Generate Influence Surfaces for Plate and Shell Structures

Generate a diagram showing the relationship between a certain result quantity, such as force or displacement at a given point, and a position of the unit force on the load surface.

1. Click Loads Special Loads Load Pattern. The Load Pattern dialog opens.
2. Click in the Panel box to make it active.
3. In the drawing area, select the panel for which you want to generate an influence surface. The Panel box updates with the number of the panel.
4. Click Add to define the influence surface. The Definition of influence surface dialog opens.
5. Selected a result quantity from a tab, and then click Apply. The selected result quantity is added to the Load Pattern dialog.
6. Repeat step 5 for each result quantity that you want to add, and then click Close. The selected result quantities are displayed as a list in the Load Pattern dialog.
   Note: If you want to delete a result quantity from the list, select it, and then click Delete.
7. Click Generate. The Load Pattern dialog closes, and the Load Pattern - Loads dialog opens. This dialog allows you to display influence surfaces graphically, and also to define new cases and loads.
8. To display a color diagram of the influence surface:
   1. Select one of the defined influence surfaces from the Diagrams of load patterns list.
   2. Select if you want to visualize the areas where the values of the influence surface are Positive or Negative.
   3. Optionally, select Open a new window for selection to view the resulting diagram in a new view.
   4. Click Apply.
   The diagram is displayed in the drawing area.
   Note: To improve readability, black isolines with descriptions are also drawn on the diagram. Result values are always scaled in order to be contained in the interval: [-1.0, 1.0]. Range limits are determined and equal: -1.0, -0.75, -0.5, -0.25, 0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0.
9. To define a new load case and planar load on a contour:
   1. Enter a new case name in the Load case name box, or select one of the defined influence surfaces from the Diagrams of load patterns list.
   2. Click Add case to generate a new case with the specified name. The generated case is added to the list of load cases for the current project.
   3. Click Load to open the Uniform Planar Load (contour) dialog.
   4. Define the load intensity as well as the contour on which the load acts, and then click Add.
   5. Close the Uniform Planar Load (contour) dialog.
10. Close the Load Pattern - Loads

Example of a load pattern diagram with corresponding isolines: