Input Nonlinear Functions via Excel

A MS Excel VBA-based tool to import the nonlinear functions into SCIA Engineer via MS Excel.

Input the Displacement-Force or the Rotation-Moment values for the Nonlinear functions, that can be used in a nonlinear support or nonlinear hinge. Very useful when you have to add a lot of nonlinear functions, or when you want to ‘generate’ these functions yourself, and import them into SCIA Engineer

Instructions

Macros need to be enabled for this tool to work.

1. Make a backup copy of your SCIA Engineer project
2. Create a set of Non-linear functions in this excel workbook
   • Go to the Input-sheet in this excel workbook
   • Input a value for 'Name', 'Type', 'Positive End' and 'Negative End'
     • Item 'Name' must be unique
       • When 'Name' is empty, then a red background appears. Exporting stops at the function where the first empty 'Name' is encountered.
     • Item 'Type' equals 0 for Translation, 1 for Rotation.
     • Item 'Positive End' and 'Negative End' equals 0 for Rigid, 1 for Free, 2 for Flexible.
   • Input columns 'u[m]', 'F[N]
     • When Type=Translation, then u is the translation in meter and F is the force in Newton.
     • When Type=Rotation, then u is the rotation in radians and F is the moment in NewtonMeter.
3. Export the NonLinear functions from this excel workbook
   • Go to the Input-sheet in this excel workbook
   • Click the [Export NonLinear Functions]-button
   • Input a name for the XML-file that will contain the definitions of the NonLinear Functions
4. Import the exported NonLinear functions into SCIA Engineer (Main menu > File > Update from > XML file)

Changes:

v3.0

• Open SCIA Engineer
• Open the .esa project from point 1. (see above)
• Select Main menu > File > Update from > XML file, and select the exported XML file from point 3. (see below)
• Correction for nonlinear rotation and nonlinear subsoil
• Units follow Type