INTRODUCTION

First you need to know the simulation process, in a few words the overall structure of
input-file format.

Simulation Process

1. Build the model

Model dimensions and degrees of freedom
Nodal coordinates
Nodal constrains – boundary conditions
Nodal masses
Elements and elements connectivity
Recorders output

2. Define and apply gravity load

Nodal or element load
Static-analysis parameters (tolerances and load increments)
Analize
Hold gravity loads constant
Reset time toz ero

3. Define and apply lateral load

Load pattern (nodal loads for static analysis, support ground motion for
earthquake)
Lateral-analysis parameters (tolerances and displacements increments)
o Static Lateral-Load Analysis
Define the displacement increments and displacements path
o Dynamic Lateral-Load Analysis
Define the input motion and all associated parameters, such
as scaling and input type
Define analysis duration and time increment
Define damping
Analyze

Now with the before structure shown you can deal with the introductory examples.
OpenSees Example 1ª. 2D Elastic Cantilever Column

Objetives:

Overview of basic OpenSees input structure.

Coordinates, boundary conditions.
Element connectivity, nodal masses.
Nodal loads, etc.
Two-node, one elements.

Models:

Elastic elements

Analyses:

Static pushover
Dynamic earthquake-input

First open the TCL Editor and you can see that we have three Windows in the TLC Editor.
The window number one is where you write the script input-file, the window number two
shown the different commands to use and the last one shown the command summary.

3
In the first lines you should write general information of your model. For that you need put
the symbol # before you write because with that you can write some comments without
affect the input-file, something like that:

Now the first part of the overall structure is 1. BUILD THE MODEL

This part was split in four sections:

Set up:

In the first line you have the command wipe, this command is used to destroy all cosntructed
objects and start over without having to exist and restart the interpreter; the following command
determines the dimensión (2D or 3D) of the model and the degrees of freedom per node and the
command file mkdir Data create data directory of the model.

Define Geometry:

Where you write the nodal coordinates, boundary conditions and nodal masses with the node, fix
and mass commands respectively. Remember use a system of units consistent.
Define Elements:

In this part you need to give the command geomTransf to be sure that everything will be
transformed with recpect to the global coordinate, now you can make the conectivity of the
elements with the command element and provide the geometric and materials properties.

Define Recordes:

In the fourth section you need to name the output files to run OpenSees with the command
recorder and you can get results like displacements, support reactions, lateral drift, element forces,
element deformations, etc.

The second part of the overall structure is 2. DEFINE AND APPLY GRAVITY LOAD

This part was split in two sections:

Gravity load pattern:

First you need create a load pattern with the command pattern and make sure you enter all the
gravitational loads acting on the model.

Parameters of analysis:

In the second part you need constraint the plain to handles boundary conditions and renumber
degrees of freedom to minimize band-width (the last is only if you want to) with the commands
constraints and numberer respectively. The command system (in this case BandGeneral) is
used to construct an un-symmetric banded system of equations object which will be factored, stored
and solve the system of equations in the analysis. With the command test (NormDispIncr)
determine if convergence has been achieved at the end of an iterarion step. Now you make sure
you provide the algorithm, time step to control the load, type of analysis, the number of steps and
hold gravity constant and restart time with the commands algorithm (Newton), integrator
(LoadControl), analysis (Static), analyze (10) and loadConst (-time 0.0) respectively.
The third part of the overall structure is 3. DEFINE AND APPLY LATERAL LOAD

This part was split in two sections to:

Lateral load pattern:

First you need create a load pattern with the command pattern and make sure you enter all the
lateral loads acting on the model.

Parameters of analysis:

In the second part you need provide the parameters to make a Pushover: Displacemente Controlled
Static Analysis.

For that you need to use the command integrator again but now it will not be to control the load, in
this case will be displacements (DisplacementControl) where you provide the node which will be
controlled in which degree of freedom and the time step; for last the command analyze ensures
that apply the number of steps of pushover analysis.

With the third part of the overall structure of input-file finalized, now you can run the program and
look the results recorded.
Now you can open the output files and interpret the results; for example open the DBase.out file
and look the results.

From

Gravity Load

From

Gravity and Lateral

Load

continue

In this image you can observe that the results are Split y two parts, the fistr are the results from
gravity load and the second part are results from gravity and lateral load (control displacements).
The fisrt column corresponds to the time, the second, third and fourth column corresponds to the
displacements in the degree of freedom dx, dy and rz respectively.

The previously indicated was results of displacement and the next image shown the results of the
forces in the column.
 From

Gravity Load

From

Gravity and Lateral

Load

continue

The same way the results was split in to parts the analysis from gravita load and from gravity and
lateral load (control displacement). The first column corresponds to the time and now the remaining
six columns are from node i (first 3) and node j (last 3) of element.

Therefore the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh columns corresponds to FXi, FYi, MZi,
FXj, FYj y MZj respectively.

For example in the time 0.00849368 s from gravity and lateal load the forces on the comlumn are: