Learning Forum

[wcg]

Hello,

I am very new to FE modeling, and I'm sure that this is a basic question. However, after a search of the forum and Youtube, I am unable to find what I need. I am confident that there are many solutions to the following issue that I am having - so I would be grateful for anyone that can point me in the direction of a tutorial(s) or post(s) (I'm probably using the wrong keywords when doing my searches). OR, if it is easier to give instructions in the response to this post, I'm fine with that, too.

I have a model of a structure in a lab test, and it was incrementally loaded in compression (by ~0.01 kN at each increment). The lab specimen was outfitted with numerous strain gauges, and the strains were recorded at each load increment. I'm trying to run a simulation in static structural to compare the strains at the various loading increments with the output of the strain gauges (elastic region only).

There are over 300 load increments, so I cannot reasonably enter each by hand. However, I have an excel spreadsheet with each recorded load increment.

Is there a way that I can upload these load increments to my model all at once, so that I don't have to do each one individually? I would prefer to be able to input the load data on my otherwise completed model, click the "solve" button one time, and have it run the simulation and report the recorded strains at the various strain probe locations for all of the load increments.

Thanks ahead of time for any help that you can provide!!!

[Surya Prakash]

You can copy-paste your loads from excel to the force load. To do that, first, go to the analysis settings under the solution branch and mention the number of steps (loads) in the number of steps option. After doing that, insert force load and change the magnitude type to tabular. Copy the data from excel and select the first cell of the force load, right-click and click on the paste cell. This should add all the force loads in the column. Please refer to the pictures.

Hope this helps.

Regards Surya

[wcg]

THANK YOU, Surya - I had not tried it this way in the past, and this seems like it will do exactly what I need!!! I appreciate the help!!!