GetAxialForce |
 
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GetAxialForce |
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This function retrieves the axial force in an element at a particular time step.
GetAxialForce (string DatabaseName, int TimeIndex, int ElementIndex, int LocalNodeNo)
DatabaseName (character string). The full path name to the relevant database.
TimeIndex (integer). The relevant time index.
ElementIndex (integer). The relevant element index.
LocalNodeNo (integer). The relevant local node number (1 to 3).
-9999998 (if the specified database is invalid)
-9999999 (if the requested value cannot be retrieved from the database)
Please note that this function returns the axial force exactly as it stored in the Flexcom database.
In some analyses the buoyancy diameter specified in the Flexcom model means that the axial force calculated by the program is not a true reflection of the force in the actual wall structure, and the choice of buoyancy diameter is governed by the need to ensure that effective tension is correct. If you define an effective external diameter to be used in Stress Computations within Flexcom (e.g. via *PROPERTIES in the $MODEL section), Flexcom recalculates the axial force taking the more realistic external diameter into account. This recalculation happens automatically during Flexcom postprocessing, but must be performed manually if you are using the VBA functions. Specifically, you should:
•Use GetEffectiveTension to retrieve the effective tension
•Use GetPressure to retrieve the internal and external pressures
•Compute the internal and external areas based on the relevant diameters
•Back calculate the axial force from the effective tension, based on the discussion provided in Axial Force and Effective Tension