ROBOT STRUCTURAL

ANALYSIS PRODUCTS
General Rules
 New nodes are created automatically during bar definition. Bars created based on existing nodes will not
generate new nodes.
 When a bar is deleted, its nodes remain in place.
 When nodes and bars are determined, supports, sections, loads, or other features must be defined and
assigned to them. It is possible to invert the order of properties selection in the design process.
 A bar type may be assigned while defining the structure.
 The UNDO option may not work with some edit operations.

Structure Type
Open Structure Type dialog window, which selects a structure type to be created, using either
method:

 Click Geometry menu > Structure Type.

 Click .
When opened, you can create one of the following: building, 2D truss, 3D truss, 2D frame, 3D
frame, grillage, plate, shell, plane stress structure, plane deformation structure, axisymmetric
structure, or a volumetric structure.

Robot can analyze the structure types in the following chart, which shows the coordinates and
the nodal degrees of freedom that are defined when creating a structure. U denotes displacements
in the X, Y, or Z direction in a global coordinate system, and R denotes rotations around the
axes.

NODAL DEGREES OF
STRUCTURES COORDINATES FREEDOM

2D frames UX , UY , - , - , - , RZ ,

X, Y

2D trusses UX , UY , - , - , - , - ,

X, Y

Grillages - , - , UZ , RX , RY , - ,

X, Y

3D trusses UX , UY , UZ , - , - , - ,

X, Y, Z

3D frames UX , UY , UZ , RX , RY , RZ,

X, Y, Z
 NODAL DEGREES OF
STRUCTURES COORDINATES FREEDOM

Plates - , - , UZ , RX , RY , - ,

X, Y

Shells UX , UY , UZ , RX , RY , RZ,

X, Y, Z

Plane stress structures UX , UY , - , - , - , - ,

Plane deformation structures UX , UY , - , - , - , - ,

Axisymmetric structures UX , UY , - , - , - , - ,
 NODAL DEGREES OF
STRUCTURES COORDINATES FREEDOM

Volumetric structures UX , UY , UZ , - , - , - ,

X, Y, Z

Building is a structure template available in Robot. Building is not a

structure type, but a template which facilitates defining this structure type. Available coordinates
and nodal degrees of freedom for the building are identical as for shells.

Note: It is impossible to combine 3D bar models (the 3D frame type) with the following structure types: plate,
plane deformation structure, or a plain stress structure.
Note: For 2 structure types (plane deformation structures and axisymmetric structures), the transversal
dimension is always assumed to be 1 m, irrespective of the unit length specified in the Job Preferences dialog.
This means that a structure sector of 1-meter thickness is modeled, which affects the interpretation of loads and
reactions. For example, if the force unit [N] and the length unit [mm] are specified, then:
 A linear load is treated as pressure with a value 1 [N/mm / m] = 1000 [N/mm2]
 A concentrated load is treated as a linear load with a value 1 [N/m] instead of [N/mm].
A sum of reactions is interpreted analogously (always on the length of 1 m).
Note: For volumetric structures, you can define a 3D bar model (3D frame) or a shell structure. These element
types that can be used in volumetric structures have 6 degrees of freedom: UX, UY, UZ, RX, RY, and RZ.