Collaborative structural analysis linking programs of composite beam and column base

A collaborative structural analysis (CSA) system is proposed which utilizes beneficial features of existing individual structural analysis. In the CSA system, the equilibrium equation of the overall structural system is constructed in the host program running on a host computer, while critical parts of the structure are analyzed in station programs running on station computers. As the overall analysis progresses step by step, the necessary information, such as the displacements, restoring forces, and stiffness matrices, are exchanged between the different programs via the internet. This paper deals with pushover analyses and seismic time history analyses of a steel moment-resisting frame by using CSA system. Programs NETLYS for frame analysis, COMPO for composite beam analysis, and NETBASE for column base analysis were utilized. The proposed CSA system contributes to obtaining detailed and accurate behavior of critical parts of the structure while simultaneously incorporating that local behavior to the overall structural behavior.