Assembly Results

There are many cases where the modelling requires a single component to be built using many elements to get the required analysis accuracy, but results are required for the component as a whole. Examples of this include building cores and trusses.

An Assembly allows a component to considered as a stick and be defined as a collection of elements (a list), orientation information and result positions.

An assembly can be either straight of curved. A curved assembly can either be defined with a third node on the arc or by a curve using Lagrange interpolation through a set of nodes. The line or curve joining the topology items defines the x axis of assembly. An orientation node defines the xy plane of the assembly, and the local z axis is normal to the x axis and xy plane.

As well as defining the basic assembly it is important to specify where results are required. GSA offers a number of options for this:

• Number of points – the internal result positions are spaced evenly along the assembly.
• Spacing of points – the internal result positions are set at the specified spacing.
• By storey – the internal result positions correspond to the storeys (for Vertical axis only)
• Explicit – the internal result positions are specified directly along the x axis of the assembly.

The results for an assembly are broadly in two categories: displacements and forces. In both cases the results are calculated for each of the internal positions. At each of these positions a cutting plane is specified which is normal to the x axis of the assembly. A check is made to see which elements are cut by this plane. These results are then reported or displayed in the graphics for the assembly as a whole.