
Acoustics
p-Version elements and hp adaptivity
MSC/NASTRAN is
Extensively documented (including on-line encylopedia!) and
quality assurance tested
Continually being enhanced by the addition of new capabilities
Efficient due to its use of modern database technology and use of
modern sparse matrix and numerical analysis techniques
Mainly written in FORTRAN (some C), currently over 1.4 million
program statements
Used extensively by aerospace, energy, transportation, biomedical, and general industries

1-3

MSC CLIENT SUPPORT

With corporate headquarters in Los Angeles, MSC maintains
regional sales and support offices around the world. Information
regarding the location of MSC offices may be found on the MSC
web page:
http://www.macsch.com
Regional offices provide the first line of client support for
MSC/NASTRAN products and are staffed by experienced
engineers.
If you need to contact MSC for clients support, the phone numbers
are available using the web page under "Support, Training, and
Documentation."

1-4

MSC CLIENT SUPPORT (Cont.)

When contacting MSC with technical questions concerning an
MSC/NASTRAN run, please have the following information
available:
The version level of MSC/NASTRAN being used (for example,
Version 70.5)
Your computer platform (manufacturer, model, and operating
system)
Your input file (.dat)
Your output files (.f06, .f04, and .log files)
Relevant user documentation
A description of the error encountered (if applicable) and a
description of your model

1-5

ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION

News file printed at the top of the .f06 file contains information on
upcoming conferences, new capabilities and enhancements, and
changes made with respect to previous versions.
Version dependent release notes provide in-depth discussions of
new features.
Current error list delivered with MSC/NASTRAN contains known
errors and general limitations. For updates contact your local MSC
office.
MSC/WORLD offers viewpoints/articles from MSCs upper
management, industry applications, user conference summaries,
and seminar schedules.
User conferences, technical articles (both in-house and outside
publications).

1-6

MSC TRAINING AND EDUCATION

MSC/NASTRAN seminars are held worldwide. Locations, dates,
and descriptions of all scheduled classes are given in the Seminar
Program Catalog available upon request from any MSC regional
office.
MSC also conducts cost-effective in-house seminars at clients
facilities.
MSC/NASTRAN seminar topics include:
Basic Linear Statics and Normal Modes
Dynamic Analysis
Thermal Analysis
Nonlinear Analysis
Superelement Analysis
DMAP and Database Applications in MSC/NASTRAN
Aeroelasticity
Composite Materials
Practical Dynamic Analysis using MSC/NASTRAN

1-7

MSC TRAINING AND EDUCATION (Cont.)

Design Sensitivity and Optimization
Practical
Finite
MSC/NASTRAN

Element

Modeling

Fluid Structure Analysis

Custom seminars are available upon request

1-8

Techniques

Using

SECTION 2
INTRODUCTION TO FINITE ELEMENT THEORY
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
MATRIX THEORY OF STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
(HISTORICAL SKETCH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
OVERVIEW OF THE MATRIX METHOD OF STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS . . . . . . 2-4
FUNDAMENTAL STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
BASIC EQUATION OF THE DISPLACEMENT METHOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
INTERPRETATION OF ELEMENTAL STIFFNESS
MATRIX [K] AND STIFFNESS COEFFICIENTS (kij) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
DISCRETIZATION OF CONTINUOUS STRUCTURE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
EXAMPLE: DIRECT FORMULATION OF ROD ELEMENT
STIFFNESS MATRIX BY DISPLACEMENT METHOD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
OTHER EXAMPLES OF ELEMENTAL STIFFNESS MATRICES. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
GLOBAL STIFFNESS MATRIX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
CONSTRAINING THE STRUCTURE - RIGID BODY MOTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
OVERVIEW OF FINITE ELEMENT SOLUTION PROCEDURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22

INTRODUCTION

There are a number of possible approaches to engineering problems

Exact (closed form)
Classical
Methods
Approximate (e.g., series
solution to governing
differential equations)
Engineering
Analysis

Energy

Boundary Element
Numerical
Methods
Finite Difference

Finite Element
Classical (analytical) methods
Exact and Approximate. Offer a high degree of insight, but the
problems are difficult or impossible to solve for anything but simple
geometry and loadings

2-1

INTRODUCTION (Cont.)
Numerical methods
Energy: Minimizes an expression for the potential energy of the
structure over the whole domain. This approach is feasible only for
simple configurations.
Approximates functions satisfying the
Boundary Element:
governing differential equations not the boundary conditions.
Problem size is reduced because elements represent only the
boundary of the domain. However, the application of this method
relies on knowing the fundamental solution to the governing
equations. This can sometimes be difficult to obtain.
Finite Difference: Replaces governing differential equations and
boundary conditions with corresponding algebraic finite difference
equations.
Problems occur when attempting to represent
irregularly shaped structures or complicated boundary conditions.
Finite Element: Offers considerable problem generality and ease
of solution by permitting irregularly shaped elements. Some prior
knowledge of the overall behavior of the structure is required to
guide model generation and element selection.

2-2

MATRIX THEORY OF STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

(HISTORICAL SKETCH)
The matrix theory of structural analysis first began appearing in the
technical literature in the early 1950s.
The emergence of high-speed automatic computing machines
and the desire to analyze complex structural designs promoted the
development of matrix methods.
During the early 1950s a procedure known as the displacement
(stiffness) method was suggested for investigating the complex
behavior of structural problems.
In 1956, Turner, Clough, Martin, and Topp presented the first
treatment of the direct stiffness method (Journal of Aeronautical
Science, Volume 23, pages 805-823, 1956).
The term finite element was coined by Clough in a paper
describing the technique used for plane stress analysis
(Proceedings of the Second ASCE Conference on Electronic
Computation, Sept. 1960).

2-3

OVERVIEW OF THE MATRIX METHOD

OF STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
Two different finite element approaches to analyzing structures are
the force method and the displacement method. In both methods,
equilibrium, compatibility, and stress-strain relations are used to
generate a system of equations that represent the behavior of the
structure.
Force Method

The member forces are the basic unknowns in

the system of equations.

Displacement
Method

The nodal displacements are the

unknowns in the system of equations.

basic

Both methods can be used to solve structural problems. Although

both approaches are valid, the displacement method is easier to adapt
to electronic computations. MSC/NASTRAN uses the displacement
method approach to finite element analysis, as do most commercial
finite element programs.

2-4

FUNDAMENTAL STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

REQUIREMENTS
All structural engineering analyses must satisfy the following three
general conditions:

F = 0 , M = 0

1.

Equilibrium of forces and moments:

2.

Strain-Displacement relations: (also called compatibility of

deformations) Ensures that the displacement field in a deformed
continuous structure is free of voids or discontinuities

3.

Stress-Strain relations: (also called constitutive relations)

For a linear material, generalized Hookes Law states
{} = [E]{}
where { }= { }
x y z xy yz zx
{ } = { x y z xy yz zx }
[ E ] = 6 x 6 matrix of elastic constants

A homogeneous, isotropic material [E] reduces to two indepedent material constants E and .
For such a material under uniaxial load,
= E
These three conditions can be used to generate a system of
equations in which the displacements are unknown (the displacement
method).
2-5

BASIC EQUATION OF THE DISPLACEMENT METHOD

The basic equations of the displacement method are derived from:

1.

The equilibrium of nodal forces

2.

The compatibility of displacements (at grid points and within the

elements)

3.

The force-displacement relationship

The compatibility condition correlates the external grid point displacements to end deformations of the elements.
The force-displacement relationship is established between the member end forces and displacements, and between the grid point forces
and displacements. The stiffness matrix [ K ] is used to relate the
forces acting on the structure and the displacements resulting from
these forces in the following manner:

{F} = [K]{u}
where

{ F } = forces acting on the structure

[ K ] = stiffness matrix [ k ij ] where each [ k ij ] term is the
force of a constraint at coordinate i due to a unit
displacement at j with all other displacements set
equal to zero
{ u } = displacements resulting from { F }

Boundary conditions are applied to prevent rigid body motions, and

the system of linear equations is solved for the unknown { u } .
2-6

INTERPRETATION OF ELEMENTAL STIFFNESS

MATRIX [K] AND STIFFNESS COEFFICIENTS (kij)
Physically, [ K ] describes how force is transmitted through the
element.
For elastic problems, Maxwells Law requires that the stiffness
matrix is symmetric. Recall that a symmetric matrix is a square
matrix whose elements satisfy the relation
a ij = a ji
This is reasonable, since pulling End 1 of a spring a given distance
while holding End 2 fixed requires the same force as pulling End 2
the same distance while holding End 1 fixed.
A single term of the stiffness matrix k ij is called a stiffness
coefficient. The units of k ij are load/displacement. For example,
the units of k ij for a spring are force/length.

2-7

DISCRETIZATION OF CONTINUOUS STRUCTURE

Analyzing a complex engineering problem may be difficult (if not
impossible) without some simplifying assumptions.

For finite element analysis, the complex structure is divided into a

series of separate (finite) elements which, when combined into an
assembly, approximate the behaviour of the complex structure.

The complex structure is divided into discrete grid points

connected by elements.

The motion of each grid point may be described by using six

independent degrees of freedom (DOFs). A degree of freedom is
defined as an independent component of translation or rotation at
a grid point.

The following figure illustrates the 6 dof used to determine the

motion of a GRID point

2-8

DISCRETIZATION OF CONTINUOUS STRUCTURE

y

uy

x
ux
uz
z

3 translations

{ ux , uy , uz }

3 rotations

{ x , y , z }

{ u } = vector of displacements = { u x u y u z x y z }
Note:

Displacement is a general term describing a component of

translation or rotation.

2-9

EXAMPLE: DIRECT FORMULATION OF ROD

ELEMENT STIFFNESS MATRIX BY DISPLACEMENT
METHOD
Rod under axial load
Consider an elastic rod of uniform cross section A and length L
under axial load.
X=0
L
F1

2
u1

F2

u2

Axial translations u 1 and u 2 are the only axial displacements at

nodes 1 and 2. Thus, this element has two degrees of freedom.
Goal - Find a linear equation relating force to displacement for each
degree of freedom.
Step 1: Satisfy static equilibrium

Fx = F1 + F2 = 0
or

(1)
F2 = F1

2-10

EXAMPLE: DIRECT FORMULATION OF ROD

ELEMENT STIFFNESS MATRIX BY DISPLACEMENT
METHOD (Cont.)
Step 2: Relate strain to displacements
Assume that the rod changes length by an amount L due to the axial
load. The strain in the rod is
u2 u1
L
x = ------- = ------------------L
L

(2)

Step 3: Relate stress to strain

For a homogeneous, isotropic material, axial stress is related to axial
strain by
x = E x

2-11

(3)

EXAMPLE: DIRECT FORMULATION OF ROD

ELEMENT STIFFNESS MATRIX BY DISPLACEMENT
METHOD (Cont.)
Step 4: Relate force to stress
P
By definition, axial stress ( ) is given by ---- :
A
F1
F2
x = ------ and x = -----A
A
1
2

(4)

The minus sign is required since a positive tensile stress at End 1 is

in the negative x direction.

F1

A
Step 5: Relate force to displacement
Substitution of Equations 2 and 3 into Equation 4 yields:
EA
F 1 = x A = E x A = -------- ( u 2 u 1 )
L
or

(5)
EA
EA
F 1 = -------- u 2 -------- u 2
2
L
2-12

EXAMPLE: DIRECT FORMULATION OF ROD

ELEMENT STIFFNESS MATRIX BY DISPLACEMENT
METHOD (Cont.)
Similarly,
EA
EA
F 2 = --------u 2 --------u 1
L
L

(6)

Equations 5 and 6 represent two linear equations and two unknowns.

In matrix form,

EA 1 1

-------u

L 1 1
1

u2

F1

=
F2

or

(7)
{F} = [K]{u}

where

[ K ] = [ k ij ] element stiffness matrix

{ F } = vector of forces (known)
{ u } = vector of unknown displacements resulting from { F }

2-13

OTHER EXAMPLES OF ELEMENTAL STIFFNESS

MATRICES
Uniform rod under torsion
x1

x2

T1

T2

L
Two rotational degrees of freedom about x ( x1 , x2 )

GJ
- 1 1
T
1 ------L
1 1

=
T2

K
where G

x1

x2

= material shear modulus (for example, psi or N/m2)

= polar moment of inertia (for example, in4 or m4)

= torsional load (for example, in-lb or N-m)

2-14

OTHER EXAMPLES OF ELEMENTAL STIFFNESS

MATRICES (Cont.)
Beam in bending in x-y plane
y
z2
z1

y1

y2
L

Four degrees of freedom

2 rotations about z ( z1 , z2 )
2 translations in ( y 1 , y 2 )

Loads are forces Py and moments Mz at each end.

{P}

3L

3L

3L 2L 3L L
6 3L
3L L

3L

3L 2L

[K]

y1

z1

y2

z2

P y1

M z1

2EI
P y2 = -------3

L
M z2

{u}

A similar approach can be used in the development of a 3-D beam.

2-15

GLOBAL STIFFNESS MATRIX

A real structure can be modeled as a collection of individual
elements.
An assembly of elemental stiffness matrices
representing a structure is called the global stiffness matrix.
Example: Find global stiffness matrix for two axial rods (springs).

ka

1
u1 , F1

kb

u2 , F2

u3 , F3

The definition of the stiffness coefficient enables us to write the

following relation:

ka
0 u1
ka
F1

F2 = ka ( ka + kb ) kb u2

0
kb
kb u3
F3

2-16

GLOBAL STIFFNESS MATRIX (Cont.)

This relation can also be obtained by superposing the elemental
stiffness matrices:

ka ka u1
F1

and
F

k
u
k
2
a a 2

F1

F2 =

F3

kb kb u2
F2

F
kb kb u3
3

ka

ka

ka

ka + kb

kb

kb

kb

u1

u2

u3

Formulation of elemental stiffness matrices

Direct determination (i.e., by hand) of the element stiffness matrix
is limited to one- and two-dimensional elements with limited
degrees of freedom.
For higher-order elements (general beams, plates, solids), energy
principles and assumed element shape functions are used to
determine element stiffness matrices.

2-17

CONSTRAINING THE STRUCTURE RIGID BODY MOTION

The solution of the structural equations
{F} = [K]{u}
requires inversion of the [ K ] matrix:
{u} = [K]

{F}

Inversion of the [ K ] matrix requires that [ K ] be square and that

det [ K ] 0 (i.e., nonsingular).
If rigid body motion or mechanisms are not prevented (constrained),
the structure is unstable and the stiffness matrix will be singular.
Note that an infinite number of displacement solutions occur if rigid
body motion is allowed. MSC/NASTRAN evaluates structural stability
independent of the applied load.
When considering rigid body motion, you must remember that the
computer program is working in a 3-dimensional space. That is, the
set of constraints you apply must be able to prevent any possible
rigid-body motion in 3-dimensions.
For example, as you will see on the next page, constraints must be
applied in the "out-of-plane" direction also to insure stability.

2-18

CONSTRAINING THE STRUCTURE RIGID BODY MOTION (Cont.)

Examples:
Adequate Constraints

Rigid Body Motion

F

Note:

In actual practice, inversion of the stiffness matrix to solve

the system of equations is highly inefficient. MSC/NASTRAN
uses methods based on Gauss Elimination. However, the requirement for a nonsingular matrix still holds.

2-19

OVERVIEW OF FINITE ELEMENT SOLUTION

PROCEDURE
Flowchart of Linear Static Structural Analysis
Represent continuous structure as a collection of
grid points connected by discrete elements.

Formulate element stiffness matrices from element

properties, geometry, and material.

Assemble all element stiffness matrices into global

stiffness matrix.

Apply boundary conditions to constrain model (i.e.,

remove certain degrees of freedom).

Apply loads to model (forces, moments, pressure,

etc.).

Solve matrix
displacements.

equation

Calculate element forces

displacement results.

2-20

{F}

[K]{u}

and

stresses

for

from

OVERVIEW OF FINITE ELEMENT SOLUTION

PROCEDURE (Cont.)
In general, the finite element method can be applied to any continuum
described by partial differential equations.
Example: Steady-state heat conduction
Replace the structural stiffness matrix with the matrix of thermal
conductivities.
Single DOF at each node (temperature)
Other fields
Fluid flow/wave propagation
Electromagnetics
Dynamics

2-21

REFERENCES
Matrix Structural Analysis
H. C. Martin
Introduction to Matrix Methods of Structural Analysis
McGraw-Hill Book Company
1966
J. S. Przemieniecki
Theory of Matrix Structural Analysis
McGraw-Hill Book Company and Dover Publications
1968
M. F. Rubinstein
Matrix Computer Analysis of Structures
Prentice-Hall, Inc.
1966
M. D. Vanderbilt
Matrix Structural Analysis
Quantum Publishers, Inc.
1974

2-22

REFERENCES (Cont.)
Finite Element Method
K. J. Bathe (theoretical)
Finite Element Procedures in Engineering Analysis
Prentice-Hall, Inc.
1982
R. D. Cook (theoretical, applications)
Concepts and Applications of Finite Element Analysis, 2nd Edition
John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
1981
R. H. Gallagher (applications)
Finite Element Analysis Fundamentals
Prentice-Hall, Inc.
1975
O. C. Zienkiewicz and R. L. Taylor (theoretical)
The Finite Element Method, 4rd Edition
McGraw-Hill Book Company
1989
R. H. MacNeal (theoretical applications)
Finite Elements: Their Design and Performance
Marcel Dekker, Inc.
1994
A. O. Cifuentes (MSC/NASTRAN applications)
Using MSC/NASTRAN: Statics and Dynamics
Springer-Verlag
1989

2-23

2-24

SECTION 3
INTRODUCTION TO FINITE ELEMENT MODELING
GOAL OF FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
INPUT TO THE FINITE ELEMENT MODEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
OUTPUTS FROM THE FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
MODELING GUIDELINES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
UNITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6

GOAL OF FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

We wish to approximate behavior of an irregular, continuous structure

under general loading and constraints with an assembly of discrete
elements.
Structure

X
uy

ux
Element
Level

[ K ]e { u }e = { f }e
The behavior of the structure is obtained by considering the collective
behavior of the discrete elements.

3-1

INPUT TO THE FINITE ELEMENT MODEL

Subdivision or discretization of real-world structures into elements
and the selection of element types is the responsibility of the user.
The user may use an input data generator (such as MSC/PATRAN) to
assist in discretizing the structure.

The principal concerns in making a finer or coarser finite element

mesh are accuracy and computer resources, both of which increase
with an increasing number of degrees of freedom.

Computer resources (CPU time) used by MSC/NASTRAN (for a

problem with "N" dof)
Overhead (constant)
Stiffness matrix assembly (~N)
Solution cost (~N2)
Data recovery (~N)
These four costs are approximately equal to each other for smaller
models (100-200 grid points). For large modes, the solution cost will
generally dominate.

3-2

INPUT TO THE FINITE ELEMENT MODEL (Cont.)

Once the user is satisfied with the model subdivision, the following
classes of input data must be prepared to provide a detailed
description of the finite element model to MSC/NASTRAN.

Geometry

The locations of grid points and the

orientations of coordinate systems that
are used to record components of
displacements and forces at grid points

Element Connectivities

The identification numbers of the grid

points to which each element is connected

Element Properties

Examples of element properties are the

thickness of a surface element and the
cross-sectional area of a line element.
Each element type has a specific list of
properties.

Material Properties

Examples of material properties are

Youngs modulus, density, and thermal
expansion coefficient. There are several
material types available in MSC/NASTRAN.
Each has a specific list of properties.

Constraints

Constraints are used to specify boundary

conditions, symmetry conditions, and a
variety of other useful relationships.
Constraints are essential because an
unconstrained structure is capable of freebody motion, which will cause the analysis
to fail.

Loads and
Enforced
Displacements

Loads may be applied at grid points or on

elements.

3-3

OUTPUTS FROM THE FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

Once the data describing the finite element model has been
assembled and submitted to the computer, it will be processed by
MSC/NASTRAN to produce information requested by the user. The
classes of output data are:

Components of displacements at grid points

Element data recovery: stresses, strains, strain energy, and
internal forces and moments
Grid point data recovery: applied loads, forces of constraint, and
forces due to elements
It is the responsibility of the user to verify the accuracy of the finite
element analysis results. Some suggested checks to perform are:

Generate plots to visually verify the geometry

Verify overall model response for loadings applied
Check input loads with reaction forces
Perform hand checks of results whenever possible
See the Proceedings of the 1986 MSC World Users Conference,
MSC/NASTRAN Model Checkout by the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Appendix C.

3-4

MODELING GUIDELINES

Engineering judgment about the behavior of the structure

is required before modeling process begins.

Recognize all load application and reaction points.

Establish the primary load paths for bending, torsion, shear, and
axial loads.
Refine the mesh in regions where high-stress gradients are
expected. Increasing number of elements generally increases
accuracy.
Try to exploit symmetry in the structure.
Consider project budget and computer resources - increasing the
DOFs increases the computer resouces, modeling time, and time
required to interpret results.
Sensitivity studies should be performed with small models to
determine the relationships between number of elements, solution
accuracy, and modeling cost.
Use small, simple test models to check out unfamiliar modeling
techniques and procedures before running expensive, real models.

3-5

UNITS
MSC/NASTRAN knows nothing about units.

The units of all physical quantities (input) for

MSC/NASTRAN must be consistent! OUTPUT
WILL BE IN THE SAME UNITS AS THE INPUT DATA

Example
Input

Units
English

Metric

Grid Point Geometry

inches

mm

Elastic Modulus

lb/in2

N/mm2

Applied Moments

inch-lb

mm-N

Applied Forces

lb

Corresponding Output
Displacements

Units
inches

mm

Stresses

lb/in2

N/mm2

3-6

Must Be
Consistent

UNITS (Cont.)

System of
Units

Mass

Length

Time

Force

English

lb sec2/ft

ft

sec

lb

32.174 ft/sec2

SI

kg

sec

Newton

9.81 m/sec2

F = Ma:

Note:

weight
mass(M) = -------------------g

Mass density (not weight density) is required for dynamic

analysis.

Example:

density
0.283 lb/in
Mass density = weight
----------------------------------------- = -----------------------------------------------------g
ft 12 in
of mild steel
32.174 ------------- --------------

2
sec 1 ft
2

lb sec
= 7.324E 4 -------------------4
in

3-7

3-8

SECTION 4
INTRODUCTION TO MSC/NASTRAN INPUT FILE
MSC/NASTRAN INPUT FILE - OVERALL VIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
DELIMETER ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
SAMPLE MSC/NASTRAN INPUT FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
FORMAT OF MSC/NASTRAN BULK DATA ENTRIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
SMALL FIELD FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9
FREE FIELD FORMAT IN THE BULK DATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10
LARGE FIELD FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
GENERAL RULES FOR BULK DATA INPUT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
CONTINUATION ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
GENERATION/REPLICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
GENERATION/REPLICATION OF CONTINUATION ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16
GENERATION/REPLICATION EXAMPLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17
COMMON ENTRY FORMAT ERRORS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19
THE NASTRAN STATEMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20
FILE MANAGEMENT SECTION (FMS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21

MSC/NASTRAN INPUT FILE - OVERALL VIEW

ENDDATA
BULK DATA SECTION
BEGIN BULK
CASE CONTROL SECTION
CEND
EXECUTIVE CONTROL SECTION
ID A, B $ OPTIONAL
FMS

File Management Section (FMS):

Includes the "NASTRAN" statement (optional - determines overall
program control for the current run)
Allocates files, controls restarts and database operations
Executive Control Section:
Solution type, time allowed, program modifications and system
diagnostics
Case Control Section:
Output requests and selects certain Bulk Data items such as
loadings and constraints to be used
Bulk Data Section:
Structural model definition and solution conditions

4-1

MSC/NASTRAN INPUT FILE - OVERALL VIEW (Cont.)

MSC/NASTRAN is designed to run in the batch mode. An analysis
is submitted in an input file containing the following:
1.

File Management Section (Optional)

2.

Executive Control Section

3.

Case Control Section

4.

Bulk Data Section

Input files may be preceded and followed by the required resident

operating system (job control language) control statements. The
type and number vary with each installation.
The goal of the File Management Section is to make the operating
system invisible to the user.
Refer to the MSC/NASTRAN Installation and Operation Instructions
and your operating system personnel for instructions in preparing
operating system control statements.

4-2

DELIMETER ENTRIES

ID A, B

First statement in Executive Section - (Optional)

CEND

End of Executive Section, beginning of Case Control

BEGIN BULK

End of Case Control, beginning of Bulk Data

ENDDATA

Last entry in all MSC/NASTRAN input files

Note:

BEGIN BULK and ENDDATA must begin in column 1.

4-3

SAMPLE MSC/NASTRAN INPUT FILE

Problem: Find the maximum displacement of the a square plate due
to a concentrated force applied at the center. The edges of
the plate are fixed.
Finite Element Model:
F = 1000.0 lbs

E = 30.0 E6 psi
t = 0.25 inches
= 0.33

y
8

4
5

z
1

10 inches

2
x

2
10 inches
= grid ID
= element ID
Note:

Coarse mesh is used for demonstration purposes.

4-4

SAMPLE MSC/NASTRAN INPUT FILE (Cont.)

ID SAMPLE,DATA DECK
Executive Control Section
SOL 101
$
CEND
LOAD=20
Case Control Section
DISP=ALL
$
BEGIN BULK
$Dollar signs anywhere in the Data Deck
$denote a comment
GRID,1,,0.,0.,0.,,123456
GRID,2,,5.,0.,0.,,123456
GRID,3,,10.,0.,0.,,123456
GRID,4,,0.,5.,0.,,123456
GRID,5,,5.,5.,0.,,6
GRID,6,,10.,5.,0.,,123456
GRID,7,,0.,10.,0.,,123456
Bulk Data Section
GRID,8,,5.,10.,0.,,123456
GRID,9,,10.,10.,0.,,123456
$Comment entries are not required
CQUAD4,1,10,1,2,5,4
CQUAD4,2,10,2,3,6,5
CQUAD4,3,10,4,5,8,7
CQUAD4,4,10,5,6,9,8
PSHELL,10,30,0.25,30
MAT1,30,3.+7,,0.33
FORCE,20,5,,-1000.,0.,0.,1.
ENDDATA

4-5

FORMAT OF MSC/NASTRAN INPUT FILE (Cont.)

File Management Section
Use free field format.
(See the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide for specific
input.)
Executive Control Section and Case Control Section
Use free field format. Input may begin in any column and is
separated by commas or blanks.
(See the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide for specific
Executive statements and Case Control commands.)
Bulk Data Section
There are three possible field formats:
Free field
Small field
Large field
(See Section 5 of the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide for
specific Bulk Data input requirements.)

4-6

FORMAT OF MSC/NASTRAN BULK DATA ENTRIES

Each BULK DATA Entry has a specific pre-defined format and
purpose (described in the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide,
Section 5)
The following is the CROD entry description from the QRG

CROD
Defines a tension-compression-torsion element.

Format:
1

CROD

EID

PID

G1

G2

13

21

23

10

Example:
CROD

12

Field

Contents

EID

Element identification number. (Integer >0)

PID

Property identification number of a PROD entry. (Integer > 0; Default = EID)

G1, G2

Grid Point identification numbers of connection points. (Integer>0; G1=G2)

Remarks:
1. Element identification numbers should be unique with respect to all other element
identification numbers.
2. See CONROD for alternative method of rod definition.
3. Only one element may be defined on a single entry.

Each line contains 10 fields

An entry may require one or more lines of data to define it.
4-7

FORMAT OF MSC/NASTRAN BULK DATA ENTRIES

Data may be Integer, Real, or BCD format
Integer
Used on the majority of data entries
Real
Character string

BCD

Different ways to input a real number

The following representations of the real number 7.0 are
numerically equivalent and acceptable to MSC/NASTRAN:
7.0

.7E1

0.7+1

.70+1

7.+0

70. -1

The first field on the first line of an entry is the entry name.

All subsequent fields are data for entry.

If more than one line is needed, then "continuation" entries must be

used.

4-8

SMALL FIELD FORMAT

Small field
10 fields of 8 columns each
Example:
Small Field Bulk Data Entry
1

10

GRID

10

7.5

8.6

4-9

456

FREE FIELD FORMAT IN THE BULK DATA

Free field
Fields in the Bulk Data entries can be separated by commas or
blanks. (The RECOMMENDED PRACTICE is to use commas not
blanks to separate data into fields.)
Rules:
To skip a field, use two commas in succession.
Integer numbers or BCD fields with more than eight
characters cause a fatal error.
Real numbers with more than eight characters are rounded
off and lose some precision. For example, 1.2345E+2
becomes 123.45, while 1.2345678+2 becomes 123.4568. If
more than eight characters are needed, use large field entry
format.
Example:
Free Field Bulk Data Entry
GRID,10,,7.5,8.6,9.0,,456

4-10

LARGE FIELD FORMAT

Large field
In general, requires two entries
First and last fields of each entry use eight columns, and
intermediate fields use 16 columns.
Large field entries are denoted by an * immediately after the
mnemonic in field 1A on the first entry and * immediately preceding
the mnemonic in field 1B of the second entry.
Example:
Large Field Bulk Data Entry
First Entry
1A

10A

16

16

16

16

7.5

8.6

*GRID10

GRID*

10

Second Entry
1B

10B

16

16

16

16

*GRID10

9.0

456

4-11

GENERAL RULES FOR BULK DATA INPUT

Errors result if input data items extend past their specified fields.
Input data items in fields 1 and 10 must be left justified. Input data
in fields 2 through 9 do not have to be left or right justified.
Input data items must not have any embedded blanks.
Example: (free field)
G R

1 0

Since a blank is a valid separator,

MSC/NASTRAN will interpret this as an
integer 8 rather than the intended value,
8.6. Since real numbers are required for
coordinate data, a fatal error will result.

All real numbers, including zero, must contain a decimal point WARNING - COMMON ERROR!
A blank field will be interpreted as a real number or integer number
as required.

4-12

CONTINUATION ENTRIES
Definition
Continuation entries are used when more than one line is required
to define a single Bulk Data entry.
Free field format example
Parent entry:

PBAR,10,20,1.25,,,,,,+PB10
The plus sign is optional. The first
column of field 10 on the parent entry is
ignored by MSC/NASTRAN.

Continuation entry:

+PB10,2.0,5.0,-2.0,-5.0
The plus sign is required in column 1,
field 1 of a continuation entry.

Continuation entries may be generated automatically when the

entries are in sorted order. The parent entry must be blank in
columns 74-80 (field 10), and the continuation entry must be blank
in columns 2-8 (field 1). For small field entries, the first column of
the continuation entry may be blank or contain a + symbol. For
large field entries, the first column of the continuation entry must
contain a * symbol.

4-13

CONTINUATION ENTRIES (Cont.)

Input rules
(+) or (*) is required in column 1, field 1 of a continuation entry.
The remaining entry in field 1 of a continuation entry must be
identical to the entry in field 10 (columns 2 through 8) of the parent
entry (or the preceding continuation entry).
Any entry in the first column of field 10 on the parent entry is
ignored by the continuation entry.
Small field and large field continuation entries may be used
together in defining a single data item entry.

4-14

GENERATION/REPLICATION
To avoid the time-consuming input of each Bulk Data entry
individually, repetitive fields can be generated from a single entry
definition. Rules governing this capability are:
Duplication of a field from the preceding entry is accomplished by
coding the symbol = in the associated field.
Duplication of all remaining fields from the preceding entry is
accomplished by coding the symbol == in the first of the fields to
be repeated.
Generation of a incremeted value from the previous entry is
defined by coding *X or *(X) where X is the real or integer value of
the increment.
Note: Parentheses are optional.
Repeated replication is indicated by coding =n or the optional =(n)
in field 1, where n is the number of entry images to be generated
using the values of the increments on the preceding generation
entry.
Generation/replication rules apply to all Bulk Data entries unless
denoted otherwise on specific entry definition pages in
Section 12.0 of the MSC/NASTRAN Handbook for Linear Analysis.

4-15

GENERATION/REPLICATION OF
CONTINUATION ENTRIES
Continuation fields (fields 1 and 10) may be replicated using the
following conventions:
Only letters of the alphabet and integers may be used. They are
coded into a base 36 number. That is, the sequence of numbers is
0, 1, 2,...8, 9, A, B,...Z.
The first character in the field 1 or 10 is not incremented.
MSC/NASTRAN increments continuation fields by +1. User input
values for these fields are ignored.
The number of characters in an incremented field is not increased.
For example, if the field in the first entry is 0, the field in the 37th
entry is also 0 resulting in an illegal duplicate entry. A method to
solve this problem is to start a first entry with 00. This will provide
36 squared unique fields.
See Section 3.5.1 of the MSC/NASTRAN Handbook for Linear
Analysis for examples of continuation entries in small field and
large field formats.

4-16

GENERATION/REPLICATION EXAMPLES
I N P U T

B U L K

D A T A

4-17

.
1 ..
2 ..
3 ..
4 ..
5 ..
6 ..
7
.
GRID,1,,1.,0.,0.
=,*(1),,*(1.),== $GRID GENERATION CARD
=(3)
$GRID REPLICATION CARD
CBEAM,100,1,1,2,0.,1.,0.
=,*10,=,*1,*1,== $CBEAM GENERATION CARD
=2
$CBEAM REPLICATION CARD
PBEAM,1,1,24.,72.,32.
,3.,-2.,3.,2.,-3.,2.,-3.,-2. $PBEAM CONTINUATION CARD
,YESA,0.2 $PBEAM CONTINUATION CARD
,=,*0.2
$GENERATION OF PREVIOUS CARD
=3
$REPLICATION OF PREVIOUS CARD
EIGR,10,MGIV,,30.
,MASS
$EIGR CONTINUATION CARD
$
ENDDATA
INPUT BULK DATA CARD COUNT =
15

D E C K
..

E C H O
..

..

10

GENERATION/REPLICATION EXAMPLES (Cont.)

S O R T E D

4-18

CARD
COUNT
123456789101112131415161718-

.
1 ..
2
CBEAM
100
CBEAM
110
CBEAM
120
CBEAM
130
EIGR
10
++000008MASS
GRID
1
GRID
2
GRID
3
GRID
4
GRID
5
PBEAM
1
++0000013.
++000002YESA
++000003YESA
++000004YESA
++000005YESA
++000006YESA
ENDDATA
TOTAL COUNT=
19

..
3
1
1
1
1
MGIV

1
-2.
0.2
.4
.6
.8
1.0

..
1
2
3
4

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
24.
3.

B U L K

..
5
2
3
4
5
30.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
72.
2.

..
0.
0.
0.
0.

D A T A

..
1.
1.
1.
1.

E C H O

..
0.
0.
0.
0.

..

..

10

+000008
+000009
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
32.
-3.

2.

-3.

-2.

+000001
+000002
+000003
+000004
+000005
+000006
+000007

COMMON ENTRY FORMAT ERRORS

The following are common entry format errors and ways to avoid
them.
Failure to leave the proper number of fields blank when defining
data values causes a fatal error. Be sure to leave the proper
number of blanks or include the correct number of commas to
delimit data fields.
Be sure to put integer numbers and real numbers where they
belong. See individual entry format in the MSC/NASTRAN Quick
Reference Guide for these specifications.
Be sure to define all the required fields on the Bulk Data entries.

4-19

THE NASTRAN STATEMENT

The NASTRAN statement is a member of the FMS and is optional.
It should be used to modify operational parameters (system cells).
If used, it is best to place it as the first entry in the input file.
Used only in exceptional circumstances and is not needed for most
runs.
Typical applications
Change BUFFSIZE
NASTRAN BUFFSIZE=2000
or
NASTRAN SYSTEM(1)=2000
Specifying HICORE
NASTRAN HICORE=5000000
or
NASTRAN SYSTEM(57)=5000000
See the MSC/NASTRAN Reference Guide, Section 1 for a complete
listing and description of the machine-independent system cells.

4-20

FILE MANAGEMENT SECTION (FMS)

The FMS is optional and may not be needed for many problems.
Used to initialize or attach existing MSC/NASTRAN databases and
FORTRAN files
The FMS commands works the same for all platforms
Reduces or eliminates the machine-dependent JCL
Typical applications
Initializing the database (name, size, location , etc.)
Splitting up a database into several smaller database sets, which
allows large problems to be solved on machines with limited disk
space
Expand an existing database.
Restart Control.
Detailed description of the FMS is given in Section 12.

4-21

4-22

SECTION 5
EXECUTIVE CONTROL SECTION
INTRODUCTION TO THE EXECUTIVE CONTROL SECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
SELECTED EXECUTIVE CONTROL STATEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
DEFINITION OF DMAP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
MSC/NASTRAN SOLUTION SEQUENCE FOR STATIC ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
A ROAD-MAP FROM MSC/NASTRAN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5
F04 OUTPUT FILE FROM SOL 24 STATIC ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6
EPSILON (RESIDUAL ERROR VECTOR) AND STRAIN ENERGY . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
STRUCTURED SOLUTION SEQUENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
RIGID FORMAT SOLUTION SEQUENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10

INTRODUCTION TO THE EXECUTIVE

CONTROL SECTION

The Executive Control Section is the first required group of

statements in any MSC/NASTRAN input file.
The primary functions of the Executive Control Section are:
Define the type of analysis (solution sequence)
Identify the job (optional)
Define general operation conditions such as:
Maximum time allowed
System diagnostics desired
User-written DMAP
See the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide, Section 3 for a
complete description of the Executive Control Section.

5-1

SELECTED EXECUTIVE CONTROL STATEMENTS

First Entry:

ID A1,A2

Optional

Second Entry:

SOL K

Required entry - K= SOLution number or

name

Last Entry:

CEND

Required entry

Optional Entries
TIME K

Indicates maximum allowable CPU minutes

(default = 60)

Diagnostic:
DIAG K

Optional entries requesting diagnostic output.

useful DIAG requests are:
DIAG 8

Some

Prints matrix summary data as it is generated

DIAG 14 Prints DMAP sequence - recommended for use

with ALTERS
DIAG 38 Prints material angles for QUAD4, QUAD8,
TRIA3, TRIA6 elements
See Section 3 of the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide for
descriptions of this and other statements.

5-2

DEFINITION OF DMAP
MSC/NASTRANs Executive System uses an internal, data block
oriented language called Direct Matrix Abstraction Programming
(DMAP) to direct MSC/NASTRAN to solve problems.
DMAP
Performs the operations of converting input lists to matrices and/or
tables
Performs the matrix solutions
Converts matrix solutions to output lists
Prints the solution (and/or any intermediate information)
These operations are selected by requesting one of the solution
sequences (SOL K). Each SOL assembles hundreds to thousands
of DMAP commands to perform a specific type of analysis.
User access to DMAP enables:
Altering (modifying) a built-in solution sequence flow
Writing a solution sequence to meet special analysis needs
Note:

User modification to DMAP is optional.

See the MSC/NASTRAN DMAP Module Dictionary for more information

about DMAP.

5-3

MSC/NASTRAN SOLUTION SEQUENCE

FOR STATIC ANALYSIS
DMAP modules perform the mathematical operations required to
perform the requested solution sequence.
Static Analysis
Solution Sequence Operations

Modules

Preface

MSGMESH

Geometry Processors

GP1,GP2,GP3,GP4

Plot Preparation
(Undeformed)

PLOT

Matrix Assembly

EMG,EMA,GPSP1

Multipoint Constraint
Elimination

MCE1,MCE2

Single-Point Constraint
Elimination

SCE1

Stiffness
Matrix Decomposition

DCMP

Static Solution

SSG1,SSG2,SSG3

Data Recovery

SDR1,SDR2,GPFDR

Plot Preparation
(Deformed)

PLOT

5-4

A ROAD-MAP FROM MSC/NASTRAN

The ".f04" file contains a "road-map" of the MSC/NASTRAN
modules used in the solution of your problem.
Each time a DMAP module is executed, a line is created in the .f04
file contain in the module name and information on the current
state of the run.

DAY

TIME ELASPED I/O MB

DEL_MB

CPU

SEC

DEL_CPU

SUB_DMAP/ DMAP_MODULE MESSAGES

16:56:39

0:37

2.9

0.0

8.9

SEPREP2

17

GP1

BEGN

16:56:40

0:38

2.9

0.0

9.5

SEPREP2

17

GP1

END

Module Name
DMAP Sequence ID
subDMAP
Elasped Time for Job
(used for "time" limit)
File Operations
Wall Clock - Elasped Seconds
Time of Day
If anything should go wrong during a run, this output is invaluable
as a trouble-shooting aid.

5-5

F04 OUTPUT FILE FROM SOL 24 STATIC ANALYSIS

5-6

DAY TIME

ELAPSED

17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:14
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15
17:40:15

0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:03
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04
0:04

I/O SEC
23.4
23.5
23.9
23.9
23.9
24.0
24.0
24.0
24.0
24.0
24.0
24.0
24.1
24.1
24.1
24.1
24.1
24.1
24.1
24.1
24.1
24.1
24.1
24.1
24.1
24.1
24.1
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2
24.2

DEL_I/O
2.6
0.2
0.3
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

CPU SEC
1.2
1.2
1.6
1.6
1.7
1.7
1.8
1.8
1.9
1.9
1.9
1.9
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.0
2.1
2.1
2.1
2.1
2.1
2.1
2.1
2.1
2.1
2.1
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.2
2.3
2.3
2.4
2.4
2.4
2.4
2.4
2.4
2.4
2.4
2.5
2.5
2.5
2.5

DEL_CPU
0.1
0.1
0.4
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

MODULE/SUBROUTINE MESSAGES
STATICS
STATICS
STATICS
IFP
STATICS
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24
SOL24

4
5
6

IFP1
XSORT
IFP

BEGN - Preface operations: read datea deck,

BEGN
Bulk Data sorted and placed
BEGN
in tables

12 SOL24
BEGN
9
GP1
BEGN
11 GP2
BEGN
26 GP3
BEGN
28 TA1
BEGN
31 EMG
BEGN
35 XPURGE BEGN
37 EMA
BEGN
39 XPURGE BEGN
43 ELTPRT BEGN
73 XEQUIV BEGN
85 XEQUIV BEGN
89 XEQUIV BEGN
97 GP4
BEGN
99 GPSP
BEGN
100 XPURGE BEGN
104 XEQUIV BEGN
108 XEQUIV BEGN
110 SCE1
BEGN
112 XEQUIV BEGN
113 XPURGE BEGN
134 XEQUIV BEGN
135 XPURGE BEGN
140 DCMP
BEGN
145 SSG1
BEGN
146 XEQUIV BEGN
148 SSG2
BEGN
150 XEQUIV BEGN
150 XEQUIV BEGN
155 SSG3
BEGN
160 SDR1
BEGN
176 SDR2
BEGN
185 OFP
BEGN
186 SDRX
BEGN
187 XEQUIV BEGN
187 XEQUIV BEGN
188 OFP
BEGN
189 GPFDR
BEGN
190 OFP
BEGN
193 OFP
BEGN
210 SDR2
BEGN
211 XEQUIV BEGN
215 OFP
BEGN
220 EXIT
BEGN

- Grid point processor

- Element connection table
- Temperature and static loads
- Element matrices generated
- [K] is assembled from all
individual element matricex

- Constraint data processor

- Grid point sigularity processor

- Single point constraint processor

- Decompostion of stiffness matrix

- Static solution generators

- Stress data recovery

- Process output requests for
SPCF, OLOAD, DISP, FORCE, STRESS

- Prepares GPFORCE tables & element

strain energy tables
- Stress data recovery

EPSILON (RESIDUAL ERROR VECTOR) AND

STRAIN ENERGY
When you perform a static solution, the SSG3 module calculates the
residual load vector

{ P } = { P } [ K ] { u }
The residual load vector exists due to numerical roundoff in the
calculations. If there were no numerical roundoff,

{ P } = 0
It also calculates the residual error vector

{ u } { P } residual strain energy

= ---------------------------- = -------------------------------------------------------------T
external work
1
--- { P } { u }
2
work done by P
= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------work done by the applied loads

Performing a static solution causes epsilon and the external work to

be automatically printed out as a user information message. A
parameter IRES allows the user to request printout of the residual load
vector. Parameters are discussed in more detail in Chapter 9.

Epsilon and strain energy give an indication of how well conditioned

your problem is.

5-7

EPSILON (RESIDUAL ERROR VECTOR) AND

STRAIN ENERGY (Cont.)
If 10-6, it could be a sign of ill-conditioning. Small models tend to
have a lower because they have fewer calculations. Larger models
have higher residual load errors; therefore, is generally higher. An

10-6

in a small model could be an indication of poorly modeled

elements (e.g., high aspect ratio CQUAD4).

5-8

STRUCTURED SOLUTION SEQUENCES

Structured solution sequences use a random access database for
data storage.
Solutions 101 through 200 allow the use of
superelements and have automatic restarts.
These are the
recommended solutions.
Solution Sequences
Structured Format
Number (SOL K)

Full Name

Abbreviation

101

Statics

SESTATIC

103

Normal modes

SEMODES

105

Buckling

SEBUCKL

106

Nonlinear Statics

NLSTATIC

107

Direct Complex Eigenvalues

SEDCEIG

108

Direct Frequency Response

SEDFREQ

109

Direct Transient Response

SEDTRAN

110

Modal Complex Eigenvalues

SEMCEIG

111

Modal Frequency Response

SEMFREQ

112

Modal Transient Response

SEMTRAN

114

Cyclic Statics with Option

CYCSTATX

115

Cyclic Normal Modes

CYCMODE

116

Cyclic Direct Frequency Response

CYCFREQ

129

Nonlinear Transient Response

NLTRAN

144

Static Aeroelastic Response

AESTAT

145

Aerodynamic Flutter

SEFLUTTER

146

Aeroelastic Response

SEAERO

153

Steady Nonlinear Heat Transfer

NLHEAT

159

Transient Heat Transfer

TRHEAT

200

Design Optimization

DESOPT

5-9

RIGID FORMAT SOLUTION SEQUENCES

Rigid format solution sequences use sequential logic for storing data.
Restarts are not possible for rigid formats.

Rigid Format
Number
(SOL K)

Full Name

Abbreviation

Static analysis

STATICS1

Normal Modes

Modes

Geometric Nonlinear

GNOLIN

Buckling

BUCKLING

Direct Complex Eigenvalues

DCEIG

Direct Frequency Response

DFREQ

Direct Transient Response

DTRAN

10

Modal Complex Eigenvalues

MCEIG

11

Modal Frequency Response

MFREQ

12

Modal Transient Response

MTRAN

5-10

SECTION 6
CASE CONTROL SECTION
INTRODUCTION TO THE CASE CONTROL SECTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1
CASE CONTROL COMMAND - DATA SELECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
CASE CONTROL COMMANDS - OUTPUT SELECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
CASE CONTROL SET DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
CASE CONTROL SORT OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
SORT1 FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
SORT2 FORMAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
CASE CONTROL COMMANDS - SUBCASE DEFINITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-17
CASE CONTROL EXAMPLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19

INTRODUCTION TO THE CASE CONTROL SECTION

The Case Control Section always follows the Executive Control

Section, precedes the Bulk Data Section, and is required in every
run.
Primary functions of the Case Control Section are:
Specify sets of Bulk Data input that are to be used in the analysis
(Loads. Constraints, eigenvalue solution method, etc.)
Make output selections
Define subcases (load cases)
See the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide, Section 4 for a
summary of all output that can be requested for each solution
sequence.

6-1

CASE CONTROL COMMAND - DATA SELECTION

The concept of data sets allows the user to define any number of
different load and constraint data sets in the Bulk Data. The particular
set(s) to be used in the analysis are specified with the Case Control
data selection command:
DATA SET NAME = SID (Bulk Data: data set ID)
Bulk Data items selected in this manner include loads, constraints,
and thermal fields.
NOTE: Any BULK DATA entries which may be selected by CASE
CONTROL commands, but are not, will be ignored in the current run.
Case Control commands for static load selection:
LOAD

Selects the static loading condition

DEFORM

Selects initial element deformations specified by

Bulk Data DEFORM entry

Example:
LOAD = 10
DEFORM = 20
specifies that the set of initial element deformations defined by all
Bulk Data DEFORM entries with set ID number 20 and all Bulk Data
static load entries having set ID number 10 define the set of grid point
loads for this static analysis

6-2

CASE CONTROL COMMANDS - DATA

SELECTION (Cont.)
Case Control commands for constraint selection:
SPC

Selects the set of single-point constraints (boundry

conditions)

MPC

Selects the set of multipoint constraints

Case Control commands for thermal field selection:

TEMP(LOAD) = 15

Selects a temperature set defined by Bulk

Data temperature entries having set ID 15 to
be used for calculating equivalent thermal
loads

6-3

CASE CONTROL COMMANDS - OUTPUT SELECTION

Titling: optional but recommended for record purposes
TITLE

Specifies the first line of text to be printed on each

page of output

SUBTITLE

Specifies the second line of text to be printed on

each page of output

LABEL

Specifies the third line of text to be printed on each

page of output

Bulk Data echo:

ECHO

Selects echo options for the Bulk Data. Options include:

SORT

Prints the BULK DATA in Alphabetical

sorted order(default)

UNSORT

Prints only unsorted Bulk Data (as it

appears in your input file)

BOTH

Prints sorted and unsorted Bulk Data

NONE

Turns off the Bulk Data listing

PUNCH

Prints echo of Bulk Data to a separate file

(the ".pch" file)

Example:
ECHO = BOTH
causes both the alphabetically sorted Bulk Data and the Bulk Data in
the order input by the user to be printed in the output file.

6-4

CASE CONTROL COMMANDS - OUTPUT

SELECTION (Cont.)
By default, MSC/NASTRAN does not provide any output of results.
You must request any desired results using the following
commands.
When requesting the calculation of results quantities, they may be
requested for selected items by referencing a SET, or for all items.
When you request results, you have several options on how the
results will be presented. The most commonly used of these are:
PRINT, PLOT, and PUNCH.
PRINT is the default of most results requests and will provide
printed results in the "f06" file.
PUNCH will provide the output in the ".pch" file using a "punch"
format (80 column width per line).
PLOT causes the program to calculate the requested results, but
not print them. This option is usually used when you wish to view
the results in MSC/NASTRAN plots and/or a post processing
program, but do not wish to print the results.
If used, this selection is placed in parenthesis after the command.
Examples
DISP = ALL
- calculate and print displacement results for all
points in the model.
DISP(PLOT) = ALL
- calculate, but do not print, displacement
results for all points in the model
6-5

CASE CONTROL COMMANDS - OUTPUT

SELECTION (Cont.)
Element output requests:
ELFORCE or FORCE

Requests the forces to be calculated and

written for a set of structural elements

ELSTRESS or STRESS

Requests the stresses for a set of

structural elements

STRAIN

Requests the strains for a set of plate or

solid elements

ESE

Requests the strain energy for a set of

elements

Grid point output requests:

DISPLACEMENT

Requests the displacements for a set of

grid points

DISPLACEMENT(PLOT)

Alternate form of the DISPLACEMENT

command. Causes the calculation of the
displacements but no printout.
This
form of command is often used when
plots or postprocessing are desired, but
there is no need for the printed output.

SPCFORCES

Requests the single-point

forces for a set of grid points

OLOAD

Requests the set of applied loads for

output in static analysis

GPFORCE

Requests the grid point force balance for

a set of grid points

6-6

contraint

CASE CONTROL COMMANDS - OUTPUT

SELECTION (Cont.)
Use Of GPFORCE Request
Comments

Case Control

If only one subcase exists in the

input file, it is implicitly defined.

CEND
TITLE = Use GPFORCE Request
TEMP(LOAD) = 100
SPC = 200
LOAD = 120
DISP = ALL
FORCE = ALL
STRESS = ALL
GPFORCE = ALL
BEGIN BULK

The GPFORCE request generates a table containing the grid point

force balance at the selected grid points. This is useful for
determining load paths, contributions of applied loads to element
response, and effects of initial thermal strain. Contributors to the grid
point force balance table include:

Applied loads
SPC forces
Element elastic forces

6-7

CASE CONTROL COMMANDS - OUTPUT

SELECTION (Cont.)

Note:

The applied loads and the element forces include the selfequilibrating forces that arise from the initial thermal strain
(TEMP(LOAD)).

In MSC/NASTRAN, it is possible top perform static solutions for

multiple loading and boundary conditions in a single run. Each
solution you wish is defined using the SUBCASE command (details
provided later in this section). If no SUBCASE exists, the program
assumes that you have only one loading condition for the solution.
See the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide, Section 4 for a detailed
description of the GPFORCE Case Control request.

6-8

CASE CONTROL SET DEFINITIONS

SET

Defines a collection of grid point numbers or element

numbers for use in output requests. Used to obtain
output for only a portion of the model.

Example:
CEND
TITLE = OUTPUT SELECTION EXAMPLE
SUBTITLE = ILLUSTRATES USE OF SETS
LOAD = 15
SET 1 = 3,4,7,9,11
SET 5 = 2,9,15 THRU 21,33
DISP = 1 $ DISPLACEMENTS FOR GRIDS 3,4,7,9,11
FORCE = 1 $ FORCES FOR ELEMENTS 3,4,7,9,11
STRESS = 5
OLOAD = ALL
BEGIN BULK

For this example, the following items are computed and printed to
the output file
The displacement for Grid Points 3,4,7,9, and 11
The force in Elements 3,4,7,9, and 11
The stresses in Elements 2,9,15 THRU 21,33

6-9

CASE CONTROL SET DEFINITIONS (Cont.)

Since MSC/NASTRAN will not calculate any results unless
requested, if you wish to use graphical postprocessing (regardless
of software used), you must include the appropriate Case Control
output request commands.
For example, to postprocess displacement plots, the Case Control
must include the request DISP = N. This causes the displacement
data for set N to be calculated and saved on the postprocessing
graphics file.

6-10

CASE CONTROL SORT OPTIONS

There are two formats used to present printed results from
MSC/NASTRAN. For purposes of static analysis, the default format
used to print results (SORT1) is the preferred format.
SORT1

Analysis output is presented as a tabular listing of

the grid point selected output for each subcase.
Output for each subcase is started on any page.
(Default for static analysis)

SORT2

Analysis output is presented as a tabular listing of

the subcases for each selected output item. Output
for each grid point or element is started on a new
page.

A request for SORT2 format with any output request results in all
output requests being printed in SORT2 format.
Warning:

SORT2 output requests may produce an excessive number of

output pages. SORT2 is normally used only in dynamic solutions.

6-11

SORT1 FORMAT
EXAMPLE OF SORT1 OUTPUT
SORT1 IS THE DEFAULT OUTPUT FORMAT

AUGUST

16, 1994

D I S P L A C E M E N T
POINT ID.

TYPE
1
2
3
4
5

G
G
G
G
G

T1
0.0
2.758621E-02
5.517241E-02
8.275862E-02
1.103448E-01

T3

6-12

TYPE
1
2
3
4
5

T1
G
G
G
G
G

0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

16, 1994

MSC/NASTRAN

0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

5/31/94

R3
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

PAGE
11
SUBCASE 2

V E C T O R

T2
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

10

R2

0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

D I S P L A C E M E N T
POINT ID.

PAGE
SUBCASE 1

R1

0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

AUGUST

5/31/94

V E C T O R

T2
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

EXAMPLE OF SORT1 OUTPUT

SORT1 IS THE DEFAULT OUTPUT FORMAT

MSC/NASTRAN

T3
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

R1
0.0
4.563709E-02
9.127419E-02
1.369113E-01
1.825484E-01

R2
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

R3
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

SORT1 FORMAT (Cont.)

EXAMPLE OF SORT1 OUTPUT
SORT1 IS THE DEFAULT OUTPUT FORMAT

AUGUST

F O R C E S

16, 1994

ELEMENT
ID.
1
3

AXIAL
FORCE
2.000000E+05
2.000000E+05

TORQUE
0.0
0.0

6-13

EXAMPLE OF SORT1 OUTPUT

SORT1 IS THE DEFAULT OUTPUT FORMAT

AUGUST

F O R C E S
ELEMENT
ID.
1
3

AXIAL
FORCE
0.0
0.0

I N

TORQUE
1.000000E+05
1.000000E+05

5/31/94

PAGE
12
SUBCASE 1

R O D
E L E M E N T S
( C R O D )
ELEMENT
AXIAL
ID.
FORCE
TORQUE
2
2.000000E+05
0.0
4
2.000000E+05
0.0

16, 1994

I N

MSC/NASTRAN

MSC/NASTRAN

5/31/94

PAGE
13
SUBCASE 2

R O D
E L E M E N T S
ELEMENT
AXIAL
ID.
FORCE
2
0.0
4
0.0

( C R O D )
TORQUE
1.000000E+05
1.000000E+05

SORT2 FORMAT
EXAMPLE OF SORT2 OUTPUT
AUGUST 17, 1994
SORT2 SELECTION IS DISP(SORT2)=ALL, FORCE(SORT2)=ALL
POINT-ID =
1
D I S P L A C E M E N T
SUBCASE
1
2

TYPE
G
G

T1
0.0
0.0

T2
0.0
0.0

6-14

TYPE
G
G

T1
2.758621E-02
0.0

T2
0.0
0.0

TYPE
G
G

T1
5.517241E-02
0.0

T3
0.0
0.0

T2
0.0
0.0

T3
0.0
0.0

PAGE

10

V E C T O R
R1

R2

0.0
0.0

EXAMPLE OF SORT2 OUTPUT

AUGUST 17, 1994
SORT2 SELECTION IS DISP(SORT2)=ALL, FORCE(SORT2)=ALL
POINT-ID =
3
D I S P L A C E M E N T
SUBCASE
1
2

5/31/94

T3
0.0
0.0

EXAMPLE OF SORT2 OUTPUT

AUGUST 17, 1994
SORT2 SELECTION IS DISP(SORT2)=ALL, FORCE(SORT2)=ALL
POINT-ID =
2
D I S P L A C E M E N T
SUBCASE
1
2

MSC/NASTRAN

MSC/NASTRAN

R3

0.0
0.0

5/31/94

0.0
0.0

PAGE

11

V E C T O R
R1
0.0
4.563709E-02

MSC/NASTRAN

R2

R3

0.0
0.0

5/31/94

0.0
0.0

PAGE

12

V E C T O R
R1
0.0
9.127419E-02

R2
0.0
0.0

R3
0.0
0.0

SORT2 FORMAT (Cont.)

EXAMPLE OF SORT2 OUTPUT
AUGUST 17, 1994 MSC/NASTRAN
SORT2 SELECTION IS DISP(SORT2)=ALL, FORCE(SORT2)=ALL
POINT-ID =
4
D I S P L A C E M E N T
V E C T O R
SUBCASE
1
2

TYPE
G
G

T1
8.275862E-02
0.0

T2
0.0
0.0

T3
0.0
0.0

R1
0.0
1.369113E-01

EXAMPLE OF SORT2 OUTPUT

AUGUST 17, 1994 MSC/NASTRAN
SORT2 SELECTION IS DISP(SORT2)=ALL, FORCE(SORT2)=ALL
POINT-ID =
5
D I S P L A C E M E N T
V E C T O R

6-15

SUBCASE
1
2

TYPE
G
G

T1
1.103448E-01
0.0

T2
0.0
0.0

T3
0.0
0.0

5/31/94

PAGE

13

R2

R3

0.0
0.0

5/31/94

0.0
0.0

R1
0.0
1.825484E-01

PAGE

14

R2

R3

0.0
0.0

EXAMPLE OF SORT2 OUTPUT

AUGUST 17, 1994 MSC/NASTRAN
5/31/94
PAGE
SORT2 SELECTION IS DISP(SORT2)=ALL, FORCE(SORT2)=ALL
ELEMENT-ID =
1
F O R C E S
I N
R O D
E L E M E N T S
( C R O D )

0.0
0.0

SUBCASE
1

AXIAL
FORCE
2.000000E+05

TORQUE
0.0

SUBCASE
2

AXIAL
FORCE
0.0

15

TORQUE
1.000000E+05

SORT2 FORMAT (Cont.)

EXAMPLE OF SORT2 OUTPUT
AUGUST 17, 1994 MSC/NASTRAN
SORT2 SELECTION IS DISP(SORT2)=ALL, FORCE(SORT2)=ALL
ELEMENT-ID =
2
F O R C E S
I N
R O D
E L E M E N T S

SUBCASE
1

AXIAL
FORCE
2.000000E+05

TORQUE
0.0

5/31/94

PAGE

16

( C R O D )
AXIAL
FORCE

SUBCASE
2

TORQUE
1.000000E+05

0.0

EXAMPLE OF SORT2 OUTPUT

AUGUST 17, 1994 MSC/NASTRAN
5/31/94
PAGE
SORT2 SELECTION IS DISP(SORT2)=ALL, FORCE(SORT2)=ALL
ELEMENT-ID =
3
F O R C E S
I N
R O D
E L E M E N T S
( C R O D )

6-16

SUBCASE
1

AXIAL
FORCE
2.000000E+05

TORQUE
0.0

EXAMPLE OF SORT2 OUTPUT

AUGUST
SORT2 SELECTION IS DISP(SORT2)=ALL, FORCE(SORT2)=ALL
ELEMENT-ID =
4
F O R C E S
I N

SUBCASE
1

AXIAL
FORCE
2.000000E+05

TORQUE
0.0

AXIAL
FORCE

SUBCASE
2

17, 1994

R O D

0.0

MSC/NASTRAN

5/31/94

E L E M E N T S

SUBCASE
2

17

TORQUE
1.000000E+05

PAGE

18

( C R O D )
AXIAL
FORCE
0.0

TORQUE
1.000000E+05

CASE CONTROL COMMANDS - SUBCASE DEFINITION

Separate static loading conditions (including changes to constraints)
are defined by the use of the SUBCASE command.
SUBCASE i
- where an integer identifier for the SUBCASE. The
values of i must be ascending. That is each SUBCASE id must be a
number higher than that of the previous SUBCASE.
Used to define each unique combination of loading and constraint
sets
Used to control symmetry and antisymmetry conditions
Allows user to analyze several different load conditions in one run
Subcase delimiters:
SUBCASE

Defines the beginning of a subcase

SUBCOM

Defines the beginning of a subcase which is a linear

combination of the preceding subcases

SUBSEQ

Defines coefficients for SUBCOM. Required within a

SUBCOM subcase

Note:

When using SUBSEQ, a coefficient must be given for each

one of the preceding subcases. A coefficient of 0.0 indicates
its associated subcase does not contribute to the SUBCOM.

6-17

CASE CONTROL COMMANDS - SUBCASE

DEFINITION (Cont.)
The following Symmetry condition delimeters are similar to SUBCASE
and SUBCOM:
SYM

Defines the beginning of a symmetry subcase (the

only difference between SYM and SUBCASE is that
a SYM will not provide output for any output
requests which occur above the first SUBCASE (or
SYM)

SYMCOM

Defines a combination of preceding SYM subcases.

A SYMCOM will provide output in a similar manner to
a SUBCOM.

SYMSEQ

Defines coefficients for the linear combination in

SYMCOM. Default of 1.0 is used if SYMSEQ is not
defined.

Subcase delimiters governing output requests:

REPCASE

Defines the beginning of a subcase for additional

output requests for the previously run subcase.
Multiple output requests for the same item are not
permitted in the same subcase; REPCASE must be
used to obtain this output.

MODES

Normally only used in normal modes - repeats the

subcase in which it appears N times for eigenvalue
problems. Used to repeat the same output request
for several consecutive modes

6-18

CASE CONTROL EXAMPLES

Linear Combination of Subcases
Comments

Requests above the first subcase

apply to all following subcases,
except the following:

Requests within a subcase

override the above requests.

Sets defined within a subcase are

limited to that subcase only.

The real numbers of the SUBSEQ

entry are scaling factors to be
used on the preceding
SUBCASEs

Case Control
CEND
TITLE = Equipment Rack Analysis
ECHO = BOTH
SPC = 20
SET 1 = 1 THRU 50
DISP = 1
SUBCASE 1
SUBTITLE = Dead Load
LOAD = 10
DISP = ALL
SUBCASE 2
SUBTITLE = NW Wind Load
LOAD = 20
SET 10 = 2,4,6
DISP = 10
SUBCASE 3
SUBTITLE = SW Wind Load
LOAD = 30
SUBCOM 10
SUBTITLE = Load Combination 1
LABEL = Dead Load + NW Wind
SUBSEQ = 1.0,1.0,0.0
SUBCOM 20
SUBTITLE = Load Combination 2
LABEL = Dead Load + (-) 1.5 SW Wind
SUBSEQ = 1.0,0.0,-1.5
STRESS = ALL
BEGIN BULK

6-19

CASE CONTROL EXAMPLES (Cont.)

Statics Problem with One Plane of Symmetry
Comments

Only output requests

defined within SYM
are used here; no
displacements are
printed.
SYMCOM uses the
output requests
defined above the
subcase level (i.e.,
above the first
subcase).

Case Control
CEND
TITLE = Analysis of Half Tank
SPCFORCE = ALL
SET 1 = 1 THRU 100
SET 2 = 3,17,26,31
DISP = 1
ELFORCE = 2
SYM 1
SUBTITLE = Symmetry Boundary,Load
LOAD = 40
SPC = 10
OLOAD = ALL
SYM 2
SUBTITLE = Anti-Symmetry Boundary,Load
SPC = 15
LOAD = 50
SYMCOM 3
SYMSEQ 1., 1.
SYMCOM 4
SYMSEQ 1., -1.
BEGIN BULK

6-20

CASE CONTROL EXAMPLES (Cont.)

Use of Repcase in Statics
Comments

SETS must be defined

prior to use.

Must be defined
since element force
requests for sets 2
and 3 cannot be made
within Subcase 1

Note:

Case Control
CEND
TITLE = Analysis of Large Model
SUBTITLE = Use REPCASE to Get
Output
SPC = 22
LOAD = 900
SET 1 = 1 THRU 10
SET 2 = 20 THRU 50
SET 3 = 500 THRU 1100
SUBCASE 1
LABEL = Nodal Data for Whole Model
DISP = ALL
SPCF = ALL
ELFO = 1
REPCASE 2
LABEL = Forces for Set 2
ELFO = 2
REPCASE 3
LABEL = Forces for Set 3
ELFO = 3
BEGIN BULK

For this Case Control selection, only one solution is actually

performed. The repcases only provide for data retrieval.

6-21

CASE CONTROL EXAMPLES (Cont.)

Important Points to Remember When Using TEMP(LOAD)
Comments

Case Control

For a rod undergoing thermal expansion

that sustains an axial force, the
relation is

CEND
TITLE = CRANKSHAFT ANALYSIS
SET 1 = 1000 THRU 1200
SET 2 = 2000 THRU 2400

( T T o ) = ---SET 3 = 3000 THRU 3200

E
SET 4 = 4000 THRU 4400
SUBCASE 1
LABEL = STATIONS 1-2
LOAD = 110
Element stresses and forces are
TEMP(LOAD) = 220
calculated on an element-by-element
SPC = 123
basis from a knowledge of the
MPC = 201
displacement vector and the temperature
field. In a SUBCOM, SYMCOM, or
ELFORCE = 1
REPCASE, the user must supply a
STRESS = 1
definition of the temperature field (i.e.,
REPCASE 2
TEMP(LOAD) = X) whenever element
LABEL = STATIONS 2-3
stresses and forces are requested.
TEMP(LOAD) = 220
ELFORCE = 2
STRESS = 2
For the SUBCOM, which modifies
SUBCASE 3
SUBCASE 3, the temperature field must
LABEL = NEW LOAD
also be modified accordingly where
TEMP(LOAD) = 220
LOAD = 120
T 240 = 1.0 ( T 220 T 0 ) + 0.5 ( T 220 T 0 ) + T 0 ELFORCE = 1
STRESS = 1
SUBCOM 10
LABEL= COMBINE SUB 1+50% SUB 3
In general, in SUBCOM where element
SUBSEQ
= 1.0, 0.5
forces or stresses are requested, the
TEMP(LOAD) = 240
temperature distribution to be defined
ELFO = ALL
for n temperature loadings is
STRESS = ALL
n
BEGIN BULK
T
= T +
a (T T )
SUBCOM

i=1

where ai = SUBSEQ coefficients.

6-22

SECTION 7
BULK DATA SECTION
INTRODUCTION TO THE BULK DATA SECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1-1
MSC/NASTRAN COORDINATE SYSTEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1-2
GRID POINTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2-1
SINGLE-POINT CONSTRAINTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3-1
MATERIAL PROPERTIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.4-1
MSC/NASTRAN ELEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.5-1
ZERO-DIMENSIONAL (SCALAR) ELEMENT LIBRARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.6-1
ONE-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7-1
CALCULATION OF TORSIONAL CONSTANT J
FOR PROD, PBAR, AND PBEAM ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7-6
CROD EXAMPLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7-8
ONE-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7-12
CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7-14
CBARAO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7-37
CBEAM ELEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7-44
TWO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8-1
TWO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8-2
REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8-3
CQUAD4 ELEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8-4
CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8-6
QUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION - ALTERNATE PROPERTY ENTRY . . . . . . 7.8-18

SECTION 7 (Cont.)
BULK DATA SECTION
THREE-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9-1
RECOMMENDED USES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9-2
CHEXA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9-3
MSC/NASTRAN LOADS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.10-1
FORCE AND MOMENT ENTRIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.10-2
EXAMPLE INPUT FOR FORCE AND
MOMENT ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.10-3
DISTRIBUTED LOADS (PLOAD) IN MSC/NASTRAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.10-5
EXAMPLE INPUT FOR PLOAD1 ENTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.10-6
EXAMPLE INPUT FOR PLOAD4 ENTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.10-10
GRAV ENTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.10-12
THERMAL EFFECTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.10-14
EXAMPLE OF APPLYING THERMAL EFFECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.10-15
LOAD ENTRY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.10-18
THE LOAD REQUEST TREE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.10-19

INTRODUCTION TO THE BULK DATA SECTION

The Bulk Data Section contains all data necessary for describing a
structural model
Bulk Data definitions include:
Geometry
User-definable coordinate systems
Geometric locations of grid points
Constraints
Material properties
Element connections
Element properties
Loads
The Bulk Data Section is not required to be input in any particular
order. It is sorted automatically at the beginning of the analysis.

7.1-1

MSC/NASTRAN COORDINATE SYSTEMS

Coordinate systems are required to define the locations of grid
points in space and to orient each grid points displacement vector.
In MSC/NASTRAN the following coordinate systems may be used.
Basic Coordinate System - Implicitly defined reference rectangular
coordinate system (Coordinate System 0). Orientation of this
system is defined by the user through specifying the components
of grid point locations.
Alternate (local) Coordinate Systems - Alternate systems can be
defined to facilitate geometric input. Each local system must be
related directly or indirectly to the basic coordinate system. The
six possible alternate coordinate systems are:

Rectangular

CORD1R
CORD2R

Cylindrical

CORD1C
CORD2C

Spherical

CORD1S
CORD2S

7.1-2

MSC/NASTRAN COORDINATE SYSTEMS (Cont.)

The CORD1R, CORD1C, and CORD1S entries define a local
coordinate system by referencing the IDs of three defined grid
points. Beware that if the model is modified and any of these
reference grid point locations change, the coordinate system
orientation will also change.
The CORD2R, CORD2C, and CORD2S entries define a local
coordinate system by specifying the vector components of three
points.
Refer to the Getting Started with MSC/NASTRAN Users Guide,
Chapter 5, the MSC/NASTRAN Linear Static Analysis Users Guide,
Chapter 3, and the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide, Section 5
for more detailed information about defining coordinate systems.
Global System - Collection of all displacement coordinate systems
referenced on all grid entries. (Note that some finite element codes
use the term global coordinate system to refer to the equivalent
of MSC/NASTRANs Basic Coordinate System.
All angular coordinates are input in degrees. Output associated
with these coordinates is in radians.

7.1-3

MSC/NASTRAN COORDINATE SYSTEMS (Cont.)

Rectangular (x, y, z)
u3

u2

B
u1
y

Local System Origin

x

Note:

U1 =

x direction

U2 =

y direction

U3 =

z direction

A, B, and C are points used to define the local coordinate

system.
P is a grid point defined in the local system.

7.1-4

MSC/NASTRAN COORDINATE SYSTEMS (Cont.)

Cylindrical Local Coordinate System (r, , z)
Uz

z
B

U
P
Ur

C
z
A

x
Point A

local system origin

Point P

grid point defined in local cylindrical system

Point C

reference point in the r-z plane at = 0

Point B

reference point for z axis direction

(Ur, U, Uz)

displacement components of P in local system

7.1-5

MSC/NASTRAN COORDINATE SYSTEMS (Cont.)

Spherical Local Coordinate System (r, , )
z
Ur

B
P

U
y

Point A

= local system origin

Point P

= grid point defined in local cylindrical system

Point C

= reference point in the x-z plane at ( = 0)

Point B

= reference point for z axis direction ( = 0)

(Ur, U, U)

= displacement components of P in local system

Note:

cylindrical spherical
7.1-6

MSC/NASTRAN COORDINATE SYSTEMS (Cont.)

Example Using Local Coordinate Systems
Suppose you want to conduct a static analysis of a cylindrical
grain silo with a spherical dome. The use of local coordinate
systems will greatly simplify your job.
2 = 0

50.0

z1
zB
xB

R1

100.

7.1-7

MSC/NASTRAN COORDINATE SYSTEMS (Cont.)

Define local cylindrical coordinate system 1 for the silo floor and
wall.
Direction of z-axis - Point B
CORD2C, 1, 0, 100., 0., 0., 100., 0., 1., +C1

Local Origin - Point A

Reference Coordinate
System ID
(Basic or Another Local)
Local Coordinate System ID
+C1, 101., 0., 1.
Define a point in the
r-z plane - Point C.
The z-axis is taken along a line drawn from Point A to Point B.
Define local spherical coordinate system 2 for the silo dome.
CORD2S, 2, 1, 100., 0., 50., 100., 0., 51., +C2
+C2, 101., 0., 51.
or system 2 may be defined using system 1:
CORD2S, 2, 0, 100., 0., 50., 100., 0., 51., +C2
+C2, 101., 0., 51.
This way, if coordinate system were moved, system 2 would "move
with it"
7.1-8

GRID POINTS
Grid points are used to specify:
Structural geometry
Degrees of freedom of the structure
Locations of points at which displacements are constrained or
loads are applied
Locations where output quantities are to be calculated
Each GRID entry refers to 2 coordinate systems. One for locating
the grid point and the other for establishing the grid point
displacement coordinate system that defines for the given grid
point the directions of the nodal displacements, degrees of
freedom, constraints, and solution vectors.
NOTE: constraints, MPCs, R-type elements, and output all use the
displacement coordinate system.
All matrices used inside
MSC/NASTRAN use the displacement coordinate system.
If you specify the displacement coordinate system as a cylindrical
or spherical system, the program creates a right-handed cartesian
coordinate system at the grid point, which is the projection of the
coordinate system used. This used as the displacement system for
that point.

7.2-1

GRID POINTS (Cont.)

Grid Point Displacement Coordinate System
Six degrees of freedom (DOFs) identified as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
6
3

5
2

Commonly used nomenclature for the components of motion at a

grid point is:

DOF 1 = T 1 = u 1 = translation in direction 1

DOF 2 = T 2 = u 2 = translation in direction 2
DOF 3 = T 3 = u 3 = translation in direction 3
DOF 4 = R 1 = 1 = rotation in direction 1
DOF 5 = R 2 = 2 = rotation in direction 2
DOF 6 = R 3 = 3 = rotation in direction 3

7.2-2

GRID POINTS (Cont.)

Grid Entry Definition
1

GRID

ID

CP

X1

X2

X3

CD

PS

SEID

GRID

101

5.0

10.0

2.0

123

Field

10

Contents

ID

Grid point identification number

CP

Identification number of coordinate system in which

the location of the grid point is defined (integer 0 or
blank) (default = basic coordinate system)

X1, X2, X3

Location of grid point in coordinate system CP (real)

CD

Identification number of coordinate system in which

displacements, degrees of freedom, constraints, and
solution vectors are defined at the grid point (integer
0 or blank, default = basic coordinate system)

PS

Permanent single-point constraints associated with

grid point (any of the digits 1-6 with no embedded
blanks)

SEID

Superelement ID

Refer to Chapter 3 of the MSC/NASTRAN Linear Static Analysis Users

Guide and page 619 of the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide for
detailed information about the GRID entry.

7.2-3

GRID POINTS (Cont.)

Grid Entry Definition - CP, CD Fields
Define Grid Points 10 and 20 on a circle.
GRID, 10, 1, 10., 45., 0., 0
GRID, 20, 1, 10., 135., 0., 0

where field 3 (CP) references cylindrical coordinate system 1 (defined

elsewhere) and field 7 (CD) references basic coordinate system 0.
With this definition, all grid point output associated with Grids 10 and
20 will be oriented as shown.
2

1
20
YB

XB

7.2-4

10
R

GRID POINTS (Cont.)

Now, in separate model, define Grid Points 10 and 20 as:
GRID, 10, 1, 10., 45., 0., 1
GRID, 20, 1, 10., 135., 0., 1

With CP and CD referencing cylindrical coordinate system 1 (defined

elsewhere), all output grid information at Grids 10 and 20 will be in
terms of radial and tangential directions.
2

1
20
YB

XB

7.2-5

1
10

GRID POINTS (Cont.)

Other Geometry Entries
SPOINT
Scalar points are used to specify a single degree of freedom
without reference to spatial location. Often used to represent
DOFs associated with nonstructural behavior (e.g., scalar spring
mass systems, ambient temperature values, addition of warping
term on CBEAM).
GRDSET
Defines default values for fields 3 (CP), 7 (CD), 8 (PS), and 9
(SEID) of all GRID entries
Can be overridden by direct input in these fields on any GRID entry
Only one GRDSET entry is allowed per input file
Useful for minimizing repetitive data input in these fields

7.2-6

SINGLE-POINT CONSTRAINTS
A single-point constraint (SPC) is a constraint applied to one or
more components of motion at selected grid or scalar points. Uses
of SPCs include:
Support a structure
Apply symmetric or antisymmetric boundary conditions by
restraining the DOFs that must have zero values in order to satisfy
symmetry or antisymmetry
Remove degrees of freedom unconnected or weakly coupled to the
structure
Remove degrees of freedom not used in the structural analysis
(e.g., out-of-plane DOFs for a 2-D analysis)
Apply zero or nonzero enforced displacements to grid points
SPCs can be applied as:
Permanent constraints - defined on GRID entry
User-requested in Case Control with SPC=SID.
Bulk Data entry on SPC, SPC1, or SPCD entries

Defined in the

Automatic - PARAM,AUTOSPC,YES
Reaction forces at SPCd grids (termed single-point forces of
constraint), may be obtained by including the Case Control request
SPCFORCES=ALL.

7.3-1

SINGLE-POINT CONSTRAINTS (Cont.)

Permanent Constraints
One method of permanently removing degrees of freedom associated
with a specific grid point is by defining these DOFs in field 8 of the
GRID entry.

GRID

ID

CP

X1

X2

X3

CD

PS

SEID

GRID

1.0

-2.0

3.0

10

245

This type of constraint is automatically included in the analysis, i.e., it

is not selected in the Case Control.
This manner of specifying constraints is often used when generating
models where the constraints are not likely to change.

7.3-2

SINGLE-POINT CONSTRAINTS (Cont.)

User Requested Single-Point Constraints
The following Bulk Data entries can be used to define SPCs:
SPC

Use to define either zero or nonzero enforced displacements.

Useful when applying a small number of enforced
displacements.

SPC

SID

SPC

15

1501

123

1502

456

0.0

Enforced Displacement
(Default = 0.0)
Components
Grid Point ID
Set ID, Selected in Case Control as SPC = 15

7.3-3

10

SINGLE-POINT CONSTRAINTS (Cont.)

SPC1

Use to define only zero enforced displacements. Useful

when applying a large number of zero-enforced
displacements. SPC set ID selected in Case Control.
2

SPC1

SID

G1

G2

G3

G4

G5

G6

SPC1

10

G7

68

G8

G9

-etc.-

+BC

Alternate Form
SPC1

SID

GID1

THRU

GID2

SPC1

313

12456

THRU

32

7.3-4

10

ABC

SINGLE-POINT CONSTRAINTS (Cont.)

SPCD

Use to define nonzero-enforced displacements. Selected in

Case Control with LOAD=SID. Useful when applying a large
number of nonzero enforced displacements. A coordinate
referenced on this entry must be referenced by a SPC or
SPC1 entry.

SPC Set
SPC1

SID

G1

G2

G3

G4

G5

SPC1

13

14

SPCD

SID

SPCD

11

13

.05

14

.07

G6

Static Load Set

The SPCD entry computes the equivalent load required for the
requested enforced displacement.
Use of the SPCD entry allows different enforced displacements
in different subcases, without causing the stiffness matrix to be
decomposed for each subcase.
Note also that DOFs specified on SPC-type entries can be
redundantly specified in the PS field on GRID entry.
SPCs are specified in the output coordinate system of the
grid point at which they are defined. Remember that the
grid point output coordinate system is defined in field 7 of
the GRID entry.

7.3-5

SINGLE-POINT CONSTRAINTS (Cont.)

Automatic Generation of SPCs
Singularity

A degree of freedom unconnected or weakly coupled

to the structure. Singularities prohibit matrix inversion
and result in fatal errors.

The Bulk Data entry PARAM,AUTOSPC,YES instructs the program to

automatically apply SPCs to obvious singularities.
PARAM, AUTOSPC, YES is the default in most of the structured
solutions.
If obvious singularities exist, the MSC/NASTRAN output includes a
grid point singularity table. This table should be inspected carefully
since singularities may result from modeling errors.
Singularities, the grid point singularity table, and how to debug a
model containing singularities are discussed in more detail in Chapter
9, Intermediate Modeling Practices.
See page 321 of the MSC/NASTRAN Linear Static Analysis Users
Guide for a detailed description of how singularities are identified and
treated in MSC/NASTRAN.

7.3-6

MATERIAL PROPERTIES
Definitions
Stress-Strain Curve
(Typical Structural Steel)

Stress (psi) or
(N/mm2)

Linear Region

E
1

Strain

Linear

Deformations are linearly proportional to the

applied load (i.e., strain is proportional to
stress).

Youngs Modulus E

Constant of proportionality relating stress to

strain in the linear region

Elastic

The structure returns to its original,

undeformed shape when the load is removed.

Poisson Ratio

Absolute value of the ratio of lateral strain to

axial strain

7.4-1

MATERIAL PROPERTIES (Cont.)

Homogeneous Material properties are independent of the location
within the material.
Isotropic

Material properties do not change with the direction

of the material.
The three properties needed to completely describe
an isotropic material are E, , and G (shear modulus).
Only two are independent.
E
G = --------------------2(1 + )

7.4-2

MATERIAL PROPERTIES (Cont.)

Five different
MSC/NASTRAN

types

of

materials

can

be

defined

with

Isotropic MAT1
Two-dimensional anisotropic MAT2
Axisymmetric solid orthotropic MAT3
Two-dimensional orthotropic MAT8
Three-dimensional anisotropic MAT9
Temperature-dependent material properties are defined on MATTi
entries.
Note:

MAT2 through MAT9 and MATTi entries are beyond the scope
of this class.
For further information, refer to the
MSC/NASTRAN Reference Manual, Vol. I, Chapter 6.

Stress-dependent material properties are defined on MATS1.

7.4-3

MATERIAL PROPERTIES (Cont.)

Isotropic Materials (MAT1)
Define terms E, G, and
Users need supply only two terms.
calculated automatically.

If desired, the third is

E
G = --------------------2(1 + )
For line and surface elements
E

Modulus for extension and bending

Modulus for torsion and transverse shear

For thermal anlaysis

A

Thermal expansion coefficient

Tref

Thermal expansion reference temperature

For margin of safety calculations

Stress limits

7.4-4

MATERIAL PROPERTIES (Cont.)

1

MAT1

MID

NU

RHO

TREF

GE

MAT1

2.9+7

6.5E-6

50.0

0.33

Field

10

+M1

Contents

MID

Material identification number (integer > 0)

Youngs modulus (real or blank)

Shear modulus (real or blank)

NU

Poisson ratio (-1.0 < real 0.5 or blank)

RHO

Mass density (real)

Thermal expansion coefficient (real)

TREF

Thermal expansion reference temperature (real)

GE

Structural element damping coefficient

ST
+M1

SC

SS

MCSID

36000.

ST,SC,SS

Stress limits for tension, compression, and shear

(OPTIONAL: used only to compute margins of safety
for certain elements)

MCSID

Material coordinate system ID number (integer 0,

blank)

7.4-5

7.4-6

MSC/NASTRAN ELEMENTS

Element Library
Over 50 finite elements
One-dimensional
Two-dimensional
Three-dimensional
Scalar
Axisymmetric
Rigid
Mass and damping
Heat transfer
Genel user-supplied element
Fluid-structure
p-version
Contact

7.5-1

MSC/NASTRAN ELEMENTS (Cont.)

Most Commonly Used MSC/NASTRAN Elements

Line
Elements

Surface
Elements

Solid
Elements

CROD

CQUAD4

CHEXA

CELASi (i=1,2,3,4)

CONROD

CQUAD8

CPENTA

GENEL

CTUBE

CTRIA3

CTETRA

CONM2

CBAR

CTRIA6

CTRIAX6

CBEAM

CSHEAR

CBEND

7.5-2

Other
Elements

MSC/NASTRAN ELEMENTS (Cont.)

Degrees of freedom are components of translation and rotation (no
higher order derivatives).
Stiffness matrix is independent of grid point sequence.
D

B
C

[ ke ]

A
=

Elements of different types are compatible.

7.5-3

[ ke ]

MSC/NASTRAN ELEMENTS (Cont.)

Full range of capability
Stiffness
Mass
Differential stiffness
Anisotropy
Temperature
Internal loads
Stress output

7.5-4

MSC/NASTRAN ELEMENTS (Cont.)

Element Coordinate Systems
Element coordinate systems are required to
Orient components of force and stress output (all elements)
Orient section properties (line elements)
Orient pressure loads (surface elements)
Each element has its own coordinate system that is defined by
element connectivity order or by other data on the elements
connectivity. Positive z-direction of element coordinate system
always follows the right-hand rule.
Surface and solid elements also have optional material coordinate
systems that may be used to orient orthotropic or anisotropic
material properties. Material coordinate systems are defined on
the elements connection or property entries.
In addition to the element and material coordinate systems, stress
output can be obtained in any user-defined coordinate system by
using the Case Control GPSTRESS capability.
Remember:

Grid point information is output in the global system.

Element information is output in the element coordinate
system.

7.5-5

7.5-6

ZERO-DIMENSIONAL (SCALAR) ELEMENT LIBRARY

CELAS1, CELAS2, CELAS3, CELAS4, CBUSH
A

B
X

The CELASi elements are connected by two degrees of freedom one at each grid/ground connection point
The CBUSH elements connects from 1 to 6 dof between two GRID
points.
Force components: axial force P
or moment M
Displacement components:

axial translation u
or rotation

7.6-1

ZERO-DIMENSIONAL (SCALAR) ELEMENT LIBRARY

CELAS1 Connects two points, which may be grid points, scalar
points, or both, with references to a property entry
CELAS2 Connects two points, which may be grid points, scalar
points or both, without reference to a property entry
CELAS3 Connects only scalar points with reference to a property
entry
CELAS4 Connects only scalar points without reference to property
entry
CBUSH Connects two GRID points. Avoids the grounding problem
inherent in CLEASi elements (when mis-used).
May
connect 1 to 6 dof.

The CBUSH is the recommended form for scalar springs. It avoids the
potential grounding which may occur when two non-coincident points
are connected. The CELASi elements simply insert terms directly into
the stiffness matrix without considering geometry or displacement
coordinate systems. The CBUSH correctly accounts for the effects of
geometry and displacement coordinate systems.

See page 61 and pp. 121 through 125 of the MSC/NASTRAN Linear
Static Analysis Users Guide and Section 5.6 of the MSC/NASTRAN
Reference Manual for detailed information about scalar elements. The
CBUSH element is documented in the V69 Release Guide.

7.6-2

ZERO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY (Cont.)

CELAS2 Example
1200

1202
P

1201

K = 100. lb/in
P = 10. lb
S = 50.

100.

CELAS2

EID

G1

C1

G2

C2

GE

CELAS2

1200

100.

1201

1202

GRID

1201

0.

0.

0.

123456

GRID

1202

100.

0.

0.

23456

50.

Field

Contents

EID

Element identification number

The value of the scalar spring stiffness

G1,G2

Geometric grid point identification

C1,C2

Component number (global system)

GE

Damping coefficient (real)

Stress coefficient (see element output for explanation)

Notes:

10

1.

Zero or blank for G2, C2 indicates a grounded spring.

2.

For this example, Grid 1202 must have DOFs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

constrained to prevent singularities.

7.6-3

POINT ID.
1201
1202

TYPE
G
G

T1
0.0
1.000000E-01

T2

V E C T O R

T3

0.0
0.0

R1

0.0
0.0

R2

0.0
0.0

R3

0.0
0.0

0.0
0.0

P
10.
= ---- = ----------- = 0.1 in
K
100.
F O R C E S

7.6-4

ELEMENT
ID.
1200

FORCE

I N

ELEMENT
ID.

S C A L A R
FORCE

S P R I N G S
ELEMENT
ID.

( C E L A S 2 )
FORCE

ELEMENT
ID.

FORCE

-1.000000E+01

F = K ( u 1 u 2 ) = 100. ( 0. 0.1 ) = 10. lb

S T R E S S E S
ELEMENT
ID.
1200

STRESS

ELEMENT
ID.

I N

S C A L A R

STRESS

S P R I N G S

ELEMENT
ID.

STRESS

-5.000000E+02

= sF = .50 ( 10. ) = 500 psi

( C E L A S 2 )
ELEMENT
ID.

STRESS

ZERO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY (Cont.)

D I S P L A C E M E N T

ZERO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY (Cont.)

CUBSH - Defines a generalized spring-and-damper structuralelement
that may be nonlinear or frequency dependent.
Format:
1

CBUSH

EID

PID

GA

GB

GO/X1

CBUSH

OCID

S1

S2

S3

7
X2

X3

CID

10

Example 1: Noncoincidnet grid points.

CBUSH

39

100

75

Example 2: GB not specified.

CBUSH

39

Example 3: Coincidnet grid points (GA=GB).

CBUSH

39

100

Field

Contents

EID

Element identification number. (Integer > 0)

PID

Property identification number of a PBUSH entry.

(Integer > 0; Default =EID)

GA, GB

Grid points identification number of connections points.

See Remark. (Integer > 0)

Xi

Component of orientation vector

v , from GA, in the
displacement coordinate system at GA. (REAL)

GO

Alternate method to supply vector v using grid point GO.

Direction of v is from GA to GO. v is then transferred to
End A. See Remark. (Integer > 0)

CID

Element coordinate system identification. A 0 means the

basic coordinate system. If CID is blank, then the element
coordinate system is determined from GO or Xi. See
Figure 1. (Integer _> 0 or blank)

7.6-5

ZERO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY (Cont.)

CBUSH - (cont)
Loaction of spring damper. See Figure 1. (0.0 <_ Real <_ 1.0;
Default =0.5)
OCID
Coordinate system identification of spring-damper offset.
See Remark NO TAG. (Integer >_ -1; Default=-1 which
means element coordinate system)
S1,
S2, Components of spring-damper offset in the OCID
S3
coordinate system if OCID >_0. See Remarks.
S

Remarks:
CID >_ 0 overrides GO and Xi. Then the element x-axis is along T1, the
element y-axis is along T2, and the element z-axis is along
T3 of the CID coordinate system. If the CID refers to a
cylindrical coordinate system of a shperical coordinate
system, then grid GA is used to locate the system. If for
cylindrical or spherical coordinate, GA falls on the z-axis
used to define them, it is recommended that another CID
be selected to define the element x-axis.
For noncoincident grids (GA =/ GB), when GO or (X1, X2, X3) is given
and no CID is specified, the line AB is the element x-axis
and the orientation vector v lies in the x-y plane (similar to
the CBEAM element).
For noncoincident grids (GA =/ GB), if neither GO or (X1, X2, X3) is
specified and no CID is specified, then the line AB is the
element x-axis. This option is valid only when K1 (or B1)
or K4 (or B4) or both on the PBUSH entry are specified
(but K2, K3, K5, K6 or B2, B3, B5, B6 are not specified). If
K2, K3, K5, or K6 (or B2, B3, B5, or B6) are specified, a
fatal message will be issued.

7.6-6

ZERO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY (Cont.)

CBUSH - (cont)
If GA and GB are coincident, or if GB is blak, then CID must be
specified.
If OCID = -1 or blank (default) then S is used and S1, S2, S3 are
ignored. If OCID >_ 0, then S is ignored ans Si, S2, S3 are
used
zelem

GA
S*

yelem
(1 - S)*
GB

xelem

zelem

GA
S*

yelem
(1 - S ) *
GB

xelem
Figure 1. CBUSH Element.

7.6-7

ZERO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY (Cont.)

CBUSH - (cont)
zelem
yelem
(S1, S2, S3)OCID

GB
GA
Note: 1. The material stiffness and damping properties of the
elastomer are located at (S1, S2, S3).

zelem
yelem

(S1, S2, S3)OCID

GB
GA
Note: 1. The material stiffness and damping properties of the elastomer are located at (S1, S2, S3).
2. The elastomer itself has zero length; i.e., GA and GB are coincident. It is shown here in an exploded view

Figure 2. Definition of Offset S1, S2, S3.

7.6-8

ZERO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY (Cont.)

PBUSH - Defines the nominal property values for a generalized springand-damper structural element.
Formats:
1

PBUSH

PID

"K"

K1

K2

K3

K4

K5

K6

"B"

B1

B2

B3

B4

B5

B6

"GE"

GE1

"RCV"

SA

ST

EA

ET

10

Example 1:GB not specified.

PBUSH

35

4.35

GE

.06

RCV

7.3

2.4

3.1
.03

3.3

Example 2: Coincidnet grid points (GA=GB).

PBUSH

35

2.3

Field

Contents

PID

Property identification number. (Integer > 0)

"K"

Flag indicating that next 1 to 6 fields are stiffness values.

(Character)

Ki

Nominal stiffness values in directions 1 through 6. (Real;

Default=0.0)

"B"

Flag indicating that the next 1 to 6 fields are force-pervelcoity damping. (Character)

Bi

Nominal damping cofficient in units of force per unit

velocity. (Real; Default=0.0)

"GE"

Flag indicating that the next fields is structural damping.

(Character)

GE1

Nominal Structural damping constant. (Real;Default=0.0)

7.6-9

ZERO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY (Cont.)

PBUSH - (cont)
"RCV"

Flag indicating that the next 1 to 4 fields are stress or

strain coefficients. (Character)

SA

Stress recovery coefficient in the translational component

numbers 1 through 3. (Real Default=1.0)

ST

Stress recovery coefficient in the rotational component

numbers 4 through 6. (Real; Default=1.0)

EA

Strain recovery coefficient in the translational component

numbers 1 thorough 3. (Real; Default=1.0)

ET

Strain recovery coefficient in the rotational component

numbers 4 through 6. (Real; Default=1.0)

Remarks:
Ki, Bi, or GE1 may be made frequency dependent for both direct and
modal frequency response by use of PBUSHT entry.

The elements stresses are computed by multiplying the stress

coefficinets with the recovered element forces.

The element strains are computed by multiplying the strain

coefficients with the recovered element displacmeents.

The "K", "B", "GE", or "RCV" entries may be specified in any order.

7.6-10

ONE-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY

ROD, CONROD, TUBE:

Pin-ended rod - 4 DOFs

BAR:

Prismatic beam - 12 DOFs

BEAM:

Straight beam with warping - 14 DOFs

BEND:

Curved beam or pipe - 12 DOFs

The BEND element is a special-purpose element and as such is not as

commonly used as most of the other 1-D elements.

7.7-1

ONE-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY (Cont.)

General features of CROD, CONROD, and CTUBE elements are:
Connected by two grid points
Force components:

axial force P
torque T

Displacement components:

ui
i

Straight, prismatic member

The element stiffness matrix contains terms only for 2 DOFs at
each end. These are mapped onto the grid points at the two ends
in the global system.
CROD versus CONROD versus CTUBE
CROD

Element connectivity is defined on CROD entry.

Properties are defined on the PROD entry. Useful
when defining several rod elements having the same
properties

CONROD

Element connectivity and properties are all defined

on CONROD entry. Useful when defining several rod
elements having different properties

CTUBE

Used to specify a tube.

outside diameters

7.7-2

Can define inside and

ONE-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY (Cont.)

Rod Element Definition - Geometry

A
T

Xe

The rod element x axis (Xe) is defined along the line connecting End A
to End B.
Note:

Torque T is applied about the x element axis of the rod in the

right hand rule sense. Axial force P is shown in the positive
(tensile) direction.

7.7-3

ONE-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY (Cont.)

1

CROD

EID

PID

G1

G2

CROD

101

Field

10

Contents

EID

Element identification number

PID

Identification number of PROD property entry

G1,G2

Grid point identification numbers of connection

points where G1 = grid point at End A and G2 = grid
point at End B

7.7-4

ONE-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY (Cont.)

Rod Element Definition - Properties
1

PROD

PID

MID

NSM

PROD

101

201

0.10

Field

10

Contents

PID

Property identification number

MID

Material identification number

Area of rod

Torsional constant (equals polar moment of inertia for circular

cross sections)

Coefficient to determine torsional stress

NSM Nonstructural mass per unit length (real)

Notes:

1.

C = the distance from the center of the cross section to

the point of maximum torsional stress. This is usually
the maximum radius.

2.

MSC/NASTRAN uses the following formula to compute

torsional stress :
CM
= -----------J
where M = torsional moment

7.7-5

CALCULATION OF TORSIONAL CONSTANT J

FOR PROD, PBAR, AND PBEAM ENTRIES
Solid Circular Section

1 4
J = --- r
2

2r

Hollow Circular Section

ro
4 4
1
J = --- r r
2 o
i
ri
Solid Square Section

J = 2.25 a

2a

7.7-6

CALCULATION OF TORSIONAL CONSTANT J

FOR PROD, PBAR, AND PBEAM ENTRIES (Cont.)
Solid Rectangular Section

J = ab

2b

4
b
b
------ 3.36 --- 1 -------------
4
a
3
12a

3 16

2a

Some other cases for noncircular cross sections may be found in

R. J. Roark and W. C. Young, Formulas for Stress and Strain, 5th ed.,
Table 20 pages 290-296.

7.7-7

CROD EXAMPLE
y

102

100

101
P
100.
Element Properties

A = 5. in

r = 1.262 in.
4

4
r
J = --------- = 3.984 in
2

Material Properties
E = 29. E + 6 psi
G = 11. E + 6 psi
y = 36000. psi
Applied Loads
P = 2. E + 6 psi
T = 1. E + 5 in lbs

7.7-8

CROD EXAMPLE (Cont.)

1

10

CROD

100

101

102

GRID

101

0.

0.

0.

123456

GRID

102

100.

0.

0.

2356

PROD

201

5.

3.984

1.262

MAT1

201

2.9+7

11.+6

+M1

36000.

Note:

For this example, Grid 102 must have DOFs 2, 3, 5, 6

constrained to prevent singularities.

+M1

36000.

7.7-9

D I S P L A C E M E N T

POINT ID.
101
102

TYPE
G
G

T1
0.0
1.379310E-01

T2

T3

0.0
0.0

0.0
0.0

R1
0.0
2.281855E-01

R2
0.0
0.0

R3
0.0
0.0

TL
( 1.E + 5 ) ( 100. )
1 = -------- = ----------------------------------------------- = 2.281855E 01
JG ( 3.987 ) ( 11.E + 6 )

7.7-10
F O R C E S
ELEMENT
ID.
100

AXIAL
FORCE
2.000000E+05
S T R E S S E S

I N

R O D

E L E M E N T S
ELEMENT
ID.

TORQUE
1.000000E+05
I N

T H E

( C R O D )

R O D

E L E M E N T S

AXIAL
FORCE

TORQUE

( C R O D )

CROD EXAMPLE (Cont.)

PL ( 2.E + 5 ) ( 100. )
= -------- = ---------------------------------------- = 1.37931E 01
AE
( 5. ) ( 29.E + 6 )

V E C T O R

ELEMENT
AXIAL
ID.
STRESS
100 4.000000E+04

SAFETY
MARGIN
-1.0E-01

TORSIONAL
STRESS
3.167671E+04

P 2.E + 5
= ---- = ------------------ = 4.0E + 4
A
5.

SAFETY
MARGIN
1.4E-01

ELEMENT
ID.

AXIAL
STRESS

SAFETY
MARGIN

TORSIONAL
STRESS

TC ( 1.E + 5 ) ( 1.262 )
= -------- = -------------------------------------------- = 3.167671E + 4
J
3.984

Stress allow
M.S. = ---------------------------------- 1.0
Stress allow
7.7-11

36000.
M.S. axial = ------------------ 1.0 = 0.1
40000.

36000.
M.S. torsion = ------------------ 1.0 = 0.14
31680.

SAFETY
MARGIN

ONE-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY

CBAR Element Overview
Connected to two grid points
Formulation derived from classical beam theory (plane sections
remain plane under deformations)
Includes optional transverse shear flexibility
Force components
Axial force P
Torque T
Bending moments about two perpendicular directions Mi
Shears in two perpendicular directions Vi
Displacement components
ui
i

7.7-12

ONE-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY (Cont.)

Neutral axis may be offset from the grid points (internally a rigid
link is created).
Principal axis of inertia need not coincide with element axis.
Pin flag capability used to represent linkages, etc.
Principal limitations
Straight, prismatic member (i.e., properties do not vary along the
length)
Shear center and neutral axis must coincide (therefore, not
recommended for modeling channel sections).
Torsional stiffening effect of out-of-plane cross-sectional warping is
neglected.
(The CBEAM element has these additional capabilities.)
See Section 4.1 of the MSC/NASTRAN Linear Static Analysis Users
Guide and Section 5.2.2 of the MSC/NASTRAN Reference Manual for
detailed information about CBAR.

7.7-13

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION

Geometry
1

CBAR

EID

PID

GA

GB

X1,G0

X2

X3

CBAR

102

1.0

1.0

PA

PB

W1A

W2A

W3A

W1B

W2B

0.5

-1.2

+B1

0.5

10

+B1

W3B
0.6

Continuation Entry

Field

Contents

EID

Element identification number

PID

Identification number of a PBAR or PBARL

property entry

GA,GB

Grid point identification numbers of connection

points

X1,X2,X3

Components of vector v at End A measured

parallel to displacement coordinate system
components for GA. Used to determine element
coordinate system orientation

G0

Grid point identification number to optionally

supply X1,X2,X3

PA,PB

Pin flags for bar Ends A and B. Used to model

linkages and/or hinges.

W1A,W2A,W3A
W1B,W2B,W3B

Components of offset vectors wa and wb in

displacement coordinate systems at Points GA
and GB

7.7-14

FCBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

CBAR element coordinate system
User-defined by orientation vector V
Orients input cross-sectional properties
Orients output forces and stresses
Orientation Vector V

z
End b

Plane 1
ye

xe
y

x
Grid Point b
Plane 2

End a
Offset W a

Offset W b

ze
y

x
Grid Point a

7.7-15

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

Element X-axis:

Always coincident with line between End A and

End B. Positive sense is from End A to End B.

Element X-Y plane:

Determined by V which lies in the Xe Ye

plane. Plane 1 is always the Xe Ye plane.

Element Z-axis:

Cross-product Xex V .
Xe Ye plane.

Note:

Plane 2 is always the

The reference planes (Plane 1, Plane 2) are not necessarily

principal planes. Coincidence of these reference planes and
the principal planes is indicated by a zero product of inertia
(I12) on the PBAR entry.

7.7-16

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

Following are two examples of when you might define the CBAR
element coordinate system orientation vector V with each of the two
available options (GO or X1, X2, X3).

V V V
V

GO
V
V
V

If you are representing stringers on a fuselage with CBAR elements,

your input will be minimized by using the GO option to define the
element coordinate system orientation vector V.
Note:

If a third grid point GO is defined only for the purpose of

specifying the vector, then the degrees of freedom at GO are
not connected to the structure and must be constrained. Otherwise, a singular system matrix will result.

7.7-17

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

1
2

To specify the orientation of the legs of a tripod modeled with CBAR

elements as shown, it would be most efficient to use the components
of a point (X1, X2, X3) to define the orientation vector V since the
orientation of each of the legs is unique.

7.7-18

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

Offsets
The ends of the CBAR element can be offset from the Grid Points
(GA, GB) by specifying the components of offset vectors WA and
WB on the CBAR entry.
The offset vector is treated as a rigid link between the grid point
and the end of the element.
The element coordinate system is defined with respect to the offset
ends of the bar element.
The origin of V is at
Zc

Ye

V ( X 1, X 2, X 3 )
GO

offset point A when V is

defined by components
(X1, X2, X3).
The origin of V is at

WA

WB

GA

GB

7.7-19

Xe GA when V is defined
using GO.

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

Pin Flags
The user specifies DOFs at either end of the bar element that are to
transmit zero force or moment. The pin flags PA and PB are specified
in the element coordinate system and defined in fields 2 and 3 of the
optional CBAR continuation.
Note:

Pin flags are force constraints.

constraints.

7.7-20

SPCs are displacement

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

Properties: may be defined using either PBAR or PBARL
1

PBAR

PID

MID

I1

I2

NSM

PBAR

102

202

0.30

.0090

.0063

0.0124

C1

C2

D1

D2

E1

E2

F1

F2

0.3

-0.25

0.3

0.25

-0.3

0.25

-0.3

-0.25

K1

K2

I12

+P1

10

+P1

+P2

+P2

Field

Contents

PID

Property identification number

MID

Material identification number

Area of bar cross section

I1,I2,I12

Area moments of inertia I1 = Izz, I2 = Iyy, I1 I2 > I 12 .

Defined with respect to element coordinate system.

Torsional constant

Ci,Di,Ei,Fi

Stress recovery coefficients. Must be specified if

bending stress output is desired

K1,K2

Area factor for shear in planes 1 and 2. (Default values

are infinite, i.e., no shear flexibility; beam is infinitely
rigid in shear). If I 12 0 , K1 and K2 are ignored.

7.7-21

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

Shear Factor K
The shear displacement V of the beam is given by
Vz L
V = -------------KAG
where Vz = transverse shear force in the element z-direction
L

= beam length

= shear factor

= beam cross-sectional area

= beam shear modulus

and the term 1/KAG is called the shear flexibility of the beam.
K accounts for the shear distribution over the element cross section,
and its value depends on the geometry of the cross section.

7.7-22

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

On the PBAR entry
K1 contributes to the shear resisting transverse force in the
element y-axis direction.
K2 contributes to the shear resisting transverse force in the
element z-axis direction.
Shape of Cross Section

Value of K

Rectangular

5/6

Circular

9/10

Thin-Wall Hollow Circular

1/2

Wide Flange Beams:

Minor Axis

Af 2A

Major Axis

Aw A

References:
1.

Roark and Young, Formulas for Stress and Strain, 5th ed., p.
185.

7.7-23

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

The orientation of the element reference planes (Plane 1 and Plane 2)
determines the values input on the PBAR entry for moments of inertia
and stress recovery point coordinates. For this element coordinate
system:
ye
Moment of inertia in Plane 1 is:
C

BH
I 1 = I zz = -----------12

Moment of inertia in Plane 2 is:

ze

HB
I 2 = I yy = -----------12
C
D
E
F

= .5H, .5B
= .5H, .5B
= .5H, .5B
= .5H, .5B
ze

For this element coordinate system:

C

HB
I 1 = I zz = -----------12

BH
I 2 = I yy = -----------12
C
D
E
F

H
ye

= .5B, .5H
= .5B, .5H
= .5B, .5H
= .5B, .5H

7.7-24

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

PBARL

Format:
1
PBARL

PID

MID

DIM1

DIM2

DIM3

DIM9

-etc.-

NSM

10

GROUP TYPE
DIM4

DIM5

DIM6

DIM7

DIM8

Example:
PBARL

Field

39

14..

6.

.5

.5

.5

Contents

PID

Property identification number. (Integer > 0)

MID

Material identification number. (Integer >0)

GROUP Cross-section group. (Character; Default="MSCBMLO")

TYPE

(Character: "ROD", "TUBE", "I", "CHAN", "T", "BOX",

"BAR", "CROSS", "H", "T1", "I1", "CHAN1", "Z", "CHAN2",
"T2", "BOX1", "HEXA", "HAT" for GROUP="MSCBMLO")

DIMi

Cross-sectional dimensions. (Real > 0.0)

NSM

Nonstructural mass per unit length. NSM is specified after

the last DIMi. (Real; Default=0.0)

7.7-25

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

PBARL
yelem

yelem

C
DIM 1

DIM 1

zelem

yelem

TYPE = "ROD"

zelem

DIM 2

TYPE = "TUBE"

DIM 4
DIM 3
DIM 2

zelem
E

D
DIM 1

yelem

TYPE = "L"
(PBEAML only)

DIM 3

yelem

DIM 4
C

F
C

zelem

DIM 6

DIM 2
zelem

DIM 4
DIM 3

DIM 1

DIM 5
E

D
DIM 2

D
DIM 1

TYPE = "I"

TYPE = "CHAN"

7.7-26

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

PBARL
yelem

yelem
DIM 3

DIM 1

zelem
DIM 2

DIM 3

zelem
DIM 2
D

DIM 4
E

yelem

TYPE = "T"
F

DIM 4

DIM 1
C

TYPE = "BOX"

zelem
DIM 2
D
yelem
DIM 1
2

yelem

E
DIM 1

DIM 1
2

DIM 2

TYPE = "BAR"
C

DIM 2
2
C

DIM 3
DIM 3

DIM 4
D

zelem

zelem
DIM 4
E

D
DIM 1

DIM 2

TYPE = "H"

TYPE = "CROSS"

7.7-27

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

PBARL
yelem

DIM 1
DIM 2
2

DIM 1
2
C

DIM 2
DIM 1
IM 3

zelem

DIM 4
DIM 3

D
TYPE = "T1"

yelem

DIM 2

TYPE = "I1"

DIM 1

DIM 3
zelem
DIM 4

E
yelem
DIM 1
F

TYPE = "CHAN1"
DIM 1

DIM 2

DIM 1
C

yelem
DIM 3
zelem

DIM 3

DIM 4
DIM 2

E
TYPE = Z

DIM 1
TYPE = "CHAN2"

7.7-28

C
zelem

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

PBARL
yelem

yelem

DIM 1
DIM 4

C
DIM 3

zelem

DIM 3

DIM 2

DIM 2
zelem
E

DIM 1

DIM 4
E

TYPE = T2

DIM 6
DIM 5
TYPE = BOX1
yelem

DIM 4

DIM 4
DIM 3

E
F

DIM 3

DIM 1

zelem

DIM 2

DIM 1
E

DIM 2
TYPE = HAT
TYPE = HEXA

7.7-29

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

Interpretation of Element Output
BAR element internal forces and moments
Ze
Plane 2
Ye
Plane 1
M1
V1
V2
M2

7.7-30

Fx

Xe

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

This can also be viewed as:

ye

ve

M1a

M1b
xe

Fx
a

Plane 1

Fx

v1
ze

ve

M2a

M2b
xe
a

Plane 2

v2

7.7-31

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

Example
Applied Loading
P1 = 2.4E + 4 lb

yb

P2

P2 = 5000. lb
T

= 4.0E + 4 in-lb

3400

3401

3402
P1

100.

Element Properties
A = 24. in2

ye

I1 = I = 72. in4
zz

I2 = I = 32. in4
yy
6.
J

= 75.12

ze

in4

7.7-32

4.

xB

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

Material Properties
E

= 30.E + 6 psi

= 0.3

= 36000 psi

E
= --------------------- = 11.54E + 6 psi
2(1 + )

10

CBAR

3400

3401

3402

0.

1.

0.

GRID

3401

0.

0.

0.

GRID

3402

100.

0.

0.

PBAR

10

24.

72.

32.

75.12

+PB1

3.

-2.

3.

2.

-3.

2.

MAT1

10

30.+6

0.3

+M1

+M1

36000.

BAR

+PB1

123456

+PB1

-3.

-2.

or
PBAR

10

+PB1

4.

6.

7.7-33

D I S P L A C E M E N T

POINT ID.
3401
3402

TYPE
G
G

T1
0.0
3.333333E-03

T2
0.0
-7.716050E-01

T3
0.0
0.0

V E C T O R

R1
0.0
4.614223E-03

R2
0.0
0.0

7.7-34

P1 L
( 2.4E + 4 ) ( 100. )
1 = ----------- = ------------------------------------------- = 3.33E-3 in.
AE
( .24 ) ( 30.E + 6 )

P2 L
( 5000. ) ( 100. )
2 = -------------- = ------------------------------------------------- = 7.716E-1 in.
3EI 1
( 3 ) ( 30.E + 6 ) ( 72. )

R3
0.0
-1.157407E-02

BAR ELEMENT--CANTILEVERED WITH CONCENTRATED TIP LOADS

I N

B A R

E L E M E N T S

30, 1992

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

( C B A R )

ELEMENT
BEND-MOMENT END-A
BEND-MOMENT END-B
- SHEAR AXIAL
ID.
PLANE 1
PLANE 2
PLANE 1
PLANE 2
PLANE 1
PLANE 2
FORCE
3400 -5.000000E+05 0.0
0.0
0.0
-5.000000E+03 0.0
2.400000E+04

P2 = 5000.
7.7-35

Shear

V = 5000.
V=P
P2 = 5000.

0
Moment

M1 = 5.0E+5
M1 = Px = 5000(100)
M2 = 0

PAGE 6

TORQUE
4.000000E+04

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

F O R C E S

MARCH

BAR ELEMENT--CANTILEVERED WITH CONCENTRATED TIP LOADS

ELEMENT
SA1
ID.
SB1
3400 2.083333E+04
0.0

I N

B A R

30, 1992

E L E M E N T S

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

( C B A R )

SA2
SA3
SA4
AXIAL
SA-MAX
SA-MIN
SB2
SB3
SB4
STRESS
SB-MAX
SB-MIN
2.083333E+04 -2.083333E+04 -2.083333E+04 1.000000E+03 2.183333E+04 -1.983333E+04
0.0
0.0
0.0
1.000000E+03 1.000000E+03

Normal Stress Due to Bending Only

7.7-36

Normal Stress
Due to Axial
Load Only

Combined Axial
and Bending
Stress

My
( 5.0E + 5 ) ( 3. )
bending = -------- = ------------------------------------- = 2.0833E + 4
I1
72.
P
2.4E + 4
axial = ---- = ---------------------- = 1.0E + 3
A
24.
S allow
36000.
M.S. ( T ) = ----------------------- 1.0 = ------------------ 1.0 = 0.65
S actual
21833.
S allow
36000.
M.S. ( C ) = ----------------------- 1.0 = ------------------ 1.0 = 0.82
S actual
19833.

PAGE 7

Optional

M.S.-T
M.S.-C
6.5E-01
8.2E-01

CBAR ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

S T R E S S E S

MARCH

CBARAO
The CBARAO Bulk Data entry defines a series of locations along a
CBAR element at which stresses and/or internal element forces can
be recovered. For CBEAM elements, the PBEAM entry incorporates
the capabilities of the CBARAO.
The CBARAO entry is normally used only to evaluate the effects of
applying a nonuniformly distributed load (PLOAD1) to a CBAR
element.

7.7-37

CBARAO (Cont.)
CBARAO Entry Format
1

CBARAO

EID

SCALE

X1

X2

X3

X4

X5

X6

CBARAO

100

FR

.2

.4

.6

.8

Field

10

Contents

EID

Element ID of a CBAR element

SCALE

Scale of X1 values
LE = Xi are actual distances along the element length.
FR = Xi are ratios of actual distances to the bar length.

Xi

Series of locations along element axis for stress and force

data recovery (real > 0). A maximum of six points may be
specified on CBARAO entry for data recovery on each bar
element.

7.7-38

CBARAO (Cont.)
CBAR/CBARAO Example

Applied Loading

yB

P2

P1 = 24000. lb.
P2 = 1000. lb.

3402
3401

P1
3400

50.

100.
Element Properties
ye
A = 24 in2
C

= Izz = 72. in4

= Iyy = 32. in4

6.
J = 75.12

ze

in4

7.7-39

4.

xB

CBARAO (Cont.)
Material Properties
E

30.E+6 psi

0.3

36000 psi = yield stress

CBAR

3400

3401

3402

0.

1.

0.

CBARAO

3400

LE

25.

50.

75.

GRID

3401

0.

0.

0.

12345

GRID

3402

100.

0.

0.

2345

PBAR

24.

72.

32.

75.12

+PB1

3.

-2.

3.

2.

-3.

2.

7.7-40

10

+PB1

-3.

-2.

BAR ELEMENT--SIMPLY SUPPORTED WITH CONCENTRATED LOAD

MARCH 30, 1992

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE 5

ONE ELEMENT WITH INTERMEDIATE OUTPUT FROM CBARAO CARD

D I S P L A C E M E N T

TYPE
G
G

T1
0.0
-3.333333E-03

T2

T3

0.0
0.0

R1

0.0
0.0

MSC/NASTRAN - CBAROA EXAMPLE INPUT

0.0
0.0
MARCH 30, 1992

R2
0.0
0.0

R3
-2.893519E-04
2.893519E-04

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

BASIC CLASS NOTES

F O R C E

ELEMENT
ID.
3400
3400
3400

STATION
(PCT)
0.000
0.250
0.500

D I S T R I B U T I O N

BEND-MOMENT
PLANE 1
PLANE 2
0.0
1.250000E+04
2.500000E+04

0.0
0.0
0.0

I N

B A R

E L E M E N T S

SHEAR FORCE
PLANE 1
PLANE 2
-5.000000E+02
-5.000000E+02
-5.000000E+02

0.0
0.0
0.0

( C B A R )

AXIAL
FORCE

TORQUE

-2.400000E+04
-2.400000E+04
-2.400000E+04

0.0
0.0
0.0

PAGE 6

CBARAO (Cont.)

7.7-41

POINT ID.
3401
3402

V E C T O R

3400
3400

0.750
1.000

1.250000E+04
0.0

0.0
0.0

5.000000E+02
5.000000E+02

0.0
0.0

-2.400000E+04
-2.400000E+04

0.0
0.0

V = +500.

CBARAO (Cont.)

0
Shear

-500.
7.7-42

M = +25000.
M = +12500.

Moment

AR ELEMENT--SIMPLY SUPPORTED WITH CONCENTRATED LOAD

MARCH 30, 1992

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE 8

ONE ELEMENT WITH INTERMEDIATE OUTPUT FROM CBARAO CARD

S T R E S S
ELEMENT STATION
ID.
(PCT)
3400
0.000
3400
0.250
3400
0.500

SXC

D I S T R I B U T I O N
SXD

0.0
0.0
-5.208334E+02 -5.208334E+02
-1.041667E+03 -1.041667E+03

I N

SXE
0.0
5.208334E+02
1.041667E+03

B A R

E L E M E N T S

SXF
0.0
5.208334E+02
1.041667E+03

( C B A R )

AXIAL
-1.000000E+03
-1.000000E+03
-1.000000E+03

S-MAX

S-MIN

-1.000000E+03 -1.000000E+03
-4.791666E+02 -1.520833E+03
4.166675E+01 -2.041667E+03

M.S.
3.5E+01
2.3E+01
1.7E+01

3400
3400

0.750
1.000

-5.208334E+02 -5.208334E+02
0.0
0.0

5.208334E+02
0.0

5.208334E+02
0.0

-1.000000E+03
-1.000000E+03

-4.791666E+02 -1.520833E+03
-1.000000E+03 -1.000000E+03

My
( 25000. ) ( 3. )
bending = -------- = --------------------------------- = 1041.7
I
72.
P
24000.
axial = ---- = ------------------ = 1000.
A
24.

7.7-43

S allow
36000.
M.S. = ----------------------- 1.0 = ------------------ 1.0 = 16.63
S actual
1041.7
where S actual = max { S max , S min }

2.3E+01
3.5E+01

CBEAM ELEMENT
Connected to two grid points
Force components
Axial force P
Total torque T
Warping torque Tw
Bending moments in Planes 1 and 2 Mi
Shears in Planes 1 and 2 Vi
Displacement component
ui
i
(d/dx)i (represented by SPOINTs)

7.7-44

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

The beam includes all capabilities of the CBAR element plus
several optional capabilities that include
The cross-sectional properties may be specified at as many as
nine interior points and at both ends.
The neutral axis and shear center axis need not be coincident.
The effect of cross-sectional warping on the torsional stiffness.
The effect of taper on the transverse shear stiffness (shear relief).

7.7-45

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Geometry
1

CBEAM

EID

PID

GA

GB

X1,G0

X2

X3

CBEAM

39

13

PA

PB

W1A

W2A

W3A

+23

+34

Field

513

SA

SB

10

123

W1B

W2B

W3B

3.0

234

Contents

EID

Element identification number (integer > 0)

PID

Identification number of PBEAM property entry

GA,GB

Grid point identification numbers of connection points

X1,X2,X3

Components of vector v at End A, measured at the offset

point for End A, parallel to the components of the
displacement coordinate system for GA

G0

Grid point identification number to optionally supply X1,

X2, and X3

PA,PB

Pin flags for beam Ends A and B, respectively

7.7-46

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Field

Contents

W1A,W2A,W3A
W1B,W2B,W3B

Components of offset vectors, measured in the

displacement coordinate systems at Grid Points A
and B, from the grid points to the end points of the
axis of shear center (real or blank)

SA,SB

Scalar or grid point identification numbers for the

Ends A and B, respectively.
The degrees of
freedom at these points are the warping variables
d/dx

7.7-47

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

M1(A), M2(A)
zelem
N1A

Nonstructural Mass
Center of Gravity

N2A
yelem
Plane 2
Plane 1

(0, 0, 0)

V
Neutral Axis

xelem
w a Offset

Shear Center
N2B

Grid Point GA

N1B
(xb, 0, 0)
w b Offset

BEAM Element Coordinate System

Grid Point GB

The specifications of element coordinate system, orientation vector V

element-end offsets, and pin flags are identical to those for the CBAR
element.

7.7-48

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Properties
1

PBEAM

PID

MID

A(A)

I1(A)

I2(A)

I12(A)

J(A)

NSM(A)

PBEAM

39

2.9

3.5

5.97

C1(A)

C2(A)

D1(A)

D2(A)

E1(A)

2.0

-4.0

+23

+34

X/XB

I1

I2

YES

1.0

5.3

56.2

78.6

C1

C2

D1

D2

E1

2.5

-5.0

S1

S2

K1

K2

+56

E2(A)

I12

M2(A)

M1(B)

F1(A)

F2(A)

NSM
345

E2

F1

F2
+56

NSI(1) NS1(2) CW(A) CW(B)

1.1
M1(A)

0.21
M2(B)

N1(A)

+67

Field

123

+34

S0

+45

10

N2(A)

0.5

Contents

N1(B)

567
N2(B)

0.0

Default
Values

PID

Property identification number

Required

MID

Material identification number

Required

A(A)

Area of beam cross section at End A

Required

I1(A)

Area of beam cross section at End A in Plane 1 Required

about the neutral axis

7.7-49

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Field

Contents

Default
Values

I2(A)

Area moment of inertia at End A in

Plane 2 about the neutral axis

Required

I12(A)

Area product of inertia at End A

0.0

( I 1 I 2 I 12 > 0 )
J(A)

Torsional stiffness parameter at End A

(J > 0.0 if warping is present)

0.0

NSM(A)

Nonstructural mass per unit length at

End A (real)

0.0

Ci(A),Di(A),
Ei(A), Fi(A)

The y,z locations in element coordinates

at End A for stress data recovery

yi = zi = 0.0

S0

Stress output request option (BCD)

Required

YES:

Stresses recovered at Points

C,D,E,F on next continuation
entry

YESA: Stresses recovered at points

with same y,z location at EndA
NO:

X/XB

No stresses or forces are

recovered

Distance from End A in the element

coordinate system (X) divided by
the length of the element (XB)

7.7-50

Required

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Field
A,I1,I2,
NSM

Contents

Default
Values

I12,J, Area, moments of inertia, and torsional

stiffness parameter for the cross
section, and
nonstructural mass
located at X (J > 0.0 if warping is
present)

Ci,Di,Ei,Fi

The
y,z
locations
in
element
coordinates for the cross section
located at X/XB. The values are fiber
locations for stress data recovery.

K1,K2

Shear stiffness factor K for Plane 1

and Plane 2

1.0, 1.0

S1,S2

Shear relief coefficient due to taper for

Plane 1 and Plane 2

0.0, 0.0

NSI(1), NSI(2) Nonstructural mass moment of inertia

per unit length about nonstructural
mass center of gravity at Ends A and
B (real)

0.0, same as
end A

CW(A), CW(B) Warping coefficient for End A and

End B

0.0, same as
end A

N1(A), N2(A), The y,z coordinates of neutral axis for

N1(B), N2(B) End A and End B

0.0 (no offset

from shear
center), the
same values
as End A

7.7-51

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Field

Contents

Default
Values

M1(A), M2(A), (Y,Z) coordinates of center of gravity 0.0 (nooffset

M1(B), M2(B)
of nonstructural mass for End A and from
shear
End B
center), same
values
as
End A

7.7-52

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Shear Relief Coefficient due to Taper S1, S2
The shear relief factor accounts for the fact that in a tapered flanged
beam, the flanges sustain a portion of the transverse shear load. This
situation is illustrated below:
P

MB

hB

hA

MA

P
Tension

Tension
No Shear

Shear

Compression
Compression
The value of the shear coefficient for a tapered beam with heavy
flanges that sustain the entire moment load may then be written as
2 ( hA hB )
S 1 = ----------------------------( hA + hB )
See the MSC/NASTRAN Reference Manual, Section 5.2.1.

7.7-53

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Cross-Sectional Warping - Coefficients CW(A), CW(B)
Open section members, such as, channels, undergo torsion as well as
bending when transverse loads act anywhere except at the shear
center of a cross section. This torsion produces warping of the cross
section so that plane sections do not remain plane, and as a result,
axial stresses are produced. This situation can be represented in the
following differential equation for the torsion of a beam about the axis
of shear centers:

d
G ------- J
dx
where E

2
2
d
d
d
------ E ---------- C w ---------- = m
dx
2
2
dx
dx

= Youngs modulus of elasticity

Cw = warping constant

Note:

= shear modulus

= torsion constant

= angle of rotation at any cross section

= applied torsional moment per unit length

The
The warping constant Cw has units of (length)6.
development of the above differential equation and methods
for the numerical evaluations of the warping constant are
available in the literature. (See, for example, Timoshenko and
Gere, Theory of Elastic Stability, McGraw Hill Book Company,
1961. Also see Roark & Young, Formulas for Stress and
Strain, for values for different sections.)

7.7-54

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Neutral Axis Offset from Shear Center (N1, N2)

In an unsymmetric section (e.g.,

channel)
under
transverse
loading, the internal transverse
shear forces f form a twisting
moment on the member.

_
>

Member Will Twist

When the load is applied

through the offset shear center
Q, an external torsional moment
is formed that is equal and
opposite to the internal torsional
moment of the shear forces f. In
this case, only bending will result
on the member.

Only Bending Here

Vertical Shear Axis
The N1 and N2 fields on the PBEAM entry allow the user to specify the
neutral axis offset from the shear center.

7.7-55

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Properties - PBEAML
Defines the properties of a beam element by corss-sectional dimensions.
Format: (Note: n = number of dimensions and m = number of intermediate
stations)
1
PBEAML

PID

MID

DIM1(A) DIM2(A)

10

GROUP TYPE
-etc.-

DIMn(A)

NSM(A)

SO(1)

X(1)XB

DIM1(1)

DIM1(2)

DIM2(2)

DIM2(1)

-etc.-

DIMn(1)

NSM(1)

SO(2)

X(2)XB

-etc.-

DIMn(2)

-etc.-

NSM(m)

SO(m)

X(m)XB DIM1(m)

DIMn(m) NSM(m)

SO(B)

1.0

DIM1(B) DIM2(B)

-etc.-

-etc.-

DIMn(B)

NO

0.4

6.

0.6

6.

7.8

Example:
PBEAML

99

21

12.

14.8

2.5

7.

1.2

2.6

5.6

2.3

2.6
YES
YES

Field
PID
MID
Group
TYPE

Contents
Property identification number. (Integer > 0)
Material identification number. (Integer > 0)
Cross-section group. (Character; Default="MSCBMLO"
Cross-section shape. See Remark 4.. (Character: "ROD",
"TUBE", "L", "I", "CHAN", "T", "BOX", "BAR", "CROSS", "H",
"T1", "I1", "CHAN1", "Z", CHAN2", "T2", "BOX1", "HEX",
"HAT" for GROUP="MSCBMLO")
DIMi(A), DIMi(B)
Cross-section dimensions at end A and B. (Real > 0.0 for
GROUP="MSCBMLO"
NSM(A), NSM(B)
Nonstructural mass per unit length. (Real _>0.0; Default = 0.0)

7.7-56

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Properties - PBEAML
Field
Contents
SO(j), SO(B)
Stress output requests options for the itermediate station j and
B. (Character; Default="YES")
YES:
Stress recovered at all points on next continuation
and shown in Figure NO TAG as C, D, E, and F.
NO:
No stress or forces are recovered.
X(j)/XB Distance from end A to intermediate station j in the element
coordinate system divided by the length of the element.
(Real>0.0; Default=0.0)
NSM(j) Nonstructural mass per unit length at intermediate station j.
(Real 0.0; Defalut=0.0)
DIMi(j) Cross-section dimenstions at intermediate station j. (Real>0.0
for GROUP="MSCBMLO")
Remarks:
1.

For structural problems, PBEAML entries must reference a

MAT1 material entry.

2.

PID must be unique with respect to all other PBEAM and

PBEAML property identification numbers

3.

For heat-transfer problems, the MID must reference a MAT4 or

MAT5 mater entry.

4.

See the PBEAM entry description for a discussion of beamelement geometry.

5.

If any of the fields NSM(B), DIMi(B) are blank on the

continuation entry for End B, the values are set to the vaules
given for end A. For the continuation entries that have values
of X(j)/XB between 0.0 and 1.0 and use the default options
(blank field), a linear interpolation between the values at ends
A and B is performed to obtain the missing field.

7.7-57

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Properties - PBEAML

6.

The GROUP is associated with a FMS CONNECT statement,

which specifices the evaluator. A resevered GROUP name is
"MSCBMLO". Users may create their own cross-section types.
Each of the types will require one or more subroutines to convert DIMi infromation to geometric property information contained on a PBEAM entry.

7.

For GROUP="MSCBMLO", the cross-sectional properties,

shear flexibility factors and stress recovery points are computed using the TYPE and DIMi as shown in Figure NO TAG. The
element coordinate system is located at the shear center.

8.

A function of this entry is to derive an equivlaent PBEAML

entry. Any sorted echo requet will also cause printout and/or
punch of the derived PBEAML.

9.

The cross-section dimensions, DIMi, cannot be sued directly as

design variables in SOL 200. DEQATN entries may be used to
indirectly specify cross-section dimensions as design
variables.

7.7-58

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Interpretation of Element Output
Beam element internal forces and moments
zelem

yelem

Plane 1
Plane 2

M1
V2

M2
Neutral Axis
V1
Fx
xelem

Shear Axis

Tx

7.7-59

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

This can also be viewed as
ye

v1

M1a

M1b

Fx

xe
a

Plane 1

v1
v2

ze

M2a

M2b
xe
a

Plane 2

v2
For further information on the BEAM element, see Section 1.3.2 of the
MSC/NASTRAN Users Manual, Section 2.6 of the MSC/NASTRAN
Application Manual and Section 2.3.5.2 of the MSC/NASTRAN Handbook for
Linear Analysis.

7.7-60

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Example of BEAM element:

Applied Loading
ye

P1 = 2.4E+4

P2
200

P2 = 5000. lb.
T = 4.0E+4

202
xe

201
P1
100.

Element Properties

ye

A = 24.
C

I1 = Izz = 72.

I2 = Iyy = 32.
J = 75.12

6.

ze

4.

7.7-61

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Material Properties
E

30.E+6

0.3

36000.

E
--------------------- = 11.54E+6
2(1 + )

CBEAM

200

201

202

0.

1.

0.

GRID

201

0.

0.

0.

GRID

202

100.

0.

0.

PBEAM

24.

72.

32.

+PB1A

3.

-2.

3.

2.

-3.

+PB1B

YESA

1.0

MAT1

30.+6

+M1

36000.

0.3

10

123456

75.12
2.

-3.

+PB1A

-2.

+PB1B

+M1

or
PBEAMl

BAR

+PB1A

4.

6.

1.

+PB1A

YES

7.7-62

BEAM ELEMENT--CANTILEVERED WITH CONCENTRATED TIP LOADS

ONE ELEMENT, OUTPUT AT ENDS OF ELEMENT ONLY

MARCH 30,1992

POINT ID.
201
202

TYPE
G
G

T1
0.0
-3.333333E-03

T2
0.0
-7.734105E-01

T3

V E C T O R
R1
0.0
4.614838E-03

0.0
0.0

7.7-63

BEAM ELEMENT--CANTILEVERED WITH CONCENTRATED TIP LOADS

ONE ELEMENT, OUTPUT AT ENDS OF ELEMENT ONLY

F O R C E S

ELEMENT-ID
200

GRID
201
202

STAT DIST/
LENGTH
0.000
1.000

I N

- BENDING MOMENTS PLANE 1

PLANE 2
-5.000000E+05 0.0
1.455192E-11 0.0

R2

E L E M E N T S
- WEB
PLANE 1

SHEARS PLANE 2

-5.000000E+03 0.0
-5.000000E+03 0.0

R3
0.0
-1.157407E-02

0.0
0.0

MARCH 30, 1992

B E A M

PAGE 4

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE 6

( C B E A M )
AXIAL
FORCE

TOTAL
TORQUE

WARPING
TORQUE

-2.400000E+04
4.000000E+04
0.0
-2.400000E+04
4.000000E+04
0.0

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

D I S P L A C E M E N T

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/1991

BEAM ELEMENT--CANTILEVERED WITH CONCENTRATED TIP LOADS

ONE ELEMENT, OUTPUT AT ENDS OF ELEMENT ONLY

S T R E S S E S

ELEMENT-ID
200

GRID
201
202

STAT DIST/
LENGTH
0.000
1.000

SXC

SXD

I N

MARCH 30, 1992

B E A M

E L E M E N T S

SXE

SXF

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

( C B E A M )

S-MAX

S-MIN

1.983333E+04 1.983333E+04 -2.183333E+04 -2.183333E+04 1.983333E+04 -2.183333E+04

-1.000000E+03 -1.000000E+03 -1.000000E+03 -1.000000E+03 -1.000000E+03 -1.000000E+03

7.7-64

Normal Stress due to Combined

Axial and Bending

PAGE 7

M.S.-T

M.S.-C

8.2E-01

6.5E-01

Maximum and
Minimum of Combined
Stresses at Points
C,D,E, and F

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

This example illustrates the CBEAM element output that is identical to
that obtained for the CBAR element with the CBARAO entry.

Applied Loading

P2

P1 = 2.4E+4
P2 = 1000.

202

201

P1

200

50.
100.

ye
Element Properties
C

A = 24.
I1 = Izz = 72.
I2 = Iyy = 32.

ze

6.

J = 75.12
F

7.7-65

4.

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

Material Properties
= 0.3

E = 30.E+6 psi

y = 36000. psi

CBEAM

200

201

202

0.

1.

0.

GRID

201

0.

0.

GRID

202

100.

0.

0.

PBEAM

24.

72.

32.

+PB1A

3.

-2.

3.

2.

-3.

+PB1B

YESA

.25

+PB1C

+PB1C

YESA

.5

+PB1D

+PB1D

YESA

.75

+PB1E

+PB1E

YESA

1.

MAT1

30.+6

+M1

36000.

0.3

75.12

10

2.

-3.

+PB1A

-2.

+PB1B

+M1

or
PBEAML

BAR

+PB1A

4.

6.

YES

+PB1B

YES

.5

BAR

+PB1C

1.0

+BP1D

+PB1C

YES

7.7-66

+PB1A

.25

+PB1B

BEAM ELEMENT--CANTILEVERED WITH CONCENTRATED TIP LOADS

ONE ELEMENT, OUTPUT AT INTERMEDIATE STATIONS

MARCH 30, 1992

D I S P L A C E M E N T
TYPE
G
G

T1
0.0
-3.333333E-03

T2

V E C T O R

T3

0.0
0.0

R1

0.0
0.0

7.7-67

ELEMENT-ID
200

GRID
201
0
0
0
202

STAT DIST/
LENGTH
0.000
0.250
0.500
0.750
1.000

I N

7.812500E-03 0.0
1.250001E+04 0.0
2.500000E+04 0.0
1.250000E+04 0.0
0.0
0.0

E L E M E N T S
- WEB
PLANE 1

SHEARS PLANE 2

-4.999999E+02 0.0
-4.999999E+02 0.0
-4.999999E+02 0.0
5.000001E+02 0.0
5.000001E+02 0.0

R3
-2.835957E-04
2.835955E-04

0.0
0.0

MARCH 30, 1992

B E A M

- BENDING MOMENTS PLANE 1

PLANE 2

R2

0.0
0.0

BEAM ELEMENT--CANTILEVERED WITH CONCENTRATED TIP LOADS

ONE ELEMENT, OUTPUT AT INTERMEDIATE STATIONS

F O R C E S

PAGE 5

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2 /91

PAGE 7

( C B E A M )
AXIAL
FORCE

TOTAL
TORQUE

-2.400000E+04
0.0
-2.400000E+04
0.0
-2.400000E+04
0.0
-2.400000E+04
0.0
-2.400000E+04
0.0

WARPING
TORQUE
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

CBEAM ELEMENT (Cont.)

POINT ID.
201
202

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

BEAM ELEMENT--CANTILEVERED WITH CONCENTRATED TIP LOADS

ONE ELEMENT, OUTPUT AT INTERMEDIATE STATIONS

S T R E S S E S

ELEMENT-ID
200

GRID

7.7-68

201
0
0
0
202

STAT DIST/
LENGTH
0.000
0.250
0.500
0.750
1.000

SXC

SXD

I N

MARCH 30, 1992

B E A M

E L E M E N T S

SXE

SXF

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE 8

( C B E A M )

S-MAX

S-MIN

-1.000000E+03 -1.000000E+03 -9.999997E+02 -9.999997E+02 -9.999997E+02 -1.000000E+03

-1.520834E+03 -1.520834E+03 -4.791664E+02 -4.791664E+02 -4.791664E+02 -1.520834E+03
-2.041667E+03 -2.041667E+03 4.166684E+01 4.166684E+01 4.166684E+01 -2.041667E+03
-1.520833E+03 -1.520833E+03 -4.791666E+02 -4.791666E+02 -4.791666E+02 -1.520833E+03
-1.000000E+03 -1.000000E+03 -1.000000E+03 -1.000000E+03 -1.000000E+03 -1.000000E+03

M.S.-T

M.S.-C

8.6E+02

1.7E+01

TWO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY

TRIA3

Three-noded
isoparametric
flat
plate
element.
Commonly used for mesh
transitions. May have excessive stiffness
particularly for membrane strain.

QUAD4

Four-noded isoparametric flat plate element.

Behaves well when irregularly shaped, good
results can be obtained with skew angles up
to 45 degrees.

SHEAR

Four-noded, shear and extensional force

only element.
Used for analyzing thin
reinforced plates and shells. Commonly
used with rod elements to analyze thinskinned
aircraft
structures
(best
if
rectangular).

TRIA6

Isoparametric triangle element with three

corner and three midside grid points. Used
in regions with curvature.

QUAD8

Isoparametric element with four corner and

four edge grid points. Useful for modeling
singly-curved shells (e.g., cylinder). QUAD4
performs better for doubly curved shells
(e.g., sphere).

TRIAR

Three-noded isoparametic flat element.

Companion to the QUADR element.

QUADR

Four-noded isoparametric flat plate element

with without membrane-bending coupling.
Less sensitive to distortion and extreme
values of Poisson ratio than the QUAD4.

Note: It is not recommended to use TRIAR or QUADR elements for

curved surfaces unless PARAM, SNORM is used.

7.8-1

TWO-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENTS
Plates - Background
Definition:

A plate is a structural element with one small

dimension and two large dimensions.

On your structure, these elements may be used to model thin

plates. A thin plate is one in which the thickness is much less than
the next larger dimension (roughly 1/15).
For linear analysis, MSC/NASTRAN plate elements assume
classical engineering assumptions of thin plate behavior.
The deflection of the midsurface is small compared with the
thickness.
The midsurface remains unstrained (neutral) during bending (this
applies to lateral loads, not in-plane loads).
The normal to the midsurface remains normal to the midsurface
during bending.
An important fact about plate and shell elements is that they have
no stiffness term for in-plane rotational dof. As such, if BAR or
BEAM elements are connected to a plate of shell, special modeling
effort is required.

7.8-2

REFERENCES
References on basic plate theory:
1.

Theory of Plates and Shells, by S. Timoshenko and S. Woinowsky-Krieger, 2nd ed., McGraw Hill, 1959

2.

Stresses in Plates and Shells, by A. C. Ugural, McGraw Hill, 1981

7.8-3

CQUAD4 ELEMENT
Element most commonly used for representing plates, shells, and
membranes.
ye
Lateral, transverse, normal
xe
Membrane, in-plane

Element Force Output

Fx,Fy

Membrane force per unit length

Fxy

Membrane shear force per unit length

Mx,My

Bending moments per unit length

Mxy

Twisting moment per unit length

Vx,Vy

Transverse shear forces per unit length

Stress components: x, y, xy, (at center - optionally at cornors)

Displacement components:

ui
x, y (no rotation normal to element)

7.8-4

CQUAD4 ELEMENT (Cont.)

Interpretation of Element Output
Vx
Mx

Ze
Fx

Vy
Ye

Fy
Mxy
My

Fyx Vx

Mxy

Fyx
Mxy

Fxy
Fyx Mx

My

Fx

Xe

Mxy
Fy

Vy
Forces and moments: Calculated at element centroid by default for
CQUAD4 and CTRIA3 (may be calculated at
corners if desired)
Calculated at centroid and grid points for
CQUAD8, CTRIA6, CQUADR, and CTRIAR
Ye y
xy
xy
x

x
xy

Xe

xy
y
Stresses:

Calculated at distances Z1 and Z2 from the element

reference plane

7.8-5

CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION

Geometry
1

CQUAD4

EID

PID

G1

G2

G3

G4

ZOFFS

CQUAD4

111

203

31

74

75

32

2.6

T1

T2

T3

T4

1.77

2.04

2.09

1.80

+BC

Field

10

ABC

Contents

EID

Element identification number (integer > 0)

PID

Identification number of a PSHELL or PCOMP

property entry

G1,G2,
G3,G4

Grid point identification numbers of connection

points. (All interior angles of this element must be
less than 180.)

Material property orientation specification. If real or

blank, specifies material property orientation angle
in degrees. If integer, material x-axis orientation is
along projection onto the plane of the x-axis of the
specified coordinate system.

T1,T2,
T3,T4

The continuation entry is optional. If supplied, it

describes the membrane thickness of the element at
grid points G1 through G4 (real 0., not all zero). If not
supplied, then T1 through T4 is set equal to the value of T
on the PSHELL data entry.

ZOFFS

Offset from the surface of the grid points to the

element reference plane in the element coordinate
system

7.8-6

CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

The element coordinate system:
Is defined based on the order and location of the connecting points
Defines positive sense of normal pressures applied to the element
Used to define layers of a composite material
Used to interpret the element output forces and stresses
yelement
G3
+
= -----------2

G4

xelement

xmaterial

G1

G2

7.8-7

CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

Element x-axis bisects the angle 2. Positive direction is from G1
towards G2.
Element y-axis is perpendicular to the element x-axis and lies in
the plane defined by G1, G2, G3, and G4. Positive direction is
from G1 toward G4.
Element z-axis is normal to the x-y plane of the element. Positive
sense is defined by the right-hand rule and the ordering of the
connected grids.

7.8-8

CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

Properties
1

PSHELL

PID

MID1

MID2

12/T3

MID3

TS/T

NSM

PSHELL

204

.025

204

Z1

Z2

MID4

204

10

+PS1

+PS1

Field

Contents

PID

Property identification number

MID1

Material identification number for membrane behavior

(integer > 0 or blank)

Plate or membrane thickness

MID2

Material identification number for bending behavior (integer

> 0 or blank, MID2 = -1 represents plane strain) - NOTE: THE
DEFAULT FOR MID2 IS NOT TO INCLUDE BENIDNG
STIFNESS. FOR MOST MODELS, MID2 SHOULD NOT BE
BLANK

12I/T3

Normalized bending inertia per unit length (real or blank,

default = 1.0). The default value is correct for solid,
homogeneous plates.

MID3

Material identification number for transverse shear behavior

(integer > 0 or blank)

7.8-9

CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

Field

Contents

TS/T

Transverse shear thickness divided by membrane thickness

(default = .833333). The default value is correct for solid,
homogeneous plates.

NSM

Nonstructural mass per unit area (real)

Z1,Z2

Stress recovery distances for bending (real, default Z1 = -1/2

thickness, Z2 = +1/2 thickness)

MID4

Material identification number to define coupling between

membrane and bending deformation

The QUAD4 element can have in-plane, bending, and transverse shear
behavior. The element mechanical behavior is specified by the
presence or absence of a material ID number in the appropriate
field(s) on the PSHELL entry.

7.8-10

CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

MID1: To model a membrane (i.e., no bending) fill in MID1 only.
PSHELL

PID

MID1

PSHELL

204

.025

MID2

12I/T3

MID3

TS/T

MID3

TS/T

MID2: To model just bending, fill in MID2 only.

PSHELL

PID

PSHELL

MID1

MID2

.025

204

12I/T3

MID3: To add transverse shear flexibility to bending, fill in MID3.

PSHELL

PID

PSHELL

Note:

MID1

MID2

.025

204

12I/T3

Mass is not calculated if MID1 =0

7.8-11

MID3
204

TS/T

CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

MID3 - Continued:

Use MID3 to include an extra shear term in the element

stiffness calculations (i.e., includes transverse shear
flexibility).

t =1
20 50

MID3
t

Note:

MID4:

For thin plates, MID3 has very little effect.

For thicker plates, MID3 has significant

effect. Including MID3 term makes the plate
more flexible in the normal (transverse)
direction.

For a solid homogeneous plate, MID1, MID2, and MID3 should

reference the same material ID.
The MID4 field (bending and membrane deformation
coupling) should be defined only if the elements
cross section is unsymmetric. Default is blank =
symmetric cross section.

In summary, the results of leaving an MID field blank are:

MID1

No membrane or coupling stiffness

MID2

No bending, coupling, or transverse shear stiffness

MID3

No transverse shear flexibility

MID4

No bending-membrane coupling

7.8-12

CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

Example
y
P2
3304

3303

P1
10.0

3300
3302 P2

3301

P1

10.0

P2

0.1
P1

E = 30.E+6

P 1 = 12000.

= 0.3

P 2 = 5000.

CQUAD4

3300

3301

3302

3303

3304

GRID

3301

0.

0.

0.

123456

GRID

3302

10.

0.

0.

GRID

3303

10.

10.

0.

GRID

3304

0.

10.

0.

123456

0.1

PSHELL

MAT1

30.+6

0.3

7.8-13

10

MARCH 30, 1992 MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91 PAGE 4

D I S P L A C E M E N T

7.8-14

POINT ID.
3301
3302
3303
3304

TYPE
G
G
G
G

T1
0.0
7.806971E-03
7.806971E-03
0.0

T2
0.0
1.756568E-03
-1.756568E-03
0.0

T3
0.0
-1.261228E+02
-1.261228E+02
0.0

V E C T O R

R1
0.0
-3.192983E+00
3.192983E+00
0.0

R2
0.0
1.915789E+01
1.915789E+01
0.0

R3
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

QUAD4 ELEMENT--CANTILEVERED WITH CONCENTRATED TIP LOAD

F O R C E S

ELEMENT
ID
3300

I N

MARCH 30, 1992 MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91 PAGE 6

Q U A D R I L A T E R A L

E L E M E N T S

( Q U A D 4 )

7.8-15

- MEMBRANE FORCES FX
FY
FXY
2.400000E+03 1.930295E+02 7.105427E-15

- BENDING MOMENTS MX
MY
MXY
-5.000000E+03 -7.017544E+02 1.776357E-12

In-plane Element Forces in

Element Coordinate System
(Force/Length)

Element Internal Moments in

Element Coordinate System
(Moment/Length)

- TRANSVERSE SHEAR FORCES QX

QY
-1.000000E+03 5.684342E-14

Transverse
Shear Forces
(Force/Length)
P2

M = 100000.

MX = 50000.

in-lb/10 in

= 5000.

in-lb/in

CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

QUAD4 ELEMENT--CANTILEVERED WITH CONCENTRATED TIP LOAD

QUAD4 ELEMENT--CANTILEVERED WITH CONCENTRATED TIP LOAD

ELEMENT
ID.
3300

FIBRE
DISTANCE
-5.000000E-02
5.000000E-02

I N

Q U A D R I L A T E R A L

STRESSES IN ELEMENT COORD SYSTEM

NORMAL-X
NORMAL-Y
SHEAR-XY
-2.976000E+06 -4.191223E+05
1.065885E-09
3.024000E+06
4.229829E+05 -1.065743E-09

E L E M E N T S

( Q U A D 4 )

PRINCIPAL STRESSES (ZERO SHEAR)

ANGLE
MAJOR
MINOR
90.0000
-4.191223E+05
-2.976000E+06
0.0000
3.024000E+06
4.229829E+05

VON MISES
2.790149E+06
2.836263E+06

P
24000.
axial = ---- = ------------------ = 2.4E + 4
A
1
7.8-16

My
( 50000. ) ( .05 )
bending = -------- = ------------------------------------ = 3.0E + 6
3
I
10(.1) 12
+ = a + b = 3.024E + 6
- = a + b = 2.976E + 6
2

HVM = ( x x y + y + 3 xy )
2

12

2 12

HVM = [ ( 3.024E + 6 ) ( 3.024E + 6 ) ( 4.23E + 5 ) + ( 4.23E + 5 ) ]

= 2.836E + 6

CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

S T R E S S E S

MARCH 30, 1992 MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91 PAGE 7

S T R A I N S

ELEMENT
ID.
3300

FIBRE
DISTANCE
-5.000000E-02
5.000000E-02

I N

MARCH 30, 1992 MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91 PAGE 9

Q U A D R I L A T E R A L

STRAINS IN ELEMENT COORD SYSTEM

NORMAL-X
NORMAL-Y
SHEAR-XY
-9.500878E-02
1.578926E-02
9.298796E-17
9.657017E-02 -1.614057E-02 -9.297441E-17

E L E M E N T S

( Q U A D 4 )

PRINCIPAL STRAINS (ZERO SHEAR)

ANGLE
MAJOR
MINOR
90.0000
1.578926E-02
-9.500878E-02
0.0000
9.657017E-02
-1.614057E-02

7.8-17

This output was obtained with the Case Control request: STRAIN(FIBER) = ALL

VON MISES
6.920528E-02
7.037997E-02

CQUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION (Cont.)

QUAD4 ELEMENT--CANTILEVERED WITH CONCENTRATED TIP LOAD

QUAD4 ELEMENT DEFINITION - ALTERNATE

PROPERTY ENTRY
The alternate PCOMP property entry may be used when the element is
a composite consisting of layers of unidirectional fibers.
The
information on the PCOMP entry includes the thickness, orientation,
and material identification of each layer. This information is used
within MSC/NASTRAN to compute the entries of a PSHELL entry,
which should not be simultaneously entered by the user for the same
element(s). Special layer-by-layer output is provided when the
PCOMP option is used.
See Section 6.5 of the MSC/NASTRAN Reference Manual for detailed
information about simulating composite materials with MSC/NASTRAN.

7.8-18

THREE-DIMENSIONAL ELEMENT LIBRARY

Commonly used solid elements:

PENTA

(6-15 nodes)

HEXA

(8-20 nodes)

TETRA

(4-10 nodes)

HEXA

PENTA
Any or all edge midside
nodes may be deleted. Corner
nodes may not be deleted.

TETRA

7.9-1

RECOMMENDED USES
HEXA

Recommended for general use. Accuracy degrades when

element is skewed and used in a situation where bending
behavior is dominant. In most other modeling situations, it
has superior performance to the other 3-D elements.

PENTA

Commonly used to model transition. This element is

designed to behave well as a resonable thin shell element.
If the triangular faces are not on the exposed surfaces of
the shell, excessive stiffness results.

TETRA

Frequently used by sutomatic mach generators and to fill in

odd-shaped holes that occasionally apper in models made
with
HEXA
and
PENTA
elements.
Unless
"perfectly-shaped",
the
4-noded
TETRA
is
not
recommended for modeling large portions of solid
continua, the 10-noded TETRA elements will provied much
better accuracy.

3-D elements connect only translational DOFs, i.e., no rotational DOFs

are connected to a solid element.

7.9-2

CHEXA
Connected to 8 to 20 grid points (8 or 20 nodes recommended for
best results)
Stress components: x, y, z, xy, yz, zx (at center and corner
points)
Displacement components: ui
Can reference either an isotropic or anisotropic material entry

7.9-3

CHEXA (Cont.)
Geometry
G18

G7

G6

G19

G14

G17
G15

G20

G2

G8
G10

G5

G3

G16

G13

G9

G11
G12

G4

G1

CHEXA

EID

PID

G1

G2

G3

G4

G5

G6

CHEXA

71

G7

G8

G9

G10

G11

G12

G13

G14

10

30

31

53

54

G15

G16

G17

G18

G19

G20

55

56

57

58

59

60

+BC

+EF

Field

10

ABC

DEF

Contents

EID

Element identification number

PID

Identification number of a PSOLID property entry

G1,...,G20

Grid point identification numbers of connection

points

7.9-4

CHEXA (Cont.)
Element Coordinate System
R vector

Joins the centroids

G3-G2-G6-G7

of

faces

G4-G1-G5-G8

and

S vector

Joins the centroids

G4-G3-G7-G8

of

faces

G1-G2-G6-G5

and

T vector

Joins the centroids

G5-G6-G7-G8

of

faces

G1-G2-G3-G4

and

XYZ axes

The origin of the cordinate system is at the intersection

of the RST vectors. The X, Y, and Z axes are chosen as
close as possible to the R, S, and T vectors and are in
the same general direction. (Mathematically, the
coordinate system is computed in such a way that if the
RST vectors are described in the element coordinate
system, then this produces a 3 by 3 positive, definite,
symmetric matrix.)

G7

T
G6

G8

G5

Centroid

Centroid
G3
G4
G1

7.9-5

G2

CHEXA (Cont.)
Properties
1

PSOLID

PID

MID

CORDM

IN

STRESS

ISOP

PSOLID

100

TWO

GRID

REDUCED

Field

10

FCTN

Contents

PID

Property identification number. (Integer>0)

MID

Identification number of a MAT1, MAT4, MAT5, MAT9, or

Mat10 entry. (Integer>0)

CORDM Identification number of material coordinate system. See

Rmearks 3. and 4. (Integer; Default = 0, which is the basic
coordinate system; see Remark3)
IN

Integration network. See Remarks 5, 6, 7., and 9..(integer,

Character, or blank)

STRESS Location selection for stress output. See Remarks 8 and

9.(Integer, Character, or blank)
ISOP

Integration shceme. See Remarks 5, 6, 7, and 9. (Integer,

Character, or blank)

FCTN

Fluid element flag. (Character: "PFLUID" inticates a fluid

element, "SMECH" indicates a structural element;
Default="SMECH.")

7.9-6

CHEXA (Cont.)
Properties
Remarks:
1.

PSOLID entries should have unique identification numbers with respect to all other property entries.

2.

Istropic (MAT1 or MAT4), anisotropic (MAT5 or MAT9), or fluid

(MAT10) material properties may be referenced.
If FCTN=
"PFLUID", then MID must reference a MAT10 entry.

3.

See the CHEXA, CPENTA, or CTETRA entry for the defintion of the
element coordinate system.
The material coordinate system
(CORDM) may be the basic system (0 or blank), any defined
system (Integer>0), or the element coordinate system (-1). The
default value for CORDM is zero unless it is overridden by the
NASTRAN statement with the CORDM keyword. See Chaper 1 of
the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide.

4.

If MID reference a MAT9 entry, then CORDM defines the material

property coordinate system for Gij on the MAT9 entry. CORDM is
ignored in the stress output labeled "NONLINEAR STRESS" where
only the element coordinate system is used.

5.

For CHEXA and CPENTA elements with mo midside nodes,

reduced shear integration with buble funciotns (ISOP=blank or
"REDUCED" and IN=blank or "BUBBLE") is the default. This is
recommended because it minimizes shear locking and Poissons
ratio locking and does not cause modes of deformation that lead to
no strain energy. The effects of using nondefault values are as
follows:
a.

In="THREE" or 3 produces an overly stiff element

b.

If IN="TWO" or 2 and the element has midside nodes,

modes of deformation may occur that lead to no strain
energy.

c.

Standard isoparametric itegration (ISOP="FULL" or 1 and

IN="TWO" or 2; or "THREE" or 3) produces an element
overly stiff in shear. This type of integration is more suited
to nonstructural problems.

7.9-7

CHEXA (Cont.)
Properties
6.

IN="BUBBLE" is not allowed for CTETRA elements or for CHEXA

and CPENTA elements with midside nodes.

7.

For CTETRA and fluid elements (FCTM="PFLUID"), standard

isoparametric integration (ISOP="FULL" or 1 and IN="TWO" or 2; or
"THREE" or 3) is the default and the only option available.

8.

Stress output may be requested at the Gauss points

(STRESS="GAUSS" or 1) of CHEXA and CPENTA elements with
no midside nodes. Gauss point output is available for the CTETRA
element with or without midside nodes.

9.

The following tables indicate the allowed options and combination of

options. If a combination not found in the table is used, then a
warning message will be issued and default values will be assigned
for all options.

10. The gauss point locations for the solid elements are documented in
Section 15.3 of the MSC/NASTRAN Reference Manual.

7.9-8

CHEXA (Cont.)
Properties
CHEXA

Integration

Table 1. CHEXA Entry Options.

IN
STRESS
ISOP
Nonlinear
(Default:
(Default: See Remarks 5 Capability
GRID)
and 7.)

BUBBLE or
2x2x2 Reduced
Shear with Bubble Bland or 0
(default)
Function (default)
2x2x2 Reduced
Shear Only
8 Node

2x2x2 Standard
Isoparametric
2x2x2 Reduced
Shear Only
2x2x2 Standard
Isoparametric
2x2x2 Reduced
Shear Only

9-20
NODE

3x3x3 Standard
Isoparametric

Blank or REDUCED
(Default*)
Yes

FULL or 1

Blank or REDUCED
THREE or
3

Blank or GRID

No
FULL or 1

Blank or REDUCED
TWO or 2

2x2x2 Standard
Isoparametric
3x3x3 Reduced
Shear Only
(default)

p-elements

TWO or 2

Blank or GRID
or
GAUSS or 1

Blank or GRID

0 or 1

Bubble, P+ISOP
Integration

No Bubble,
P+ISOP Integration

2 or 3

No

Blank or REDUCED
(Default*)

Blank or
THREE or
3
(Default)

Reduced (p-order)
Bubble

FULL or 1

FULL or 1

Not
applicable

No
-10 < ISOP < 10
_
_

REDUCED is the default only for structural elements (FCTN="SMECH")

7.9-9

CHEXA (Cont.)
Interpretation of Element Output
Stress output consists of the six components of stress measured
in the material coordinate system defined in the CORDM field of the
PSOLID entry (default=BASIC system).
Additional output includes the magnitude and direction of the three
principal stresses, the mean pressure, and the octahedral stresses.
These stresses are provided at the corner grid points and at the
center of each element.
See Section 5.4 of the MSC/NASTRAN Reference Manual and section
4.3 of the MSC/NASTRAN Linear Static Analysis Users Guide for
more detailed information about solid elements.

7.9-10

CHEXA (Cont.)
Example Input
z

6711
6714
10.
6712 6701 6713

y
6704

6702
6703
x

10.
E = 30.E+6 psi
= 0.3
p = 8. psi

7.9-11

10.

MSC/NASTRAN - CHEXA EXAMPLE INPUT

BASIC CLASS NOTES

MARCH 30, 1992 MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91 PAGE 3

S O R T E D

.
1 ..
2
CHEXA
6700
+CH1
6713
GRID
6701
GRID
6702
GRID
6703
GRID
6704
GRID
6711
GRID
6712
GRID
6713
GRID
6714
MAT1
1
PLOAD4 1
PSOLID 1
ENDDATA
TOTAL COUNT=

..
3
1
6714

D A T A

..
5
6702

..
6
6703

0.
10.
10.
0.
0.
10.
10.
0.

0.
0.
10.
10.
0.
0.
10.
10.
.3
8.

0.
0.
0.
0.
10.
10.
10.
10.

30.E6
6700
1

..
4
6701

8.

8.

..
7
6704

E C H O

..
8
6711

..
9
6712

.. 10
+CH1

123456
23456
3456
3456
456
456
456
456
8.

6711

6713

14

*** USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 5293 FOR DATA BLOCK KLL

LOAD SEQ. NO.
1

EPSILON
1.3239410E-17

EXTERNAL WORK

EPSILONS LARGER THAN 0.001 ARE FLAGGED WITH ASTERISKS

1.0666667E-03

CHEXA (Cont.)

7.9-12

CARD
COUNT
12345678910111213-

B U L K

S T R E S S E S

ELEMENT-ID
6700

MARCH 30, 1992 MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91 PAGE 6

I N

CORNER
------CENTER
GRID-ID
NORMAL
-1GRID CS 8 GP
CENTER X
1.665335E-16
Y
2.775558E-17
Z -8.000000E+00

H E X A H E D R O N

S O L I D

AND CORNER POINT STRESSES-------SHEAR

PRINCIPAL

E L E M E N T S

( H E X A )

DIR. COSINES
-A- -B- -C-

MEAN
PRESSURE

VON MISES

XY
YZ
ZX

4.163336E-17
5.551115E-17
5.551115E-17

A
B
C

-8.000000E+00
1.110223E-16
1.110223E-16

LX 0.00 0.0
LY 0.00 0.0
LZ 1.00 0.0

0.0
0.0
0.0

2.666667E+00

8.000000E+00

X
Y
Z

3.747003E-16
5.273559E-16
-8.000000E+00

XY
YZ
ZX

1.249001E-16
2.775558E-17
5.150794E-17

A
B
C

-8.000000E+00
4.996004E-16
4.996004E-16

LX 0.00 0.0
LY 0.00 0.0
LZ 1.00 0.0

0.0
0.0
0.0

2.666667E+00

8.000000E+00

6702

X
Y
Z

3.122502E-16
-1.249001E-16
-8.000000E+00

XY
YZ
ZX

1.249001E-16
8.593553E-17
5.150794E-17

A
B
C

-8.000000E+00
1.110223E-16
1.110223E-16

LX 0.00 0.0
LY 0.00 0.0
LZ 1.00 0.0

0.0
0.0
0.0

2.666667E+00

8.000000E+00

6703

X
Y
Z

-2.775558E-17
-3.538836E-16
-8.000000E+00

XY
YZ
ZX

1.249001E-16
8.593553E-17
2.775558E-17

A
B
C

-8.000000E+00
-2.220446E-16
-2.220446E-16

LX 0.00 0.0
LY 0.00 0.0
LZ 1.00 0.0

0.0
0.0
0.0

2.666667E+00

8.000000E+00

6704

X
Y
Z

-8.326673E-17
3.608225E-16
-8.000000E+00

XY
YZ
ZX

1.249001E-16
2.775558E-17
2.775558E-17

A
B
C

-8.000000E+00
1.665335E-16
1.665335E-16

LX 0.00 0.0
LY 0.00 0.0
LZ 1.00 0.0

0.0
0.0
0.0

2.666667E+00

8.000000E+00

6711

X
Y
Z

-4.163336E-17
-1.942890E-16
-8.000000E+00

XY
YZ
ZX

-4.163336E-17
2.775558E-17
5.150794E-17

A
B
C

-8.000000E+00
-1.110223E-16
-1.110223E-16

LX 0.00 0.0
LY 0.00 0.0
LZ 1.00 0.0

0.0
0.0
0.0

2.666667E+00

8.000000E+00

6712

X
Y
Z

-6.938894E-18
3.330669E-16
-8.000000E+00

XY
YZ
ZX

-4.163336E-17
8.593553E-17
5.150794E-17

A
B
C

-8.000000E+00
1.110223E-16
1.110223E-16

LX 0.00 0.0
LY 0.00 0.0
LZ 1.00 0.0

0.0
0.0
0.0

2.666667E+00

8.000000E+00

6713

X
Y
Z

3.053113E-16
3.747003E-16
-8.000000E+00

XY
YZ
ZX

-4.163336E-17
8.593553E-17
2.775558E-17

A
B
C

-8.000000E+00
3.885781E-16
3.885781E-16

LX 0.00 0.0
LY 0.00 0.0
LZ 1.00 0.0

0.0
0.0
0.0

2.666667E+00

8.000000E+00

6714

X
Y
Z

8.326673E-17
-3.330669E-16
-8.000000E+00

XY
YZ
ZX

-4.163336E-17
2.775558E-17
2.775558E-17

A
B
C

-8.000000E+00
-1.110223E-16
-1.110223E-16

LX 0.00 0.0
LY 0.00 0.0
LZ 1.00 0.0

0.0
0.0
0.0

2.666667E+00

8.000000E+00

CHEXA (Cont.)

7.9-13

6701

Example Output

MSC/NASTRAN - CHEXA EXAMPLE INPUT

BASIC CLASS NOTES

CHEXA (Cont.)
Example Stress Calculations
For the output on the preceding page,
p = pressure = 8.0 psi
p =

net force on element face = -80 lb/in2 (10 in x 10 in) = -800.0 lbs

Thus,
z = principal stress = P= 8.0 psi
po

1
mean pressure = --- ( x + y + z )
3

1
--- ( 8.0 ) = 2.667 psi
3

= von Mises stress

=

Note:

2
2
2
2
2 12
1
------- [ ( x y ) + ( y z ) + ( z x ) + 6 yz + 6 xy ]
2
12
1
------- ( 64 + 64 )
2

= 8.000 psi

von Mises stress is related to octahedral shear stress (o)by

the following expression:
3
= ------- o
2

7.9-14

MSC/NASTRAN LOADS
Summary of Static Loads in MSC/NASTRAN
Type of Load

Bulk Data Entries

Forces Applied Directly to Grid Points

FORCE, FORCE1, FORCE2

Moments Applied Directly to Grid Points

MOMENT, MOMENT1, MOMENT2

Loads on Scalar Points

SLOAD

Loads on Line Elements

PLOAD1

Pressures and Tractions on Surfaces

PLOAD,
PLOADX

Gravity

GRAV (Plus Specification of Mass)

Centrifugal Force

RFORCE (Plus Specification of

Mass)

Thermal Expansion

TEMP, TEMPD, TEMPP1, TEMPP3,

TEMPRB (Plus Specification of
Thermal Expansion Coefficients)

Enforced Extensional Deformation of Line

Elements (Except BEND)

DEFORM

Enforced Displacement at Grid Points

SPCD, SPC

Linear Combination of Load Sets

LOAD

7.10-1

PLOAD2,

PLOAD4,

FORCE AND MOMENT ENTRIES

There are three different entries available for defining force input and
three entries available for defining moment input.
The three FORCE entries differ only in the way the direction of the
force is specified.
FORCE uses the components of a vector.
FORCE1 uses two grid points, not necessarily the same as the
loaded grid points.
FORCE2 defines the direction of the force as the direction of a
vector that is the vector product of two other vectors.
The distinctions between the three MOMENT entries are similar to
the ones for the FORCE entries.
See Chapter 6 of the MSC/NASTRAN Linear Static Analysis Users
Guide for detailed information on static loads available in
MSC/NASTRAN.
See Chapter 7 of the MSC/NASTRAN Reference Manual for detailed
information on all load types available in MSC/NASTRAN.

7.10-2

EXAMPLE INPUT FOR FORCE AND

MOMENT ENTRIES
P2
1

x
2

P1

T1

P 1 = 2.4E+4, P 2 = 5000., T = 4.04E+4

1

FORCE

SID

CID

FORCE

10

FORCE

N1

N2

N3

5000.

0.

-1.

0.

10

24000.

1.

MOMENT

SID

N1

N2

N3

MOMENT

10

40000.

1.

CID

Field

10

Contents

SID

Load set ID number

Grid point ID number

CID

Coordinate system ID number (integer 0 or blank,

default = 0, i.e., basic coordinate system)

F or M

Scale factor (real)

N1,N2,N3

Components of vector measured in CID (real, must

have at least one nonzero component)

7.10-3

EXAMPLE INPUT FOR FORCE AND

MOMENT ENTRIES (Cont.)
The static load applied to grid point G is given by

f = FN
m = MN

where N = ( N1 , N2 , N3 )

7.10-4

DISTRIBUTED LOADS (PLOAD) IN MSC/NASTRAN

PLOAD

PLOAD1
PLOAD2
PLOAD4
PLOADX

Defines uniform pressure loads on triangular and

quadrilateral surfaces defined by grid points rather than
elements
Defines concentrated loads and linearly distributed loads
on line elements
Defines uniform pressure loads on surface elements
Defines linearly varying pressure loads and tractions on
surfaces
Defines linearly varying pressure loads on TRIAX6
elements
Bulk Data Entry

Element

PLOAD1

BAR

BEAM

BEND

(Restricted)

QUAD4

PLOAD2

PLOAD4

QUAD8
TRIA3

TRIA6
SHEAR

PLOADX

PLOAD

HEXA

PENTA

TETRA

TRIAX6

See pages 12-115 - 12-124 of the Handbook for Linear Analysis and
pages 2.4-255 - 2.4-264 of the MSC/NASTRAN Users Manual for
detailed information about the PLOAD type entries.

7.10-5

EXAMPLE INPUT FOR PLOAD1 ENTRY

Case 1

Uniform load over the full length of a beam element using

fractional (FR) scaling
YB
w = 15.0 (Force/Length)

XB

100
Length = 4.0

PLOAD1

SID

EID

PLOAD1

100

TYPE SCALE
FY

Field

FR

X1

P1

X2

P2

0.0

-15.0

1.0

-15.0

10

Contents

SID

Load set ID number

EID

Element ID number

TYPE

Input load in the X, Y, or Z direction of basic coordinate

system (FX, FY, FZ, MX, MY, MZ) or input load in the X, Y, or
Z direction of element coordinate system (FXE, FYE, FZE,
MXE, MYE, MZE)

SCALE Defines X1 and X2 as actual (LE), fractional (FR), or projected

(LEPR), or fractional projections(FRPR) of distances along
the element axis
X1,X2

Distance along the element axis from End A to location of

_
load (X2 may be blank or real, X2 > X1 >_ 0)

P1,P2

Load factors at positions X1, X2 (real or blank)

7.10-6

EXAMPLE INPUT FOR PLOAD1 ENTRY (Cont.)

Case 2

Linearly varying load applied to the interior region of a

beam element using length (LE) scaling

YB

w2 = 20.0
w1 = 8.0

XB

100
1.0

PLOAD1

SID

EID

PLOAD1

100

2.0

1.0

TYPE SCALE
FY

LE

X1

P1

X2

P2

1.0

-8.0

3.0

-20.0

7.10-7

10

EXAMPLE INPUT FOR PLOAD1 ENTRY (Cont.)

Case 3

Concentrated load applied at an interior point of a beam

element using fractional scaling.

YB
P = 1000.

XB

100

2.0

PLOAD1

SID

EID

PLOAD1

100

Note:

2.0

TYPE SCALE
FY

X1

P1

X2

P2

.5

-1000.

FR

10

If possible, use a FORCE entry rather than a PLOAD1 entry to

apply a concentrated force directly to a grid point.

7.10-8

EXAMPLE INPUT FOR PLOAD1 ENTRY (Cont.)

Case 4

Snow load projected onto inclined roof using length

scaling

50.0 lbs/in. of Projection Snow

YB
144
100

XB

R1
1

PLOAD1

SID

EID

PLOAD1

100

Note:

100
5

TYPE SCALE
FY

LEPR

R2

X1

P1

X2

P2

0.0

-50.

144.

-50.

R1 = R2 = (50. x 100.)/2 = 2500. lb

Ask yourself, What is the total applied load in the YB direction?

7.10-9

10

EXAMPLE INPUT FOR PLOAD4 ENTRY

q = 10.

11
14
12
2
1
PLOAD

PLOAD4

13
1

4
3

SID

EID

P1

P2

P3

P4

G1

G3 or G4

CID

N1

N2

N3

10

100

10.

11

13

Field

10

Contents

SID

Load set ID number

EID

Element ID number

P1,P2,P3,P4

Value of pressure at the corners of the element

face (P1 = default for P2,P3,P4)

7.10-10

EXAMPLE INPUT FOR PLOAD4 ENTRY (Cont.)

Field

Contents

G1

Grid ID of one corner of the pressure surface

G3

Grid ID of a corner diagonally opposite G1 on the pressure

face. (G1,G3 required for solid elements only)

Note:

Pressure is assumed to act normal to the defined element

face unless the continuation entry is defined. Default positive
pressure acts inward on solid elements.

7.10-11

GRAV ENTRY
The GRAV entry is used to define the direction and magnitude of a
uniform linear (gravity) acceleration vector in any defined
coordinate system.
The GRAV entry may be used to apply accelerations to a model.
The resulting load is computed by using the gravity vector and
mass matrix.
Cannot be used at scalar points
1

GRAV

SID

CID

N1

N2

N3

GRAV

14

13.0

1.0

Field

10

2.0

Contents

SID

Set identification number (integer > 0)

CID

Coordinate system identification number (integer 0)

Gravity vector scale factor (real)

N1,N2,N3

At least one nonzero component, gravity vector

components (real)

7.10-12

GRAV ENTRY (Cont.)

Remarks
1.

Gravity vector g = g ( N1, N2 , N3 )

2.

SID must be a unique static loading set id

3.

When used in combination with other types of applied loads,

GRAV must be combined with these loads on a LOAD entry.

7.10-13

THERMAL EFFECTS
Several temperature definition entries are available for including
thermal effects in an analysis. Selection of the appropriate entry is
based on the component the temperature will be applied to.
Use TEMP, TEMPD for grid points.
Use TEMPRB for ROD, BAR, BEAM, BEND, CONROD, TUBE.
Use TEMPP1, 3 for 2-D plates.
For the thermal effects defined on any of these temperature entries
to be included in the analysis, the user must define the reference
temperature (TREF) and coefficient of thermal expansion () on the
material entries. Also, the Case Control request TEMP=SID must
be included.
If thermal effects are requested, all elements must have a
temperature field defined. If only a portion of the model requires
thermal effects, the remaining portion can:
Reference a material entry having the same material properties, a
different MID, and = 0.0
Reference a material entry having the same material properties, a
different MID, and TREF = the applied temperature (i.e., T = 0)
See pages 12-160 - 12-167 of the MSC/NASTRAN Handbook for
Linear Analysis and the MSC/NASTRAN Users Manual for detailed
information about each temperature entry.

7.10-14

EXAMPLE OF APPLYING THERMAL EFFECTS

Thermal loads may be used to represent preloading of elements in
MSC/NASTRAN because a PRELOAD entry does not exist.
Problem: Simulate a 200 lb. pretension in a straight cable
Given:

E
= 1.73E9 psf

= 6.56E-6 ft/ft deg F

Acable = 6.42E-5 ft2

Solution:

Calculate the temperature (T) to apply to the model to

yield 200 lb. tensile forces in the elements
representing the cable.
It is known that the effect of temperature on length is
L = ( T )L

(1)

L
Substituting = ------- = ---- into Equation 1 gives
L E

-------- = T
E

(2)

Solve Equation 2 for T using the given values

o
200 ( 6.42E6 )
T = ------------------------------------------------ = 275 F
( 1.73E9 ) ( 6.56E6 )

7.10-15

(3)

EXAMPLE OF APPLYING THERMAL EFFECTS (Cont.)

MSC/NASTRAN Input
Required Bulk Data entries are:
1

TEMPRB

SID

EID1

TA

TB

TEMPRB

400

100

-275.

-275.

10

Notice the cable is contracted to result in a

preloaded tensile condition.

(Using TEMPRB assumes that the cable is modeled by a ROD, BAR,

BEAM, CONROD, or TUBE element.)
1

MAT1

MID

NU

RHO

MAT1

1000

1.728E9

0.3

ALPHA TREF
6.56E-6

9
GE

0.

Required Case Control command: TEMP(LOAD) = 400

Notice the cable is contracted to result

in a preloaded tensile condition.

7.10-16

10

EXAMPLE OF APPLYING THERMAL EFFECTS (Cont.)

Verification of Results
Run a single load case applying only the thermal load. Check the
element forces (use Case Control request ELFORCE) to verify a 200
lb. tensile axial load.

7.10-17

LOAD ENTRY
Defines a static load as a linear combination of load sets
consisting of:
Direct grid point loads
Pressures
Element dependent loads
Gravity loads (mandatory if gravity loads are used in combination
with other types of applied loads)
Selected with Case Control request LOAD=SID
1

LOAD

SID

S1

L1

S2

L2

S3

L3

LOAD

16

1.0

2.0

11

1.0

13

0.5

15

10

LOAD = [ S ( S1 L1 ) + ( S2 L2 ) + ( S3 L3 ) ] . . .
where L1, L2, L3

= LOAD set identifiers

S1, S1, S3

= load factors for each LOAD case

= overall LOAD factor

See page 12-77 of the MSC/NASTRAN Handbook for Linear Analysis

and the MSC/NASTRAN Users Manual for more information about
the LOAD entry.

7.10-18

THE LOAD REQUEST TREE

Case Control

LOAD = SID1

LOADS

FORCE
FORCE1
FORCE2
MEMENT
MOMENT1
MOMENT2
PLOAD
PLOAD2
PLOAD4
PLOADX
RFORCE
SLOAD

Bulk
Data
Entries
Notes:

GRAV
SPCD

DEFORM = SID3

Bulk
Data
Entries

SID SID1

SID = SID1

Bulk
Data
Entries

TEMP(LOAD) = SID2

SID = SID2

TEMP
TEMPD
TEMPP1
TEMPP3
TEMPRB

SID = SID3

DEFORMS

1.

A LOAD Bulk Data entry combines FORCE, MOMENT, etc.,

entries with different SIDs.

2.

SID1, SID2, and SID3 must be

different numbers.

GRAV entry cannot have the same SID as other loads.

Thus, a LOAD Bulk Data entry is required to combine
gravity force with other loads.

An SPCD entry cannot be the only requested load. Thus, if the user desires
to enforce displacements only, he must also request a legally filled out FORCE,
MOMENT, etc., entry with zero or small magnitude and the same SID as the
SPCD entry.

7.10-19

7.10-20

SECTION 8
INTERMEDIATE MODELING PRACTICES

SET NOTATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1-1

MULTIPOINT CONSTRAINTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1-2
R-TYPE (CONSTRAINT) ELEMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1-5
SINGULARITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1-6
PARAM, AUTOSPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1-7
STRUCTURAL SYMMETRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2-1
MESH TRANSITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2-8
TYPES OF PLATE ELEMENT DISTORTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2-10
CYLINDRICAL AND CIRCULAR ELEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2-12
MODEL DEBUGGING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.3-1

SET NOTATIONS

Displacement Sets
Consider all grid point and scalar point degrees of freedom in a finite
element model as the members of a single displacement set. This
global set is called the g-set; the displacement set is known as ug.
The mathematical expression for the static equilibrium of a finite
element model is
[ K gg ] { u g } = { P g }
[Kgg] must be nonsingular in order to solve this equation. To achieve
a nonsingular stiffness matrix, the user can specify the independent
subsets of {ug} to be partitioned out during matrix reduction.
For example:
um

Degrees of freedom eliminated by multipoint constraints

us

Degrees of freedom eliminated by single-point constraints

Elimination of the M and S sets results in the F (free) set, which is

typically solved to obtain the unknown displacements,
[ k ff ] { u f } = { P f }
For a thorough discussion of constraint and partitioned displacement
sets, see Section 1.4 of the MSC/NASTRAN Users Manual or
Section 2.5.1 of the MSC/NASTRAN Handbook for Linear Analysis.

8.1-1

MULTIPOINT CONSTRAINTS
A multipoint constraint (MPC) is a user-imposed linear equation that
relates displacement degrees of freedom.
MPCs are useful to
Define the relative motion between two or more grid points as a
degree of freedom
Join dissimilar elements; for example, to join elements with
rotational degrees of freedom to elements which have only
translational degrees of freedom (e.g., to join shell elements to
solid elements)
Distribute loads to several points in a structure
Model rigid connections between grid points

8.1-2

MULTIPOINT CONSTRAINTS (Cont.)

The MPC equation is written in the form

Aj uj = 0
j

where A

= constraint coefficient

1
MPC
+MPC1

= displacement degree of freedom

SID

+MPC1

+MPC2

Field

10

Contents

SID

Set ID, selected in Case Control as (MPC=SID)

ID of grid or scalar point (global coordinate systems)

DOF component number (1-6)

Constraint coefficient

The first component (C) defined in the equation is considered to be

This
the dependent coordinate and is placed in the Um set.
component cannot belong to any other subset of ug.

8.1-3

MULTIPOINT CONSTRAINTS (Cont.)

RELATIVE MOTION
It is desired to display the relative motion u101 - u102 as an output.
This is done by defining a new scalar point u103 = u101 - u102 and
using an MPC Bulk Data entry.
u102

u101

u103 u101 + u102 = 0

SPOINT

ID

ID

ID

ID

ID

ID

ID

ID

SPOINT

103

MPC

SID

MPC

103

1.

101

-1.

102

1.

8.1-4

10

R-TYPE (CONSTRAINT) ELEMENTS

MSC/NASTRAN contains several commonly used MPC relationships
defined in the form of various R-type elements. To avoid possible
errors, it is strongly recommended that the user who is unfamiliar
with writing MPC equations use rigid elements whenever possible.
Unlike MPCs, R-type elements are not selected in the Case Control.
They are defined only in the Bulk Data on the following entries:
Name

Description

RROD

A pin-ended rod that is rigid in extension

RBAR

Rigid bar with six degrees of freedom at each end

RTRPLT

Rigid triangular plate with six degrees of freedom at each

vertex

RBE1

A rigid body connected to an arbitrary number of grid

points

RBE2

A rigid body connected to an arbitrary number of grid

points

RBE3

Defines a constraint relation in which the motion at a

reference grid point is the weighted average of the
motions at other grid points

RSPLINE

Defines a constraint relation whose coefficients are

derived from the deflections and slopes of a flexible
tubular beam connected to the referenced grid points

RSSCON

Used to connect plate elements to solid elements

See Section 2.10 of the MSC/NASTRAN Application Manual for 10

examples that use rigid elements and two examples that use MPCs.

8.1-5

SINGULARITIES
A singularity is caused by a degree of freedom lacking any structural
stiffness. Some examples of singularities are
Plate Elements - Rotation normal to plate

Nonsupported

Weakly Supported

3
1

To remove the singularity,

use SPC entries or
PARAM,AUTOSPC,YES.

To remove the singularity, use

PARAM,K6ROT,10000. to
couple these weakly-supported
DOFs.

8.1-6

PARAM, AUTOSPC
When PARAM,AUTOSPC,YES is included, the following table is
generated by MSC/NASTRAN:
G R I D
POINT

TYPE

ID

P O I N T

S I N G U L A R I T Y

FAILED

STIFFNESS

DIRECTION

RATIO

OLD USET
EXCLUSIVE

T A B L E
NEW USET

UNION

EXCLUSIVE

UNION

0.00E+00

SB

SB

0.00E+00

SB

SB

0.00E+00

SB

SB

0.00E+00

SB

SB

Default stiffness
ratio = 1.0E-8

USET membership is
changed only if
PARAM,AUTOSPC,YES
is included in Bulk Data
Section

8.1-7

8.1-8

STRUCTURAL SYMMETRY
Reflective symmetry can often be employed in the modeling process
to reduce the cost of the analysis.
z, z
y, y

x, x

z, z

y, y
x, x
Reflected
Coordinate
System
Note:

Right-hand
Coordinate
System

Kright = Krefl
Mright = Mrefl
etc.
Symmetric boundary constraints for
coordinate system shown:
ux = 0 , y = 0 , z = 0
Antisymmetric boundary constraints
for coordinate system shown:
uy = 0 , uz = 0 , x = 0

8.2-1

STRUCTURAL SYMMETRY (Cont.)

The following example demonstrates the use of symmetic modeling
techniques to analyze the frame.
Full Model
5000 lb

4
A

8.2-2

STRUCTURAL SYMMETRY (Cont.)

Symmetric Model
SYM 1
P
2

2500 lb

SPC DOF 1,5,6

at Grid Point 3
for symmetry
1

8.2-3

P
2

STRUCTURAL SYMMETRY (Cont.)

SYM 2
Displaced Shape
2500 lb
P
2

SPC DOF 2,3,4 at

grid point 3 for
antisymmetry
1

8.2-4

P
2

STRUCTURAL SYMMETRY (Cont.)

MSC/NASTRAN Input File
ID SYM,EX
TIME 5
SOL 24
CEND
$
TITLE =EXAMPLE OF USING SYMMETRY/ANTISYMMETRY CONSTRAINTS
DISP = ALL
$
SYM 1
LABEL = SYMMETRY CONSTRAINTS
SPC = 1
LOAD = 1
$
SYM 2
LABEL = ANTISYMMETRY CONSTRAINTS
SPC = 2
LOAD = 1
$
SYMCOM 3
LABEL = LEFT SIDE OF MODEL
SYMSEQ 1.0, 1.0
$
SYMCOM 4
LABEL = RIGHT SIDE OF MODEL
SYMSEQ 1.0, -1.0
$
BEGIN BULK
$
GRID
1
0.0
0.0
0.0
123456
GRID
2
0.0
10.0
0.0
345
GRID
3
5.0
10.0
0.0
34
$
CBAR
1
100
1
2
-1.0
0.0
0.0
CBAR
2
100
2
3
0.0
1.0
0.0
PBAR
100
1
5.0
5.0
5.0
$
MAT1
1
3.E+7
0.3
$
FORCE
1
2
2500.
0.0
-1.0
0.0
$
SPC1
1
156
3
SPC1
2
2
3
$
ENDDATA

8.2-5

STRUCTURAL SYMMETRY (Cont.)

SYMCOM 3 results in the displaced shape of the left side of the
model.

A
+

SYM 1

SYM 2

SYMCOM 3

SYMCOM 4 results in the displaced shape of the right side of the

model.

SYM 1

SYM 2

8.2-6

SYMCOM 4

STRUCTURAL SYMMETRY (Cont.)

The output for SYMCOM3 and SYMCOM 4 represent the full model.

8.2-7

MESH TRANSITIONS
Mesh transitions are most frequently needed to transition between a
fine mesh in areas of stress concentrations to a coarser mesh away
from these areas.
All mesh transitions sacrifice some degree of accuracy in the model.
Some examples of mesh transitions are:
Belt of Triangular Elements

Disadvantage: Triangular elements

are stiffer than CQUAD4 elements.

8.2-8

MESHTRANSITIONS(Cont.)
Higher-Order Elements with Deleted Mid-Side Nodes

Q4

Q4

Q8

Q8

Q4

Q4

Q4

Disadvantage: A CQUAD8 without

midside nodes severely distorts the
stress distribution in the elements
adjacent to the change in mesh size
(particularly bad for membrane
not
recommended
in
action,
general).

Q4

Q4

Q8

Q4

Q8

Q4

Q4
Q4

Spline Interpolation

Disadvantage: Potential errors in

the specification of the RSPLINE
dependent
and
independent
degrees of freedom. Output for
RSPLINE
element
cannot
be
recovered.
Independent Points
Dependent Points

RSPLINE

8.2-9

TYPES OF PLATE ELEMENT DISTORTION

Aspect ratio
b

a
< 4:1 *
b

a
Aspect ratio should be less than about 4:1 (much less in regions
where stress levels change rapidly). In cases of nearly-uniaxial
stress fields, larger aspect ratios are acceptable.

Skew

Angle < 20 - 30 *

Quadrilateral elements should be kept as square as possible.

Taper (2 directions)

Angles < 20 - 30*

* Acceptable in most applications

8.2-10

TYPES OF PLATE ELEMENT DISTORTION (Cont.)

h
a
Warp

Up to ~ 5% is normally acceptable. No real limit, but the element

does not include warpage.

8.2-11

CYLINDRICAL AND CIRCULAR ELEMENTS

Elements forming cylindrical surfaces

<15 for QUAD4

<30 for QUAD8

Elements around a cutout

15 arc or less

When analyzing plates and shells, be sure to provide a sufficient

number of elements across the span to follow the deflection surface
and the changes in shear. Remember that the analysis replaces the
uniform pressure over the element area by a set of equivalent point
loads applied at the grids.

8.2-12

MODEL DEBUGGING
Structural plots are useful primarily to visually verify model geometry.
Other tools must be employed to assess the numerical accuracy of a
finite element model. These tools include automatic error checks
performed by MSC/NASTRAN and user-supplied diagnostic requests
in the form of DIAG, PARAM,DMAP Alters, and Case Control requests.
MSC/NASTRAN performs numerous error checks during an analysis
to ensure that all input data is in a proper and usable format. If an
error is detected during data processing, an error message is
generated. If the error is fatal, the analysis terminates. Following is
an example of a fatal error message and ways to determine the cause
of error.
13

3
100 lb

12

11

Y
X
Analyze this frame for the 100 lb force. Determine displacements at
all grid points.

8.3-1

N A S T R A N

E X E C U T I V E

C O N T R O L

D E C K

E C H O

ID ERROR,EX
SOL 101
CEND

MODEL DEBUGGING (Cont.)

*** USER WARNING MESSAGE 4519, A TIME CARD IS MISSING. DEFAULT TIME LIMIT IS ONE MINUTE.

C A S E

C O N T R O L

D E C K

E C H O

8.3-2

CARD
COUNT
1
2
3
4
5
6

TITLE= EXAMPLE OF ERROR MESSAGE UTILIZATION

DISP=ALL
STRESS=ALL
SPCF=ALL
LOAD=200
BEGIN BULK
INPUT BULK DATA CARD COUNT =
19

S O R T E D
CARD
COUNT
1-

B U L K

.
1
CBAR

..
1

D A T A

..
10

E C H O

..
1

..
2

..
0.

..
1.

..
0.

..

..

10

8.3-3

23456789101112131415-

CBAR
CBAR
CBAR
CBAR
CBAR
FORCE
GRID
GRID
GRID
GRID
GRID
GRID
MAT1
PBAR
ENDDATA

2
5
6
11
12
200
1
2
3
11
12
13
10
10

TOTAL COUNT=
***
***
***
***
***
***
***
***

USER
USER
USER
USER
USER
USER
USER
USER

FATAL
FATAL
FATAL
FATAL
FATAL
FATAL
FATAL
FATAL

MESSAGE
MESSAGE
MESSAGE
MESSAGE
MESSAGE
MESSAGE
MESSAGE
MESSAGE

FATAL ERROR
* * * END OF JOB * * *

10
10
10
10
10
3

2
2
3
11
12

3
12
13
12
13
100.
0.
10.
20.
0.
10.
20.
0.3

0.
0.
0.
10.
10.
10.
10.5E6
10

0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
1.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.

1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
0.

0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
0.
123456

123456

.25

16
2026,ELEMENT
2026,ELEMENT
2026,ELEMENT
2026,ELEMENT
2026,ELEMENT
2026,ELEMENT
2026,ELEMENT
2026,ELEMENT

1
1
2
2
11
11
12
12

GEOMETRY
GEOMETRY
GEOMETRY
GEOMETRY
GEOMETRY
GEOMETRY
GEOMETRY
GEOMETRY

YIELDS
YIELDS
YIELDS
YIELDS
YIELDS
YIELDS
YIELDS
YIELDS

UNREASONABLE
UNREASONABLE
UNREASONABLE
UNREASONABLE
UNREASONABLE
UNREASONABLE
UNREASONABLE
UNREASONABLE

MATRIX
MATRIX
MATRIX
MATRIX
MATRIX
MATRIX
MATRIX
MATRIX

MODEL DEBUGGING (Cont.)

If it is not obvious what caused the error, then look into section 16.2
((Numbered Diagnostic Messages) of the Reference Manual) to
determine the cause. The description of User Fatal Message 2026,
follows:
2026 *** USER FATAL MESSAGE 2026, ELEMENT **** GEOMETRY
OR MATERIAL PROPERTY YIELDS UNREASONABLE
MATRIX.
Referenced element geometry and/or properties yield a
numerical result which causes an element stiffness or
mass matrix to be undefined. Possible causes include,
but are not limited to. (1) the length of rod or bar is zero
because the end points have the same coordinates, (2) the
sides of a triangle or quadrilateral are collinear which
leads to a zero cross product in defining an element
coordinate system, (3) the bar orientation vector is
parallel to the bar axis, or (4) a shear panel has zero
thickness or modulus. Check GRID Bulk Data entries
defining element end points for bad data.

Item (3) listed here is the cause of this error. If this message did not
provide enough explanation, the user should also check the .F04 file
to determine at what point during data processing the analysis
terminated.

8.3-4

MODEL DEBUGGING (Cont.)

M S C / N A S T R A N

DAY TIME

ELAPSED

20:03:23
0:09
20:03:23
0:09
20:03:23
0:09
20:03:23
0:09
**** LINK 2****
20:03:27
0:13
20:03:27
0:13
20:03:29
0:15
**** LINK 10****
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
**** LINK 2****
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:29
0:15
20:03:34
0:20
20:03:34
0:20
**** LINK 10****
20:03:34
0:20
**** LINK 2****
20:03:34
0:20
**** LINK 8****
20:03:35
0:21
**** LINK 10****

I/O MB

DEL_MB

V A X

E X E C U T I O N

CPU SEC

DEL_CPU

S U M M A R Y

SUB_DMAP/DMAP_MODULE MESSAGES

9.3
9.4
9.4
9.4

0.3
0.0
0.0
0.0

4.8
4.9
4.9
4.9

0.2
0.1
0.0
0.1

SESTATIC
SUPER1
IFPL
IFPL

16
16
15
22

SUPER1
IFPL
IFP1
XSORT

BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
BEGN

9.4
9.4
9.4

0.0
0.0
0.0

7.0
7.0
8.6

2.0
0.0
1.6

IFPL
IFP
IFPL

24

IFP

BEGN

25

MODEPT

BEGN

9.4
9.4
9.6
9.6
9.6
9.7
9.8
9.8
9.8
9.8
10.0
10.1
10.2
10.3
10.3

0.0
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.0

8.6
8.7
8.8
8.8
8.8
8.9
9.0
9.0
9.0
9.0
9.1
9.2
9.3
9.4
9.4

0.0
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.0

IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
IFPL

26
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
41
42
43
45
46
58

PVT
XEQUIV
XEQUIV
XEQUIV
XEQUIV
XEQUIV
XEQUIV
XEQUIV
XEQUIV
XEQUIV
XEQUIV
XEQUIV
XEQUIV
XEQUIV
PVT

BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
BEGN

10.3
10.3
10.3
10.5
10.5

0.0
0.0
0.0
0.1#
0.0

9.4
9.4
9.4
12.1
12.1

0.1
0.0
0.0
2.6#
0.0

IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
IFPL
SUPER1

71
72
97
97
28

DELETE
RESTART
SEQP
SEQP
PHASE0

BEGN
BEGN
BEGN
END
BEGN

10.5

0.0

12.1

0.0

PHASE0

26

DTIIN

BEGN

10.5

0.0

12.1

0.0

PHASE0

27

GP1

BEGN

10.6

0.0

12.4

0.3

PHASE0

30

SEP1

BEGN

8.3-5

*
*

*
*
*
*

MODEL DEBUGGING (Cont.)

Always perform independent hand checks to verify the accuracy of
the results.
Other potential pitfalls for new users include:
First time use of a new capability - always make a small test model.
See Section 2.0 and 5.0 of the MSC/NASTRAN Application Manual
for examples, guidance, and background.
Use consistent units.
Always use unique IDs - MSC/NASTRAN sometimes allows for
duplicate element IDs but not always. Duplicates can and do lead
to problems especially in data recovery.

8.3-6

SECTION 9
PARAMETERS
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1
PARAMETERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
PRINTOUT GENERATED BY PARAM,PROUT,1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
PRINTOUT GENERATED BY PARAM,GPECT,1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
PRINTOUT GENERATED BY PARAM,EST,1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6

INTRODUCTION

10

Several predefined options are available in MSC/NASTRAN to

facilitate minor modifications to the standard program flow for any
given solution. The interface to these options is primarily in the
form of parameters.
Parameters are used for requesting special features and inputting
data pertaining to these features. Parameters can have significant
effects on the solution in certain applications.
DMAP alters allow you to perform operations that are not a part of
the normal solution flow. A library of DMAP Alters is delivered with
MSC/NASTRAN under the same ssalter. See the MSC/NASTRAN
Common Questions and Answers for information on these alters
and how to use them.

9-1

PARAMETERS
If PARAM entries are used, they may be placed in either the Case
Control or the Bulk Data section
Parameters may apear in the Case Control Section and Bulk Data
Section in the unstructured and structured solutions.
Some parameters frequently used are:
PARAM,AUTOSPC,YES

Constrains obvious singularities in the

stiffness matrix (default = YES in most
solutions. This is the recommended
value.)

PARAM,GRDPNT,i

Executes the grid point weight

generator with respect to grid point i.
Output includes rigid body mass
matrix,
principal
masses
and
associated centers of gravity, and
inertia matrix l. (default = -1, which
means do not perform this operation.
Recommended value = 0 or a userselected GRIDid)

PARAM,NOGPF,1

Controls printout of grid point force

balance when GPFORCE is requested
in the Case Control (default = 1, print
as requested.
A value of -1 willl
prevent the printout of the GPFORCE
output, althought it will be available
for post-processors.)

9-2

PARAMETERS (Cont.)
PARAM,CHECKOUT,YES

Performs limited model checkout but

does not perform the solution phase
of the analysis (structured solutions
only).

PARAM,POST,-1

Generates files containing the results

for MSC/PATRAN. or other programs.
(Default = 1 = do not create results
files, -1 = create .op2 file for
MSC/PATRAN, 0 = create .xdb file for
MSC/PATRAN).

PARAM,WTMASS,X.X

Multiplies terms of the mass matrix by

X. Commonly used to change weight
density to mass density. Often input
is created in weight units (English
units = pounds). In this case, these
values must be converted into mass
units for the program.
PARAM,
WTMASS is the scaling factor to do
this. If used, it is usually 1.0 divided
by the acceleration of gravity.

See Section 6 of the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide for detailed

descriptions of all parameters and their applicable solution sequences.

9-3

USE PARAMETERS TO MAXIMIZE THE USE OF THIS RFALTER

THERE ARE

6 HEXA

ELEMENTS. FIRST EID =

ELEMENTS LISTED IN NUMERICAL ORDER

ID
TYPE
ID
TYPE
1 HEXA
2 HEXA
6 HEXA

9-4

Note:

1 LAST EID =

ID
3

TYPE
HEXA

This is useful for checkout of large models.

ID
4

TYPE
HEXA

ID
5

TYPE
HEXA

PRINTOUT GENERATED BY PARAM,PROUT,1

CANTILEVER BEAM MODELED WITH CHEXA 8-NODE ELEMENTS

ILLUSTRATE USE OF RF24D32 FOR INPUT VERIFICATION

USE PARAMETERS TO MAXIMIZE THE USE OF THIS RFALTER

GRID POINT CONNECTED ELEMENTS CONNECTED ELEMENTS CONNECTED ELEMENTS CONNECTED ELEMENTS CONNECTED ELEMENTS
ID
TYPE
ID
TYPE
ID
TYPE
ID
TYPE
ID
TYPE

9-5

HEXA

HEXA

HEXA

HEXA

HEXA

HEXA

HEXA

HEXA

HEXA

HEXA

HEXA

HEXA

11

HEXA

12

HEXA

HEXA

13

HEXA

HEXA

14

HEXA

HEXA

15

HEXA

HEXA

16

HEXA

HEXA

17

HEXA

PRINTOUT GENERATED BY PARAM,GPECT,1

CANTILEVER BEAM MODELED WITH CHEXA 8-NODE ELEMENTS

ILLUSTRATE USE OF RF24D32 FOR INPUT VERIFICATION

ELEMENT ID VOLUME
1
.02

ELEMENT ID VOLUME
2
.02

ELEMENT ID VOLUME
3
.02

ELEMENT ID VOLUME
4
.02

ELEMENT ID VOLUME
5
.02

*** USER WARNING MESSAGE 3103, EMGCOR OF EMG MODULE FINDS EITHER OF DATA BLOCKS 201 OR
STIF. MATRIX WILL NOT BE FORMED.

ELEMENT ID VOLUME
6
.02

202 ABSENT AND THUS

9-6

PRINTOUT GENERATED BY PARAM,EST,1

ELEMENT TYPE = HEXA

SECTION 10
NATURAL FREQUENCIES AND NORMAL MODES
GOVERNING EQUATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1
MASS MATRIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
THEORETICAL RESULTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7
REASONS TO COMPUTE NATURAL FREQUENCIES
AND NORMAL MODES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
IMPORTANT FACTS AND RESULTS REGARDING
NORMAL MODES AND NATURAL FREQUENCIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
METHODS OF COMPUTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
COMPARISON OF EIGENVALUE
EXTRACTION METHODS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-18
NORMAL MODES ANALYSIS ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20

11

GOVERNING EQUATIONS

12

Consider the undamped single-degree-of-freedom system shown in

the figure.
k
m

x
where m
k

= mass
= stiffness

The equation of motion for free vibrations (i.e., without external load
or damping) is:

mx = kx
or
mx + kx = 0

10-1

GOVERNING EQUATIONS (Cont.)

For a multi-degree-of-freedom system, this equation becomes
[ M ] { x} + [ K ] { x } = 0
where [K] = the stiffness matrix of the structure (the same as in
static analysis)
[M]

the mass matrix of the structure. (It represents the

inertia properties of the structure.)

[K] and [M] must be real and symmetric.

Remember:

The number of degrees of freedom is equal to the

number of coordinates necessary to describe the
deformed shape of the structure at any given time.

10-2

MASS MATRIX
The mass matrix represents the inertia properties of the structure.
MSC/NASTRAN provides the user with two choices:
1.

Lumped mass matrix (default)

Contains only diagonal terms associated with translational
degrees of freedom

2.

Coupled mass matrix

Also contains off-diagonal terms coupling translational degrees
of freedom and rotational degrees of freedom. (Note: for a rod
element, only translational DOFs are coupled.)

10-3

MASS MATRIX (Cont.)

Example of Mass Matrix

3
L

where = mass density

A = cross section

Lumped Mass Matrix

12
[ M ] = AL 0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
12
0

0
0
0
0

1 12
0
5 12
0

0
0
0
0

Coupled Mass Matrix

5 12
[ M ] = AL 0
1 12
0

10-4

0
0
0
0

MASS MATRIX (Cont.)

Coupled versus Lumped Mass
Coupled mass is generally more accurate than lumped mass.
Lumped mass is preferred for computational speed in dynamic
analysis.
User-selectable coupled mass matrix for elements
PARAM,COUPMASS,1 to select coupled mass matrices for all
BAR, ROD, and PLATE elements that include bending stiffness
Default is lumped mass.
Elements that have either lumped or coupled mass
BAR, BEAM, CONROD, HEXA, PENTA, QUAD4, QUAD8, ROD,
TETRA, TRIA3, TRIA6, TRIAX6, TUBE

10-5

MASS MATRIX (Cont.)

Elements that have lumped mass only
CONEAX, SHEAR
Elements that have coupled mass only
BEND, HEX20, TRAPRG, TRIARG
Lumped mass contains only diagonal, translational components
(no rotational ones).
Coupled mass contains off-diagonal translational components as
well as rotations for BAR (though no torsion), BEAM, and BEND
elements.

10-6

THEORETICAL RESULTS
Consider
[ M ] { x} + [ K ] { x } = 0

(1)

Assume a harmonic solution of the form

{ x } = { }e

it

(2)

(Physically, this means that all the coordinates perform synchronous

motions and the system configuration does not change its shape
during motion only its amplitude.)
From Equation 2
2

{ x} = { }e

it

(3)

Substituting Eqs. 2 and 3 into Equation 1, we get

2

[ M ] [ ]e

it

+ [ K ] [ ]e

it

=0

which simplifies to
2

([K] [M]{}) = 0
This is an eigenvalue problem.

10-7

(4)

THEORETICAL RESULTS (Cont.)

Therefore, there are two cases:

1.

If det ( [ K ] [ M ] ) = 0 , the only possibility (from Eq. 4) is

{} = 0
which is the so-called trivial solution and is not interesting from
a physical point of view.

2.

Then, we need det ( [ K ] [ M ] ) = 0 in order to have a

nontrivial solution for { } .

The eigenvalue problem reduces to solve

2

det ( [ K ] [ M ] ) = 0
or
det ( [ K ] [ M ] ) = 0
where = 2

10-8

THEORETICAL RESULTS (Cont.)

If the structure has N dynamic degrees of freedom (degrees of
freedom with mass), there are N number of s that are solution of the
eigenvalue problem. These s (1, 2, ..., N) are the natural
frequencies of the structure, also known as normal frequencies,
characteristic frequencies, fundamental frequencies, or resonant
frequencies.
The eigenvector { j } associated with the natural frequency j is
called normal mode or mode shape. The normal mode corresponds
to deflected shape patterns of the structure.
When a structure is vibrating, its shape at any given time is a linear
combination of its normal modes.

10-9

THEORETICAL RESULTS (Cont.)

Example
Simply Supported Beam

Mode 1

Mode 2

Mode 3

etc.

10-10

REASONS TO COMPUTE NATURAL FREQUENCIES

AND NORMAL MODES
Assess the dynamic characteristics of the structure. For example,
if rotating machinery is going to be installed on a certain structure,
it might be necessary to see if the frequency of the rotating mass is
close to one of the natural frequencies of the structure to avoid
excessive vibrations.
Assess possible dynamic amplification of loads.
Use natural frequencies and normal modes to guide subsequent
dynamic analysis (transient response, response spectrum
analysis) i.e., what should be the appropriate t for integrating the
equation of motion in transient analysis?
Use natural frequencies and mode shapes for subsequent dynamic
analysis i.e., transient analysis of the structure using modal
expansion.
Guide the experimental analysis of the structure, i.e., the location
of accelerometers, etc.
Your boss told you to

10-11

IMPORTANT FACTS AND RESULTS REGARDING

NORMAL MODES AND NATURAL FREQUENCIES
If a structure is not totally constrained, i.e., if it admits a rigid body
mode (stress-free mode) or a mechanism, at least one natural
frequency will be zero.
Example:

The following unconstrained structure has a rigid body

mode.
x2

x1

m
k

1 = 0 { 1 } = 1
1

10-12

IMPORTANT FACTS AND RESULTS REGARDING

NORMAL MODES AND
NATURAL FREQUENCIES (Cont.)
The natural frequencies (1, 2, ...,) are expressed in
radians/seconds.
They can also be expressed in hertz
(cycles/seconds) using
j ( radians second )
f j ( hertz ) = --------------------------------------------------------2

10-13

IMPORTANT FACTS AND RESULTS REGARDING

NORMAL MODES AND
NATURAL FREQUENCIES (Cont.)
Scaling of normal modes is arbitrary. For example

x1

x2

{ 1 } = 1 , { 1 } = 300
0.5
150
and

{ 1 } = .66
.33
represent the same mode of vibration.

10-14

IMPORTANT FACTS AND RESULTS REGARDING

NORMAL MODES AND
NATURAL FREQUENCIES (Cont.)
Determination of the natural frequencies, i.e., solution of
2

det ( [ K ] [ M ] ) = 0
is a difficult problem. The solution to this problem must be
determined using a numerical approach.

10-15

METHODS OF COMPUTATION
MSC/NASTRAN provides the user with the following three types of
methods for eigenvalue extraction.
Tracking Methods
Eigenvalues (or natural frequencies) are determined one at a
time using an iterative technique. Two variations of the inverse
power method are provided INV and SINV. This approach is
more convenient when few natural frequencies are to be
determined. In general, SINV is more reliable than INV.
Transformation Methods
The original eigenvalue problem
([K] [M]){} = 0
is transformed to the form
[A]{} = {}
Then, the matrix [ A ] is transformed into a tridiagonal matrix
using either the Givens technique or the Householder
technique. Finally, all the eigenvalues are extracted at once
using the QR Algorithm.
Two variations of the Givens
technique and two variations of the Householder technique are
provided: GIV, MGIV, HOU, and MHOU. These methods are
more efficient for small models when a large proportion of
eigenvalues are needed.

10-16

METHODS OF COMPUTATION (Cont.)

Lanczos Method
This is the recommended method and is a combined
tracking-transformation method. This method is most efficient
for computing a few eigenvalues of large, sparse problems
(most structural models fit into this category).

10-17

COMPARISON OF EIGENVALUE
EXTRACTION METHODS

Method
Tridiagonal
Method

Tracking
Method with
Shifts

Obtain Eigenvalues
in Order

All at Once

Nearest to
Shift Point

Takes Advantage of
Bandwidth

No

Yes

Yes

Number of
Calculations
(Order of)

N3

NB2

NB2

Characteristic

Lanczos

Nearest
to Shift
Point

HOU,
GIV

MHOU,
MGIV

INV

SINV

Lanczos

Singular M Allowed?

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Find All Roots in

Range Reliably?

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Be
Careful

Be
Careful

Yes

Yes

Yes

Limitations

Large Mass Approach

Allowed?
Best Application

where N
B

Small, Dense
Systems.
Many Vectors.

Large,
Sparse
Systems.
Few Vectors

Very Large

= number of degrees of freedom

= bandwidth

The AGIV and AHOU methods inspect the mass matrix and
automatically select MGIV or MHOU if needed. Otherwise, GIV or HOU
is used.
10-18

COMPARISON OF EIGENVALUE
EXTRACTION METHODS (Cont.)
Number of
Eigenvalues
Desired
1000

Reduction Plus
Transformation Methods
(GDR + GIV or HOU)
or
Lanczos Method

100

GIV
MGIV
HOU
MHOU
AGIV
AHOU

10

10

INV
SINV

100

1000

10,000

Spill Limit for

Transformation

10-19

Order of
Problem

NORMAL MODES ANALYSIS ENTRIES

Executive
SOLs 103 (or 3)
Case Control
METHOD

Number associated with the EIGR or EIGRL entry

that is included in the Bulk Data. Multiple subcases
are used only to control output requests.

Bulk Data
EIGR entry - Eigenvalue extraction entry
or
EIGRL entry for Lanczos Method
Mass properties are required.

10-20

NORMAL MODES ANALYSIS ENTRIES (Cont.)

Mass Properties
Structural Mass

Adds mass of the elements (example - used

for calculating gravity effects)

Density on MATi entries,

units = (mass/volume)
1

MAT1

MID

NU

RHO

MAT1

10.+7

0.3

0.1

Nonstructural Mass

10

Adds mass (example - building floor loads,

ship cargo loads)

Mass per unit dimension (mass per unit area in this case)

PSHELL

PID

MID1

MID2

PSHELL

0.1

12I/T3

MID3
1

TS/T

NSM
0.15

Concentrated Mass
Explicit mass properties at a point (CONM2) (i.e., center of gravity
of the concentrated mass offset from the grid point, moments, and
products of inertia

10-21

NORMAL MODES ANALYSIS ENTRIES (Cont.)

Mass Units
Program assumes inertial units:
lb-sec2/ft (ft-lb-sec system)
kg-sec2/m

PARAM,WTMASS multiplies the input data to obtain inertial units.

This is commonly used to change from weight units to mass units.
Example: The weight density (RHO) of steel is specified as 490.0
lb/cu ft on a MAT1.
Include PARAM,WTMASS,.031056 which multiplies the terms of the
structural mass matrix by 1/g (= 1/32.174 ft/sec2) to change the
density to proper inertial units.

10-22

F R O M

G R I D

P O I N T

REFERENCE POINT =

G E N E R A T O R

M O
0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 -3.820500E-01 *
2.547000E-01 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 3.820500E-01 *
0.000000E+00 2.547000E-01 3.820500E-01 -3.820500E-01 0.000000E+00 *
0.000000E+00 3.820500E-01 1.146150E+00 -5.730750E-01 0.000000E+00 *
0.000000E+00 -3.820500E-01 -5.730750E-01 1.146150E+00 0.000000E+00 *
3.820500E-01 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00 2.292300E+00 *
S
*
*
*

1.000000E+00
0.000000E+00
0.000000E+00

0.000000E+00
1.000000E+00
0.000000E+00

0.000000E+00 *
0.000000E+00 *
1.000000E+00 *

Transformation matrix from basic

coordinate system to principal mass
Rigid body mass matrix (MO) relative to the
reference point in the basic coordinate system.

DIRECTION
MASS AXIS SYSTEM (S)

10-23

X
Y
Z

MASS
2.547000E-01
2.547000E-01
2.547000E-01

X-C.G.

Y-C.G.

0.000000E+00
1.500000E+00
1.500000E+00

1.500000E+00
0.000000E+00
1.500000E+00

Z-C.G.
0.000000E+00
0.000000E+00
0.000000E+00

I(S)
* 5.730749E-01 -5.960464E-08
* -5.960464E-08 5.730749E-01
* 0.000000E+00 0.000000E+00

0.000000E+00 *
0.000000E+00 *
1.146150E+00 *

Inertia matrix I(S) about the C.G.

relative to the principal mass axis

*
*
1.146150E+00 *

Inertia matrix I(Q) about the C.G.

relative to the principal inertia axes

0.000000E+00 *
0.000000E+00 *
1.000000E+00 *

Transformation matrix [Q]

between the S-axes and Q-axes

I(Q)
*
*
*

5.730749E-01
5.730749E-01
Q

*
*
*

1.000000E+00
0.000000E+00
0.000000E+00

0.000000E+00
1.000000E+00
0.000000E+00

Principal masses (mass) and the associated c.g.

Notes:

1.

This is standard Grid Point Weight Generator output. It is obtained by setting the parameter GRDPNT
to an integer value which defines a grid point to be used as a reference point. If the integer is zero or
is not a defined grid point, the reference point is taken as the origin of the basic coordinate system.

NORMAL MODES ANALYSIS ENTRIES (Cont.)

* 2.547000E-01
* 0.000000E+00
* 0.000000E+00
* 0.000000E+00
* 0.000000E+00
* -3.820500E-01

W E I G H T

Grid Point Weight Generator

O U T P U T

NORMAL MODES ANALYSIS ENTRIES (Cont.)

SUPORT Bulk Data entry
A program aid used in computing rigid body modes
Esthetics

Absolute zero eigenvalues instead of computed zeros

(for all but Lanczos, where the program will "judge"
whether the eigenvalues should be 0.0 or not)

Cost

Separate subroutine used to compute rigid body modes

can significantly increase cpu requirement

SUPORT

ID

SUPORT

16

125

Notes:

ID

ID

ID

1.

Statically determinate set of constraints

2.

Sufficient number of constraints to support all rigid

body modes

3.

The Lanczos method uses the computed eigenvectors.

10-24

NORMAL MODES ANALYSIS ENTRIES (Cont.)

EIGRL Entry - recommended eigenvalue solution method
Defines data needed to perform real eigenvalue or buckling analysis
with the Lanczos Method.
1

EIGRL

SID

V1

V2

ND

EIGRL

0.1

3.2

10

Field

MSGLVL MAXSET SHFSCL

10

NORM

Contents

SID

Set identification number (unique integer > 0)

V1, V2

Vibration analysis: Frequency range of interest

Buckling analysis: range of interest (V1 < V2, real). If all
modes below a frequency are desired , set V2 to the desired
frequency and leave V1 blank. It is not recommended to put
0.0 for V1, it is more efficient to use a small negative number
or to leave it blank.

ND

Number of roots desired (integer > 0 or blank)

MSGLVL

Diagnostic level (integer 0 through 3 or blank)

MAXSET

Number of vectors in block (integer 1 through 15 or blank)

10-25

NORMAL MODES ANALYSIS ENTRIES (Cont.)

EIGRL Entry - recommended eigenvalue solution method
SHFSCl

Estimate of the first flexible mode natural frequency (real or

blank)

NORM

Method for normalizing eigenvectors, either "MASS" or

"MAX"
MASS

Normalize to unit value of the generalized mass

(default)

MAX

Normalize to unit value of the largest component in the

analysis set

Based on the input, the program will either:

Calculate all modes below V2 (V1 = blank, V2 = highest
frequency of interest, ND = blank)
Calculate a maximum of ND roots between V1 and V2 (V1, V1,
Nd not blank)
Calculate ND roots above V1 (V1 = lowest frequency of
interest, V2 = blank, ND = number of roots desired)
Calculate the first ND roots (V1 and V2 blank, ND = number of
roots desired).
Calculate all roots between V1 and V2 (V1 = lowest frequency
of interest, V2 = highest frequency of interest, ND = blank)

10-26

NORMAL MODES ANALYSIS ENTRIES (Cont.)

EIGR Entry
1

EIGR

SID

EIGR

+3C

Field
SID

METHOD

F1

F2

NE

ND

13

SINV

1.9

15.6

NORM

POINT

32

12

10

ABC

Contents
Set identification number (integer > 0)
When METHOD = INV
or SINV

When METHOD = GIV,

MGIV, HOU, or MHOU

F1,F2

Frequency range of interest

(real 0.0). Both must be
input.

NE

Estimate of number of roots in Not used

range (required for METHOD =
INV, integer > 0). Not used by
SINV method.

ND

Desired
number
of
roots.
(Default is 3 NE for INV only,
integer > 0). If blank, all roots
between F1 and F2 are searched
for (SINV only).

10-27

Frequency
range
of
interest (real 0.0, F1 < F2).
If ND is not blank, F1 and
F2 are ignored. If ND is
blank, eigenvectors are
found
whose
natural
frequencies lie in the range
between F1 and F2.

Desired
number
of
eigenvectors (integer > 0).
If ND is blank or zero, the
number of eigenvectors is
determined from F1 and F2.
(Default = 0)

NORMAL MODES ANALYSIS ENTRIES (Cont.)

Field
NORM

Contents
Method for normalizing eigenvectors, one of the BCD values,
MASS, MAX, or POINT
MASS

Normalize to unit value of the generalized mass

(default)

MAX

Normalize to unit value of the largest component in the

analysis set

POINT

Normalize to unit value of the component defined in

fields 3 and 4 (default of MAX if defined component is
zero)

Grid or scalar point identification number (required only if

NORM = POINT) (integer > 0)

Component number, one of the integers 1-6 (required only if

NORM = POINT and G is a geometric grid point)

10-28

SECTION 11
LINEAR BUCKLING ANALYSIS
THEORY OF BUCKLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
SOLUTION OF THE EIGENVALUE PROBLEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
SOLUTION SEQUENCES FOR BUCKLING AND
STABILITY PROBLEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3
EXAMPLES OF NONLINEAR BUCKLING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5
RULES FOR SOL 105 BUCKLING ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-6
DATA ENTRIES FOR LINEAR BUCKLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7
EIGB ENTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
EXAMPLE - SIMPLE EULER COLUMN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-10
REFERENCE FOR BUCKLING AND
STABILITY ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-16

13

THEORY OF BUCKLING

14

The equilibrium equations for a structure subjected to a constant

force system take the following form
[K]{u} = {P}

(1)

Include the differential stiffness effects. The differential stiffness

[ K D ] is the stiffness that results from including the higher-order
terms of the strain-displacement relations. These relations are
assumed to be independent of the displacements of the structure
associated with an arbitrary intensity of load.
Let be an arbitrary scalar multiplier for another intensity of
load.
( [ K ] + [ K D ] ) { u* } = { P }

(2)

By perturbing the structure slightly at a variety of load intensities,

the load intensities can be found that possess unstable equilibrium
positions. This leads to the associated eigenvalue problem for
buckling.
( [ K ] + [ K D ] ) { u* } = 0

11-1

(3)

SOLUTION OF THE EIGENVALUE PROBLEM

[ K K D ] { } = 0

(1)

The solution is nontrivial (different from zero) only for specific

values of
= i

i = 1, 2, ..., E

that make the matrix [ K K D ] singular.

To

each

eigenvalue

i ,

there

is

corresponding

distinct

eigenvector { i } .

{ i } can be scaled by any constant multiplier and still be a solution

to Equation 1.

The components of { i } are real numbers.

11-2

SOLUTION SEQUENCES FOR BUCKLING AND

STABILITY PROBLEMS
SOLs 5, 105

Linear buckling

SOL 106

Nonlinear buckling

Limitations of SOLs 5 and 105

In prebuckled configuration:
Deflections must be small.
Stresses must be elastic (and linearly related to strain).

11-3

SOLUTION SEQUENCES FOR BUCKLING AND

STABILITY PROBLEMS (Cont.)
Example:

Three classes of columns (loaded at centroid, no material

imperfections)

Slender
Intermediate
Short

Fails by elastic
buckling. Prebuckled
deflections are small
and critical load is
reached before
material yields. This
is a Euler column.

Note:

Fails by combination of
yielding and buckling.
Prebuckled deflections are
small, but some prebuckled
stresses are inelastic.

Fails by yield (like

compression test
specimen).

SOLs 5 and 105 may be applicable for structures with slight

material imperfections or slightly noncentric loadings (i.e.,
load does not align with centroid producing a small degree of
bending). Must use engineering judgment
Same arguments hold for plate structures.

11-4

EXAMPLES OF NONLINEAR BUCKLING

Highly Eccentrically Loaded Column

Large bending stresses as

well as compressive axial
stress occur before buckling.

Snap-Through of Thin Shell (like the Bottom of an Oil Can)

Large prebuckled deflection and

possible inelastic prebuckled
behavior

11-5

RULES FOR SOL 105 BUCKLING ANALYSIS

(For reference, see section 13 of the MSC/NASTRAN Linear Statics
Users Guide)
The Case Control must contain at least two subcases.
Normally the first subcase is the static solution under loading.
METHOD must appear in a separate subcase to select an EIGB or
EIGRL entry from the Bulk Data for the buckling solution.
If you have multiple static solutions, then use the STATSUB
command to select the static subcase for the buckling solution.
If desired, different SPC sets may be applied in the static subcase
and the buckling subcase
Output requests may be placed in any selected subcases.
Output requests that apply to both the static solution and the
buckling modes may be placed above the subcase level.

11-6

DATA ENTRIES FOR LINEAR BUCKLING

Executive Control Section
SOL 5
or
SOL 105
Case Control Section
SUBCASE 1
LOAD = M

Defines static loading condition (LOAD, TEMP,

DEFORM)

SUBCASE 2
METHOD = N
STATSUB = i

Selects eigenvalue extraction method

Selects static subcase to use for buckling
solution (defaults to first subcase)

The Case Control must contain at least two subcases.

Bulk Data Section
Static loading condition required
EIGB

Eigenvalue extraction data entry

or
EIGRL

Eigenvalue extraction data entry for Lanczos method

(PREFERRED METHOD)

11-7

EIGB ENTRY
1

EIGB

SID

METHOD

L1

L2

NEP

NDP

NDN

EIGB

13

SINV

0.1

2.5

NORM

+BC

10

ABC

MAX

Field

Contents

SID

Set identification number

METHOD

Method of eigenvalue extraction, BCD value SINV

(enhanced inverse power method)

L1,L2

Eigenvalue range of interest (real, L1 < L2)

NEP

Estimate of number of roots in positive range (not

used for SINV) (integer > 0)

NDP, NDN

Desired number of positive and negative roots

(default = 3 NEP) (integer > 0)

NORM

Method for normalizing eigenvectors, one of the

BCD values MAX or POINT
MAX

Normalize to unit value of the largest

component in the analysis set (default)

Point

Normalize to unit value of the component

defined in fields 3 and 4. Defaults to MAX if
defined component is zero

11-8

EIGB ENTRY (Cont.)

Field

Contents

Grid or scalar point identification number (integer > 0).

(Required if and only if NORM = POINT)

Component number (one of the integers 1-6).

(Required if and only if NORM = POINT and G is a
geometric grid point)

11-9

EXAMPLE - SIMPLE EULER COLUMN

Problem
Find the critical load and corresponding first mode buckled shape of a
solid circular rod.
Pcr
Solid Circular Cross Section
Free

21 in.

diameter
E
I
A

=
=
=
=

0.25 inches
30 x 106 psi
1.917E-4 in4
4.909E-2 in2

Fixed

Theoretical Solution
where Leff

= effective column length

= 2 x 2" for free-fixed column

11-10

EXAMPLE - SIMPLE EULER COLUMN (Cont.)

MSC/NASTRAN Model
x
P
4
3

z
MSC/NASTRAN Solution
Load Value on Force Entry
Pcr = 32.18 x 1.0 = 32.18 lbs
Eigenvalue

11-11

EXAMPLE - SIMPLE EULER COLUMN (Cont.)

MARCH 30, 1992
N A S T R A N

E X E C U T I V E

C O N T R O L

D E C K

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE 1

E C H O

ID BASIC,EXAMPLE
TIME 10
SOL 105
CEND
EULER BUCKLING, FIXED-FREE UNIFORM COLUMN
C A S E

11-12

CARD
COUNT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

C O N T R O L

MARCH 30, 1992

D E C K

E C H O

TITLE=EULER BUCKLING, FIXED-FREE UNIFORM COLUMN

ECHO=BOTH
SUBCASE 1
DISP=ALL
Static Subcase
FORCE=ALL
LOAD=5
SUBCASE 2
METHOD=14
DISP=ALL
Buckling Subcase
FORCE=ALL
BEGIN BULK

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE 2

EXAMPLE - SIMPLE EULER COLUMN (Cont.)

EULER BUCKLING, FIXED-FREE UNIFORM COLUMN

MARCG 30, 1992

S O R T E D

11-13

CARD
COUNT
1234567891011-

.
1 ..
CBEAM
1
CBEAM
2
CBEAM
3
EIGB
14
FORCE
5
GRID
1
GRID
2
GRID
3
GRID
4
MAT1
2
PBEAM
1
ENDDATA
TOTAL COUNT=

..
3
1
1
1
SINV
4

30.E6
2

12

..
1
2
3
0.

B U L K

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

D A T A

..
5 ..
6 ..
2
0.
0.
3
0.
0.
4
0.
0.
1.E4
1
1
1.
-1.
0.
0.
0.
0.
7.
0.
0.
14.
0.
0.
21.
0.
0.
0.33
4.909E-21.917E-41.917E-4

PAGE 4

E C H O

..
1.
1.
1.

..

0.
123456
345
345
345
3.835E-4

..

10

EXAMPLE - SIMPLE EULER COLUMN (Cont.)

EULER BUCKLING, FIXED-FREE UNIFORM COLUMN

E I G E N V A L U E

MARCH 30, 1992

A N A L Y S I S

S U M M A R Y

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

(STURM INVERSE POWER)

NUMBER OF EIGENVALUES EXTRACTED . . . . . .

NUMBER OF TRIANGULAR DECOMPOSITIONS . . . .

TOTAL NUMBER OF VECTOR ITERATIONS . . . . .

16

REASON FOR TERMINATION:

PAGE 9

NUMBER OF ROOTS DESIRED ARE FOUND.

11-14

EULER BUCKLING, FIXED-FREE UNIFORM COLUMN

MARCH 30, 1992

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE 10

First eigenvalue: P cr = 1 1.0 lbs = 32.18 lbs

R E A L

MODE
NO.

EXTRACTION
ORDER
1
1
2
2

EIGENVALUE
3.217839E+01
3.769160E+03

RADIANS
5.672600E+00
6.139349E+01

E I G E N V A L U E S

CYCLES
9.028223E-01
9.771076E+00

GENERALIZED
MASS
5.873542E-02
1.644818E+00

GENERALIZED
STIFFNESS
1.890011E+00
6.199583E+03

EXAMPLE - SIMPLE EULER COLUMN (Cont.)

EULER BUCKLING, FIXED-FREE UNIFORM COLUMN

MARCH 30, 1992

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE 12
SUBCASE 2

First eigenvector gives buckled shape.

EIGENVALUE =

3.217839E+01
R E A L

11-15

POINT ID.
1
2
3
4

TYPE
G
G
G
G

T1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

T2
0.0
1.339744E-01
4.999996E-01
1.000000E+00

E I G E N V E C T O R
T3
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

N O .

R1
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

R2
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

R3
0.0
3.739759E-02
6.477462E-02
7.479534E-02

REFERENCES FOR BUCKLING AND

STABILITY ANALYSIS
1.

MSC Seminar Notes, MSC/NASTRAN Material and Geometric

Nonlinear Analysis:

2.

MSC/NASTRAN Linear Static Analysis Users Guide, Section 13.

3.

MSC/NASTRAN Verification
January 1986 Edition):

Problem

Manual

(Version

64,

Problem 3.0501A, Lateral Buckling of a Cantilever Beam

Problem 3.0502A, Simple Frame Analysis with Buckling
Problem 3.7701S, Euler Buckling of a Simply Supported Beam
4.

MSC/NASTRAN Demonstration Problem Manual (Version 64,

March 1985 Edition):
Under Elastic Stability Analysis, see Demonstration Problem
D0504A, Flexural Buckling of a Beam

5.

MSC/NASTRAN Application Notes

October 1978

Buckling and Real Eigenvalue Analysis of

Laminated Plates

September 1979

Static Stability of Structures with Nonlinear

Differential Stiffness

February 1982

Elastic-Plastic Buckling of a Thin Spherical

Shell

November 1985

Nonlinear Buckling Analysis

11-16

SECTION 12
FILE MANAGEMENT SECTION
FMS OEVERVIEW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
DBSETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
REQUIRED DBSETS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-3
TYPICAL FILES GENERATED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-4
RESTARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-5
AUTOMATIC RESTARTS (SOLDS 101-200) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-6
RESTART EXAMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-7
RESTART EXAMPLE - COLD START . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-8
COLD START F04 FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-9
COLD START F06 FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-11
RESTART EXAMPLE - DATA RECOVERY RESTART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-14
RESTART EXAMPLE - PREFERRED METHOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-15
RESTART F04 FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-16
RESTART F06 FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-18
RESTART EXAMPLE SUMMARY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-21
MANIPULATING THE DATABASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-22
ASSIGN AND INIT STATEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-23
EXAMPLES - ASSIGN AND INIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-24
EXPAND STATEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-25
EXAMPLE - EXPAND STATEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-26
EXAMPLE ASSIGNING A FORTRAN FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-27

15

FMS OVERVIEW
Provides user dynamic file allocation
Creation/attachment of database files
Creation/attachment of FORTRAN files
Provides data manipulation
Restarting
Initializing and expanding the database
Management of data on the database
Database directory prints
Provides means of attaching external databases

12-1

16

DBSETS
A DBSET is a collection of files which are used for a purpose by
the program
The MSC/PATRAN database consists of several DBSETs which are
automatically created by the program:
MASTER - Master directory - contains the description of the
database, a list of all files contained in all DBSETs used by the run,
and a "table of contents" for each DBSETs.
DBALL - Permanent data is stored here by default
USROBJ - User DMAP source - no longer automatically created
USRSOU - Complied user DMAPs - no longer automatically created
OBJSCR - Temporary scratch for DMAPs - automatically deleted at
the end of the run
SCRATCH - Temporary working files for scratch data blocks automatically deleted at the end of the run
SCR300 - Temporary working files for the modules - automatically
deleted at the end of the run

12-2

REQUIRED DBSETS
MASTER and DBALL must be retained if the database is to be used
in a subsequent restart run. If no restart is planned, they may be
deleted upon completion of the run.
USRSOU and USROBJ are only used for user DMAP functions.
They have no effect on the database or future restarts, unless you
are modifying the solutions provided by MSC to create your own
solutions.
OBJSCR, SCRATCH, and SCR300 are used for temporary file
storage and are deleted automatically upon completion of the run.
They are typically created in a scratch directory and are not seen
by the user.
For automatic deletion of MASTER, DBALL, USRSCR, and USROBJ,
use PARAM, DBALL, SCRATCH or submit with scr=yes.

12-3

TYPICAL FILES GENERATED

Files generated by submitting the input file TEST.DAT:
TEST.MASTER
TEST.DBALL
TEST.F04
TEST.F06
TEST.LOG
TEST.PCH
TEST.PLT
TEST.OP2

TEST.PCH (punch file), TEST.PLT (plot file), and TEST.OP2

(information for MSC/PATRAN) are created by user requests.
If no restarts or database manipulation are planned, the user may
specify that the scratch directory be used for MASTER and DBALL,
files on the submittal command. They are automatically deleted
upon completion of the run.
Example
NASTRAN TEST SCR=YES

12-4

RESTARTS
Rigid Format Solutions (SOLs 1 thru 12)
These solutions no longer support restarts.
Structured Solutions (SOLs 101,103,etc)
Include automatic restart capabilities
Minimal user input required for restarts
RECOMMENDED - Let the program decide what has changed in
the model and process accordingly.

12-5

AUTOMATIC RESTARTS (SOLs 101-200)

Each restart results in a new version on the the database. The
previous version being used for restart is deleted at the end of the
run unless the user specifies KEEP on the RESTART entry.
The entire Bulk Data is stored on the database. Only changes and
additions to the Bulk Data are required in the input file for the
restart. The new Bulk Data entries are merged with a copy of the
Bulk Data on the database.
All solution-related Case Control commands must be in the restart
file.
The program compares the Bulk Data and Case Control for the
restart run with that for the previous version that is to be restarted.
The program decides what needs to be calculated or recalulated for
the current problem.
Only the necessary operations are performed to solve the problem.
Restarts are invoked using the RESTART statement in the FMS.

12-6

RESTART EXAMPLE
A cantilver beam composed of 1000 QUAD4 elements is subjected to
gravity load of 1G downward as shown.
Fixed
Edge
100
10
1 G Gravity
Load

E = 30 106
= .3
T = .25
Mesh size 10 100
Total elements = 1,000

12-7

RESTART EXAMPLE - COLD START

Input File COLD.DAT
ID
BASIC, COLD
SOL
101
TIME
100
CEND
ECHO = NONE
TITLE = PLATE MODEL USING 1000 QUAD4S - COLD START
SUBTITLE = ONE G GRAVITY LOAD
SET 10 = 991 THRU 1000 $ ELEM AT THE FIXED END
SET 20 = 1 THRU 11 $ GRID AT THE TIP
STRESS = 10
DISP = 20
SPC = 3
LOAD = 4
BEGIN BULK
PARAM
POST
0
PARAM
AUTOSPC YES
GRDSET
6
GRID
1
0.0
0.0
0.0
GRID
2
0.0
1.
0.0
.
.
.
GRID
1111
100.
10.
0.0
CQUAD4 1
1
1
2
13
12
CQUAD4 2
1
2
3
14
13
.
.
.
CQUAD4 1000
1
1099
1100
1111
1110
PSHELL 1
2
.25
2
MAT1
2
30.E6
.3
7.32E-4
SPC1
3
123456
1101
THRU
1111
GRAV
4
-386.4 0.
0.
1.
ENDDATA

12-8

COLD START F04 FILE

**** LINK

1****

1
MACHINE
MODEL
SUN
Sun4/75
===
M S C / N A S T R A N
DEL_CPU
SUB_DMAP/DMAP_MODULE MESSAGES

OPERATING SYSTEM
SunOS
E X E C U T I O N

MSC/NASTRAN
VERSION 67
S U M M A R Y

12-9

20:03:14
0:00
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
DBINIT
BGN
** CURRENT PROJECT ID = BLANK ** CURRENT VERSION ID =
0
S U M M A R Y
O F
F I L E
A S S I G N M E N T
F O R
T H E
0
ASSIGNED PHYSICAL FILE NAME (/ORIGINAL)
LOGICAL NAME
DBSET
-----------------------------------------------------./cold.MASTER
MASTER
MASTER
./cold.USROBJ
USROBJ
USROBJ
./cold.USRSOU
USRSOU
USRSOU
./cold.DBALL
DBALL
DBALL
/msc/scratch/N2123.OBJSCR
OBJSCR
OBJSCR
**** MEM FILE ****
* N/A *
SCRATCH
/msc/scratch/N2123.SCRATCH
SCRATCH
SCRATCH
/msc/scratch/N2123.SCR300
SCR300
SCRATCH
20:03:15
0:01
1.1
1.1
0.8
0.8
DBINIT
END
20:03:15
0:01
1.1
0.0
0.8
0.0
XCSA
BGN
0
S U M M A R Y
O F
F I L E
A S S I G N M E N T
F O R
T H E
0
ASSIGNED PHYSICAL FILE NAME (/ORIGINAL)
LOGICAL NAME
DBSET
-----------------------------------------------------/msc/nast67/nast67/del/SSS.MASTERA
MASTERA
MASTER
/SSS.MASTERA
/msc/nast67/nast67/del/SSS.MSCOBJ
MSCOBJ
MSCOBJ
/SSS.MSCOBJ
/msc/nast67/nast67/del/SSS.MSCSOU
MSCSOU
MSCSOU
/SSS.MSCSOU
20:03:21
0:07
7.8
6.7
3.6
2.8
XCSA
END
20:03:21
0:07
7.8
0.0
3.6
0.0
CGPI
BGN
20:03:21
0:07
7.8
0.0
3.7
0.0
CGPI
END
20:03:21
0:07
7.8
0.0
3.7
0.0
LINKER
BGN

BUILD DATE
OCT 2, 1991
=== DAY TIME ELAPSED

RUN DATE
MAR 11, 1992
I/O SEC DEL_I/O

1
P R I M A R Y
D A T A B A S E
( DBSNO
STATUS
BUFFSIZE
CLUSTER SIZE
-----------------------NEW
2049
1
NEW
2049
1
NEW
2049
1
NEW
2049
1
NEW
2049
1
NEW
NEW

2049
2049

1
1

CPU SEC

1, V67
)
TIME STAMP
-----------920311200314
920311200315
920311200316
920311200317
920311200318
920311200319
920311200320

D E L I V E R Y
D A T A B A S E
( DBSNO
2, V67
)
STATUS
BUFFSIZE
CLUSTER SIZE
TIME STAMP
----------------------------------OLD
2049
1
910905163143
OLD

2049

910905163147

OLD

2049

910905163148

COLD START F04 FILE (Cont.)

20:05:11
20:05:11

1:57
1:57

33.7
33.8

0.0
0.0

69.0
69.1

0.0
0.1

SEDRCVR
SEDRCVR

218 OFP
282 DBC

BEGN
BEGN

0.0
0.0
0.0

69.2
69.3
69.3

0.2
0.0
0.0

SEDRCVR
SEDRCVR
SEDRCVR

283 DBC
284 DBC
285 DBC

BEGN
BEGN
BEGN

.
.
.
20:05:12
20:05:12
20:05:12

1:58
1:58
1:58

33.8
33.8
33.8

12-10

.
.
.
20:05:12

1:58

34.0

0.2

69.4

0.2

SESTATIC

+------------------------- LOGICAL FILES -------------------------+

DBSET
BLOCKS
BLOCKS
%
BLOCKSIZE BLOCKS PER
ALLOCATED
USED
USED
(WORDS)
CLUSTER
MASTER
5000
107
2.14
2048
1
USROBJ
5000
12
0.24
2048
1
USRSOU
5000
12
0.24
2048
1
DBALL
25000
1119
4.48
2048
1
OBJSCR
5000
83
1.66
2048
1
SCRATCH
350100
32
0.01
2048
1

40

EXIT

BEGN *

*** DATABASE USAGE STATISTICS ***

+----------------- PHYSICAL FILES ----------------+

PHYS FILE
BLOCKS
HIWATER
FILE SIZE
MAX %
ALLOCATED
BLOCK
(WORDS)
USED
MASTER
5000
107
219136
2.14
USROBJ
5000
12
24576
0.24
USRSOU
5000
12
24576
0.24
DBALL
25000
1119
2291712
4.48
OBJSCR
5000
83
169984
1.66
MEMFILE
100
100
204800
100.00
SCRATCH
175000
147
301056
0.08
SCR300
175000
1
2048
0.00

*** BUFFER POOL AND SCRATCH 300 USAGE STATISTICS ***

+----------------- BUFFER POOL -----------------+
OPTION
BLOCKS
BLOCKS
BLOCKS
SELECTED
ALLOCATED
REUSED
RELEASED
EXEC
37
982
59

+-------------------------- SCRATCH 300 --------------------------+

OPTION
HIWATER
SUB_DMAP
DMAP
OPN/CLS
SELECTED
BLOCK
DAY_TIME
NAME
MODULE
COUNTER
2
61
20:04:52
SEKRRS
20 DCMP
0

COLD START F06 FILE

0
0

N A S T R A N

ID
SOL
TIME
CEND
1

E X E C U T I V E

C O N T R O L

D E C K

E C H O

BASIC, COLD
101
100

PLATE MODEL USING 1000 QUAD4S - COLD START

MARCH

ONE G GRAVITY LOAD

11, 1992

0
0

12-11

C A S E

C O N T R O L

D E C K

CARD
COUNT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
0
0

ECHO = NONE
TITLE = PLATE MODEL USING 1000 QUAD4S - COLD START
SUBTITLE = ONE G GRAVITY LOAD
SET 10 = 991 THRU 1000 $ ELEM AT THE FIXED END
SET 20 = 1 THRU 11 $ GRID AT THE TIP
STRESS = 10
DISP = 20
SPC = 3
LOAD = 4
BEGIN BULK
INPUT BULK DATA CARD COUNT =
TOTAL COUNT=

2119

2126

E C H O

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE

COLD START F06 FILE (cont.)

1

PLATE MODEL USING 1000 QUAD4S - COLD START

MARCH

11, 1992

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE

PAGE

ONE G GRAVITY LOAD

POINT ID.
1
2

TYPE
G
G

T1
0.0
0.0

D I S P L A C E M E N T
T2
T3
0.0
-2.231765E+01
0.0
-2.231768E+01

V E C T O R
R1
-3.415722E-05
-3.220524E-05

R2
-2.985874E-01
-2.985862E-01

R3
0.0
0.0

.
.
.
1
0

11
G
0.0
0.0
PLATE MODEL USING 1000 QUAD4S - COLD START
ONE G GRAVITY LOAD

-2.231765E+01

3.415669E-05 -2.985874E-01
0.0
MARCH 11, 1992 MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

12-12

COLD START F06 FILE (cont.)

S T R E S S E S

ID.
991

992

I N

Q U A D R I L A T E R A L

ELEMENT
FIBRE
STRESSES IN ELEMENT COORD SYSTEM
DISTANCE
NORMAL-X
NORMAL-Y
SHEAR-XY
ANGLE
-1.250000E-01
5.023495E+03
2.443366E+04 -3.849042E+03
-79.1833
1.250000E-01
-5.023495E+03 -2.443366E+04
3.849042E+03
10.8167
-1.250000E-01
9.018255E+03
3.238159E+04 -1.627886E+03
-86.0333
1.250000E-01
-9.018255E+03 -3.238159E+04
1.627886E+03
3.9667

E L E M E N T S

( Q U A D 4 )

PRINCIPAL STRESSES (ZERO SHEAR)

MAJOR
MINOR
VON MISES
2.516907E+04
4.288091E+03
2.332257E+04
-4.288091E+03
-2.516907E+04
2.332257E+04
3.249447E+04
8.905374E+03
2.908300E+04
-8.905374E+03
-3.249447E+04
2.908300E+04

.
.
.
12-13

0
1

1000

-1.250000E-01
1.250000E-01

5.023495E+03
-5.023495E+03

2.443366E+04
-2.443366E+04

PLATE MODEL USING 1000 QUAD4S - COLD START

ONE G GRAVITY LOAD

0
* * * END OF JOB * * *

3.849042E+03
-3.849042E+03

79.1833
-10.8167
MARCH

2.516907E+04
-4.288091E+03
11, 1992

4.288091E+03
-2.516907E+04

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

2.332257E+04
2.332257E+04
PAGE

11

RESTART EXAMPLE - DATA RECOVERY RESTART

Data Recovery Restart
Input file RUN2A.DAT
RESTART
ID
BASIC, COLD
SOL
101
TIME
100
CEND
ECHO = NONE
TITLE = PLATE MODEL USING 1000 QUAD4S - RESTART FOR ADDITIONAL OUTPUT
SUBTITLE = ONE G GRAVITY LOAD
SET 10 = 501 THRU 511 $ ELEM AT THE FIXED END
SET 20 = 551 THRU 561 $ GRIDS AT THE CENTER
STRESS = 10
DISP = 20
SPC = 3
LOAD = 4
BEGIN BULK
ENDDATA

Submittal
nastran run2a dbs=cold

12-14

RESTART EXAMPLE - PREFERRED METHOD

Input file RUN2B.DAT
RESTART
ASSIGN MASTER = cold.MASTER
ID
BASIC, COLD
SOL
101
TIME
100
CEND
ECHO = NONE
TITLE = PLATE MODEL USING 1000 QUAD4S - RESTART FOR ADD OUTPUT
SUBTITLE = ONE G GRAVITY LOAD
SET 10 = 501 THRU 511 $ ELEM AT THE FIXED END
SET 20 = 551 THRU 561 $ GRIDS AT THE CENTER
STRESS = 10
DISP = 20
SPC = 3
LOAD = 4
BEGIN BULK
ENDDATA

Submittal
nastran run2b

12-15

RESTART F04 FILE

MACHINE
SUN
DEL_CPU

MODEL
Sun4/75
===
M S C / N A S T R A N
SUB_DMAP/DMAP_MODULE MESSAGES

OPERATING SYSTEM
MSC/NASTRAN
SunOS
VERSION 67
E X E C U T I O N
S U M M A R Y

BUILD DATE
OCT 2, 1991
=== DAY TIME

12-16

20:05:43
0:00
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
DBINIT
BGN
** CURRENT PROJECT ID = BLANK ** CURRENT VERSION ID =
2
0
S U M M A R Y
O F
F I L E
A S S I G N M E N T
F O R
T H E
P R I M A R Y
0
ASSIGNED PHYSICAL FILE NAME (/ORIGINAL)
LOGICAL NAME
DBSET
STATUS
----------------------------------------------------------cold.MASTER
MASTER
MASTER
OLD
/./cold.MASTER
cold.USROBJ
USROBJ
USROBJ
OLD
/./cold.USROBJ
cold.USRSOU
USRSOU
USRSOU
OLD
/./cold.USRSOU
cold.DBALL
DBALL
DBALL
OLD
/./cold.DBALL
/msc/scratch/N2169.OBJSCR
OBJSCR
OBJSCR
NEW
**** MEM FILE ****
* N/A *
SCRATCH
/msc/scratch/N2169.SCRATCH
SCRATCH
SCRATCH
NEW
/msc/scratch/N2169.SCR300
SCR300
SCRATCH
NEW
20:05:45
0:02
0.5
0.5
0.4
0.4
DBINIT
END
20:05:45
0:02
0.5
0.0
0.4
0.0
XCSA
BGN
0
S U M M A R Y
O F
F I L E
A S S I G N M E N T
F O R
T H E
D E L I V E R
0
ASSIGNED PHYSICAL FILE NAME (/ORIGINAL)
LOGICAL NAME
DBSET
STATUS
----------------------------------------------------------/msc/nast67/nast67/del/SSS.MASTERA
MASTERA
MASTER
OLD
/SSS.MASTERA
/msc/nast67/nast67/del/SSS.MSCOBJ
MSCOBJ
MSCOBJ
OLD
/SSS.MSCOBJ
/msc/nast67/nast67/del/SSS.MSCSOU
MSCSOU
MSCSOU
OLD
/SSS.MSCSOU

RUN DATE
MAR 11, 1992
ELAPSED I/O SEC

DEL_I/O

CPU SEC

D A T A B A S E
( DBSNO
1, V67
)
BUFFSIZE
CLUSTER SIZE
TIME STAMP
-----------------------------2049
1
920311200314
2049

920311200315

2049

920311200316

2049

920311200317

2049

920311200544

2049
2049

1
1

920311200545
920311200546

Y
D A T A B A S E
( DBSNO
2, V67
)
BUFFSIZE
CLUSTER SIZE
TIME STAMP
-----------------------------2049
1
910905163143
2049

910905163147

2049

910905163148

20:05:48
0:05
6.5
6.0
20:05:48
0:05
6.5
0.0
20:05:48
0:05
6.5
0.0
20:05:48
0:05
6.5
0.0
20:05:50
0:07
7.7
1.2
20:05:50
0:07
7.7
0.0
20:05:52
0:09
12.9
5.2
0
** MASTER DIRECTORIES ARE LOADED IN

20:05:52
20:05:52
20:05:52

0:09
0:09
0:09

13.2
13.2
13.4

2.8
2.3
XCSA
END
2.8
0.0
CGPI
BGN
2.8
0.1
CGPI
END
2.8
0.0
LINKER
BGN
3.8
1.0
LINKER
END
3.8
0.0
DBERST
BGN
4.8
1.0
DBERST
END
MEMORY. DAY TIME ELAPSED I/O SEC

0.3
0.1
0.1

5.0
5.0
5.1

0.2
0.0
0.1

SESTATIC
SUPER1
IFPL

0.0
0.2

17.1
17.2

0.0
0.1

SEDRCVR
SESTATIC

16
16
15

DEL_I/O

SUPER1
IFPL
IFP1

CPU SEC

DEL_CPU

SUB_DMAP/DMAP_MODULE MESSAGES

BEGN
BEGN
BEGN *

.
.
.
12-17

20:06:14
20:06:14

0:31
0:31

21.0
21.2

+------------------------- LOGICAL FILES -------------------------+

DBSET
BLOCKS
BLOCKS
%
BLOCKSIZE BLOCKS PER
ALLOCATED
USED
USED
(WORDS)
CLUSTER
MASTER
5000
108
2.16
2048
1
USROBJ
5000
12
0.24
2048
1
USRSOU
5000
12
0.24
2048
1
DBALL
25000
1125
4.50
2048
1
OBJSCR
5000
83
1.66
2048
1
SCRATCH
350100
32
0.01
2048
1

285 DBC
40 EXIT

BEGN
BEGN *

*** DATABASE USAGE STATISTICS ***

+----------------- PHYSICAL FILES ----------------+

PHYS FILE
BLOCKS
HIWATER
FILE SIZE
MAX %
ALLOCATED
BLOCK
(WORDS)
USED
MASTER
5000
108
221184
2.16
USROBJ
5000
12
24576
0.24
USRSOU
5000
12
24576
0.24
DBALL
25000
1177
2410496
4.71
OBJSCR
5000
83
169984
1.66
MEMFILE
100
80
163840
80.00
SCRATCH
175000
1
2048
0.00
SCR300
175000
1
2048
0.00

*** BUFFER POOL AND SCRATCH 300 USAGE STATISTICS ***

+----------------- BUFFER POOL -----------------+
OPTION
BLOCKS
BLOCKS
BLOCKS
SELECTED
ALLOCATED
REUSED
RELEASED
EXEC
37
1005
161

+-------------------------- SCRATCH 300 --------------------------+

OPTION
HIWATER
SUB_DMAP
DMAP
OPN/CLS
SELECTED
BLOCK
DAY_TIME
NAME
MODULE
COUNTER
2
0
20:05:43
PREFACE
0 PREFACE
0

RESTART F06 FILE

1

MARCH

0
0

N A S T R A N

F I L E

M A N A G E M E N T

S E C T I O N

RESTART
0*** USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 736 (RDREST)
THE RESTART VERSION ID IS NOT DEFINED ON THE RESTART COMMAND.
A RESTART OF LAST VERSION ID IS ASSUMED.
0*** USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 1144 (RSPRVR)
LAST VERSION CREATED IS BEING USED FOR THIS RESTART JOB.
LAST VERSION =
1
PROJECT = BLANK
1

12-18

0
0

N A S T R A N

ID
SOL
TIME
CEND
1

BASIC, COLD
101
100

E X E C U T I V E

C O N T R O L

D E C K

11, 1992

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE

11, 1992

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE

E C H O

MARCH
E C H O

RESTART F06 FILE

PLATE MODEL USING 1000 QUAD4S - RESTART FOR ADD OUTPUT

ONE G GRAVITY LOAD
0
0

C A S E

12-19

CARD
COUNT
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

C O N T R O L

MARCH

D E C K

11, 1992

E C H O

ECHO = NONE
TITLE = PLATE MODEL USING 1000 QUAD4S - RESTART FOR ADD OUTPUT
SUBTITLE = ONE G GRAVITY LOAD
SET 10 = 501 THRU 511 $ ELEM AT THE FIXED END
SET 20 = 551 THRU 561 $ GRIDS AT THE CENTER
STRESS = 10
DISP = 20
SPC = 3
LOAD = 4
BEGIN BULK
INPUT BULK DATA CARD COUNT =
1
TOTAL COUNT= 2119

0
0
RESTART F06 FILE (Cont.)

.
.
.

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE

RESTART F06 FILE

D I S P L A C E M E N T
POINT ID.
551

TYPE
G

T1
0.0

T2
0.0

V E C T O R

T3
-7.857040E+00

R1
-3.428952E-03

R2
-2.609812E-01

R3
0.0

.
.
1
0
1

561
G
0.0
0.0
-7.857040E+00
PLATE MODEL USING 1000 QUAD4S - RESTART FOR ADD OUTPUT
ONE G GRAVITY LOAD

3.428952E-03 -2.609812E-01
0.0
MARCH 11, 1992 MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PLATE MODEL USING 1000 QUAD4S - RESTART FOR ADD OUTPUT

ONE G GRAVITY LOAD

MARCH

11, 1992

MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

PAGE

PAGE

12-20

ELEMENT
ID.
0
501

S T R E S S E S
I N
Q U A D R I L A T E R A L
STRESSES IN ELEMENT COORD SYSTEM
NORMAL-X
NORMAL-Y
SHEAR-XY
-7.436593E+00
8.650283E+03
3.532764E+02
7.436593E+00 -8.650283E+03 -3.532764E+02

FIBRE
DISTANCE
-1.250000E-01
1.250000E-01

E L E M E N T S
( Q U A D 4 )
PRINCIPAL STRESSES (ZERO SHEAR)
ANGLE
MAJOR
MINOR
87.6672
8.664674E+03
-2.182804E+01
-2.3328
2.182804E+01
-8.664674E+03

VON MISES
8.675609E+03
8.675609E+03

87.7124
9.010879E+03
-2.182634E+01
-2.2876
2.182634E+01
-9.010879E+03
MARCH 11, 1992 MSC/NASTRAN 10/ 2/91

9.021812E+03
9.021812E+03
PAGE
10

.
.
0
1
0
1

511

-1.250000E-01
-7.434482E+00
8.996487E+03
3.602642E+02
1.250000E-01
7.434482E+00 -8.996487E+03 -3.602642E+02
PLATE MODEL USING 1000 QUAD4S - RESTART FOR ADD OUTPUT
ONE G GRAVITY LOAD
* * * END OF JOB * * *

0*** USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 1173 (DBCLPR)

VERSION
1 OF PROJECT BLANK HAS BEEN DELETED FROM THE PRIMARY DATA BASE.
THE CREATION DATE OF THIS VERSION IS 3/11/92 20: 3.14

RESTART EXAMPLE SUMMARY

The previous restart used the same database as the cold start.
Version 1 on the database was deleted because the KEEP option
was not used.
If another restart is performed, it defaults to the latest version on
the database which is Version 2.
Only data recovery processing was performed for the restart run in
this sample.
CPU time required for runs on a SUN SPARCstation 2
Cold start - 1 minute 58 seconds
Restart run - 31 seconds
USE AUTOMATIC RESTARTS - IT CAN SAVE TIME AND MONEY!

12-21

MANIPULATING THE DATABASE

All FMS defaults can be modified; however, the defaults are
adequate for most analyses.
The location and maximum size of the files used for each DBsets
may be specified by the user.
The database may be split across multiple physical file located on
different disk packs or different machines mounted on a network.
Common FMS statements
ASSIGN - Assigns physical file names to DBsets or FORTRAN
files to be used by other FMS statements or DMAP modules.
INIT - Creates temporary or permanent DBsets
EXPAND - Concatenates additonal DBsets to the existing
permenant DBsets. Used on restarts when the previous run fills
the allocated DBsets
DBCLEAN - Deletes previous versions from the database
DBDIR - Prints the database directory
See Section 2 of the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide for
complete description of the FMS statements.

12-22

ASSIGN AND INIT STATEMENTS

Format (simplified)
ASSIGN dbset_member_name=physical_file_name
INIT dbset_name LOGICAL=(dbset_member_name(p),...)
where p = maximum number of blocks allocated for the member may be specified as BLOCKS (default), megabytes (mb),
megawords (mw), kilobytes (kb), or kilowords (kw)
Example:
INIT DBALL, logical=(DB1(1000mb),DB2(1000mb))
will create a DBALL, set, consisting of two files, each of which may
grow to a maximum size of 1000 megabytes
Block size is machine specific; see The Configuration and
Operations Guide for the computer you are using.
The maximum size of the files used in the permanent DBsets
cannot be modified on a restart. Any DBset (for example, DBALL)
may be expanded on a restart by adding additional files using an
EXPAND entry.
You should remove the ASSIGN and INIT
statements for existing permanent DBSETS on the restart.
The scratch DBsets may need to be allocated for each run if the
default is not adequate.
The INIT statement may be used without the ASSIGN statement to
allocate a specific size to the default DBset names.

12-23

EXAMPLES - ASSIGN AND INIT

Initializing a scratch file with a maximum size of 1000mb blocks on
the SCR2 directory
ASSIGN SCR=/scr2/test.scratch
INIT SCRATCH,LOGICAL=(SCR(1000mb))
ID XXX,YYY
.
.
.
Initializing the DBALL with 2 DBset each with a maximum size of
500mB and SCRATCH with 3 DBsets each with a maximum size of
2000mB
ASSIGN DB1=/home/mydir/sample.db1
ASSIGN DB2 =/home/hisdir/sample.db2
ASSIGN SCR1 = /scr/sample.scr1
ASSIGN SCR2 =/scr/sample.scr2
ASSIGN SCR3 =/scr/sample.scr3
$
INIT DBALL,LOGICAL=(DB1(500mb),DB2(500mb))
INIT SCRATCH,LOGICAL=(SCR1(2000mb),SCR2(2000mb),
SCR3(2000mb))
ID XXX,YYY
.
.
.
Note:

Lowercase is shown for UNIX machines. UNIX machines

are case sensitive. MSC/NASTRAN converts all referenced
filenames to uppercase unless they are enclosed in single
quotes.

12-24

EXPAND STATEMENT
Allows the user to add a new files to an existing DBset
The ASSIGN statement should be used in conjuction with the
EXPAND statement.
Format:
ASSIGN dbset_member_name=phyiscal_file_name
EXPAND dbset_name LOGICAL=(dbset_member_name(p),...)
where p = number of blocks allocated for the member

12-25

EXAMPLE - EXPAND STATEMENT

Cold start run
ASSIGN DB1=MSC:[MYDIR]SAMPLE.DB1
ASSIGN DB2=MSC:[MYDIR]SAMPLE.DB2
ASSIGN SCR=SCR:[SCRATCH]SAMPLE.SCR
$
INIT DBALL,LOGICAL=(DB1(5000),DB2(5000))
INIT SCRATCH,LOGICAL=(SCR(20000))
$
ID XXX,YYY
.
.
.
Restart run (previous run failed due to full DBALL)
RESTART
ASSIGN MASTER=SAMPLE.MASTER
ASSIGN DB3=MSC:[MYDIR]SAMPLE.DB3
ASSIGN SCR=SCR:[SCRATCH]SAMPLE.SCR
$
EXPAND DBALL,LOGICAL=(DB3(5000))
INIT SCRATCH,LOGICAL=(SCR(20000))
$
ID XXX,YYY
.
.
.

12-26

EXAMPLE ASSIGNING A FORTRAN FILE

Use a DMAP alter to write to a formatted ASCII file the global
stiffness and mass matrix for a model consisting of a single CBAR
element.
ASSIGN OUTPUT4=bar.out UNIT=11 FORM=FORMATTED
ID BEAM, JPC
SOL 103
TIME 5
malter malter,*kgg.*mgg$
insert this DMAP after kgg and mgg are created
MATPRN KGG,MGG// $
print kgg and mgg in the .f06 file
OUTPUT4 KGG//-1/11/-1 $
write kgg to fortran unit 11
OUTPUT4 MGG//-2/11/-1 $
write mgg to fortran unit 11
CEND
TITLE = BEAM MODEL
SUBTITLE = MODES CASE CONTROL
LABEL = DEFAULT SUBCASE STRUCTURE
DISP = ALL
METHOD = 1
BEGIN BULK
PARAM
POST
0
PARAM
AUTOSPC YES
$
$
$
GRID
1
0.0
0.0
0.0
GRID
2
1.
0.0
0.0
$
$
CBAR
2
1
1
2
1.
1.
0.0
$
$
PBAR
1
1
.001
.001
.001
.002
MAT1
1
30.E1
.3
7.32E-4
$
$
EIGR
1
MGIV
12
ENDDATA

12-27

EXAMPLE ASSIGNING A FORTRAN FILE (Cont.)

BAR.OUT Resulting from the BAR.DAT Run
12

12

2KGG

1
1
7
3.000000142E-01 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00
0.000000000E+00-3.000000142E-01
2
2
11
3.600000171E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 1.800000085E+00
0.000000000E+00-3.600000171E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00
1.800000085E+00
3
3
9
3.600000171E+00 0.000000000E+00-1.800000085E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00
0.000000000E+00-3.600000171E+00 0.000000000E+00-1.800000085E+00
4
4
7
2.307692370E-01 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00
0.000000000E+00-2.307692370E-01
5
3
9
-1.800000085E+00 0.000000000E+00 1.200000057E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00
0.000000000E+00 1.800000085E+00 0.000000000E+00 6.000000285E-01
6
2
11
1.800000085E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 1.200000057E+00
0.000000000E+00-1.800000085E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00
6.000000285E-01
7
1
7
-3.000000142E-01 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00
0.000000000E+00 3.000000142E-01
8
2
11
-3.600000171E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00-1.800000085E+00
0.000000000E+00 3.600000171E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00
-1.800000085E+00
9
3
9
-3.600000171E+00 0.000000000E+00 1.800000085E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00
0.000000000E+00 3.600000171E+00 0.000000000E+00 1.800000085E+00
10
4
7
-2.307692370E-01 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00
0.000000000E+00 2.307692370E-01
11
3
9
-1.800000085E+00 0.000000000E+00 6.000000285E-01 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00
0.000000000E+00 1.800000085E+00 0.000000000E+00 1.200000057E+00
12
2
11
1.800000085E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 6.000000285E-01
0.000000000E+00-1.800000085E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00
1.200000057E+00
13
1
1
1.974999905E+00
12
12
6
2MGG
1
1
1
3.660000232E-07
2
2
1
3.660000232E-07
3
3
1
3.660000232E-07
7
7
1
3.660000232E-07
8
8
1
3.660000232E-07
9
9
1
3.660000232E-07
13
1
1
2.979723513E-01

12-28

APPENDIX A
MSC/NASTRAN DOCUMENTATION
DOCUMENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4

17

DOCUMENTATION

18

This section briefly describes the MSC/NASTRAN documentation. A

quick overview of these documents is shown in Table 1.
MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide
Contains a complete description of the NASTRAN statements, File
Management statements, Executive Control statements, Case
Control commands, Bulk Data entries, and parameters. This book
is necessary for all MSC/NASTRAN users.
MSC/NASTRAN Release Guide
Describes version-dependent capibilities and presents illustrative
examples. This document is required to use the new capabilities in
each new version of MSC/NASTRAN.
MSC/NASTRAN Common Questions and Answers
Contains answers to commonly asked questions on a wide variety
of analysis topics.
MSC/NASTRAN Reference Manual
Contains material that is primarily refernce oriented, non-solution
sequence dependent material and is highly subdivided for ease of
use. This manual is independent of machine type or operating
system. This document is typically not required for the day-to-day
analysis activities of most analysts and can therefore be shared by
a group or department.
MSC/NASTRAN Configuration and Operations Guide
Contains
machine-dependent
information
for
customizing, and using MSC/NASTRAN.

A-1

installing,

DOCUMENTATION

19

MSC/NASTRAN DMAP Module Dictionary

Repaces Section 5 of the old MSC/NASTRAN Users Manual. This
manual is required if you are using MSC/NASTRAN DMAP features.

MSC/NASTRAN Users Guides and Other Books

Users Guides describe in detail all aspects of MSC/NASTRAN input,

output, and modeling guidelines used for specific analysis
capabilities. These documents are recommended for the various
capabilities that you use most often. The following books are
available:

Getting Started with MSC/NASTRAN Users Guide

MSC/NASTRAN Linear Static Analysis Users Guide
MSC/NASTRAN Basic Dynamic Analysis Users Guide
MSC/NASTRAN Advanced Dynamic Anaylsis Users Guide
MSC/NASTRAN Design Sensitivity and Optimization Users Guide
MSC/NASTRAN Thermal Analysis Users Guide

A-2

DOCUMENTATION

20

MSC/NASTRAN Numerical Methods Users Guide

MSC/NASTRAN Aeroelastic Analysis Users Guide
MSC/NASTRAN Bibliography
Lists approximately 1900 technical papers
MSC/NASTRAN arranged by author and topic.

MSC/NASTRAN Documentation
Reference Manual
DMAP Module Dictionary
Quick Reference Guide
Users Guides
Online Encyclopedia CD-ROM
Bibliography
Common Questions & Answers
Configuration and Operations Guide
Release Guide

Table 1. MSC/NASTRAN Documentation System.

A-3

pertaining

to

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION
Older User Documentation Available
MSC/NASTRAN Handbook for Superelement Analysis
MSC/NASTRAN Handbook for Nonlinear Analysis
MSC/NASTRAN Demonstration Problem Manual
Shows illustrative examples with MSC/NASTRAN input and output.
MSC/NASTRAN Verification Probblem Manual
Provides examples for which there are known solutions and
compares MSC/NASTRAN output with theory. Examples using
most of the Unstructured Solution Sequences are included.
The NASTRAN Theoretical Manual
Explains the theoretical basis of the elements and algorithms. The
numerical algorithm material is superseded by the MSC/NASTRAN
Handbook for Numerical Methods and the MSC/NASTRAN
Numerical Methods Users Guide.
MSC/NASTRAN Programmers Manual
Describes the input and output for the modules. This manual is not
recommended for general use but is useful for advanced DMAP
development.
All of the documents listed above can be ordered from your local
MSC office or representative.

A-4

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION
MSC Corporate Web Site
The MacNeal-Schwendler Corporations Web site provides several
sources of information that can assist you in running
MSC/NASTRAN and our other products. MSCs Web address is
http://www.msc.com

Here you can find out what is new with MSC, read white papers on
the use of MSC products, download technical papers from previous
Users Conference, review the minutes of the Technical Forum,
order documentation from the MSC Bookstore, obtain a schedule
of training courses, share feedback and suggestions interactively
with other users, subscribe to MSCs corporate newsletter, and
even download software patches and utilities. The sssalter library
and error list will also be posted on the Web in the future.

A-5

A-6

APPENDIX B
STRUCTURE PLOTS
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
PLOT ENTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-3
VIEWING OPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4
EXAMPLE - PLOT INPUT FILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6
PLOT SET 1 LABEL BOTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7
PLOT SET 1 SHRINK, LABEL GSPC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-8
PLOT STATIC DEFORMATION 0 SET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-9

21

INTRODUCTION

22

Structure plots are used to

Verify model geometry
Check grid locations and element connectivity
Visually summarize analysis results

These plots can be viewed using the batch plotter routine supplied
with MSC/NASTRAN: PLOTPS.
PLOTPS converts the file createed by MSC/NASTRAN into a
postscript format which may be printed on any postscript
printer or viewed in any postscript viewer.
Instructions for using PLOTPS are given in Section 6.7 of the
Configuration and Operations Guide

B-1

INTRODUCTION (Cont.)

23

The structure plotter provides the following capabilities for

undeformed structures:
Displaying grid points and element connectivity
Identifying grid points and elements by respective identification
numbers
Identifying constrained degrees of freedom by placing an integer
code beside the grid
Identifying element property identification numbers
Shrinking one- and two-dimensional elements by a fraction
Plotting capabilities for deformed structures:
Display the deflected shape of the structure
Display contours of element stresses
Display contours of displacements or temperatures
The above plots are available in orthographic (default) or
perspective projections.
See Section 4 of the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Reference Guide or
Section 13 of the MSC/NASTRAN Reference Manual for additional
information on undeformed and deformed plots.

B-2

PLOT ENTRIES
A request for structure plots is made in the Case Control beginning
with the OUTPUT(PLOT) commands and ending with the BEGIN
BULK command.
Only elements can be plotted, and grid points not associated with
elements cannot be plotted. Grid points can be connected with
PLOTEL elements for plotting purposes.
Required commands for structure plots:
OUTPUT(PLOT)

Delimeter for plot request package

SET

Defines the set of elements to be plotted

FIND

Requests that the program select a scale and

origin to construct the plot in the defined region

PLOT

Defines the type of plot and plot options

Plot request entries are free-field format, and subject to the rules
given in Section 4 of the MSC/NASTRAN Quick Refernce Guide.
Order of plot package data entries:
Set entries can be defined anywhere in the plot package.
Parameters describing plot characteristics are evaluated every
time a PLOT or FIND entry is encountered. To minimize mistakes,
pay attention to the order of the plot entries.

B-3

VIEWING OPTIONS
The plot frame can be visualized as occupying the S-T plane of the
viewing coordinate system R, S, T. The AXES entry associates the R,
S, T with X, Y, Z. Three angles (, , and ) define the angular
relationship between R, S, T and the X, Y, Z axes of the object (in the
basic coordinate system).
T

Direction of View (This is always

in negative R-direction. The
projection plane is always in, or
parallel to, the S-T plane.)

B-4

VIEWING OPTIONS (Cont.)

The user can specify the plot direction and orientation by including
the entries
AXES R, S, T
VIEW , ,
where R, S, T =

, ,

member of the set {X, MX, Y, MY, Z, MZ} (default

= X, Y, Z)
34.27, 23.17,
projection) or

(default

for

orthographic

34.27 0, 0 (default for perspective projection) or

any other combination of user-defined viewing
angles

B-5

EXAMPLE - PLOT INPUT FILE

OUTPUT(PLOT)
SET 1=ALL
PTITLE=DEFAULT VIEWING AXES
FIND SCALE,ORIGIN
PLOT SET 1 LABEL BOTH
PLOT SET 1 SHRINK, LABEL GSPC
AXES MY,X,Z
VIEW 0.,0.,0.
FIND SCALE,ORIGIN
PTITLE=DEFORMATION PLOT SUPERIMPOSED ON UNDEFORMED STRUCTURE
PLOT STATIC DEFORMATION 0 SET 1
BEGIN BULK

Plot titles
Up to four lines of title information are printed in the lower left-hand
corner of each plot.
TITLE
SUBTITLE Case Control
LABEL
PLOT TYPE (e.g., deformed plot)

PTITLE entry provides text to be printed in the upper left-hand

corner of each plot.

B-6

PLOT SET 1 LABEL BOTH

11
12

504
6

13

604

104

14

704

204

2
304

804

3
404
4
5

Cantilevered Plate Transverse Load at Free End

Structural Plotting Example
Illustrates Various Features
Plot Is an Undeformed Shape

B-7

10

15

PLOT SET 1 SHRINK, LABEL GSPC

(Since each grid is constrained against normal rotation, the GSPC
option causes every grid point to be labeled here.)

11
12

13
7
1

14
8

15

2
9
3
10

4
5

Cantilevered Plate Transverse Load at Free End

Structural Plotting Example
Illustrates Various Features
Plot Is an Undeformed Shape

B-8

PLOT STATIC DEFORMATION 0 SET

Cantilevered Plate Transverse Load at Free End

Structural Plotting Example
Illustrates Various Features
Plot Is a Static Deformation Subcase 1 Load 555

B-9

B-10

APPENDIX C
MSC/NASTRAN MODEL CHECKOUT
Presented at the
MSC/NASTRAN USERS CONFERENCE
MARCH 20-21, 1986