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Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

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100% found this document useful (1 vote)

42 views100 pages

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Uploaded by

Sudhin George Mathew

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Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

INTRODUCTION
Strand7 Release 3 (R3) is a major new development of the Strand7 Finite Element Analysis System. It comprises the
following features:
1. A new graphical user interface (GUI).
2. Hardware accelerated 3D graphics.
3. 64-bit architecture.
4. Increased functionality and performance compared with previous Strand7 releases.
This document summarises these features. Information on many other minor, but useful, features can be obtained via
the context sensitive online help within R3. Information that helps users of Strand7 R2.4.6 (R24) to quickly get up to
speed with R3 can be found in the Strand7 R3 Quick Start Guide for R24 Users (e.g., the section on keystroke shortcuts).

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
R3 can be executed on the following versions of 64-bit Windows®:
 Windows 7
 Windows 8
 Windows 10
 Windows 11
At least 4 GB of memory (RAM) is required, together with a graphics card that natively supports DirectX® 11.1 or above,
with Feature Level (DDI) 11_1 or above. Most graphics cards manufactured in the past five years will have this
functionality.

ARCHITECTURE

64-bit
R3 is a 64-bit application throughout. This includes the GUI, the solver and the API, together with supporting
applications such as the log file viewer, the animator and the Strand7 model viewer.
The most important benefit of the 64-bit architecture, from Strand7’s point of view, is the accessibility of significantly
more RAM compared with a 32-bit architecture. Whereas a 32-bit application is limited to 3 GB of RAM, irrespective of
the hardware or operating system, a 64-bit application can access all of the RAM available on the system. For the
analysis of large models, access to larger amounts of RAM can significantly reduce the solver run time.
An additional benefit of the 64-bit architecture is that the global stiffness matrix can be larger than 32 GB, which is the
limit in previous Strand7 releases. This allows R3 to solve much bigger models.

Multi-Core Support
Multi-core functionality is currently supported in a few areas of R3, including:
 The surface automesher.
 The generation of facets for shaded rendering of geometry.
 Various functions in the pre-processing environment related to tools and rendering.
 The Eigenvalue routines used for natural frequency and linear buckling analysis.
 The back-substitution phase of the matrix reduction process in the solver.
 The processing of displacement vectors for solver runs that have multiple result cases (e.g., linear static analysis
with multiple load cases).
Additional parallelised functionality is planned for future R3 updates.

DirectX
R3 uses hardware accelerated 3D graphics through the DirectX 11 API for the rendering of the finite element model.
The principal benefit of this feature is that it offers significantly greater graphics performance compared with previous
Strand7 releases, which use the CPU to produce the rendered image through the Windows Graphics Device Interface

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(GDI). As the rendering in R3 is performed by the hardware (GPU), Strand7’s graphics performance on a system can be
improved by upgrading the graphics card.
An additional benefit of the hardware accelerated graphics for Strand7 is that CAD geometry can be rendered in shaded
solid view, similarly to a CAD system (in addition to the previously available wireframe mode).

It also offers the possibility of including more detail in the representation of structures consisting primarily of beam
elements.

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FILES

Model ST7 Files

In R3, the Strand7 model file name retains the ST7 extension, as in previous Strand7 releases.
R3 will open ST7 files from all previous Strand7 releases. Upon opening, older files need to be converted to the R3
format. This process is relatively fast except for models that contain a large number of beam cross sections. Beam
cross sections need to be rebuilt for use in R3. More information on beam cross sections in R3 can be found further
down in this document.
When saving an ST7 file from a previous Strand7 release as an R3 file, the suffix “_R3” is automatically appended to the
file name (e.g., after opening the R24 file, Building.ST7, the first attempt to save that file in R3 will be suggested as
Building_R3.ST7). Although the suffix can be removed and the file saved using the previous name, keeping the suffix
avoids losing the old version file, allowing for both versions of the file to be kept.
R3 stores much more information in the ST7 file compared with previous Strand7 releases. Consequently, the R3
version of an ST7 file will be larger than the R24 version. This is particularly the case for models that contain many
beam cross sections; R3 stores an array of coefficients that relate shear forces and torque to shear stress on the cross
section, and this will increase the ST7 file size considerably (more information about this new feature can be found in
the Beam Section Properties and Shear Stress section below).
As the ST7 file format has changed, once saved in R3, the ST7 file cannot be opened in previous Strand7 releases. To
convert an R3 ST7 file to a previous Strand7 release, R3 offers a text file export option that can export the model to any
of the previous major Strand7 releases. New features in R3 that are not directly supported by a previous release are
converted to equivalent features, where possible. If it is not possible to do that, some data may be lost, in which case a
warning message is given on export.

Read-only Files
When opening a Strand7 file, R3 offers the option to open the file in read-only mode via a checkbox on the open-file
dialog. Files opened in read-only mode cannot be modified or saved. However, result files can be opened for post-
processing.

To open the file for editing, a file opened in read-only mode must be closed and re-opened without the read-only
setting on the open-file dialog.

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File Sharing
To help reduce the possibility of data loss or model corruption in a network environment with shared folder locations,
ST7 files can only be opened by a single instance of R3 at a time. Any attempt to open an already open ST7 file via
another instance of R3 (e.g., by another user on the network) will produce the following dialog, which allows for the file
to be opened as read-only or as a copy (in addition to the Retry and Cancel options).

ST7V – View-only File

R3 introduces a new version of the Strand7 model file, the ST7V file. This is an encrypted, view-only file that allows only
certain types of data to be visible, depending on the user-specified settings selected when the file is created. The main
purpose of this file is to allow users to provide copies of Strand7 model files (and optionally result files) to a client while
preventing the modification of the model data and keeping certain confidential components of the data hidden.
ST7V files are created by the Saving/Save View-only Copy function on the Strand7 menu.

ST7V files can only be viewed. They cannot be edited, exported or saved in the ST7 format, and hidden data cannot be
copied from them. They cannot be executed by the solvers. Result files may be opened in an ST7V file, enabling post-
processing functionality. An ST7V file may be re-saved as an ST7V file, if allowed when first created; the purpose of this
feature is to enable the saving of changes to the view and display settings, including the addition of view related
components such as sets and viewports. ST7V files can be opened by Strand7 and by the Strand7 model viewer.

Clone Function
In addition to the standard Save, Save As and Save Copy functions, R3 offers the Clone function. This function makes a
copy of the current model, appends the ‘Clone – x’ suffix to the file name, and immediately opens the file. This is a
more efficient workflow than Save Copy or Save As followed by Open, when both the original file and the copy are to be
open at the same time. The feature is available in both pre-processing and post-processing modes.

Result Files
Previous Strand7 releases support a maximum logical result file size of 32 GB, consisting of up to 16 physical files, each
up to 2 GB in size. For example, in R24, a 1 GB linear static result file will consist of the single file, [Link],
whereas a 3 GB linear static result file will consist of [Link] and [Link]~2.
With the 64-bit architecture of R3, physical result files can be practically unlimited in size, so a result file will only ever
be a single file in R3, no matter how large it is (i.e., R3 does not create multi-file logical result files).
R3 still reads and post-processes previous version Strand7 result files, including those that span multiple physical files.
Although R3 can open and post-process result files created by previous Strand7 releases, to take advantage of new
results and post-processing features in R3, the model needs to be re-solved in R3.

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3D Mouse
3D mice such as SpaceMouse are supported by R3. These devices can provide an intuitive way of interacting with a
Strand7 model for view rotation, zooming and panning.

Images from [Link]

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R3 offers some options for these devices, including the option to manipulate a single axis at the time. The single axis
mode can be easier to use when using these devices for the first time. The options can be set via Preferences.

Touch
The default 2D mouse functionality used by R3 can be duplicated on a touchscreen such that virtually all of the view
manipulation and modelling actions can be performed by touch. The complete set of gestures supported is tabulated
below.

Gesture Results

One-finger drag Rotates the model as with the left mouse button.

Two-finger drag Pans the model horizontally and vertically as with the left+right
mouse buttons.

Two-finger rotate Rotates the model about the axis out of the screen by relative
rotation of fingers.

Two-finger pinch Zooms the model in and out as with the right mouse button.

One-finger long tap Tap-and-hold for one second before releasing to open right-click
popup menus.

Two-finger tap Shows the Entity Inspector; equivalent to Shift+Hover mouse.

Press and tap Tap-and-hold one finger while tapping another finger to retrieve
attribute values from the entity at the held-down finger; equivalent
to Shift+Ctrl+Click.

Scroll Wheel Button Displacement Scaling

Besides the zoom functionality, when in post-processing mode (i.e., when a result file is open) the scroll wheel button
can be used to directly change the displacement scale of the deformed model: click and hold the wheel as a button and
drag the mouse upward to increase the scale; click and hold the wheel as a button and drag downward to decrease the
scale.

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Context Specific Mouse Cursor

In the VISUAL tab, R3 uses a range of mouse cursors to signify the active function. This provides instant feedback about
the current mode.

Cursor Function

Default Windows cursor – no specific function.

Dynamic rotation with 2D mouse.

Dynamic zoom with 2D mouse.

Dynamic pan with 2D mouse.

Double-click point for setting rotation origin.

Dynamic displacement scaling with 2D mouse via scroll wheel button.

Explicit VISUAL/View/Pan function with 2D mouse.

Explicit VISUAL/View/Zoom in function (zoom window) with 2D mouse.

Explicit VISUAL/View/Zoom out function (zoom window) with 2D mouse.

Insert element by clicking nodes, vertices or grid points (VISUAL/Insert – Element/Link/Path).

Select by 2D region.

Select by 3D region.

Zoom in / zoom out in print preview mode.

Equation editor.

Retrieve by hot pointer to dialogs such as the Attribute dialogs.

Peeking pointer to extract a node or element result to the Peek window.

Drag-and-drop to reorder lists.

Drag-and-drop files onto the startup screen or model window.

Help topics.

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Quick Views and Quick Displacement Scale

A right-click popup menu on the view angles cell of the status bar offers a list of quick pre-set views. This includes
useful new functions to align one of the axes up or down, or to snap the view to the nearest 90 deg or 45 deg viewing
angles. A similar popup is available in post-processing mode to quickly set the displacement scale.

Pin Entity Inspector

The entity inspector can be pinned to keep it in one place instead of it following the mouse around. The font can be
configured for the entity inspector via Preferences or via a right-click popup menu on the entity inspector itself or via
the popup menu in the model window.

Help Icon
The help button, with the ? symbol, is available on most of the R3 dialogs and on the model window to open a context-
specific help page. Alternatively, the F1 key can be pressed at any time to open the currently relevant help topic.

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USER INTERFACE – PRODUCTIVITY FEATURES

The features listed in this section provide useful functionality within the R3 working environment.

Model Bounding Box

A quick dimensioned bounding box is available by clicking the bounding box icon on the entity toggles toolbar. The
bounding box can be configured for colours, fonts and other options by right-clicking the icon.

Retrieve Icon
Throughout the R3 interface there are situations where data can be extracted graphically from an entity in the VISUAL
tab of the model window for retrieval into a dialog. This includes the retrieval of entity attributes from the model to the
attribute dialog, the selection of an origin to define a User Coordinate System (UCS), the selection of the end points for
a graph, and so on.
In all of these situations the retrieve icon appears on the respective dialog. Clicking this icon activates the hot pointer
so that the next click on the model window retrieves the required value(s). Note that the keyboard sequence Ctrl+Shift
can also be used on the attribute dialogs to immediately enable the hot pointer without pressing the retrieve icon.

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Window Background
The background settings can be configured differently for pre-processing and post-processing. The background
automatically switches from one to the other as result files are opened and closed.

Other productivity tools on the Group tree, available from the right-click popup menu, include:
 Expand/collapse to level
 Set parent colour level
 Set groups according to stage definition

Dialog Box Menus

A number of dialogs, including attribute and tool dialogs, provide a menu of related tools/attributes for faster access.

Drag-reorder Lists
The majority of lists for data sets such as load cases, freedom cases, tables, element properties and so on, can be
reordered by using standard drag-and-drop actions directly on the lists. Item numbers are automatically updated since
they must always be in increasing order in the list. References to the items are automatically updated so that a reorder
does not modify model data.

Bulk reordering, renaming and renumbering is also available via a grid view of the data.

Right-click Functions
Many of the R3 controls have control-specific right-click functions via popup menus.
Checkbox lists
Select, unselect or toggle options.

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Combo boxes
Quickly navigate to the first item, last item, previous item or next item. Focus the control to then enable changing the
item by using the arrow keys.

Up-down controls
Quickly set the Min or Max value.

Caption menus
Throughout the R3 GUI, sets of controls can be found grouped together under an all-caps caption menu. In most cases
these caption menus provide a popup menu of relevant functions by a left or right click on the caption. For example, in
the RC Layouts tab, the MATERIAL caption provides a list of commonly used material parameters for quick selection.

In the SOLVERS/Parameters tab, the various captions provide options to set user or factory results, or to save the
current settings as user defaults.

Copy image
Dialogs that display images offer a right-click Copy function to copy the image to the Windows clipboard without
copying the entire dialog. The image can then be pasted into another application. Note that this does not apply to the
model window, where the image can be copied to the clipboard by clicking the camera icon on the main toolbar, or by
the keyboard sequence Ctrl+Alt+F.

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Open file location

This is available by right-clicking the model name at the top of the model window, and by right-clicking any of the open
folder icons associated with file names. It brings up a popup menu to launch File Explorer to open the folder.

PREFERENCES

Backup Location
In addition to the previously available Autosave and Make numbered backup file on save options, the location of the
folder in which to store the backups can be user-specified in R3. When the backups are stored in the model folder, a
subfolder with the name _St7Backup is created and backups are stored there.

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Help File
R3 offers two options for the provision of help pages: either online via http (requiring connection to the Internet) or via
a CHM file located on the local drive or a network drive.

Colour Map
When a new data set is created and this data set uses colours (e.g., an element property set) a default colour is
assigned based on the ID of the data set being created. The default colours associated with each ID can be user-defined
by editing the colour map. Colour maps can be stored to a file for later retrieval.

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SELECTION TOOLS
All of the selection tools in R24 are available in R3. R3 offers new selection tools and additional options on the previous
tools. Selecting a region with the mouse on the model window in screen space is now referred to as Select by 2D
Region (2D referring to screen coordinates). What was previously referred to as Select by Region is now Select by 3D
Region, as this selects based on the 3D model coordinates.

Entity Select Toggles Multi-select

Unlike R24, which uses an additional toggle icon to distinguish between single and multi select toggles, the toggles in R3
are in single select mode by default. Multiple toggles can be activated at the same time in R3 by using Ctrl+Click. To
turn a multi-select set of toggles into a single-select toggle, double-click the single toggle or press the U key to
deactivate them all.

Entity Select
All of the selection tools offer the option to select the entity and/or the node or vertex on the entity.

Select by Entity Set

Entity sets are described below. Once sets are defined, entities within sets may be selected by this new selection tool.

Select by Entity ID or Number

This selection tool selects entities by their ID (if assigned), or by their number (which is always assigned). The edit box
supports multiple values as well as ranges (these are defined by a “..” two dot separator – for example, “2..12” will
select property types 2 through 12).

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Select Plate Edges

This selection tool complements the previously available Select Plate Faces tool. It enables a continuous edge of plates
to be selected by choosing a starting edge and an angular tolerance that determines where the continuous edge stops.
In the following image, the entire inside edge of the mesh is selected using a single selection action.

Select Link Types / Select Face Types

These selection tools select links and faces, respectively, based on their underlying types.

Select by 3D Region
This selection tool can use a previously defined viewport as the selection region in R3. This effectively provides a way to
store a selection region for reuse.
The Extend options allow for the selection region to be infinitely extended in specified directions without the need to
ensure that a limiting point has been included in the defined region.
The new Free Cylindrical UCS complements the previously available Free Cartesian UCS. A free cylindrical UCS is defined
by clicking three points that lie on the radius of a circle on the cylinder. Additional points clicked will then extend the
region in the radial, tangential and/or axial directions of the cylinder.
The Auto-highlight position option on the dialog provides a way to see the coordinates of points under the mouse cursor
by using the entity inspector without having to press the Shift key. This is independent of the state of the entity
selection toggles, and makes it easier to accurately select points to define the region.

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Right-click Entity Select Toggles

The entity selection toggles on the main toolbar respond to a right-click action similarly to R24. This brings up a popup
menu with various options. In addition to the entity type selection functions previously available, it is now also possible
to specify the part of an entity to be selected (for example, always select beam end 1, no matter which end of the beam
is clicked, or select a plate edge instead of the whole plate, and so on).
For selection operations, Strand7 has always provided context-specific selection functionality. For example, when
applying a brick face pressure attribute, the selection mode is automatically set to select brick faces, not the whole
brick, as soon as the brick face pressure dialog is displayed. The new options available in R3 provide the possibility of
setting the selection mode before the context is automatically established.

RENDERING
R3 offers numerous enhancements to model rendering and customisation compared with previous Strand7 releases.
These can be selected via the respective entity and attribute display dialogs.

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Display Options/Defaults
R3 offers the possibility of configuring most aspects of the model, the display, the entities and the attributes. Each of
these is configured in their respective dialogs. The new Set Model Defaults option facilitates the setting of default or
user-preferences for the entire model; all of these can be set from the one place. Within each main category, it is also
possible to selectively set the defaults for sub-categories.

Fill vs Outline
For the rendering of entities (beams, plates, brick and faces) the colours and options used for the fill are independent of
the colours and options used for the outlines.

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Geometry Faces as Solid

Geometry faces, typically imported from CAD files, can be rendered in shaded solid mode in R3. This greatly improves
the visualisation of geometry and the efficiency with which geometry may be edited and prepared for meshing.

Plate – Average Normals

For the rendering of deformed plate elements, an option that averages the normals from adjacent plates is available.
This is useful for producing better quality images in the case where the mesh represents a continuous geometry rather
than a folded one, especially when plate elements are rendered as solid, and particularly for post-processing of
deformed meshes.

Mesh. Mesh with thickness. Mesh with thickness and average normals.

Groups as Parent Colour

This feature enables a child group to be rendered using the colour of its parent group. Multiple levels can be traversed
in setting the parent group colour. The right-click option, Set parent colour level, makes this easy to set on the whole
group tree in a single operation.

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Detect
The previously available detection options, such as show beam and link free ends and show plate free edges, are
retained in R3. These are augmented by an option to show beam junctions and another to show brick faces. These are
now accessed via the VISUAL/Detect tab rather than via the entity toggles toolbar.

The following image shows the brick free face display for a brick model. Unintended internal free faces are easily
detected. The number of lines shown can be controlled by a facet angle parameter. This detection feature is equally
useful for tetrahedral brick models as it is for hexahedral models.

In addition, every Detect request produces a dialog with information about the detection result together with options
to make selections based on those results. For example, in response to a plate free edge detection request, the nodes
on those free edges could be selected.

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MODELLING

Undo/Redo
R3 offers greater undo/redo functionality compared with R24. Firstly, many more modelling actions now appear in the
undo/redo lists. This includes changes to the group tree and the creation and deletion of load and freedom cases.
The undo and redo lists work in unison in that an undo operation is removed from the undo list and is immediately
pushed to the top of the redo list as the potential next redo operation. If this operation is redone, it is removed from
the redo list and pushed back onto the top of the undo list. This cycling of undo/redo can be repeated until the model
is modified in some other way (i.e., outside of the undo/redo functions). At that point the redo list is cleared and
remains empty until the next undo operation is performed. But until then, it is possible to keep undoing and redoing
single or multiple operations, moving them from one list to the other and back.

Entity Sets
Entity sets define collections, enabling entities to be grouped together for different purposes including for showing and
hiding parts of a model, for filtering results, for selecting, and so on.

The dropdown list on the dialog offers a range of boolean operation options to define the visibility of entities based on
their set membership.

Entity sets may also be used for selecting the elements that contribute to a Reaction MPL, for the selection of elements
to be considered by a load path, and for other purposes.
Entity sets can be given meaningful names, and their position in the list can be changed by moving them using drag-
and-drop actions.
All entity types can be contained in an entity set. Additionally, an entity can be contained in multiple sets, or in no set
at all.

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Entity sets are conceptually similar to groups as both represent a collection of entities. The main differences between
entity sets and groups are:
1. entities can be members of any number of entity sets, including a member of no entity set, whereas an entity must
be a member of one and only one group;
2. nodes and vertices can be members of entity sets, but they cannot be explicit members of a group;
3. entity sets do not have a hierarchy, whereas groups are hierarchical;
4. entity sets store the selection states of entities as they were when they were first added to the set, whereas groups
do not store the selection state of entities in the group.

LOAD CASES

Equivalent Seismic as a General Load Case

Equivalent seismic load cases are integrated together with the other load case types in R3. When opening an R24 file in
R3, seismic load cases are automatically converted to the R3 load case type. Non-structural mass referenced from
other load cases in the R24 model are inserted into the new load case in R3 to ensure that the same loads are applied.
The distinction between load case types is made based on the GLOBAL INERTIA LOAD setting for the load case. This can
be one of:
 None (no inertia load is applied).
 Gravity (inertia load is applied in a single direction in one of the global X, Y or Z axes).
 Acceleration and velocity (inertia load is applied by linear and/or angular accelerations in and about the global X, Y
and Z axes, and/or by angular velocity about the global X, Y and Z axes).
 Seismic (lateral inertia load is applied based on the assumed vertical distribution of seismic loads).
With this change, seismic load cases are treated as any other load case. Seismic load cases in R3 may therefore include
node and element load attributes and non-structural mass (this avoids having to combine the result cases later).
Significantly, these load cases can be used in any way that other load cases are used, including, for example, in
nonlinear analysis.

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Create Load Cases from Combinations

A new feature in the load case combinations tab, CASES/Combination, offers a function to create a new primary load
case from the factors defined in one or more combinations. It is also possible to select the combination cases to be
generated so that not all combination cases have to be generated for post-processing.

Influence Case Names

R3 offers greater flexibility for the generation of load case names produced by load influence analysis. In addition to
information about the influence variable, a user-specified label may also be included.

TABLES

New Table Types

R3 introduces the following new table types:
 Factor vs Velocity
 Displacement vs Time
 Velocity vs Time
 Temperature vs Time
For the import of tables from a text file, the new bulk import option makes the import of multiple tables more efficient.

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Table Units
In addition to the model units option (e.g., mm/s2) Acceleration vs Time tables and Factor vs Frequency/Period tables
can also be defined in units of g (acceleration due to gravity).

Convert Time History to Response Spectrum

In addition to the previously available constant damping ratio option, the damping for the conversion of acceleration
time history tables to response spectrum tables in R3 can be specified as Rayleigh or via a Factor vs Frequency table.

ELEMENTS
The R3 element library has been enhanced and improved compared with R24, and the majority of the elements will
produce more accurate results compared with previous Strand7 releases. In addition, the efficiency of element
routines is also generally improved compared with R24 (for example, the assembly of 370000 Quad8 shell elements
might take 200 s in R24, but only 60 s in R3).

Multi Point Links (MPL)

In addition to the previously available two-node Master-Slave, Rigid and Pinned links, multi-point versions of these links
are available in R3. These are useful because they replace clusters of multiple links (e.g., the 16 individual rigid links on
the right-side hole below) with an equivalent single link (e.g., the single rigid MPL on the left-side hole below).

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A tool is available to convert an MPL into the equivalent 2-node link cluster.

Attachment Link
An attachment link connects a node to an element (i.e., along the length of a beam, on the surface of a plate, on the
surface of a brick face). In R3, attachment links can also attach nodes to the inside of a brick element. This is achieved
by defining a new w position parameter in addition to the previous u and v position parameters (the three parameters
uniquely define a point in space inside a brick element).
Although attachment links can be inserted directly into a model, in most cases they are inserted indirectly via
VISUAL/Tools/Mesh/Attach Parts, which uses beam, plate and brick attachment attributes to detect attachment areas.
In R3, this tool offers the option to attach to the inside of brick elements for enclosed attachment points.

For example, this feature offers the possibility of easily connecting beam elements representing steel reinforcement to
the inside of a brick mesh representing concrete, without the need for a compatible mesh between the beam and the
brick elements.
The figure below shows a cantilever represented by a mesh of brick elements. Inside the brick mesh is a steel
reinforcement arrangement represented by beam elements that do not connect to the nodes on the brick elements.
The connection between beam ends and brick elements is attained by the use of internal attachment links. The
deformation of the beam elements follows the brick mesh.

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Another enhancement to the attachment link in R3 is that it considers the distance between the attached node and the
target point on the element to which the node is attached. A single attachment link is equivalent to a rigid link
connected from the node to the target element, not a master-slave link directly connecting the node to the target
element. It is therefore not necessary to use pairs of rigid and attachment links in R3 as the attachment link
automatically does the work of an implicit rigid link.

Reaction MPL
The new Reaction MPL is a special type of link that does not enforce any constraint relationship between nodes or
degrees of freedom. Instead, the link is used to calculate force and moment resultants anywhere in the model. It sums
the element nodal forces and moments (or flux for heat transfer analysis) at selected nodes of selected elements. This
enables the extraction of results such as in-plane shear in a lift core at each floor of a building, the bending moment
diagram of the lift core in a building, and the summation of flux/forces/moments about any point in space, to name a
few.
To define the link, the nodes to be summed need to be selected. The elements that are to contribute to those nodes
must also be selected. Both elements and nodes need to be selected in order to find non-trivial internal forces
between components or parts of a model.
The nodes are selected explicitly by attaching them to the MPL itself, similarly to the way other links are defined. The
elements are selected by associating an entity set containing the elements with the link.
This is illustrated in the following example.
A cantilever is modelled with brick elements. The cantilever carries a uniformly distributed pressure on the top surface.
At the middle of the span, a Reaction MPL is attached to all nodes on the cross section. Three entity sets are defined.
The brick elements to the left of the link are assigned to the Left entity set. The brick elements to the right of the link
are assigned to the Right entity set. One other entity set that includes all of the bricks in the mesh, All, is also defined.

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A linear static analysis is executed and the forces and moments at the Reaction MPL are extracted using Peek. Three
cases are considered; in each case one of the entity sets is assigned to the MPL before extracting the results. The MPL
forces are tabulated below.

Entity Set FX FY FZ MX MY MZ

Left 0 -7.5000E+06 0 0 0 -2.8100E+10

Right 0 7.5000E+06 0 0 0 2.8100E+10

All 0 0 0 0 0 0

The link sums the nodal force contributions from the elements in the associated entity set. When all elements at a
node are summed, zero reactions are produced as expected. The difference between the Left and Right entity sets is
just the sign of the results. When these two results are added, the total reactions again sum to zero.
With this functionality, it is possible to extract free body diagrams of any part of a structure, or internal forces across
any part or component of a structure. The sign of the result can be obtained as required by defining the set to contain
elements on one side or the other side of the link.
The link may be used for equilibrated results (e.g., linear static) and for non-equilibrated results produced by spectral
response SRSS and CQC solutions, and for combinations of these with linear static results.
The links may also be used with envelope result cases to obtain the envelope of each summation.

Links – Nonlinear Control Freedom Case

For links with constant terms (i.e., Shrink, 2-Point and User-defined MPL), R3 offers the option of associating a freedom
case with the link to enable the link’s constant term to be controlled in nonlinear analysis. This facilitates the scaled
application of the constant term, such as to progressively increase the amount of shrink applied by a shrink link on an
increment-by-increment basis.

Automatic Sector-Symmetry Links

The function VISUAL/Insert/Multi-element/Link Clusters offers a range of options for the automatic insertion of link
clusters. For the Sector-Symmetry option, pairs of nodes with matching radius and axial coordinates should ideally be
introduced in the mesh before inserting the sector-symmetry links. For meshes where matching nodes cannot be
found, the R3 tool will automatically insert interpolating attachment links as required.

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Beam Section Properties and Shear Stress

Shear stress on beam cross sections due to shear forces and torque are calculated for any cross section shape in R3.
The calculation is a numerical one whereby the cross section is discretised and a 2D potential flow solution is pre-
calculated using the finite element method to produce coefficients that relate shear forces and torque to shear stress at
pre-defined positions on the cross section. Six coefficients are calculated at each point to define shear stress on the
plane of the section as follows:
𝜏31 = 𝐹1 𝜑1 + 𝐹2 𝜑2 + 𝑇𝜑3
𝜏32 = 𝐹2 𝜑4 + 𝐹1 𝜑5 + 𝑇𝜑6
Here 𝐹1 and 𝐹2 are the shear forces in the principal directions of the cross section, 𝑇 is the torque about the beam axis,
and 𝜏31 and 𝜏32 are the shear stresses in the plane of the cross section. These stresses, together with the fibre stress
(normal to the cross section), are used to calculate a range of new stresses on beams, including:
 Shear Stress due to Shear Force 1
 Shear Stress due to Shear Force 2
 Shear Stress due to Torque
 Shear Stress on Plane 1
 Shear Stress on Plane 2
 Shear Stress Magnitude Plane 1-2
 Minimum Principal Stress
 Maximum Principal Stress
 von Mises Stress
 Tresca Stress
Some of these results are illustrated in the following example.
A cantilever beam is modelled with the cross section assigned from the R3 Beam Geometry Library (BGL - see below).

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Three load cases are considered:

1. Shear force in the major axis direction.
2. Shear force in the minor axis direction.
3. Torque.

As the coefficients can only be calculated at a pre-defined number of points on the section, a balance needs to be found
between accuracy of results and calculation time. This can depend on the section shape and the type of load applied.
The Shape/Discretisation tab of the beam property dialog provides a tool to Check the quality of the mesh and the shear
stress integration for different levels of discretisation.

To produce the three quality measures presented on the dialog, the following procedure is employed for the selected
discretisation:
 A unit shear force is applied in each of the principal 1 and 2 directions, the shear stresses are calculated at each
point on the cross section, and the calculated shear stresses are integrated over the section to produce two forces,
one in each of the principal directions. For an exact result, these integrals should both be equal to 1.
 A similar procedure is used to integrate the shear stresses due to torque, which are then integrated to return the
torque integral.

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A good quality mesh will typically return values between 0.95 and 1.05 for each of the three components. The following
image shows the shear stress magnitude calculated on the cross section for each of the three load cases.

With the availability of shear stress on any cross section, R3 extends the previously available Fibre Stress yield criterion
to include Tresca and von Mises criteria when a stress-strain table is assigned for material nonlinear analysis.

The use of the von Mises criterion in a material nonlinear analysis is demonstrated via the simple example below
whereby the results of a single beam element with a rectangular solid cross section under torque, applied as an
enforced rotation, are compared with an equivalent brick element model. The material is assumed to be elastic-
perfectly-plastic.

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Twist Beam model Brick model

deg von Mises Stress von Mises Stress

0.1

0.6

0.8

1.4

The normalised moment vs rotation result is compared in the following graph.

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Beam Brick
2
1.8
1.6
Normalised Moment

1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Rotation

Cavity Attribute
The R3 cavity attribute fills a closed cavity (i.e., volume) defined by plate elements and/or brick element faces, with a
fluid – e.g., the inside surface of a balloon, the inside surfaces of an IGU (Insulated Glass Unit), and so on.

Two types of cavities are available and these are defined under LAYOUTS/Cavities:
1. Ideal Gas cavity, which enforces the ideal gas relationship between pressure, volume and (optionally) temperature
(e.g., a helium-filled balloon).
2. Constant Bulk Modulus cavity, which enforces a constant relationship between pressure and volumetric strain by
the definition of a constant bulk modulus (e.g., a water-filled balloon).
For both cavity types, the initial volume is defined by the cavity geometry (i.e., the user-defined mesh).

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Cavity layouts are assigned to plate and brick surfaces as attributes.

A valid cavity is one where the cavity volume is represented by a watertight (manifold) surface with all elements on the
surface assigned the same cavity layout. For modelling symmetric halves or quarters of volumes, the symmetry planes
need to be closed such that a closed cavity is defined. For example, in the half cylinder model below, plate elements of
property type 0 are used to close the cavity. Those elements don’t participate in the analysis; they are used simply to
define the volume. Therefore, mesh refinement is not necessary for these elements; they just need to be compatible
with the real mesh.

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The following illustrates the simple example of an ideal gas piston-cylinder arrangement.

Case 1: Increasing the volume by enforced displacements and monitoring the cavity pressure.
0
-10000
ST7 Cavity Element
-20000
Ideal Gas
-30000
-40000
Pressure

-50000
-60000
-70000
-80000
-90000
-100000
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5
Displacement

Case 2: Decreasing the volume by enforced displacements and monitoring the cavity pressure.

-500000

-1000000
Pressure

ST7 Cavity Element

Ideal Gas
-1500000

-2000000

-2500000
-2 -1.8 -1.6 -1.4 -1.2 -1 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0
Displacement

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Case 3: Keeping the volume constant and increasing the cavity temperature.
0
ST7 Cavity Element
Ideal Gas
-50000

-100000
Pressure

-150000

-200000

-250000
200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600
Temperature
The above graphs report the pressure acting on the plate (or brick) surfaces. For an ideal gas cavity, the element
surface pressure will range between zero (i.e., a vacuum) and some negative number (i.e., a compressive pressure on
the surface).

Initial Cable Droop

The cable droop setting defines the initial shape and position of catenary cable elements before any loads are applied.

The initial shape is determined by solving the catenary equation for an inextensible cable of the prescribed length,
drooped in the nominated direction. This then becomes the zero-displacement position in the analysis. Displacements
produced by the various solvers are then assumed to be with reference to this initial shape (i.e., position) and therefore
cable displacements, in addition to cable positions, can be determined even for the first load step of an analysis.

Weightless Cable
The R3 solver supports a weightless cable element without reverting to an equivalent truss element. This means that a
cable free length attribute is supported not only by the standard catenary cable with inertia load (mass and gravity), but
also by a massless cable that is not affected by inertia loads.

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Load Path Normal

Load paths in R3 support an orientation flag allowing for the normal direction to be inverted without having to change
the end connection order. This provides additional flexibility, especially for non-flat paths.

Load Path Sets

In addition to the previously available Any element, Beams only, Plates only and Bricks only, R3 offers the option of
transferring the loads from a load path to only the elements contained in a specific entity set, Elements in entity set.

Load Path Time Tables

Loads on load paths may reference a Factor vs Time table in R3, enabling the modelling of loads whose position and
magnitude (or direction) may both change with time.

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An example use of this feature includes the modelling of footfall on a bridge.

Plane Strain Thickness

R3 supports a user-defined thickness for plane strain elements (R24 always considers plane strain as a unit-thickness
element). The advantage of the user-defined thickness for plane strain is that it allows plane strain properties to be
fully units-aware, ensuring that a units scaling operation does not change the physical problem.

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Property-based Rayleigh Damping

Rayleigh damping for linear and nonlinear transient dynamic analysis may be defined at the property level in R3. This
applies to all of beam, plate and brick property types. This feature allows for different damping characteristics to be
considered for different material types. The option to apply Rayleigh damping based on the global mass and stiffness
matrices is still available.

Tri3 Membrane-Bending Coupling

Tri3 shell elements in R3 support membrane-bending coupling. This is particularly useful for the analysis of laminated
composites in mixed Quad4/Tri3 shell meshes.

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Without support for membrane-bending coupling, the [B] matrix is ignored and therefore a membrane force produces
no out-of-plane bending, as illustrated below.

Point Contact Elements

In R3, point contact elements consider the Dynamic Stiffness parameter in nonlinear transient dynamic analysis (care
needs to be taken when the stiffness is very high since this may require very small time steps to integrate the time
equations accurately). In addition, the sticking friction stiffness is now explicitly set at the property level for each point
contact type, and not defined as a fixed ratio of the initial axial stiffness via a solver parameter. The new Strain
Tolerance parameter, analogous to the Contact Cutoff Strain solver parameter in R24, is also a property-level parameter
in R3. This is useful to enable different factors to be used for relatively short contact elements compared with relatively
long contact elements contained in the same model.

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Heat Transfer for Line Elements

All line elements (beam properties) in R3, including Spring-Damper, Connection and Point Contact, may be used in heat
transfer analysis and they can all produce a thermal stiffness matrix by the definition of equivalent thermal properties
including Conductivity, Specific Heat, Effective Thermal Area and Effective Thermal Mass.

ATTRIBUTES – MODELLING FEATURES

Store Formulas
Strand7 has always provided the option to use parametric formulas for the application of attributes – for example, a
hydrostatic pressure could be easily applied by selecting the plate elements and assigning a plate pressure attribute
using a formula containing a position-dependent variable. When applied in this way, the numeric value is assigned but
its association with the original formula is lost. If the mesh is refined, the pressure would need to be re-applied using
the formula.
In R3, it is possible to store formulas with the attribute. These formulas are supported by both elements and geometry
faces. Tools are available to edit, delete and re-evaluate the formulas.
In the example below, a hydrostatic pressure formula is applied to geometry faces and stored with the attribute.

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When the faces are meshed, the elements evaluate the formula so that each element has the correct value of pressure
assigned.

This feature is applicable not only to geometry, but also to elements. If applied to plate elements, a subdivision
operation will re-evaluate all of the attributes on the new elements.

Attribute Bulk-edit Functions

This tool provides a way to make bulk changes to attribute values in the model.

ATTRIBUTES – NEW OR ENHANCED

Beam Local Distributed Force

Distributed force attributes on beam elements may be assigned in the local x-y directions in addition to the previously
available principal 1-2 directions.

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Beam Pre-Curvature
Beam elements in R3 support a pre-curvature attribute in each of the two principal axis directions.

Global Distributed Load on Cables

Cable elements in R3 support a uniform global distributed load attribute. Non-uniform distributions may be applied,
and these are smeared over the length of the cable as equivalent uniform load.

Beam Side Attachment

In R3, attachment attributes at the ends of beam elements may be assigned in the principal (i.e., lateral) directions, in
addition to the previously available axial direction. This enables beam elements to be attached to plate meshes via side
attachment links as illustrated below.

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Geometry Edge Attribute – Edge Cluster

This attribute references a link type or beam property by the assignment of a cluster ID, which is used by the
automesher. All nodes generated on edges with the same cluster ID are automatically connected to a cluster of the
selected type by automeshing. The cluster consists of a slave node connected to every node on the edges.
The Auto ID option facilitates the bulk assignment of cluster IDs on multiple disconnected loops. Cluster types may be
Rigid MPL, Pinned MPL, Master-Slave MPL, Interpolated MPL or beam elements.

Geometry Edge Attribute – Divisions

This attribute is used by the automesher and augments the previously available vertex mesh size attribute. Whereas
the vertex mesh size attribute assigns a length-based division at a vertex, from which edge divisions are deduced, the
edge divisions attribute specifies the required number of divisions directly. In the image below, three holes in the same
face are meshed with different edge divisions.

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STAGING
In addition to the redesigned stage editor shown below, the stage functionality in R3 offers new options.

Stage-dependent Soil Fluid Level

Fluid level can be set on a stage-by-stage basis to facilitate the modelling of dewatering and other events that change
the fluid level.

Stage Type – Reset

In addition to the previously available Morphed and Unmorphed stage types, stages can now also be of the Reset type.
A reset stage clears all element and node history and the analysis starts again as a completely new analysis at that
stage. Subsequent staging events can follow the reset stage.

Property Switch with Birth Stage Inheritance

A property switch is available to change an element from one type to another at a given stage. For example, a soil
element can be switched to a concrete element. By default, the switched element’s birth stage is set as the stage at
which the switch occurs. A new option, Inherit Birth Stage, enables the switched element to take on the birth stage of

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the element it replaces. This can be useful when the replaced element was morphed into place at its birth stage, and
the switched element is required to have the same initial, not current, dimensions of the element it replaces.

FEATURES

Beam Geometry Library (BGL)

In addition to the previously available Beam Section Library (BSL), which is itself greatly expanded in R3 with new
collections of sections from around the world, a new type of cross section library, the BGL, is introduced in R3.

Cross sections in the BGL consider a more detailed geometry than the simplified six-parameter definition of section
shapes in the BSL. BGL sections take into account the root and toe radii, flange tapers and more. These allow for a
better representation of the geometry for more accurate evaluation of shear stress and nonlinear material behaviour.
The following images compare the BSL and BGL versions of the same cross section.

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Plate Reinforced Concrete Module

Compared with previous Strand7 releases, the Plate RC module in R3 provides significantly greater performance of
calculation when using the Elasto-plastic iteration method. It also provides support for ACI 318 in addition to the
previously available AS 3600 and EC 2 parameter sets.

The MATERIAL section offers a popup menu with a range of standard steel and concrete properties, depending on the
selected code.

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The R3 Plate RC module introduces the Diagram tab, which offers a useful design tool in the form of an interaction
diagram calculator and visualiser.

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OTHER PRE-PROCESSING

SUMMARY/Property – Bulk-edit Mode

The SUMMARY/Property tab offers an edit mode for bulk editing of beam, plate, brick and ply property data in a grid.

Assign to Property
Tables, laminates and creep data can be assigned to the respective properties via the LAYOUTS tabs.

TOOLS AND RELATED

Variables
Variables may be used in tool edit boxes such as in Copy, Move and Extrude by Increment. For example, setting “Y/2” in
the X edit box,

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relates the X movement of a node to its Y coordinate.

by Rotation
This is available for Copy, Move and Extrude tools. This obviates the need to pre-define a cylindrical UCS to operate by a
rotation about an axis.

Cut Elements
This tool augments the previously available Cut Beams and Plates tool to enable the cutting of brick elements.

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Extrude Plate Edges

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Convert Beam Offsets to Rigid Links

In a geometry linear analysis, a beam offset applied to a beam element produces identical results to physically
offsetting the beam elements and attaching them with rigid links. For geometrically nonlinear analysis, the results are
virtually identical for small to medium levels of deformation. For very large levels of deformation, convergence can
sometimes be easier when explicit rigid links are used in place of the beam offset attributes. For those situations, this
tool can be used to automatically detach the beams, offset their nodes and reattach them via rigid links.

Insert Node on Entity

The function VISUAL/Insert/Node can be used to insert a node into a model via a range of options, such as by defining
the coordinates or by clicking a grid point. The Snap: Entity surface mode enables the insertion of a node by clicking
directly onto the surface of an entity, such as a geometry face or element. The new node will be generated by
transforming the clicked pixel location on the screen to model coordinates and projecting the point onto the clicked
entity surface.

This tool also offers an Edit option that allows for an existing node to be moved from its current location onto a grid
point, a vertex or another node: click to pick up the source node and click to drop the node onto the other entity.

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Geometry Subdivide Edges

This new tool effectively splits a geometry edge by inserting either fixed or free vertices at equally spaced points along
the edge. This offers another way to dictate the mesh density generated along an edge.

Geometry Detach Faces

Similarly to the Detach Elements tool, the Detach Faces tool can be used to disconnect a face or a collection of faces
from their co-edges. This feature can be useful in situations where a geometry clean operation has used a tolerance
that is too large, and it is desired to re-attach the faces with a smaller tolerance or to perform other operations on the
geometry.

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Align Face Normals

Similarly to the alignment of the normals of connected plates, the Align Face Normals tool enables the automatic
alignment of faces to produce adjoining faces with consistent normals.

Surface Mesher
The surface automesher will provide significantly better runtime performance compared with R24, as well as generally
improved mesh quality. In addition, the Consider surface curvature option can be used to automatically refine mesh
sizes on faces based on their radius of curvature. This feature is similar to the automatic refinement of edges based on
edge curvature, but applies to the whole face.

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The following image compares the plate mesh produced with and without this option for the same nominal mesh size.

Geometry Consider surface curvature = NO Consider surface curvature = YES

TOOLS – PRODUCTIVITY FEATURES

Increment Multiplier
The tool dialog offers a useful feature that automatically scales the increments retrieved from the model window via
the Set by points function. For example, to copy an entity by half a thickness, set the scaling factor to ½ and retrieve the
full thickness distance using Set by points.

Subdivide Source / Tri / Quad

For meshes consisting of elements with different orders (e.g., Quad4 and Quad8) the Source option allows for the
subdivision of elements according to the source type, thereby avoiding the need to perform the operation twice (once
on the Quad4 elements and once on the Quad8 elements).
The Tri and Quad options are used to subdivide elements into triangular or quadrilateral elements based on the source
(i.e., a Quad4 becomes a Tri3 whereas a Quad8 becomes a Tri6).

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Clean Geometry – Clean Groups Independently

This new option prevents faces or bodies belonging to different groups from being zipped together during a geometry
cleaning operation.

SOLVERS AND RELATED

The R3 solver is a substantially new development, and not just a 64-bit version of the R24 solver. Consequently, the
two solvers are not expected to produce numerically identical results in most cases. Whilst some of the underlying
element formulations in R3 are the same as those in R24, the implementation is different.

Cable Inertia Case

If the model contains cable elements, the cable inertia case dropdown list becomes available for the linear solvers. All
load cases in the model will be listed; one case is selected as the inertia case. The selected case is used to define the
catenary, and hence stiffness matrix, of the cables for assembly into the global stiffness matrix.

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This is required because the stiffness of a cable element depends on its catenary shape, which is determined by the
applied inertia loads acting on the mass of the cable, together with the stiffness of the structure to which the cable
ends are attached.
In reality, the cable element is a geometrically nonlinear element, and solving for this nonlinearity becomes part of any
geometric nonlinear analysis, so no special considerations are required in those solvers. But if geometric nonlinearity is
not considered because the analysis in a linear one, a cable stiffness has to be calculated by using some assumptions. In
R3 the assumptions are that the cable shape (catenary) is set by the inertia load applied in the selected load case, based
on the assumed cable free length and mass. The cable pre-load attributes in the selected load case will affect the cable
free length.
The different linear solvers will offer different options for the cable inertia, while the linear static solver also offers the
option to Form stiffness matrix for every load case. If the option is set, each load case is separately solved. In each case,
the inertia load specified in the load case is used to define the stiffness matrix of the cable elements. This option is
mainly useful if the load cases contain different inertia loads. In the more common case of one load case being used to
apply the inertia load (e.g., gravity load) and other load cases being used to apply other load types, the cable stiffness
should be calculated based on the one inertia load case.

Soil In-situ Options

The soil in-situ stress tool, found under VISUAL/Utility/Soil In-situ, offers the following new features.
 Two run modes are provided, the Wait mode and the Batch mode. The Wait mode is as in R24 whereby the solver
is executed while the GUI is paused until completion. The Batch mode launches the solver as a separate process
with the GUI immediately becoming responsive. At the completion of a Batch mode execution, the resulting in-situ
stresses can be imported by reading the relevant ISA file via the Import button on the dialog.
 The Calculate horizontal stress ratio (K0) from stress results option is available to assign the average lateral stress by
the calculation of K0.
 The Solver control group offers direct control of the solver iteration parameters for the in-situ calculation.

Eigenvector Convergence for Natural Frequency and Linear Buckling Analysis

The Eigenvalue solver in R3 is used to calculate natural frequency and linear buckling modes of a structure. This
calculation is an iterative one involving a convergence tolerance. In R24, the convergence tolerance is applied only to
the Eigenvalue (e.g., the frequency); when the Eigenvalue is converged, the corresponding Eigenvector (i.e., the mode
shape) is assumed to have also converged. In R3, convergence of the Eigenvectors can be requested in addition to
convergence of the Eigenvalue, by setting the solver option Ensure Eigenvector convergence.
Eigenvector convergence is particularly important when performing modal superposition analysis such as spectral
response analysis.

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Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Mode Participation in Natural Frequency Analysis

In addition to the previously available Mode Participation Mass Ratio for mode i, 𝑚𝑖 , given by the following:
2
(𝜑𝑇𝑖 𝑀𝑑)
𝑚𝑖 =
𝑑𝑇 𝑀𝑑
where 𝑑 is a direction vector (the excitation direction), 𝜑𝑖 is the mode shape vector for mode i, and 𝑀is the mass
matrix, a new quantity, the Mode Participation Factor for mode i, 𝑓𝑖 , is given by the following:
𝜑𝑇𝑖 𝑀𝑑 𝜑𝑇𝑖 𝑀𝑑
𝑓𝑖 = = = 𝜑𝑇𝑖 𝑀𝑑
𝜑𝑇 𝑀𝜑 1
These are tabulated in the solver log file as illustrated in the log file excerpt below.

MODE PARTICIPATION FACTORS FOR TRANSLATIONAL EXCITATION

Mode Frequency P-DX P-DY P-DZ P-RX P-RY P-RZ
(Hz) SQRT(N/mm) SQRT(N/mm) SQRT(N/mm) SQRT([Link]) SQRT([Link]) SQRT([Link])
1 1.466385E+00 1.349967E+01 -3.509512E-02 2.096231E+01 3.118482E+05 1.338942E+04 -2.019440E+05
2 2.061489E+00 2.518423E+01 4.155024E-01 -1.565447E+01 -2.463401E+05 3.193650E+05 -3.913983E+05
3 2.789282E+00 7.869350E+00 -1.651454E-01 1.451089E+01 2.480814E+05 -2.798480E+05 -1.411296E+05
4 4.510150E+00 5.635333E+00 5.257864E-02 9.112563E+00 1.333854E+04 -2.681165E+04 -8.362777E+03
5 7.475686E+00 2.500738E+00 -2.103694E-01 2.542251E+00 1.082266E+04 3.117561E+04 -9.645800E+03
6 7.844652E+00 1.201965E+01 -1.978382E+00 -8.393168E+00 -1.023215E+03 1.669594E+05 -4.753503E+04

TOTAL MASS (MX,MY,MZ) (t) : (1.207507E+03,1.206685E+03,1.207507E+03)

MODE PARTICIPATION MASS RATIOS FOR TRANSLATIONAL EXCITATION

Mode Frequency Modal Mass Modal Stiff P-DX P-DY P-DZ P-DX P-DY P-DZ
(Hz) (t) (N/mm) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)
1 1.466385E+00 2.651808E+02 2.251117E+04 1.509234E+01 1.020704E-04 3.639055E+01 15.092 0.000 36.391
2 2.061489E+00 5.826701E+02 9.775622E+04 5.252521E+01 1.430715E-02 2.029491E+01 52.525 0.014 20.295
3 2.789282E+00 1.968148E+02 6.045086E+04 5.128474E+00 2.260161E-03 1.743807E+01 5.128 0.002 17.438
4 4.510150E+00 2.490158E+02 1.999717E+05 2.629963E+00 2.290999E-04 6.876882E+00 2.630 0.000 6.877
5 7.475686E+00 2.519965E+02 5.559765E+05 5.179012E-01 3.667511E-03 5.352383E-01 0.518 0.004 0.535
6 7.844652E+00 7.633347E+02 1.854480E+06 1.196449E+01 3.243594E-01 5.833944E+00 11.964 0.324 5.834
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------
TOTAL TRANSLATIONAL MASS PARTICIPATION (%) 8.785838E+01 3.449254E-01 8.736960E+01 87.858 0.345 87.370

MODE PARTICIPATION MASS RATIOS FOR ROTATIONAL EXCITATION

Mode Frequency Modal Mass Modal Stiff P-RX P-RY P-RZ P-RX P-RY P-RZ
(Hz) ([Link]^2) ([Link]) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)
1 1.466385E+00 3.377146E+01 7.311858E-02 1.047697E+01 33.771 0.073 10.477
2 2.061489E+00 2.107335E+01 4.159862E+01 3.935606E+01 21.073 41.599 39.356
3 2.789282E+00 2.137233E+01 3.194102E+01 5.116935E+00 21.372 31.941 5.117
4 4.510150E+00 6.178456E-02 2.931916E-01 1.796696E-02 0.062 0.293 0.018
5 7.475686E+00 4.067535E-02 3.964004E-01 2.390288E-02 0.041 0.396 0.024
6 7.844652E+00 3.635775E-04 1.136909E+01 5.804985E-01 0.000 11.369 0.580
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------
TOTAL ROTATIONAL MASS PARTICIPATION (%) 7.631996E+01 8.567144E+01 5.557233E+01 76.320 85.671 55.572

Spectral Response Analysis Multi-case and Append Options

The spectral response solver in R3 allows for both Load Excitation and Base Excitation to be solved together with one
execution of the solver, with results for both excitation types stored in the same result file. In addition, the append
option enables the appending of different spectral response solutions into the same result file. This could be useful, for
example, to compare the spectral results of a structure with different restraint conditions – as each restraint condition
requires a separate natural frequency analysis to determine the mode shapes, a separate spectral response analysis is
therefore also required for each natural frequency analysis.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Linear Buckling Analysis – Constant + Variable Case

The linear buckling solver calculates factors applied to a load case to cause the structure to buckle. The load case is
referred as the Variable Case in R3 and the buckling factors scale the loads in that load case.
R3 also offers the option to select a Constant Case together with the variable case. If a constant case is selected, that
result case is assumed to be applied to the structure with a constant load factor of 1.0. The linear buckling solver then
calculates the load factor that scales only the variable case to cause the structure to buckle while the load factor on the
constant case remains as 1.0.
An example application of this feature is illustrated in the tied-arch model shown below. The roof load required to
cause the structure to buckle is to be determined given that the structure already has pre-tension in the ties and self-
weight due to gravity. The buckling factors to be calculated should not scale the gravity or pre-tension loads, only the
roof load.

The model is set up with three load cases: gravity, pre-tension and roof load. A linear static analysis calculates the
results for these load cases. A combination case is defined to combine gravity and pre-tension into one result case. The
linear buckling analysis then selects the combination case as the Constant Case and the roof load case as the Variable
Case. The buckling factors calculated scale the roof load while the other loads are applied unscaled.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Linear Buckling and Natural Frequency Follower Load [KG]

A new option is available in the linear buckling and natural frequency solvers: Include follower load [KG].

If the option is set, the geometric stress stiffness matrix used by the linear buckling solver, and optionally used by the
natural frequency solver, will be augmented by an additional load stiffness matrix that depends on the change in
tangent stiffness that occurs when an applied load changes direction as the structure deforms. Only some load types
will change direction as the structure deforms; these are the so-called follower loads, which in Strand7 include the
following element attributes:
 Beam Distributed Force applied in the principal lateral directions of Beam, Truss, Cutoff Bar and Spring elements;
 Plate Edge Normal Pressure applied to Plate/Shell, 3D-Membrane, Plane Stress, Plane Strain and Axisymmetric
elements;
 Plate Face Normal Pressure applied to Plate/Shell and 3D-Membrane elements;
 Brick Face Normal Pressure (all brick elements).
A Plate Global Face Pressure is not a follower load because its direction does not change as the plate element deflects
or rotates.
The following simple example illustrates the use of this feature in a linear buckling analysis.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

A cylinder with a uniform external pressure is analysed using the nonlinear static solver considering geometric
nonlinearity. The pressure is increased beyond the initial buckling response. The analysis is conducted twice: firstly,
with the external pressure applied as plate normal pressure attributes, and secondly, with the external pressure applied
as plate global pressure attributes.

In addition to the nonlinear static analysis, two linear buckling analyses are conducted using the load case with normal
pressure attributes: one analysis includes the follower load [KG] whilst the other does not.
The following graph compares all four solutions. It is clear that the buckling analysis with follower load [KG] closely
resembles the geometric nonlinear analysis with the normal pressure (i.e., follower load) attributes. Similarly, the
buckling analysis without the follower load [KG] closely resembles the geometric nonlinear analysis with the global
pressure attributes.

Pressure vs Displacement
2
1.8
1.6
1.4
Normalised Pressure

1.2
Normal Pressure Nonlinear Static
1
Global Pressure Nonlinear Static
0.8
Linear Buckling with follower load [KG]
0.6
Linear Buckling without follower load [KG]
0.4
0.2
0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3
Normalised Displacement

Note that in general, the load stiffness matrix is non-symmetric. However, a symmetric approximation has to be
included in linear Eigenvalue solvers that work only with symmetric matrices. The accuracy and applicability of this
option should be checked with the GNL solver as in the example above.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Position Offset vs Time Tables – Quasi-static and Nonlinear Transient Dynamic Analysis
As in R24, a Factor vs Position table can be assigned to a load case to scale the load at a node (irrespective of the source
of the load), based on the current position of the node. As the position of the node changes during the analysis, the
applied load is scaled according to the table. For example, a buoyancy force on a ship hull can be modelled by
associating a Factor vs Position table with a depth direction – as the ship moves downward, the hydrostatic pressure
increases.
Another example might be the filling of a tank with water. This process could be modelled with just a Factor vs Position
table by physically translating the tank relative to the defined table using enforced displacements. A more convenient
approach is to define the relative movement between the structure and the Factor vs Position table via a separate
table, thereby avoiding the need to physically move the structure in the analysis.
A new table option for the quasi-static and nonlinear transient dynamic solvers provides this functionality in R3. The
table type is one of the new tables in R3, the Displacement vs Time table, which is selected as the Position Offset vs
Time table in the Load tab of the solvers.
Example: Filling a tank with water
The mesh below represents the tank. There is a load case with a uniform (unit) internal pressure applied.

A Factor vs Position table is defined to represent water pressure with depth.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

A Displacement vs Time table represents the relative movement of the tank with respect to the Factor vs Position table.
This simulates filling over one second and then emptying.

The Load sub-tab of the solver is shown below with the tables selected.

Displacement contours at various steps of the filling process are shown below. A plot of the local zz stress shows the
corresponding normal pressure on the inside surface as the tank is filled.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Factor vs Velocity Tables – Nonlinear Transient Dynamic Analysis

A new table option for the nonlinear transient dynamic solver in R3 provides the functionality to scale the load at a
node based on the current velocity of the node. Unlike Factor vs Position tables, which apply scaling factors based on
the nominated UCS and axis, Factor vs Velocity tables scale the component of the load parallel to the direction of the
total velocity of the node, or parallel to the velocity components of the node.
The functionality applies to all loads on elements, except for thermal loads.
A typical use of these tables is for the application of aerodynamic or hydrodynamic forces on structures moving within a
stationary fluid.
Example: Spherical projectile in 3D modelled with brick elements

A normal pressure attribute of 1 Pa is applied over the entire outer surface in a consistent direction. The drag force
1
equation, 𝐹𝑑 = 2 𝜌𝑓 𝑉 2 𝐶𝑑 𝐴, is rearranged for use with the pressure load on the brick elements and is entered as
𝐹 1
𝑃 = 𝐴𝑑 = 2 𝜌𝑓 𝑉 2 𝐶𝑑 for the Factor vs Velocity table. If this table is used as is, then the fact that there are pressure
attributes on one side of the sphere that point in the direction of travel, as well as pressure attributes on the other side
of the sphere that point opposite to the direction of travel, needs to be considered.
One option is to define just one half of the table so that the pressure attributes in the opposite direction of travel
produce no force (i.e., negative relative velocity factors are set to zero) – this is shown below.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Alternatively, the table for both positive and negative relative velocity can be defined, and this will apply the drag
pressure on both sides of the sphere in the travel direction: compressive pressure on the leading surface and suction
pressure on the trailing surface. For this two-side approach, the drag equation magnitude needs to be factored by half
because now the pressure is acting simultaneously on both sides of the sphere – this is shown below.

The following graph is the Strand7 result for the above mesh, simulating the projectile motion in air. The results are
close to published values for this problem.
30
No Drag
25 Drag One Side
Drag Both Sides
20
Altitude

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Time

Relative Velocity Tables – Nonlinear Transient Dynamic Analysis

The previous example considers the case of a stationary fluid, in which the relative velocity is just the velocity of the
moving node. For the case where a non-stationary fluid is required, up to three additional Factor vs Velocity tables can

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

be associated with the load case to describe the velocity of the fluid as a function of time (Relative Velocity Tables in X,
Y and Z). The relative velocity is added to the node velocity before looking up the Factor vs Velocity table.
Example: Pole excited by sinusoidal wind load
A pressure load case is defined to represent the aerodynamic drag in the X direction.

A Factor vs Velocity table controls the aerodynamic drag force.

A Velocity vs Time table defines a sinusoidal wind velocity.

The tables are referenced in the Load sub-tab of the solver.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

A plot of the displacement vs time at the top of the pole reveals a periodic, but non-sinusoidal response.

Nonlinear Static Analysis – Pseudo Time and Reset

Each load increment of a nonlinear static analysis in R3 can include a pseudo time value and/or a reset flag.
The pseudo time option enables elements to consider Factor vs Time tables in the nonlinear static analysis, similarly to
quasi-static and nonlinear transient dynamic analysis. A typical use of this feature is to model creep behaviour in a
simplified manner.
The reset flag causes the increment to restart as a new analysis clearing the result history up to that point. This feature
enables the nonlinear static solver to be used to solve multiple combination cases independently, even if material
and/or geometric nonlinearity is considered.

Automatic Sub-stepping Options

A new sub-stepping option in R3 is the Displacement Scaling with displacement reduction option. This option is similar
to the Displacement scaling with load reduction in that it controls the iterative displacements to ensure that they are no
larger than the Maximum displacement increment (Ratio) and Maximum rotation increment (deg) settings.
If convergence cannot be achieved within the set number of iterations, or according to the Allow solver to add iterations
parameter, the solution does not sub-step. Instead, the Maximum displacement increment (Ratio) and Maximum
rotation increment (deg) settings are reduced and the load step starts again. Reductions for non-converging steps can
continue until the Minimum reduction factor is reached.
This new method is useful in situations where convergence of the majority of load steps does not require an excessively
small Maximum displacement increment (Ratio) or Maximum rotation increment (deg). For the load steps that require it,
the solver automatically reduces the values.
The new options Terminate if displacement exceeds and Terminate if rotation exceeds (deg) enable the solver to
automatically stop once the specified node displacement or rotation limits are exceeded at any node. These options
apply to all of the sub-stepping options, including None.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Transient Dynamic Analysis – Base Displacement, Base Velocity and Base Acceleration
In addition to the previously available base acceleration option, base excitation in R3 also supports base displacement
and base velocity time history.

The displacement, velocity and acceleration results for transient dynamic analyses that contain base excitation can be
viewed as either total results or relative to the base, by selecting the required option in Results Options. This can be
switched during post-processing and does not require re-running the analysis.

Harmonic Response Analysis – Base Excitation

The vs Time mode of the harmonic response solver in R3 supports base excitation as an input option. Any one of base
displacement, velocity or acceleration may be applied.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Non-structural Mass in Dynamic Analysis

Mass can be used for two purposes in Strand7: to directly generate forces when acted upon by an acceleration, and for
inclusion in the global mass matrix for natural frequency and transient dynamic analysis. In R3, the use of non-
structural mass load cases for either purpose is selected independently.
The inclusion of non-structural mass to produce force is set in the load case definition.

The inclusion of non-structural mass in the global mass matrix is set on the SOLVERS/Home tab of the dynamic solvers.

Solver Generates Combinations

To reduce post-processing time after opening a linear static result file containing load case combinations, the task of
generating the combinations file can be delegated to the solver process.

Appending Time-based Results

A useful new option is available when appending time-based results such as linear transient dynamic, quasi-static,
nonlinear transient dynamic and transient heat results. This is the Time Steps option allowing for all of the time steps
defined in the current time table to be appended to the results (as in R24), or appending only the time steps beyond
the last time instance stored in the initial conditions file.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

RESULTS

Opening Result Files

R3 offers some flexibility in the way result files are opened via the Options tab of the result file open dialog.

LINEAR BUCKLING (LBA) / NATURAL FREQUENCY (NFA)

 Hide unconverged modes
If set, unconverged modes will not be available for post-processing.
 Hide negative/zero modes
If set, negative or zero modes will not be available for post-processing.
 Hide modes with mass participation below %
Natural frequency modes with mass participation lower than the specified value will not be available for post-
processing.
SPECTRAL RESPONSE (SRA)
 Hide modal results
If set, modal results will not be available for post-processing; only the SRSS and CQC result cases will be available
(which are usually the important ones).
NONLINEAR STATIC (NLA) / QUASI-STATIC (QSA) / NONLINEAR TRANSIENT (NTA)
 Hide unconverged results
If set, unconverged results will not available for post-processing.
 Hide intermediate sub-steps
If set, intermediate sub-steps will not be available for post-processing.

Element Energy Integral

R3 offers one additional result energy quantity type, namely the Energy Integral, in the Peek and Graphs tools and in
LISTINGS. This reports the total spent or stored energy results (not energy density) of each beam, plate or brick
element, as one pair of values for each result case.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Cutting plane resultants for multiple result cases.

Coefficients of stress tensor at every intersection point on the cutting plane.

Subtract Support Reactions

Nodal reactions are usually non-zero at restrained nodes and at nodes supported by elastic support attributes.
Reactions at other nodes are theoretically zero, but due to round-off they are usually also non-zero (although they are
expected to be very small). The magnitude of reactions (or unbalanced forces) at unrestrained nodes is of particular
interest in nonlinear analysis as it provides a good indicator as to the level of convergence obtained. At nodes

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

supported by face support attributes, R3 offers the option to subtract the support reaction, thereby facilitating the
inspection of just the unbalanced forces.

Linear Static + Harmonic Response Combinations

R3 offers the functionality to generate combinations of linear static and harmonic response analyses.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Natural Frequency Analysis Mode Shape Normalisation

The natural frequency solver calculates the frequencies and corresponding mode shapes of a structure. By default, the
mode shapes are normalised such that they produce a unit modal mass; that is,
𝜑𝑇𝑖 𝑀𝜑𝑖 = 1
where 𝜑𝑖 is the mode shape vector for mode 𝑖 and 𝑀 is the global mass matrix.
For the calculation of the engineering modal mass, a different normalisation is used: here the mode shape vector is
scaled such that the largest displacement in the global X, Y, or Z direction is equal to 1.0 units of length. The natural
frequency solver lists the nodes and degrees of freedom corresponding to this normalisation of the mode shape vector.
NODE/DOF EIGENVECTOR NORMALISATION FOR ENGINEERING MODAL MASS AND STIFFNESS
Mode Frequency (Hz) Node DoF
1 1.466385E+00 619 DZ
2 2.061489E+00 1664 DX
3 2.789282E+00 564 DZ
4 4.510150E+00 619 DZ
5 7.475686E+00 1597 DZ
6 7.844652E+00 564 DX

A new option is available in R3 to use this mode shape vector (based on the engineering modal mass) for post-
processing of natural frequency results (graphical display, Peek and LISTINGS).

Envelopes
Limit Mag Type
A new Limit Envelope type is available in R3, namely the Limit Mag type. This is a signed version of the Limit Abs type –
the envelope value with the maximum magnitude is retained together with its sign.

Harmonic Response and Heat Transfer Envelopes

In addition to the result types in which enveloping was previously available (such as linear static, nonlinear static, and so
on) enveloping in R3 is also available for steady state heat transfer, transient heat transfer and harmonic response
analysis. In the case of harmonic response analysis, envelopes are available for vs Frequency and vs Time solution
modes, as well as for combinations of linear static and harmonic vs time results.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Log File Viewer

The log file viewer in R3 offers the option to reconstruct the convergence graph for the nonlinear solvers (nonlinear
static, quasi-static, nonlinear transient dynamic analyses and nonlinear heat).

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

IMPORT/EXPORT

DXF Import
AutoCAD’s DXF file import is enhanced in R3 with ACIS-SAT files embedded in the DXF also imported.

Rhino 3dm File Import

Native Rhinoceros® 3dm files may be imported directly into R3. This is usually more efficient than going through a
neutral format such as IGES or STEP as more of the data can be imported.

API
There are extensive changes to the R3 API compared with the R24 API. However, the task of converting an R24 API
program to run with the R3 API is not a major one. The Strand7 R24 to R3 API Porting Guide provides information that
will help simplify the task.

Functions
The R3 API offers some 2100 functions compared with around 1200 functions in the R24 API.

Headers
In addition to headers for the previously available programming languages and development environments, headers are
also provided for Grasshopper®.

DLL Solver
The R3 API introduces a DLL version of the solver (in addition to the EXE version). The DLL version is advantageous for
API projects that need to run the solver hundreds or thousands of times on relatively small models (e.g., for
optimisation). Once loaded, the DLL remains memory resident, so the time to launch the next solve is usually
measurably less compared with loading the EXE version of the solver each time.

Strand7
Strand7 Release 3 ®

Strand7 R3 Feature Summary

Tools Functions
All of the element and geometry modelling tools available in the R3 GUI are also available via the R3 API. For example,
the function St7CopyByIncrement() can be used to copy selected entities via the API.

Markers
A set of new functions provide basic entity annotation functionality in the model window ( St7SetMarker(),
St7ShowMarker() and St7HideMarker() amongst others).

Results Contour File

A set of new functions, including St7GeneratePlateContourFile(), St7LoadPlateContourFile() and
St7GetPlateContourFileResult(), provide a more efficient way to extract plate and brick element results when
nodal averaged results are required over all, or most, of the elements in the model. Using contour files, the results are
pre-calculated and stored for faster retrieval.

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