SOFTWARE FUNCTION

WinFRAM is a powerful suite of programs for the structural analysis of 2D and 3D skeletal structures, combining ease and flexibility of use with speed and accuracy of computation. WinFRAM is Windows menu and toolbar controlled software with built-in context specific HELP and no commands to memorize and forget!

FEATURES SUMMARY

Choice of engineering units. Built-in section properties calculation including shear and torsion properties. Built-in sections libraries. Spring or rigid supports and member releases. Wide range of load types including pre-stress, temperature, 'g', settlement and member distortion. Data validation at time-of-entry. Fast intelligent double-precision solution algorithm. Results include displacements, member forces and stresses, reactions and overall load balance. Real-time post-processor for combining and enveloping of results. Powerful graphics with pan, zoom, window and rotate control to allow study of data and results in any detail. Output to printers, plotters, Windows clipboard and to file.

Can be used with models created by the WinKWIK Routine Structures Modeller or by a CAD program. Any graphic display may be written to a DXF file. ASCII file output can be generated for user post-processor program manipulation.

DATA PREPARATION

Analysis data may be entered directly into the program's spreadsheet style data tables (keyboard input or paste from the clipboard) or may be prepared using the powerful built-in graphical input options (including mesh generation) or by the WinKWIK program or by ASCII file input or by importing a DXF file model from a CAD program.

The WinFRAM spreadsheet allows easy access to and adjustment of all values. Powerful data pattern replication facilities are provided. The calculation of section properties from user specified dimensions includes shear and torsion properties. Library files are provided for standard material and section properties data e.g. BS steel sections. Progress at any stage of model development can be checked in the simultaneous screen plot.

ANALYSIS PROCEDURES

WinFRAM performs an internal re-numbering of the nodes and comprehensive pre-analysis checks for consistency and completeness of data before allowing the analysis algorithm to proceed.

Progress through the stages of load and stiffness matrix assembly and equation solution by Gaussian elimination are reported on-screen. Nodal re-numbering and the performing of all calculations in RAM wherever possible ensure a very fast analysis with solution times in seconds for most applications. Double precision arithmetic is used to guarantee calculation accuracy.

Most analysis programs consider the complexity of including shear deformations in the calculations to be too onerous and simply ignore them. For greater accuracy, WinFRAM automatically includes this effect by default.

RESULTS PROCESSING

The WinFRAM post-processor is a very powerful feature which allows interactive examination of the results in tabular or graphical form and the production of printed and plotted reports.

WinFRAM results tables manipulation allows the user to move rapidly to view any part of the table no matter how large the model.

Real-time post-processing means that any number of combinations and envelopes may be created and the results studied without re-analysis. A unique MAXIMA SCAN mode allows WinFRAM to be set into a search mode scanning through all or selected results table entries to find the occurrence of the maximum of any effect.

GRILLAGE OPTIONS

Special post-processing facilities are provided for grillage analysis results. These calculate moments, torques, shears and Wood-Armer results per unit width of slab. These facilities work with skew and orthogonal grillages and for skew and orthogonal reinforcement.

GRAPHICS

A plot of the analytical model is always visible during data input and results review. Clicking on any part of the model with the mouse pointer will automatically present the relevant table scrolled to highlight the appropriate entry. Similarly clicking on a data or results entry with the mouse pointer will highlight the corresponding part of the model.

Graphics facilities in the post-processor allow display of displacements, moments, shears, torques and end loads with key value annotation. Models may be viewed and manipulated to allow them to be studied in elevation, plan, axonometric or perspective view. Applied loads and analysis results may be viewed for any basic, combination or envelope loadcase. Results may be plotted for the whole model or for selected zones, member groups or members. Plots may windowed, rotated and panned.

PROGRAM OUTPUT

The contents of any data and results table may be output in part or in whole to a printer, to a PDF file, to an ASCII file, or copied to the Windows clipboard. Plot output may be sent to printer, plotter, BMP file, DXF file, EMF file or PDF file. The Print Report dialogue allows easy precise specification of output requirements for bulk reports.

NON-LINEAR ANALYSIS OPTIONS

The WinNONLIN Non-Linear Analysis Options is a second-order iterative analysis add-on module, significantly extending the scope of WinFRAM.

Interfacing products: WinKWIK , WinSTEEL , WinHILO , WinVIBE, WinNONLIN