Multiframe Plate - Analysis of plate and stiffened plate structures
3D patch modelling approach
Totally graphical interface
Compatible with beam formulation
Automatic mesh alignment with patches and beams
Multiframe Plate allows you to include plate elements in your Multiframe structural analysis models. It features a 6 degree of freedom flat shell element which is compatible with the 3D beam element formulation used in Multiframe. It is also very stable and avoids the “locking” problems experienced by many plate elements.
Modelling using plates features the same easy to use graphical interface found in the rest of Multiframe. Plates are automatically organised into patches and where patches or members join each other, Multiframe Plate automatically remeshes to ensure nodal continuity across boundaries. The user can add holes to plate patches and choose either uniform or freeform triangular meshing.
The sketching, duplication and other geometry management tools which can be used on beams can also be used on plate patches. Initial geometry for patches can be imported from AutoCAD and other CAD systems via DXF. When applying properties such as materials, thicknesses and mesh density, Multiframe's familiar graphical interface is used.
When modelling a combination of beam and plate elements in the same model, you can use Multiframe’s Member Offset command to offset the neutral axis of attached beams to the plate field. This ensures an accurate calculation of the relative contribution to stiffness of the beams and plates in the model.
Pressure, line and distributed loads can be applied to plate patches. The location of these loads is parametric so that if patch geometry changes, loads update automatically.
Multiframe now features a new fast 64-bit solver optimised for Windows 7. This allows even large models to analyse quickly on current hardware.
The results of analysis can be displayed as forces, moments and stresses including Von Mises and Tresca stresses. Diagrammatic and contour displays help you to easily identify hot spots in the model.
