FRAME3D - A Program for Three-Dimensional Nonlinear Time- History Analysis of Steel Buildings: User Guide

Abstract

FRAME3D is a program for the three-dimensional nonlinear analysis of steel buildings. It aims to overcome the computational challenges posed by full 3D analysis of buildings subject to earthquake ground motion. The element library consists of a plastic hinge beam element, an elastofiber beam element, a panel zone element, a 4-noded diaphragm element to model floor slabs, and an elastic translational/rotational spring element to model foundations and supports. The program utilizes a Netwon-Raphson iteration strategy applied to an implicit Newmark time-integration scheme to solve the nonlinear equations of motion at each time-step. Geometric nonlinearity and shear deformation are included in the formulation. This document serves as a User Guide to the program. All the input and output variables encountered by the user are described here along with brief descriptions of the various types of elements. In addition, 2 examples illustrating the capabilities and usage of the program are presented. Finally a glossary of all the variables is alphabetically listed at the end of the document for the user's convenience.