UTILITIES USERS GUIDE

ICATS
ICON Suite, 58 Princes Gate Exhibition Road, London SW7 2PG www.icats.co.uk info@icats.co.uk

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CONTENTS
1. OVERVIEW 2. UTILITY PROGRAMS TO CREATE/EDIT DATA FILES
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 MAKE_PRJ MAKE_CRD MAKE_CMD MAKE_FRC MAKE_MOD

3. UTILITY PROGRAMS TO MANIPULATE DATA FILES

3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 EIG_UTIL MAPGEN FRFGEN FRF2TIM

4. UTILITY PROGRAMS TO IMPORT DATA FILES

4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 RD_ANSYS RD_PATRAN FILTER_U RD_FRF_U RD_TIM_U

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WARRANTY
With respect to the physical diskette(s) and physical documentation enclosed herein, ICATS warrants the same to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 30 days from purchase. In the event of notification within the warranty period of defects in material or workmanship, ICATS will replace the defective diskette or documentation or both. The remedy for breach of this warranty shall be limited to replacement and shall not encompass any other damages, including but not limited to loss of profit, special incidental, consequential or other similar claims.

DISCLAIMER
ICATS specifically disclaims all other warranties, expressed or implied, including but not limited, implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to defects in the diskettes and documentation. In no event shall ICATS be liable for any loss of profit or any commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages.

TRADEMARKS
UTILITIES is a trademark of ICATS. All product names mentioned in this document are trademarks of their respective companies, and are hereby acknowledged.

COPYRIGHT 1988-2008 ICATS

No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of ICATS.

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UTILITIES
1. OVERVIEW The UTILITIES Suite provides the following functions.

Create/edit data file Programs in this group create (or edit) a MODENT data file. The file type is indicated by the utility name, e.g. MAKE_CRD creates a .CRD file.

Manipulate data Programs in this group manipulate existing data to create more complex input data files.

Import data Programs in this group import data, either from FE codes or convert data universal file format to MODENT format.

MAKE_PRJ MAKE_CRD MAKE_CMD MAKE_FRC MAKE_MOD

EIG_UTIL MAPGEN FRFGEN FRF2TIM

RD_ANSYS RD_PATRAN FILTER_U RD_FRF_U RD_TIM_U

Colour coding: Blue is used for keywords, dialog box options, menu bar options, mouse operations. Bold blue is used for program names. Dark blue is used for headings. Bold orange is used for program menus. Green is used for user tips. Magenta is used for warnings.

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2. UTILITY PROGRAMS TO CREATE/EDIT DATA FILES 2.1 MAKE_PRJ MAKE_PRJ creates (New .PRJ) or edits (Edit .PRJ) a .PRJ file. If a new .PRJ file is being created, the user must select the file type(s) that the .PRJ file will contain by checking the appropriate box(es). This will enable the browsing of the selected file type(s).

Selected .CRD files will be displayed here. Max 8 files.

Delete selected file if necessary

Selected .DSP file will be displayed here. Selected .EIG file will be displayed here. Selected .TIM file will be displayed here.

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2.2 MAKE_CRD (Formerly LISTFRF) MAKE_CRD creates a .CRD file form existing .FRF files for multi-FRF modal analysis. Additionally, MAKE_CRD can be used to plot any .FRF file.
Enter .FRF filter here

Enter output .CRD file name here

Select working sub-directory from here

Click on FRF to plot Mark all .FRF files you want to include

The default file filter is .FRF but any extension can be selected for generality. Any .FRF file can be plotted by double-clicking the left mouse button, or using the Graph! Menu if an .FRF file is marked. Use List Menu to mark/unmark all files. Use the left button to mark/unmark an individual .FRF file. Once the selection of the .FRF files is complete, use the File Menu to create the .CRD file.

Note. Visual Basic support is needed for MAKE_CRD. It is very likely that your computer will already have the necessary system support files. If not, please email info@icats.co.uk for help.

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2.3 MAKE_CMD MAKE_CMD creates a .CMD file form existing .MOD files for collating individual single FRF analyses into a consistent .EIG file.

Enter output .CMD file name here

Enter .MOD filter here

Select working sub-directory from here

Mark all .MOD files you want to include

The default file filter is .MOD but any extension can be selected for generality. Use List Menu to mark/unmark all files. Use the left button to mark/unmark an individual .MOD file. Once the selection of the .MOD files is complete, use the File Menu to create the .CMD file.
Note. Visual Basic support is needed for MAKE_CMD. It is very likely that your computer will already have the necessary system support files. If not, please email info@icats.co.uk for help.

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2.4 MAKE_FRC MAKE_FRC creates (New .FRC) or edits (Edit .FRC) a .FRC file which is used in MODESH for forced response animation and the computation of the plotted response. If a new .FRC file is being created, the various radio buttons and edit boxes will be enabled.

Select the direction of forcing Details of forcing. Add as many forces as necessary Force can be entered in complex, or mod/phase format

All force entries listed here

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2.5 MAKE_MOD MAKE_MOD creates (New .MOD) or edits (Edit .MOD) a .MOD file which is used in MODENT for FRF generation from modal parameters. If a new .MOD file is being created, the various radio buttons and edit boxes will be enabled.

Select the direction of excitation & response

Modal constant can be entered in complex, or mod/phase format

Details of modal parameters Add as many forces as

All entries listed here

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3. UTILITY PROGRAMS TO MANIPULATE DATA FILES 3.1 EIG_UTIL EIG_UTIL is designed to manipulate .EIG files so that certain operations can be performed quicker and more conveniently. As shown below, it has a total of 8 options which will be described below.

1) Reduce by co-ordinate This option is useful for reducing the size of .EIG files by either keeping, or deleting specified co-ordinates. The co-ordinates can be selected from a list, read from a data file, or specified according to co-ordinate directions. It is important to click on the Next> Button in the following order so that the next operation is enabled: 1) select for keeping or deleting 2) selection method 3) select from list, select by direction or read from file. If the co-ordinates are to be read from the line, the format is as follows: Node no, co-ordinate direction ., .

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.., The file will contain as many lines as co-ordinates to be kept (or deleted). The node no is the user-given node number (integer), the co-ordinate direction must be between 1 and 6, where x=1, y=2, z=3, etc. If the .EIG file has been obtained from an undamped finite element model, it may be desirable to specify an average modal damping value by enabling the edit box. The initially displayed value is the average loss factor value over all modes. If overwritten, all modes will have the entered % loss factor value. Once Finish is selected, a filename must be given to save the reduced .EIG file.

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2) Reduce by node This option is useful for reducing the size of .EIG files by either keeping, or deleting specified nodes. The nodes can be selected from a list, read from a data file, or specified according to co-ordinate directions. In this last case, only nodes that have associated DOFs with the specified co-ordinate direction(s) will be selected. It is important to click on the Next> Button in the following order so that the next operation is enabled: 1) select for keeping or deleting 2) selection method 3) select from list, select by direction or read from file. If the nodes are to be read from the line, the format is as follows: Node no .. . The file will contain as many lines as nodes to be kept (or deleted) where the node no is the user-given node number (integer). If the .EIG file has been obtained from an undamped finite element model, it may be desirable to specify an average modal damping value by enabling the edit box. The initially displayed value is the average loss factor value over all modes. If overwritten, all modes will have the entered % loss factor value. Once Finish is selected, a filename must be given to save the reduced .EIG file.

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3) Reduce by mode This option is useful for reducing the size of .EIG files by either keeping, or deleting specified modes. The modes can only be selected from a list. It is important to Select for keeping or deleting and clicking on the Next> Button to enable the selection from the list. If the .EIG file has been obtained from an undamped finite element model, it may be desirable to specify an average modal damping value by enabling the edit box. The initially displayed value is the average loss factor value over all modes. If overwritten, all modes will have the entered % loss factor value. Once Finish is selected, a filename must be given to save the reduced .EIG file.

4) Convert to UFF Type 55 .EIG This option allows the conversion of ICATS format .EIG files into Type 55 Universal files. Damping Structural damping is converted to viscous damping and incorporated into the complex natural frequency value. Mass-normalization If the mode shapes are real, mass-normalization is preserved as all ICATS files are automatically mass-normalized. If the mode shapes are complex, there is no direct method of finding MODAL_A & MODAL_B of UFFs, as these are based on state-space viscous damping model where the matrix equations are doubled in size. In the converted file these values are set to unity. Therefore, the file is not mass-normalized in a 'UFF' sense. However, to be consistent with the ICATS read routines, the mass-normalized mode shapes are divided by:
2i r Ar

r: undamped natural frequency i: square root of -1

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Ar: complex MODAL_A (set to unity here) The ICATS read routines will automatically multiply the mode shapes by the same complex number. 5) Merge complex/real .EIG files into complex .EIG file This option may be used to merge two or more .EIG files with real or complex modes. The combined file will be saved in complex format. The facility is useful for merging the results of two (or more) separate modal analyses of the same FRF data set. Restriction: all .EIG files must have the same co-ordinates. 6) Merge large real .EIG files into real .EIG file This option is useful when merging large .EIG files obtained from a finite element model. For instance, separate solutions of large FE models may be performed for consecutive frequency ranges, thus yielding several .EIG files. Such .EIG files can be merged using this option. Restriction: all .EIG files must have the same co-ordinates. 7) See output This option allows the user to see the dump file created by each one of the preceding options. 8) Exit Exits EIG_UTIL.

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3.2 MAPGEN Program MAPGEN is designed to create a .CMP file for MODESH. This is done by mapping a set of .DSP & .EIG files onto another set.

The first step is to read two .DSP files, noting that the second set will be mapped onto the first one. In the general case, where the models are defined in different global axes, three node pairs must be defined to align the co-ordinate axes. This is best done by displaying the two models, side by side, in MODESH.

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Once the Read .DSP button is clicked, two .DSP files must be selected sequentially. The user is then prompted with the ALIGN MODEL AXES dialog box. The default nodes are the first, middle and last nodes in the two models. Provided the models are defined in the same co-ordinate set and have identical dimensions, e.g. when preparing a .CMP file for self-correlation, do not uncheck No need to align axes. Here, uncheck and enter the actual node pairs. When defining the nodes, two conditions must be met. A node may not be used twice in the same model and the nodes may not be co-linear. (If you are mapping a beam, define an additional node that is offset).

The node information above will be used to align the co-ordinate axes and the common nodes between the two .DSP files will be determined automatically. The mapped geometry will be saved automatically (filename supplied by the user), though this file will not be used in the .CMP. The user must then click on the Read .EIG button to select two .EIG files, one for each .DSP file. If necessary, the second .EIG file will be mapped using the same co-ordinate transformation and saved, in the same co-ordinate system as Model 1, for use in the .CMP file.

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The user must then click on the Save .CMP button to create the .CMP file for MODESH. Note that, the transformed (and not the original) .EIG file is used when creating the .CMP file. The dump file, which contains detailed information about node matching and co-ordinate transformation, may be inspected by clicking on the See output button.

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3.3 FRFGEN

FRFGEN is a utility program that automates the generation of .FRF files from a .EIG file. Although the same facility exists in MODENT, the aim of FRFGEN is to provide a more general utility for batch processing. FRFGEN can be used for either FRF generation, or for response generation under multiple forcing. The input data must be written to a .GEN file, the format of which is given below.
The name of the .EIG file Starting frequency, Frequency increment, No of frequencies (Hz) Number of harmonic forces applied (NF) Node, Direction, Real part of force 1, Imaginary part of force 1 Node, Direction, Real part of force 2, Imaginary part of force 2 Node, Direction, Real part of force N, Imaginary part of force N 4-letter root name for response files Number of FRFs (or responses) (NR) Resp 1 node, Resp 1 direction, Force 1 node, Force 1 direction Resp 2 node, Resp 2 direction, Force 2 node, Force 2 direction .. Resp N node, Resp N direction, Force N node, Force N direction Damping flag (=0 use values in .EIG file, =1 define below) Damping value 1, Frequency 1 (Hz) Damping value 2, Frequency 2 (Hz) CHARACTER REAL,REAL, INT INT INT, INT, REAL, REAL INT, INT, REAL, REAL

NF LINES

NR LINES

INT, INT, REAL, REAL CHARACTER INT INT, INT, INT, INT INT,INT, INT, INT INT,INT, INT, INT INT REAL, REAL REAL, REAL

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Notes For FRF generation, NF must be 0. In this case, the NR responses are FRFs. For forced response generation, NF, the number of acting forces, must be >0. In this case the NR responses are the actual responses under the NF forces. For FRF generation, provide full information in the NR response lines, i.e. include force node and force direction data, shown in green. For forced response generation, specify the response information only in the NR response lines, i.e. omit force node and force direction data, shown in green. NF force lines, shown in gray, must also be provided in this case since NF>0. Direction convention is 1=x, 2=y, 3=z, 4=x, 5=y, 6=z. The damping flag allows overwriting the damping values in the .EIG file by internally calculated values. These are computed linearly between Frequency 1 and Frequency 2, reflecting the feature that higher modes might be more heavily damped. For instance, 0.001, 10, 0.05, 1000 will set the modal damping to 0.1% at 10 Hz and to 5% at 100 Hz. The actual damping values, written to file FORT.7, will be proportional to the associated natural frequency. Damping value lines, shown in gray, are used only if the damping flag is set to 1. The output from FRFGEN is NR response files and 1 power average FRF of all response files. The file names are constructed from the 4-letter root name, plus excitation and response data.

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3.4 FRF2TIM

FRF2TIM is a utility program that can generate pseudo impulse response function files from FRF data. The input is a .CRD file whose FRFs are converted into the time domain via an inverse Fourier transform and written as time records into a single .TIM file. See Appendix C for a description of the .TIM file format. The main uses of this utility are as follows: Time domain animation of the frequency-domain data in MODESH. Time domain OMA analysis for cases where raw time data are not available.

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4. UTILITY PROGRAMS TO IMPORT DATA FILES 4.1 RD_ANSYS

RD_ANSYS can be used for two main purposes: o Geometry conversion of an ANSYS model into ICATS format o Modal data conversion into ICATS format 4.1.1 Files required RD_ANSYS has two main options: geometry transfer & modal solution transfer. The input files, listed below, must be created using ANSYS. Here it is assumed that the files have a common root name, here PROJECT. To transfer the geometry, you must dump nodes, elements, element types and material types. The following files are needed. PROJECT.NOD, created by PREP7 by typing NWRITE,PROJECT,NOD. PROJECT.ELT, created by PREP7 by typing EWRITE,PROJECT,ELT. PROJECT.ET, created by PREP7 by typing ETLIST, then saving the file as PROJECT.ET. PROJECT.MAT, created by PREP7 by typing MPWRITE,PROJECT,MAT

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The geometry in ICATS format will be written to file PROJECT.DSP. The element types, material and real numbers will also be converted. An ICATS format .MTR file, containing the actual real and material data will also be created. However, not all material and real properties are supported and the .MTR file may need to be edited manually. To transfer a modal solution, you must dump the contents of the modal file (default name: file.mode) which is written by ANSYS. The following ASCII file is used for this purpose.

PROJECT.ASC, created by AUX2 by typing the following commands: FILE,PROJECT,MODE (Written by ANSYS Contains the eigensolution) /OUTPUT,PROJECT,ASC (Define output filename) FORM,LONG DUMP,ALL

The ICATS format modal data will be written to PROJECT.EIG. File PROJECT.ASC is not required when transferring the geometry only. When dealing with large files, it may be better to run the AUX2 option in batch mode. Prepare a batch data file (see below in green), select Batch from the ANSYS Start Menu and enter the batch filename into the ANSYS Batch Run Dialog Box. /aux2 file,FILE,mode form,long /output,FILE,asc DUMP,ALL /EOF /EOF The output will be in FILE.ASC.

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4.1.2 Listing the output from RD_ANSYS You can open a Notepad window to see the output from RD_ANSYS by clicking on the LIST OUTPUT button. 4.1.3 Include/Exclude rotations The user has the option of keeping, or ignoring rotations by checking/unchecking the corresponding box in the main panel. The exclusion of rotations yields more compact data files. 4.1.4 FRF generation The .EIG file can be read by MODENT to generate FRFs. It may be best use utility program EIG_UTIL.EXE to reduce the ANSYS eigensolution to the co-ordinates of interest. When generating the FRFs, use the FE node and directions in response to the Force and Excitation data prompt. Notes/Restrictions The ANSYS eigensolution must be performed via Subspace Iteration or Block Lanczos options. Only the following elements are supported: MASS21, BEAM4, BEAM188, PIPE16, COMBIN14, SHELL63, SHELL93, SOLID45, SOLID185, SOLID187, SOLID92, SOLID95, SOLID186. The solid elements include 8- & 20-noded hexahedra, 4-& 10-noded tetrahedra, 6- & 15-noded wedge elements. 3-noded beam elements are translated with all 3 nodes, even if the third node is for orientation purposes only. Only the following material properties are recognized: DENS, EX, PRXY. Unsupported non-isentropic material properties have no effect on geometry & modal solution conversion but the material properties are not transferred into the .MTR file.

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4.2 RD_PATRAN (Formerly RD_MASTRAN) RD_PATRAN is used to read both the geometry and the eigensolution data of a NASTRAN model in PATRAN format.

Files required RD_PATRAN reads two files, both created by PATRAN in neutral file format. Here MYFILE.GEO and MYFILE.RES are used as two usergiven generic names. They are converted to ICATS files MYFILE.DSP and MYFILE.EIG respectively. 4.2.1 Geometry file MYFILE.GEO, converted into MYFILE.DSP. This file is created by PATRAN as follows: (1) Add the following line to FE code NASTRAN input data so that NASTRAN creates an XDB file during the run. PARAM POST 0 (2) Choose File/New from Menu and assign a new database name following the given instructions. (3) Click on icon for Analysis (4) In the Analysis Window, click/select the following. Action: Attach XDB

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Object: Both Select Results file. Use the provided window, to select the XDB file created by NASTRAN. Select Apply (5) Choose File/Export from Menu (6) In the export window, click/select/input the following. Format: Neutral. Neutral Options: select node, elements, and all Groups, assign a filename. Select Apply. (7) The file created by PATRAN with File/Export always has a name with extension .OUT. Replace extension by .GEO. Not essential but suggested for better book keeping. On successful completion, file MYFILE.GEO must contain the following neutral file packets in the given order: Packet 25 Title packet Packet 26 Summary packet Packet 1 Nodes packer Packet 2 Elements packet An example is given below, where the packet identifiers are shown in bold red.

25 0 0 1 0 0 P3/PATRAN Neutral File from MODEL Version 26 0 0 1 7815 6860 20-Jun-03 11:05:53 3.0 1 100001 0 2 0 0 2.465349007E+1 7.818895340E+0 2.061753464E+1 1G 6 0 103 000000 1 101744 0 2 0 0 7.492000103E+0 7.974080086E+0 1.576159954E+1 1G 6 0 101 000000 ............................... .......Remaining nodes......... ............................... 2 100001 4 2 0 0 4 0 100022 0 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 100040 100041 100043 100042 2 100002 4 2 0 0 4 0 100022 0 0.000000000E+00 0.000000000E+00 100041 100007 100006 100043 ............................... .....Remaining elements........ ...............................

0 2 0

0 31 0

0 6 0

0 0 0 0.000000000E+00

0 0 0 0.000000000E+00

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4.1.2 Eigensolution file MYFILE2.RES, converted to MYFILE.EIG. This file is created by PATRAN as follows: (1) Add the following line to NASTRAN input data so that NASTRAN creates an XDB file during the run. PARAM POST 0 (2) Choose File/New from Menu and assign a new database name following the instructions (3) Click on icon for Analysis (4) In the Analysis Window, click/select the following. Action: Attach XDB Object: Both Select Results file. Use the provided window, to select the XDB file created by NASTRAN. Select Apply (5) Click icon for Results; (6) In the Results Window, click/select the following. Action: Create Object: Report Method: Overwrite File Select Result Case(s): Choose all modes with mouse and Key Shift. Select Report Result: Eigenvectors, Translational; Select Quantities: Select X Location, Y Location, Z Location, X Component, Y Component, and Z Component with mouse and Key Shift. Select Apply. (7) The default filename is PATRAN.PRT. The required name MYFILE.RES can be assigned in the Results Window by click on Display Attributes icon. On successful completion, file MYFILE.RES will contain the NASTRAN eigensolution in global co-ordinates. An example is given below:

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MSC.Patran 2001 r2a

- Analysis Code: MSC.Nastran Load Case: SC1:DEFAULT, A1:Mode 1 : Freq. = 1.3037 Result Eigenvectors, Translational - Layer (NONEntity: Node Vector

LAYERED)

-Entity ID---X Location----Y Location----Z Location---X Component---Y Component---Z Component----CID--100001 24.653490 7.818895 20.617535 -0.005375 0.055383 0.024194 103 100002 23.677792 8.448083 20.773401 -0.005989 0.055997 0.028180 103 100003 22.642487 8.972220 20.932743 -0.006441 0.056679 0.032571 103 100004 21.558376 9.385825 21.093491 -0.006716 0.057396 0.037218 103 . SUMMARY INFORMATION _________________________ Min/Max Values -Source ID--Entity ID--X Component-Min: 10 105985 -0.266968 Max: 8 105979 0.274380 Result Sources -Source Id---Loadcase Name---------Subcase Name---------Layer Name---1 SC1:DEFAULT A1:Mode 1 : Freq. = 1.3037 (NON-LAYERED) Global Variable: Mode number = 1. Global Variable: Frequency = 1.3037
Global Variable: Eigenvalue = 67.103

Restrictions Eigensolutions with local co-ordinate systems are not supported. In

other words, the Analysis Coordinate System (ACID) must be zero (global) for all nodes.

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4. 3 FILTER_U

FILTER_U splits a bulk universal file into three separate files:

File FRF_F.UNV which contains UFF Type 58 files only. These can be either frequency response, or time response data, Further processing is required via utility programs RD_FRF_U.EXE or RD_TIM_U.EXE. The former is used for frequency response data, and the latter for time response data. File xxxx.DSP which contains the node and connectivity information. Xxxx is the root name of the original .UNV file. See Appendix D for a list of supported UFF datasets. File xxxx.EIG which contains the modal data (UFF Type 55). xxxx is the root name of the original .UNV file.

At the end of the filtering process, the results are displayed in a Notepad window. Restrictions: UFF Type 58 files must be genuine frequency response, or time data files (i.e. not coherence, psd, etc) If the .UNV file that is being filtered has no geometry or modal data, the corresponding .DSP & .EIG files will be empty.

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4.4 RD_FRF_U

RD_FRF_U reads a series of Type 58 universal files and splits them into individual .FRF files for MODENT & MODESH processing. o The user may keep the universal file format, or write the individual files in ICATS format according to the option chosen by the radio buttons. o Filenames for split FRFs have a user-defined prefix, entered into the edit box. o If the UFF has no FRF type (e.g. inertance or acceleration/force), the user must assume a type. o A .CRD file is automatically created. A warning message is issued if there is no point measurement in the set. o The individual .FRF naming is automatic and it is based on a userspecified root name + excitation/response node & direction. At the end of the FRF extraction process, the results are displayed in a Notepad window. Restrictions: The maximum number of data points in a universal file is 16,384.

Only true FRF data are kept (e.g. no coherence or PSD).

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4.5 RD_TIM_U

RD_TIM_U converts Type 58 time-domain data universal files into a MODENT format .TIM file. The Type 58 time-domain data universal files must be stored in FRF_U.UNV, usually produced by FILTER_U.EXE, o If the UFF has no response type (i.e. displacement, velocity or acceleration, acceleration is assumed. o The user must enter a node number and direction for the excitation. This is to be compatible with UFF format and the excitation data are not used. So the default values of Node 1 and Direction 1 can be accepted. o The time histories are automatically averaged and the mean value, shown on the output, is subtracted from the signal. This ensures all time histories to have zero offset. o The response node and direction associated with each Type 58 is echoed on the dialog box. If such values are set to zero in the file, the excitation direction, entered above, is used as default. Similarly, the response node is incremented by one automatically. At the end of the data conversion process, the results are displayed in a Notepad window.

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