Plate Loads tab
Used to apply loads to elements.
Pressure on Full Plate
Used to define a pressure load that acts on the full surface of an element. (To define a pressure load that acts on a small part of an element, see the Partial Plate Pressure tab that is described in the coming pages).
Concentrated Load
Use this option to define a concentrated load that acts at a specific point within the boundary of an element. If a load acts at a node point of an element, it is advisable to apply it using the Nodal Load option described in earlier pages.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Load | Force is the magnitude of the load. |
| Direction | The load may be applied along the local Z axis, or along one of the global X, Y or Z axes (GX, GY, GZ). |
Partial Plate Pressure Load
Used to specify a uniform pressure load on the entire element or on a user specified portion of the element.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Load | The element pressure (force per unit area) or concentrated load (force unit). For concentrated load, the values of X2 and Y2 must be omitted, while X1 and Y1 must be specified. |
| X1, Y1, X2, Y2 | For element pressure (force per unit area), these values represent the coordinates of the rectangular boundary on which the pressure is applied. If X1, Y1, X2, and Y2 are all zero,the pressure is applied over the entire element. If X1 and Y1 are specified but X2 and Y2 are omitted, then W1 is treated as a concentrated load. |
| Direction | GX, GY, and GZ represent the global X, Y, and Z directions along which the pressure may be applied. Local Z indicates that the pressure is applied normal to the element in the local Z direction. |
Trapezoidal
Used to specify a trapezoidally varying pressure load on a plate. The load is applied over the entire element in the local Z direction, varying along the positive local X or Y direction.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Direction of Pressure | GX, GY, and GZ represent the global X, Y, and Z directions along which the pressure may be applied. Local Z indicates that the pressure is applied normal to the element in the local Z direction. |
| Variation along element |
Define the direction in which the pressure varies as either the local X or Y direction or choose the joint option which is discussed next. The Joint option is used to apply different values of pressure at different nodes of the plate element. When checked, the dialog updates to allow a different pressure value for each of the four plate corner nodes. |
Hydrostatic
Used to model loads due to hydrostatic pressure on one or more adjacent elements. The Hydrostatic load is converted to Trapezoidal loads on the elements. The load is applied over the entire area of the element.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Force | Enter value of the load at the minimum and maximum global axis in current units. For example, to model a retaining wall with soil pressure, W1 is the force at the bottom of the wall and W2 is the force at the top of the wall. |
| Interpolate along Global Axis | Specify the global axis (X, Y, or Z) along which the load should vary from W1 to W2. For example, the load would vary along the Y axis on a vertical retaining wall. |
| Direction of pressure | Specify the direction of design pressure as Local Z axis or global axes (GX, GY or GZ) and click on Add. This will assign the linearly varying hydrostatic load on all the selected elements. |
| Select Plate(s) | Opens a Selected Item(s) dialog, which is used to generate a list of selected plates. The Create Load Items dialog is dismissed until all loads are added using the Plates Cursor tool in the View Window. Once Done is clicked, the Create Load Items dialog re-opens with the Plate table populated. Unlike other load definition options, we must select plates for this option to become active. |