Program Control

When the program is executed the users is prompted as follows:

 ======================================================
 BERSAFE to FEMVIEW Version 1               Release 406
 FEMGEN/FEMVIEW Version 2.1                Release 02.A
 Copyright :  Femview Limited
 Installed for : FEMVIEW LTD
 Installation Date :                          13 MAY 92
 Expiry Date :                                31 DEC 92
 Run Time/Date :                     14:54:09 13 MAY 92 
 ======================================================
  
 DATA MAY BE ENTERED DIRECTLY INTO AN EXISTING
 DATABASE OR OUTPUT TO A TEXT FILE.
 MAKE YOUR CHOICE : 1  ENTRY TO DATABASE
                  : 2  OUTPUT TO CHARACTER FILE
                  : 3  BOTH 1 AND 2
 
 ENTER 1,2,OR 3 (11,12,13 FOR VERBOSE) (1)>

This option controls the destination for the translated data. Options 11, 12, and 13 map to options 1,2, and 3 and are used to switch the program into verbose mode. The default is entry into the database in terse mode.

Where options 1 or 3 have been chosen a FEMVIEW database will be opened; a new database will be created if one is not already present.

 ENTER FULL NAME OF BERSAFE RESULTS FILE >

The user should respond with the name of the BERSAFE F2 file. This name is case-sensitive. There is no default for this name.

Where options 2 or 3 have been selected the user will also be prompted thus:

 ENTER FULL NAME OF TEXT FILE >

The user should respond with the name of a new file. This name is case-sensitive. There is no default for this name.

 *** BERSAFE RESULTS FILE OPENED ***
  
 *** PROCESSING ADMINISTRATION DATA ***
 
 BERSAFE MODEL DATA:
 ===================================
 MAXIMUM NODE NUMBER          =   13
 NUMBER OF ELEMENTS           =   12
 NUMBER OF LOAD CASES         =    2
 NUMBER OF MATERIALS          =    2
 NUMBER OF DIRECTION COSINES  =   13
 NUMBER OF PRESCRIBED
 DISPLACEMENTS/LOAD CASE      =    0
 
 ENTER ANALYSIS TYPE (P/C/S) (S)>

There is often insufficient data on the F2 file to determine the type of analysis that has been performed and so the user is prompted for this information. For BERDYNE analyses there is sufficient information on the file and this question will be ommitted. The user should enter P for a plasticity run, C for a creep run or S for a static run. The default is static.

Where creep or plasticity data is to be processed, the user is further prompted:

 ARE ELASTIC RESULTS ALSO REQUIRED? (Y/N) (Y)>

The user should answer yes or no, the default being to process the elastic results too.

 CREATE NEW MODEL OR APPEND RESULTS TO OLD MODEL? (C/A) (C)>

The interface can translate all model data and create a new FEMVIEW model or translate only the results data and append this information to an existing FEMVIEW model. It is not possible to create a model that already exists or to append data to a model that does not already exist in the FEMVIEW database. The default is to create.

 ENTER MODEL NAME (MAX 6 CHARACTERS) >

The user should enter the name of an old or new FEMVIEW model. This name is used when running the main program to access the data from a particular BERSAFE analysis. There is no default for this name.

At certain IBM sites a model database size option is available and the user is prompted thus:

 ENTER RESULTS DATABASE SIZE (40-500) (40)>

This number is used to control the file size allocated to a new model and will limit the amount of data that can be associated with such a model.

 ARE MATERIAL NAMES SPECIFIED IN mmMggg NOTATION? (Y/N) (N)>

BERSAFE uses six characters for material names, FEMVIEW uses a material number. Where the above notation is not used the interface simply assigns FEMVIEW material 1 to the first material name in the F2 file and proceeds sequentially for additional materials.

Material names specified in `mmMggg' notation will be decoded so that the first two digits are taken as the FEMVIEW element material number and the last three digits as the FEMVIEW element group number.

For example, the material name `01M023' will be decoded to give a material number = 1 and a group number = 23. The default is not to decode material names.

 AUTOMATIC LOADCASE NAME GENERATION? (Y/N) (Y)>

The user may either define names for each loadcase in the model or allow the interface to generate these names automatically. Where the interface is allowed to generate the names it will use the following convention:

The first loadcase on the F2 file will be named L1
The second loadcase on the F2 file will be named L2 etc.

The default is automatic loadcase name generation and in this case the user will be prompted thus:

 ENTER LOADCASE NUMBER FOR FIRST LOADCASE (1)>

This option allows the user to change the starting loadcase number if desired. This option would typically be used when appending results but may be used when creating a new model too.

Where the user opts to supply their own loadcase names they are prompted thus for each loadcase in the model:

 ENTER NAME FOR LOADCASE n (MAX 6 CHARACTERS) >

The user responds with a non-blank string of 6 characters or less for each loadcase in the model. All names must be unique and an error will occur during processing if this is not true.

For Creep or Plasticity analyses the user will also be prompted thus:

 ENTER STEP NUMBER FOR FIRST STEP (1)>

This allows the user to specify a starting step number for analysis steps within a given loadcase. This step number will either relate to a time step or a load step. The interface will increment the step numbers sequentially from this start number, the default being 1.

 ENTER RESULTS OUTPUT COORDINATE SYSTEM (CA/CY/SP) (CA)>

This option is used to control the coordinate system in which results data are output (eg: displacements, stresses and strains).The user should type CA for cartesian, CY for cylindrical, or SP for spherical. The default is cartesian.

The orientation of the cylindrical system is such that the `cylinder' axis is along the cartesian Z-axis, and the origin of the cylindrical system is coincident with that of the cartesian system.

The orientation of the spherical system is such that the `sphere' has an `axis' and `poles' lying on the cartesian Z-axis, and the origin of the spherical system is coincident with that of the cartesian system.

All results will be output in the specified system. To get, for example, stresses in one system and displacements in another the program will have to be run twice.

 DO YOU WANT TO PROCESS NODAL TEMPERATURES? (Y/N) (N)>

Where a thermal load has been applied to a model, the user may select the nodal temperatures for output. The default is not to process nodal temperatures. Where this option is requested, the user is futher prompted:

 CONVERT TO ABSOLUTE TEMPERATURE? (Y/N) (N)>

This conversion option allows the user to add parameter RTEMP from the BERSAFE input deck to the nodal temperatures. The default is not to add this value.

The user is then prompted with the following questions which control which results data is translated by the interface.

 OUTPUT DISPLACEMENTS? (Y/N) (Y)>
 
 OUTPUT NODAL AVERAGED STRESSES? (Y/N) (Y)>
 
 OUTPUT ELEMENT NODAL STRESSES? (Y/N) (Y)>
 
 OUTPUT GAUSSIAN STRESSES? (Y/N) (Y)>
 
 OUTPUT NODAL AVERAGED STRAINS? (Y/N) (Y)>
 
 OUTPUT ELEMENT NODAL STRAINS? (Y/N) (Y)>
 
 OUTPUT GAUSSIAN STRAINS? (Y/N) (Y)>

The user should answer yes or no, the default being yes.

Where nodal averaged strains have been requested, the user will be prompted thus:

 AVERAGE NODAL STRAINS ACROSS MATERIALS? (Y/N) (N)>

This option controls whether nodal averaged strains (the averaging is performed by the interface) are averaged across material boundaries or not. The default is not to average across material boundaries.

Ahmad thick shell and Semi-loof elements produce stresses with reference to the element local co-ordinate system. The user may choose to have the stresses transformed to the global co-ordinate system.

TRANSFORM SHELL STRESSES TO GLOBAL? (Y/N) (N)>

The default is not to transform shell stresses.

Upon completion of the question and answer session, the program will immediately start processing data from the F2 file to the desired destination. The program will display progress messages, errors and warnings at the screen and duplicate them in the log file. Upon completion the program terminates.