GSA Nonlinear Training Course Notes

Nonlinear analysis
and form-finding in
GSA
Training Course
Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

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Oasys Ltd
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Using the GSA GsRelax Solver
Trainers:
Thomas Li & Sarah Kaethner
Duration:
5 hours
Programme:
What is GsRelax
Nonlinear analysis
Introduction
Geometric nonlinear analysis
P- analysis
Buckling analysis
Element types and features available in GsRelax
Structures suitable for analysis by GsRelax
Solution method used by GsRelax
Example of dynamic relaxation analysis of one degree of freedom problem
Running GsRelax
Tips of running GsRelax successfully
Drawbacks and limitations in using GsRelax
Exercises

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What is GsRelax
GsRelax is a nonlinear analysis solver in Windows GSA.
Special feature in GsRelax

As a nonlinear analysis solver, GsRelax can take the following special features into account in the analysis:
Geometric nonlinear effects (automatically considered)
Geometric stiffness of beam elements (it can be turned on or off, default is on)
Material nonlinearity (Once nonlinear material is defined for beam, bar, tie & strut elements)
Advantage of using GsRelax

The advantages of using GsRelax solver in structure analysis:
Since GsRelax analysis does not rely on small displacement assumption and geometric nonlinear effects
are always considered, GsRelax can produce more accurate and realistic results compared with linear
analysis solver especially when the structure deformations are relatively large.
Because a vector approach (Dynamic Relaxation) rather than a stiffness matrix method is used in
GsRelax analysis, it does not impose any special requirements to the stiffness of the structure, e.g. zero
stiffness of some nodes in some directions are allowed in GsRelax analysis. Therefore, GsRelax can
analyse virtually any types of structures even a mechanism, for example, normal structural analysis
programs cannot cope with the following two special types of structures, but GsRelax will be able to give
a solution as that in the real world.
(i)
The structure shown in Fig 1a has a zero vertical stiffness at its initial state, normal linear
analysis programs cannot solve the problem since the stiffness matrix is singular.
(ii)
The structure shown in Fig 1b is a mechanism and it cannot be analysed by linear analysis
program. Even some of the nonlinear analysis programs may also have difficulty to give a
proper solution for this problem.

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Original
Balanced
(a)
Original
Balanced
(b)
Fig 1 Examples of extremely geometric nonlinear problems

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Nonlinear analysis
Introduction
In order to understand GsRelax and interpret its analysis results, it is important to know the differences
between linear and nonlinear analysis.
Linear structural analysis is using the following two assumptions and the equilibrium condition of the
structure is established at the non-deformed geometry of the structure.
material stress-strain relationship is linear (material Young's Modulus is constant)
displacement and strain relationship is linear (small displacement problem)
These two assumptions are acceptable in most cases of structural analysis since majority of the structures
(except light-weight structures etc) in practice are quite stiff and the deformations of the structures are
relatively small compared with the size of the structure. In these situations, using linear analysis will not
result in any significant error of the analysis results. However, if a structure is flexible or the deformation is
relative large compared with the size of the structures (as shown in Fig 1) and/or real material property needs
to be considered, these two assumptions become invalid and nonlinear analysis should be used.
There are two types of nonlinear problems in structural analysis:
Geometric nonlinear analysis. In geometric nonlinear analysis, the equilibrium condition of the structure
is established at the deformed (real) geometry of the structures, therefore load-displacement relationship
is no longer linear even though a linear elastic material is used.
Material nonlinear analysis. In material nonlinear analysis, the material Young's Modulus is no longer
taken as constant and the real or simplified material stress-strain relationship (as shown in Fig 5) should
be used.
As far as the accuracy of the analysis result is concerned, nonlinear analysis should always be used.
However, because nonlinear analysis requires longer computing time, linear analysis is frequently used in
structure analysis if the two assumptions mentioned above are applicable (deformations are small and stresses
are below material yield strength).
Geometric nonlinear analysis

The basic difference between linear and geometric nonlinear analysis is the structure geometry on which the
equilibrium condition is established. The example shown in Fig 2 illustrates the implication of linear and
nonlinear analyses on the internal forces of the column.
In linear analysis the displacement is ignored (taken as zero) when establishing the equilibrium condition, so
the forces and moment at the base of the column will be:
F=P
V =Q
(1)
M = Qh

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In geometric nonlinear analysis, the equilibrium condition is established on the deformed (real) geometry of
the structure (actual is considered), so the forces and moment at the base of the column become:
F = P cos( ) Q sin( )
V = Q cos( ) + P sin( )
(2)
M = Qh + P
P
Q
F
Fig 2 Simple geometrical nonlinear analysis example
Bear in mind that the horizontal deflection cannot be obtained straightforwardly in nonlinear analysis since
the element stiffness is changing along with . Even for this very simple structure, a number of iterations may
still need to obtain the balanced geometry of the structure if the magnitude of horizontal load Q is significant.
In order to have some indications when geometric nonlinear effect needs to be considered, the force and
moment ratios from linear and nonlinear analyses for this simple example are drawn in Fig 3 in which the
following values are used in this calculation:
=Q/P
h = 10.0 m
It can be seen from Fig 3 that the difference between linear and nonlinear analysis is very small when shear
force/axial force ratio is relatively large and/or the deflection is relatively small. This suggests that:

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If the axial force (destabilising force) of an element is relatively small, the geometric nonlinear effect will
be insignificant. For example, if the axial force is less than half of the shear force, the relative difference
of shear force and moment between linear and nonlinear analyses is less than 5%, and the difference of
axial force between linear and nonlinear analysis is less than 20% for this example.
If the lateral deformation of a member is relatively small, the geometric nonlinear effect is also
insignificant, for example, if the deflection is less than 0.05 m (h/200, a typical code requirement), the
nonlinear effect becomes very small and the relative deference between linear and nonlinear results is
smaller than 1%, so it is negligible in engineering practice.
non-linear to linear analysis axial force

ratio
1.00
0.98
0.95
0.93
0.90
0.88
= 0.05
= 0.2
= 0.5
= 1.0
0.85
0.83
0.80
0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00
Horizontal to vertical load ratio (Q/P)
non-linear to linear analysis shear force ratio
(a) Column axial force ratio
1.30
= 0.05
1.25
= 0.2
= 0.5
1.20
= 1.0
1.15
1.10
1.05
1.00
0.00
0.25
0.50
0.75
1.00
1.25
1.50
1.75
2.00
(b) Column shear force ratio

Fig 3 Numerical example of column internal force ratios between nonlinear and linear analyses (1)

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non-linear to linear analysis moment ratio
1.30
= 0.05
1.25
= 0.2
= 0.5
1.20
= 1.0
1.15
1.10
1.05
1.00
0.00
0.25
0.50
0.75
1.00
1.25
1.50
1.75
2.00
(c) Column moment ratio

Fig 3 Numerical example of column internal force ratios between nonlinear and linear analyses (2)
P- analysis
P- analysis in GSA is a two-step analysis, the first analysis is a linear analysis from which element forces
and moments can be obtained. Using the element forces and moments obtained from the first step analysis,
geometric stiffness matrix of elements can be obtained. Then the tangent stiffness matrix at the initial
geometry is calculated by adding the geometric stiffness matrix to the normal linear stiffness matrix. The
second step analysis is then conducted using the tangent stiffness matrix (the sum of linear and geometric
stiffness matrices). The displacements, forces and moments etc from the second analysis are taken as P-
analysis results. In this way, the geometric nonlinearity is approximately considered in this analysis, i.e. the
effect of element forces on their stiffness is considered. Bear in mind that even though geometric stiffness is
considered in P- analysis, the analysis is still based on non-deformed geometry, i.e. the equilibrium is still
established at non-deformed geometry, therefore, if displacements are relatively large, P- analysis will not be
applicable.
In order to have some indications of the differences of the three analyses (linear, P- and nonlinear analyses),
the simple model shown in Fig 2 has been analysed using the three analysis methods assuming that:
P = 400 kN
h = 10.0 m
Q = 0.2 P = 80 kN
EI = 1.0 10 5 kN .m 2

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The numerical results from the three analyses are given in the following table:
Numerical results from the three analysis methods

Axial force Shear force
Moment
(kN)
(kN)
(kN.m)
linear
400.0
80.0
800
P-
400.0
93.3
946.1
nonlinear
397.3
92.5
921.1
Note: the structure used is shown in Fig 2 and the parameters are
defined above
From this example it can be seen that, even though P- analysis does not consider geometric nonlinear effect
precisely, it can produce results quite close to that obtained from nonlinear analysis. Since P- analysis is
simple and efficient in terms of computing time, it is frequently used in structural analysis to approximately
consider geometric nonlinear effect if the deformations of the structures are still relatively small.
Buckling analysis
Buckling analysis is to seek the potential maximum load capacity of a structure before it collapses (buckled).
It may be divided into the following 3 categories.
(i)
Linear buckling analysis (also known as Eigen value or modal buckling analysis, e.g. GSA modal
buckling analysis )
In this analysis, the material is assumed to be linear and the actual deformations of the structure are
not the results of this analysis. As it is known, the element (structure) stiffness is not only dependent
on its material properties and geometry, but also dependent on the forces in the elements, e.g. if a
column is subjected to compression, its bending stiffness will be reduced compared with the same
column without axial force. If the axial force is equal to the Euler load capacity of the column, the
bending stiffness of the column will become zero. Based on this principle, for a multiple degree of
freedom system, the buckling loads will be the loads that make the general stiffness matrix singular.
The general structural stiffness matrix also contains two parts as shown below
[K ] = [K ]e + [K (F )]g
(3)
where:
[K] e
is the linear stiffness matrix without considering the effect of element internal force
(the stiffness matrix used in linear analysis)
[K(F)] g is the geometric stiffness matrix which is a function of structural geometry and
element internal forces {F}, but not the element material properties. [K] g will be used
below to represent this matrix for simplicity reason.
F
or {F}, the load vector.

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Since buckling load capacity is not known before the analysis, it is assumed that the buckling loads
are {F}, where is the load factor to be determined in linear buckling analysis. After introducing
load factor , the general stiffness matrix becomes:
[K ] = [K ]e + [K ]g
(4)
As mentioned above, when the applied loads {F} are equal to the structure buckling load capacity,
the stiffness of the structure will be zero. In matrix form, it is the determinant of the general stiffness
matrix becomes zero, this gives:
det
([K ]
+ [K ]g ) = 0
(5)
This is an eigen value problem and only load factor is unknown and it can be solved, so the
buckling load capacity of the structure will be {F}. Since structure deformations are ignored and
the matrices are all built at the non-deformed geometry (it implies that the structure has no
deformations before the buckling), therefore, this analysis is called as linear buckling analysis. The
buckling load capacity obtained from this analysis is the upper bound of the structural capacity
against buckling. This analysis only gives relative deformations of different parts of a structure
(mode shapes) and the real magnitudes of the deformations are unknown from this analysis.
(ii)
Elastic nonlinear buckling analysis, e.g. GsRelax automatic load increment analysis with element
slenderness (geometric stiffness) being considered.
In this analysis, the structural stiffness matrix contains three parts:
[K ( )] = [K ]e + [K ( )]L + [K ]g
(6)
In which [K()] L is the stiffness matrix arisen from large deformations, it is a function of nodal
displacements {}. The meaning of the other two stiffness matrices is the same as before.
Since [K()] L is a function of {}, [K()] will be also a function of {}, therefore equilibrium
equation [K()]{} = {F} is no longer linear in terms of {}, therefore it is impossible to solve the
equation straightforwardly like linear buckling analysis using eigen solver and iteration or other
nonlinear solution technique is needed to solve this nonlinear equilibrium equation.
GsRelax uses dynamic relaxation method to solve the problem, so GsRelax does not explicitly use
the above stiffness matrix equation, but the principle is the same. GsRelax considers geometric
nonlinear effect by updating the nodal coordinates and the element forces at each iteration (cycle)
according to current deformations of the elements. Based on the current element forces and
deformations, the bending stiffness of the beam elements is updated, furthermore, the nodal
coordinates are updated according to actual nodal deformations and the equilibrium conditions are
checked at the deformed geometry of the structure, so large deformation and element force effects on
element stiffness have both been considered in the analysis.
This analysis will give actual deformation of the structure under the given loads. To obtain the
maximum (buckling) load capacity, automatic load increment can be used, so a load-deformation
curve can be drawn and the maximum load capacity can be evaluated.
(iii)
Elastic-plastic nonlinear buckling analysis (e.g. GsRelax automatic load increment analysis with
material nonlinearity being considered)
This analysis is similar to elastic nonlinear buckling analysis except that material plasticity is also
considered. According to the nonlinear characteristics, iterative solution techniques are also
required. For estimating the real ultimate load capacity of a structure, this is the most appropriate
analysis method.

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The schematic load deflection curves for the three buckling analyses are shown in Fig 4. It shows
that the real load-deflection curve cannot be obtained from linear buckling analysis. The elasticplastic nonlinear buckling analysis gives the lowest (most real) load capacity of a structure.
Load
Load capacity from linear
buckling analysis
Load deflection curve of elastic nonlinear buckling analysis
Load deflection curve of elastic-plastic nonlinear buckling analysis

Displacement
Fig 4 Load deflection curves of three buckling analyses
Material nonlinear analysis

When the stress level in an element is likely to exceed the material yield strength and plastic behaviour is
acceptable (i.e. non-brittle material such as steel), material nonlinear analysis should be considered. Real
material stress-strain relationships are very complicated as shown in Fig 5a. In structural analysis, simplified
stress-strain relationships are frequently used to simplify the analysis procedure. Figs 5b-5e shows some of
the simplified stress-strain curves used in finite element analysis and design. GsRelax can only consider
Elastic perfectly plastic stress-strain relationships at present.
Tension only and compression only materials are the extreme cases of material nonlinearity. Cable, Tie and
Fabric elements are examples of tension only elements, and Strut elements are compression only elements.
Material nonlinear analysis is easier to understand than geometric nonlinear analysis and it just limits the
stress level in the elements based on the strain level and stress-strain curve used, e.g. in linear analysis, there
is no limit to a beam section moment capacity and it is proportional to the applied loads, but in material
nonlinear analysis, the beam section moment capacity will be limited by the material strength and section
plastic modulus. Similar to geometric nonlinear analysis, iterative analysis procedure is also required when
doing material nonlinear analysis.

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(a) Real steel material stress-strain relationship
E = E/50
E
0
0
(b) Elastic-perfectly
plastic (Fablon uses this)
(c) Elastic and strain hardening
E = E/50
0
(d) Elastic-plastic and strain hardening
(e) Multi-linear stress-strain relationship
Fig 5 Real and assumed material stress-strain relationships

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Element types and features available in GsRelax

Elements
Bar element (tension and compression)

A Bar element has axial stiffness only and can sustain both tension and compression forces. If elasticplastic material is defined for the bar elements, the maximum tensile and compressive forces in the bar
will be limited to be A b f y (A b bar cross section area, f y bar material yield strength). Bar element
can only be stretched or squashed and no bending effect is taken into account, so a bar element will
never buckle no matter how large the axial force.
Strut element (compression only)

A Strut element has only axial compressive stiffness and can only sustain compressive forces. If elasticplastic material is defined, the compressive force of the strut is limited to be A b f y . The same as bar
elements, the strut element will also not buckle as bending effects are ignored.
Tie element (tension only)

A Tie element has only axial tensile stiffness and can only sustain tensile forces. If elastic-plastic
material is defined, the tensile force of the tie is limited to be A b f y .
Cable element
Cable element is similar to Tie element and it can only take tensile force. If cable element is used
individually, i.e. not linked with another cable element with the same property, it will be the same as tie
element. However the intended use of cable elements is to make up a Sliding-Cable. A Sliding-Cable is
a chain of cable elements with the same property number and joined at the common nodes as shown in
Fig 6a. The Sliding-Cable shown in Fig 6a can be defined in a number of ways. The following two
tables are two examples of defining a Sliding-Cable as shown in Fig 6a.
Example 1
Element record
1
2
3
4
Definition of the Sliding-Cable shown in Fig 6a

Type
property
1st node
Cable
1
1
Cable
1
5
Cable
1
7
Cable
1
2
Example 2
Element record
element number
element number
element number
element number
element number
element number
element number
Definition of the Sliding-Cable shown in Fig 6a

Type
property
1st node
Cable
a
7
Other element
Other element
Cable
a
1
Other element
Cable
a
2
Cable
a
2
2nd node
5
7
2
3
2nd node
5
5
3
7
a - Cable element property number which should be the same for all the cable elements belong to a Sliding-Cable
A sliding-cable made up of a number of cable elements is considered as a single element in GsRelax

analysis. The sliding-cable can freely slide over the middle nodes of the sliding-cable as if the slidingcable is jointed to the middle nodes by a pulley. As a result, the tensile forces of all the Cable elements
in a sliding-cable will be the same. If the final total length (the sum of the deformed length of all the
cable elements) of a sliding-cable becomes shorter than its unstressed total length, the sliding-cable will
be out of action and the axial force in all the cable elements will be zero.
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There is no limit for the numbers of sliding-cables in a structure model, but each sliding-cable should
have a unique property number. All the cable elements in a sliding-cable should have the same property
number and it should be different from that of other sliding-cables. This is necessary for GsRelax to
recognise each of the individual cable elements as a leg of a sliding-cable. A sliding-cable cannot be
discontinued or bifurcated as shown in Fig 6b. The property of sliding-cable is defined by unit length
stiffness which is equal to EA (E - material Youngs modulus, A cable cross section area). The tensile
force in the cable is calculated from:
L L0
L EA
F = 0
if L > L 0
if L L 0
(8)
in which:
L 0 sum of the unstressed length of all the legs (cable elements) of a sliding-cable
L sum of the deformed length (nodal distance) of all the legs of a sliding-cable
Cable element
(a) Sliding-Cable
Cable element
(b) unacceptable sliding-cable definition

Fig 6 Construction of sliding-cable

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Beam element
In GsRelax analysis there are two options for computing beam section bending stiffness, they are:
(i)
Element slenderness is included by checking Element slenderness included box in the

analysis wizard
(ii)
Element slenderness is ignored by unchecking Element slenderness included box in the

analysis wizard
If the first option is selected (the default option), the effect of element forces on its bending stiffness will
be considered in the analysis, i.e. geometric stiffness is considered. If this effect needs to be ignored, the
second option can be used.
If material yield strength is defined, the moment and axial force that can be sustained by a beam section
will be limited to its plastic moment capacity and axial load capacity in the analysis. Beam section
plastic moment capacity is equal to the material yield strength times the sections plastic modulus if
there is no axial force on the beam. If a beam section is subjected to both bending moment and axial
force, the interaction of the moment and axial force is considered, so the moment capacity will be
smaller than that given by the yield strength times the plastic modulus of the section. The plastic
moment capacities of a beam in one direction will also be reduced if there is moment in other direction,
e.g. plastic moment capacity M yy will be reduced if moment M zz is not zero. However, shear forceplastic moment capacity interaction is not ignored, i.e. the plastic moment capacity will not be reduced if
there are shear force in the beam.
If an explicit beam section property is defined (e.g. only A, Iy, Iz are defined), the estimated section
plastic modulus (given below eqn (9) will be used in calculating plastic moment capacity.
0.9 AI pp
(9)
in which:
A beam cross section area
I pp second moment of area about principal axes (local y or z)
3 noded triangular element (Tri3 in GSA)

The triangular element can be used:
(i)
to model fabric part of a structure if Fabric property is selected for the element, fabric material
property can have both tension and compression stiffness or have tension stiffness only
(ii)
as plane stress element if plane stress property is defined or
(iii)
as plane strain element if plane strain property is defined
Out of plane bending cannot be considered for triangular element in GsRelax analysis. Since a linear
displacement function is used for 3-node triangular element, the strain and stress are constant within an
element. If the stress gradient is steep at some part of the structure, a fine mesh layout is needed to
obtain accurate results.
4 node quad element

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In GsRelax, the 4 node quad element is subdivided into four triangular elements by introducing a
dummy node at the centre of the quad element. The application of quad elements is the same as 3-node
triangular elements in GsRelax.
Spring element
In GsRealx analysis, both linear and nonlinear spring elements can be used. To use nonlinear spring
elements, nonlinear spring curves need to be defined. Nonlinear spring curves define the relationships of
force-displacement and moment-rotation of the spring elements in a particular direction.
Link element
This is a 2-node element and it can have the following properties, which define the directions of the 2
nodes being linked:
All
XY Plane
YZ Plane
ZX Plane
Pin All
Pin XY Plane
Pin YZ Plane
Pin ZX Plane
Tension
Compression
Bar
Link elements with properties rather than Tension, Compression and Bar are exactly the same as 2-node
rigid constraints (explained later).
Link elements with Tension, Compression or Bar properties are specifically designed for GsRelax
(nonlinear analysis). These link elements are used to maintain the original distance of the two nodes of
the link elements. The first node of the link is defined as master node and the second node as the slave
node. The master node can be restrained, but the slave node cannot be restrained or be a slave to other
links.
Link elements with Tension properties will prevent the two nodes from moving apart but the two nodes
can move closer. Similarly, link elements with Compression properties will prevent the two nodes from
moving closer but they can move apart. Link elements with Bar properties will maintain the nodal
distance of the link element, i.e. they cannot not move apart or move closer.
Spacer element
The Spacer element is only used in soap-film form-finding analysis and it will be ignored in all other
analyses even though they may exist in the model. Spacer element is only used to make up a SPACER
that is a super element used in GsRelax. As its name indicates, SPACER is used to maintain or adjust
the nodal spacing as desired in the form-found structure. A SPACER is composed of two or more spacer
elements that are jointed at the common node as shown in Fig 7. The way of defining a SPACER is
similar to that for Sliding-Cable, except that the direction of spacer elements in the SPACER is not
arbitrary. This is because that the order of the nodes of the spacer elements is important when spacer leg
length type is 'ratio'. The nodes for spacer elements should be defined so that they can be jointed
together to form a SPACER by a head-to-tail sequence, in other words, the local X axis of all the spacer
elements belong to a SPACER should be in the same direction. The SPACER shown in Fig 7 can be
defined in a number of ways. The following two tables are two examples for defining the SPACER
shown in Fig 7.

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Example 1
Element record
1
2
3
4
Definition of the SPACER shown in Fig 7a

Type
property
1st node
Spacer
1
1
Spacer
1
5
Spacer
1
7
Spacer
1
2
Example 2
Element record
element number
element number
element number
element number
element number
element number
element number
Definition of the SPACER shown in Fig 7a

Type
Property
1st node
Spacer
A
1
Other element
Other element
Spacer
A
5
Other element
Spacer
A
2
Spacer
A
7
2nd node
5
7
2
3
2nd node
5
7
3
2
a - Spacer element property number which should be the same for all the spacer elements in a SPACER
There are three types of SPACERS and they can be specified in the spacer property table and they are:
Geodesic spacer: its main use is to control the nodal spacing within 2D element surface
Free spacer: its main use is to control the nodal spacing along a Bar, Tie or Strut elements
Bar spacer: its use is similar to Free spacer, but it acts exactly as Bar elements as explain below and
the nodal spacing can be controlled more precisely. The precision can be defined in GSA
specification.
SPACER may be considered as a chain of Tie elements except that the spacer forces to the node in the
suppressed directions will be ignored. The suppressed directions vary according to the spacer type. For
Geodesic SPACER, the suppressed direction (one only) is the normal direction defined by the average
normal direction of the surrounding 2D elements connected to the node. For Free SPACER, the
suppressed directions (two directions) are in the plane perpendicular to the average direction of the two
spacers connected to the node. The average direction of the two spacers is the direction from the first
node of the first spacer to the second node of the second spacer. Since the force components of
Geodesic and Free SPACERS in the suppressed directions have been suppressed (ignored) when seeking
equilibrium of the SPACER nodes, these two SPACERS do not affect the shape of the surface of the
form-found structure; it only affects the position of the nodes on the surface or along the spacers. There
is no suppressed direction for Bar SPACER, so a Bar SPACER works in exactly the same way as bar
element except that its length will be adjusted during form-finding analysis according to the leg length
type.
As mentioned above, the component of Geodesic spacer forces in the normal direction of a 2D element
surface is suppressed. Geodesic spacers will only move the internal nodes of SPACER within the plane
defined by the surface normal vector passing through the node. Therefore the final SPACER path will
be the shortest path on the surface linking the two end nodes of the SPACER. Free spacers only move
internal nodes in the tangent direction defined by the two legs of the SPACER connected to the node. If
we assume the surface normal at node A of the SPACER shown in Fig 7b is in the global Z direction
(out of the paper), neither Geodesic or Free SPACERs will move node A in the Z direction even though
the spacer leg forces have a component in this direction. If the SPACER is a Free spacer, the SPACER
will move node A only in the X1 direction. If the SPACER is a geodesic spacer, the SPACER will
move node A in both X1 and Y1 direction. Since the surface normal for an internal node is required by
geodesic spacers, the internal node of a geodesic spacer must be surrounded by triangle or quad

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elements, otherwise, GsRelax cannot compute the normal direction and it is considered to be a data
error.
Bar spacer acts as Bar element and there is no force component to be suppressed. The difference
between Bar spacer and Bar element are:
Bar spacer is only active in soap-film form-finding analysis and it will be ignored in other analysis
Bar element property is defined by section property, but Bar spacer property is defined by formfinding property of soap-film 1D.
Bar element has constant unstressed length (e.g. initial length if no pre-stress) in the analysis, but
Bar spacers unstressed length will be altered automatically during GsRelax analysis in order to
meet the nodal spacing requirements.
SACER can control nodal spacing in four different ways which is called spacer leg length type in spacer
property table. The four leg length types are:
Proportional: the final nodal spacing will be proportional to their original nodal spacing.
Ratio: the final nodal spacing will form a geometrical series. If the ratio is 1.0, the final nodal
spacing will be equal. The initial spacing of the spacer elements is irrelevant to and has no effect on
the final nodal spacing
XY plane projected ratio: the projected length of the nodal spacing on to the XY plane of the
specified Axis will form a geometrical series. If the ratio is 1.0, projected length of the nodal
spacing will be equal. The same as leg length type Ratio, the initial spacing of the spacer elements
has no effect on the final nodal spacing
X axis projected ratio: the projected length of the nodal spacing on to the X axis of the specified Axis
will form a geometrical series. If the ratio is 1.0, projected length of the nodal spacing will be equal.
The same as leg length type Ratio, the initial spacing of the spacer elements has no effect on the
final nodal spacing
The same as Sliding-Cables, a SPACER should not be discontinued or bifurcated as shown in Fig 6b.
spacer element

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(a) Composition of a SPACER
Y
A
X1
Y1
(b) The action of SPACER on the internal node (drawn in XY plane)
Fig 7 Example of SPACER
Features
Joint
The displacements and/or rotations in the specified direction of the second node (slave node) of a joint
will be the same as those of the first node (master node)
Applied displacements
The nodes specified will be given an imposed initial displacement or rotation. If the relevant direction
of the node is not restrained, the node will be free to move in that direction after the applied
displacement is imposed and analysis is started. The final position of the node is dependent on the
equilibrium condition. If the relevant direction of the node is restrained, the node will be moved to the
new position and stay there.
Nodal settlement
The nodes specified will be given an imposed initial displacement or rotation. The settlement can only
be applied to a node with restraint in the relevant directions.
Rigid constraint
Two or more nodes are constrained rigidly in all or some defined directions, one node is defined as the
master node and the rest of the nodes are slave nodes. Rigid constraints can be applied in all directions
or applied to a specified plane. The master node can be constrained, but slave nodes cannot be
constrained or be a slave of another constraint. A Rigid constraint can be considered as a rigid body or
rigid plane depending on the type of its property. The rigid constraint can have the following properties
in GsRelax analysis:

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All
XY Plane
YZ Plane
ZX Plane
Pin All
Pin XY Plane
Pin YZ Plane
Pin ZX Plane
rigid constraint applied to all directions (a rigid body)

rigid constraint applied to XY plane only (a rigid plane)
rigid constraint applied to YZ plane only (a rigid plane)
rigid constraint applied to ZX plane only (a rigid plane)
same as All, except that the slave node will not take any moment.
same as XY Plane, except that the slave node will not take any moment.
same as YZ Plane, except that the slave node will not take any moment.
same as ZX Plane, except that the slave node will not take any moment.

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Structures suitable for analysis by GsRelax

Any structures where the geometric nonlinear effect is significant or the nature of the structure (such as those
shown in Fig 1) requires nonlinear analysis or material plasticity need to be considered, GsRelax analysis
should be used. To be specific, the following analyses should be conducted by GsRelax.
Cable networks
Fabric structures
Flexible structures
Form-finding
Searching ultimate load capacity of a structure
Evaluate the axial load capacity of an individual beam element or a chain of beam elements in a
structure

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Solution method used by GsRelax

The solution technique used in GsRelax is Dynamic Relaxation. Dynamic relaxation is an analysis method
for nonlinear static analysis. In dynamic relaxation analysis it is assumed that the loads are applied on the
structure suddenly, so the structure is excited to vibrate around the equilibrium position and eventually come
to rest on the equilibrium position because of damping. In order to simulate the vibration, mass and inertia
are needed for each of the free nodes. In dynamic relaxation analysis, artificial mass and inertia are used that
are constructed according to the nodal translational stiffness and rotational stiffness. As it is known, if there is
no damping applied to the structure, the oscillation of the structure will not stop. Therefore, damping is
required to allow the vibration to come to rest. Two types of damping are used in GSA Kinetic Damping &
Viscous Damping. By applying one or both of these damping, the vibration will gradually come to rest at the
equilibrium position and this will be the solution given by dynamic-relaxation analysis.
Using the structure shown in Fig 8 as an example, the effect of viscous damping on the analysis process of the
dynamic relaxation is shown in Fig 9. It shows that the oscillation of the structure eventually come to rest at
the static equilibrium position if damping is applied.
Kinetic damping is unrelated to conventional concepts of damping used in structural dynamic analysis. It is
an artificial process to reduce the magnitude of the vibration in order to make the analysis converge quickly.
It is known that the structure's kinetic energy reaches maximum at the static equilibrium position if the
structure has only one degree of freedom or the vibration of a multiple degree of freedom system is in a single
mode. According to this, the structure's kinetic energy is monitored in the analysis at each time increment.
Once the kinetic energy for the current time increment is smaller than that at previous increment, it is known
that the peak structure kinetic energy has been passed, this implies that the equilibrium position of the nodes
have also been passed, therefore the true equilibrium position of the nodes could be found somewhere
between current displacements and displacements in previous two iterations. Therefore, it is necessary to stop
the vibration and re-position the nodes corresponding to the maximum kinetic energy. Assuming the
relationship between structural kinetic energy and time is parabolic as shown in Fig 10, the time at which the
kinetic energy is peaked can be calculated. Knowing the time for peak kinetic energy and the nodal
displacements at current and previous two iterations, the optimum (most close to equilibrium) nodal positions
can be calculated, then artificially shifting the nodes to this optimum position to finish applying kinetic
damping. After shifting the nodes to the optimum positions, the analysis will restart again by resetting the
time, speed and acceleration to zero. Since it is unlikely that a multiple degree of freedom system will vibrate
in a single mode, it is impossible to find the equilibrium position by applying kinetic damping once or twice
(in one or two iterations). Nevertheless, previous experience has shown that the use of kinetic damping is
very efficient in searching for the equilibrium position in dynamic relaxation analysis.
most unbalanced position,

zero speed position,
max acceleration position
equilibrium position,
maximum speed position,
acceleration = 0 position
max kinetic energy position
vibration
Fig 8 Vibration of the structure

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no damping
damping smaller than critical
Deflection
equilibrium deflection
damping larger than critical
Time
Fig 9 Viscous damping effect on the vibration of structure
Ek (kinetic energy)
Ekmax
Eki
Eki+1
Eki-1
Time
tmax
ti-1
ti
ti+1
Fig 10 Kinetic energy of structure
According to the above principles, the following steps are adopted in GsRelax analysis
Compute equivalent nodal forces and moments according to applied loads. In this process, member
loads are converted into nodal force or moments. These are the forces that initiate vibration.
Construct dummy mass and dummy inertia for the active nodes (unrestrained nodes). GsRelax
constructs the dummy mass and dummy inertia according to the translational and rotational stiffness of
the node. The principles for constructing the dummy mass and dummy inertia are:

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(i)
They should be small enough for the convergence to be reasonably fast
(ii)
They should be large enough to prevent nodes from shifting too much in one cycle and
significantly overshooting the point of equilibrium and the displacements diverge wildly instead
of converging
It has been found that, in most circumstances, the best estimation of the dummy mass and dummy
inertia can be given by the following equation:
M=2K
(10)
In which:
M nodal dummy mass or dummy inertia
K nodal translational stiffness or rotational stiffness
Compute the accelerations, velocities and displacements for each node at each cycle.
Compute a new nodal position and rotation for each node at each cycles, update the nodal stiffness and
member force imposed on the nodes.
Check the force and moment residuals at each node at the current position.
If no residual exceeds the limit, the analysis is considered to have converged and the final position is
considered as the equilibrium position of the structure.
If any residual is not satisfied, the analysis is continued to the next step.
Compute the total kinetic energy of the structure. If the kinetic energy at a cycle overshoots the
maximum, it is considered that the equilibrium position has been passed (see Figs 8 & 10). Therefore,
all nodes will be re-positioned (apply kinetic damping) so that they are closer to the equilibrium
position. Reset the speed and acceleration to be zero and let the structure start to vibrate again from
the new position.
After analysis has been converged, the element forces, moments and stresses are calculated according
to the final equilibrium position of the nodes.
A flowchart of the GsRelax solution procedure is provided as an appendix to these notes.

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Example of dynamic relaxation analysis of one degree of freedom

The structure used in this example is shown in Fig 11 and the idealised model is shown in Fig 12. The
residual limit is set to be 1.0 N in this example and the analysis procedure is as follows:
q = 10 kN/m
L=6m
EA = 72,000 kN
L=6m
Fig 11 The Structure
F = 60 kN
Fig 12 The Idealised Structure
At initial state
(i)
Equivalent nodal force (also the unbalanced force at the node)

F=0.5(2qL) = 0.52106 = 60 kN = 60,000 N
(ii)
Stiffness
K x = (2EA/L)= 272,000,0006= 24,000,000 N/m
K y = 0.0
(iii)
Dummy mass (value equal to 2K)

Since K y = 0.0
M = 2K x /3 = 16,000,000 kg (GsRelax uses this Mass if the relevant stiffness equals zero,
divided by three since it is only in x direction)
(iv)
Acceleration

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y o = F/M = 60,000/16,000,000 = 0.00375 m/t2
At first cycle
y 1 = y o + y o t = 0+0.00375 = 0.00375 m/t (t = 1.0 assumed in GsRelax)
y 1 = y o + y o t + 0.5y o t2 = 0+0+0.50.00375 = 0.001875 m
L 1 = (L2+y 1 2) = 6.0000003 m (bar length at cycle 1)
F 1 = (L 1 L)EA/L = 3.6 N (force in bar at cycle 1)
K 1 = sin2()EA/L + 2cos2()F 1 /L = 2.3 N/m (vertical stiffness at cycle 1)
F 1 = F 2 sin()F 1 = 60,000 N (residual force)
KE 1 = 0.5 M (y 1 )2 = 112.5 kg m2
y 1 = F 1 M = 60,00016,000,000 = 0.00375 m/t2
where: is the angle between original and deformed bar in mRad
The calculation of the following cycles are summarised in the following Table
Numerical results of dynamic relaxation analysis (Fig 12)

Cycle
y'
Li
Fb
KE
y''
Note
0.0000
0.0000
6.0000
0.00
0.0
60000
0.000
0.003750
initial
0.0038
0.0019
6.0000
0.31
2.3
60000
112.500
0.003750
0.0075
0.0075
6.0000
1.25
37.5
56
60000
450.000
0.003750
0.0112
0.0169
6.0000
2.81
189.8
285
59998
1012.498
0.003750
0.0150
0.0300
6.0001
5.00
600.0
900
59991
1799.974
0.003749
0.0187
0.0469
6.0002
7.81
1464.7
2197
59966
2812.299
0.003748
0.0225
0.0675
6.0004
11.25
3036.9
4556
59898
4048.986
0.003744
0.0262
0.0919
6.0007
15.31
5624.9
8439
59742
5508.627
0.003734
0.0300
0.1200
6.0012
19.99
9591.6
14392
59425
7187.826
0.003714
0.0337
0.1518
6.0019
25.30
15352.3
23041
58834
9079.407
0.003677
10
0.0374
0.1873
6.0029
31.21
23370.2
35085
57810
11169.632
0.003613
11
0.0410
0.2265
6.0043
37.73
34148.5
51287
56130.5
13434.195
0.003508
12
0.0445
0.2692
6.0060
44.84
48217.1
72453
53504.1
15832.822
0.003344
13
0.0478
0.3154
6.0083
52.52
66111.7
99407
49563.5
18302.526
0.003098
14
0.0509
0.3648
6.0111
60.72
88341.2
132940
43865.2
20749.968
0.002742
15
0.0537
0.4171
6.0145
69.40
115341.9
173744
35903.2
23044.104
0.002244
16
0.0559
0.4719
6.0185
78.48
147414.6
222318
25139.3
25011.329
0.001571
17
0.0575
0.5286
6.0232
87.87
184644.4
278846
11059.7
26436.724
0.000691
18
0.0582
0.5864
6.0286
97.42
226805.3
343049
-6736.8
27076.317
-0.000421
19
0.0578
0.6444
6.0345
106.98
273257.7
414019
-28418.3
26685.812
-0.001776
KE19<KE18
Reset
0.0000
0.5935
6.0293
98.59
232244.0
351346
-9166.5
0.000
0.000000
restart

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20
0.0000
0.5935
6.0293
98.59
232244.0
351346
-9166.5
0.000
-0.000573
21
-0.0006
0.5932
6.0293
98.54
232022.3
351007
-9066.8
2.626
-0.000567
22
-0.0011
0.5923
6.0292
98.40
231360.2
349997
-8769.6
10.389
-0.000548
23
-0.0017
0.5909
6.0290
98.17
230269.1
348333
-8280.8
22.786
-0.000518
24
-0.0022
0.5890
6.0288
97.85
228770.9
346047
-7611.5
38.904
-0.000476
25
-0.0027
0.5865
6.0286
97.44
226897.1
343189
-6777.5
57.500
-0.000424
26
-0.0031
0.5836
6.0283
96.97
224688.0
339820
-5798.9
77.106
-0.000362
27
-0.0035
0.5803
6.0280
96.42
222191.5
336013
-4699.0
96.160
-0.000294
28
-0.0038
0.5767
6.0277
95.83
219461.3
331851
-3503.3
113.141
-0.000219
29
-0.0040
0.5729
6.0273
95.19
216555.6
327422
-2239.2
126.699
-0.000140
30
-0.0041
0.5688
6.0269
94.52
213535.3
322820
-934.4
135.767
-0.000058
31
-0.0042
0.5647
6.0265
93.83
210462.4
318138
383.4
139.643
0.000024
32
-0.0042
0.5605
6.0261
93.15
207398.4
313471
1687.6
138.046
0.000105
KE32<KE31
Reset
0.0000
0.5638
6.0264
93.69
209818.3
317157
658.4
0.000
0.000000
restart
33
0.0000
0.5638
6.0264
93.69
209818.3
317157
658.4
0.000
0.000041
34
0.0000
0.5638
6.0264
93.69
209833.4
317180
652.0
0.014
0.000041
35
0.0001
0.5639
6.0264
93.70
209878.8
317249
632.6
0.054
0.000040
36
0.0001
0.5640
6.0264
93.72
209953.7
317363
600.6
0.118
0.000038
37
0.0002
0.5641
6.0265
93.74
210057.1
317521
556.517
0.202
0.000035
38
0.0002
0.5643
6.0265
93.77
210187.2
317719
500.990
0.300
0.000031
39
0.0002
0.5645
6.0265
93.81
210341.7
317954
435.013
0.405
0.000027
40
0.0003
0.5647
6.0265
93.85
210517.8
318223
359.762
0.509
0.000022
41
0.0003
0.5650
6.0265
93.89
210712.4
318519
276.607
0.604
0.000017
42
0.0003
0.5653
6.0266
93.94
210921.7
318838
187.091
0.682
0.000012
43
0.0003
0.5656
6.0266
93.99
211141.9
319173
92.902
0.738
0.000006
44
0.0003
0.5659
6.0266
94.04
211368.6
319519
-4.157
0.766
0.000000
45
0.0003
0.5662
6.0267
94.09
211597.5
319867
-102.199
0.765
-0.000006
KE45<KE44
Reset
0.0000
0.5660
6.0266
94.06
211473.3
319678
-48.985
0.000
0.000000
restart
46
0.0000
0.5660
6.0266
94.06
211473.3
319678
-48.985
0.000
-0.000003
47
0.0000
0.5660
6.0266
94.06
211472.1
319676
-48.499
0.000
-0.000003
48
0.0000
0.5660
6.0266
94.06
211468.8
319671
-47.049
0.000
-0.000003
49
0.0000
0.5660
6.0266
94.06
211463.2
319663
-44.653
0.001
-0.000003
50
0.0000
0.5660
6.0266
94.06
211455.4
319651
-41.349
0.001
-0.000003
51
0.0000
0.5660
6.0266
94.05
211445.7
319636
-37.193
0.002
-0.000002
52
0.0000
0.5660
6.0266
94.05
211434.2
319619
-32.260
0.002
-0.000002
53
0.0000
0.5660
6.0266
94.05
211421.1
319599
-26.640
0.003
-0.000002
54
0.0000
0.5659
6.0266
94.04
211406.6
319577
-20.437
0.003
-0.000001
55
0.0000
0.5659
6.0266
94.04
211391.0
319553
-13.768
0.004
-0.000001
56
0.0000
0.5659
6.0266
94.04
211374.7
319528
-6.762
0.004
0.000000
57
0.0000
0.5659
6.0266
94.03
211357.8
319502
0.447
0.004
0.000000
Final displacement equals 0.5659 metre

Note:
1. Dummy mass = 16,000,000 & zero viscous damping are used throughout in the table
2. Units in the Table are Newton, metre & kg

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F=0.45<1.0
3. y, y' & y'' are displacement, speed and acceleration respectively

4. L i is the deformed bar length
5. is the angle between deformed bar and original bar in mRad
6. K is the vertical stiffness (not been used since constant Mass is used)
7. F b is the bar force
8. F is the residual force
9. KE is the kinetic energy
10. Residual limit is 1.0 N
11. When vibration restarts, the values of nodal displacement, velocity and acceleration as well as the kinetic
energy have been reset

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Running GsRelax
GsRelax is used in GSA for doing nonlinear static analysis, form-finding analysis and member buckling
analysis, when these analyses are selected, GSA will use GsRelax to solve the problem. This course does not
cover GSA user interface and data entry etc as these are covered by other GSA training courses. If needed,
please refer to GSA documentation and other GSA training course materials for assistance.
Importing Fablon data file

Fablon (a standalone nonlinear analysis program and the basis of GsRelax) data files (FBI files) can be
converted into GSA data format by choosing open FBI file in the file open operation.
Solver options
GsRelax (nonlinear static, form-finding & member buckling) analysis can be started by selecting menu item
Analyse | New Analysis Task, this opens up the Analysis Wizard. In the Solver Option page (Fig 13a) as
shown below, select "Nonlinear static", "Member buckling" or "Form finding" for GsRelax analysis. If
"Nonlinear static" is selected, page shown by Fig 13b will follow to give options for nonlinear analysis. If
"Form finding" is selected, page shown by Fig 13c will follow to give options for form-finding analysis. The
options in dialog boxes shown in Figs 13b & 13c are explained below.
(a) Analysis options

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(b) Nonlinear analysis options
(c) Form-finding analysis options

Fig 13 GsRelax analysis options

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Non-automatic load increment (Automatic load increment box is not checked). This is the basic
option in GsRelax analysis and it should be used in most cases. In this option, the analysis will use
the loads or load combinations defined in the next page of the wizard. If the defined loads are lower
than the structure load capacity, converged results will be available from the analysis, otherwise the
analysis may not able to converge.
Automatic load increment. To enable this option, Automatic load increments box should be
checked. In this option, the load level of first increment need to be specified as a percentage of total
applied loads. The following load increment will be automatically selected by the program.
Specifically designed for this option, the dialog box shown in Fig 14 must be filled so that the
termination criteria of the analysis are set. In this analysis, the loads will increase automatically until
either the load factor limit or the displacement (rotation) limit is reached. The termination of the
analysis can also be controlled by both of the criteria. If both criteria are specified, the analysis will
terminate after either of limit is reached. The load factor represents the proportion of the imposed
load actually applied onto the structure. It can be any value either smaller or greater than 1.0.
If required, the maximum and minimum load increment limits can be set in this dialog box. The
maximum load increment is the load increment limit. If the automatically selected load increment is
greater than this, the maximum load increment will be used as the current load increment instead of
the automatically selected one. The minimum load increment is used as a criterion to terminate the
analysis. In GsRelax analysis, the magnitude of load increment is dependent on the convergence
rate, if the analysis converges easily, the load increment will be larger and vice versa. If the load
increment has been reduced to be smaller than the minimum load increment, GsRelax considers that
a converged solution is unlikely to be achieved for a higher level of load. So the analysis has to be
terminated. In this circumstance, the final load level could be the structure load capacity or it may be
due to that GsRelax simply cannot find a converged solution for a higher level of loads.
If a very large load factor limit and/or displacement (rotation) limit is specified, this option can be
used to search for the ultimate load capacity of the model.
Note: By default, element slenderness (Geometric stiffness) is included. If this needs to be changed, the
check box Element slenderness included should be unchecked on "Nonlinear static options" page.
Once this box is unchecked, the geometric stiffness of beam element will be ignored in the analysis,
but geometric nonlinear effect for the whole structure is still considered.
Form-finding: Ignore form-finding properties. This analysis can be used to simulate multiple
stages analysis. This analysis is the same as nonlinear static analysis, but at the end of the analysis,
there are no analysis results to be produced, instead a new load case is created and nodal coordinates
are modified. The new nodal coordinates plus the new load case hold the current deformed state of
the structure which is equivalent to the analysis results. If the structure is to be re-analysed with
previous applied loads plus the new load case, the structure would not deform anymore and the
analysis results would be the same as those if the structure were analysed originally. As no results
are produced from this analysis, the model can be modified and re-analysed to simulate construction
stages.

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Fig 14 Analysis termination control dialog box for automatic load increment
Fig 15 Dialog box for specifying the elements for which the effective length will be estimated

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Form-finding: using soap-film Form-finding properties. Form-finding is a process to find a

smooth surface for fabric and cable structures. The smooth surface form-found depends on the
methods used and the values of the control parameters. Soap-film form-finding can be used for
fabric structures, cable structures and mixed fabric, cable and beam structures. In soap-film formfinding, the stiffness of fabric elements (triangle and quad) and bar elements is ignored and a
constant pre-stress (specified by soap-film 2D property and soap-film 1D property) are used for these
elements. As the element stiffness is zero, the stress of the element will not be affected by the
displacements of the nodes (the strain of the element) and the pre-stress set in the element will keep
constant during form-finding process. If there is no external pressure load on the structure, the formfound shape of the structure will be the shape having least surface area. If a uniform external
pressure load is applied, the shape of structure will depend on the relative magnitude of the external
pressure load and the pre-stress in the elements. The form-finding process will only converge when
the external pressure is not too large compared with the pre-stress of the element.
If the external pressure is zero, the form-found shape of the structure is not affected by the magnitude
of the element pre-stress, so it may be set to any reasonable value. If there is an external pressure
load, the curvature of the surface form-found depends on the relative magnitude of the element prestress and the external pressure load. The greater the pre-stress in the element, the flatter of the formfound surface.
Because the stiffness of the elements in soap-film form-finding is set to zero, the nodes that are only
attached to Triangle and Quad elements can move freely and the nodes tend to coalesce if they are
not restrained in some way. In order to control the position of these nodes, Spacer elements should
be used.
Form-finding: Using force-density Form-finding properties. Force-density form-finding is

normally used for cable networks. In force-density form-finding the element properties are replaced
by force-density properties which can be defined in the Force-density 1D property and Force-density
2D property tables. The force-density is the force/length ratio for bar elements or the stress/area ratio
for 2D elements. The final length of a bar element will be equal to the product of the force-density
and the axial force in the bar. Similarly, the final area of a 2D element will be equal to the product of
the 2D force-density and the stress in the element. Therefore, the larger the force-density of an
element, the smaller the element size after force-density form-finding. If the force-density is the
same for all bars in a cable network, after force-density form-finding, the sum of the length squared
of all the bars in the structure will be minimised. If the force-density differs for different bar
elements, the sum of all bar element lengths squared, weighted by the corresponding force-density
will be minimised. For example: if a cable network has 10 = 4 + 6 bar elements, and the first 4
elements with force-density of 3, and the rest 6 elements with force-density of 5. After force-density
form-finding, the following equation will be stand.
4
3L2i +
i =1
10
5L
Minimum
i =5
in which: L i is the length of the ith bar element, 3 and 5 are the force-density
The shape of the structure after force-density form-finding is controlled by the force-densities of the
elements, the boundary conditions and applied loads. By altering the force-density, the required
shape of the structure can be found. Force-density form-finding can also include beam elements with
normal beam properties.
Since nodes in force-density form-finding cannot move freely as in soap-film form-finding, the
position of the nodes will be uniquely determined after force-density form-finding. Therefore it is not
necessary to use spacer elements.
Although, it is possible to include 2D elements in force-density form-finding, it is not recommended
since the final shape of 2D elements will be irregular.

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Member buckling. In this option, the axial load capacity of a beam element or a chain of beam
elements in a structure can be evaluated. Prior to estimating the axial load capacity of the specified
members (Euler load), the imposed loads are applied onto the structure and kept constant. Then the
axial force on the specified elements will be increased gradually until the structure collapse or no
converged solution can be found. This option may also be used to estimate the effective length of a
beam element in a structure under the applied loads.
Specifically designed for this option, the dialog box shown in Fig 15 must be filled to specify the
elements for which the axial load capacity will be estimated.
Options after form-finding analysis

After form-finding analysis, options as shown in Fig 16 will be given for determining whether to update the
nodal coordinates and save the current member forces in a new load case. If it is intended to abandon the
form-finding results completely, all the boxes should be unchecked. If the first box is checked, the nodal
coordinates will be modified. If the second box is checked, there are two options to save the current spacer
forces, one is to save the spacer forces as the spacer element pre-stress force load in the new load case, and
one is to save the spacer forces as pre-stress force load to the corresponding (coincident) elements if they
exist. If the third box is checked, the current axial forces of the elements will be saved as pre-stress force load
and the current bending moments of beam elements will be saved as equivalent distortion loads in the new
load case.
Fig 16 Options after form-finding

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NOTE FOR DEFINING FORM-FINDING PROPERTIES.

In Windows GSA, Bar, Tie, Strut and 2D elements can have three different types of properties associated with
them. They are:
Normal section property or 2D element property: They will be used when doing non-form-finding
analysis, i.e. normal linear and nonlinear analysis etc.
Soap-film form-finding properties: They will be used when doing soap-film form-finding analysis
Force-density form-finding properties: They will be used when doing force-density form-finding analysis
Be aware that the three properties Share the same property number and they are mutually exclusive, i.e. the
type of property to be used in the analysis is dependent on the chosen analysis option. For example a GSA
model can have normal section property number 3, soap-film form-finding property number 3 and forcedensity form-finding property number 3. If a Bar element in the model refers to property number 3, the bar
element will use normal section property number 3 when doing non-form-finding analysis. Soap-film formfinding property number 3 will be used for the bar when doing soap-film form-finding analysis, and forcedensity form-finding property number 3 will be used for the bar when doing force-density form-finding
analysis. In this arrangement, the form-finding analysis and the final structure analyses have been integrated,
so the two analyses can be carried out using the same data file.
As mentioned above, in non-form-finding analysis, the normal section properties will be used even if formfinding properties have been defined in the model. Obviously, it is not necessary to define form-finding
properties for each bar if it is not intended to do form-finding analysis for the model.
When doing soap-film form-finding analysis, soap-film form-finding properties will be used if it is available
in the model. If soap-film form-finding properties have not been defined in the model in soap-film formfinding analysis, the normal section properties with the same property number will be used if they have been
defined. Similarly for force-density form-finding, if force density form-finding properties are available for
the element, then they will be used, otherwise normal section properties referred to by the element will be
used instead. In this way, it is possible to use normal properties for part or all elements in form-finding
analysis.
If it is intended to use normal section properties for some Bars, Ties, Struts or 2D elements in form-finding
analysis, this can be achieved by deliberately omitting the soap-film form-finding properties for these
elements. This implies that form-finding analysis can be carried out for a model with no form-finding
properties being defined that will be the same as the option of form-finding analysis and ignore form-finding
properties.
Definition of analysis case

Since GsRelax analysis is a nonlinear analysis, it is not correct to combine GsRelax analysis results, therefore
analyses have to be conducted for each of the possible load combinations of a model. The definition of load
combinations for the analysis is the same as for other analysis and one example is shown in Fig 17.

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Fig 17 Definition of analysis case in GSA
Advance options
Advanced option can be accessed on the last page of analysis wizard by clicking the Advanced button.
Fig 18 shows the dialog box for defining the control parameters for GsRelax analysis. The analysis can be
controlled by either the maximum number of cycles (iterations) or analysis time in minutes. If the specified
maximum cycle or time has been reached before the analysis has been converged, the analysis will be halted
and the user will be prompted to abandon or continue the analysis.
It is almost impossible to achieve 100% accurate results in nonlinear analysis, so an acceptable residual
(tolerance) should be specified to allow the analysis to terminate with acceptable results. There are two
options to specify the residuals relative and absolute.
If relative residual is selected, the force residual and moment residual at each node are calculated from:
F = f
F
n
M = 5
m
n
(11)

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in which:
F & M force residual and moment residual
f & m - relative force and moment residuals
F the sum of total imposed loads including both nodal and member loads
n - the number of the nodes in the model
If there is no imposed load, e.g. a structure is subjected only to support settlement, the force residual and
moment residual are calculated from:
F = 0.01 f
M = 0.01 m
n
(12)
in which:
F & M force residual and moment residual
f & m - relative force residual and relative moment residual
K F & K M the sum of nodal translational stiffness and rotational stiffness of all the nodes.
n - the number of the nodes in the structure
If an absolute residual is selected, the specified force residual and moment residual will be used in the
analysis.
Fig 18 Definition of control parameters

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Normally, the default values shown in Fig 19 for Convergence Control are used, but if required they can be
adjusted to a different acceptable value. The control parameters shown in Figs 18 & 19 can also be modified
later during the analysis. The meaning of each of the control parameters in Fig 19 are:
1.
Number of cycles between residual check:

This is the frequency to check whether the residual limit has been met. If residual limit is checked on
every cycle, it may slightly slow down the analysis, however if this number is too high, we may miss the
cycle that the analysis has been converged. Adjusting this number only slightly affects the analysis
speed, so normally we do not need to change it.
2.
Dummy mass update frequency:

Dummy mass is taken as twice the nodal stiffness in values. If the deflection of a structure is relatively
small, the change of nodal stiffness will be also small, so it is not necessary to update the dummy mass
for every cycle to save computing time. If the deflection of a structure is relatively large, it may require
updating the dummy mass more frequently. In most circumstances, the default option (Automatic
selection of number of cycles) should be used. If a constant number of cycles is required, it can be
specified here. The cycle number defined here is also used for updating dummy inertia
3.
Dummy mass and inertia factors:

In this part, the dummy mass and dummy inertia factors can be specified. Option is also given to allow
GsRelax to adjust the dummy mass and dummy inertia automatically during the analysis.
4.
Damping:
Percentage of translational and rotation viscous or artificial damping can be specified here. Option is
also given to allow GsRelax to adjust the damping automatically during the analysis.
Fig 19 Advanced control option

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Setup GsRelax analysis progress information

During GsRelax analysis, some analysis progress information can be shown to allow monitoring the analysis.
Fig 20 shows the settings on how to update analysis progress information. If Show progress report is
selected, some of the progress information such as current cycles, maximum cycles, current residuals and
residual target etc can be monitored during the analysis. There are two options to view the progress
information, in summary mode, only the basic information will be shown, and in full mode some more
information will be available to be monitored. If Show progress report box is checked, the frequency of
updating the progress can also be set. The analysis speed is slightly affected by frequently updating the
progress report.
The analysis progress can also be shown on graphic view if Show progress in graphic view box is checked.
If this box is checked, the frequency of updating the graphic view can also be set. The analysis speed is
significantly affected by the frequency of updating the graphic view especially for large models. It is
recommended not to update the graphic view too frequently for medium and large size structures. These
frequencies can also be altered later during GsRelax analysis.
Analysing
If Show progress report is selected in the dialog box shown in Fig 20, a message box as shown in Figs 21 or
22 will be shown during GsRelax analysis depending on whether summary or full options are chosen. From
this dialog box it is possible to reset the residual target, dummy mass factor etc or even to stop the analysis by
clicking the relevant button.
Fig 20 GsRelax progress information

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Fig 21 Summary analysis progress dialog box
Fig 22 FullAnalysis progress dialog box
Stop analysis
GsRelax analysis can be interrupted at any time during the analysis by clicking the stop button on the progress
dialog box. Confirmation dialog box will be given before the analysis is actually stopped.
Post-processing
Only nodal results of elements are produced from GsRelax analysis and the intermediate results of elements
are obtained from post-processing. The calculations of element intermediate results are the same in GSA no
matter the results are from nonlinear GsRelax analysis or linear GSS analysis. As GSA post-processor is a
linear post-processor, the element intermediate results may sometimes not be realistic, e.g. the deflections at
intermediate points along Bar or Tie elements etc. As with any nonlinear results, GsRelax results should not
be combined.

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Tips on running GsRelax successfully
Do not use a residual that is too small in the analysis. If a larger residual limit is acceptable, do not use
a smaller one. The default residuals are pretty tight and they may be increased in most of the cases.
GsRelax constructs the dummy mass according to the element stiffness. If the stiffness of some
elements is much higher than others, the dummy mass at the relevant node will be very large. This can
slow down the convergence, even causing divergence. If an element is very stiff compared with
others, rigid constraints or link elements should be used instead. Rigid constraints and link elements
do not make any contribution to the dummy mass.
Even layout of element meshes makes the analysis converge more easily. In the example shown in Fig
23, convergence will be quicker for the model with the more even mesh layout.
not easy to converge
easy to converge
Fig 23 Effect of different mesh layouts on the convergence of GsRelax Analysis
If a structure to be analysed is flexible, a larger dummy mass factor (> 1.0) may be required to prevent
the analysis from diverging. On the other hand, if the structure is very stiff, using a smaller dummy
mass factor (< 1.0) will speed up convergence. However, when the dummy mass factor is too small,
the analysis is likely to diverge. If the maximum residual shown on the information dialog box keeps
increasing, it indicates that the dummy mass factor is too small and should be adjusted as soon as
possible to prevent divergence.
If the structure flexibility cannot be judged before the analysis, use the default dummy mass and
dummy inertia factors (1.0). After the analysis starts, the dummy mass factor can be adjusted
according to the residual information shown. If the maximum residual reduces too slowly it may be
necessary to reduce the dummy mass factor. Otherwise if the maximum residual does not tend to
reduce but jumps around, this may suggest that a larger dummy mass factor or damping is needed.
The optimum dummy mass factor varies at different stages of the analysis. In general, the optimum
dummy mass factor is smaller at early stages of the analysis and larger at later stage of the analysis. It
is helpful to watch the residuals as the analysis progresses in case the dummy mass factor needs
adjusting.

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Drawbacks and limitations in GsRelax analysis

Drawbacks
It is difficult to achieve a converged solution for certain models.
Typically much more analysis time is needed than for linear analysis (e.g. GSS)
It may be necessary to drive the analysis of models for which convergence is difficult to achieve.
Results cant be combined (but compound analysis cases can be analysed).
Limitations of Using GsRelax
Element offsets cannot be used in GsRelax analysis
If nodal constraint axes of the two nodes in a JOINT differs the model cannot be analysed by GsRelax.
Distortion loads acting at the intermediate point of a beam or in x, y or z direction cannot be analysed by
GsRelax.
GsRelax uses 4 triangular elements to simulate a Quad 4 element in the analysis in which a dummy node
at the centre of the Quad 4 element is introduced. The results at the 4 nodes are the average of the results
of the two adjacent triangular elements and the results at the centre is the average of the 4 triangle
elements. It is expected that the results are not consistent with true 4-node quad elements.

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Exercises
1.
What is the appropriate analysis method for the structures shown in Fig 24
2.
Overcome convergence problems in a number of models.
3.
Experience with various GsRelax analysis options.
4.
Open FBI files and analyse them
5.
Create a simple model from scratch and analyse it in GsRelax.

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(4)
(3)
(2)
(1)
(e) Rough mesh of Cable or Fabric networks, nodes 1
& 3 are lower the the plane level. Find the smooth
surface defined by the 4 nodes.
(f) Truss
(g) Truss
Fig 24 What is the appropriate analysis method for these structures?

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Appendix: Flowchart of GsRelax solution procedure

For simplicity reasons, a one degree of freedom system is used in the flowchart. However, the equation is
also valid for multi-degree system if the matrixes and vectors are used instead of the scalar counterpart. The
basic dynamic equation is:
My + Cy + Ky = F
- where
M=
dummy mass
C=
damping
C = Ccr
- damping ratio (0 1.0)
C cr critical damping
Ccr = 2 MK
K stiffness
F equivalent nodal force
y displacement of the node
y - speed of the node
y - acceleration of the node
Assuming the acceleration of the node at each time increment is constant, the flowchart of GsRelax analysis is
as follows. In the flowchart, the subscript i refers to the current cycle number; t is the time increment, unit
time increment is used in GsRelax analysis.

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Flowchart of Fablon Solution Procedures
y0 = 0,
y0 = 0;
F Equivalent
M Dummy
y0 = F M
nodal
force
Mass
yi+1 = yi + yit
yi +1 = yi + yit +
yi+1 =
1
yit 2
2
1
(Fi +1 Ky i +1 Cyi+1 )
M
Compute K, M and force residual
Yes
Residual satisfied ?
No
Eik+1 =
No
Analysis
terminate
1
2
M ( yi+1 )
2
Eik+1 Eik ?
Yes
Set optimum
E ik+1 = 0,
position
yi+1 = 0,
for all nodes
(Fig 3 & 4)
yi+1 = 0
i - the cycle number

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GSA Nonlinear Training Course Notes

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Nonlinear analysis

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

Using the GSA GsRelax Solver

Thomas Li & Sarah Kaethner

Element types and features available in GsRelax

Structures suitable for analysis by GsRelax

Solution method used by GsRelax

Example of dynamic relaxation analysis of one degree of freedom problem

Tips of running GsRelax successfully

Drawbacks and limitations in using GsRelax

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

Special feature in GsRelax

Geometric nonlinear effects (automatically considered)

Advantage of using GsRelax

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

material stress-strain relationship is linear (material Young's Modulus is constant)

displacement and strain relationship is linear (small displacement problem)

Geometric nonlinear analysis

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

non-linear to linear analysis axial force

non-linear to linear analysis shear force ratio

(a) Column axial force ratio

Horizontal to vertical load ratio (Q/P)

(b) Column shear force ratio

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

non-linear to linear analysis moment ratio

Horizontal to vertical load ratio (Q/P)

(c) Column moment ratio

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

Numerical results from the three analysis methods

or {F}, the load vector.

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

Load deflection curve of elastic nonlinear buckling analysis

Load deflection curve of elastic-plastic nonlinear buckling analysis

Fig 4 Load deflection curves of three buckling analyses

Material nonlinear analysis

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

(a) Real steel material stress-strain relationship

(c) Elastic and strain hardening

(e) Multi-linear stress-strain relationship

Fig 5 Real and assumed material stress-strain relationships

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

Element types and features available in GsRelax

Bar element (tension and compression)

Strut element (compression only)

Tie element (tension only)

Definition of the Sliding-Cable shown in Fig 6a

Definition of the Sliding-Cable shown in Fig 6a

A sliding-cable made up of a number of cable elements is considered as a single element in GsRelax

(b) unacceptable sliding-cable definition

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

Element slenderness is included by checking Element slenderness included box in the

Element slenderness is ignored by unchecking Element slenderness included box in the

3 noded triangular element (Tri3 in GSA)

as plane stress element if plane stress property is defined or

as plane strain element if plane strain property is defined

4 node quad element

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

Non-linear analysis and form-finding in GSA

Definition of the SPACER shown in Fig 7a

Definition of the SPACER shown in Fig 7a