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MSC Nastran 2012
Superelements User’s Guide

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Revision 0. March 13, 2012

NA*V2012*Z*Z*Z*DC-SUPER

Contents
Superelements User’s Guide
1 Introduc tion and Fundamentals

Introduction to this Guide 2
Why Use Superelements? 4

Reduced Cost 4
Quicker Turnaround 4
Reduced Risk 4
Large Problem Capabilities 4
Partitioned Input and Output 5
Security 5
Automation with High Performance Computing 5
Fundamentals of Superelement Analysis 7
Partitioned Solutions 10
Key Concepts in Superelement Partitions 10
Static Condensation Process 11
Manual Solut ion of a Small Superelement Example 16

Conventional Analysis 17
Superelement Analysis 19
List of Superelement Enhancements Released Since Version 69 34
2 How to Defin e a Superelement

Introduction 40
Superelement vs. Residual 41
Three Types of Superelements 43
Defining List Superelements 44

List Superelement Definition with the SESET Entry 44
List Superelement Definition with the GRID Entry 45
List Superelement Definition on Element ID – the SEELT entry 46
Interior versus Exterior Points 47
Superelement P artitioning 54

ii Superelements User’s Guide

Defini ng PART Superelements 71

Defining Parts 71
The Bulk Data Section Using PARTs 71
Format of the Input File When PARTs are Used 72
Connecting PARTs to Other PARTs 78
Defining and Attaching External Superelements 94

Discussion of 2-step vs. 3-step methods 94
Definition of External Points 102
Creating External Superelements with EXTSEOUT 105
Using EXTSEOUT (2-Step) External Superelements 114
Using PARAM,EXTOUT (3-Step) External Superelements 126
The Superelement Map – SEMAP 138

Contents of the Superelement MAP – List Superelement 138
Contents of the Superelement MAP – PART Superelement 141
3 Single Level Superelement Analysis

Introduction 150
Baseline Static Exampl e using Patran 153
Single-Level Analysis Using List Superelements 166

Static Example using P atran. (flyswatter) 166
Single-Level Analysis Using PART Superelements 196

Static Example using P atran (flyswatter) 196
Single-Level Analysis Using External Superelements 204

Static Example Using Patran (flyswatter) 204
Comparison of Methods 223
4 Loads, Constraints , Case Control, and Parameters i n Static Analysis

Introduction 228
Mechanical Loads in Static Analysis 229

List Superelements 229
PART Superelements 234
External Superelements 234
Thermal Loads in Static Analysis 235


CONTENTS iii

Boundary Conditions i n Static Analysis 242

Single Point Constraints (SP Cs) 242
Grid Point Singularity Processing 243
Multipoint Constraints (MPCs) and Rigid Elements 244
Case Contro l 260

The SUPER Command 261
Condensed Case Control 263
Expanded Case Control 265
Output Control 269
Parameter Control s 274

Special Considerations 276

SNORM for PART or External Superelements 276
5 Inertia Relief Analysis Using Superelements

Introduction 282
The Concept of Inertia Relief 283
Interface for Inertia Relief Using Superelements 284

Manual Definition of Reference Points 284
Automatic Definition of Reference Points 286
Inertia Relief Examples (Freedom) 287

Baseline Residual Example 288
List Superelement Example 292
PART Superelement Example 295
External Superelement Example 297
Comparison of results 297
6 Multiple Loading in Static Analysis

Introduction 300
Internal Case Control Partitioning 301

Use of Load Sequences 301

iv Superelements User’s Guide

Examples for Multiple Loading Conditions (cantilever plate) 303

Baseline Residual Example 306
Comparison of Results 313
7 Multi-Level Superelement Analysis

Introduction 316
Compariso n of Sing le- and Multi-Level Superelements 317
User Interface 327

Example – Multi-Level Superelement Solved Manually 331
Example – Multi -Level Superelement (Freedom) 339

Baseline Residual Solution 340
List Superelement Solution 341
PART Superelement Solution 345
External Superelement Solution 349
8 Output Descri ption and Control in Static Superelement Analysis

Introduction 372
Diagnostic/Connection Output 373

Superelement Definition Tables 373
Controlling Diagnostic Output with PARAMs SEMAP , SEMAP OPT, SEMAP PRT
375
Part Superelement Diagno stic Outp ut 387

Sorted Bulk Data 387
Boundary Grid Search Output 388
List (SESET) Superelement Diagno stic Output 391

Sorted Bulk Data 391
Boundary Grid Search Output 392
Visualizing Model with OUTPUT(PLOT) 394

CONTENTS v
Result Output 395

Controlling Results Output with SEDR 405
9 Introduction to Dynamic Analysis Using Superelements

Introduction 408
Description of Dynamic Reduction Process 410

Static Condensation 410
Dynamic Reduction – Component Modes Synthesis 413
Illustrative Example 450

Accuracy Improvements with CMS 450
Nastran Set Definitio ns – The USET Table 458
10 Input and Output for Dynamic Reduction

Introduction 464
Case Control for Dynamic Reduction 465
Single Level Dynamic Reduction 468

Multi-Level Dynamic Reduction 514

Defining the Superelement Tree 514
Multi-Level Superelement Component Modes Synthesis Connection 517
Multi-Level Modal Reduction Example (fly swatter) 518
11 Dynamic Loading on Superelements

Introduction 542
Direct Reference to EXCITEID 550
Indi rect Reference to EXCITEDID: LOADSET / LSEQ Metho d 554
Superelement Dampin g 559

vi Superelements User’s Guide

Modal Transient Illus trative Example 560

Non-Superelement Solution 560
List Superelement LOADSET / LSEQ Reference to EXCITEDID 574
List Superelement Direct Reference to EXCITEDID 578
PART Superelement LOADSET / LSEQ Reference to EXCITEDID 581
PART Superelement Direct Reference to EXCITEDID 587
Frequency Response Illustrative Example 593

Non-Superelement Solution 593
List Superelement LOADSET / LSEQ Reference to EXCITEDID 606
List Superelement Direct Reference to EXCITEDID 609
PART Superelement LOADSET / LSEQ Reference to EXCITEDID 612
PART Superelement Direct Reference to EXCITEDID 618
External Superelement Dynamic Loading 624

Residual Vectors 624
Applying a Dynamic Load an External Superelement 624
Applying the Time History to the External Loading 627
Combining External Superelement Dynamic Loads with Residual Dynamic Loads
629
External Superelements and Damping 632
12 External Superelement Examples

Introduction 634
Connections 635
Automatic Connections 635
Manual Connections 636
Potential Conflicts with SPC/MPC dof 639
Static Examples 642

Static Examples Using 2-Step Method (EXTSEOUT) 642
Static Examples Using 3-Step Method 650
Modal Examples 660

Modal Examples Using 2-Step Method (EXTSEOUT) 660
Modal Examples Using 3-Step Method 668
Transient Response Examples 676

Transient Response Examples Using 2-Step Method (EXTSEOUT) 676
Transient Response Examples Using 3-Step Method 683
Frequency Response Examples 695

Frequency Response Examples Using 2-Step Method (EXTSEOUT) 695

CONTENTS vii
Frequency Response Examples Using 3-Step Method 702
13 Practical Image Superelements

Introduction 716

Using CSUPER 718
Example Using CSUPER 720

Using SEBULK and SELOC to image a PART 734
Using SEMPLN to define a mirror plane 737
Example Using SEBULK, SELOC, and SEMPLN 737

Using SECONCT to Attach and External Superelement 749
Example using SECONCT 751
Multiple Image Example for Electronic Components 756

Baseline Solution (Full Model) 756
CSUPER Image Superelement Solution 757
PART Superelement Image Solution 762
External Superelement Image Solution 766
14 Preparing Adams Flexibl e Bodies

Introduction 778
Creating a Flexible Body with ADMSMNF 779

Simple Linkage Example 781
Ad di ti on al Refer ence Mat eri al 790
15 Design Sensit ivity and Optimization with Superelements

Introduction 792
16 Superelements in Aeroelasticity
Introduction 794
Example of Swept Wing 796

viii Superelements User’s Guide

List Superelement 799

PART Superelement 801
External Superelement 805
17 Considerations in Nonlinear and Buckling Analysis

Introduction 812
Superelement Limitations in Nonlinear and Buckling Analysis 813

Buckling Example Showing Poor Approximation for Superelements 815
Ap pl ying Lo ads o n Ups tr eam Su per elem ent s i n Non li near Stat ic s 824
Superelement Loading in SOL 106 824
Superelement Loading in SOL 400 830
Practical Buckling Example – Isolating and Individual Panel 833
Superelements in Heat Transfer 840
18 Random Vibration with Superelements

Introduction 846
Enforced Motion (SPCD) Examples 851

Baseline Model, Cantilever Plate 851
List Superelement, Cantilever Plate 863
PART Superelement, Cantilever Plate 866
Enforced Motion (Large Mass) Examples 882
Electronics Board Example 884

Baseline 884
List Superelement 887
Part Superelement 892
19 Output with XYPLOT

Introduction 916
Superelement Plotting with PLOT 917

PART Superelement Example 920
CSUPER Example 926

CONTENTS ix
XYPLOT Commands 930

Illustrative Example: Modal Transient 934
Illustrative Example: Modal Frequency Response 944
Illustrative Example: Random Vibration 950
APPENDICES
Glossary 2
Boundary Element 2
Branch Element 2
Collector Superelement 2
Component Modes Synthesis 2
Constraint Modes 2
Fixed Boundary Solution 3
Free Boundary Solution 3
List Superelement 3
Load Sequence 3
Mixed Boundary Solution 3
Multilevel Superelement Tree 3
Mutually Exclusive Set 3
Main Bulk Data Section 4
PART Superelement 4
Phase 1 Processing 4
Qualifier 4
SEP1 5
SEP1X 5
Single Level Superelement Tree 5
Processing Order 5

x Superelements User’s Guide

Chapter 1: Introduction and Fundamentals

1 Introduction and Fundamentals
 Introduction to this Guide

 Why Use Superelements?
 Fundamentals of Superelement Analysis
 Partitioned Solutions
 Manual Solution of a Small Superelement Example
 List of Superelement Enhancements Released Since Version 69

2 Superelements User’s Guide

Introduction to this Guide
Introduction to this Guide

In finite element analysis, demand for computer resources has always exceeded existing capabilities. In
the early days of computers, when engineers were solving 3 x 3 problems by hand, computers were able
to handle problems as large as 11 x 11. Once engineers discovered this ability, the size of engineering
problems quickly grew to exceed the capacity of the existing systems. This process has repeated itself
time and time again. Today modern computers are capable of solving problems involving more than
100,000,000 equations with 100,000,000 unknowns, which is still not enough to satisfy the needs of
many engineers as more detail is added to finite element models and higher fidelity solutions are
required.
The limits on hardware resources, combined with budget restrictions (large runs and stochastic variations
can be time-consuming), limits the ability of engineers to solve large, complicated problems with high
fidelity meshes. A solution to these problems (both hardware and time budget), can be achieved for many
models by using superelements in MSC.Nastran.
By using superelements, the analyst can not only analyze larger models (including those which exceed
the capacity of your hardware), but he can also become more efficient in performing the analysis, thus
allowing more analytical design cycles or iterations in the analysis. Another benefit of superelements
efficiency can be realized when models are subjected to probabilistic or stochastic analysis by varying
portions of the structure. In design optimization, the use of superelements has become automated to help
reduce the overall optimization costs through a process called Automated External Superelement
Optimization (AESO) which is briefly described in Chapter 15: Design Sensitivity and Optimization
with Superelements, and more fully described in the Design Sensitivity and Optimization User’s Guide.
The principle used in superelement analysis is often referred to as substructuring. That is, the model is
divided into a series of components, each of which is processed independently resulting in a set of
matrices that are reduced to a boundary and describe the behavior of the component as seen by the rest
of the structure. Often these components are comprised of logical groupings of elements (an engine, a
wing, a fender, the exhaust system, etc.), hence the term superelement.
The reduced boundary matrices for the individual superelements are combined to form assembly
matrices which are referred to as the residual matrices. The residual matrices are solved using standard
techniques for calculating displacements (and velocities, accelerations for dynamic solutions). The
residual solution is then imposed on the boundary of each superelement so that the data recovery
(calculation of displacements, stresses, etc.) for the boundary can be combined with the data recovery for
the body loads on the superelement.
In static analysis the theory used in superelement processing is exact. In dynamics the reduction of the
stiffness is exact, but approximations occur during the reduction of the mass and damping matrices. The
dynamic solution can be improved dramatically by augmenting the static reduction with additional
dynamic degrees of freedom in a method called component modal synthesis, which is described in
Chapter 10: Input and Output for Dynamic Reduction.
In buckling analysis, the reduction of the differential stiffness uses the same theory as the static reduction,
but doesn’t provide an accurate solution compared to the non-reduced system. Unfortunately, there is no
improvement available as in dynamic analysis, however, a savvy user can use this to his advantage as

CHAPTER 1 3
Introducti on and Fundamentals
described in Practical Buckling Example – Isolating and Individual Panel (Ch. 17). Superelements can be
used in nonlinear analysis, but the superelement is limited to a linear reduction in its initial orientation.
Note: Even though the theory of static condensation is exact for static solutions, the numeric
conditioning of the structural matrices can affect the overall solution. If the superelement
stiffness matrices are well conditioned, then there will be only miniscule differences
between a residual-only solution and a superelement solution.
This User’s Guide is intended to be tutorial in format. That is, the emphasis is on how to use
superelements, not on the theory of superelements. Sufficient theory is presented for those who wish to
understand the operations. Hand-solved samples are included to help the user understand the operations
involved when superelements are used. Sample MSC.Nastran input files and selected output are also
presented at appropriate points for clarity. All of the example files used in this guide are also delivered
with the standard MSC.Nastran delivery in the “install_dir/doc/seug/chapter#/subject” subdirectories.
This User’s Guide presumes that the reader is experienced in finite element analysis and wants to add
superelement technology to his repertoire of skills. The Guide is arranged so that an experienced finite
element analyst can start at the beginning and read only the information applicable to the type of analysis
desired. Overall information on superelements is presented first, followed by information for static
analysis, followed by dynamics and other features. It is recommended that the user read the first 3
chapters for foundation as well as Chapter 4 because much of the information presented in the section
on statics is applicable in subsequent chapters. However, an engineer should be able to read the
applicable sections without having to read unnecessary information.


Why Use Superelements?

Efficiency is the primary reason to use superelements. A finite element model is rarely analyzed only
once. Often the model is modified and re-analyzed time and time again. By analyzing only the part of the
structure which changes, the user can save significant time. Without using superelements, each analysis
can cost the price of a complete solution. Here is a partial list of the advantages of superelements:
Reduc ed Cost
Instead of solving the entire model each time, superelements offer the advantage of incremental
processing. On restarts this advantage is magnified by the need to process only the parts of the structure
directly affected by the change. This means that if the user thinks ahead when defining superelements, it
is possible to achieve performance improvements on the order of anywhere from 2 to 30 times faster than
non-superelement methods (or more).
Quicker Turnaround
Because superelements can be processed individually with less computer resources required than a
complete, non-superelement solution, it is often possible to submit individual superelement processing
runs using fast queues (or on local workstations instead of servers), rather than waiting and running the
complete problem at once using an overnight queue. As stochastic and Monte Carlo simulations are
becoming more popular to understand the robustness of a structural design, fast solutions are a must.
Reduc ed Risk
Processing a model without using superelements is an all-or-nothing proposition. If an error occurs, the
entire model must be processed again once the error is corrected. When using superelements, each
superelement need be processed only once, unless a change requires reprocessing the superelement. If an
error occurs during processing, only the affected superelement and the residual structure (final
superelement to be processed) need be reprocessed. The superelements that did not have an error do not
need to be processed again until a change is made to those superelements.
Large Problem Capabili ties

All computers have hardware limits. MSC.Nastran is designed so that problem size will not be limited
by the program. This means that limits on available disk space or memory are the only limitations that
should be encountered by a user. When the size of a model becomes too large to be processed on a
computer without using superelements, the user can use multiple computer resources to process each
superelement, or process one superelement at a time on a single computer resource. The reduced matrices
for each superelement can be stored on separate drives and brought together for the residual solution.

CHAPTER 1 5
Then data recovery can be done on each superelement separately, if desired. This process frees file space
and reduces disk usage and storage costs.
Note: Prior to MSC.Nastran Version 2005.5, there was a memory limit of 2 Gigawords (8
Gigabytes) because of a 32 bit integer address used by MSC.Nastran (“i4”). Beginning in
MSC.Nastran Version 2005.5, this limitation was removed by providing the option to use
a 64 bit integer address (“i8), thus making the number of words available for memory
address = 2^64, which is, in effect, an unlimited memory address. The higher memory can
be made available by specifying MODE=i8 on the command line. (note: the “mode”
keyword cannot be specified in an rc file as of MSC.Nastran v2010, so the user must
specify the “mode” keyword on the command line).
Partit ioned Input and Output

Because superelements can be processed individually, separate analysis groups or organizations can
model individual parts of the structure and perform model checks without information from other groups.
An excellent example is the International Space Station which has many contractors working on the
structure. Each contractor models his own components and sends either complete or reduced models to
a system integrator, who assembles the models to represent the many possible configurations, performs
analysis for each configuration, and sends results back to the individual contractors for their use. The
partitioned output format used in superelements allows for segmented data recovery; i.e., data recovery
can be requested for only the desired segments of the structure.
Security
Many companies work on proprietary or secure projects. These may range from keeping a new design
from the competition, to keeping material data proprietary, to working on a highly confidential defense
program. Even when working on open programs, there is a need to send a representation of the model to
others so that they may perform a coupled analysis of an assembly which incorporates the component.
The use of external superelements allows users to send reduced boundary matrices that contain no
geometric information about the actual component-only mass, stiffness, damping and loads as seen at the
boundary. Upon receiving a set of reduced matrices in any format that can be read by MSC.Nastran, an
engineer can define an external superelement using those matrices and attach the foreign structure to his
model.
Automation with High Performance Computing

As models become larger and users demand high fidelity system level responses, the discipline of High
Performance Computing (HPC) has become a primary consideration for industries such as the
automotive industry. There are many techniques involved in HPC, including efficient use of CPU core
memory (i.e. L1, L2, L3 cache), shared memory parallel (SMP) schemes for enhanced matrix solution
times using multi-core CPU machines, and distributed memory parallel (DMP) schemes used to take
advantage of compute clusters with many different machines linked with a high-speed intranet to split


and recombine solutions. While many of the schemes are purely mathematical (cache memory, SMP),
the distributed computing utilizes superelement technology as its core method for splitting and
recombining the solution of a large model. There are several schemes available to the user, such as
Geometric Domain Decomposition which automatically splits the model into superelements based on
GRID connectivity, Matrix Domain Decomposition which automatically splits the model into
superelements based on matrix characteristics, and Automated Component Modes Synthesis (ACMS)
which automatically splits the model based on GRID or Matrix characteristics and adds a Component
Modes Synthesis calculation for improved dynamic characteristics. While distributed HPC is based on
superelement technology, the discipline of HPC is beyond the scope of this document and will be covered
in another manual.

CHAPTER 1 7
Fundamentals of Superelement Analysis

Superelement analysis can be described as a form of substructuring. That is, a model can be divided into
superelements by the user in such a way that MSC.Nastran will process each superelement independently
of all other superelements. The processing of each superelement results in a reduced set of matrices
(mass, damping, stiffness, and loading) that represent the properties of the superelement as seen at its
connections to adjacent structures. Once all superelements have been processed, these reduced matrices
are assembled in what is known as the residual structure, and the assembly solution is performed. Data
recovery for each superelement is performed by expanding the solution at the attachment points, using
the same transformation that was used to perform the original reduction on the superelement.
Superelements can consist of physical data (elements and grid points) or can be defined as an image of
another superelement or as an external superelement (a set of matrices from an external source to be
attached to the model). Figure 1-1 demonstrates a simplified illustration of condensing a structure to its
boundaries, solving a reduced system, and back-expanding the solution to obtain the data recovery for
the superelement. Example files are available to the user in the following installation directory and file
names: /doc/seug/chapter1/clamp-baseline.bdf, clamp-seset.bdf, and clamp-part-se.bdf.
Figure 1-1 Simplified Depiction of Superelement Reduction, Solution, and Data Recovery
The following figures illustrate the possible types of superelement. In Figure 1-2, a model of a portion
of a gear is shown. The physical model of one tooth can be represented as a superelement. This type is
called a primary superelement-one where the actual geometry for the superelement is defined in the bulk
data. Other gear teeth, as shown in Figure 1-2, are images of the first (primary) tooth. An image
superelement is a superelement that uses the geometry of another superelement to describe it for
MSC.Nastran. These image superelements can save processing time in that they are able to re-use the


Fundamentals of Superelement Analysis
reduced stiffness, mass, and damping matrices from their primary superelement, which reduces the
amount of calculations needed. Full data recovery is available for image superelements. An image
superelement can be an identical image, as shown in Figure 1-2, or a mirror image, as shown in
Figure 1-3. In Figure 1-3, the right side of the plate is a mirror image copy of the primary. Please note that
images can have their own unique loadings. Only the stiffness, mass and damping is identical to the
primary. Another type of superelement is the external superelement, where a part of the model is
represented by using matrices from an outside source (the matrices can come from another MSC.Nastran
run). For these matrices no internal geometry information is available; only the grid points to which the
matrices are attached are known. An external superelement is shown in Figure 1-4. In this figure the finite
element model is on the left and the external superelement is represented by the dashed lines on the right.
Figure 1-2 A Primary Superelement and Several Identical Images
Figure 1-3 A Primary Superelement and its Mirror Image Superelement

CHAPTER 1 9
Figure 1-4 An External Superelement
Chapter 10: Input and Output for Dynamic Reduction.


Partitio ned Solutions
Partitioned Solutions
Key Concepts in Superelement Partitions

There are several key concepts that must be understood in the superelement formulation and processing;
these are:
• The input is partitioned into a separate set fo r pro cessing each superelement.
When MSC.Nastran is processing the bulk data for a model, the input is partitioned into a
separate set for each superelement, based on user instructions. The input used to accomplish this
partitioning is discussed in Chapter 2: How to Define a Superelement.
Once the bulk data is partitioned into separate sets, each superelement is processed individually.
The degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) for each superelement are partitioned into sets in a manner
identical to that used in conventional analysis. That is, all DOFs for a superelement are
combined to create a G-set. Then MPCs and R-elements are used to define the M- and N-sets,
etc. (see Constraint and Set Notation (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran Reference Manual for a
complete description of MSC.Nastran sets). The only change in the definition of sets is the
definition of exterior DOFs. For each superelement the exterior DOFs are defined as the A-set,
which can contain physical and modal degrees of freedom.
• Boun dary / Exterior DOFs are best describ ed as those that are retained or kept fo r
further analysis. A superelement’s exterior DOFs are best described as those that are retained
for further analysis, or you can think of them as boundary or attachment DOFs, where the
superelement connects to other superelements or the residual. Note that exterior DOF are not
required to attach to any other DOF. Structural matrices are assembled for each superelement,
and the matrices go through reduction processing until the only remaining terms are for the A-set
or attachment DOFs. These reduced matrices are used to represent the properties of the
superelement when it is attached to the rest of the model.
• Interior DOFs can be thou ght o f as those that are condensed out during
superelement processing. All DOFs of a superelement that are not exterior are called
interior DOFs (the omitted or O-set). These are the DOFs that are condensed out of the matrices
during the reduction process. Using either static or dynamic reduction, the stiffness, mass,
damping, and loading on these interior DOFs are transferred to the exterior DOFs.
• Each superelement is processed individually. The reduction process is best illustrated
using the process known as static condensation. For illustration purposes, we will ignore
Lagrange DOF in this discussion, since they are not compatible with superelement processing. In
static condensation we will start with the superelement matrices after all MPCs, R-elements, and

CHAPTER 1 11
SPCs have been processed. The set of DOFs remaining at this point are in terms of the F-set
(DOFs that are not constrained), which contains the O- and A-sets as subsets. Although the
interior DOFs include the M- and S-sets also, the interior DOFs in this guide will often be often
referred to as the O-set.
Note: Lagrange Rigid Element Processing. Typically, the dependent dof associated with
RBE’s are placed in the “mr” set, while the dependent dof associated with MPC’s are
placed in the “mp” set; which collectively define the M-Set. However, if the user specifies
RIGID=LAGRAN in the case control, the dependent dof are carried into the ASET as part
of the “lm” dof. Currently the MSC.Nastran processing does not handle the
RIGID=LAGRAN for superelements. Further discussion on this subject can be found in
Nastran Set Definitions – The USET Table (Ch. 9).
Static Condensation Process

The key to superelement processing is the reduction of the omitted DOF to the equivalent boundary
matrices as shown in the following figure:
Figure 1-5 Pictorial Example of Static Condensation


A comprehensive description of the equations used by MSC.Nastran can be found in Dynamic Reduction
and Component Mode Synthesis in SubDMAP SEMR3 (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran Reference Manual . A
more simplified presentation of the static condensation theory is included here for completeness. It is
assumed that the reader has some familiarity with the MSC.Nastran set notation – for more information
on set notation, please refer to Degree-of-Freedom Sets (Ch. 7) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference
Guide.
In this formulation we will start with the superelement matrices after all M-set (MPCs and Rigid
elements), and S-Set (active SPCs and permanent constraints on grid entries) have been processed. The
set of DOFs remaining at this point are in terms of the F-set (dof that are not constrained), which contains
the O- and A-sets as subsets. Although, in general, the interior dof may also include the M- and S-sets
also, the interior dof in this guide will often be often referred to as the O-set.
The static equation for the F-set is
 K ff   U f  =  P f  (1-1)
This equation may be expanded to show the A-set and O-set partitions as
   
 K oo   K oa    U o     Po  
  =   (1-2)
 K oa   K aa    U a 
T
   Pa  
   
where the bar over a term ( K a a and P a ) indicates that the sub-matrix represents the associated matrix
of terms for that set before the reduction operation. In a static solution, the T-set is equivalent to the A-
set and is defined as the “retained physical dof.” So, for a static solution the previous equation becomes:
   
 K oo   K ot    U o     Po  
  =   (1-3)
 K ot   K tt    U t 
T
   P t  
   
If we look at the upper part of the equation, we obtain
 K oo   U o  +  K ot   U t  =  Po  (1-4)
–1
Pre-multiplying both sides of the equation by  K oo  produces
–1 –1
 U o  total =  K oo   K ot   U t  +  K oo   P o  (1-5)

CHAPTER 1 13
fi xed
We can break up the total solution U o into two parts: the Fixed Boundary Solution ,  U o  , and the
f r ee
Free Boundary Solution,  U o  . To simplify the equation we define the physical boundary
transformation matrix between the exterior and interior motion as  G ot  .
–1
 G ot  = –  K o o   K ot  (1-6)
Physically, the  G ot  matrix represents the influence coefficients to the free boundary solution, also
referred to as the Constraint Modes. That is, each column of this matrix represents the motion of the
interior points when one boundary dof is moved one unit while the other boundary points are held
constrained. Therefore, the transformation matrix has one column for each exterior (boundary) dof (the
Aset for the superelement), and the number of rows are equal to the number of interior dof (the O-set for
the superelement). The constraint modes are discussed further in Example of Constraint Modes (Ch. 9)
which includes a graphic example.
Note: Computational Cost of Constraint Modes
The calculation of the constraint modes – more specifically  G ot  – is typically the highest
cost associated with a static superelement solution because of the cost of calculating the
–1
matrix  K oo  . Even in dynamic solutions the cost associated with the constraint modes
is often a significant cost of the overall solution.
When the constraints mode influence coefficients are multiplied by the boundary displacements of the
residual solution, the free boundary solution is obtained:
fr ee
 U o  =  G ot   U t  (1-7)
Where  U t  is the partition from the residual structure solution of the physical dof to the superelement
boundary dof.
In addition to the free boundary solution, the fixed boundary solution of the superelement must be
calculated in order to obtain the total solution for the superelement:
–1
 U o  fix ed =  U oo  =  K o o   P o  (1-8)
This matrix represents the static solution for the displacements of the superelement when the loads are
applied and the exterior points are held fixed. Based on these definitions, the total displacement of the
interior points can be defined as
total fr ee fix ed
 U o  =  U o  +  U o  (1-9)


A physical representation of this equation demonstrates the concepts of fixed boundary solution and free
boundary solution for a cantilever beam example.
Figure 1-6 Pictorial representation of fixed boundary solution and free boundary solution
Continuing with the reduction theory – we rewrite the equation for the lower part of Equation 1-3 as:
T
 K ot    G ot   U t  +  U oo   +  K t t   U t  =  P t  (1-10)
From which, we can obtain the reduced stiffness  K tt  and boundary loading  P t  of the superelement:
T
 K tt  =  K ot   G ot  +  K tt  (1-11)
 P t  =  G ot  T  P o  +  P t  (1-12)
The residual structure consists of all components of the model that were not assigned to any other
superelement, plus the assembly of the reduced superelement matrices. Each superelement is processed
in this manner, and its associated matrices are reduced to the exterior dofs. Once all superelements have
been processed, the reduced matrices are assembled into a system matrix during the residual structure
processing.
Thus, the total assembled stiffness matrix of the residual structure,  K g g  , is represented by

CHAPTER 1 15
 K gg  =  K jj  +   K aa  (1-13)
The system or assembly solution is performed using the assembled matrices for the residual structure.
Once the assembly solution is known, the boundary solution is found for each superelement. This
boundary solution is used to calculate the interior displacements for each superelement, then standard
data recovery is available for all superelements, including the residual structure. Any output that is
available in standard (non-superelement) analysis is available in superelement analysis. The difference
is that the output is now partitioned by superelement.


Manual Solutio n of a Small Superelement Example
Manual Solution of a Small Superelement Example

The following small problem is used to demonstrate how a static analysis is performed using
superelements. The solution to the problem is first shown using conventional analysis, then by using
superelements.
Figure 1-7 Small NON-Superelement Example
For this example we are looking only at motion along the axis of the points, thus the problem is simplified
to contain only five DOFs. Note: this example is solved in MSC.Nastran and provided as part of the
documentation. The conventional analysis model is: /doc/seug/chapter1/simple-conventional.bdf and
the superelement solution is: /doc/seug/chapter1/simple-superelement.bdf.
The output for the simple-conventional.bdf file is as follows. Note that this .f06 listing, and other listings
in this book may remove page headings and slightly re-arrange the format slightly to fit the page, so the
actual .f06 output format may be slightly different than shown

CHAPTER 1 17
MSC NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 19- MAR- 11 AT 16: 09: 34 MARCH 19, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 7/ 15/ 10 PAGE 10
DEFAULT
0 BASELI NE MODEL SUBCASE 1
D I S P L A C E ME N T V E CT OR

POI NT I D. TYPE T1 T2 T3 R1 R2 R3
1 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 G 2. 500000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 4. 000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G 3. 500000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
L O A D V E C T OR

2 G 1. 000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 2. 000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G 3. 000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
F OR C E S OF S I N G L E - P OI N T C ON S T RA I N T

1 G - 2. 500000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G - 3. 500000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
F OR C E S I N S C A L A R S P R I N G S ( C E L A S 1 )
ELEMENT FORCE ELEMENT FORCE ELEMENT FORCE ELEMENT FORCE
I D. I D. I D. I D.
1 - 2. 500000E+00 2 - 1. 500000E+00 3 5. 000000E- 01 4 3. 500000E+00
Listing 1-1 MSC.Nastran Output for the Simple Example w/o Superelements
Conventional Analysis
In conventional analysis the problem is formulated in matrix form, constraints are applied, and the
resulting reduced problem is solved. The five-by-five stiffness matrix is as follows:


K 12 – K
12
– K
12 K 12 + K 23 – K
23
 K gg  = – K
23 K 23 + K 34 – K
34
(1-14)
– K K 34 + K 45 – K
34 45
– K K 45
45
Each row (or column) in the above matrix represents the terms associated with one DOF in the model.
The terms are in ascending order; that is, the first column represents DOF 1, and the last column
represents DOF 5. Replacing the springs by their numeric values, we have
1 –1
0 0 0
–12 –1 0 0
 K gg  = 0 –1 2 –1 0 (1-15)
0 0 –1 2 –1
0 0 0 –1 1
We now apply the constraints to the problem. In finite element analysis, constraints are applied by
removing the associated rows and columns from the matrix; therefore, after applying constraints we have
the static equation for the constrained structure
  –1  
 U 2  K 12 + K 23 – K
23  P2 
   
 U 3  = K 23 K 23 + K 34 – K
34  P3  (1-16)
   
 U 4  K 34 + K 45  P4 
   
or, in numeric terms
  –1
 U 2  2 –1 0  1 
   
 U 3  = –1 2 –1  2  (1-17)
   
 U 4  0 –1 2  3 
 
Solving the equations provides the solution for the free dof:
 
 U 2   2.5 
   
 U 3  =  4.0  (1-18)
   
 U 4   3.5 
 

CHAPTER 1 19
The total solution vector becomes:
 
 U 1   
   0.0 
 U 2   2.5 
   
 U g  =  U 3  =  4.0  (1-19)
   
 U 4   3.5 
   0.0 
 U 5   
 
The constraint forces are obtained by partitioning the G-set stiffness matrix and solution vector as
follows:
 F s  =  K s f   U f  Equation 1-20 (1-20)
   2.5 
 F 1  –1 0 0    – 2.5 
  =  4.0  =   (1-21)
 F 5  0 0 –1    – 3.5 
   3.5 
Element Data Recovery

For this example, we can calculate the element forces based upon:
 F elem  +  K elem   U elem  (1-22)
The CELAS1 convention for calculating element force is (Refer to Eq. (3-64) in the MSC Nastran
Reference Manual) :
 F 12  =  K 12   U 1 – U 2  (1-23)
 F 12  =  1.0   0.0 – 2.5  =  2.5  (1-24)
The remainder of the elements forces can be calculated similarly.
 F 23  =  – 1.5  (1-25)
 F 34  =  0.5  (1-26)
 F 45  =  3.5  (1-27)
Superelement Analysis
We now formulate and solve the same problem using superelements, as shown in Figure 1-8. Because
the method of defining superelements has not been discussed yet, some of what follows has not been


defined. However, as you read further, more of the information will become clear. First a flowchart
showing the order of processing used to perform superelement analysis is shown in Figure 1-9, Flowchart
for Superelmeent Processing.
Figure 1-8 Small Superelement Example
Figure 1-9 Flowchart for Superelmeent Processing

CHAPTER 1 21
Note: Note to advanced users: in the MSC.Nastran SubDMAP listings, the parameter LPFLG is
used to control entry and processing within a superelement loop. Also, several of the
MALTER statements are strategically placed at the top and bottom of superelement loops
as follows:
Table 1-1 Strategic DMAP MALTER Locations Associated with Superelements

$MALTER: TOP OF PHASE 1 SUPERELEMENT LOOP AFTER PARAMETERS AND
$MALTER: QUALI FI ERS SET
$MALTER: AFTER SUPERELEMENT STI FFNESS, VI SCOUS DAMPI NG, MASS, AND
$MALTER: ELEMENT STRUCTURAL DAMPI NG GENERATI ON ( KJ J Z, BJ J X, MJ J X, K4J J )
$MALTER: AFTER TOTAL SUPERELEMENT STI FFNESS, VI SCOUS DAMPI NG, AND MASS
$MALTER: FORMULATED, STRUCTURAL + DI RECT I NPUT ( KJ J , BJ J , MJ J )
$MALTER: AFTER SUPERELEMENT LAD GENERATI ON ( PJ )
$MALTER: AFTER UPSTREAM SUPERELEMENT MATRI X AND LOAD ASSEMBLY

$MALTER: ( KGG, BGG, MGG, K4GG, PG)
$MALTER: AFTER SUPEREL EMENT MATRI X AND LOAD REDUCTI ON TO A- SET,

$MALTER: STATI C AND DYNAMI C ( KAA, MAA, BAA, K4AA, PA)
ENDI F $ EXTER $MALTER: BOTTOM OF PHASE 1 SUPERELEMENT LOOP
$MALTER: AFTER SUPERELEMENT DI SPLACEMENT RECOVERY ( UG)

$ SET THE FOLL OWI NG FOR DBCPATH
ENDI F $ MALTER: BOTTOM OF SUPERELEMENT DATA RECOVERY LOOP
Continuing with the superelement solution for our simple example, the definitions of the model shown
in Figure 1-8:
• Superelement 1 (SEID = 1)
• Grid points 1 and 2 are interior points. (These grid points are condensed out during the Phase
1 operations for superelement 1.)
• Elements and are interior or belong to superelement 1.
• The constraint at grid point 1 is contained in superelement 1.
• The load applied on grid point 2 is in superelement 1.


• Grid point 3 is exterior to superelement 1. (After all reduction [Phase 1] is completed for
superelement 1, all that remains is a set of matrices representing the superelement attached to
grid point 3.)
• Superelement 2 (SEID = 2)
• Grid points 4 and 5 are interior to superelement 2.
• Grid point 3 is exterior to superelement 2.
• The load on grid point 4 is in superelement 2.
• Elements and are interior to or belong to superelement 2.
• The constraint on grid point 5 is contained in superelement 2.
• Residual structure (R.S. OR SEID = 0)
• Grid point 3 is interior to the residual structure.
• There are no elements left to belong to the residual structure.
• The load on grid point 3 is in the residual structure.
• Superelements 1 and 2 are processed independently, then the reduced matrices are assembled
at the residual.
Phase 1 Processing of Superelement 1

After the model is divided into superelements, the data for superelement 1 contains the following
information:
Figure 1-10 Simple Model, Superelement 1 Partition
Based on this model, u 2 is the exterior DOF and belongs to the A-set for superelement 1. Therefore, we
want to generate matrices for superelement 1, apply any constraints, and reduce the matrices to the
exterior DOF. The G-set for this superelement consists of the DOFs associated with grid points 1, 2, and
3. The following are the G-sized matrices:

CHAPTER 1 23
K 12 – K
12 0 1 –1
0
1
 K gg  = – K
12 K 12 + K 23 – K
23
= –1 2 –1 (1-28)
0 – K
23 K 23 0 –1 1
 P1 
   0 
1  P2   
 Pg  =   =  1  (1-29)
 1   
 P3
  0 
 
The boxed superscript 1 ( 1 ) shown on the matrices indicates that they belong to superelement 1. Notice
1
that the force on grid point 3, P 3 , is not included in the Superelement Processing because the force is
applied to an exterior point, it is not included in the superelement, but is accounted for in the residual
structure. This fact is indicated in the matrix for the loading by placing a bar over the P3 term and
indicating that this represents only loading on grid point 3 associated with superelement 1.
Looking at the model, we see that grid point 1 is constrained. Because that grid point is interior to the
superelement, the constraint is applied as a part of the processing for superelement 1. The resulting
(reduced) stiffness matrix is
1 K 12 + K 23 – K K oo K ot 2 –1

23
 K ff  = = = 0 (1-30)
– K K 23 K to K tt –1 1
23
This matrix is now divided into interior (O-set) and exterior (A-set) DOFs, and a static condensation is
performed to reduce the matrices to the exterior DOFs.
First we compute the boundary transformation for superelement 1 becomes (recall equation (1-6)):
1 1 1 –1
 G 0 t  = –  K oo  –  K ot  = -------------------------  K 23  = – ------------- =  0.5  1 (1-31)
K 12 + K 22 1+1
The physical meaning of this equation is that if Point 3 is moved +1.0 units, then Point 2 will move 0.5
units. This is exactly as expected considering that Point 1 is constrained.
Now, we use the G ot transformation to compute the reduced stiffness at the boundary:
1 T
 K tt  =  K o t   G ot  +  K tt  =  – 1.0   0.5  +  1.0  =  0.5  (1-32)
Again, the results make sense because there are two springs in series, for which the equation is readily
available in text books or online services such as Wikipedia
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooke%27s_law#Derivation) :


K K 12 23 1  1-
K equiv = ------------------------- = ------------ = 0.5 (1-33)
K 12 + K
23
1+1
Now we have to reduce the applied loadings to the boundary. After applying the constraint to the loading
matrix, we have
 P2 
1    1.0 
 P f  =  1  =   (1-34)
 P3
  0.0 
 
Referring back to 1-12, the loads reduction to the boundary becomes:
1 1 T 1
 P t  =  P3  =  G ot   P 2  +  P 3  =  0.5   1.0  +  0.0  =  0.5  (1-35)
Inspection reveals that this also makes sense. If grid points 1 and 3 are constrained, then ½ of the load
would be distributed to each point.
Phase 1 Processing of Superelement 2

After the model is divided into superelements, the data for superelement 1 contains the following
information:
Figure 1-11 Simple Model, Superelement 2 Partition
Degree of freedom u 3 is the exterior dof and belongs to the A-set for superelement 2. The reduction of
the stiffness and loads to the exterior dof follows. Since this is similar to superelement 1, only the critical
equations are shown.

CHAPTER 1 25
K 34 – K
34 0 1 0 –1
2
 K gg  = – K
34 K 34 + K
45
– K
45 = –1 2 –1 (1-36)
0 – K K 45 0 –1 1
45
 2 
 P3   0 
2    
 Pg  =  P4  =  3  (1-37)
   
 P5   0 
 
Again, since grid point 3 is exterior to superelement 2, the load is not part of the load vector for
superelement 2. Recall, forces on exterior points are not included in the superelement matrices.
The constraint will be applied, this time at dof 5, thus the boundary transformation will be calculated and
applied to the stiffness and loads matrices, resulting in the following:
2 –1
K 34 –1
 G ot  = –  K oo   K ot  = – ------------------------- = ------------- =  0.5  (1-38)
K 34 + K 45 1+1
2 T
 K tt  =  K ot   G ot  +  K tt  =  – 1.0   0.5  +  1.0  =  0.5  (1-39)
2 2 T 2
 P t  =  P3  =  G ot   P 4  +  P 3  =  0.5    1.5  +  0.0  = (1-40)
The transformation and reduced matrices make sense. If grid point 3 is moved 1.0 unit, grid point 4 will
move 0.5 units. As before, the stiffness is two springs in series, resulting in a combined stiffness of 0.5,
and the load of 3.0 units at grid point 4 gives a 1.5 unit reaction at point 3 if it is constrained.
Residual Structure Processing

The remaining dof, or in this case grid point 3, is defined as the residual structure.
• Phase 1 Processing
The phase 1 matrices are generated for the residual structure, based on any elements or loads remaining,
then the reduced matrices from the superelements are added at the appropriate dof.
After the combined (or assembled) matrix for the residual is formed, and constraints applicable to the
remaining DOFs are applied and the residual structure problem is solved as part of phase 2 operations.


Phase 3 represents the data recovery. In this case, since there is only one grid, the data recovery is trivial.
In the general case, the data recovery for the residual will include the residual element stresses, strains,
forces, etc.
Figure 1-1, depicts how the superelements feed into the residual structure. The individual components
that are assembled to make up the residual are shown on the left. The resulting assembly model is shown
on the right, where the system stiffness is: K = K 1 + K 2 . The residual structure for this model contains
no elements, only one grid point, the physical load on that point, and the reduced matrices from the
superelements.
Figure 1-12 Simple Model, Residual Structure
Because all physical constraints have been applied at the superelement level, no reduction is performed
at the residual level for this model. If there were a physical model for the residual, then it would also go
through the application of constraints and a reduction to a final set of analysis matrices. Therefore, the
assembly matrix is the result of adding the superelement matrices together at grid point 3, or
0 0 n i
 K gg  =  K jj  +  i = 1  K tt  (1-41)
0  1 2 
 K gg  =  0  +   K tt  +  K t t   (1-42)
 
=  0  +  0.5  +  0.5  =  1.0  (1-43)
1 2
Where the matrices  K t t  and  K t t  represent the reduced superelement stiffness matrices, and the
0
 K jj  matrix represents the stiffness matrix resulting from any elements in the residual structure. In
0
this problem there are no elements in the residual structure; therefore,  K jj  is null. Since there are
no SPCs or MPCs in the residual structure, there are not eliminations or reductions require, so

CHAPTER 1 27
0 0
 K tt  =  K gg  =  1.0  (1-44)
Similarly, the loading matrix is the physical loadings applied on the residual, plus the reduced
superelement loads. Because grid point 3 was in the residual, its load was not applied to the upstream
superelements, so the 2.0 unit force on grid point 3 is finally included at this point.
0 0 0
 P t  =  P j  =  P j  +
P  1 +
2
 P t   (1-45)
 t
0
 P t  =  2.0  +   0.5  +  1.5   =  4.0  (1-46)
Now that the stiffness and loading matrices have been generated and reduced, we are ready to solve the
residual structure problem for the physical (T-set) displacements. This is referred to as the Phase 2
solution:
–1
 U t  =  K tt   P t  (1-47)
0 1
 U 3  = ---  4.0  =  4.0  (1-48)
1
Now that the residual solution vector is available, the data recovery can be performed. In this case, there
is no additional data recovery for the residual structure since there are no elements, SPC constraints, or
MPC constraints. The data recovery will be performed for the superelements in the subsequent sections.
Review of the MSC.Nastran output from file /doc/seug/chapter1/simple-superelement.bdf. confirms the
solution.
1 MSC NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 19- MAR- 11 AT 16: 09: 34 MARCH 19, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 7/ 15/ 10 PAGE 22
DEFAULT SUPERELEMENT 0 , 1
0 SUPEREL EMENT MODEL SUBCASE 1
D I S P L A C E M E N T V E C T O R

3 G 4. 000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
L O A D V E C T O R

3 G 2.000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
Listing 1-2 MSC.Nastran Output for the Residual Structure of the Simple Example with
Superelements
Detailed explanations of the output will be provided in subsequent chapters.


Data Recovery fo r Superelement 1

The first part of the Phase 3 data recovery involves partitioning the residual solution to the superelement
boundary. In this case, it is trivial since there is only one residual dof. The next step for superelement
data recovery is to calculate the solution vector for the interior dof. The interior solution has two
components:
t
• Free boundary displacements u 2
The free boundary displacements are based on the boundary solution of the residual structure (i.e. the
external dof are, in general, free dof in the residual). For this example, the only unknown becomes u 2
based on the external dof boundary displacements (i.e. the T-set), or
Figure 1-13 Simple Example – Superelement 1 Free Boundary Displacement Data

Recovery
seid
 t 
 uo  =  G ot  s e i d  U t  s e i d (1-49)
 
1
 t  1 1
 u2  =  G o t   U t  (1-50)
 
=  0.5   4.0  =  2.0  (1-51)
o
• Fixed boundary displacements u 2
The fixed boundary solution is the solution vector for the interior dof when the T-set is fixed.

CHAPTER 1 29
Figure 1-14 Simple Example – Superelement 1 Fixed Boundary Displacement Data

Recovery
seid
 o – 1 seid seid
 uo  =  K oo   Po  (1-52)
 
1 1
 o –1 1
 uo  =  K oo   Po  (1-53)
 
1
= ------------------  1.0  =  0.5  (1-54)
1 + 1
• Total interior solution: u 2
The total interior solution is the summation of the free boundary solution and the fixed boundary solution
seid seid
seid  t   o
 U o  =  U o  +  U o  (1-55)
   
1
 U 2  =  2.0  +  0.5  =  2.5  (1-56)
• The F-set (free set) displacements  U f 
The solution vector for the degrees of freedom allowed to move is obtained by merging the T-set and O-
Set:
seid
 
seid  U t 
 U f  =   (1-57)
 U o 
 


 1
 U 2   2.5 
=   =   (1-58)
 U 3   4.0 
 
• The G-set displacements  U g 
The total solution vector for all dof in the superelement is calculated by merging the SPC constraints and
back-expansion of the MPC dependent dof. In this example, there are only SPCs, so the total solution
vector becomes:
seid
 
seid  U f 
 U g  =   (1-59)
 U s 
 
 1
 U 1   0.0 
   
 U 2  =  2.5  (1-60)
   
 U 3   4.0 
 
Rearranging:
 
 U 1   0.0 
1    
 U g  =  U 2  =  2.5  (1-61)
   
 U 3   4.0 
 
• Constraint Forces
The constraint forces are obtained by partitioning the G-set stiffness matrix and solution vector as
follows:
 F s  =  K s f   U f  (1-62)
 2.5 
 F 1  = –1 0   =  – 2.5  (1-63)
 4.0 
• Element Data Recovery
For this example, we can calculate the element forces based upon:
 F elem  =  K elem   U elem  (1-64)

CHAPTER 1 31
 F 12  =  K 12   U 1 – U 2  (1-65)
 F 12  =  1.0   0.0 – 2.5  =  – 2.5  (1-66)
Similarly:
 F 23  =  1.0   2.5 – 4.0  =  1.5  (1-67)
The MSC.Nastran output for this superelement matches the hand calculations


0 SUPERELEMENT MODEL SUBCASE 1
D I S P L A C E ME N T V E C T OR

1 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 G 2. 500000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 4. 000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
L O A D V E C T OR

2 G 1.000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
F OR C E S OF S I N G L E - P OI N T C ON S T R A I N T

1 G - 2. 500000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
I D. I D. I D. I D.
1 - 2. 500000E+00 2 - 1. 500000E+00
Listing 1-3 MSC.Nastran output for Simple Example – Superelement 1
Data Recovery fo r Superelement 2

Following the same procedure, the data recovery for superelement 2 produces the following results:
 
 U 3   4.0 
2    
 U g  =  U 4  =  3.5  (1-68)
   
 U 5   0.0 
 
The constraint forces are:
 3.5 
 F 5  = –1 1   =  – 3.5  (1-69)
 0.0 

CHAPTER 1 33
And the element forces are:
 F 34  =  1.0   3.5 – 4.0  =  – 0.5  (1-70)
 F 45  =  1.0   0.0 – 3.5  =  – 3.5  (1-71)
The MSC.Nastran output for this superelement matches the hand calculations:
0 SUPEREL EMENT MODEL SUBCASE 1

3 G 4. 000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G 3. 500000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
L O A D V E C T OR

4 G 3.000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0

5 G - 3. 500000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
I D. I D. I D. I D.
3 5. 000000E- 01 4 3. 500000E+00
Listing 1-4 MSC.Nastran output for Simple Example – Superelement 2


List of Superelement Enhancements Released Since Version 69
List of Superelement Enhancements Released Since

Version 69
Superelement technology is constantly being advanced by the development staff of MSC.Nastran and
New versions of MSC.Nastran are released periodically. This guide has been prepared with minimal
reference to the version number and is consistent with the MSC.Nastran 2010. The previous version of
this guide was released in conjunction with the MSC Nastran 2001. There have been several significant
releases in the meantime and it is felt to be of historical interest to show how each of these releases add
to the Superelement capability. It is also of great practical interest to those who are not using the most
recent release to see which of the capabilities described in this Guide are not available to them. The major
enhancements since Version 69 are identified here. Discussions of each of these topics are included in
this Guide.
Version 69
• Introduction of PART Superelements

• Release Guide Contents, Chapter 5:
• Automatic Attachment of Partitioned Superelements
• Multilevel Superelements
• Superelements in Dynamic Analysis
• Restarts with Superelements
• Image Superelements
• MSC/NASTRAN Plotter
• Parts Assembly with Manual Control
• Upward Compatibility
• MSC/PATRAN Interface
• Definitions and Acronyms
• Summary of New or Modified Bulk Data Entries
• Sample Files
Version 69.1
• External Superelements for SOL 101 and SOL 103 – 3 Step Method
• PARAMs added: EXTOUT, EXTDROUT, EXTDR
• Support for MATRIXDB, DMIGDB, DMIGOP2, DMIGPCH
• Addition of EXTERNAL to SEBULK entry
• EXTRN bulk data entry introduced
Version 70.0
• Enhanced External Superelements

• Better documentation on usage

CHAPTER 1 35
• Residual Vectors for improved dynamic

• Superelement Mass Reduction performance improvement
Version 70.5
• Splining Upstream Superelements in Aeroelastic Analysis

• Use of External Superelements in Aeroelastic Analysis
• Coupled Fluid-Structure Models with Interface DOFs in Superelements
• PARAM, FLUIDSE
• External SE Enhancements
• Assembly of external in SOL 101 thru 159
• Data Recovery support added for SOL 107 through 112
• CSUPER-type support for external SE via EXTOUT PARAMs
• PARAM,VMOPT,1 to support virtual mass at GSET level
• Better component mode handling byu bypassing INREL module
Version 70.7
• Distributed Parallel Linear Static Analysis (SOL 101)

• Differential Stiffness for Upstream Superelements
• External Superelement Data Recovery for SOL 146
• Modal Damping for Upstream Superelements, PARAM,SESDAMP,YES
• Add Modal Damping to Structural Damping for Superelements, PARAM,KDAMP,-1
• Special Superelement Reserved for Fluid Elements, PARAM,FLUIDSE,seid
• Reduced Data Recovery Matrices, PARAM,MINIGOA
• Automated QSET Generation, PARAM,NQSET,n
• Automatic Removal of Unused QSET dof, PARAM,SMALLQ
Version 2001
• Shell Normal Default, PARAM,SNORM

• Multiple DMIG input
• Force Resultant Output Enhancements
• Simplified Static Loading Data in Dynamic Analysis (removal of LOADSET/LSEQ
restrictions)
• OMODES Case Control of Modal Output
• OTIME Case Control of Temporal Output
• WEIGHTCHECK Mass Summation Output Including Upstream Superelements
• Parallel Processing Enhancements: Geometric Domain Decomposition


• Automated Component Modes Synthesis (ACMS)
Version 2004
• Enhancements to External Superelements – 2 Step Method

• EXTSEOUT Cast Control
• BNDFIX/BNDFIX1, BNDFREE, BNDFREE1
• Scale Factors on X2GG and X2PP Matrices
• Support of Adjoint Sensitivity in Superelement Analysis
• Design Responses Spanning Across Subcases or Superelements
• Specify DELAY or DPHASE in Upstream Superelements
• Residual Vector Enhancements
• Nonstructural Mass Support for Superelements (NSM, NSM1, NSMADD)
• Modal Participation Factors for Fluid Superelement
• Control of Superelement Differential Stiffness Calculation, PARAM,SEKD
• Adams Flexible Body Support, ADMSMNF
• Punch File Identification of Superelement ID
Version 2004R3 (2004.5)
• ACMS with Matrix Domain Decomposition

• ACMS compatible with Superelements, Including External Superelements
Version 2005
• CSET Improvements, PARAM,MHRED

• Automatic QSET generation, PARAM,AUTOQSET
Version 2005R2 (2005.1)
• External Superelement Support in SOL 600

• ADMSMNF Support in SOL 600
• USET Support for MATMOD Option 16
• Support for Fixed Boundary Displacements in SOL 101 for EXTSEOUT Assembly Runs
• Support for Data Recovery with EXTSEOUT(DMIGPCH) option
Version 2005R3 (2005.5) / MDR1
• Efficiency Enhancements for MTRXIN handling of DMIG entries

• BSETi/BNDFIXi and CSETi/BNDFREEi Entries can be commingled
• Enhancements to EXTSEOUT
• ASMBULK AUTO and MANQ options

CHAPTER 1 37
• FSCOUP option to Store Fluid-Structure Coupling Matrix

• DMIGSFIX option to Define DMIG Matrix Names
• Automatic QSET numbering scheme with PARAM AUTOQSET
• Automatic OTM output for PLOTEL elements
• MATDB name equivalent to MATRIXDB
Version 2007 / MDR2
• ACMS for External Superelement Reduction

• Automatic External Superelement Optimization (AESO)
Version 2007.1 / MDR2.1
• ACMS for External Superelement Reduction of Fluid

• EXTSEOUT support for OUTPUT4 with MATRIXOP4
• Merged Superelement Output, PARAM,FULLSEDR
Version 2008 / MDR3
• Local Adaptive Mesh Refinement

• Improved SMP throughput for Static Condensation
Version 2010
• Support for Part Superelement Optimization

• SOL 400 Support for Linear Solutions with Superelements



Chapter 2: How to Define a Superelement

2 How to Define a Superelement
 Introduction
 Superelement vs. Residual
 Three Types of Superelements
 Defining List Superelements
 Defining PART Superelements
 Defining and Attaching External Superelements
 The Superelement Map – SEMAP


Introduction
Introduction
Now that the basic concept of superelements has been explained, we can focus on how to define
superelements in MSC.Nastran. Superelements are defined using the Bulk Data Section of the input file
and controlled via File Management Section (FMS), Executive Control, PARAMeters, and Case Control.
There are three methods available for defining superelements:
• List Superelement: Commonly referred to as “SESET” superelements
• PART Superelement: Commonly referred to as “BEGIN SUPER” superelements
• External Superelement: Commonly referred to as “EXTSEOUT” or “EXTOUT” or “DMIG”
superelements
The purpose of this chapter is to describe the input required to define each type of superelement as well
as discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
Note: BEGIN SUPER vs. BEGIN BULK Superelement Partition ing
MSC.Nastran maintains two distinct paths for superelement processing in the solution
sequences. When a BEGIN SUPER entry is present the program uses the more modern
SEP1X module to make the SEMAP table used to control partition of superelements. When
there is a BEGIN BULK entry but no BEGIN SUPER entries a parallel path using the older
SEP1 module is used instead. For a more detailed discussion of these two methods, please
refer to the Superelement Analysis (p. 394) in the MSC Nastran Reference Manual.

CHAPTER 2 41
How to Define a Superelement
Superelement vs. Residual

Each superelement in MSC.Nastran is identified by an integer identification known as the SEID. Each
SEID must be a unique positive integer (with the exception of the residual structure, which is known as
superelement 0). If no superelements are defined, the model is assumed to be a residual-structure-only
model, and a conventional (non-superelement) solution is performed. By default, all superelement
solution sequences perform a conventional solution if no superelements are defined. The superelement
solution sequences for MSC.Nastran are as follows:
Table 2-1 Solution Sequences that Support Superelements

SOL Number SOL Name Description
101 SESTATIC Statics with options:
Linear steady state heat transfer.
Alternate reduction.
Inertia relief.
103 SEMODES Normal modes.
105 SEBUCKL Buckling with options:
Static analysis.
Alternate reduction.
Inertia relief.
106 NLSTATIC Nonlinear or linear statics
107 SEDCEIG Direct complex modes
108 SEDFREQ Direct frequency response
109 SEDTRAN Direct transient response
110 SEMCEIG Modal complex eigenvalues
111 SEMFREQ Modal frequency response
112 SEMTRAN Modal transient response
128 SENLRHM Nonlinear harmonic response
129 NLTRAN Nonlinear or linear transient response
144 AESTAT Static Aeroelastic response
145 SEFLUTTER Aerodynamic flutter
146 SEAERO Aeroelastic response


Superelement vs. Residual
Table 2-1 Solution Sequences that Support Superelements

SOL Number SOL Name Description
153 NLSCSH Static structural and/or steady state heat transfer
analysis with options:
Linear or nonlinear analysis.
159 NLTCSH Transient structural and/or transient heat transfer
analysis with options:
Linear or nonlinear analysis.
200 DESOPT Design Optimization
400 NONLIN Nonlinear static and transient analysis

CHAPTER 2 43
Three Types of Superelements

As mentioned in the Introduction to this chapter, MSC.Nastran has 3 basic methods for defining
superelements:
• List Superelements: as the name implies, List Superelements are defined by specifying a list
(or set) in the main Bulk Data section of the input file. These are often referred to as “SESET”
superelements because the most common way of defining them is with the SESET bulk data
entry. When superelements are defined using this approach, the model defined in this section of
the input is cut apart into separate components (each component is a superelement). A good way
to describe this is to say that the program is using a cookie-cutter approach with the model,
taking a model and dividing it into superelement lists for processing. Many models of this type
could be run as a stand-alone, or “one shot” model without superelement processing. However,
a savvy user who has repeated components can use the List Superelements to efficiently image
(copy, repeat, mirror) parts of the model.
• PART Superelements: PART superelements are defined by defining each superelement in its
own Partitioned Bulk Data section. These separate sections of the bulk data are self-contained in
that each section contains all geometry, elements, properties, constraints, parameters, and
loading data for that component of the model. When PARTs are used the program works in a
manner similar to an assembly process. That is, a series of separate components are assembled
into the final finite element model, i.e. the residual structure.
• External superelements: External Superelements are similar to PART superelements in many
respects, except rather than solving the model in a single run, the superelement can be processed
and output for use at a later time. There are many advantages of external superelements: 1) the
reduced matrices are compact and can be added to another structure while maintaining full
fidelity of the component behavior on the system, 2) they can be easily re-used as many times as
necessary at a very low runtime cost, 3) they can protect design information (proprietary
geometry) and material information (composite layup), 4) key results can be monitored without
the need for full data recovery, 5) files can be easily shared and maintained across different
organizations or design groups.
The three approaches can be used independently or together depending upon the application. In versions
prior to Version 69, only the list superelements were available. Input files from versions prior to Version
69 of MSC.Nastran can be used in later versions, and any superelement input will be treated as before.
Once PARTs are defined, the program uses a different set of rules to partition the Main Bulk Data Section
into superelements. The modern external superelements were first introduced with PARAMs in V69.1
and enhanced to include convenient case control commands in V2004. A list of enhancements by
version can be found in List of Superelement Enhancements Released Since Version 69.


Defining List Superelements

As the name implies, List Superelements are defined by specifying a list or set; but List Superelements
can only be defined in the main Bulk Data section of the MSC.Nastran input file. The superelement
processing partitions the model into separate sections based on a list of interior grid points and/or
elements defined by the user. The Main Bulk Data Section is defined as the ‘first’ bulk data input section
which occurs after BEGIN BULK or BEGIN SUPER [=0].
List Superelements can be defined on the GRID entry, the SESET entry, or the SEELT entry. In addition,
a superelement can be defined as a copy of another superelement (image superelement) or by using
matrices from an external source (external superelement) by using the CSUPER entry. Refer to
Chapter 13: Practical Image Superelements for more details on image superelements.
Any grid points defined in the main bulk data that are not assigned to a superelement, using either a
SESET, GRID, or a SEELT entry will automatically be assigned to the residual structure (SEID = 0).
For list superelements defined with BEGIN BULK: if SPOINTs or EPOINTs exist in the input stream,
they are automatically and permanently assigned to the residual structure and cannot be reassigned to be
interior to a superelement. However, if the user specifies BEGIN SUPER, then SPOINTs and EPOINTs
can be assigned to any superelement. The reason is that BEGIN BULK and BEGIN SUPER undergo
different superelement processing as described in the Superelement Analysis (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran
Reference Manual
Lis t Superelement Defin iti on wi th the SESET Entry

The SESET entry can be used to define the interior GRIDs associated to a Superelement. The user
simply defines the SESET, its SEID and the associated GRID list for the interior GRIDs.
SESET Superelement Interior Point Definition
Defines interior grid points for a superelement.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SESET SEID G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7
Example:
SESET 5 2 17 24 25 165

CHAPTER 2 45
Alternate Format and Example:
SESET SEID G1 “THRU G2

”
SESET 2 17 THRU 165
Field Contents
SEID Superelement identification number. Must be a primary superelement. (Integer > 0)
Gi Grid or scalar point identification numbers. (0 < Integer < 1000000; G1 < G2)
The SESET entry takes precedence over the SEID field on the GRID entry defined below. SESET
defines grid and scalar points to be included as interior to a superelement. SESET may be used as the
primary means of defining superelements or it may be used in combination with SEELT entries which
define elements interior to a superelement. For additional comments on the SESET entry, please refer
to the SESET (Ch. ) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide.
There is no limit on the number of SESET entries that can be used to define a superelement, and the
THRU option on the SESET entry, can have open sets. That is, not all grid points in the range specified
need to exist. If a nonexistent grid point is referenced by an SESET entry, that part of the entry is ignored.
If BEGIN SUPER is used and SEELT is present, then SEELT will take precedence over both the SESET
entry and GRID entry SEID field.
List Superelement Defini tion with t he GRID Entry

An interior superelement GRID can also be defined on the GRID entry in the SEID field.
GRID Grid Point
Defines the location of a geometric grid point, the directions of its displacement, and its permanent
single-point constraints.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
GRID ID CP X1 X2 X3 CD PS SEID
Example:
GRID 2 3 1.0 -2.0 3.0 316


Field Contents
lD Grid point identification number. (0 < Integer < 100,000,000, see Remark 9.)
CP Identification number of coordinate system in which the location of the grid
point is defined. (Integer > 0 or blank*)
X1, X2, X3 Location of the grid point in coordinate system CP. (Real; Default = 0.0)
CD Identification number of coordinate system in which the displacements,
degrees- of-freedom, constraints, and solution vectors are defined at the grid
point. (Integer > -1 or blank, see Remark 3.)*
PS Permanent single-point constraints associated with the grid point. (Any of
the Integers 1 through 6 with no embedded blanks, or blank*.)
SEID Superelement identification number. (Integer > 0; Default = 0)
*See the GRDSET entry for default options for the CP, CD, PS, and SEID fields.
Note: Note that a SESET entry will override the definition on the GRID entry. Also, the
GRDSET entry can be used to define the default SEID for all GRIDs in the main bulk data
section.
Lis t Superelement Defin ition o n Element ID – the SEELT entr y

As an alternative to defining the superelement based on GRID ids, the superelement can be defined based
on element ids using the SEELT entry. If the main bulk data section is defined with BEGIN SUPER
[=0] instead of BEGIN BULK, then the SEELT entry can be used to define the elements which belong
to each superelement. The advantage is that sometimes it is easier to define element ranges rather than
GRID ranges for large models. Refer to the note on superelement processing based on BEGIN SUPER
vs. BEGIN BULK Superelement Partitioning.
SEELT Superelement Boundary Element Reassignment
Reassigns superelement boundary elements to an upstream superelement
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SEELT SEID EID1 EID2 EID3 EID4 EID5 EID6 EID7

CHAPTER 2 47
Example:
SEELT 2 147 562 937
SEELT SEID EID1 “THRU EID2

”
SEELT 5 12006 THRU 12050
Field Contents
SEID Superelement identification number. See Remark 7. (Integer > 0)
EIDi Element identification numbers. (Integer > 0 or “THRU”; for
“THRU” option EID1 < EID2.)
The SEELT entry can also be used to assign elements connected entirely to boundary GRIDs to the
upstream superelement.
Interior versus Exterior Points

Any GRID point assigned to a superelement by the user is interior to that superelement. Exterior grid
points are defined by the program based on processing order. If a grid point is connected to a
superelement but is interior to a downstream superelement (one which is processed later), that grid point
is exterior to the upstream superelement. Processing order can be defined by either the user or the
program. Other than Chapter 7: Multi-Level Superelement Analysis, we will limit the discussion in this
Guide to what is known as a single-level processing tree, where all exterior points of the superelements
are assigned as interior to the residual structure.
Simple Example using Cantilever Plate

To illustrate the concept of interior vs. exterior grid points, we can use the cantilever plate as an example.
In this case, we want to define two superelements and a residual as shown in Figure 2-1; the non-
superelement model for this can be found at: /doc/seug/chapter2/cantilever-beam/baseline.bdf, and the
corresponding SESET model is in the same directory in file seset.bdf.


Figure 2-1 Simple Example use to define List Superelements
We will define the interior grids for each superelement with the SESET entry. Note that this example
demonstrates both forms of the SESET entry (simple list and “thru” list).
Table 2-2 Sample SESET Entries used to define a List Superelement

$ Tip.10
SESET 10 108 THRU 111
$ Base.20
SESET 20 101 102 103 201 202 203
The resulting superelement definition is shown in Figure 2-2.
Figure 2-2 Example Model Superelement Interior Grid Definition
Considering superelement 10, the grid definitions are as follows:

CHAPTER 2 49
Figure 2-3 Interior and Exterior Grids for Superelement 10
Note that GRID 107 and 207 are exterior to Superelement 10 and interior to Superelement 0 (the
residual). The .f06 file clearly lists the interior and exterior GRID definitions as well as the list of
elements for each superelement
SUPERELEMENT 10
LI ST OF I NTERI OR GRI D POI NTS ( TOTAL NO. OF I NTERI OR POI NTS = 8 )
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-

1 108 109 110 111 208 209 210 211
SUPEREL EMENT 10
LI ST OF EXTERI OR POI NTS ( TOTAL NO. OF EXTERI OR POI NTS = 2 )
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 107 207
SUPEREL EMENT 10
LI ST OF ELEMENT I D- S ( TOTAL NO. OF ELEMENTS = 4 )
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 7 8 9 10
Listing 2-1 Superelement Summary Based on List Superelements with BEGIN BULK
Note that instead of SESET, this example could have been defined by using BEGIN SUPER (instead of
BEGIN BULK) and the following SEELT definition: SEELT,10,7,thru,10. In this case the superelement
processing would have gone through the ‘new’ superelement processing and the output would have been


different as shown in Listing 2-2. See also the Note on BEGIN SUPER vs. BEGIN BULK Superelement
Partitioning
0 SUPERELEMENT 10
TYPE = PRI MARY ( MAI N BULK DATA)
LI ST OF EXTERI OR POI NTS ( TOTAL NO. OF EXTERI OR POI NT = 2 )
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 1B 2B
0 SUPERELEMENT 10
LI ST OF I NTERI OR POI NTS ( TOTAL NO. OF I NTERI OR POI NT = 8 )
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 108 109 110 111 208 209 210 211
0 SUPERELEMENT 10
LI ST OF ELEMENTS ( TOTAL NO. OF ELEMENTS = 4 )
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 7 8 9 10
Listing 2-2 Superelement Summary Based on List Superelements with BEGIN SUP ER
Demonstration of Defining Interior Points in Patran

The cantilever plate example in the previous section can be easily defined in Patran. It is presumed that
the user has a working knowledge of Patran and groups. First, to define the superelements, the user opens
the proper form in Patran by selecting the Meshing tab and the Superelement Icon

CHAPTER 2 51
Figure 2-4 Opening the Create Superelement form in Patran
Next the user simply selects the group which will define each superelement. The “dot” in the “SE.10”
will tell Patran to honor the number “10” as the SEID when it exports the MSC.Nastran bdf SESET
entries.


Figure 2-5 Patran Superelement Definition Based on Groups
By default, Patran will automatically detect grids 107 and 207 as the superelement exterior dof. There
are some special cases where the user may want to redefine the exterior dof and they are covered later in
this Guide
When creating an analysis job, the user must specify if superelements are desired, otherwise Patran will
not write a superelement model. By default, a PART superelement model is written, but the user can also
chose a list (SESET) superelement model as shown in the example below.

CHAPTER 2 53
Figure 2-6 Patran Analysis Setup to Write a List (SESET) Superelement Input File


Superelement Partit ioning

Each superelement is processed as an independent model. To achieve this, MSC.Nastran creates separate
bulk data for each superelement. In the case of Part Superelements, this is naturally performed based on
the user directive BEGIN SUPER = SEID. However, for list superelements, MSC.Nastran must
interrogate and partition the bulk data into its constituent superelements.
List superelements are partitioned based on user input. Recall that list superelements are defined with
SESET entries, or GRID entries with and SEID specified on field 9, or by defining BEGIN SUPER in
conjunction with SEELT in the main bulk data section.
The partitioning process for list superelements is described as follows.
• First the processing order is defined for the model; i.e. which superelement will be processed
first. For single-level superelements, the processing order is not important. However, for multi-
level superelements, the tip superelements must be processes first, followed by the collector
superelements in a hierarchy that will feed into the residual structure. Once the processing order
is defined, the bulk data is partitioned for each superelement based on the processing order.
• All interior grid points assigned to the superelement are placed in the bulk data section for its
associated superelement. These grids are also removed from the residual structure bulk data.
• All elements connected to the interior grid points of the superelement are placed in its associated
bulk data section. These elements are removed from the residual bulk data.
• All exterior points are stored with the superelement bulk data. These grids remain in residual
bulk data section and may also be defined in other superelement bulk data sections.
• Any loading entries specific to the interior grid points and/or interior elements are removed from
the residual bulk data and associated with the superelement bulk data. Any information removed
from the residual bulk data and associated to a superelement is not available for use in any other
superelement.
• Any loads that are specific to grids interior to the residual structure are retained in the residual
bulk data section and processes with the residual structure. (Refer to the simple example in
Superelement Analysis (Ch. 1)).
• Copies are made of common data. For example, property entries can be applicable to elements
in multiple superelements. Also loadings such as PLOAD4 and GRAV could apply to multiple
superelements. Common data is not removed from the residual bulk data, but it is copied so that
it will be available for the relevant superelements.
Once all information for the first superelement has been separated, the process is repeated for the next
superelement based on the processing order. After the bulk data has been separated, moved, or copied for
each upstream superelement, the remaining data belongs to the residual structure. Once the list
superelements have been partitioned, each superelement is processed using its own unique bulk data. If
there are entries that need information from more than one superelement for processing (for example,
PLOAD4 entries with a THRU range including elements from several superelements), the program may
give a fatal message when processing the affected superelements. To simplify matters, think of each
superelement as being processed independently from all others, thus reducing the chance for errors.
A more detailed description of the grid and element partitioning is included in the following subsections.

CHAPTER 2 55
Grid Point Partitioning

Interior grid points are assigned by the user. Exterior points are normally determined by the program,
based on element connectivity. Any grid point (that is not interior to the superelement) connected to an
element that is interior to a superelement is defined as an exterior point for the superelement.
In addition, it is possible for the user to define additional exterior grid points beyond the ones assigned
by the program. This definition can be accomplished by using the CSUPEXT entry.
CSUPEXT Superelement Exterior Point Definition
Assigns exterior points to a superelement.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
CSUPEXT SEID GP1 GP2 GP3 GP4 GP5 GP6 GP7
Example:
CSUPEXT 2 147 562 937
CSUPEXT SEID EID1 “THRU EID2

”
CSUPEXT 5 12006 THRU 12050
Field Contents
SEID Superelement identification number. See Remark 7. (Integer > 0)
GPi Grid identification numbers. (Integer > 0 or “THRU”; for “THRU” option GP1 <
GP2.)


This entry is used to assign exterior points that might not be assigned based on connectivity. Examples
are: reference grid points on CBAR and CBEAM entries, PARAM,GRDPNT, reference grid points on
loading entries, and points connected only by RBE or MPC entries.
Note: SPOINT and EPOINT handling
There are special rules regarding scalar (SPOINT) and extra (EPOINT) points. SPOINTs
are “scalar points” and are used as special dof for operations like storing generalized dof
in Component Modes Synthesis (see also Dynamic Reduction – Component Modes
Synthesis (Ch. 9), defining warping dof for CBEAM elements, and as a dof to store
relative displacements in a relative displacement MPC, to name a few uses. EPOINTs are
“extra points” that are used in dynamics analysis to define transfer functions as part of
control systems. Extra points are added to the system after the finite element matrix
assembly and real eigenvalue solution. Therefore, structural elements, constraints, and
static loads may not be connected to EPOINTs. Note that neither SPOINTs nor EPOINTs
are associated to geometric entities.
• EPOINTS: must be part of the residual structure. If the user attempts to assign an
EPOINT as interior to an upstream superelement, a FATAL message will occur.
• SPOINTS: depending on the processing method, SPOINTs have different rules:
• BEGIN BULK: For list superelements in the main bulk data section defined with
BEGIN BULK, both scalar and extra points are, automatically and permanently
assigned as interior to the residual structure. They cannot be interior to any other
superelement. Scalar points can be exterior to any number of superelements and
are often used in dynamics to represent component modes. Extra points cannot be
exterior to any superelement; in fact, any entries that reference extra points can
reference only points and elements that are interior to the residual structure.
• BEGIN SUPER: For Part Superelements or List Superelements in models that
contain “BEGIN SUPER …”, the SPOINTs remain interior to the superelement in
which they are defined. In multi-level superelement analysis, this gives the user
the option to define “collector” superelements and store component modes in
SPOINTs. Also, warping dof and other dof defined with SPOINTs will remain in
their natural superelement for processing.
Element Partitioning
Element partitioning for list superelements is handled automatically by MSC.Nastran. Any element that
is connected entirely to the interior points of a superelement is assigned to that superelement. A Branch
Element is an element that connects to grid points belonging to more than one superelement. Branch
elements are assigned to the most upstream (based on processing order) superelement to which they are
connected Figure 2-7 shows an example of a branch element. This example is the same example
described earlier and can be located at /doc/seug/chapter2/cantilever-beam/seset.bdf. In this example,
element 7 attaches to GRID 107 and 207 which both belong to superelement 10 (as an external dof) and
superelement 0 (as an internal dof. Since superelement 10 is the ‘most upstream’ superelement, element
7 is automatically attached to superelement 10. From a programming standpoint this means that the

CHAPTER 2 57
element formulation (stiffness, mass, etc.) and element data recovery (element forces, stresses, etc.) are
calculated during the processing of superelement 10. From a practitioner standpoint, the more important
thing to understand is that the element data recovery will be performed and reported in the .f06 and .op2
files as part of superelement 10. For this example, the .f06 file clearly demonstrates that element 7
belongs to superelement 10 and that the data recovery is performed for superelement 10.
Figure 2-7 Example of Branch Superleement
0 SUPERELEMENT 10

0 I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 108 109 110 111 208 209 210 211
0 SUPERELEMENT 10

0 I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 107 207
0 SUPERELEMENT 10
0 I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 7 8 9 10
…
…
0 SUPERELEMENT 0

0 I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 104 105 106 107 204 205 206 207
0 SUPEREL EMENT 0
0 I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-


1 4 5 6
1 MD NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 20- MAR- 11 AT 12: 28: 00 MARCH 20, 2011 MD NASTRAN 7/ 15/ 10 PAGE 17
CREATED BY LANCE PROCTOR, EAGLESI M SUPERELEMENT 0
0
*** USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 7321 ( SEDRDR)
DATA RECOVERY FOR SUPERELEMENT 0 I S NOW I NI TI ATED.
…
…
0 SESET STATI C SOLUTI ON SUBCASE 1

104 G 5. 068370E- 03 1. 580829E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 9. 892963E- 03
105 G 6. 398248E- 03 2. 707486E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 247253E- 02
106 G 7. 548106E- 03 4. 074128E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 469234E- 02
107 G 8. 518030E- 03 5. 644763E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 655197E- 02
204 G - 4. 830489E- 03 1. 579607E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 9. 892758E- 03
205 G - 6. 080313E- 03 2. 706290E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 247260E- 02
206 G - 7. 150200E- 03 4. 072934E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 469227E- 02
207 G - 8. 040061E- 03 5. 643537E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 655221E- 02
…
CREATED BY LANCE PROCTOR, EAGLESI M SUPERELEMENT 10 , 1
0
DATA RECOVERY FOR SUPERELEMENT 10 I S NOW I NI TI ATED.
…

107 G 8. 518030E- 03 5. 644763E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 655197E- 02
108 G 9. 307833E- 03 7. 383300E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 805235E- 02
109 G 9. 918178E- 03 9. 254120E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 919017E- 02
110 G 1. 034660E- 02 1. 121981E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 997773E- 02
111 G 1. 060229E- 02 1. 324967E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 2. 034813E- 02
207 G - 8. 040061E- 03 5. 643537E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 655221E- 02

CHAPTER 2 59
208 G - 8. 750085E- 03 7. 382199E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 805149E- 02

209 G - 9. 279610E- 03 9. 252547E- 02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 919340E- 02
210 G - 9. 631094E- 03 1. 122000E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 1. 996567E- 02
211 G - 9. 795371E- 03 1. 324328E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 2. 031519E- 02
S T R E S S E S I N QU A D R I L AT E R A L E L E ME N T S ( QU A D 4 ) OPTI ON = BI LI N
ELEMENT FI BER STRESSES I N ELEMENT COORD SYSTEM PRI NCI PAL STRESSES ( ZERO SHEAR)
ID GRI D- I D DI STANCE NORMAL- X NORMAL- Y SHEAR- XY ANGLE MAJ OR MI NOR VON MI SES
0 7 CEN/ 4 - 5. 000000E- 02 4. 000000E+02 3. 673928E+00 2. 999654E+02 28. 2752 5. 613475E+02 - 1. 576736E+02 6. 545851E+02
5. 000000E- 02 4. 000000E+02 3. 673928E+00 2. 999654E+02 28. 2752 5. 613475E+02 - 1. 576736E+02 6. 545851E+02
107 - 5. 000000E- 02 7. 899135E+03 - 2. 632689E+00 2. 999654E+02 2. 1709 7. 910506E+03 - 1. 400356E+01 7. 917517E+03

5. 000000E- 02 7. 899135E+03 - 2. 632689E+00 2. 999654E+02 2. 1709 7. 910506E+03 - 1. 400356E+01 7. 917517E+03
108 - 5. 000000E- 02 7. 899135E+03 9. 980545E+00 2. 999654E+02 2. 1743 7. 910524E+03 - 1. 408448E+00 7. 911228E+03

5. 000000E- 02 7. 899135E+03 9. 980545E+00 2. 999654E+02 2. 1743 7. 910524E+03 - 1. 408448E+00 7. 911228E+03
208 - 5. 000000E- 02 - 7. 099135E+03 9. 980545E+00 2. 999654E+02 87. 5882 2. 261497E+01 - 7. 111770E+03 7. 123104E+03
5. 000000E- 02 - 7. 099135E+03 9. 980545E+00 2. 999654E+02 87. 5882 2. 261497E+01 - 7. 111770E+03 7. 123104E+03
207 - 5. 000000E- 02 - 7. 099135E+03 - 2. 632689E+00 2. 999654E+02 87. 5839 1. 002412E+01 - 7. 111792E+03 7. 116809E+03
5. 000000E- 02 - 7. 099135E+03 - 2. 632689E+00 2. 999654E+02 87. 5839 1. 002412E+01 - 7. 111792E+03 7. 116809E+03
0 8 CEN/ 4 - 5. 000000E- 02 4. 000000E+02 - 1. 365707E+01 2. 999654E+02 27. 7067 5. 575302E+02 - 1. 711873E+02 6. 599902E+02
5. 000000E- 02 4. 000000E+02 - 1. 365707E+01 2. 999654E+02 27. 7067 5. 575302E+02 - 1. 711873E+02 6. 599902E+02
…
Listing 2-3 Branch Superelement Processing in .f06 File
A Boundary Element is an element that is connected to grid points, all of which are exterior to a
superelement. Boundary elements are automatically assigned to the downstream superelement, but may
be placed in the upstream superelement by using the SEELT Bulk Data entry. For example, consider
Figure 2-8 which is the cantilever plate with beam elements surrounding each plate element (i.e. a
stiffened plate). In this case, since GRID 107 and 207 are exterior to Superelement 10, and element 307
attaches to GRID 107 and 207, the default behavior is that element 307 belongs to Superelement 0. This
means that any mass, stiffness, damping, or element load is calculated and attached to the matrices that
make up Superelement 0. The user may choose to assign element 307 to Superelement 10. In order to
assign a boundary element to Superelement 10, the user can use the SEELT command. For this example,
there are two example problems located in /doc/seug/chapter2/cantilever-beam/boundary-se0.dat and


/doc/seug/chapter2/cantilever-beam/boundary-se10.dat. The file boundary-se0.dat demonstrates the

default behavior
Figure 2-8 Example of Boundary Elements Automatically Assigned to Residua
0 SUPERELEMENT 10

0 I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 7 8 9 10 107 108 109 110 207 208

11 209 210 308 309 310 311
…
…
0 SUPERELEMENT 0

0 I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-

1 4 5 6 104 105 106 204 205 206 304
11 305 306 307
…
0 SUBCASE 1
S T R E S S E S I N B E A M E L E ME N T S ( CB E A M)
STAT DI ST/

CHAPTER 2 61
ELEMENT- I D GRI D LENGTH SXC SXD SXE SXF S- MAX S- MI N

…
0 206
206 0. 000 - 5. 124043E+03 - 5. 124043E+03 - 5. 834160E+03 - 5. 834160E+03 - 5. 124043E+03 - 5. 834160E+03
207 1. 000 - 5. 252965E+03 - 5. 252965E+03 - 5. 705236E+03 - 5. 705236E+03 - 5. 252965E+03 - 5. 705236E+03
0 304
104 0. 000 - 1. 436810E+02 - 1. 436810E+02 - 4. 061910E+01 - 4. 061910E+01 - 4. 061910E+01 - 1. 436810E+02

204 1. 000 - 4. 087595E+01 - 4. 087595E+01 - 1. 434255E+02 - 1. 434255E+02 - 4. 087595E+01 - 1. 434255E+02
0 305
105 0. 000 - 1. 421059E+02 - 1. 421059E+02 - 3. 954948E+01 - 3. 954948E+01 - 3. 954948E+01 - 1. 421059E+02
205 1. 000 - 3. 946863E+01 - 3. 946863E+01 - 1. 421882E+02 - 1. 421882E+02 - 3. 946863E+01 - 1. 421882E+02
0 306
106 0. 000 - 1. 422200E+02 - 1. 422200E+02 - 3. 948044E+01 - 3. 948044E+01 - 3. 948044E+01 - 1. 422200E+02
206 1. 000 - 3. 956195E+01 - 3. 956195E+01 - 1. 421399E+02 - 1. 421399E+02 - 3. 956195E+01 - 1. 421399E+02
0 307
107 0. 000 - 1. 432607E+02 - 1. 432607E+02 - 4. 087958E+01 - 4. 087958E+01 - 4. 087958E+01 - 1. 432607E+02

207 1. 000 - 4. 062019E+01 - 4. 062019E+01 - 1. 435215E+02 - 1. 435215E+02 - 4. 062019E+01 - 1. 435215E+02
Listing 2-4 Boundary Element Automatically Assigned to Residual
The file boundary-se10.dat demonstrates how to reassign boundary element 307 to superelement 10 by
specifying the following SEELT entry:
SEELT Superelement Boundary Element Reassignment
Reassigns superelement boundary elements to an upstream superelement
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SEELT SEID EID1 EID2 EID3 EID4 EID5 EID6 EID7
Example:
SEELT 10 307
In Patran, this can be put in the direct text input for the bulk data section as follows:
SEELT,10,307
For this example, boundary element 304 remains in the residual, but boundary element 307 has been
reassigned to superelement 10.


Figure 2-9 Example of Boundary Element Manually Assigned to Upstream Superelement
SUPERELEMENT 10

0 I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-

1 7 8 9 10 107 108 109 110 207 208
11 209 210 307 308 309 310 311
…
…
0 SUPEREL EMENT 0
0 I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-

1 4 5 6 104 105 106 204 205 206 304
11 305 306
…
0 SUBCASE 1
STAT DI ST/
…
0 206
206 0. 000 - 5. 124043E+03 - 5. 124043E+03 - 5. 834160E+03 - 5. 834160E+03 - 5. 124043E+03 - 5. 834160E+03
207 1. 000 - 5. 252965E+03 - 5. 252965E+03 - 5. 705236E+03 - 5. 705236E+03 - 5. 252965E+03 - 5. 705236E+03
0 304
104 0. 000 - 1. 436810E+02 - 1. 436810E+02 - 4. 061910E+01 - 4. 061910E+01 - 4. 061910E+01 - 1. 436810E+02

CHAPTER 2 63
204 1. 000 - 4. 087595E+01 - 4. 087595E+01 - 1. 434255E+02 - 1. 434255E+02 - 4. 087595E+01 - 1. 434255E+02

0 305
105 0. 000 - 1. 421059E+02 - 1. 421059E+02 - 3. 954948E+01 - 3. 954948E+01 - 3. 954948E+01 - 1. 421059E+02
205 1. 000 - 3. 946863E+01 - 3. 946863E+01 - 1. 421882E+02 - 1. 421882E+02 - 3. 946863E+01 - 1. 421882E+02
…
0 SUBCASE 1
STAT DI ST/
0 210
210 0. 000 - 8. 225272E+02 - 8. 225272E+02 - 1. 068186E+03 - 1. 068186E+03 - 8. 225272E+02 - 1. 068186E+03
211 1. 000 - 9. 582994E+02 - 9. 582994E+02 - 9. 324120E+02 - 9. 324120E+02 - 9. 324120E+02 - 9. 582994E+02
0 307
107 0. 000 - 1. 432607E+02 - 1. 432607E+02 - 4. 087958E+01 - 4. 087958E+01 - 4. 087958E+01 - 1. 432607E+02

207 1. 000 - 4. 062019E+01 - 4. 062019E+01 - 1. 435215E+02 - 1. 435215E+02 - 4. 062019E+01 - 1. 435215E+02
0 308
108 0. 000 - 1. 383584E+02 - 1. 383584E+02 - 3. 462496E+01 - 3. 462496E+01 - 3. 462496E+01 - 1. 383584E+02
208 1. 000 - 3. 558226E+01 - 3. 558226E+01 - 1. 374025E+02 - 1. 374025E+02 - 3. 558226E+01 - 1. 374025E+02
…
Listing 2-5 Boundary Element Manually Reassigned to Upstream Superelement with

SEELT
Point elements such as concentrated mass elements (CONMi) are assigned as interior to the
superelement that contains the grid point to which the element is attached. For the case where the GRID
is exterior to one superelement and interior to another superelement, the CONM2 will be assigned to the
interior grid (i.e. the downstream superelement). Consider, for example, the cantilever plate model with
CONM2 attached to GRIDs 107, 207 as shown in Figure 2-10. In this case, the default behavior is that
the CONM2 are processed entirely within Superelement 0. This example is located at:
/doc/seug/chapter2/cantilever-beam/conm2-SE0.dat.
Figure 2-10 Example of Point Element on a Superleement Boundary


0 SUPERELEMENT 0

0 I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-

1 4 5 6 501 502
Listing 2-6 CONM2 Automatically Assigned to Downstream Superlement
However, the SEELT command can assign the CONM2 to the upstream superelement if desired
(/doc/seug/chapter2/cantilever-beam/conm2-se10.dat).
SEELT, 10, 501, 502
0 SUPERELEMENT 10

0 I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-

1 7 8 9 10 501 502
Listing 2-7 Manually Reassigned to Upstream Superelement with SEELT
Example of Bulk Data Partit ion ing

The following example demonstrates the bulk data partitioning associated with list superelements. The
double-headed flyswatter is used for demonstration; the input file can be located at
/doc/seug/chapter2/flyswatter/seset.dat. This example differs from the cantilever plate in that not all of
the superelements are directly adjacent to the residual structure elements. The grid points shown in
Figure 2-12 are the grid points that belong to the residual structure. All other grid points are interior to
one of the superelements. These residual structure points are all exterior points for one or more of the
superelements. The residual structure contains not only the reduced matrices for the superelements, but
also any elements that were not assigned to another superelement. The residual structure for this model
contains only one element, QUAD4 number 5, which was not assigned to another superelement during
superelement processing.

CHAPTER 2 65
Figure 2-11 Flyswatter Example for List Superelement Partitioning
Figure 2-12 Residual Structure Interior Grids


The SESET entries associated with Figure 2-12 are as follows:
$ SEID.10
SESET 10 33 34 37 38
SESET 10 45 THRU 50
SESET 10 57 THRU 62
SESET 10 69 THRU 74
SESET 10 81 THRU 86
SESET 10 93 THRU 98
$ SEI D. 20
SESET 20 39 40 43 44
SESET 20 51 THRU 56
SESET 20 63 THRU 68
SESET 20 75 THRU 80
SESET 20 87 THRU 92
$ SEI D. 30
SESET 30 29 30
$ SEI D. 40
SESET 40 31 32
$ SEI D. 50
SESET 50 9 THRU 12
SESET 50 21 22
$ SEI D. 60
SESET 60 15 THRU 18
SESET 60 25 26
$ SEI D. 70
SESET 70 1 THRU 8
Listing 2-8 Flyswatter SESET Definition
In this example, all points that are exterior to any superelements are interior to the residual structure.
Therefore, all superelements attach directly to the residual structure. This is known as a Single Level
Superelement Tree. If the exterior point of any superelement is an interior point of another superelement
which is not the residual, the model is what is known as a multilevel tree, which will be discussed later
(Chapter 7: Multi-Level Superelement Analysis). Conceptually, the single level superelement
processing is shown in the following figure:

CHAPTER 2 67
Figure 2-13 Single Level Superelement Analysis
More details on Single Level Superelement Analysis are contained in Chapter 3: Single Level
Superelement Analysis.
Following the process defined in the beginning of Superelement Partitioning (Sec. ), the following steps
are followed for this model:
• The processing order for the model is determined. Since this is a single-level tree, the
processing order is not critical. MSC.Nastran defines the order by superelement id with the
residual structure being processed last. The .f06 output is as follows:
SUPERELEMENT DEFI NI TI ON TABLE

( SORTED BY SEI D)
I NDEX SUPEREL EMENT PROCESS ORDER DOWNSTREAM SE SUPEREL EMENT TYPE
0 0 8 0 RESI DUAL STRUCTURE

1 10 1 0 PRI MARY SUPERELEMENT
( SORTED BY PROCESS ORDER)




Listing 2-9 Flyswatter Single-Level Processing Order
• The interior grids associated to each superelement are placed into the bulk data section for its
corresponding superelement. The exterior grids for each superelement are associated to both the
upstream superelement and the residual. For example, superelement 30 has interior grids 29 and
30 and exterior grids 19, 20, 35 and 36.
Figure 2-14 Grids Associated with Superelement 30
• The interior and exterior grids associated to superelement 3 are identified in the .f06 file as
follows:
SUPERELEMENT 30
LIST OF INTERIOR GRID POINTS ( TOTAL NO. OF I NTERI OR POI NTS = 2 )

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 29 30
SUPEREL EMENT 30
LIST OF EXTERIOR POINTS ( TOTAL NO. OF EXTERI OR POI NTS = 4 )
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-

CHAPTER 2 69
1 19 20 35 36
…
…
SUPERELEMENT 0

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 13 14 19 20 23 24 27 28 35 36
11 41 42
Listing 2-10 File Identification of Grids Associated with Superelement 3
• The elements associated to each superelement are placed into the bulk data section for its
corresponding superelement. For superelement 30, the details are as follows
Figure 2-15 Elements Associated with Superlement 30
SUPERELEMENT 30
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 14 15
Listing 2-11 File Identification of Elements Associated with Superelement 30


• Loads are processed. Since this model has inertia loading only, all of the loads are processed for
each superelement and reduced to the boundary. The OLOAD RESULTANT is printed for each
superelement:
*** USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 7325 (SEP2DR)
PROCESSING OF SUPERELEMENT 3 IS NOW INITIATED.
^^^ USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 9045 ( PHASE1DR)

^^^ PHASE 1 - SUPERELEMENT GENERATI ON, ASSEMBLY AND REDUCTI ON.
0
*** USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 7310 ( VECPRN)
ORI GI N OF SUPERELEMENT BASI C COORDI NATE SYSTEM WI LL BE USED AS REFERENCE LOCATI ON.
RESULTANTS ABOUT ORI GI N OF SUPERELEMENT BASI C COORDI NATE SYSTEM I N SUPERELEMENT BASI C SYSTEM COORDI NATES.
0 OLOAD RESULTANT
SUBCASE/ LOAD
DAREA I D TYPE T1 T2 T3 R1 R2 R3
0 1 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- 3. 622400E- 01 1. 883648E+00 1. 159168E+00 ----
MX ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- ----
MY ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ----
MZ ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 3. 622400E- 01 1. 883648E+00 1. 159168E+00 0. 000000E+00
Listing 2-12 Loads Processing for Superelement 3
• Finally, all of the common data is copied to the respective superelement sections. For this
model, the common data includes the PARAM entries, but, in general, this could include
properties (PSHELL, PBEAM, etc.) and material entries (MAT1, MAT2, etc.). There is no
special printout for each superelement in the .f06 file associated with the common data.
The items associated with each superelement (interior points, exterior points, and elements) printed in
the .f06 file can be controlled by the SEMAP, SEMAPOPT, and SEMAPPRT parameter. These are
defined in the Quick Reference Guide.

CHAPTER 2 71
Defining PART Superelements

As its name implies, the list superelements in the previous section are defined by lists (sets). Another
method of generating superelements is by defining PARTs. PARTs are used to subdivide a model into
superelements by defining an entire stand-alone bulk data of each superelement. This provides
advantages to model integrators when assembling component models that are generated by different
organizations, different engineers, or that were generated independently from other components in the
assembly.
Defining Parts
PARTs are defined as separate components using separate areas of the Bulk Data Section in
MSC.Nastran. Therefore, each PART can be thought of as a separate component model. MSC.Nastran
automatically locates any coincident grid points in common between the constituent PARTs and connects
the component models to create the assembly model. Of course, for more complicated situations,
MSC.Nastran provides the user with complete control of the connection points.
The Bulk Data Section can be divided into separate sections for each PART. This division is
accomplished by using the BEGIN SUPER entry. The format of this entry is as follows:
BEGIN [BULK] SUPER = i
Where i is the superelement id defined by the user. The commonly used form of this command is:
BEGIN SUPER = i
Which is the form used in this book.
The PART superelement concept was introduced in Version 69. Prior to Version 69, the Bulk Data
Section of the input file was always a single section of data that contained the complete model definition.
That is to say, the entire model was defined in the area between BEGIN BULK and ENDDATA. Each
grid point had to be unique, and each element id had to be unique and parameters in the Bulk Data
Section applied to every superelement (unless overwritten by a case control parameter). With the advent
of PART superelements, it became possible to partition the Bulk Data Section of the input into separate
component models, using the BEGIN SUPER command. Thus, each of these component models is a
self-contained model defining a PART of the total model. Within each of these sections, grid point and
element ids must be unique as before; however, different PARTs can reuse grid and element ids, because
the sections are separate in the input file.
The Bulk Data Section Using PARTs

When PARTs are used, the bulk data is divided into different sections. The section of the bulk data
contained between the BEGIN BULK (or BEGIN SUPER [= 0]) and either the first BEGIN SUPER = i,
or the ENDDATA is known as the Main Bulk Data Section. In this section the user may define
superelements as described in Defining List Superelements in Section Defining List Superelements.
Any superelements defined in this section are known as main bulk data superelements. Refer to the note
on superelement processing based on in Chapter 1. The superelement partitioning associated with


PARTs in MSC.Nastran contains logic to determine coincident grid points between different PARTs.
After determining which grid points are coincident, MSC.Nastran will (by default) automatically connect
any coincident grid points. Of course, the user has the option to override the automatic connection which
will be described in Connecting PARTs to Other PARTs, in Connecting PARTs to Other PARTs.
Format of the Input File When PARTs are Used

When PARTs are used the Executive and Case Control Sections are unchanged, only the Bulk Data
Section is different. A sample input file looks like the following:
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = Sampl e I nput Fi l e Demonst r at i ng PARTs def i ni t i on
BEGIN BULK
$
$ MAI N BULK DATA SECTI ON
$
$ bul k data defi ni t i on f or t he Resi dual Str uct ure (SEI D=0)
BEGIN SUPER = 1
$
$ bul k data f or PART Super el ement 1 ( SEI D=1)
$
BEGIN SUPER = 25
$
$ bul k dat a f or PART Super el ement 25 ( SEI D=25)
$
ENDDATA
Listing 2-13 Example of PART Superelement Delimiters with BEGIN SUPER
In this example, there is a Main Bulk Data Section (which may or may not define list superelements) and
two PART superelements (SEID = 1 and SEID = 25). Each section is self-contained. That is, no entry in
PART 1 can reference an entry in any other section of the input. This goes for all PARTs; they must be
self-contained. There are several Main Bulk Data Section bulk data entries that can be used to move,

CHAPTER 2 73
copy, or manually connect PARTs, but beyond these entries, no entry in any section of the input can
reference an entry in any other section of the bulk data.
Note: A common point of confusion when using PART superelements is the use of PARAM
entries. Since each PART is processed independently of the other PARTs, the PARAMs
must be defined within each PART bulk data section. Alternatively, most PARAMs can be
defined in the Case Control Section. For example, in order to obtain a results output2 file
for each PART superelement, PARAM,POST,-1 must be specified in each PART bulk data
section, or in the case control. For PARAMs that will apply to the entire model, it is
common to put the PARAM entries above the first SUBCASE. For more details on which
parameters can be defined in the Case Control, or Bulk Data, refer to the Parameter
Applicability Tables (Ch. 5) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide.
Static Example Inpu t Using Freedom

We will use the “freedom” airplane example to demonstrate how to set up a model using PARTs. In this
example, we will assume that there are different analysts (or organizations) responsible for various
components of the aircraft. In this case, we have a full model and will not use symmetry or image
superelements, which will be introduced in later chapters.
Also, it is assumed that each analyst (or organization) has provided a complete ‘run ready’ bulk data
section that has all grids, elements, properties, materials, loads, constraints, etc. defined. Note that loads
and constraints must have consistent IDs across parts in order to process properly; a more detailed
description of loads and constraints is contained in Chapter 4: Loads, Constraints, Case Control, and
Parameters in Static Analysis. The files associate with this example can be found in
/doc/seug/chapter2/freedom/.
Demonstration of Patran definition

PART superelements can be easily defined in Patran. Note that Patran does have the limitation that all
grids and elements must be unique (which is not the case for Nastran PART superelements). For this
example, we will start with /doc/seug/chapter2/feedom-baseline.dat and read it into Patran.


Figure 2-16 Freedom Example Baseline (w/o Superelements)
Next, the model is organized into logical groups. For readers trying to follow this example, a session file
is available to generate the groups; /doc/seug/chapter2/group-create-color-continuous.ses. The session
file also be colors and displays the model in group mode to more easily identify the superelements.
Figure 2-17 Freedom Model After Being Organized Into Groups
Creation of superelements is easily accomplished in Patran. From the meshing tab, the user selects the
superelement icon and defines each superelement by selecting the appropriate group. An example is
shown here:

CHAPTER 2 75
Figure 2-18 Patran Creation of Superelements by Groups
For this example, the wing box is designated as the residual structure. Therefore, in Patran a
superelement is not created for the wing box. Also note that the SEID can be encoded into the
superelement name by including a “.##” – for example “wings.40” will make sure that the SEID
associated with the wings group will be 40.
After the superelements are defined, the superelements are selected when generating the MSC.Nastran
analysis file.
The user can chose to write part superelements or list superelements (SESET) by selecting the
appropriate option on the form.


Figure 2-19 Including the Superelements in an Analysis
The resulting input files for both PART superelement and list superelement (SESET) are found in the
installation: /doc/seug/chapter2/freedom/partse-continuous.bdf and seset.bdf.
In a variation of the model, a completely independent bulk data file was created for each component. In
this case the grid ids are discontinuous between the parts. The constituent models are contained in these
files in /doc/seug/chapter2/freedom.

CHAPTER 2 77
Filename SEID GRID/Element/MPC Ids

freedom-part-aft-fuselage.bdf 30 30000-39999
freedom-part-cabin.bdf 50 50000-59999
freedom-part-engines.bdf 20 20000-29999
freedom-part-nose.bdf 60 60000-69999
freedom-part-tail.bdf 10 10000-19999
freedom-part-wingbox.bdf Residual 1-9999
freedom-part-wing.bdf 40 40000-49999
The ‘assembly’ input file, partse-discontinous.bdf, is very simple and uses INCLUDEs to read the
constituent models:
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = Fr eedompl ane exampl e
SUBTI TLE = Cr eat ed by Lance Pr octor , Eagl eSi m
LABEL = di scont i nuous nodes at i nterf aces
ECHO = NONE
par am, post , - 1

par am, pr t maxi m, yes
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
SPC = 1
LOAD = 1
DI SPLACEMENT( pl ot , SORT1, REAL) =ALL
SPCFORCES( SORT1, REAL) =ALL
STRESS( pl ot , SORT1, REAL, VONMI SES, BI LI N) =ALL
BEGI N BULK
i ncl ude ' part - wi ngbox. bdf '
BEGI N SUPER = 10
i nc l ude ' par t - t a i l . bdf '
BEGI N SUPER = 20
i ncl ude ' part - engi nes. bdf '
BEGI N SUPER = 30
i ncl ude ' part - af t- f usel age. bdf '


BEGI N SUPER = 40
i ncl ude ' part - wi ngs. bdf '
BEGI N SUPER = 50
i ncl ude ' part- cabi n. bdf '
BEGI N SUPER = 60
i ncl ude ' part - nose. bdf '
enddat a
Connecting PARTs to Other PARTs

PART Superelements offer a complete range of flexibility to the user when it comes to defining
connections and relocating a PART. Each of these features will be described in the following subsections.
Au to mat ic PART Co nn ect io ns

As the section title suggests, MSC.Nastran has an automatic connection feature to connect PARTs. By
default, the program automatically connects grids from a PART to any coincident grids in any other
PARTs or grids defined in the Main Bulk Data Section. There is no need to be concerned with coordinate
systems on these coincident points; MSC.Nastran automatically connects coincident points, accounting
for differences in the output coordinate systems. These points will be identified as boundary points in the
output from MSC.Nastran. By default, no special effort is required from you to make the connection. If
for one connection all the boundary points belong to PARTs (none of the coincident points are in the
residual structure), then MSC.Nastran will create a new internal grid that is coincident with the boundary
grids and assign the internal grid in the residual structure (or to the lowest connected superelement in a
multi-level tree). These internal points cannot be constrained. If you wish to apply a constraint on this
point, you can define a coincident grid point in the residual structure (or in the lowest connected
superelement for a multi-level tree) and constrain that point, or you can apply constraints in the PARTs
(subject to the limitations described in Chapter 4).
At this point, the user may ask, “do the grids have to be exactly coincident, or is there a tolerance?” The
answer is yes, MSC.Nastran has provisions to define a “close enough” tolerance for grids from different
PARTs to be considered coincident. This is defined on the SECONCT entry with the “TOL” field or on
the SEBULK entry with the “TOL” field.
SECONCT SEIDA SEIDB TOL LOC

GIDA1 GIDB1 GIDA2 GIDB2 GIDA3 GIDB3 -etc.-
SEBULK SEID TYPE RSEID METHOD TOL LOC UNITNO

CHAPTER 2 79
TOL Location tolerance to be used when searching for boundary grid points. (Real;
Default = 10E-5). The search is based on a sphere with a radius of TOL.
Even though the user has an option to change the “TOL” associated with a search, it is recommended
that the user take measures to ensure that the grids are exactly coincident to ensure that the model will
pass strain energy checks performed by the GROUNDCHECK case control command. The
consequence of connecting non-coincident boundary grids is similar to that of having direct MPC
equations that connect non-coincident grids but do not account for the offset in the equations.
For example, in the freedom sample partse-discontinuous.bdf , the tail to aft fuselage was automatically
connected at 20 grids. A closer examination of the interface shows that the grid ids were, in fact, not the
same, but the coordinates of the grids were coincident, so the models were automatically connected. The
figure below shows the interface grids and the listing is from the .f06 file
Figure 2-20 Exploded View of Automatic Connection Featuring Discontinuous GRID IDs
(model separated for clarity)
0 BOUNDARY SEQUENCE ASSI GNMENT TABLE

0 BOUNDARY
SEQUENCE I D - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSI GNED TO POI NT I D ( SUPERELEMENT) -
1B 10415 ( 10) 30001 ( 30)

2B 10416 ( 10) 30002 ( 30)
3B 10417 ( 10) 30003 ( 30)


4B 10418 ( 10) 30004 ( 30)

5B 10419 ( 10) 30005 ( 30)
6B 10420 ( 10) 30006 ( 30)
7B 10421 ( 10) 30007 ( 30)
8B 10422 ( 10) 30008 ( 30)
9B 10423 ( 10) 30009 ( 30)
10B 10424 ( 10) 30010 ( 30)
11B 10425 ( 10) 30011 ( 30)
12B 10426 ( 10) 30012 ( 30)
13B 10427 ( 10) 30013 ( 30)
14B 10428 ( 10) 30014 ( 30)
15B 10429 ( 10) 30015 ( 30)
16B 10430 ( 10) 30016 ( 30)
17B 10431 ( 10) 30017 ( 30)
18B 10432 ( 10) 30018 ( 30)
19B 10433 ( 10) 30019 ( 30)
20B 10434 ( 10) 30020 ( 30)
Listing 2-14 Freedom Boundary Connections for Discontinuous Grid IDs
User Controlled PART Connections

The automatic connection feature in MSC.Nastran is applicable to many models, but there are also many
situations where the automatic connection feature is inadequate or inappropriate. For example, suppose
there are two plates that are riveted at 25mm intervals, but each have a mesh density of 5mm. It would
be inappropriate to connect the plates at every 5mm, but rather every fifth GRID as depicted in
Figure 2-14. As another example, there may be a residual has coincident nodes with a CBUSH to
simulate a bolted connection as shown in Figure 2-15. When a coincident search finds two grids, which
one should it choose? MSC.Nastran cannot determine this a priori, therefore, a FATAL message will be
issued and the user will have to specify the connection precisely. There are several methods available to
define the connections, and each has its own appeal depending on the situation. These will be described
in the subsequent subsections.

CHAPTER 2 81
Figure 2-21 Example of Not Connecting Every Coincident GRID


Figure 2-22 Example of Multiple Coincident Nodes
SEBNDRY, SEBULK, SECONCT, SEEXCLD

In the examples in Figure 2-14 and Figure 2-15 it is clear that an automatic scheme cannot cover all cases
of superelement connection. Fortunately, the design of MSC.Nastran allows the user to specify which
grids will be used in the boundary search. This can be done by overriding the default search by using
several methods:
• SEBNDRY: The SEBNDRY defines a list of grid points that can be connected between a PART
and one or more PARTs (used to limit the automatic search for coincident points).
• SEBULK: Defines boundary search options (sets tolerance for coincident grid point checks)
• SECONCT: Explicitly defines the GRIDs and SPOINTs to be connected between PARTs
(override automatic search logic) and allows you to set the tolerance for the coincident point test
• SEEXCLD: Provides a list of points in a PART that cannot be connected to one or more other
PARTs (used to limit automatic search logic)
SEBNDRY Superelement Boundary-Point Definition
Defines a list of grid points in a partitioned superelement for the automatic boundary search between a
specified superelement, or between all other superelements in the model.

CHAPTER 2 83
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SEBNDRY SEIDA SEIDB GIDA1 GIDA2 GIDA3 GIDA4 GIDA5 GIDA6
GIDA7 GIDA8 -etc.-
This entry is used to limit the automatic search logic to selected grid points for certain PARTs. Any grid
points listed on this entry are the only grid points in SEIDA to which the automatic logic can connect
grid points in SEIDB.
Description of the fields on this entry:
Field Contents
SEIDA Partitioned superelement identification number. (Integer > 0)

SEIDB Superelement identification. See Remark 2. (Integer > 0 or Character “ALL”; Default
= “ALL”)
GIDAi Identification number of a boundary grid point in superelement SEIDA. (Integer > 0
or “THRU”; For “THRU” option, G1 < G2.)
Example:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SEBNDRY 400 4 10 20 30 40
In the example, the user instructs MSC.Nastran to search for grid points in superelement 4 that are
coincident to points in PART 400, only grid points 10, 20, 30, and 40 in PART 400 can be used. No other
grid points in superelement 400 can be connected to points in superelement 4, even if they are coincident.
Note that if a restricted list of grid points needs to be listed for PART 4, then a similar entry should be
generated by the user.
SEBULK Partitional Superelement Connection
Defines superelement boundary search options and a repeated, mirrored, or collector superelement.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


This entry has a number of uses. For purposes of the current section, we will limit the discussion to the
control of the automatic search logic for coincident grid points. In this context, a description of the fields
on this entry follows:
Field Contents
SEID superelement number for which this SEBULK entry is being used. There may be
several SEBULK entries required to define each PART in the model.
TYPE there are several TYPEs allowed. For purposes of the current discussion, only
PRIMARY will be considered (the other TYPEs involve more advanced features)-
no default value.
RSEID reference superelement id-also an advanced feature to be discussed later.
METHOD boundary GRID point search method-can be AUTO (default) or MANUAL. If this is
MANUAL, then SECONCT entries must be used for this PART to make the
connections to the rest of the model.
TOL location tolerance for coincident grid point test (default = 1.E-5).
LOC coincident grid point test option for MANUAL connection. Can be YES (default =
grid points must be within TOL, or a FATAL will be issued) or NO (do not test for
coincidence-may be dangerous).
Example:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SEBULK 14 PRIMA 1.E-3 AUTO
RY
The example instructs MSC.Nastran to use the automatic coincident grid point search logic to find the
attachment points for superelement 14, but to use a tolerance of 1.0E-3 units.
SECONCT Partitioned Superelement Boundary-Point Connection
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CHAPTER 2 85
Alternate Format
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
GIDA1 THRU GIDA2 GIDB1 THRU GIDB2
This entry manually specifies points (GRID or SPOINT) to be connected between two superelements. If
this entry is used and METHOD=AUTO on the SEBULK entry, these points are added to the list of
points found by the automatic logic. If METHOD=MANUAL on the SEBULK, then only these points
are connected between these two superelements.
Field Contents
SEIDA Identification number of superelement for connection to SEIDB. (Integer > 0)
SEIDB Identification number of superelement for connection to SEIDA. (Integer > 0)
TOL Location tolerance to be used when searching for or checking boundary grid points.
(Real; Default = 10E-5)
LOC Coincident location check option for manual connection. (Character; “YES” or
“NO”; Default = “YES”)
GIDAi Identification number of a grid or scalar point in superelement SEIDA, which will
be connected to GIDBi
GIDBi Identification number of a grid or scalar point in superelement SEIDB, which will
be connected to GIDAi
Example:
SECONCT 10 20 1.0E-4 YES

1001 4001 2222 4444
This entry instructs MSC.Nastran that when connecting PART 10 to superelement 20, the tolerance for
the coincident grid point test will be 1.0E-4 units and the coincident point test will be performed. This
entry also instructs the program to connect point 1001 in PART 10 to point 4001 in superelement 20,
point 1002 in PART 10 to point 4002 in superelement 20, and point 2222 in PART 10 to point 4444 in
superelement 20 (in this context point can apply to sets of either GRID entries or SPOINTs).
SEEXCLD. The format of the SEEXCLD entry follows:
SEEXCLD Partitioned Superelement Exclusion
Defines grids that will be excluded during the attachment of a partitioned superelement.


Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SEEXCLD SEIDA SEIDB GIDA1 GIDA2 GIDA3 GIDA4 GIDA5 GIDA6
GIDA7 GIDA8 -etc.-
This entry is used to limit the automatic search logic. While the SEBNDRY limits the search to selected
grid points, the SEEXCLD excludes grid points from the search. Any grid points listed on this entry are
grid points in SEIDA that the automatic logic cannot connect to grid points in SEIDB.
Field Contents
SEIDB Superelement identification. (Integer > 0 or Character = “ALL”; Default = “ALL”)
GIDAi Identification number of a grid in superelement SEIDA to be excluded from
connection to superelement SEIDB. (Integer > 0 or “THRU”; for “THRU” option
GIDA1 < GIDA2.)
Example:
SEEXCLD 110 10 45 678 396
The above entry instructs the program to exclude grid points 45, 678, and 396 when performing the
automatic search to connect PART 110 to superelement 10.
Manually Definin g Exterior Points f or a PART

When defining a PART, additional exterior points can be specified by the use of ASET, BSET, CSET,
BNDFIX, BNDFREE, and/or ASET1, BSET1, CSET1, BNDFIX1, or BNDFREE1 entries to define the
exterior points. Any point in a PART that is listed on either an ASET or ASET1 entry is automatically
made exterior to that PART (whether there is a coincident point in another superelement or not). All six
DOFs of that point are made exterior. The fields on these entries that are used to select DOFs are ignored
when these entries are used in PARTs. If there is no coincident point in any other PART, internal points
are created in the residual structure that are coincident with the selected points, and the matrices for the
PART are connected to these points.
The formats for these entries are very similar, and are grouped here for convenience

CHAPTER 2 87
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ASET ID1 C1 ID2 C2 ID3 C3 ID4 C4
BSET
CSET
BNDFIX
BNDFIX1
ASET1 C ID1 ID2 ID3 ID4 ID5 ID6 ID7
BSET1
CSET1
BNDFIX1
BNDFREE1
ID8 ID9 ID10 etc.-
The ASETi, BSETi, and BNDFIXi entries indicated dof that are fixed during component modes
synthesis, while CSETi, and BNDFREEi indicate dof that are free during component modes synthesis.
These concepts are described in detail in Chapter 9: Introduction to Dynamic Analysis Using
Superelements. Additional description can be found in Table 2-4 on page 101.
Moving and /or Rotating a PART

If the model of a PART is not in the desired location or orientation, it can be repositioned by translating
and/or rotating and/or mirroring the PART into a new orientation before the program performs the
connection search with other components of the model. Repositioning a PART to a new orientation is
accomplished using the SELOC entry in the Main Bulk Data Section. This is performed by simply
defining 3 points on each PART that will provide the proper orientation. Mirroring a PART can be
accomplished by defining a mirror plane with SEMPLN and then using SEBULK to define the PART
to be mirrored. If a PART needs to be mirrored and repositioned, the mirror operation is performed first.
Note that these points do not necessarily have to be a boundary point for connection of the PARTs.
Actually, a POINT bulk data entry can be used to define a geometric point without adding degrees of
freedom to the system.
The SELOC entry is defined as follows:
SELOC Partitioned Superelement Location


Defines a partitioned superelement relocation by listing three noncolinear points in the superelement and
three corresponding points not belonging to the superelement.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SELOC SEID PA1 PA2 PA3 PB1 PB2 PB3
This entry instructs MSC.Nastran to move and/or rotate a PART (SEID) using three non-colinear GRID
entries in the PART (PA1, PA2, PA3) and three GRID entries or POINTs defined in the Main Bulk Data
Section (PB1, PB2, PB3).
Field Contents
SEID Partitioned identification number of the partitioned superelement. (Integer > 0)
PAi Identification numbers of three noncolinear grids (GRID entry) or points (POINT
entry) which are in the partitioned superelement. (Integer > 0)
PBi Identification numbers of three grids (GRID entry) or points (POINT entry)
defined in the main Bulk Data Section to which PAi will be aligned. (Integer > 0)
If the user request MSC.Nastran plots of the model using the PLOT case control commands, any PART
that has been translated and/or rotated will appear in its final location. Currently Patran only plots PARTs
in their original location and orientation. Therefore, it is recommended that you use the MSC.Nastran
plotter to view your model after using any SELOC entries. Also, deformed plots are available with PARTs
in their final locations. There is an option (SENOMOVE) on the PLOT command that can be used to
display PARTs in their original location. The jet example below includes the PLOT commands to obtain
final model orientations and deformations.
PART Basic Coor dinate System vs. Main Bulk Data Basic Coor dinate System
When the SELOC entry is encountered, the program repositions the PART so that grid points PA1-PA3
in the PART are coincident with PB1-PB3 in the main bulk data. This repositioning is performed before
the coincident grid point search logic is performed, thus connections for the PART are based on the
relocated position. When a PART is relocated like this, the basic coordinate system for the PART is
translated and rotated to move the PART into the desired position. Output for the PART is relative to the
part basic coordinate system in relocated orientation.
When a model has PARTs defined, each PART is in its own separate section of the bulk data and are
processed as individual models up to the point when they are assembled. As a default, MSC.Nastran
assumes that the basic coordinate system for all PARTs is identical to that defined in the Main Bulk Data
Section. Therefore, we have a term known as the main bulk data basic coordinate system. As long as the
model is defined using the main bulk data basic coordinate system, no additional transformations are
required. However, if a PART is reoriented and rotated via the SELOC entry, there are additional
transformations required to align everything properly which are accounted for automatically by
MSC.Nastran (see the subsection on loads below for special handling of loads on rotated parts.)

CHAPTER 2 89
Example using Jet

Consider the following simplified example of a Jet aircraft will demonstrate translation, rotation, and
mirroring of a few simple PARTs.
Figure 2-23 Simplified Example of a J et Plane.
In this scenario, the original PARTs were generated by different organizations using different coordinate
systems. The Parts in their initial orientation are shown in Figure 2-17.


Figure 2-24 J et PARTs in Their Original Orientation.
The PARTs for this example and their required geometric manipulation are identified as follows:
SEID Description Geometric Manipulation

1 Fuselage None
2 Right Inboard Wing Reposition with SELOC
3 Right Outboard Wing Reposition with SELOC

CHAPTER 2 91
SEID Description Geometric Manipulation

4 Vertical Tail Reposition with SELOC
5 Left Horizontal Stabilizer Reposition with SELOC
12 Left Inboard Wing Mirror with SEBULK / SEMPLN then
reposition with SELOC
13 Left Outboard Wing Mirror with SEBULK / SEMPLN then
15 Right Horizontal Stabilizer Mirror with SEBULK / SEMPLN then
A partial listing of the input file is included here for reference. The full bulk data for this file can be
found in in /doc/seug/chapter2/jet101.dat.
OUTPUT( PLOT)
CSCALE 1. 3
PLOTTER NAST
SET 1= ALL
$i sometr i c vi ew
VI EW 210. , 25. , 180.
AXES y , z, x
$ $
sepl ot 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
pt i t l e = pl ot a l l pr i mar y s e i n t h ei r o r i gi nal pos i t i ons
f i nd scal e ori gi n 1 set 1
pl ot senomove set 1
$
seuppl ot 0
pti t l e = pl ot undef ormed f ul l model
pl ot set 1
$
seuppl ot 0
pti t l e = pl ot def ormed f ul l model
pl ot stat i c deformati on set 1 ori gi n 1
Listing 2-15 Partial Input file for J et101.dat – Demonstrating Nastran PLOT Commands.
$
$ posi t i on se 2 ( i nboar d r i ght wi ng)
$
GRI D, 2001, , 1. , 1. 625, - 1.


GRI D, 2002, , 1. , 0. , - 1.
GRI D, 2003, , 1. , - . 25, - 2.
SELOC, 2, 19, 24, 23, 2001, 2002, 2003
$
$ posi t i on se 3 ( out board r i ght wi ng)
$
GRI D, 2011, , 1. , 1. 75, - 5.
GRI D, 2012, , 1. , - 1. 00,- 5.
GRI D, 2013, , 1. , - 1. 08333, - 6. 0
SELOC, 3, 43, 49, 35, 2011, 2012, 2013
$
$ Defi ne mi r r or pl ane wi t h 3 gri ds, and mi r r or SE 2, 3, 5
$
GRI D, 9998, , - 5. 96-8, 1. 625, 0.
GRI D, 9997, , 0. , 0. , 0.
GRI D, 9996, , 2. , 0. , 2. 87- 7
SEMPLN, 12, PLANE, 9998, 9997, 9996
SEMPLN, 13, PLANE, 9998, 9997, 9996
SEMPLN, 15, PLANE, 9998, 9997, 9996
SEBULK, 12, MI RROR, 2, AUTO
$
$ posi t i on i mage se 12 ( i nboar d l eft wi ng) af t er mi r r ori ng
$
GRI D, 3001, , 1. , 1. 625, 1.
GRI D, 3002, , 1. , 0. , 1.
GRI D, 3003, , 1. , - . 25, 2.
SELOC, 12, 19, 24, 23, 3001, 3002, 3003
$
$ posi t i on i mage se 13 ( out board l eft wi ng) aft er mi r r ori ng
$
GRI D, 3011, , 1. , 1. 75, 5.
GRI D, 3012, , 1. , - 1. 00,5.
GRI D, 3013, , 1. , - 1. 08333, 6. 0
SELOC, 13, 43, 49, 35, 3011, 3012, 3013
Listing 2-16 Partial Input file for J et101.dat – Demonstrating Reposition and Mirror
Body L oads on Rotated Parts

If the repositioning involves rotating the PART, then (as mentioned before) the basic coordinate system
of that PART will be rotated. Thus, all loadings, MPCs, and SPCs go through the same rotation as the
PART-possibly causing unexpected results if you have not planned for this rotation. There are some
loading entries that account for this rotation automatically. Currently, only the GRAV and RFORCE

CHAPTER 2 93
entries support this capability, accomplished by the field labeled MB on these entries. The formats for
these two entries are:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
GRAV SID A N1 N2 N3 MB
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
RFORCE SID GID CID A R1 R2 R3 METHOD
RACC MB IDRF
The MB field on these two entries tells the program whether the loading is defined using a coordinate
system defined in the PART (and therefore rotated with the PART), which is the default, or whether the
coordinate system is defined in the Main Bulk Data Section (MB=-1). If the load is defined using a
coordinate system from the Main Bulk Data Section, the loading does not rotate with the PART; rather,
the loading retains the original orientation based on the selected coordinate system in the Main Bulk Data
Section.
The user is cautioned to check the OLOAD resultants carefully for any PARTs that are rotated during a
repositioning or mirroring operation.


Defining and Attachin g External Superelements
Defining and Attaching External Superelements

The use of external superelements has been around for a very long time in many forms. Prior to
MSC.Nastran Version 69.1 many companies would use custom DMAP solutions to generate and
assemble reduced structural matrices, load transformation matrices, and output transformation matrices.
The advantages of external superelements included reduced solution times for large systems (i.e. Space
Shuttle Orbiter, rockets, commercial and military jets, automotive assemblies, etc.), quicker turn around
for design iterations and load cycles, keeping data private / security (material properties, internal details,
airfoil geometry, etc.), and partitioned output (output provided back to only the relevant organization),
had been recognized by the user community and many processes were built around the custom DMAPS.
The classic list superelements (SESET) had the capability for external superelements via the CSUPER
entry. However, this had many limitations and was not as portable across organizations and versions as
the modern external superelement technology which is based on PART superelement techniques. The
discussions in this section, and most of this guide, will be focused on the modern external superelement
technology introduced in MSC.Nastran Version 69.1.
Most of the superelement enhancements that have been incorporated into the standard solution sequences
since Version 69 have been centered around external superelements. For a comprehensive list of these
enhancements, please refer to List of Superelement Enhancements Released Since Version 69 (Ch. 1).
Discussion o f 2-step vs. 3-step methods

In MSC.Nastran Version 69.1, the external superelements were first introduced via the means of
PARAM EXTOUT and similar entries. This offered the users access to easy external superelement
generation, assembly, and data recovery in a 3-step method. Subsequently, in MSC.Nastran Version
2004, the process was simplified to a 2-step method using the Case Control command EXTSEOUT.
This section will describe then general procedures required for either method. Although these methods
are very similar, each method has its advantages and users should understand the differences before
selecting the method that is appropriate to their needs.

CHAPTER 2 95
Figure 2-25 Schematic of 2-Step External Superelement Process
Another way to visualize the steps involved in the 2-Step External Superelement Process is to review
how the steps are applied to the C-Clamp example. Note that in this case, the residual consists of only
2 grid points and no elements. This is perfectly valid, and in practice it is common to have a residual
structure without any elements (but usually there are several external superelements that are attached to
the residual). This example is provided in the following files: /doc/seug/chapter2/clamp-ext2step-
1st.dat and clamp-ext2step-2nd.dat


Figure 2-26 Illustrative Example of the 2-Step Method

CHAPTER 2 97
Figure 2-27 Schematic of 3-Step External Superelement Process
A similar mapping of the 3-Step External Superelement Process onto the C-Clamp example is shown
below. This example is provided in the following files: /doc/seug/chapter2/clamp-ext3step-1st.dat,
clamp-ext3step-2nd.dat, and clamp-ext3step-3rd.dat


Figure 2-28 Illustrative Example of the 3-Step External Superelement Process
2-Step method with EXTSEOUT

The 2-Step method of external superelements in MSC.Nastran was introduced in Version 2004. This
method uses case control EXTSEOUT to generate the external matrices, which can include stiffness,
mass, damping, material damping (k4 damping), loads, fluid structure coupling matrices, and output
transformation matrices (OTMs) for use in subsequent data recovery.
In addition to the external matrices, the EXTSEOUT method has options to generate bulk data entries
necessary for the bookkeeping and assembly during the assembly run. These automatically generated
entries are placed in the “.asm” file described in the EXTSEOUT Case Control command.
The EXTSEOUT case control command provides a convenient method to define the features that the user
wants to activate during the superelement reduction process for the 2-Step method.

CHAPTER 2 99
Depending on the output option or user request with EXTBULK, additional information will be put in
the standard punch (.pch) file. For a discussion of output options, please refer to Output Formats and
Considerations (Sec. ).
Note: EXTBULK Processing
The punch file generated when EXTBULK is requested provides a self-documenting file
which defines the GRIDs, boundary dof (ASET), modal dof (QSET), PLOTELs, and
coordinate systems (CORD2x) for the reduced matrices. The data generated in the .pch file
is required for the assembly run processing of the DMIGPCH and MATOP4 options;
however, the data in the .pch file is ignored in the assembly run because all of the data is
embedded in the matrices that are stored on the database or output2 files.
Output Transformation Matrix (OTM) Limitations

For the 2-Step process, OTMs are created for displacements, constraint forces (SPC forces), element
forces, and element stresses and used in the assembly run to calculate the external superelement data
recovery. Displacements and SPC forces are always calculated as requested, BUT CARE MUST BE
TAKEN when specifying output for STRESS and FORCE. Item Code Description (Ch. 6) in the MSC
Nastran Quick Reference Guide must be consulted to determine if an OTM is possible for the output
request. The items available for OTM output are designated with at (1) – which has this definition:
• Data for components marked with the symbol (1) are included in the data block MES and MEF
outputs from modules DRMH1/DRMH3 and DRMS1. DRMH1/DRMH3 are used in
EXTSEOUT Case Control processing. (See MD Nastran DMAP Programmer’s Guide.)
As an example, consider the stress OTMs for a QUAD4 element. A review of the Item Code
Descriptions reveals that there are four QUAD4 element types, but only one is available for OTM
calculations:
Table 2-3 QUAD4 Element Types and their Availability for OTM Processing
CQUAD4 Avail abl e
Element fo r
Type Description OTM? Comment
33 QUAD4 – Linear Center YES Center output only.
Case Control request: STRESS(CENTER)

90 QUAD4 – Nonlinear NO Nonlinear analysis will not generate OTMs
95 QUAD4 – Composite NO Composites will not produce OTMS.
144 QUAD4 – Linear Corner NO STRESS(CORNER) will not produce any
OTMS
The following snippet from Item Code Description (Ch. 6) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide
shows the superscript of (1) and its availability for OTM processing.


Figure 2-29 Snippet of Stress Item Code Descriptions from Quick Reference Guide
Because of the OTM limitations, some users still prefer the flexibility of the 3-Step method. The 3-Step
method also supports xdb output.

CHAPTER 2 101
3-Step method w ith PARAMs.

The 3-Step External Superelement Process requires much more user input. For example, the “asm” file
is not automatically generated in the 3-Step process.
The additional information in the .pch file is as follows:
Table 2-4 Entries Generated in the “.pch” File for the 3-Step Method
Punch File Entry Purpose
BEGIN SUPER = extid Not generated in 3-step method
GRID Not generated in 3-step method
CORDix Not generated in 3-step method
PLOTEL Not generated in 3-step method
ASET, QSET Not Generated in 3-step method
SPOINT Not Generated in 3-step method
DMIG matrices If DMIGSFIX is blank, the following matrices are output
(if DMIGPCH output is specified) • KAAX (boundary stiffness matrix)
NOTE: if matrices are null, they will not be • MAAX (boundary mass matrix)
generated. (For example, BAAX will not • BAAX (boundary viscous damping matrix)
be generated for a static analysis.) • K4AAX (boundary structural damping matrix)
• PAX (boundary load matrix)
• AAX (boundary fluid structure coupling matrix)
DMI matrices DMI Matrices are output associated with the OTMs
required for data recovery of the external superelement in
(if DMIGPCH or MATOP4 is specified) the assembly run.
• MUG1, MUG1O (Displacement OTMs)
• MQG1, MQG1O (SPCForce OTMs)
• MES1, MES1O (Element Stress OTMs)
• MEF1, MEF1O (Element Force OTMs)
DTI tables DTI tables are output associated with the OTMs required
for data recovery of the external superelement in the
(if DMIGPCH or MATOP4 is specified)
assembly run.
• TUG1, TUG1O (Displacement OTMs)
• TQG1, TQG1O (SPCForce OTMs)
• TES1, TES1O (Element Stress OTMs)
• TEF1, TEF1O (Element Force OTMs)


When inputting the matrices for a reduced external superelement (SEBULK), there are five options that
can be selected using the parameter EXTOUT. EXTOUT must be placed in the Case Control Section
above any subcase or in the main Bulk Data Section. The options for Step 1 (see the table at the end of
this discussion) are as follows:
Table 2-5 PARAM EXTOUT

PARAM EXTOUT Behavior
MATRIXDB Stores boundary matrices on database (.MASTER and .DBALL files)
DMIGDB Stores boundary matrices on database (.MASTER and .DBALL files)
DMIGOP2 Writes boundary matrices to an OUTPUT2 file.
DMIGPCH Writes boundary matrices to the punch file (.pch) in DMIG format.
MATRIXOP4 Writes boundary matrices to an OUTPUT4 file.
The options for Steps 2 and 3 are outline in Using PARAM,EXTOUT (3-Step) External Superelements
in Using PARAM,EXTOUT (3-Step) External Superelements.
Definition of External Points

In order to use external superelements, the user must define the interface points to the superelement, or
the external points. The considerations that go into selecting the interface points include: physical
interfaces (bolt locations, strut attachments, etc.), locations for load application, and number of dynamic
dof necessary to adequately define the dynamic response of the external superelement in the assembled
environment.
Physical External DOF

The selection of physical interfaces is the most logical and common physical dof that are selected for
external superelements. However, other considerations can lead the user to define additional points –
such as dof that will be used for clearance calculations or dof that will be used to apply loads. In any

CHAPTER 2 103
event, the definition of physical dof for use in external superelements can be accomplished with several
different bulk data entries. These are summarized here:
Figure 2-30 Bulk Data Entries used to Define Physical DOF of External Superelements
Bulk Data Entry Behavior
ASET, ASET1 Define physical dof to be retained in a static condensation. By
default, these dof are part of the BSET and considered fixed
during component modes synthesis (1)
BSET, BSET1 Define physical dof to be retained in a static condensation.
These points are fixed during component modes synthesis(1)
CSET, CSET1 Define physical dof to be retained in a static condensation.
These points are free during component modes synthesis
BNDFIX, BNDFIX1 Same as BSET, BSET1
BNDFREE, BNDFREE1 Same as CSET, CSET1
Table Notes:
(1)
If there are no BSETi/BNDFIXi or CSETi/BNDFREE/BNDFRE1 entries present, all a-set points
are considered fixed during component mode analysis. If there are only BSETi/BNDFIXi entries
present, any a-set degrees-of-freedom not listed are placed in the free boundary set (c-set). If there
are only CSETi/BNDFREE/BNDFRE1 entries present or both BSETi/BNDFIXi and
CSETi/BNDFREE/BNDFRE1 entries present, the c-set degrees-of-freedom are defined by the
CSETi/BNDFREE/BNDFRE1 entries, and any remaining a-set points are placed in the b-set.
The ASET/ASET1, BSET/BSET1, CSET/CSET1, BNDFIX/BNDFIX1, and

BNDFREE/BNDFREE1 entries follow a similar format that list grid numbers and component
degrees of freedom associated with the set. The BNDFIX/BNDFIX1 entries are described here, the other
entries are similar and full descriptions can be found in the Quick Reference Guide.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ASET ID1 C1 ID2 C2 ID3 C3 ID4 C4
BSET
CSET
BNDFIX
BNDFIX1


ASET1 C ID1 ID2 ID3 ID4 ID5 ID6 ID7

BSET1
CSET1
BNDFIX1
BNDFREE1
ID8 ID9 ID10 etc.-
Where “C” or “Ci” indicate a dof direction and “IDi” is a grid number.
Dynamic External DOF

As detailed in the Dynamic Reduction – Component Modes Synthesis (Sec. ) static condensation of
physical points is usually inadequate to capture the dynamic behavior of a superelement. Thus, the static
condensation is augmented with Component Modes Synthesis (CMS) and residual vectors. To
accommodate these additional dof, there are a few relevant entries:
Entries Related to Dynamic DOF Description / Behavior

SPOINT In conjunction with QSET/QSET1, A degree of freedom
available to store Component Modes and/or Residual
Vectors
QSET, QSET1 Defines the SPOINT IDs that are used to store CMS and/or
Residual Vector dof
EXTSEOUT EXTBULK=MAN For the .asm file: generate an SEBULK entry that specifies
MANUAL as the method for searching boundary points,
and an SECONCT entry that defines connections for
boundary grid and scalar points.
EXTSEOUT EXTBULK=MANQ For the .asm file: generate an SEBULK entry that specifies
AUTO as the method for searching boundary points, and an
SECONCT entry that defines connections for boundary
scalar points.
EXTSEOUT EXTBULK=AUTO Automatically generate SPOINT/QSET entries.
For the .asm file: generate an SEBULK entry that specifies
AUTO as the method for searching boundary points, and an
SECONCT entry that defines connections for boundary
scalar points.
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES Similar to EXTSEOUT EXTBULK=AUTO

CHAPTER 2 105
The QSET and QSET1 entries follow a similar format to the physical dof format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
QSET ID1 C1 ID2 C2 ID3 C3 ID4 C4
QSET1 C ID1 ID2 ID3 ID4 ID5 ID6 ID7
ID8 ID9 ID10 -etc.-
If either PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES, or EXTSEOUT EXTBULK=AUTO are specified, SPOINTs are

automatically generated internally to represent the Q-set DOFs. The IDs of these SPOINTs are of the
form 9sssnnnn where sss is the superelement ID seid specified by the EXTID keyword, and nnnn is a
mode number. Both sss and nnnn will have leading zeros inserted in them to ensure that sss is a three-
digit number and nnnn is a four-digit number. Thus, for example, the Q-set DOF corresponding to the
8th mode of superelement ID 5 would be represented by an SPOINT with an automatically generated ID
of 90050008, while the Q-set DOF corresponding to the 50th mode of superelement ID 25 would be
represented by an SPOINT with an automatically generated ID of 90250050.
Because of the preceding numbering scheme, the superelement ID seid specified by the EXTID keyword
must necessarily not exceed 999 when PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES is specified. The program terminates
the job with a User Fatal Message if this condition is not met.
Further, because of the preceding numbering scheme, the user should ensure that, when
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES is specified, the IDs of the grid and scalar points of the external
superelement do not conflict with the automatically generated SPOINT IDs of the Q-set DOFs. The
program terminates the job with a User Fatal Message if this condition is not met.
Creating External Superelements wit h EXTSEOUT

The EXTSEOUT case con trol comm and
The EXTSEOUT case control command provides a convenient method to define the features that the
user wants to activate during the superelement reduction process for the 2-Step method. The format of
the command is as follows:




EXTSEOUT  STIFFNESS MASS DAMPING K4DAMP LOADS FSCOUP


 MAN 
 
ASMBULK =  MANQ  EXTBULK EXTID = seid
 AUTO 
  (2-1)
  
 MATDB (or MATRIXDB) 
 DMIGDB 
 cccccc  
DMIGSFIX =   DMIGOP2 = unit 
 EXTID  DMIGPCH

 
 MATOP4 (or MATRIXOP4) = unit  
 
Example(s):
EXTSEOUT
EXTSEOUT( DMI GOP2=26)
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK EXTI D=200)
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK EXTBULK EXTI D=100)
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK=AUTO EXTBULK EXTI D=100)
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK=MANQ EXTI D=10 DMI GDB)
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK EXTI D=100 DMI GOP2=26)
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK EXTI D=100 DMI GPCH)
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK EXTI D=100 DMI GSFI X=XSE100 DMI GPCH)
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK EXTI D=200 DMI GSFI X=EXTI D DMI GPCH)
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK EXTI D=100 MATOP4=26)
.
Describer Meaning
STIFFNESS Store the boundary stiffness matrix.
Describer Meaning
STIFFNESS Store the boundary stiffness matrix.
MASS Store the boundary mass matrix.
DAMPING Store the boundary viscous damping matrix.
K4DAMP Store the boundary structural damping matrix.
LOADS Store the boundary static loads matrix.
FSCOUP Store the boundary fluid-structure coupling matrix.
ASMBULK or Generate Bulk Data entries for use in a subsequent superelement assembly
ASMBULK = MAN process and store them on the assembly punch file (.asm). This data, which
is used in the main bulk data portion of a subsequent assembly job,
includes an SEBULK entry that specifies MANUAL as the method for
searching boundary points, and an SECONCT entry that defines
connections for boundary grid and scalar points.

CHAPTER 2 107
Describer Meaning
ASMBULK = MANQ Similar to the ASMBULK = MAN option, except that the generated
SECONCT entry defines connections not only for boundary grid and
scalar points, but also for Q-set points. This allows the user to have control
over the Q-set points of the external superelement in the subsequent
assembly job.
ASMBULK = AUTO Generate Bulk Data entries for use in a subsequent superelement assembly
process, and store them on the assembly punch file (.asm). This data,
which is to be used in the main bulk data portion of a subsequent assembly
job, includes an SEBULK entry that specifies AUTO as the method for
searching boundary points, and an SECONCT entry that defines
connections for boundary scalar points.
EXTBULK Generate Bulk Data entries related to the external superelement and store
them on the standard punch file (.pch). This data is used in the BEGIN
SUPER portion of the bulk data of a subsequent assembly job. EXTBULK
need not be specified if DMIGPCH or MATOP4 (see the following
descriptions) is specified.
Note that, in general, the EXTBULK keyword is not required and is

provided solely for user convenience. In the absence of EXTBULK and
the associated output on the standard punch file resulting from it, the
subsequent assembly job will retrieve the required data for the external
superelement from the medium on which the boundary matrices are stored.
EXTID=seid seid (integer > 0) is the superelement ID to be used on the SEBULK and
SECONCT (if applicable) Bulk Data entries stored on the assembly punch
file (.asm) if ASMBULK is specified, and in the BEGIN SUPER Bulk
Data entry stored on the standard punch file (.pch) if EXTBULK or
DMIGPCH is specified.
DMIGSFIX = cccccc cccccc is the suffix (up to six characters) to be employed in the names of
the DMIG matrices stored on the standard punch file (.pch) if the
DMIGPCH option is specified.
DMIGSFIX = EXTID The seid defined by the EXTID keyword is the suffix to be employed in
the names of the DMIG matrices stored on the standard punch file (.pch)
if the DMIGPCH option is specified.
MATDB Store the boundary matrices and other information on the database.
(or MATRIXDB)
(Default)
DMIGDB Similar to MATDB (or MATRIXDB) except that the boundary matrices
are stored as DMIG Bulk Data entries on the database.


Describer Meaning
DMIGOP2 = unit Store the boundary matrices as DMIG Bulk Data entries on an .op2 file
whose Fortran unit number is given by unit (Integer > 0).
DMIGPCH Store the boundary matrices as DMIG Bulk Data entries on the standard
punch file (.pch).
MATOP4 = unit Store the boundary matrices on an .op4 file whose Fortran unit number is
(or MATRIXOP4 = unit) given by unit (Integer > 0).
The various remarks about the entries above can be found in the EXTSEOUT case control command in
the Quick Reference Guide.
ASMBULK
The ASMBULK keyword in the EXTSEOUT case control command provides a convenience to the user
by automatically generating bulk data entries necessary for the bookkeeping and assembly during the
assembly run. The following table summarizes the entries generated by specifying ASMBULK:
Table 2-6 Entries Generated in the “.asm” File When ASMBULK is Requested
ASMBULK Gen erated Ent ri es Pur po se
GRID GRID points associated with the boundary points and PLOTEL
entries.
CORD2x All coordinate frames necessary to define the GRID placement
(CP) and displacement (CD) coordinate frames
PLOTEL All PLOTEL entries defined in the reduction run. These are often
used to view the ‘outline’ modal or dynamic displacements in an
assembly run.

CHAPTER 2 109
Table 2-6 Entries Generated in the “.asm” File When ASMBULK is Requested
ASMBULK Gener ated Ent ri es Pur po se
SEBULK Defines the EXTID as an External superelement and defines the
connection method (automatic or manual) between the external
superelement and the residual structure during the assembly run.
Also defines the fortran unit number to use when reading an op2
or op4 file.
SECONCT The SECONCT entry is used to define the “grid pairings” used in
the assembly run. There are options to output actual grid pairs or
use the automatic option. There are also pairings available for
SPOINTs in dynamic analysis
EXTID (not a bulk data entry) The user defined SEID that will be assigned to the external
superelement – this will be used in the SEBULK and SECONCT
entries
SPOINT For modal reductions using component modes synthesis (CMS),
the modal dof are stored in SPOINTs. These can be manually or
automatically generated by the program depending on user
options – generated with the MANQ option only.
EXTBULK
The EXTBULK keyword on the EXTSEOUT case control command generates bulk data entries related
to the external superelement and stores them on the standard punch file (.pch). This data is used in the
BEGIN SUPER portion of the bulk data of a subsequent assembly job. The data generated by EXTBULK
is necessary for DMIGPCH and MATOP4 media formats, but is not used by the other media formats.
However, the data generated in the punch file when EXTBULK is specified provides a self-documenting
file which defines the GRIDs, boundary dof (ASET), modal dof (QSET), PLOTELs, and coordinate
systems (CORD2x) for the reduced matrices.
Table 2-7 Entries Generated in the “.pch” File When EXTBULK is Requested
BEGIN SUPER = extid Define the bulk data delimeter for the external superelement and
define the SEID
GRID GRID points associated with the boundary points and PLOTEL
entries.
CORDix All coordinate frames necessary to define the GRID placement
(CP) and displacement (CD) coordinate frames
PLOTEL All PLOTEL entries defined in the reduction run. These are often
used to view the ‘outline’ modal or dynamic displacements in an
assembly run.


ASET, BSET, CSET, BNDFIX, BNDFREE, Entries associated with the boundary definitions for the external
ASET1, BSET1, CSET1, BNDFIX1, superelement.
BNDFREE1, QSET, QSET1
SPOINT For modal reductions using component modes synthesis (CMS),
the modal dof are stored in SPOINTs. These can be manually or
automatically generated by the program depending on user
options.

CHAPTER 2 111
DMIG matrices If DMIGSFIX is blank, the following matrices are output
(if DMIGPCH output is specified) • KAAX (boundary stiffness matrix)

• MAAX (boundary mass matrix)
NOTE: depending on the user request, not all
matrices will be generated. • BAAX (boundary viscous damping matrix)
• K4AAX (boundary structural damping matrix)
• PAX (boundary load matrix)
• AAX (boundary fluid structure coupling matrix)
If DMIGSFIX = integer (SEID of external superelement)
• Kseid (boundary stiffness matrix)

• Mseid (boundary mass matrix)
• Bseid (boundary viscous damping matrix)
• K4seid (boundary structural damping matrix)
• Pseid (boundary load matrix)
• Aseid (boundary fluid structure coupling matrix)
(where seid is the superelement id)
If DMIGSFIX = label (label of external superelement, limited to
6 characters)
• Kcccccc (boundary stiffness matrix)

• Mcccccc (boundary mass matrix)
• Bcccccc (boundary viscous damping matrix)
• K4cccccc (boundary structural damping matrix)
• Pcccccc (boundary load matrix)
• Acccccc (boundary fluid structure coupling matrix)
(where cccccc is the user specified label)
DMI matrices(1) DMI Matrices are output associated with the OTMs required for
data recovery of the external superelement in the assembly run.
• MUG1, MUG1O (Displacement OTMs)
• MQG1, MQG1O (SPCForce OTMs)
• MES1, MES1O (Element Stress OTMs)
• MEF1, MEF1O (Element Force OTMs)


DTI tables(1) DTI tables are output associated with the OTMs required for data
recovery of the external superelement in the assembly run.
• TUG1, TUG1O (Displacement OTMs)
• TQG1, TQG1O (SPCForce OTMs)
• TES1, TES1O (Element Stress OTMs)
• TEF1, TEF1O (Element Force OTMs)
Table Notes:
1. The MUG1, MQG1, MES1, MEF1, TUG1, TQG1, TES1, and TEF1 matrix and table are associated with
the “free boundary” displacement, spcforce, stress, and force OTMs. The MUG1O, MQG1O, MES1O,
MEF1O, TUG1O, TQG1O, TES1O, and TEF1O matrix and table are “fixed boundary” , spcforce, stress,
and force OTMs. For more information on “free boundary” vs “fixed boundary” solutions, refer to
Manual Solution of a Small Superelement Example (Ch. 1)

CHAPTER 2 113
Output Formats and Considerations

The EXTSEOUT case control command, and the PARAM,EXTOUT parameter provide many output
media format options. These are summarized in the following table:
Table 2-8 External Superelement Media Format Options

EXTSEOUT format
Or
PARAM,EXTOUT Behavior Notes
MATRIXDB or MATDB Stores boundary matrices 1. Machine Precision
and OTMS on the database 2. Run with SCR=NO
(.MASTER and .DBALL
files)
DMIGDB Stores boundary matrices 1. Machine Precision
and OTMS on the database 2. Run with SCR=NO
(.MASTER and .DBALL
files)
DMIGOP2 Writes boundary matrices 1. Machine Precision
and OTMS to an OUTPUT2 2. ASSIGN OUTPUT2
file.
a. EXTSEOUT specify DMIGOP2=unit
b. EXTOUT specify PARAM,EXTUNIT
3. Run with SCR=NO if data recovery in step 3
is desired.
DMIGPCH Writes boundary matrices to 1. Loss of precision in DMIG format
the punch file (.pch) in 2. Not available for data recovery with 3-step
DMIG format. method
OTMs are written to the
punch file in DMI and DTI
format.
MATOP4 or MATRIXOP4 Writes boundary matrices to 1. ASSIGN OUTPUT4
an OUTPUT4 file. a. FORMATTED (ASCII)
OTM Matrices are b. UNFORMATTED (Binary)
OUTPUT4, OTM Tables 2. Machine Precision if UNFORMATTED
are punched.
3. FORMATTED can specify precision with
PARAM,OP4DIGS (default=15)
4. Works with PARAM,EXTOUT,
MATRIXOP (but not MATOP4)
5. Run with SCR=NO if data recovery is
desired in 3-Step process.


Usin g EXTSEOUT (2-Step) External Superelements

The use of the 2-Step external superelement option is dependent upon the media format chosen. The
following subsections describe the generic setup for each media option. Specific example problems for
each media format are included in CHAPTER 12.

CHAPTER 2 115
MATRIXDB/MATDB and DMIGDB formats

The following table summarizes representative entries required for each step of the 2-step external
superelement using the MATRIXDB or DMIGDB options:


Table 2-9 External Superelement 2-Step Procedure with MATRIXDB or DMIGDB

Step Required Entries
STEP 1 – Matrix Command Line
Generations
• Save the database for subsequent use in step 2
Filename used for SCR=NO
example: step1.dat
Case Control
SEID=10 is used for
example • Define the EXTSEOUT parameters (representative entry shown):
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK EXTID=10 )
OR
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK EXTID=10 DMIGDB)
• Define output requests for data recovery in Step 2 (these entries are optional, or
may use a SET ID instead of ALL)
DISP=ALL
SPCF=ALL
STRESS=ALL
FORCE=ALL
Bulk Data
• Parameters for defining physical / dynamic boundary dof:

ASET/ASET1, BSET/BSET1, CSET/CSET1, BNDFIX/BNDFIX1,
BNDFREE/BNDFREE1, QSET/QSET1
• DOF to store CMS and RESVEC dof
SPOINT

CHAPTER 2 117
Table 2-9 External Superelement 2-Step Procedure with MATRIXDB or DMIGDB

STEP 2 – Assembly and File Management Section
Data Recovery Model
• Assign and locate the database(s) from Step 1
Filename used for ASSIGN SE10M=’step1.MASTER’
example: step2.dat
ASSIGN SE10D=’step1.DBALL’
DBLOCATE DB=(EXTDB)CONVERT(SEID=10),
LOGI CAL=SE10M
where:
step1.MASTER is the database from the Step 1. xxx is the superelement
identification number given to the partitioned Bulk Data Section for the external
superelement.
Case Control
• Define output requests for data recovery (these entries are optional, or may use a
SET ID instead of ALL). Only these requests will be honored for the external
superelement:
DISP=ALL
SPCF=ALL
STRESS=ALL
FORCE=ALL
Bulk Data Entries
• Include the assembly file generated in Step 1

INCLUDE ‘step1.asm’


DMIGOP2
superelement using the DMIGOP2 option:

CHAPTER 2 119
Table 2-10 External Superelement 2-Step Procedure with DMIGOP2

STEP 1 – Matrix File Management Section
Generations
• Define the output2 filename and unit number
Filename used for
ASSIGN OUTPUT2=’se 10.op2’ unit=32 delete(1)
example: step1.dat
Case Control
SEID=10 is used for
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK EXTID=10 DMIGOP2=32)
Output2 unit 32 is used
for example • Define output requests for data recovery in Step 2 (these entries are optional,
or may use a SET ID instead of ALL)
DISP=ALL
SPCF=ALL
STRESS=ALL
FORCE=ALL
Bulk Data

SPOINT


Table 2-10 External Superelement 2-Step Procedure with DMIGOP2

STEP 2 – Assembly File Management Section
and Data Recovery
Model • Assign the Output2 file from Step 1
ASSIGN INPUTT2=’se10.op2’ unit=32(2)

Filename used for
example: step2.dat Case Control
Inputt2 unit =32 is used • Define output requests for data recovery (these entries are optional, or may
for example use a SET ID instead of ALL). Only these requests will be honored for the
external superelement:
DISP=ALL
SPCF=ALL
STRESS=ALL
FORCE=ALL
Bulk Data Entries
• Include the assembly file generated in Step 1
INCLUDE ‘step1.asm’( 2)
NOTES
1. The op2 filename must be different than the base input filename (i.e. cannot be step1.op2) because
the post processing output2 unit is autoassigned.
2. The SEBULK entry UNITNO field that is generated in the .asm file will use the unit number
defined in the EXTSEOUT entry in Step1. If the user wants to change the inputt2 unit number in
Step 2, it must be changed on both the ASSIGN statement and the SEBULK entry in the .asm file.
DMIGPCH
superelement using the DMIGPCH option:

CHAPTER 2 121


Table 2-11 External Superelement 2-Step Procedure with DMIGPCH

STEP 1 – Matrix Case Control
Generations
• Define the EXTSEOUT parameters (representative entry shown):
Filename used for EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK EXTID=10 DMIGPCH DMIGSFIX=S10)
example: step1.dat
• Define output requests for data recovery in Step 2 (these entries are
SEID=10 is used optional, or may use a SET ID instead of ALL)
for example DISP=ALL
SPCF=ALL
STRESS=ALL
FORCE=ALL
Bulk Data

SPOINT

CHAPTER 2 123
Table 2-11 External Superelement 2-Step Procedure with DMIGPCH

STEP 2 – Case Control
Assembly and
Data Recovery • Bring in the matrices generated in Step1. In this example it is assumed
Model that all possible matrices were generated. Since DMIGSFIX=S10 in Step
1, the “S10” is used for each matrix:
Filename used for K2GG=KS10
example: step2.dat
M2GG=MS10
B2GG=BS10
K42GG=K4S10
A2GG=AS10
P2G=PS10
• Define output requests for data recovery (these entries are optional, or
may use a SET ID instead of ALL). Only these requests will be honored
for the external superelement:
DISP=ALL
SPCF=ALL
STRESS=ALL
FORCE=ALL
Bulk Data Entries
• Include the assembly file and dmig (punch) file

INCLUDE ‘step1.asm’
INCLUDE ‘step1.pch’ (2)

NOTES
1. The “.pch” file must be at the END of the main bulk data section since it has the BEGIN
SUPER entry. If it is placed at the beginning or in the middle of the main bulk data
section, either FATAL messages or unpredictable results will occur. If multiple “.pch”
files are included, then they must all be grouped at the end of the main bulk data section.


MATRIXOP4 / MATOP4
superelement using the MATRIXOP4 option:

CHAPTER 2 125
Table 2-12 External Superelement 2-Step Procedure with MATRIXOP4

STEP 1 – Matrix File Management Section
Generations
• Define the output2 filename and unit number
Filename used for ASSIGN OUTPUT4=’se 10.op4’ unit=33 delete
example: step1.dat
Case Control
SEID=10 is used for
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK EXTID=10 MATRIXOP4=33 )
Output4 unit 33 is used
• Define output requests for data recovery in Step 2 (these entries are optional, or
for example
may use a SET ID instead of ALL)
DISP=ALL
SPCF=ALL
STRESS=ALL
FORCE=ALL
Bulk Data

SPOINT


Table 2-12 External Superelement 2-Step Procedure with MATRIXOP4

STEP 2 – Assembly and File Management Section
Data Recovery Model
• Assign the output4 file from Step 1
Filename used for
ASSIGN INPUTT4=’se10.op4’ unit=33(1)
example: step2.dat
Case Control
• Define output requests for data recovery (these entries are optional, or may use a
SET ID instead of ALL). Only these requests will be honored for the external
superelement:
DISP=ALL
SPCF=ALL
STRESS=ALL
FORCE=ALL
Bulk Data Entries
INCLUDE ‘step1.asm’ ( 1)
INCLUDE ‘step1.pch’ (2)

NOTES
1. The SEBULK entry UNITNO field that is generated in the .asm file will use the unit number defined
in the EXTSEOUT entry in Step1. If the user wants to change the inputt2 unit number in Step 2, it
must be changed on both the ASSIGN statement and the SEBULK entry in the .asm file.
2. The “.pch” file must be at the END of the main bulk data section since it has the BEGIN SUPER entry.
If it is placed at the beginning or in the middle of the main bulk data section, either FATAL messages
or unpredictable results will occur. If multiple “.pch” files are included, then they must all be grouped
at the end of the main bulk data section.
Usin g PARAM,EXTOUT (3-Step) External Sup erelements

The 3-Step external superelement method requires more user input since the .asm file is not automatically
generated for step 1. The Step 2 solution is capable of OTM data recovery, but there is also the option to
save the boundary solution so that a more complete data recovery can be done using the database stored
during Step 1. Also note that the external superelement boundary solution is only available for storage
on the MSC.Nastran database (.MASTER, .DBALL) using the MATRIXDB (MATDB), or DMIGDB
formats. In addition to the database, the user could specify that the boundary solution be stored on and
Output2 file with the DMIGOP2 format. The following sections outline the steps and entries necessary
to accomplish the 3-Step method.

CHAPTER 2 127
Step 1 – Creating External Superelement


Step 1 Output Format Required Entries

MATRIXDB (or MATDB) and Command Line
DMIGDB
• Save the database for subsequent use in step 2 and 3
Filename used for example: SCR=NO
step1.dat
Bulk Data
SEID=10 is used for example
• Parameters for creating external SE:
PARAM,EXTOUT,MATRIXDB
Or
PARAM, EXTOUT,DMIGDB
SPOINT
DMIGOP2 Option Command Line
Filename used for example: • Save the database for subsequent use in step 3
step1.dat SCR=NO
SEID=10 is used for example File Management Section
Output unit 32 is used for example • Define the output2 filename and unit number

Command Line
• Save the database for subsequent use in step 2 and 3

SCR=NO
Bulk Data

PARAM,EXTOUT,DMIGOP2
SPOINT

CHAPTER 2 129
Step 1 Output Format Required Entries

DMIGPCH Option Command Line
Filename used for example: File Management Section

step1.dat
Bulk Data
SEID=10 is used for example
PARAM,EXTOUT,DMIGPCH
SPOINT
MATRIXOP4 Option Command Line
Filename used for example: Save the database for subsequent use in step 3
step1.dat SCR=NO
SEID=10 is used for example File Management Section
Output unit 32 is used for example Define the output2 filename and unit number
Bulk Data

PARAM,EXTOUT,MATRIXOP
SPOINT


Step 2 – Attachin g External Superelement: Residu al Solutio n

CHAPTER 2 131
Step 2 – Attachment Required Entries

If STEP 1 was MATRIXDB, File Management Section
MATDB, or DMIGDB
• Assign the step1 database and locate the data
Filename used for example: ASSIGN SE10M=’step1.MASTER’
step2.dat
DBLOCATE DB=(EXTDB)CONVERT(SEID=10),
LOGI CAL=SE10M
where:
step1.MASTER is the database from the Step 1. xxx is the
superelement identification number given to the partitioned
Bulk Data Section for the external superelement.
Bulk Data Entries
• Define output media for SEID boundary deflections.
PARAM,EXTDROUT,MATRIXDB (1)
Or
PARAM,EXTDROUT,DMIGDB(1)
Or
PARAM,EXTDROUT,DMIGOP2(2)
• Define data relevant to external superelement
GRID
CORDij
PLOTEL
SPOINT
SEBULK
SECONCT



If STEP 1 was DMIGOP2 File Management Section
Filename used for example: Assign the step1 database and locate the data
step2.dat ASSIGN INPUTT2=’se10.op2’ unit=32
Store boundary displacements ASSIGN OUTPUT2=’se10bndry.op2’ unit=33
on output2 unit 33 Bulk Data Entries
PARAM,EXTDROUT,MATRIXDB(1)
Or
PARAM,EXTDROUT,DMIGDB(1)
Or
PARAM,EXTDROUT,DMIGOP2(2)
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,33
GRID
CORDij
PLOTEL
SPOINT
SEBULK
SECONCT

CHAPTER 2 133

If STEP1 was DMIGPCH File Management Section
Filename used for example: Case Control
step2.dat
Attach the matrices generated in Step1. In this example it is
Store boundary displacements assumed that all possible matrices were generated.
on output2 unit 33 K2GG=KAAX
M2GG=MAAX
B2GG=BAAX
K42GG=K4AAX
A2GG=AAX
P2G=PAX
Bulk Data Entries
• Define data relevant to external superelement connection
GRID
CORDij
PLOTEL
SPOINT
SEBULK
SECONCT
BEGIN SUPER=10
GRID
CORDij
PLOTEL
SPOINT
INCLUDE ‘step1.pch’



If STEP 1 was MATRIXOP4 File Management Section
Filename used for example: • Assign the step1 database and locate the data
step2.dat ASSIGN INPUTT4=’se10.op4’ unit=32
• Define data relevant to external superelement connection
GRID
CORDij
PLOTEL
SPOINT
SEBULK (specify TYPE=EXTOP4 and UNITNO)
SECONCT
BEGIN SUPER=10
GRID
CORDij
PLOTEL
SPOINT
INCLUDE ‘step1.pch’

CHAPTER 2 135
Step 2 – Storing Boun dary Solution for Step 3
Step 2 – Save Bou ndary

Solution for Step 3 Required Entries
Store Boundary Solution as: Command Line
MATRIXDB, MATDB, or
DMIGDB • Save the database for subsequent use in step 3
SCR=NO
Filename used for example:
step2.dat Bulk Data Entries

PARAM,EXTDROUT,MATRIXDB
Or
PARAM,EXTDROUT,DMIGDB
Store Boundary solution as: File Management Section
DMIGOP2
• Assign the step1 database and locate the data
Filename used for example: ASSIGN OUTPUT2=’se10bndry.op2’ unit=33
step2.dat
Bulk Data Entries
Store boundary displacements
on output2 unit 33 • Define output media for SEID boundary deflections.
PARAM,EXTDROUT,DMIGOP2
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,33
Step 3 – Data Recovery fo r External Sup erelement


Step 3 Data Recovery f rom

Step 2 Boundary Solution Required Entries
If Boundary Solution stored with File Management Section
MATRIXDB, MATDB, or
DMIGDB • Obtain the data from the original reduction run and the boundary
displacements from the assembly run.
Filename used for example: ASSIGN SE10M=’step1.MASTER’
step3.dat
RESTART LOGICAL=SE10M(1)
ASSIGN ASSYM=’step2.MASTER’
ASSIGN ASSYD=’step2.DBALL’
DBLOCATE DB=(EXTDB) WHERE(SEID=10),
LOGICAL=ASSYM
where:
step1.MASTER is the database from the Step 1.
10 is the superelement identification number given to the partitioned
Bulk Data Section for the external superelement in Step 2.
Case Control Section
• Any data recovery request applicable to the analysis will be honored.

• Identify that the 3-step data recovery is being performed
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
• Request Output2 or XDB file
PARAM,POST,0
Bulk data section

CHAPTER 2 137
Step 3 Data Recovery fr om

Step 2 Boundary Solution Required Entries
If Boundary Solution stored with File Management Section
DMIGOP2
• Obtain the data from the original reduction run and the boundary
Filename used for example: displacements from the assembly run.
step3.dat ASSIGN SE10M=’step1.MASTER’
Boundary displacements on
output2 unit 33 RESTART LOGICAL=SE10M(1)
ASSIGN INPUTT2=’se10bndry.op2’ unit=33
where:
10 is the superelement identification number given to the partitioned
Bulk Data Section for the external superelement in Step 2.
Case Control Section
• Any data recovery request applicable to the analysis will be honored.
• Identify that the 3-step data recovery is being performed
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,33
• Request Output2 or XDB file
PARAM,POST,0
Bulk data section
NOTES
1. The File Management Section for the Data Recovery Restart is based on a “read only restart” – This
means that the data on the original database is accessed, but the data is not modified or added to in any
way.


The Superelement Map – SEMAP

The SEMAP contains the tables that will instruct MSC.Nastran how to process a superelement job. It
contains lists processing order, superelement associations, interior grids, exterior grids, elements, etc. By
default, the superelement map is output to the .f06 file for each superelement run. The amount of output
can be controlled by PARAM,SEMAP and its associated parameters SEMAPOPT and SEMAPPRT.
Throughout this chapter, we have introduced snippets of the SEMAP that were relevant to the topic at
hand. This section will describe the SEMAP in more detail using the output from the freedom examples:
/doc/seug/chapter2/freedom/partse-continuous.bdf and /doc/seug/chapter2/freedom/partse-
discontinuous.bdf . Please refer to Figure 2-17 for details on how the model is broken up into
superelements.
Contents of the Superelement MAP – Lis t Superelement

This section defines the SEMAP for list superelements that are defined in the main bulk data section
(BEGIN BULK). The first part of the SEMAP is the Superelement Definition Table. This is presented
in two sorts (sorted by SEID and sorted by Process order). The type of superelement is also specified.
The types include: Residual Structure, Primary (main bulk data or begin super), Repeat, Mirror,
Collector, or External. The Superelement Tree defines how the superelements will be processes and
connected to on-another. It is more important to understand the process order that MSC.Nastran will use
when multi-level superelements are used – this subject will be covered in detail in Chapter 7: Multi-Level
SUPERELEMENT DEFINITION TABLE
(SORTED BY SEID)
I NDEX SUPEREL EMENT PROCESS ORDER DOWNSTREAM SE SUPERELEMENT TYPE

(SORTED BY PROCESS ORDER)


CHAPTER 2 139
TABLE OF DOWNSTREAM CONNECTIONS FOR EACH SUPERELEMENT
I NDEX SE I D I D- S OF DOWNSTREAM CONNECTI ONS I N DOWNSTREAM ORDER
1 10 0
2 20 0
3 30 0
4 40 0
5 50 0
6 60 0
S U P E R E L E M E N T T R E E
( NO. LEVELS = 1 NO. TI PS = 6 * = PROCESS ORDER )

TI P L E V E L N U MB E R
I NDEX
- 1-
1 10
1*
2 20
2*
3 30
3*
4 40
4*
5 50
5*
6 60
6*
Listing 2-17 Listing of Superelement Definition Table, Connectivity, and SETREE for List
superelements
Next the Unique Superelement Connectivity List provides details on the number of points that share a
connection between superelements as well as the 1st ID associated with each connection.
UNIQUE SUPERELEMENT CONNECTIVITY LIST - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO - -

( SORTED BY SE- I D)
COUNT 1ST GRD TYPE I NT. - TO- SE SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D


16 1 0 40
34 30021 0 20 30
37 17 0 50
170 54 0
24 50782 0 50 60
24 50001 0 30 50
20 30001 0 10 30
17 10039 10 0
397 10001 10
304 20001 20
144 20006 20 0
637 30055 30
96 30233 30 0
40 40009 40 0
1048 40011 40
136 50025 50 0
621 50038 50
193 60025 60
24 60032 60 0
Listing 2-18 Listing of Unique Superleement Connectivity List for List Superleements
Next, the list of interior points, exterior points, and elements is provided for each superelement. Note
that the residual structure will not have any exterior points and is always listed last.
SUPERELEMENT 10
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 10001 10002 10003 10004 10005 10006 10007 10008 10009 10010
11 10011 10012 10013 10014 10015 10016 10017 10018 10019 10020
21 10021 10022 10023 10024 10025 10026 10027 10028 10029 10030
…
…

SUPEREL EMENT 10
LIST OF EXTERIOR POINTS ( TOTAL NO. OF EXTERI OR POI NTS = 20 )
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 30001 30002 30003 30004 30005 30006 30007 30008 30009 30010
11 30011 30012 30013 30014 30015 30016 30017 30018 30019 30020
SUPEREL EMENT 10
LIST OF ELEMENT ID-S ( TOTAL NO. OF ELEMENTS = 859 )
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-

CHAPTER 2 141
1 10001 10002 10003 10004 10005 10006 10007 10008 10009 10010
11 10011 10012 10013 10014 10015 10016 10017 10018 10019 10020
21 10021 10022 10023 10024 10025 10026 10027 10028 10029 10030
31 10031 10032 10033 10034 10035 10036 10037 10038 10039 10040
…
…
SUPERELEMENT 0
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
…
…
201 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210
211 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220
221 221 222 501 30001 30002 30003 30004 30005 30006 30007
231 30008 30009 30010 30011 30012 30013 30014 30015 30016 30017
…
SUPEREL EMENT 0
LIST OF ELEMENT ID-S ( TOTAL NO. OF ELEMENTS = 397 )
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
…
Listing 2-19 Listing of Interior Points, Exterior Points, and Elements for List Superelements
Contents of the Superelement MAP – PART Superelement

The output for the PART superelements (or any model with superelements and a BEGIN SUPER entry),
is very similar to the List Superelement output for Main Bulk Data superelements. There are some
advantages in that more information is output with respect to the Boundary Grids and their connectivity.
SUPERELEMENT DEFINITION TABLE (SORTED BY SEID)
PRI MARY PROCESS DOWNSTREAM

SUPERELEMENT SUPERELEMENT ORDER SUPEREL EMENT TYPE LABEL
------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- --------------------------------
10 0 1 0 PRI MARY ( BEGI N SUPER)



SUPERELEMENT DEFINITION TABLE (SORTED BY PROCESS ORDER)

SUPEREL EMENT SUPEREL EMENT ORDER SUPERELEMENT TYPE LABEL
------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- --------------------------------
TABLE OF DOWNSTREAM SUPERELEMENTS FOR EACH SUPERELEMENT
SUPEREL EMENT DOWNSTREAM SUPEREL EMENTS I N DOWNSTREAM ORDER

------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 0
20 0
30 0
40 0
50 0
60 0

( CONFI GURATI ON = SI NGLE LEVEL NO. LEVELS = 1 NO. TI PS = 6 )

TI P LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 10
2 20
3 30
4 40

CHAPTER 2 143
5 50
6 60
Table 2-14 Listing of Superelement Definition Table, Connectivity, andSETREE for PART
Superelements
Next, the Boundary Sequence Assignment Table shows how the superelement grids are connected. In
this example, GRID 30001 is on the boundary of SEID 10 and 30. Since this is a single-level tree, GRID
30001 is assigned to the residual structure. Refer to Figure 2-8 for an example.
BOUNDARY SEQUENCE ASSIGNMENT TABLE
BOUNDARY
SEQUENCE ID - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSI GNED TO POI NT I D (SUPERELEMENT) - - - - - - -
1B 30001 ( 0) 30001 ( 10) 30001 ( 30)

2B 30002 ( 0) 30002 ( 10) 30002 ( 30)
3B 30003 ( 0) 30003 ( 10) 30003 ( 30)
4B 30004 ( 0) 30004 ( 10) 30004 ( 30)
5B 30005 ( 0) 30005 ( 10) 30005 ( 30)
6B 30006 ( 0) 30006 ( 10) 30006 ( 30)
7B 30007 ( 0) 30007 ( 10) 30007 ( 30)
8B 30008 ( 0) 30008 ( 10) 30008 ( 30)
9B 30009 ( 0) 30009 ( 10) 30009 ( 30)
10B 30010 ( 0) 30010 ( 10) 30010 ( 30)
11B 30011 ( 0) 30011 ( 10) 30011 ( 30)
12B 30012 ( 0) 30012 ( 10) 30012 ( 30)
13B 30013 ( 0) 30013 ( 10) 30013 ( 30)
14B 30014 ( 0) 30014 ( 10) 30014 ( 30)
15B 30015 ( 0) 30015 ( 10) 30015 ( 30)
16B 30016 ( 0) 30016 ( 10) 30016 ( 30)
17B 30017 ( 0) 30017 ( 10) 30017 ( 30)
18B 30018 ( 0) 30018 ( 10) 30018 ( 30)
…
…
Listing 2-20 Listing of Boundary Sequence Table for Part Superelements


The boundary sequence data is also reported with the interior SEID. This is useful for models with
complicated connections or multi-level trees.
POINT/SUPERELEMENT CONNECTIVITY LIST (SORTED BY POINT ID - "B" INDICATES BOUNDARY SEQUENCE ID)
I NTERI OR TO
POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1B G 0 10 30
2B G 0 10 30
3B G 0 10 30
4B G 0 10 30
5B G 0 10 30
6B G 0 10 30
7B G 0 10 30
8B G 0 10 30
9B G 0 10 30
10B G 0 10 30
11B G 0 10 30
12B G 0 10 30
13B G 0 10 30
14B G 0 10 30
15B G 0 10 30
16B G 0 10 30
17B G 0 10 30
18B G 0 10 30
19B G 0 10 30
20B G 0 10 30
21B G 0 20 30
…
…
Listing 2-21 Listing of Point to Superelement Connectivity for PART Superelements – Sorted
by Point
Another convenient output is the connectivity list showing the first boundary point and how many
boundary points are associated with the connectivity of each superelement. This can be useful when the
user knows there should be a certain number of connections between 2 superelements. A quick review
of the table can indicate problems that need to have further investigation.
POINT/SUPERELEMENT CONNECTIVITY LIST (SORTED BY FIRST POINT ID - "B" INDICATES BOUNDARY SEQUENCE ID)
FI RST I NTERI OR TO
COUNT POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
20 1B 0 10 30

CHAPTER 2 145
34 21B 0 20 30
24 55B 0 30 50
16 79B 0 40
37 95B 0 50
24 132B 0 50 60
MD NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 29- MAR- 11 AT 17: 13: 27 MARCH 29, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10 PAGE 9

POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST ( SORTED BY COUNT - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY SEQUENCE I D)
16 79B 0 40
20 1B 0 10 30
24 55B 0 30 50
24 132B 0 50 60
34 21B 0 20 30
37 95B 0 50
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST ( SORTED BY INTERIOR SUPERELEMENT - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY SEQUENCE I D)
16 79B 0 40
34 21B 0 20 30
24 132B 0 50 60
24 55B 0 30 50
20 1B 0 10 30
37 95B 0 50
Listing 2-22 Listing of Point to Superelement Connectivity for PART Superelements –

Additional Sorts
Next, the list of interior points, exterior points, and elements is provided for each superelement. Note
that the residual structure will not have any exterior points. Also note that boundary dof are designated
with a “B”.
SUPERELEMENT 0
TYPE = RESIDUAL STRUCTURE

LIST OF INTERIOR POINTS ( TOTAL NO. OF I NTERI OR POI NT = 325 )
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63
11 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 …
…
151 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213


161 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 501
171 1B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B 9B 10B
181 11B 12B 13B 14B 15B 16B 17B 18B 19B 20B
191 21B 22B 23B 24B 25B 26B 27B 28B 29B
…
…
SUPERELEMENT 0
TYPE = RESIDUAL STRUCTURE
LIST OF ELEMENTS ( TOTAL NO. OF ELEMENTS = 397 )

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
…
…
SUPERELEMENT 10
TYPE = PRIMARY (MAIN BULK DATA)

LIST OF EXTERIOR POINTS ( TOTAL NO. OF EXTERI OR POI NT = 20 )
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 1B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B 9B 10B
11 11B 12B 13B 14B 15B 16B 17B 18B 19B 20B
SUPERELEMENT 10

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 10001 10002 10003 10004 10005 10006 10007 10008 10009 10010
11 10011 10012 10013 10014 10015 10016 10017 10018 10019 10020
21 10021 10022 10023 10024 10025 10026 10027 10028 10029 10030
…
…
SUPERELEMENT 10

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 10001 10002 10003 10004 10005 10006 10007 10008 10009 10010
11 10011 10012 10013 10014 10015 10016 10017 10018 10019 10020
…
…

CHAPTER 2 147
Listing 2-23 Listing of Interior Points, Exterior Points, and Elements for PART
Superelements



Chapter 3: Single Level Superelement Analysis

3 Single Level Superelement

Analysis
 Introduction
 Baseline Static Example using Patran
 Single-Level Analysis Using List Superelements
 Single-Level Analysis Using PART Superelements
 Single-Level Analysis Using External Superelements
 Comparison of Methods


Introduction
Introduction
A single-level superelement analysis is defined as one in which all superelements connect to the residual
structure only. Single-level superelement analysis occurs when the exterior points of all superelements
in the model are interior to the residual structure. In this case each superelement can be processed
independently from all other superelements. This concept was introduced in Example of Bulk Data
Partitioning (Ch. 2). The figures are repeated here as a refresher:
Figure 3-1 Flyswatter Example Showing Grids Assigned to Residual in Single Level
A single level superelement means that any boundary points where two or more superelements meet are
external to the upstream superelement (SEID>0) and internal to the residual structure. Single-level
analysis is the simplest form of superelement analysis and is recommended for the beginning
superelement user. Partitioning the model into superelements for a single-level analysis requires the least
effort from the user, and processing control (if desired) is simple. Conceptually, the single level
superelement processing is shown in the following figure:

CHAPTER 3 151
Single Level Superelement Analysis
Figure 3-2 Single Level Superelement Analysis of Flyswatter
It should be noted that if PARTs are used, the model is automatically a single-level model unless either
DTI,SETREE or SETREE entries exists in the Main Bulk Data Section. If the model is defined as a
Main Bulk Data Section only model, care must be taken to verify that all exterior points belong to the
residual structure; otherwise, a multilevel processing tree (Chapter 7: Multi-Level Superelement
Analysis) is created automatically.
In addition to single level being recommended for the beginning superelement user, single-level analysis
is recommended for use in the analysis of structures that are expected to change often and in many areas.
For this case, where there is no knowledge of areas that will not be changing, a single-level model is
almost always the most efficient. Thus, when a change occurs, only the affected superelement and the
residual structure need to be processed again. Therefore, restarts for model change can be very efficient.
In fact, this is one of the biggest advantages of using superelements. With the advent of external
superelements, the processing becomes even easier.
MSC.Nastran offers the user a variety of results output formats. Some of these formats are more suitable
for output post-processing of superelements in Patran than others. The formats, their descriptions, and


Introduction
a statement of superelement support are in the table below. Note that for this chapter, the op2 file
(PARAM,POST,-1) will be used.
Table 3-1 Nastran Output Format Compatibility with Superelement Processing

Results Output Format
Extension Description Superelement Support
.f06 The basic output file is the .f06 file. Full support of all
It is an ASCII file that can be superelement output
DISP(PRINT)=ALL opened in any text editor easily read
and interpreted by the user.
.pch This file is an ASCII output. It is Full support of all
not convenient as the .f06 to the superelement results.
DISP(PUNCH)=ALL human viewer, but lends itself to
user written scripts and importing
into custom post-processors.
.xdb The xdb file is a binary format PART superelements are not
which is indexed for rapid results supported
DISP(PLOT)=ALL access. Patran can ‘attach’ the xdb
List Superelements are not
PARAM,POST,0 file instead of reading it, thus
fully supported
keeping the Patran database smaller
because the results are on the
external xdb file.
.op2 The op2 file is a binary format Full support of all
which is a flat file. Patran must superelement results
DISP(PLOT)=ALL read the op2 file into its database,
thus increasing the overall size. Note: Patran does not
PARAM,POST,-1 support duplicate IDs, so
PART superelements may
need to be processed in their
own database.
.MASTER/.DBALL The MASTER/DBALL is a binary PART superelements are
format of the Nastran database fully supported
DISP(PLOT)=ALL which is indexed for rapid results
access. Like the xdb, the List Superelements are fully
NASTRAN SYSTEM(316)=19 supported.
MASTER/DBALL can be attached
to Patran, keeping the database
small.

CHAPTER 3 153
Baseline Static Example using Patran

This Chapter will go into more depth than the introductory chapters, so more detail will be presented in
reviewing the input, processing, and results. To form a baseline, the model will be baselined as a non-
superelement model, and then details will be provided to define the model using both list and PART
superelements. Finally, the superelement and non-superelement solutions will be compared.
It is assumed that the user has some working-level knowledge of Patran, so buttons and forms that are
considered base knowledge are not shown. It is presumed the user knows how to rotate the model, create
groups, define loads, and submit analysis decks to MSC.Nastran. The baseline file can be located at
/doc/seug/chapter3/baseline/baseline.bdf
The model consists of 104 grids and 67 elements as shown here:
Figure 3-3 Double Headed Flyswatter Baseline Model


All of the elements are unit thickness and the material is steel (in English units). The model is fixed at
the base (grids 1 & 2) in all 6 dof and there are three loadings as shown below:
Figure 3-4 Load 101, the pressure load applied to the two square portions of the model

CHAPTER 3 155
Figure 3-5 Load 201, In Phase point loads applied at the corners


Figure 3-6 Load 301, opposing point loads at the corners.
There are some key metrics from the MSC.Nastran solution of the baseline model that will be compared
to the superelement solutions.
O U T P U T F R O M G R I D P O I N T W E I G H T G E N E R A T O R
REFERENCE POI NT = 0
MO
* 3. 166560E- 02 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 2. 180939E- 01 *
* 0. 000000E+00 3. 166560E- 02 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 2. 168404E- 19 *
* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 3. 166560E- 02 2. 180939E- 01 - 2. 168404E- 19 0. 000000E+00 *
* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 2. 180939E- 01 1. 663935E+00 - 1. 387779E- 17 0. 000000E+00 *

CHAPTER 3 157
* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 2. 168404E- 19 - 1. 387779E- 17 3. 125090E- 01 0. 000000E+00 *

* - 2. 180939E- 01 2. 168404E- 19 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 1. 976444E+00 *
S
* 1. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 *
* 0. 000000E+00 1. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 *
* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 1. 000000E+00 *
DI RECTI ON
MASS AXI S SYSTEM ( S) MASS X- C. G. Y- C. G. Z- C. G.
X 3. 166560E- 02 0. 000000E+00 6. 887407E+00 0. 000000E+00
Y 3. 166560E- 02 6. 847823E- 18 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
Z 3. 166560E- 02 6. 847823E- 18 6. 887407E+00 0. 000000E+00
I ( S)
* 1. 618332E- 01 1. 238432E- 17 0. 000000E+00 *
* 1. 238432E- 17 3. 125090E- 01 0. 000000E+00 *
* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 4. 743421E- 01 *
I (Q)
* 1. 618332E- 01 *
* 3. 125090E- 01 *
* 4. 743421E- 01 *
Q
* 1. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 *
* 0. 000000E+00 1. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 *
* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 1. 000000E+00 *
Listing 3-1 Grid Point Generator Output for Baseline Mode
OLOAD RESULTANT
SUBCASE/ LOAD
101 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- - 3. 200000E+01 - 2. 560000E+02 - 4. 440892E-16 ----
MX - -- - ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- ----
MY - -- - ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ----
MZ - -- - ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 3. 200000E+01 - 2. 560000E+02 - 4. 440892E- 16 0. 000000E+00
201 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- 4. 000000E+00 4. 000000E+01 0. 000000E+00 ----
MX - -- - ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- ----


MY ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ----

MZ ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 4. 000000E+00 4. 000000E+01 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
301 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 2. 080000E+01 ----
MX ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- ----
MY ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ----
MZ ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 2. 080000E+01 0. 000000E+00
Listing 3-2 OLOAD Resultant for Baseline Mode
*** SYSTEM I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 4159 ( DFMSA)

THE DECOMPOSI TI ON OF KLL YI ELDS A MAXI MUM MATRIX-TO-FACTOR-DIAGONAL RATIO OF 1.133766E+03
*** USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 5293 ( SSG3A)

FOR DATA BLOCK KLL
LOAD SEQ. NO. EPSILON EXTERNAL WORK EPSI LONS LARGER THAN 0. 001 ARE FL AGGED WI TH ASTERI SKS
1 - 4. 6426305E- 12 4. 9504608E- 02
2 - 4. 5038209E- 12 1. 5267804E- 03
3 - 2. 1373923E- 12 1. 2906785E- 03
Listing 3-3 Residual Solution Diagnostics for Baseline Model
SPCFORCE RESULTANT
SUBCASE/ LOAD
101 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- 3. 200000E+01 0. 000000E+00 4. 849454E- 12 ----
MX ---- ---- ---- 2. 560000E+02 -- - - ----
MY -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 6. 487255E- 1 2 -- --
MZ ---- ---- ---- ---- -- - - 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 3. 200000E+01 2. 560000E+02 1. 133671E- 11 0. 000000E+00
201 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00

CHAPTER 3 159
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00

FZ ---- ---- - 4. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 1. 151745E- 12 ----
MX - - -- ---- ---- - 4. 000000E+01 ---- ----
MY -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - - - 1 . 540990E- 1 2 -- --
MZ - - -- ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 4. 000000E+00 - 4. 000000E+01 - 2. 692735E- 12 0. 000000E+00
301 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- 7. 709389E- 13 0. 000000E+00 - 8. 907434E+00 ----
MX -- -- -- -- -- -- - 2 . 398082E- 1 3 -- -- -- --
MY - - -- ---- ---- ---- - 1. 189257E+01 ----
MZ - - -- ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 7. 709389E- 13 - 2. 398082E- 13 - 2. 080000E+01 0. 000000E+00
Listing 3-4 SPCFORCE Resultants for Baseline Model
MAXIMUM SPCFORCES
SUBCASE/
DAREA I D T1 T2 T3 R1 R2 R3
101 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 1. 6000000E+01 1. 2800000E+02 2. 3944511E+01 0. 0000000E+00
201 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 2. 0000000E+00 2. 0000000E+01 3. 7587638E+00 0. 0000000E+00
301 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 1. 1134293E+01 2. 4154820E+00 5. 9462829E+00 0. 0000000E+00

MAXIMUM DISPLACEMENTS
SUBCASE/
101 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 4. 2660399E- 03 5. 5805832E- 04 3. 4896220E- 05 0. 0000000E+00
201 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 7. 6339021E- 04 9. 9121207E- 05 1. 6829077E- 05 0. 0000000E+00
301 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 6. 4533926E- 04 4. 1716805E- 05 8. 6961598E- 05 0. 0000000E+00

MAXIMUM APPLIED LOADS
SUBCASE/
101 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 6. 3999999E- 01 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00
201 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 2. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00
301 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 2. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00
Listing 3-5 Maximum SP CFORCES, DISPLACEMENTS and APPLIED LOADS for

Baseline Model


Figure 3-7 Deflections for Pressure Load – Baseline Model

CHAPTER 3 161
Figure 3-8 Deflections for In Phase Point Loads – Baseline Model


Figure 3-9 Deflections for Opposing Point Loads – Baseline Model

CHAPTER 3 163
Figure 3-10 Stress Tensor for Pressure Load (max=1.79E+3) – Baseline Model


Figure 3-11 Stress Tensor for In-Phase Loads (Max =2.87E+02) – Baseline Model

CHAPTER 3 165
Figure 3-12 Stress Tensor for Opposing Loads (Max =1.59E+02) – Baseline Model


Single-Level Analysis Using List Superelements

The list superelement equivalent will be generated in Patran. Of the list superelement methods, Patran
supports BEGIN BULK with SESET.
Static Example using Patran. (flyswatter)

The Patran definition of superelements is based on Groups. Therefore, the first step in defining
superelement is to define Groups. For the example problem /doc/seug/chapter3/baseline/baseline.bdf,
the model was defined with different property sets. Patran has a convenient method to create groups from
property sets as shown in the following figure. A session file for creating these groups is included in
/doc/seug/chapter3/create-group.ses
Figure 3-13 Generating Groups from Property Sets
The result of the above action will create a screen similar to the following:

CHAPTER 3 167
Figure 3-14 Result of Creating Groups from Properties
Note that the user can easily modify the group colors by changing them in the Display Options for Entity
Color/Label/Render Form. Of course, this step is completely optional for the user.


Figure 3-15 Example of Modifying Group Colors
After the groups are created, it is simple to define the superelements. On the Meshing Tab, the user
selects the Superelement Icon. The superelement form is straight forward. The user enters a name, or
label, for the superelement and then selects the desired group. Note, to specify a unique superelement ID
associated with each superelement, the user can “embed” a number. To do this, the label should include
“.##” at the end. The “.” is a delimeter telling Patran that the following number “##” is to be encoded as
the SEID when writing the SESET entry. For example, a label of “SE.10” will generate SESET entries
with SEID=10.

CHAPTER 3 169
Figure 3-16 Example of Generating Superelements with Embedded SEID
In this example, each group associated with a pshell id is made into a superelement, with the exception
of pshell.10, which is designated at the residual structure. So, pshell.1 = SE.10, pshell.2 = SE.20, etc.
For the user following along in Patran, a session file to create the superelements is located at
/ doc/seug/chapter3/create-se.ses (Note: this assumes the groups were created as described above – if not,
unexpected results will occur).
The “Select Boundary Nodes…” button allows the user to select the boundary nodes of a superelement.
Patran will automatically select boundary nodes based on the element connectivity. However, for special
cases the user may want to add additional boundary nodes or clarify the boundary notes. In this case the
Patran form is convenient for selecting the additional nodes. The “Get Default Boundary Nodes” will
automatically populate the “Selected Boundary Nodes” list box with the nodes that Patran found on the
boundary. The user can add or modify these nodes as necessary.


Figure 3-17 Form to Modify Boundary Node Definition
Now that the superelements are defined, a superelement analysis can be performed. Note that by default,
Patran DOES NOT write a superelement model. The superelements must be selected by pressing the
“Select Superelements” button and selecting all of the superelements. Also note, that by default, a PART
superelement will be written by Patran. In order to obtain a list superelement defined with BEGIN BULK
and SESET, the user must unselect the “Write Part Superelement” toggle.

CHAPTER 3 171
Figure 3-18 Example of Selecting SESET Superelements for an Analysis
Since this model will be compared to the baseline model, the user will want to specify the “Node i.d. for
Wt. Gener.” as 0. Also, as described earlier, the output format will be op2. These can be defined on the
Solution Parameters form.


Figure 3-19 Defining Node for Grid Point Weight Generator and OP2 File Format
Finally, the use must select the subcases associated with the baseline model. This is easily accomplished
with the “Subcase Select” button and its subordinate form.

CHAPTER 3 173
Figure 3-20 Select the Same Subcases as the Baseline Model
The exported file (doc/seug/chapter3/seset/seset.bdf) will have the SESET entries defined. Recall that
the SESET entries define the interior grids associated with a superelement. Reviewing the list below
(refer to Figure 3-3 and Figure 3-13) confirms that Patran has written the desired SESET entries.
A more detailed view of the interior and exterior grids for Superelement 10 bears this out. The SESET
entry includes all grids associated to superelement 10 except 35 and 36, which belong to superelement
10, but are exterior grids.


Figure 3-21 Exterior Grids to Superelement 10
$ SE. 10
SESET 10 33 34 37 38
SESET 10 45 THRU 50
SESET 10 57 THRU 62
SESET 10 69 THRU 74
SESET 10 81 THRU 86
SESET 10 93 THRU 98
$ SE. 20
SESET 20 39 40 43 44
SESET 20 51 THRU 56
SESET 20 63 THRU 68
SESET 20 75 THRU 80
SESET 20 87 THRU 92
$ SE. 30
SESET 30 29 30
$ SE. 40

CHAPTER 3 175
SESET 40 31 32
$ SE. 50
SESET 50 9 THRU 12
SESET 50 21 22
$ SE. 60
SESET 60 15 THRU 18
SESET 60 25 26
$ SE. 70
SESET 70 1 THRU 8
Listing 3-6 SESET Entries Associated with List Superelement
After running doc/seug/chapter3/seset/seset.bdf, the .f06 file and results can be interrogated. The first
thing is the SEMAP. This indicates the processing order and the superelement tree. Note that every
superelement has a “DOWNSTREAM SE” of 0 (or the residual) confirming that this is a single-level
superelement tree.

( SORTED BY SEI D)

I NDEX SUPERELEMENT PROCESS ORDER DOWNSTREAM SE SUPEREL EMENT TYPE

TABLE OF DOWNSTREAM CONNECTI ONS FOR EACH SUPERELEMENT

I NDEX SE ID ID-S OF DOWNSTREAM CONNECTIONS IN DOWNSTREAM ORDER


1 10 0
2 20 0
3 30 0
4 40 0
5 50 0
6 60 0
7 70 0

S UP E R E L E ME NT T R E E
I NDEX
- 1-
1 10
1*
2 20
2*
3 30
3*
4 40
4*
5 50
5*
6 60
6*
7 70
7*

UNI QUE SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
COUNT 1ST GRD TYPE I NT. - TO- SE SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D S
1 13 0 50 70
2 27 0 40 60
2 35 0 10 30
2 19 0 30 50
1 24 0 60

CHAPTER 3 177
1 23 0 50
1 14 0 60 70
2 41 0 20 40
28 33 10
6 34 10 0
6 40 20 0
28 39 20
2 29 30 0
2 31 40 0
6 9 50 0
6 15 60 0
6 1 70
2 7 70 0
Listing 3-7 SEMAP of Process Order for List Superelement Example
Next comes the listing of interior grids, exterior grids, and elements associated with each superelement:
SUPERELEMENT 10
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 33 34 37 38 45 46 47 48 49 50
11 57 58 59 60 61 62 69 70 71 72
21 73 74 81 82 83 84 85 86 93 94
31 95 96 97 98
SUPEREL EMENT 10
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 35 36
SUPEREL EMENT 10
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
11 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37
21 38 39 40 41 42
…
… cont i nues for each SEI D
Listing 3-8 SEMAP of Interior Grids, Exterior Grids, and Elements for Each Superelement
Next, the partitioned geometry and bulk data associated to each superelement is written to the output2
file. Refer to Figure 1-9 for a schematic representation of these steps. The following table lists the


datablocks that are output for each superelement. For a more detailed description of each datablock refer
to the DMAP Programmer’s Guide or the nddl listings in the MSC.Nastran delivery.
Table 3-2 Data Written to Output2 (PARAM,POST,-1) by PHASE 0 Processing

NDDL Datablock
Datablock Name Name Data Contents
GEOM1X GEOM168 Geometry data (v68 format): CORD2x, GRID, POINT
GEOM2X GEOM201 Table of Bulk Data entries related to element
connectivity for MSC.Nastran Version 2001. (CBAR,
CBEAM, CQUAD4, etc.)
GEOM3X GEOM301 Table of Bulk Data entry images related to static and
thermal loads for MSC.Nastran Version 2001.
GEOM4X GEOM4705 Table of Bulk Data entry images related to constraints
for MSC.Nastran Version 70.5
EPTX EPT01 Element property table for MSC.Nastran Version 2001
MPTS MPTS Table of Bulk Data entry images related to material
properties and nonlinear solution parameters (MAT1,
MAT2, NLPARM, etc.)
DITS DIT Direct Input Tables (TABLE1D, TABLE2D,
TABRND1, etc.)
DYNAMICS DYNAMIC Table of Bulk Data entry images related to dynamics
(DLOAD, DPHASE, EIGRL, FREQ1, etc.)
PCOMPT PCOMPT Supplemental data related to composites elements.
EDTS EDT Data related Aeroelastic entries (ACMODL,
AECOMP, SPLINEi, etc.)
BGPDTX BGPDT68 Basic grid point definition table (Pre-Version 69)
Contains a list of all grid points in internal sort, with
(for grid points) their x, y, z locations in the basic
coordinate system along with a displacement
coordinate system identification number. (output only
if PARAM POSTEXT='YES')
The following table lists the Phase 0 data written to the .op2 for this example. Note that datablocks that
are null are not output.
^^^ USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 9044 (PHASE0)
^^^ BULK DATA AND CASE CONTROL PARTITIONING, RESTART CHECKING, AND UNDEFORMED PLOTTING IS
^^^ INITIATED FOR SUPERELEMENT 10
*** USER WARNI NG MESSAGE 2053 ( GP4)

UNDEFI NED SI NGLE- POI NT CONSTRAI NT SET 1
*** SYSTEM WARNI NG MESSAGE 3002 ( MAKEOLD)

CHAPTER 3 179
EOF ENCOUNTERED WHI LE READI NG DATA BLOCK GEOM2S ( FI LE 101) I N SUBROUTI NE MAKoG2
*** USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 4114 ( OUTPX2)
DATA BLOCK GEOM1X WRITTEN ON FORTRAN UNIT 12 I N BI NARY ( LTL END) FORMAT USI NG NDDL DESCRI PTI ON FOR GEOM16, TRL =
101 0 0 8 0 0
NAME OF DATA BLOCK WRI TTEN ON FORTRAN UNI T I S GEOM1
( MAXI MUM POSSI BLE FORTRAN RECORD SI ZE = 16386 WORDS. )
( MAXI MUM SI ZE OF FORTRAN RECORDS WRI TTEN = 291 WORDS. )
( NUMBER OF FORTRAN RECORDS WRI TTEN = 15 RECORDS. )
( TOTAL DATA WRI TTEN FOR DATA BLOCK = 315 WORDS. )
102 0 0 0 8192 0
1 MSC NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 02- APR- 11 AT 08: 53: 17 APRI L 2, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 7/ 15/ 10 PAGE 16
0
0

103 0 0 64 8 256
104 0 0 0 32 16
DATA BLOCK EPTX WRITTEN ON FORTRAN UNIT 12 I N BI NARY ( LTL END) FORMAT USI NG NDDL DESCRI PTI ON FOR EPT0, TRL =
105 0 512 0 0 0
NAME OF DATA BLOCK WRI TTEN ON FORTRAN UNI T I S EPT



DATA BLOCK MPTS WRITTEN ON FORTRAN UNIT 12 I N BI NARY ( LTL END) FORMAT USI NG NDDL DESCRI PTI ON FOR MPT, TRL =
101 32768 0 0 0 0
NAME OF DATA BLOCK WRI TTEN ON FORTRAN UNI T I S MPTS
^^^ USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 9044 (PHASE0)
^^^ BULK DATA AND CASE CONTROL PARTITIONING, RESTART CHECKING, AND UNDEFORMED PLOTTING IS
^^^ INITIATED FOR SUPERELEMENT 20
…
[ Cont i nues f or each superel ement ]
…
Listing 3-9 PHASE 0 Output2 Datablocks.
After the Phase 0 processing is complete for each superelement, the Phase 1 processing begins. Again a
superelement loop is used and each superelement is processed in the order determined by the SEMAP.
The Phase 1 processing includes the following operations:

CHAPTER 3 181
Figure 3-22 Phase 1 Superelement Reduction Process Schematic
To relate this process to the operations performed by MSC.Nastran and the associated output in the .f06
file, this example performs the following operations:
• Formulation of global stiffness matrix,  K j j  , for the elements of superelement
• Element Matrix Generation (EMG)

• Element Matrix Assembly (EMA)
• Formulation of global mass matrix,  M j j  , for each superelement
• .f06 output of Grid Point Weight Generator (GPWG)


• Formulation of global loads matrix  K jj  , for each superelement
• .f06 output of OLOAD RESULTANT

• Static Condensation to boundary stiffness  K aa  , for each superelement
• .f06 output for statistics on DCMP of KOO – refer to Equation (1-6)
^^^ USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 9045 (PHASE1DR)
^^^ PHASE 1 - SUPERELEMENT GENERATION, ASSEMBLY AND REDUCTION.
MSC NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 02- APR- 11 AT 08: 53: 17 APRI L 2, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 7/ 15/ 10 CREATED
BY LANCE PROCTOR, EAGLESI M SUPERELEMENT 10
O U T P U T F R O M G R I D P O I N T W E I G H T G E N E R A T O R
REFERENCE POI NT = 0
MO
* 1. 172800E- 02 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 9. 382400E- 02 *
* 0. 000000E+00 1. 172800E- 02 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 3. 752960E- 02 *
* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 1. 172800E- 02 9. 382400E- 02 3. 752960E- 02 0. 000000E+00 *
* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 9. 382400E- 02 7. 674803E- 01 3. 002368E- 01 0. 000000E+00 *
* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 3. 752960E- 02 3. 002368E- 01 1. 369830E- 01 0. 000000E+00 *
* - 9. 382400E- 02 - 3. 752960E- 02 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 9. 044634E- 01 *
S
* 1. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 *
* 0. 000000E+00 1. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 *
* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 1. 000000E+00 *
DI RECTI ON
MASS AXI S SYSTEM ( S) MASS X- C. G. Y- C. G. Z- C. G.
X 1. 172800E- 02 0. 000000E+00 8. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
Y 1. 172800E- 02 - 3. 200000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
Z 1. 172800E- 02 - 3. 200000E+00 8. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
I ( S)
* 1. 688832E- 02 5. 551115E- 17 0. 000000E+00 *
* 5. 551115E- 17 1. 688832E- 02 0. 000000E+00 *
* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 3. 377664E- 02 *
I (Q)
* 1. 688832E- 02 *
* 1. 688832E- 02 *
* 3. 377664E- 02 *
Q
* 1. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 *
* 0. 000000E+00 1. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 *
* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 1. 000000E+00 *
MSC NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 02- APR- 11 AT 08: 53: 17 APRI L 2, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 7/ 15/ 10

CHAPTER 3 183
OLOAD RESULTANT
SUBCASE/ LOAD
1 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- 2. 000000E+00 2. 000000E+01 1. 040000E+01 ----
MX - -- - ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- ----
MY - -- - ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ----
MZ - -- - ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 2. 000000E+00 2. 000000E+01 1. 040000E+01 0. 000000E+00
2 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- 2. 000000E+00 2. 000000E+01 1. 040000E+01 ----
MX - -- - ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- ----
MY - -- - ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ----
MZ - -- - ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 2. 000000E+00 2. 000000E+01 1. 040000E+01 0. 000000E+00
3 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- - 1. 600000E+01 - 1. 280000E+02 - 5. 120000E+01 ----
MX - -- - ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- ----
MY - -- - ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ----
MZ - -- - ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 1. 600000E+01 - 1. 280000E+02 - 5. 120000E+01 0. 000000E+00

*** SYSTEM INFORMATION MESSAGE 4159 (DFMSA)
THE DECOMPOSITION OF KOO YIELDS A MAXIMUM MATRIX-TO-FACTOR-DIAGONAL RATIO OF 5.006693E+00
*** USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 5293 (SSG3A)
FOR DATA BLOCK KOO
LOAD SEQ. NO. EPSI LON EXTERNAL WORK EPSI LONS LARGER THAN 0. 001 ARE FL AGGED WI TH ASTERI
1 8. 5530295E- 15 1. 1700904E- 05
2 6. 9137383E- 15 1. 1700904E- 05
3 6. 9176406E- 15 9. 7933684E- 05
^^^ USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 9045 (PHASE1DR)
^^^ PHASE 1 - SUPERELEMENT GENERATION, ASSEMBLY AND REDUCTION.
…


[ Cont i nues f or each superel ement ]

…

Listing 3-10 Phase 1 Superelement Processing (typical)
Note that the results are on a superelement basis, so we cannot compare the Grid Point Weight Generator
or OLOAD RESULTANT to the baseline run. Also note that these tables do not contain the data from
upstream superelements, so the residual structure will only contain mass and loads associated with the
processing of its partition.
For some superelements, there will be no loading. A warning message 3204 is provided to the user. If
there are not supposed to be any loads associated with the superelement, then the message can be safely
ignored.

*** USER WARNING MESSAGE 3204 (SSG1)
UNABLE TO FIND SELECTED SET ( 303) IN TABLE (SLT ) IN SUBROUTINE (SSG1).
Listing 3-11 Example of Warning Message 3204 Issued when there are no Loads on a
Superelement
After all of the upstream superelements are processed, the data is brought into the residual structure and
solved. Data recovery is performed on the residual:

CHAPTER 3 185
Figure 3-23 Residual Structure Processing Schematic
Note that in static analysis, the  K aa  matix is further reduced to the  K ll  matrix in order to account
for any dof associated with the reference set (R-set), which is most commonly associated with inertia


relief. Thus, the decomposition statistics are associated with matrix  K ll  . After the solution of the
residual, normal back expansion to the G-Set matrices is performed and data recovery is calculated. The
results are also placed on the output2 file. In this case, since there are no SPC Forces in the residual
structure, the output is for displacement and stress.
Result Datablock Names for Output2

Data Block Name Output Quantity
OUG1 Displacements
OES1X1 Element Stresses
OQG1 SPC Forces
For a more comprehensive listing of output2 datablocks, refer to PARAM,POST in the Quick Reference
Guide.
SUBCASE 1
*** SYSTEM INFORMATION MESSAGE 4159 (DFMSA)
THE DECOMPOSITION OF KLL YIELDS A MAXIMUM MATRIX-TO-FACTOR-DIAGONAL RATIO OF 2.280555E+02
*** USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 5293 (SSG3A)
FOR DATA BLOCK KLL
LOAD SEQ. NO. EPSILON EXTERNAL WORK EPSI LONS LARGER THAN 0. 001 ARE FL AGGED WI TH ASTERI SKS
1 - 2. 3362402E- 13 1. 5033779E- 03
2 - 7. 3558232E- 14 1. 2672746E- 03
3 - 1. 0165675E- 13 4. 9308721E- 02

*** USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 7321 (SEDRDR)
DATA RECOVERY FOR SUPERELEMENT 0 IS NOW INITIATED.

SUBCASE/
1 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 3. 4402413E- 04 9. 5935357E- 05 1. 5204940E- 05 0. 0000000E+00
2 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 3. 4337837E- 04 3. 8530961E- 05 8. 5337437E- 05 0. 0000000E+00
3 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 1. 9924592E- 03 5. 5037666E- 04 2. 8907216E- 05 0. 0000000E+00

CHAPTER 3 187
SUBCASE/
1 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00
2 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00
3 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00
DATA BLOCK OUG1 WRITTEN ON FORTRAN UNIT 12 I N BI NARY ( LTL END) FORMAT USI NG NDDL DESCRI PTI ON FOR OUG, TRL =
101 0 288 0 0 0
NAME OF DATA BLOCK WRI TTEN ON FORTRAN UNI T I S OUG1
DOUBLE FL YSWATTER MODEL APRI L 2, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 7/ 15/ 10
I N PHASE LOADS SUPERELEMENT 0
SUBCASE 1
13 G 0. 0 0. 0 1. 142174E- 04 5. 814735E- 05 6. 925292E- 07 0. 0
14 G 0. 0 0. 0 1. 142174E- 04 5. 814735E- 05 - 6. 925292E- 07 0. 0
19 G 0. 0 0. 0 1. 939904E- 04 8. 944685E- 05 9. 119628E- 06 0. 0
20 G 0. 0 0. 0 1. 859524E- 04 8. 734564E- 05 8. 727956E- 06 0. 0
…
Et c.
I N PHASE LOADS SUPERELEMENT 0 , 1
SUBCASE 1
S T R E S S E S I N QU A D R I L A T E R A L E L E ME NT S ( Q U A D 4 ) OPTION = BILIN
I D GRI D- I D DI STANCE NORMAL- X NORMAL- Y SHEAR- XY ANGLE MAJ OR MI NOR VON MI SES
5 CEN/ 4 - 5. 000000E- 01 4. 440042E+01 5. 761679E+01 - 3. 128198E- 11 - 90. 0000 5. 761679E+01 4. 440042E+01 5. 227697E+01
5. 000000E- 01- 4. 440042E+01 - 5. 761679E+01 3. 128198E- 11 0. 0000 - 4. 440042E+01 - 5. 761679E+01 5. 227697E+01
13 - 5. 000000E- 01 4. 325489E+01 5. 761679E+01 - 3. 127998E- 11 - 90. 0000 5. 761679E+01 4. 325489E+01 5. 194682E+01

5. 000000E- 01- 4. 325489E+01 - 5. 761679E+01 3. 127998E- 11 0. 0000 - 4. 325489E+01 - 5. 761679E+01 5. 194682E+01
14 - 5. 000000E- 01 4. 325489E+01 5. 761679E+01 - 3. 128264E- 11 - 90. 0000 5. 761679E+01 4. 325489E+01 5. 194682E+01

5. 000000E- 01- 4. 325489E+01 - 5. 761679E+01 3. 128264E- 11 0. 0000 - 4. 325489E+01 - 5. 761679E+01 5. 194682E+01
etc.



DATA BLOCK OES1X1 WRITTEN ON FORTRAN UNIT 12 I N BI NARY ( LTL END) FORMAT USI NG NDDL DESCRI PTI ON FOR OES1X, TRL =
101 63 4 2 11 0 1
NAME OF DATA BLOCK WRI TTEN ON FORTRAN UNI T I S OES1X1
Listing 3-12 Solution and Data Recovery of the Residual Structure
Following the data recovery of the residual, the boundary solution for each superelement is partitioned,
and data recovery for the superelement is performed. Schematically, this is represented as:
Figure 3-24 Superelement Data Recovery Schematic

CHAPTER 3 189
In the MSC.Nastran .f06 file, the data recovery for each superelement is as follows:
*** USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 7321 (SEDRDR)

SUBCASE/
1 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 7. 6338986E- 04 9. 9121149E- 05 1. 6829072E- 05 0. 0000000E+00
2 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 6. 4533821E- 04 4. 1716754E- 05 8. 6961452E- 05 0. 0000000E+00
3 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 4. 2660381E- 03 5. 5805803E- 04 2. 8907216E- 05 0. 0000000E+00

SUBCASE/
1 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 2. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00
2 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 2. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00
3 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 6. 3999999E- 01 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00
DATA BLOCK OUG1 WRITTEN ON FORTRAN UNIT 12 I N BI NARY ( LTL END) FORMAT USI NG NDDL DESCRI PTI ON FOR OUG, TRL =
101 0 864 0 0 0
NAME OF DATA BLOCK WRI TTEN ON FORTRAN UNI T I S OUG1
I N PHASE LOADS SUPERELEMENT 10, 1
SUBCASE 1
33 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 683764E- 04 9. 794447E- 05 1. 543324E- 05 0. 0
34 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 560836E- 04 9. 801662E- 05 1. 548379E- 05 0. 0
35 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 440241E- 04 9. 593536E- 05 1. 486124E- 05 0. 0
36 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 321574E- 04 9. 586434E- 05 1. 520494E- 05 0. 0
37 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 192997E- 04 9. 717572E- 05 1. 586828E- 05 0. 0
etc.


DOUBLE FL YSWATTER MODEL APRI L 2, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 7/ 15/ 10 PAGE 73

I N PHASE LOADS SUPERELEMENT 10 , 1
SUBCASE 1
I D GRI D- I D DI STANCE NORMAL- X NORMAL- Y SHEAR- XY ANGLE MAJ OR MI NOR VON MI SES
18 CEN/ 4 - 5. 000000E- 01 1. 147215E+00 5. 651187E- 01 - 1. 174470E+00 - 38. 0409 2. 066162E+00 - 3. 538281E- 01 2. 263909E+00
5. 000000E- 01 - 1. 147215E+00 - 5. 651187E- 01 1. 174470E+00 51. 9591 3. 538281E- 01 - 2. 066162E+00 2. 263909E+00
33 - 5. 000000E- 01 - 7. 783450E- 01 4. 400495E+00 - 1. 174470E+00 - 77. 8013 4. 654397E+00 - 1. 032246E+00 5. 247230E+00

5. 000000E- 01 7. 783450E- 01 - 4. 400495E+00 1. 174470E+00 12. 1987 1. 032246E+00 - 4. 654397E+00 5. 247230E+00
34 - 5. 000000E- 01 - 7. 783450E- 01 - 3. 270258E+00 - 1. 174470E+00 - 21. 6541 - 3. 120555E- 01 - 3. 736547E+00 3. 590704E+00

5. 000000E- 01 7. 783450E- 01 3. 270258E+00 1. 174470E+00 68. 3459 3. 736547E+00 3. 120555E- 01 3. 590704E+00
etc.

DATA BLOCK OES1X1 WRITTEN ON FORTRAN UNIT 12 I N BI NARY ( LTL END) FORMAT USI NG NDDL DESCRI PTI ON FOR OES1X, TRL =
101 63 4 2 11 0 1
NAME OF DATA BLOCK WRI TTEN ON FORTRAN UNI T I S OES1X1
Listing 3-13 Data Recovery for Superelements (typical)
SPCFORCE RESULTANT
SUBCASE/ LOAD
1 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- - 4. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 9. 208634E- 12 ----
MX ---- ---- ---- - 4. 000000E+01 ---- ----
MY -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - 1. 234923E- 1 1 -- --
MZ ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 4. 000000E+00 - 4. 000000E+01 - 2. 155787E- 11 0. 000000E+00
2 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00

CHAPTER 3 191
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00

FZ ---- ---- - 3. 943512E- 12 0. 000000E+00 - 8. 907443E+00 ----
MX -- - - -- -- -- -- - 2 . 762679E- 1 1 -- -- -- --
MY - -- - ---- ---- ---- - 1. 189256E+01 ----
MZ - -- - ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 3. 943512E- 12 - 2. 762679E- 11 - 2. 080000E+01 0. 000000E+00
3 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- 3. 200000E+01 0. 000000E+00 5. 097167E- 11 ----
MX - -- - ---- ---- 2. 560000E+02 ---- ----
MY -- - - -- -- -- -- -- -- 6. 834711E- 1 1 -- --
MZ - -- - ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 3. 200000E+01 2. 560000E+02 1. 193188E- 10 0. 000000E+00
CREATED BY LANCE PROCTOR, EAGLESI M
SUBCASE/
1 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 7. 6338986E- 04 9. 9121149E- 05 1. 6829072E- 05 0. 0000000E+00
2 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 6. 4533821E- 04 4. 1716754E- 05 8. 6961452E- 05 0. 0000000E+00
3 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 4. 2660381E- 03 5. 5805803E- 04 3. 4896173E- 05 0. 0000000E+00
SUBCASE/
1 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 2. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00
2 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 2. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00
3 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 6. 3999999E- 01 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00 0. 0000000E+00
MSC NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 02- APR- 11 AT 08: 53: 17 APRI L 2, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 7/ 15/ 10 CREATED
BY LANCE PROCTOR, EAGLESI M
APP LOAD RESULTANT
SUBCASE/ LOAD
1 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- 4. 000000E+00 4. 000000E+01 0. 000000E+00 ----
MX - -- - ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- ----
MY - -- - ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ----
MZ - -- - ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00


TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 4. 000000E+00 4. 000000E+01 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00

2 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 2. 080000E+01 ----
MX ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- ----
MY ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ----
MZ ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 2. 080000E+01 0. 000000E+00
3 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- - 3. 200000E+01 - 2. 560000E+02 0. 000000E+00 ----
MX ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- ----
MY ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ----
MZ ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 3. 200000E+01 - 2. 560000E+02 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
I N PHASE LOADS
E Q U I L I B R I U M C H E C K
RESULTANT LOADS I N BASI C COORDI NATE SYSTEM
SUBCASE REFERENCE LOAD T1 T2 T3 R1 R2 R3

NO. POI NT TYPE
1 ORI GI N APP- LOAD 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 4. 000000E+00 4. 000000E+01 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00

F- OF- SPC 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 4. 000000E+00 - 4. 000000E+01 - 2. 155787E- 11 0. 000000E+00
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
*TOTALS* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 2. 155787E- 11 0. 000000E+00
2 ORI GI N APP- LOAD 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 2. 080000E+01 0. 000000E+00

F- OF- SPC 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 3. 943512E- 12 - 2. 762679E- 11 - 2. 080000E+01 0. 000000E+00
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
*TOTALS* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 3. 943512E- 12 - 2. 762679E- 11 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
3 ORI GI N APP- LOAD 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 3. 200000E+01 - 2. 560000E+02 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00

F- OF- SPC 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 3. 200000E+01 2. 560000E+02 1. 193188E- 10 0. 000000E+00
------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
*TOTALS* 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 1. 193188E- 10 0. 000000E+00
Listing 3-14 Listing

CHAPTER 3 193
Figure 3-25 Deflections for Pressure Loads – SESET Model
Figure 3-26 Deflections for In Phase Point Loads – SESET Model


Figure 3-27 Deflections for Opposing Point Loads – SESET Model
Figure 3-28 Stress Tensor for Pressure Load (max =1.79E+3) – SESET Model

CHAPTER 3 195
Figure 3-29 Stress Tensor for In-Phase Loads (Max =2.87E+02) – SESET Model
Figure 3-30 Stress Tensor for Opposing Loads (Max =1.59E+02) – SESET Model


Single-Level Analysis Using PART Superelements

The PART superelement equivalent will be generated in Patran.
Static Example using Patran (flyswatter)

The PART superelement process follows the list superelement process in Patran with the exception of
writing the input file. For the case of PART superelements, be sure that the “Write Part Superelement”
box is checked on the Select Superelements form:
Figure 3-31 Example of Selecting SESET Superelements for an Analysis

CHAPTER 3 197
The resulting bulk data includes the residual bulk data followed by the BEGIN SUPER = SEID for each
of the superelements:
BEGI N BULK
$ Di r ect Text I nput f or Bul k Data
PARAM POST -1
PARAM GRDPNT 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
$ El ement s and El ement Propert i es f or r egi on : pshel l . 10
PSHELL 10 10 1. 10 10
$ Pset: "pshel l . 10" wi l l be i mport ed as: "pshel l . 10"
CQUAD4 5 10 13 14 24 23 0. 0.
$ Ref erenced Mater i al Recor ds
$ Mater i al Recor d : mat1. 10
$ Descri pt i on of Materi al :
MAT1* 10 3. +7 1. 15385+7 .3
* 7. 33- 4
$ Nodes of Gr oup :
GRI D 13 -.4 3. 6 0.
GRI D 14 .4 3. 6 0.
GRI D 23 -.4 4. 4 0.
GRI D 24 .4 4. 4 0.
$ Loads f or Load Case : _I N_PHASE_LOADS. SC201
$ Loads f or Load Case : _OPPOSI NG_L OADS. SC301
$ Loads f or Load Case : _PRESSURE_L OAD. SC101
$ Pr essure Loads of Load Set : pl oad2. 101. 2D
$ Ref er enced Coordi nate Fr ames
$
$
$ Superelement Name: SE.10
BEGIN SUPER = 10

PARAM POST -1
PARAM GRDPNT 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
PSHELL 1 1 1. 1 1
CQUAD4 18 1 33 34 46 45 0. 0.
CQUAD4 19 1 34 35 47 46 0. 0.
CQUAD4 20 1 35 36 48 47 0. 0.
CQUAD4 21 1 36 37 49 48 0. 0.
…
Et c.
…


GRI D 97 - 2. 10. 0.
GRI D 98 - 1. 2 10. 0.
LOAD 303 1. 1. 201
LOAD 305 1. 1. 301
LOAD 307 1. 1. 101
$ Nodal For ces of Load Set : f orce. 201
FORCE 201 93 0 2. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 301 93 0 2. 0. 0. 1.
PLOAD4 101 18 - 1. THRU 42
$
$
$ Superelement Name: SE.20
BEGIN SUPER = 20

PARAM POST -1
PARAM GRDPNT 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
PSHELL 2 2 1. 2 2
CQUAD4 43 2 39 40 52 51 0. 0.
CQUAD4 44 2 40 41 53 52 0. 0.
CQUAD4 45 2 41 42 54 53 0. 0.
Listing 3-15 Partial Listing of PART Superelement Input File
The SEMAP is in a different format for the PART superelement than it is for the main bulk data section
list superelement. However, the partitions for these two models are exactly the same.

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- ------------------------

CHAPTER 3 199


------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- ------------------------

SUPERELEMENT DOWNSTREAM SUPEREL EMENTS I N DOWNSTREAM ORDER
------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 0
20 0
30 0
40 0
50 0
60 0
70 0
MSC NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 02- APR- 11 AT 13: 36: 21 APRI L 2, 2011 MSC NASTR

TI P LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL L
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- -
1 10
2 20
3 30
4 40
5 50
6 60


7 70
BOUNDARY
SEQUENCE I D - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSI GNED TO POI NT I D ( S UPEREL EMENT) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1B 35 ( 10) 35 ( 30)
2B 36 ( 10) 36 ( 30)
3B 41 ( 20) 41 ( 40)
4B 42 ( 20) 42 ( 40)
5B 19 ( 30) 19 ( 50)
6B 20 ( 30) 20 ( 50)
7B 27 ( 40) 27 ( 60)
8B 28 ( 40) 28 ( 60)
9B 13 ( 0) 13 ( 50) 13 ( 70)
10B 23 ( 0) 23 ( 50)
11B 14 ( 0) 14 ( 60) 14 ( 70)
12B 24 ( 0) 24 ( 60)
POINT/SUPERELEMENT CONNECTIVITY LIST ( SORTED BY POI NT I D - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDA
I NTERI OR TO
POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - -
1B G 0 10 30
2B G 0 10 30
3B G 0 20 40
4B G 0 20 40
5B G 0 30 50
6B G 0 30 50
7B G 0 40 60
8B G 0 40 60
9B G 0 50 70
10B G 0 50
11B G 0 60 70
12B G 0 60
POINT/SUPERELEMENT CONNECTIVITY LIST (SORTED BY FIRST POINT ID - "B" INDICATES B

CHAPTER 3 201
COUNT POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - -
2 1B 0 10 30
2 3B 0 20 40
2 5B 0 30 50
2 7B 0 40 60
1 9B 0 50 70
1 10B 0 50
1 11B 0 60 70
1 12B 0 60
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST ( SORTED BY COUNT - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY S
1 12B 0 60
1 10B 0 50
1 11B 0 60 70
1 9B 0 50 70
2 1B 0 10 30
2 5B 0 30 50
2 3B 0 20 40
2 7B 0 40 60
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST ( SORTED BY I NTERI OR SUPERELEMENT - " B" I NDI
1 12B 0 60
2 5B 0 30 50
2 3B 0 20 40
2 1B 0 10 30
1 9B 0 50 70
1 11B 0 60 70
1 10B 0 50
2 7B 0 40 60
Listing 3-16 SEMAP of Process Order for PART Superelement Example


SUPEREL EMENT 0
TYPE = RESI DUAL STRUCTURE
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 1B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B 9B 10B
11 11B 12B
SUPEREL EMENT 0
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 5
SUPEREL EMENT 10
TYPE = PRI MARY ( BEGI N SUPER)
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 1B 2B
SUPEREL EMENT 20
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 3B 4B
SUPEREL EMENT 30
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 1B 2B 5B 6B
SUPEREL EMENT 40
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 3B 4B 7B 8B
SUPEREL EMENT 50
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 5B 6B 9B 10B

CHAPTER 3 203
SUPERELEMENT 60
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 7B 8B 11B 12B
SUPERELEMENT 70
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 9B 11B
Listing 3-17 SEMAP of External Grids for PART Superelement Example
Note that the remainder of the processing (Phase 0, Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3) and .f06 file output
follows the List Superlement Example.
Also, the Patran post-processing plots are the same as for the List Superelement example


Single-Level Analysis Using External Superelements

External superelements provide another useful method of solving this model. The advantage of external
superelements to the practitioner is that different organizations can generate the external superelement
w/o divulging proprietary geometry or proprietary material properties.
Static Example Using Patran (flyswatter)

For this example the same model of the flyswatter is used. It should be noted that even though this is a
complete model, in general, the models of the individual parts will be generated completely separately.
In this example, the 2-Step Method using MATRIXDB method will be used. Patran provides a
convenient method of generating external superelements. For example, to create an external
superelement of superelement 10, the following procedure can be performed in Patran.
First, the user defines the boundary points by creating the ASET entries. This is accomplished in the
Meshing Tab by selecting the “DOF List” icon. Next, select the dof to use and the boundary nodes as
shown below.
Figure 3-32 Creating the Boundary D0OF with an ASET for Superelement 10

CHAPTER 3 205
When creating the analysis, the group associate with each external superelement is selected:
Figure 3-33 Select the Group Associated with Superelement 10
The form for setting up the external superelement creation is straight forward. In Translation Parameters,
the user selects “Ext. Superelement Spec…” and defines the parameters for the reduction. These
parameters closely mirror the EXTSEOUT case control command.


Figure 3-34 Defining an External Superelement in Patran (EXTSEOUT)
The user must also select the boundary dof (ASET) in the Solution Parameters form:

CHAPTER 3 207
Figure 3-35 Define the Appropriate ASET by selecting the Appropriate DOF List
Finally, the Output Transformation Matrices (OTMs) are based on the output requests. Note that only
displacement, spcforce, element stress, and element strain are supported. Also note that “bilin” is not
supported for element stresses, but “center” is supported (refer to OTM Limitations).


Figure 3-36 Set the Stress Output to “Center”
The resulting bdf file includes the EXTSEOUT case control and ASET bulk data entries necessary to
generate an external superelement for SE 10.
SOL 101
CEND
$ Di r ect Text I nput f or Gl obal Case Cont r ol Data
TI TLE = MSC NASTRAN j ob cr eat ed on 02- Apr - 11 at 19: 25: 07
ECHO = NONE
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK,EXTBULK,EXTID=10,MATRIXDB)
SUBCASE 1
TI TLE=DOUBLE FLYSWATTER MODEL
SUBTI TLE=I N PHASE LOADS
LOAD = 303
DI SPLACEMENT( SORT1, REAL) =ALL

CHAPTER 3 209
STRESS( SORT1, REAL, VONMI SES, CENTER

) =ALL
$ Di r ect Text I nput f or t hi s Subcase
SUBCASE 2
SUBTI TLE=OPPOSI NG LOADS
LOAD = 305
) =ALL
SUBCASE 3
SUBTI TLE=PRESSURE LOAD
LOAD = 307
) =ALL
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
PSHELL 1 1 1. 1 1
CQUAD4 18 1 33 34 46 45 0. 0.
[ Remai nder of model def i ni t i on]
GRI D 98 - 1. 2 10. 0.
LOAD 303 1. 1. 201
LOAD 305 1. 1. 301
LOAD 307 1. 1. 101
FORCE 201 93 0 2. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 301 93 0 2. 0. 0. 1.
PLOAD4 101 18 - 1. THRU 42
ASET1 123456 35 36

ENDDATA


Listing 3-18 .bdf File for External Superelement 10 Creation Run
Similar steps are followed for the remainder of the superelements, with the exception of the residual
structure. Note that since MATRIXDB is the method, the reduction runs must be made with SCR=NO
on the command line in order to save the database so that it can be used in the assembly step (step 2).
Note that each model should select all 3 subcases even if there is no load on the superelement for a
specific subcase. This is discussed more in Mechanical Loads in Static Analysis (Ch. 4).
Each reduction run will produce a .MASTER/.DBALL file which contains the reduced matrices and a
“.asm” file which contains the assembly instructions for MSC.Nastran. An example of the .asm file is:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$ ASSEMBLY PUNCH ( . ASM) FI LE FOR EXTERNAL SUPERELEMENT 10
$ -------------------------------------------------------------
$
$ THI S FI LE CONTAI NI NG BULK DATA ENTRI ES PERTAI NI NG TO
$ EXTERNAL SUPERELEMENT 10 I S MEANT FOR I NCLUSI ON
$ ANYWHERE I N THE MAI N BULK DATA PORTI ON OF THE ASSEMBLY RUN
$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COLUMN NUMBERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$00000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555556666666666777
$23456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
SEBULK 10EXTERNAL MANUAL
$
SECONCT 10 0
35 35 36 36
$
$ BOUNDARY GRI D DATA
$
GRI D 35 - 3. 6 6. 0.
GRI D 36 - 2. 8 6. 0.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Listing 3-19 .asm File Contents for Superelement 10
Note that in this case, the GRIDs in the external superelement creation run have the same IDs as the
GRIDs in the assembly run. If this were not the case, either the SEBULK AUTO option could be used,
or the user could update the SECONCT the grid pairs to match the situation.
After all of the parts have been reduced, the assembly run will attach the reduced models and perform the
solution and data recovery. The group selected for this run is “pshell.10” (the residual structure). In order

CHAPTER 3 211
to attach the external superelement databases, the File Management Section must have the appropriate
“ASSIGN” and “DBLOCATE” statements as shown below:
Figure 3-37 File Management Section Direct Text Input required for Assembly Run
In order for the results of all superelements to be placed on the op2 file, PARAM,POST,-1 must be
specified for each superelement. The most convenient way to accomplish this is to add it to the case
control:


Figure 3-38 Assembly Run needs PARAM,P OST,-1 in Case Control to Obtain Output for
Each Superelement
In addition, the bulk data section must include the “.asm” files for the attachment instructions:

CHAPTER 3 213
Figure 3-39 Bulk Data Section Direct Text Input required for Assembly Run
The resulting bdf file for the assembly run will look like this:
$ Di r ect Text I nput f or Fi l e Management Sect i on

assign se10m='create-ext10.MASTER'
DBLOCATE DATABLK=(EXTDB) CONVERT(SEID=10) LOGI=se10m
$ Di r ect Text I nput f or Execut i ve Cont r ol

$ Li near St ati c Anal ysi s, Database
SOL 101


CEND
par am, post , - 1
TI TLE = MSC NASTRAN j ob cr eat ed on 02- Apr - 11 at 19: 25: 07
ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
STRESS( SORT1, REAL, VONMI SES, CENTER) =ALL
SUBCASE 2
SUBCASE 3
BEGI N BULK
include 'create-ext10.asm'
PARAM POST 0
PARAM GRDPNT 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
PSHELL 10 10 1. 10 10
CQUAD4 5 10 13 14 24 23 0. 0.

CHAPTER 3 215
MAT1* 10 3. +7 1. 15385+7 .3
* 7. 33- 4
$ Nodes of Gr oup : pshel l . 10
GRI D 13 -.4 3. 6 0.
GRI D 14 .4 3. 6 0.
GRI D 23 -.4 4. 4 0.
GRI D 24 .4 4. 4 0.
ENDDATA
Listing 3-20 Input file for Assembly Run
The SEMAP indicates a single-level superelement tree. Also note that the “TYPE” indicates an external
superelement.
SUPERELEMENT DEFI NI TI ON TABLE ( SORTED BY SEI D)

SUPERELEMENT SUPERELEMENT ORDER SUPEREL EMENT TYPE LAB
------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- --------------------
10 10 1 0 EXTERNAL (SEBULK (A-SET))
20 20 2 0 EXTERNAL ( SEBULK ( A- SET) )

SUPERELEMENT DEFI NI TI ON TABLE ( SORTED BY PROCESS ORDE

SUPERELEMENT SUPERELEMENT ORDER SUPEREL EMENT TYPE LAB
------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- --------------------



------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 0
20 0
30 0
40 0
50 0
60 0
70 0
MSC NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 02- APR- 11 AT 19: 25: 07 APRI L 2, 2011 MSC N
( CONFI GURATI ON = SI NGLE LEVEL NO. LEVELS = 1 NO. TI PS = 7

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 10
2 20
3 30
4 40
5 50
6 60
7 70
These files can be found in doc/seug/chapter3/ext-2-step-dmigpch
Table 3-3 External Superelement Example files

File
create-set10.bdf
create-set20.bdf
create-set30.bdf
create-set40.bdf

CHAPTER 3 217
Table 3-3 External Superelement Example files

File
create-set50.bdf
create-set60.bdf
create-set70.bdf
assembly.bdf
Figure 3-40 Displacements for In Phase Loads (Max =7.63E-04) – EXTSEOUT Model


Figure 3-41 Displacements for Opposing Loads (Max =6.45E-04) – EXTSEOUT Model

CHAPTER 3 219
Figure 3-42 Displacements for Pressure Loads (Max =4.27E-03) – EXTSEOUT Model


Figure 3-43 Stress Tensor for In Phase Loads (Max =2.72E+02) – EXTSEOUT Model

CHAPTER 3 221
Figure 3-44 Stress Tensor for Opposing Loads (Max =1.51E+02) – EXTSEOUT Model


Figure 3-45 Stress Tensor for Pressure Loads (Max =1.72E+02) – EXTSEOUT Model

CHAPTER 3 223
Comparison of Methods
Even though the answers are effectively the same, a thorough review of the .f06 files indicates there are
some differences the user should be aware of.
• GRID POINT WEIGHT GENERATOR – The Grid Point Weight Generator (GPWG) is
presented on a per-superelement basis. There is no ‘roll-up’ of the GPWG. A complete
discussion of GPWG can be found in the Grid Point Weight Generator (Ch. 19) in the MSC
Nastran Linear Static Analysis User’s Guide.
• An alternative to PARAM,GRDPNT is the case control command WEIGHTCHECK. In static
analysis only the J-Set is available. The G-Set is available for dynamic analysis which will
provide the ‘roll-up’ at the residual. Recall that the J-Set matrices are the elements for the
current superelement and the G-Set matrices include the upstream data.
• In static analysis, inertia Loads (GRAV, RFORCE) are calculated as load vectors for each
superelement and brought down to the residual (the mass matrix is not reduced in static
analysis).
• OLOAD RESULTANT - The OLOAD Resultant is also on a per-superelement basis. There is
no ‘roll-up’ of the total applied loads for any of the superelement methods. A comprehensive
discussion of the OLOAD Resultant can be found in the Model Verification (Ch. 10) in the MSC
Nastran Linear Static Analysis User’s Guide.
• DCMP – Messages associated with the Decomposition of the stiffness matrices:
• *** SYSTEM INFORMATION MESSAGE 4159 (DFMSA)
• *** USER INFORMATION MESSAGE 5293 (SSG3A)
• For more information on these messages, refer to Mechanisms and Singularities (Ch. 10) in the
MSC Nastran Linear Static Analysis User’s Guide.
• Non-Superelement Model
• DCMP is only performed for the residual – KLL (the left-over set).
• SESET and PART Superelements
• DCMP is performed for each superelement reduction – KOO (the omitted set)
• DCMP is performed for the residual structure – KLL (the left-over set)
• External Superelements
• DCMP is performed when generating each external superelement - KOO
• DCMP is performed for the residual structure – KLL


For this example, the DCMP statistics associated with KLL can be compared. The Epsilon and External
Work are reported for each of the 3 subcases.
Table 3-4 Comparison of Max Ratio, Epsilon, and External Work

Model KLL Max Ratio Epsilon External Work
Baseline 1.133766E+03 -4.6426305E-12 4.9504608E-02
-4.5038209E-12 1.5267804E-03
-2.1373923E-12 1.2906785E-03
SESET 2.280555E+02 -2.3362402E-13 1.5033779E-03
-7.3558232E-14 1.2672746E-03
-1.0165675E-13 4.9308721E-02
PART 3.737677E+02 -1.9596399E-14 1.5033779E-03
-1.4003384E-13 1.2672746E-03
-4.2464950E-14 4.9308721E-02
EXTSEOUT 3.737677E+02 -8.9743771E-14 1.5033779E-03
-1.3249746E-13 1.2672746E-03
-1.0808809E-13 4.9308721E-02
Note that the Max Ratio changes slightly for each method. This can be expected based on the roundoff
associated with reducing superelements and should not cause any concern to the practitioner. The
Epsilon values are a measure of the solution accuracy and are all numeric zero, which indicates a solid
numerical solution. The External Work is based on the work performed by the matrix available in the
residual structure. It is noted that the external work for all superelement solutions is exactly the same
indicating the methods have generated the same solution.
• SPCFORCE Resultant. The SPCFORCE Resultant is also on a per-superelement basis. There is
no ‘roll-up’ of the total applied loads for any of the superelement methods. A comprehensive
discussion of the SPCFORCE Resultant can be found in the Model Verification (Ch. 10) in the
MSC Nastran Linear Static Analysis User’s Guide. In this example, only superelement 70 has
the SPCFORCE Resultant. This can be compared for each model:

CHAPTER 3 225
Table 3-5 Comparison of SP CFORCE Resultant

Model T3 Total R1 Total R2 Total
Baseline -4.000000E+00 -4.000000E+01 zero
zero zero -2.080000E+01
3.200000E+01 2.560000E+02 zero

SESET -4.000000E+00 -4.000000E+01 zero
zero zero -2.080000E+01
3.200000E+01 2.560000E+02 zero

PART -4.000000E+00 -4.000000E+01 zero
zero zero -2.080000E+01
3.200000E+01 2.560000E+02 zero

EXTSEOUT Not available Not available Not available
Note that “zero” is numeric 0.000 and values were reported as E-11 to E-13. Also note that for the
EXTSEOUT solution, the SPCFORCE Resultant is not available, but the SPCFORCES match the
SPCFORCES for all other solutions.
• EQUILIBRIUM Check. Although not part of this example, a note is appropriate. The
EQUILIBRIUM Check is only available for non-superelement models. For further details, refer
to Equilibrium Checks (Ch. 10) in the MSC Nastran Linear Static Analysis User’s Guide.
• MAXIMUM SPCFforces, MAXIMUM Displacements, and MAXIMUM Applied Loads.
These values are output on a per-superelement basis.
• DISPLACEMENT, SPCFORCE, ELSTRESS, and ELFORCE. Again, these quantities are
output on a per-superelement basis. For displacements, GRID 13 is in the residual for each
solution and GRID 93 has the maximum displacement. These values are compared here for
each of the 3 subcases:


Table 3-6 Comparisons of Displacements – Residual dof and Max Displacement dof
Model Disp 13-T3 Disp 93-T3

Baseline 1.142174E-04 7.633902E-04
2.691105E-05 6.453393E-04
-7.091641E-04 -4.266040E-03
SESET 1.142174E-04 7.633899E-04
2.691100E-05 6.453382E-04
-7.091641E-04 -4.266038E-03
PART 1.142174E-04 7.633899E-04
2.691100E-05 6.453382E-04
-7.091641E-04 -4.266038E-03
EXTSEOUT 1.142174E-04 7.633899E-04
2.691100E-05 6.453382E-04
-7.091641E-04 -4.266038E-03
Comparisons of the stresses are similar EXCEPT that the external superelement is limited to (CENTER)
stresses as described in 2-Step method with EXTSEOUT (Ch. 2).
Since the external superelement used MATRIXDB, the precision of the external superelement is based
on machine precision, thus the solution vector is exactly the same as for both SESET and PART
superelements. If the user had selected DMIGPCH, there would have been small truncation errors
because of the ASCII format of the DMIG entries.
1.

Chapter 4: Loads, Constraints, Case Control, and Parameters in Static Analysis

4 Loads, Constraints, Case Control,

and Parameters in Static Analysis
 Introduction
 Mechanical Loads in Static Analysis
 Thermal Loads in Static Analysis
 Boundary Conditions in Static Analysis
 Case Control
 Parameter Controls
 Special Considerations


Introduction
Introduction
A very simple first approach to using superelements in static analysis was presented in CHAPTER 1. In
this case, only a single superelement and load was defined. These concepts can be expanded to cover a
multitude of loadings and different settings on each component. As a review, a simplified superelement
reduction is shown here:
Figure 4-1 Simplified Depiction of Superelement Reduction, Solution, and Data Recovery
In Chapter 3, multiple superelements and loadings were introduced for single-level superelement
analysis. This Chapter will expose the user to more advanced capabilities available for static analysis.
For instance, we will describe mechanical loads, thermal loads, boundary conditions, advanced case
control, advanced parameter specification and special considerations for curved parts.
The key to understanding the MSC.Nastran methodology is to understand how the loads, constraints, and
parameters are partitioned and applied. Just like the geometric partitioning described in detail in
Superelement Partitioning (Ch. 2), the loads, constraints, and parameters are partitioned for each Load
Sequence. The user is encouraged to review Key Concepts in Superelement Partitions (Ch. 1).

CHAPTER 4 229
Loads, Constraints, Case Control, and Parameters in Static Analysis
Mechanical Loads in Static Analysis

Recall from Equation (1-12), that when processing loads on a superelement, the load vector is reduced to
the physical boundary using the static condensation transformation matrix.
 P t  =  G ot  T  P o  +  P t  (4-1)
Where the subscript “t” indicates retained boundary (exterior) dof and subscript “o” indicates omitted
(interior) dof. The loads are summed to the residual load vector  P g  by adding the upstream load
up
contributions  P t  to the residual loads  P j  . This can be expressed as:
n up
 Pg  =  P j  +  i = 1  P t  i (4-2)
After the loads for the residual G-set are known, the solution follows the standard load reduction for a
non-superelement solution. The loads are partitioned to each superelement based on a set of rules
described in the subsections.
A detailed description of loads can be found in the Applied Loads (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran Reference
Manual.
List Superelements
The mechanical loads for List Superelement are handled differently depending on whether the loading
is grid based, element based, or inertial based.
Point Loads
Point loads are applied to grids or spoints and include DAREA, FORCE, FORCE1, FORCE2,
FORCEAX, MOMENT, MOMENT1, MOMENT2 , and MOMENTAX entries.
Loads applied to points for List Superelements are partitioned in the same manner as the grid points and
elements. That is, point loads applied to interior points of a superelement are placed into the Bulk Data
Section for that superelement and processed accordingly. If a grid is exterior to one superelement and
interior to another, the grid based loads applied to the grid are ignored for the exterior grid and the load
is applied to the interior grid of the most downstream superelement for that grid.
Element B ased Loads

Element based loads include distributed loads such as PLOAD, PLOAD1, PLOAD2, PLOAD4 , and
PLOADAX.
Any loadings applied on an element are assigned to the superelement to which the element assigned.
Thus, a pressure load on a boundary element will result in a load on both the interior and exterior grids
of the element and the load will be calculated and assigned to the superelement.


Mechanical Loads in Static A nalysis
Inertial Loads
Inertial loads include loads that are applied to the mass properties such as ACCEL, ACCEL1, GRAV,
and RFORCE.
Just as in element loading, the inertia loads are calculated as the superelement is processed.
Example of Load Partitionin g fo r List Superelements
Figure 4-2 Sample Loading for List Superelement Analysis
Each element is 10 units long with a cross sectional area of 1.0. There is a -3.0y force on grid 3 and -
6.0y force on grid 6. A distributed load of -0.5y force/length is applied to elements 3 and 4. An inertial
load of -1.0y is applied to the entire model. For convenience of determining how the loads are applied,
they are separated into 3 subcases – one for point loads, one for element loads, and one for the inertial
load.
This model, with the SESET entry shown, describes a single-level superelement problem with
superelements 10 and 0. The input file can be found at /doc/seug/chapter4/list-loads-sample.bdf.
SUBCASE 1
$ Subcase name : Forces
SUBTI TLE=For ces

SPC = 2
LOAD = 2
OLOAD( SORT1, REAL) =ALL
STRESS( SORT1, REAL, VONMI SES, BI LI N) =ALL
SUBCASE 2
$ Subcase name : Pressure
SUBTI TLE=Pr essur e

SPC = 2

CHAPTER 4 231
LOAD = 5
SUBCASE 3
$ Subcase name : Gravity

SUBTI TLE=Gr avi t y
SPC = 2
LOAD = 7
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
$ El ement s and El ement Proper t i es f or r egi on : uni t
PBARL 1 1 BAR
1. 1.
$ Pset: "uni t " wi l l be i mport ed as: "pbarl . 1"
CBAR 1 1 1 2 0. 1. 0.
CBAR 2 1 2 3 0. 1. 0.
CBAR 3 1 3 4 0. 1. 0.
CBAR 4 1 4 5 0. 1. 0.
CBAR 5 1 5 6 0. 1. 0.
$ Mater i al Recor d : sampl e
$ Descri pti on of Materi al : Date: 08- Apr- 11 Ti me: 19: 45: 12
MAT1 1 1. +6 .3 1.
$ Nodes of t he Ent i r e Model
GRI D 1 0. 0. 0.
GRI D 2 10. 0. 0.
GRI D 3 20. 0. 0.
GRI D 4 30. 0. 0.
GRI D 5 40. 0. 0.
GRI D 6 50. 0. 0.
$ seid.10
SESET 10 4 5 6
$ Loads f or Load Case : Forces

SPCADD 2 5
LOAD 2 1. 1. 1 1. 3


$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : f i xed

SPC1 5 123456 1
$ Loads f or Load Case : Pressur e
LOAD 5 1. 1. 4
$ Loads f or Load Case : Gr avi t y
LOAD 7 1. 1. 6
$ Nodal Forces of Load Set : P3
FORCE 1 3 0 3. 0. - 1. 0.
$ Nodal Forces of Load Set : P6
FORCE 3 6 0 6. 0. - 1. 0.
$ Gravity Loading of Load Set : g
GRAV 6 0 1. 0. - 1. 0.
$ Distributed Loads of Load Set : press
PLOAD1 4 3 FYE FR 0. -.5 1. -.5

PLOAD1 4 4 FYE FR 0. -.5 1. -.5
ENDDATA
Listing 4-1 Input for Sample List Superelement Loading Model
The SEMAP for the model follows:
Table 4-1 SEMAP for Sample List Superelement Loading Model

Superelement Exterior Grids Interior Grids Elements
0 - 1, 2, 3 1, 2
10 3 4, 5, 6 3, 4, 5
The Bulk Data entries for the applied loadings are partitioned as follows:
• Force -6.0y is applied to grid 6. Since grid point 6 is interior to superelement 10, the load is
applied to superelement 10.
1
 P6  = – 6.0 (4-3)
• Force -3.0y is applied on grid point 3. Since grid point 3 is interior to the residual structure, the
load is assigned to the residual structure Bulk Data.
0
 P3  = – 3.0 (4-4)
• The pressure load, p, is applied on elements that belong to superelement 10; therefore, pressure
W is partitioned into the Bulk Data for superelement 1.
10 1 1
 P3  = ---  p  l 34 = ---  – 0.5  10.0 = – 2.5 (4-5)
2 2

CHAPTER 4 233
10 1 1 1 1
 P4  = ---  p  l 34 + ---  p  l 45 = ---  – 0.5  10.0 + ---  – 0.5  10.0 = – 5.0 (4-6)
2 2 2 2
10 1
 P5  = ---  p  l 45 = – 2.5 (4-7)
2
• If a GRAV entry were applied to this model, g, the loads for each grid would be:
0 1 1 (4-8)
 P1  = ---  g  p  l 12  A 12 = ---  1.0  – 1.0  10.0  1.0 = – 5.0
2 2
0 1 1
 P2  = --- g  p  l 12  A 12 + --- g  p  l 23  A 23 = – 10 (4-9)
2 2
0 1
 P3  = --- g  p  l 23  A 23 = – 5.0 (4-10)
2
10 1
 P3  = --- g  p  l 34  A 34 = – 5.0 (4-11)
2
10
 P4  = – 10.0 (4-12)
10
 P5  = – 10.0 (4-13)
10
 P6  = – 5.0 (4-14)
Review of the MSC.Nastran solution confirms the manual calculations:
FORCES SUPERELEMENT 0
SUBCASE 1
L O A D V E C T OR
3 G 0. 0 -3.000000E+00 0.0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
MD NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 08- APR- 11 AT 20: 33: 55 APRI L 8, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
GRAVITY SUPERELEMENT 0
SUBCASE 3
L O A D V E C T OR
1 G 0. 0 -5.000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 G 0. 0 -1.000000E+01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 0. 0 -5.000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0


…
…
FORCES SUPERELEMENT 10
SUBCASE 1
L O A D V E C T OR
6 G 0. 0 -6.000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
MD NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 08- APR- 11 AT 20: 33: 55 APRI L 8, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10 P
PRESSURE SUPERELEMENT 10
SUBCASE 2
L O A D V E C T OR
3 G 0. 0 -2.500000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 - 4. 166667E+00
4 G 0. 0 -5.000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 - 2. 664535E- 15
5 G 0. 0 -2.500000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 4. 166667E+00
MD NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 08- APR- 11 AT 20: 33: 55 APRI L 8, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10 P
GRAVI TY SUPERELEMENT 10
SUBCASE 3
L O A D V E C T OR
3 G 0. 0 -5.000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G 0. 0 -1.000000E+01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G 0. 0 -1.000000E+01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
6 G 0. 0 -5.000000E+00 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
Listing 4-2 Loads for Sample List Superelement Loading Model
PART Superelements
Loads applied to grids or elements for PART Superelements are always applied to the PART and reduced
to the physical boundary (i.e. the  P t  matrix).
External Superelements
Loads applied to grids or elements for External Superelements are always applied and reduced to the
physical boundary (i.e. the  P t  matrix).

CHAPTER 4 235
Thermal Loads in Static Analysis

Thermal loads must also be partitioned and associated to the appropriate superelement dof in order to
obtain correct results. In statics, the thermal load is converted to forces at grids points by assuming a
‘fixed wall’. For example, a simple rod element subjected to thermal loads will have equivalent
mechanical forces calculated by the following:
• Calculate the thermal strains
 Temp =    T (4-15)
• Calculate the thermal stresses for fixed grid

 = E   Temp (4-16)
• Calculate the equivalent mechanical forces
F equiv =   A (4-17)
After the equivalent mechanical forces are calculated, they are added to the matrix and normal
reductions are made to the loads.
The displacement solution is calculated using the mechanical loads and thermal loads. The total strain
matrix is calculated as normal, but the stresses must account for the thermal strain. For the rod element:
T o t a l =  M ec h +  Temp (4-18)
Of course, the mechanical strain is the only component of the strain matrix that causes stress. Thus, the
stress can be expressed as
 = E    Total –  Temp  = E    T o t a l –    T  (4-19)
Thermal loads can be applied to the model by defining temperatures at the grids with TEMP or TEMP1
entries, or applied to the model by defining element temperatures with TEMPP1 or TEMPRB.
List Superelements
For list superelements, temperatures described by grid points are partitioned and assigned to BOTH the
interior and exterior grids of each superelement the grid is associated to. Of course, this makes sense
because the temperature loading is converted to the equivalent mechanical force on an elemental basis
and the element must have the T for all of its nodes.
Temperatures defined by elements are partitioned to the superelement the element belongs to.
Example of Thermal Load Partitioning for List Superelements

Consider the following model with E=1.E6,  =1ppm/°, and the cross sectional area of the beam = 1.0.
A temperature load of +25º is applied. There are two boundary conditions considered 1) cantilever, 2)
fixed-fixed.


Thermal Loads in Static An alysis
Figure 4-3 Sample Temperature Loading for List Superelement Analysis
The sample input files for both boundary conditions are located at: /doc/seug/chapter4/thermal-
loading/list-temperature-sample1.bdf (cantilever) and -sample2.bdf (fixed-fixed). The input for the
fixed-fixed example is as follows:
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = MD Nast r an j ob cr eat ed on 08- Apr - 11 at 20: 33: 55
SUBTI TLE = created by Lance Proctor , Eagl eSi m
ECHO = NONE
TEMPERATURE(INITIAL) = 1
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Ther mal
SPC = 2
TEMPERATURE(LOAD) = 2

BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
$ El ement s and El ement Proper t i es f or r egi on : uni t
PBARL 1 1 BAR
1. 1.
$ Pset: "uni t " wi l l be i mport ed as: "pbarl . 1"
CBAR 1 1 1 2 0. 1. 0.
CBAR 2 1 2 3 0. 1. 0.

CHAPTER 4 237
CBAR 3 1 3 4 0. 1. 0.
CBAR 4 1 4 5 0. 1. 0.
CBAR 5 1 5 6 0. 1. 0.
MAT1 1 1.+6 .3 1. 1.-6

GRI D 1 0. 0. 0.
GRI D 2 10. 0. 0.
GRI D 3 20. 0. 0.
GRI D 4 30. 0. 0.
GRI D 5 40. 0. 0.
GRI D 6 50. 0. 0.
$ seid.10
SESET 10 4 5 6
$ Loads f or Load Case : Thermal

SPCADD 2 1 3
$ Gr i d Poi nt Temper atur e Fi el d Def aul t f or Load Case : Thermal
TEMPD 2 25.

SPC1 1 123456 1
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : f i xed2
SPC1 3 123456 1 6
$ Defaul t I ni t i al Temperat ure
TEMPD 1 0.

ENDDATA
Listing 4-3 Sample List Superelement Temperature Loading Model (fixed-fixed)
In this case, the thermal load on each element will cause an expansion of the element – thus the
equivalent mechanical load will be a tensile load. Considering the equations for element 1:
6 –
Temp =    T = 1.  10   25. – 0.  = 25.  10 (4-20)
6 –6
 = E   Temp = 1.  10  25.  10 = 25. (4-21)
F equiv =   A = 25.  1.0 = 25. (4-22)
Since this is a tensile load, the nodal loads fore element 1 are
 P1   – 25. 
P elemTemp = P 1 Temp =  ------  =   (4-23)
 P 2 1 T e m p  25. 


Similarly, for the remainder of the elements:
 P2   – 25.   P 3   –25.   P 4   –25.   P 5   – 25. 

 ------  =    ------  =    ------  =    ------  =   (4-24)
 P 3 2 T e m p  25.   P 4 3 T e m p  25.   P 5 4 T e m p  25.   P 6 5 T e m p  25. 
Considering the G-set load vector for each superelement:
 
 P1   – 25.
  – 25. 
0      
P  =  P2  =  – 25. + 25.  =  0.  (4-25)
     
 P3   25   25. 
 
Similarly, for superelement 10:
 
 P3   – 25. 
   
10  P4   0. 
P  =   =   (4-26)
 P5   0. 
   25. 
 P6   
 
For the cantilever case, the thermal displacements are unrestrained, so the tip displacement will be
·– 6 –3
 =   T  L = 1.  10  25. – 0.   50 = 1.250  10 (4-27)
The mechanical strain is calculated by removing the thermal strain from the total strain. In this case, there
will be zero strain, resulting in zero stress.
THERMAL SUPERELEMENT 0
SUBCASE 1
L O A D V E C T O R
1 G -2.500000E+01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 2.500000E+01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
…
…
SUBCASE 1
L O A D V E C T O R

CHAPTER 4 239
3 G -2.500000E+01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
6 G 2.500000E+01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
Listing 4-4 .f06 Loads for Sample List Superelement Temperature Loading Model
The results are expected for each boundary condition
THERMAL (Cantilever Boundary Conditions) SUPERELEMENT 0
SUBCASE 1
1 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 G 2. 500000E- 04 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 5. 000000E- 04 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
…
S T R E S S E S I N B A R E L E M E N T S ( C B AR )
ELEMENT SA1 SA2 SA3 SA4 AXI AL SA- MAX SA- MI N M. S
I D. SB1 SB2 SB3 SB4 STRESS SB- MAX SB- MI N M. S
1 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0.0 0. 0 0. 0
0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
…
…
SUBCASE 1
3 G 5. 000000E- 04 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G 7. 500000E- 04 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G 1. 000000E- 03 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
6 G 1.250000E-03 0.0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
…
ELEMENT SA1 SA2 SA3 SA4 AXI AL SA- MAX SA- MI N M. S
I D. SB1 SB2 SB3 SB4 STRESS SB- MAX SB- MI N M. S
3 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0.0 0. 0 0. 0
0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0


4 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
Listing 4-5 Output for Sample List Superelement Temperature Loading Model (Cantilever)
THERMAL2 (Fixed-Fixed Boundary Conditions) SUPERELEMENT 0
SUBCASE 1
1 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 0.0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
…
F O R C E S O F S I N G L E - P O I N T C O N S T R A I N T
1 G 2.500000E+01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
…
S T R E S S E S I N B A R E L E M E N T S ( C B A R )
MENT SA1 SA2 SA3 SA4 AXI AL SA- MAX SA- MI N M.
D. SB1 SB2 SB3 SB4 STRESS SB- MAX SB- MI N M.
1 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 -2.500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01
0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 - 2. 500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01
2 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 - 2. 500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01
0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 - 2. 500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01
…
…
THERMAL2 SUPERELEMENT 10
SUBCASE 1
3 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
6 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0

CHAPTER 4 241
…
6 G -2.500000E+01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
MENT SA1 SA2 SA3 SA4 AXI AL SA- MAX SA- MI N M.
D. SB1 SB2 SB3 SB4 STRESS SB- MAX SB- MI N M.
3 0. 0 0.0 0. 0 0. 0 -2.500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01
0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 - 2. 500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01
4 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 - 2. 500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01
0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 - 2. 500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01
5 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 - 2. 500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01
0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 - 2. 500000E+01 - 2. 500000E+01
Listing 4-6 Output for Sample List Superelement Temperature Loading Model (Fixed-
Fixed)
PART Superelements
Thermal loads applied to grids or elements for PART Superelements are always applied to the PART,
converted to mechanical forces and reduced to the physical boundary (i.e. the  P t  matrix).
The above examples are re-created for PART superelements and are located at:
/doc/seug/chapter4/thermal-loading/part-temperature-sample1.bdf (cantilever) and sample2.bdf (fixed-
fixed).
Thermal loads applied to grids or elements for External Superelements converted to mechanical forces
and reduced to the physical boundary (i.e. the  P t  matrix).
The above examples are re-created for External superelements (MATRIXDB option) and are located at:
/doc/seug/chapter4/thermal-loading/ext-create-temperature-sample1.bdf, ext_assem-temperature-
sample1.bdf (cantilever) and -sample2.bdf (fixed-fixed).


Boundary Conditions in Static Analysis

Boundary conditions in static analysis include Single Point Constraints (SPCs), Multi Point Constraints
(MPCs) and Contact. In the case of contact, there are two types: touching contact and glued contact.
Contact is only supported in the residual structure, so it will not be discussed further in this Guide. If
contact is specified in a static run errors similar to this may be produced:
*** USER FATAL MESSAGE 1 ( GP1M3DC)

*** USER FATAL MESSAGE 1 ( %2)
0*** SYSTEM FATAL MESSAGE 3062 MODULE = GP1
FAI LURE OCCURRED I N UTI LI TY CALL ED I N SUBROUTI NE GP1M3DC .
0FATAL ERROR
Listing 4-7 Sample Error When Contact is Specified with Superelements
Note that MSC.Nastran offers the user the flexibility of defining multiple constraints in the separate
subcases of an analysis. This feature is not currently supported with superelements and if the user
attempts to change the SPCs or MPCs between subcases, the following errors will occur:
^^^ USER FATAL MESSAGE 9072 ( PHASE0)

^^^ MULTI PL E BOUNDARY CONDI TI ONS ARE NOT ALL OWED FOR SUPERELEMENTS.
Listing 4-8 Error Message when User Attempt to Solve with Multiple Boundary Conditions
Single Point Constraints (SPCs)

Single Point Constraints (SPCs) are the fixed points in the solution. These can be defined with SPC,
SPC1, or on the GRID PS field. The SPC entries are activated with the SPC case control command,
while the GRID PS field are always active.
In addition to explicitly defined constraints, PARAM,AUTOSPC,YES will automatically constrain
singular dof. For detailed information on PARAM,AUTOSPC refer to the Automatic Application of
Single-Point Constraints (AUTOSPC) (Ch. 6) in the MSC Nastran Linear Static Analysis User’s Guide.
List Superelements
Constraints applied to points for List Superelements are partitioned in the same manner as the grid points.
That is, constraints applied to interior points of a superelement are placed into the Bulk Data Section for
that superelement and processed accordingly. If a grid is exterior to one superelement and interior to
another, the constraint applied to the grid are ignored for the exterior grid and the constraint is applied to
the interior grid of the most downstream superelement for that grid.

CHAPTER 4 243
PART Superelements
As with List Superelements, the constraints on interior dof of a part superelement are processed with the
superelement. However, constraints on exterior dof (i.e boundary grids) are carried down to the residual
structure. When this occurs, the user is reminded with a clear message in the .f06 file:
*** USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 7552 ( BNDSP3)

BOUNDARY GRI D 1B WI LL I NHERI T I TS CONTRAI NTS FROM UPSTREAM SUPERELEMENT( S) .
Listing 4-9 Info Message Issued Part Superelement Constraints are Applied to Boundary
dof
It is possible that either an explicit constraints or automatic constraints will be applied to a boundary grid.
In this case, as long as the analysis coordinate frames (CD on the GRID entry) are congruent between
the superelement components at the attachment grids, there is no problem. However, if the analysis
coordinate frames are not congruent, the following error will be issued:
*** USER FATAL MESSAGE 6804 (BNDSP3)
THE DISPLACEMENT COORDINATE SYSTEM (CD FIELD ON GRID ENTRY) SPECIFIED FOR BOUNDARY GRID ID 1 B
IN SUPERELEMENT 0 IS NOT CONGRUENT WITH DISPLACEMENT COORDINATE SYSTEMS IN OTHER CONNECTING SUPERELEMENTS.
*** USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 7552 ( BNDSP3)

BOUNDARY GRI D 1B WI LL I NHERI T I TS CONTRAI NTS FROM UPSTREAM SUPERELEMENT( S) .
^^^
^^^ RUN I S TERMI NATED DUE TO MESSAGE( S) ABOVE ON THE RESI DUAL STRUCTURE AND/ OR THE SUPERELEMENT( S) .
^^^
Listing 4-10 Error Issued When Part Superelement Constraints are Applied in Non-
Congruent Coordinate Systems
For external superelements, constraints will be applied and processed during the stiffness reduction. The
external superelement process will automatically transform the external stiffness from its original
coordinate frame to the residual coordinate frame. Boundary grids that have constraints should be
applied in the downstream superelement.
Grid Point Singularity Processing

Because each superelement is processed independently, it is possible to turn AUTOSPC on and off, for
each superelement (refer to section Parameter Controls below). Typically, AUTOSPC is applied to the
entire model (all superelements). PARAM,AUTOSPC,YES is the default for all superelement solutions
(except the nonlinear solutions).
When the grid point singularity processor (AUTOSPC) is applied to superelements, MSC.Nastran will
only process the interior points of each superelement. Any points that are exterior to a superelement are


defined as belonging to the A-set for that superelement. AUTOSPC will not constrain an A-set DOF.
This logic makes sense because the exterior points of a superelement can have elements connected to
them from other superelements; therefore, to constrain these points before we have a chance to attach all
elements might over constrain the structure. AUTOSPC will process these grid points when processing
the downstream superelement that contains them as interior points.
Multipoint Constraints (MPCs) and Rigid Elements

Multi Point Constraints (MPCs) define dof dependencies in the solution. These can be defined with
MPC, RBAR, RBEi, RSPLINE, RTRPLT, or RSSCON. The rigid elements are automatically applied
to every solution, whereas the MPCs must be activated with the MPC case control command.
The parameter AUTOMSET can be used to rewrite the MPC equations to avoid set conflicts.
PARAM,AUTOMSET,YES is applicable to superelement analysis and will be processed in each
superelement if requested by the user.
List Superelements
R-type elements (RBE2, RBE3, RBAR, RSSCON, etc.) in the main Bulk Data are treated as elements;
i.e., their connectivity is used to determine which superelement partition the elements are assigned to.
The rules to determine exterior points are the same as if these were flexible elements.
MPCs are not used to define superelement exterior points, so when they are near a boundary, the user
may have to specify the exterior grids. Recall from Chapter 2 that element connectivity is used to
determine the exterior points for a superelement. Because MPC sets are called in Case Control and
different MPC sets can be used in each SUBCASE, MPC sets are not used in the definition of
superelements. MPC entries are partitioned according to the interior points of superelements. An MPC
entry is assigned to the highest upstream superelement (based on the processing order) to which it
connects.
Special care must be taken when an MPC or R-type element is connected to exterior points of a
superelement. Because the exterior points are in the A-set for the superelement, these points cannot be
listed as dependent (M-set) on an MPC or R-type element because a Set membership conflict will occur.
Note that PARAM,AUTOMSET,YES can often be used to resolve the set conflicts associated with
dependent dof.
A common modeling situation is to have two coincident grids at a superelement boundary as shown in
the following figure. In this case, MPC’s or Rigid Elements are often used to connect the grids. Note
that if flexible elements such as CELAS or CBUSH are used, they will be partitioned as any other flexible
element and the following subsections are irrelevant.

CHAPTER 4 245
Figure 4-4 Sample Model with Coincident Grids at Superelement Boundary
Rigid Element (RBAR) Connectio n

Suppose the user wants to connect the coincident grids with an RBAR and maintain grid 3 as the
boundary grid for superelement 10. In this case grid 3 must contain all of the independent dof and grid
11 will contain all of the dependent dof and the RBAR is as follows:
Figure 4-5 Patran Definition of RBAR 101 Connecting Coincident Nodes.
The Patran superelement partitioning does not recognize MPCs or Rigid Elements when defining
superelement boundaries. Since there are no flexible elements connecting grids 3 and 11, when the user
attempts to define superelement 10 in Patran, a clear warning is issued and the user must specifically
select the boundary grids:


Figure 4-6 Patran Example Warning When Defining Superelements that are Connected
with MPC or Rigid Elements
Since the non-MPC elements only connect to grid 11 (and not grid 3), the user is obligated to select grid
11. If the user attempt to select grid 3, the following error is issued
Figure 4-7 Example of Selecting a Node that is not Connected to a Group’s Element
Patran allows the user to select grid 11 –

CHAPTER 4 247
Figure 4-8 Selecting an Acceptable Boundary Node
Note: Patran has a logical set of rules for the most common use cases. This example is contained in
/doc/seug/chapter4/rigid-elem/rbar-connection1.bdf. The resulting SESET for this case is:
RBAR 101 11 3 123456 123456

SESET 10 12 13
Listing 4-11 RBAR and SESET for rbar-connection1.bdf
And the SEMAP for this case is:
Table 4-2 SEMAP for Coincident Nodes at Boundary – rbar-connection1.bdf

Superelement Interior Grids Exterior Grids Elements
Residual 1, 2, 3, 11 - 1, 2, 101
10 12, 13 11 11, 12
The astute reader may be wondering why there is not a set conflict because grid 11 is dependent and an
exterior grid – i.e. an A-Set point for superelement 10. The answer is that grid 11 is part of the A-Set for
superelement 10 and processed accordingly. Then the boundary point is added to Superelement 0 before
the MPCs are processed; i.e. recall equation 1-13:


 K gg  =  K jj  +   K aa 
So, grid 11 is part of the A-set in Superelement 10, then it is part of the M-set in Superelement 0, which
is perfectly legal.
Suppose the user wants the RBAR to be part of superelement 10, what can be done? If the user defines
a PLOTEL (Element ID 14) between grid 3 and 11 and adds it to the superelement 10 group, then Patran
will allow grid 3 to be the exterior grid.
Figure 4-9 Automatic Boundary When PLOTEL is Added to Superelement Group
The resulting bdf for this case is located at /doc/seug/chapter4/rigid-elem/rbar-connection1p.bdf. The

SESET entry for this case becomes
PLOTEL 14 3 11
RBAR 101 11 3 123456 123456
$ Super10. 10
SESET 10 11 12 13
Figure 4-10 PLOTEL, RBAR, and SESET for rbar-connection1p.bdf

CHAPTER 4 249
Here the user must ensure that grid 3 is the independent grid on the RBAR (or MPC) in order to avoid a
set conflict. In this case, the SEMAP shows that PLOTEL 14 and RBAR 101 are assigned to
Superelement 10.
Table 4-3 SEMAP for rbar-connection1p.bdf

Residual 1,2,3 - 1, 2
10 11, 12, 13 3 11, 12, 14, 101
MPC Connection s
Another method for connecting the model shown in Figure 4-4 is to use explicit MPCs.
$ Mul t i poi nt Const r ai nts of t he Ent i r e Model

MPCADD 207 201 202 203 204 205 206
MPC 201 11 1 - 1. 3 1 - 1.
MPC 202 11 2 - 1. 3 2 - 1.
MPC 203 11 3 - 1. 3 3 - 1.
MPC 204 11 4 - 1. 3 4 - 1.
MPC 205 11 5 - 1. 3 5 - 1.
MPC 206 11 6 - 1. 3 6 - 1.
$ Super10. 10
SESET 10 12 13
Listing 4-12 MPC and SESET entries for mpc-connection1.bdf
The SEMAP is similar to the RBAR case, except that there is no map entry for the explicit MPCs:
Table 4-4 SEMAP for Coincident Nodes at Boundary – mpc-connection1.bdf

Residual 1, 2, 3, 11 - 1, 2
10 12, 13 11 12, 13
Like the RBAR example, the user could add PLOTEL 14 between grids 3 and 11 and assign grid 3 as
the boundary grids. In this case the modified bulk data and SEMAP follow:
PLOTEL 14 3 11
$ Mul t i poi nt Const r ai nts of t he Ent i r e Model
MPCADD 207 201 202 203 204 205 206
MPC 201 11 1 - 1. 3 1 - 1.
MPC 202 11 2 - 1. 3 2 - 1.
MPC 203 11 3 - 1. 3 3 - 1.
MPC 204 11 4 - 1. 3 4 - 1.


MPC 205 11 5 - 1. 3 5 - 1.
MPC 206 11 6 - 1. 3 6 - 1.
$ Super10. 10
SESET 10 11 12 13
Table 4-5 SEMAP for Coincident Nodes at Boundary – mpx-connection1p.bdf

Residual 1, 2, 3 - 1, 2
10 11, 12, 13 3 11, 12, 14
As si gn in g Ex ter io r Po in ts (CSUPEXT)

MSC.Nastran is offers an additional control for the user to define the exterior points of a superelement.
The user could use the CSUPEXT entry instead of defining PLOTELs. This may be more convenient
for models with dozens or hundreds of boundaries.
CSUPEXT Superelement Exterior Point Definition
Assigns exterior points to a superelement.

Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
CSUPEXT SEID GP1 GP2 GP3 GP4 GP5 GP6 GP7
Example:
CSUPEXT 2 147 562 937
CSUPEXT SEID GP1 THRU GP2

”
CSUPEXT 5 12006 THRU 12050
Field Contents
SEID Identification number of a primary superelement. (Integer > 0)
GPi Grid or scalar point identification number in the downstream superelement or
residual structure. (Integer > 0 or “THRU”; For “THRU” option, GP1<GP2)

CHAPTER 4 251
For the RBAR or MPC example, the SESET entry is modified to include grid 11 and the CSUPEXT entry
specifies GRID 3 as the exterior point. The modified models are: /doc/seug/chapter4/rigid-elem/rbar-
connection1.bdf and mpc-connnection1-csupext.bdf.
Super 10. 10
$ modi f y SESET and add CSUPEXT
SESET 10 11 12 13
CSUPEXT 10 3
Listing 4-14 Modifications for CSUP EXT Definition of Exterior Points
The corresponding SEMAPs are as follows:
Table 4-6 SEMAP for Coincident Nodes at Boundary – rbar-connection1-csupext.bdf

Residual 1, 2, 3 - 1, 2
10 11, 12, 13 3 11, 12, 101
Table 4-7 SEMAP for Coincident Nodes at Boundary – mpc-connection1-csupext.bdf

Residual 1, 2, 3 - 1, 2
10 11, 12, 13 3 11, 12
PART Superelements
When PART superelements are used, the user must ensure that the exterior boundary points are part of
the A-Set. This means that if grid 3 is selected as the boundary, the user must ensure that it contains the
independent dof of the MPC or RBAR. Patran does not recognize MPCs on the boundary of PART
superelements, so the user can export the model for each group and then manually assemble the model
with INCLUDE statements.
For example, the PART superelement bdf for the RBAR configuration contained in Superelement 10 can
be written from the Analysis Form as follows:


Figure 4-11 Writing an Individual Part bdf Model from Patran
This will result in a bulk data file containing the following entries:
PBARL 1 1 BAR
1. 1.
$ Pset : "bar" wi l l be i mport ed as: "pbarl . 1"
CBAR 11 1 11 12 0. 1. 0.
CBAR 12 1 12 13 0. 1. 0.
$ Descri pti on of Mater i al : Date: 09- Apr- 11 Ti me: 16: 42: 01
MAT1 1 1. +6 .3 .1 1. - 6
$ Mul t i poi nt Const r ai nts of Gr oup : SE10
RBAR 101 11 3 123456 123456
$ Nodes of Gr oup : SE10
GRI D 3 20. 0. 0.
GRI D 11 20. 0. 0.
GRI D 12 30. 0. 0.
GRI D 13 40. 0. 0.
$ Loads f or Load Case : Def aul t
$ Nodal Forces of Load Set : axi al
FORCE 1 13 0 1000. 1. 0. 0.
Listing 4-15 PART bdf for Superelement 10 Containing the RBAR, part10-rbar.bdf
The residual solution can be written with an INCLUDE file for the PART. Note that since there is a
BEGIN SUPER, the Direct Text Input for the Bulk Data must be written at the END of the bulk data

CHAPTER 4 253
section. In addition, since there are duplicate boundary nodes, the user must specify SEBNDRY in order
to avoid User Fatal Message 6794.
*** USER FATAL MESSAGE 6794 ( SEPSEB)

DUPLI CATE BOUNDARY POI NTS DETECTED I N UPSTREAM SUPERELEMENT 10 WHI LE SEARCHI NG 0 AT GRI D 3.
LI ST FOLLOWS:
11 3
0FATAL ERROR
Listing 4-16 Example of Error 6794 When There are Duplicate Boundary Nodes
Figure 4-12 Example of SECONCT, BEGIN SUPER, and INCLUDE for PART
Superelement
Since the loads must be consistent across all superelements, and the only loads are defined by the
FORCE entry in the part superelement, a LOAD entry must be added to the subcase.


Figure 4-13
The resulting residual bulk data file is:
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = MD Nast r an j ob cr eat ed on 09- Apr - 11 at 17: 43: 48
ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
LOAD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1

CHAPTER 4 255
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES

$ El ement s and El ement Proper t i es f or r egi on : bar
PBARL 1 1 BAR
1. 1.
$ Pset : "bar" wi l l be i mport ed as: "pbarl . 1"
CBAR 1 1 1 2 0. 1. 0.
CBAR 2 1 2 3 0. 1. 0.
MAT1 1 1. +6 .3 .1 1. - 6
$ Nodes of Gr oup : r esi dual
GRI D 1 0. 0. 0.
GRI D 2 10. 0. 0.
GRI D 3 20. 0. 0.
SPCADD 2 1
SPC1 1 123456 1
SEBNDRY, 10, 0, 3
BEGI N SUPER = 10
i ncl ude ' part 10- rbar. bdf '
ENDDATA
Listing 4-17 Residual Bulk Data File for rbar-residual.bdf
A similar process can be followed for explicit MPCs. Note that since the MPC’s are in the PART
superelement an MPCADD must be added. In this example, the MPCADD is placed in the direct text
input for the part superelement export:


Figure 4-14 Combining Explicit MPCs with MPCADD
In addition, the MPCs will need to be activated by adding MPC=200 to the Direct Text Input for Case
Control.

CHAPTER 4 257
Figure 4-15 Activating MPCs for the PART Superelement Solution
The resulting input files are located at: /doc/seug/chapter4/rigid-elem/ext10-mpc.bdf and mpc-
residual.bdf.
Defining the external superelement is similar to defining the PART superelement, except that the ASET
and EXTSEOUT entries must be defined.
Recall from Single-Level Analysis Using External Superelements (Ch. 3) that the ASET is easily defined
from the Meshing tab using the DOF List:


Figure 4-16 Defining the ASET for External Superelement 10
Also recall from Single-Level Analysis Using External Superelements (Ch. 3)that the EXTSEOUT
parameters are set when defining the Analysis in the Solution Parameters Form. In this case, the
MATRIXDB option is used for the external file format.

CHAPTER 4 259
Figure 4-17 Defining the EXTSEOUT for Superelement 10
For the RBAR case, the example files are: doc/seug/chapter4/rigid-elem/ext10-rbar.bdf and assemble-
rbar.bdf.
For the MPC case, the example files are: doc/seug/chapter4/rigid-elem/ext10-mpc.bdf and assemble-
mpc.bdf.


Case Control
Case Control
MSC.Nastran has several superelement-unique Case Control commands that allow the user maximum
flexibility in superelement solutions. These commands include manual processing commands such as
SEMG, SELG, SEKR, SELR, SEMR, SEALL , and SEDR. A brief description of these entries is in
the table below. For detailed descriptions on usage, refer to the Quick Reference Guide Case Control
section. For detailed description of the operations for each command, refer to the appropriate section in
the Reference Manual.
Table 4-8 Manual Superelement Processing Case Control Directives

Case Control Command Purpose
SEMGenerate Superelement Element Matrix Generation – generate and
assemble the structural matrices ( K jj , M j j , B jj , etc.)
SELGenerate Superelement Loads Generation – generate loads matrix
( P j )
SEKReduce Superelement Stiffness Reduction
K gg K nn K ff
SELReduce Superelement Load Reduction P g P l

SEMReduce Superelement Mass Reduction K gg K aa
SEALL Perform all “Generate” and “Reduce” operations on specified
superelements
SEDRecovery Superelement Data Recovery
Information in this section refers to the Structured Solution Sequences (SSS), SOLs 100 through 200.
The manual processing commands are not of particular interest in these solutions, because these solutions
have automatic superelement processing. In prior versions of MSC.Nastran, Solutions 61 through 99
(Unstructured Solution Sequences, USS) were manual solutions, and in those solutions the use of the
manual processing commands was mandatory. Therefore, with the exception of SEDR, the details of
these commands are not covered in detail in this User Guide.
Case Control commands that are unique to superelement analysis are SEEXclude (SEEX), SEFINAL,
and (the most important Case Control command for superelements) SUPER. The SEFINAL and SEEX
commands are processing commands that control processing order (SEFINAL) and inclusion (SEEX).
Their description and use is beyond the scope of this User Guide, but experienced superelement users
may find them useful for debugging and advanced operations.
The SUPER command is the command used to partition the Case Control into a unique subset for each
superelement. The understanding and use of the SUPER Case Control command is extremely important

CHAPTER 4 261
in both static and dynamic analysis. This Chapter will discuss the SUPER command as it relates to
statics.
For a general refresher on the Case Control section in statics, refer to the The Case Control Section
(Ch. 2) in the MSC Nastran Linear Static Analysis User’s Guide.
The SUPER Command

The SUPER Case Control command is used to partition the Case Control into a unique subset for each
superelement. The purpose of the SUPER command is to partition the Case Control in a manner similar
to the Bulk Data partitioning. That is, each superelement has its own unique set of Case Control created,
based on the use of the SUPER command. During the processing of each superelement, its unique Case
Control will be used.
At the risk of sounding redundant, the SUPER command is the most important Case
Control command for superelements. It is also the most frequently misused command, and when it is
misused, either incorrect results, fatal errors, or no output can occur. Therefore, strict attention must be
paid to the use of the SUPER command.
For most cases, condensed case control (described below) is all that is required the SUPER command
can be omitted since SUPER=ALL is the default. The following subsections describe the SUPER use for
cases when different loadings, output requests, or processing requests are used for individual
superelements.
SUPER Superelement Subcase Assignment
Assigns a subcase(s) to a superelement or set of superelements.

Format:
 
 ALL 
 
SUPER =   setid   (4-28)
   lseqid  
   seid   
 
Examples:
SUPER=17,3
SUPER=15


Case Control
SUPER=ALL
Field Contents
seid Superelement identification number (Integer > 0).
ALL The subcase is assigned to all superelements and all loading conditions (Default).
setid Set identification number of a previously appearing SET command. The subcase is
assigned to all superelements with identification numbers that appear on this SET
command (Integer > 0).
lseqid Load sequence number (Integer > 0; Default=1).
The SUPER command can occur in each SUBCASE and can appear before the first SUBCASE (in which
case it is a default behavior for all subcases without a SUPER entry). The purpose of the SUPER
command is to allow different loadings, constraints, and output requests for individual superelements.
In superelement analysis Case Control is treated differently than in conventional analysis. Internally,
MSC.Nastran creates a separate Case Control set for each superelement (called CASES); thus, each
superelement can have its own unique SUBCASE for each loading condition.
A SUBCASE must exist for the residual structure for each loading condition. An internal counter (lseqid )
is based on the load sequence of residual structure SUBCASEs, which is in contrast with conventional
analysis, where each SUBCASE defines a unique loading condition (or solution).
Another way of describing this is that there are “n” load vectors for the residual that result in “n” solution
vectors. Thus, at the final reduction level for statics, the L-set:
 Pl  =  K ll   U l  (4-29)
Expanding to “n” load vectors:
  P l 1   P l 2   P l 3   P l n   =  K ll    U l 1   U l 2   U l 3   U ln   (4-30)
Where  P li  and  U li  are the load vector and solution vector for load sequence i (a.k.a. lseqid). These
are stored in ascending SUBCASE ID order for the residual subcases.

CHAPTER 4 263
The user must ensure that there is a superelement load vector for each residual load vector. This is where
the understanding of the SUPER=seid,lseqid becomes important.
Note: MSC.Nastran stores data blocks on the database with Qualifier. For example, each
superelement has a  P g  vector, but how is MSC.Nastran supposed to know which one is
associated to a particular superelement? The answer is that the MSC.Nastran database has
metadata associated with each data block. This metadata is in the form of Qualifiers. For
instance, the Qualifiers for  P g  include SEID, P2G, and MTEMP to name a few. For a
detailed description on qualifiers, refer to the PATH description in the MD Nastran 2006
DMAP Programmers Manual, Chapter 3.2. The full path descriptors can be found in the
installation “del” directory, file nddl.dmap.
The full description of the  P g  path qualifiers are:
Table 4-9 NDDL PATH Qualifiers for

NDDL Path Qualifiers
PG SEID,PEID,MTEMP,DESITER,PVALID,APRCH,QCPLD,adjoint,
HIGHQUAL,P2G,K2GG,M2GG,inertia,DELTA,auxmid,bndshp,
isolapp,desinc,discrete,partname $
The scope of this document limits us to explore only a few of these qualifiers.
Condensed Case Cont rol

A simple example of condensed Case Control is:
DI SP=ALL
STRESS=ALL
SPC=2
SUBCASE 101
LOAD = 15
SUBCASE 201
LOAD = 3
SUBCASE 301
LOAD = 77
Listing 4-18 Simple Example of Condensed Case Control


Case Control
Assuming that, in addition to the residual structure, there are 2 superelements (SEID=1 and SEID=2), the
Case Control partition (CASES) for each Superelement is as follows:
Table 4-10 Internal Partitioning (CASES) of Simple Example of Condensed Case Control
Case Load Sequence ID (lseqid )
SEID Control (Column number in  P g  )
1 2 3
0 SUBCASE 101 201 301
ID
LOAD 15 3 77
ID
SPC ID SPC=2 SPC=2 SPC=2
MPC ID (MPC=0) (MPC=0) (MPC=0)

Output DISP=ALL, DISP=ALL, DISP=ALL,
Requests STRESS=ALL STRESS=ALL STRESS=ALL
1 SUBCASE 101 201 301
ID
LOAD 15 3 77
ID
MPC ID
2 SUBCASE 101 201 301
ID
LOAD 15 3 77
ID
MPC ID

CHAPTER 4 265
Since there are no explicit MPCs activated by the case control, the Case Control does not include an MPC
qualifier. Similarly, there are no PARAMs, so all PARAM statements will be based on the bulk data or
default values. Examples for PARAMs are included in Parameter Controls.
Expanded Case Contro l

While condensed case control is sufficient for most applications, there is flexibility afforded to the user
with expanded case control. In statics, the common reasons for using expanded case control are:
• SPCs have different ID’s in different superelements for the same load sequence
• MPCs have different ID’s in different superelements for the same load sequence
• LOADs have different ID’s in different superelements for the same load sequence
• Different output is requested for different superelements
• Different PARAMeters apply to different superelements (see Parameter Controls)
• Different Eigenfrequency cutoffs are required for different superelement (i.e. the METHOD
case control used in dynamics)
For all of these conditions, the correct application of SUBCASE / SUPER is required for the proper
results. At worst, the user will get wrong results; at best, results will be missing.
The following examples demonstrate expanded case control and the internal CASES for each
superelement. These examples can be found in the installation: /doc/seug/chapter4/expanded-casecc-
ex1.dat, expanded-casecc-ex2.dat, and expanded-casecc-ex3.dat
DI SP=ALL
STRESS=ALL
SUBCASE 11 SUBCASE 21 SUBCASE 31
SUPER=10, 1 SUPER=20, 3 SUPER=0, 1
SPC=3 SPC=3 SPC=2
SUBCASE 12 LOAD=21 LOAD=1
SUPER=10, 2 SUBCASE 22 SUBCASE 32
SUBCASE 13 SUPER=20, 2 SUPER=0, 2
SUPER=10, 3 SPC=3 SPC=2
LOAD=542 LOAD=22 LOAD=29
SUBCASE 23 SUBCASE 33
SUPER=20, 1 SUPER=0, 3
SPC=3 SPC=2
LOAD=3
Listing 4-19 Expanded Case Control Example 1


Case Control
Table 4-11 Expanded Case Control Example 1 Internal Partitioning (CASES)

1 2 3
0 SUBCASE 31 32 33
ID
LOAD 1 29 3
ID
SPC ID 2 2 2
1 SUBCASE 11 12 13
ID
LOAD - - 542
ID
SPC ID 3 - -
2 SUBCASE 23 22 21
ID
LOAD - 22 21
ID
SPC ID 3
This particular example will result in a multitude of errors:
^^^ USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 9044 ( PHASE0)

^^^ BULK DATA AND CASE CONTROL PARTI TI ONI NG, RESTART CHECKI NG, AND UNDEFORMED PLOTTI NG I S
^^^ I NI TI ATED FOR SUPERELEMENT 10
^^^
^^^ USER FATAL MESSAGE 9072 (PHASE0)
^^^ MULTIPLE BOUNDARY CONDITIONS ARE NOT ALLOWED FOR SUPERELEMENTS.
^^^

CHAPTER 4 267
*** USER FATAL MESSAGE 7323 (SEP2D)
SUBCASES FOR SUPERELEMENT 20 HAS A LOAD SEQUENCE NUMBER = 2 WHICH IS OUT OF ORDER.
*** USER FATAL MESSAGE 7323 (SEP2D)
SUBCASES FOR SUPERELEMENT 20 HAS A LOAD SEQUENCE NUMBER = 1 WHICH IS OUT OF ORDER.

*** USER WARNI NG MESSAGE 2053 ( GP4)
UNDEFI NED SI NGLE- POI NT CONSTRAI NT SET 2
^^^
^^^ RUN I S TERMI NATED DUE TO MESSAGE( S) ABOVE ON THE RESI DUAL STRUCTURE AND/ OR THE SUPERELEMENT( S) .
^^^
Listing 4-20 Errors for Expanded Case Control Example 1
The first error is that multiple boundary conditions are not allowed for superelements. This is because
Superelement 10 has SPC=3 for SUBCASE 10/ lseqid =1, and no SPCs for the other subcase / load
sequences. The next error is because the load sequence number is out of order for superelement 20. A
corrected version of the case control is as follows:
DI SP=ALL
STRESS=ALL
SPC=3 SPC=3 SPC=2
SUBCASE 12 LOAD=23 LOAD=1
SUPER=10, 2 SUBCASE 22 SUBCASE 32
SPC=3 SUPER=20, 2 SUPER=0, 2
SUBCASE 13 SPC=3 SPC=2
SUPER=10, 3 LOAD=22 LOAD=29
LOAD=542 SUBCASE 23 SUBCASE 33
SPC=3 SUPER=20, 3 SUPER=0, 3
SPC=3 SPC=2
LOAD=21 LOAD=3


Case Control
Table 4-12 Expanded Case Control Example 2 Internal Partitioning (CASES)

1 2 3
0 SUBCASE 31 32 33
ID
LOAD 1 29 3
ID
SPC ID 2 2 2
10 SUBCASE 11 12 13
ID
LOAD - - 542
ID
SPC ID 3 3 3
20 SUBCASE 21 22 23
ID
LOAD - 22 21
ID
SPC ID 3 3 3
The Example 2 Case Control produces a valid case control. The astute reader will notice that the SPC
IDs are changed. This does not lead to a fatal message because the SPC IDs are consistent within a
superelement, which is the only requirement. Also, if the user runs this model, he will note that
AUTOSPC captures the “6” dof for superelement 20, but not for grids 111 and 211 in superelement 10,
nor the residual structure.

CHAPTER 4 269
The following example is a variation that produces the same residual solution as Example 2:
DI SP=ALL
STRESS=ALL
$ Const r ai nt s or Loads above 1st subcase appl i es t o al l subcases
$ unl ess super seded by a cal l out wi t hi n t he subcase
SPC=3

LOAD=542 LOAD=23 SPC=2
SUBCASE 22 LOAD=1
SUPER=20, 2 SUBCASE 32
LOAD=22 SUPER=0, 2
SUBCASE 23 SPC=2
SUPER=20, 3 LOAD=29
LOAD=21 SUBCASE 33
SUPER=0, 3
SPC=2
LOAD=3
Listing 4-21 Expanded Case Control Example 3
Note that the SPCs are automatically propagated to the ‘missing’ SUPER=I,J subcases. However, this
is not true for the output requests as discussed in the next section.
Output Control
The output control (DISPLACEMENT, STRESS , FORCE, etc.) has similar rules to the loads and
constraints, but there are some clear differences. For Example 2 above (expanded-casecc-ex2.dat), there
is a subcase for each superelement and load sequence, so the output request above the first subcase
applies to every subcase unless an individual subcase requests more output or a different set of output
(i.e. DISP=ALL vs DISP=setid ).


Case Control
Table 4-13 Expanded Case Control Example 2 Output Requests

1 2 3
0 SUBCASE 31 32 33
ID
DISP ALL ALL ALL
STRESS ALL ALL ALL
10 SUBCASE 11 12 13
ID
DISP ALL ALL ALL
STRESS ALL ALL ALL
20 SUBCASE 21 22 23
ID
DISP ALL ALL ALL
STRESS ALL ALL ALL
In the case of Expanded Case Control Example 3 (expanded-casecc-ex3.dat ) above it is not required to
specify an expanded subcase for a SEID/lseqid combination that does not have loads. However, omitting
the subcase altogether will result in the omission of all output requests for that subcase. This omission
will not cause incorrect answers but will prevent obtaining any output for that superelement for that
loading condition

CHAPTER 4 271
Table 4-14 Expanded Case Control Example 3 Output Requests

1 2 3
0 SUBCASE 31 32 33
ID
DISP ALL ALL ALL
STRESS ALL ALL ALL
10 SUBCASE 11 12 13
ID
DISP x x ALL
STRESS x x ALL
20 SUBCASE 21 22 23
ID
DISP ALL ALL ALL
STRESS ALL ALL ALL
Since there was no SUBCASE specified for SUPER=10,2 or SUPER=10,3, the output is null for these
SEID/lseqid combinations.
Another output control provided to the user is the SEDR case control command. The SEDR command
is used to select which superelements will have data recovery. By default, every superelement will have
data recovery based on the case control. However, the user can turn off all output requests associated
with a superelement by specifying the SEDR Case Control command.
SEDR Superelement Data Recovery
Specifies the superelement identification numbers for which data recovery will be performed.
Format:


Case Control
 ALL 
 
SEDR =  i  (4-31)
 
 n 
Examples:
SEDR=ALL
SEDR=7
Field Contents
ALL Performs data recovery for all superelements.
n Set identification number of a previously appearing SET command. Data recovery
will be performed for superelements with identification numbers that appear on this
SET command (Integer > 0).
i Identification number of a single superelement for which data recovery will be
performed (Integer > 0).
Vector Output
Vector output such as DISPLACEMENT, VELOCITY, and ACCELERATION can be based on
SORT1 or SORT2 requests. SORT1 means that output will be presented as a tabular listing of grid points
for each load, frequency, eigenvalue, or time, depending on the solution sequence. A SORT2 request
means output will be presented as a tabular listing of load, frequency, or time for each grid point.
The defaults for SORT1 and SORT2 depend on the type of analysis:
• SORT1 is the default in static analysis, frequency response, steady state heat transfer analysis,
real and complex eigenvalue analysis, flutter analysis, and buckling analysis.
• SORT2 is the default in transient response analysis (structural and heat transfer). SORT2 is not
available for real eigenvalue (including buckling), complex eigenvalue, or flutter analysis. If
SORT1 is selected in a transient solution for one or more of the commands ACCE, DISP, ENTH,
FORC, HDOT, MPCF, OLOA, SPCF, STRA, STRE, and VELO, then the remaining commands
will also be output in SORT1 format. If SORT2 is selected in a static or frequency response
solution for one or more of the commands ACCE, DISP, FORC, MPCF, OLOA, SPCF, STRA,
STRE, and VELO, then the remaining commands will also be output in SORT2 format.
• XYPLOT plot requests forces SORT2 and overrides SORT1 requests!
Tensor Output
The tensor output requests for STRESS and FORCE can have different output options. The location
options CENTER, CORNER, CUBIC, SGAGE, and BILIN are recognized only in the first subcase, and

CHAPTER 4 273
determine the option to be used in all subsequent subcases with the STRESS, STRAIN, and FORCE
commands. In superelement analysis, the first subcase refers to the first subcase of each superelement.
Therefore, it is recommended that these options be specified above all subcases. Consequently, options
specified in subcases other than the first subcase will be ignored. See also Remark 8 under the FORCE
Case Control command for further discussion.


Parameter Controls
Parameter Controls
In addition to loads, constraints, and output, the case control can be used to specify different
PARAMeters associated with each superelement. For example, the user may be assembling models that
were generated by different organizations and each organization may have used a different mass density.
Rather than modify each material entry for each component, the assembly model could use expanded
case control in conjunction with PARAM,WTMASS to control the mass density for each superelement.
With MSC.Nastran the user can specify parameters in Case Control. Many-but not all parameters can be
specified in Case Control. For a listing of which parameters can be specified in the case control, refer to
the Parameter Applicability Tables (Ch. 5) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide.
Because the user can specify values in Case Control, a different value can be specified for each
superelement. As with output requests, PARAM entries can be specified above the subcase level or
within individual subcases.
For the linear solutions, the value used in the first subcase appearing for a superelement is used for that
superelement for all subcases. If a parameter appears above the first subcase, the value given is a default
value and is used for all subcases (if not changed inside individual subcases). The value used for any
parameter when processing a superelement is determined with a strict set of rules. These rules state that
the value used for a parameter will be:
• The value from the first subcase for that superelement
• The default value specified before the first subcase (if not in the subcase)
• The value specified in the Bulk Data (if not either of the above)
• The default value of the parameter (if none of the above). Note that the default value can vary
between solutions. For instance, PARAM,AUTOSPC,YES is the default for SOL 101, b
Due to this hierarchy, if you wish to use different values for parameters for different superelements, it is
recommend that the user specify a default value above the first subcase and specify any exceptions inside
the appropriate subcases.
List Superelements
For List Superelements defined in a model with BEGIN BULK, a PARAM defined in the bulk data is
applicable to every superelement unless overridden by the same PARAM defined in the case control.
PART Superelements
For PART superelements defined with BEGIN SUPER, either each bulk data must have the desired
PARAMs, or they must be specified in the case control. A common misconception is that
PARAM,POST defined in the main bulk data section is applicable to all superelement. To the contrary,
PARAM,POST (and any other PARAM) entry must be specified either within the BEGIN SUPER
section or in the case control. Often, it is easier to define the PARAMs in the case control.

CHAPTER 4 275
For External Superelements, there is very little flexibility to change PARAMs after the reduction is
performed. During the superelement reduction step (EXTSEOUT or PARAM,EXTOUT), the
PARAM entries associated with stiffness generation and reduction (or mass / load generation and
reduction) are applied. PARAMs associated with other operations are ignored. During the assembly run,
there are very few PARAMs that are recognized and applied. For instance, PARAM,SNORM will
affect the reduction run, but will never be applied to the reduced superelement in the assembly run.


Special Considerations
Most of the examples in this manual are presented with a non-superelement solution, a list superelement
solution, a part element solution to demonstrate that the same answers are achieved for any method. Up
to this point, the only entries that were required for superelements have been those associated with
partitioning the grids and elements. This section covers special considerations for models with curved
shells.
SNORM for PART or External Superelements

PARAM,SNORM provides a special situation that must be handled by the user for External
superelements. SNORM was introduced in V68.2 and became the default in V2001. The purpose of
SNORM is to generate unique grid point normals for adjacent shell elements as shown below. These
unique grid point normals are generated for the CQUAD4 , CTRIA3 , CQUADR , and CTRIAR
elements. The grid point normal is the average of the local normals from all adjacent shell elements
including CQUAD8 and CTRIA6 elements. When grid point normals are present, they are used in all
element calculations of the CQUAD4, CTRIA3, CQUADR, and CTRIAR elements and improve the
solution.
Figure 4-18 Unique Grid Point Normal for Adjacent Shell Elements
More details on SNORM can be found in Shell Models and Shell Normal (Ch. 3) in the MD Nastran
Reference Manual.

CHAPTER 4 277
Example of Curved Shells

The example for this section comes from the Surface Elements (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran Reference
Manual. The 8x8 mesh will be used as shown here (note: the reference manual uses symmetry, so the
8x8 refers to the elements within a 90° arc and ½ height).
Figure 4-19 SNORM Example Model


Figure 4-20 Boundary Grids Between Superelement 4 and Superelement 1
The following example files are included in the installation in /doc/seug/chapter4/quadr-8x8-*.bdf.

Using the defaults, it is easy to see that the external superelement produces inconsistent results with
respect to the baseline, list superelements, and part superelements.
Table 4-15 SNORM Example Deflection Comparison Using Default Values

Grid 1 Radial
Filename Superelement Type Deflection
quadr-8x8-baseline.bdf Residual Only 4.738975E-01
quadr-8x8-seset.bdf List Superelement - BEGIN BULK 4.738975E-01
quadr-8x8-partse.bdf PART Superelement BEGIN SUPER 4.738975E-01
quadr-8x8-extse-q1.bdf External generation (EXTSEOUT) n/a

CHAPTER 4 279
Table 4-15 SNORM Example Deflection Comparison Using Default Values

Grid 1 Radial
Filename Superelement Type Deflection
quadr-8x8-assembly.bdf External assembly 5.350466E-01
So, why is the external superelement solution so much different? The answer is the values of SNORM.
For the Residual Only, List Superelement, and Part Superelement solutions, MSC.Nastran has enough
information to form SNORM based on all of the elements attaching to each grid – even if they are not in
the current superelement. In the case of External Superelements, MSC.Nastran has no information
about what is beyond the boundary, and bases the SNORM value on the elements it knows about. For
all of these example cases, PARAM,SNORMPRT,1 was turned on so that the SNORM direction cosines
are output to the .pch file. Examination of these values for grid 1 indicates that there is a significant
difference between the internal and external solutions:
Table 4-16 SNORM Example Direction Cosine Comparison Using Default Values
Filename Grid 1 SNORM Direction Vector

Nx Ny Nz
quadr-8x8-baseline.bdf -1.00000 0.00000 0.00000
quadr-8x8-seset.bdf -1.00000 0.00000 0.00000
quadr-8x8-partse.bdf -1.00000 0.00000 0.00000
quadr-8x8-extse-q1.bdf 0.99518 0.09802 0.00000
quadr-8x8-extse-q4.bdf 0.99518 -0.09802 0.00000
quadr-8x8-assembly.bdf n/a n/a n/a
To correct these values, the user must manually define the SNORM direction cosines for each grid on
the boundary that is affected. For the grids shown in Figure 4-20, these entries are:
SNORM 1 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000

SNORM 10 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
SNORM 19 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
SNORM 28 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
SNORM 37 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
SNORM 46 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
SNORM 55 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
SNORM 64 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
SNORM 73 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000


SNORM 82 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000

SNORM 91 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
SNORM 100 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
SNORM 109 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
SNORM 118 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
SNORM 127 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
SNORM 136 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
SNORM 145 - 1. 00000 0. 00000 0. 00000
Listing 4-22 SNORM Correction Entries for Grids at =0.0
To complete the example problem suite, the following files are contained in the
/doc/seug/chapter4/snorm directory:
1.

Chapter 5: Inertia Relief Analysis Using Superelements

5 Inertia Relief Analysis Using

Superelements
 Introduction

The Concept of Inertia Relief
 Interface for Inertia Relief Using Superelements
 Inertia Relief Examples (Freedom)


Introduction
Introduction
Inertia relief is a subset of static analysis that can be used to let the body inertia react the applied loads.
Common applications include free-free aircraft where the aeroelastic loads are known and the mass is
used to balance the loads. Automotive applications can include applying known loads at the axles and
allowing the inertia of the structure to balance the loads.
Inertia relief is normally used to find the static solution of models that are not fully constrained. That is,
if a structure has possible mechanisms or rigid body motion, a static analysis cannot be performed using
conventional methods. Inertia relief provides an approach that can solve problems containing
mechanisms or rigid body modes by applying supports in order to calculate an equivalent set of body
accelerations. These body accelerations are applied equal and opposite to the applied loads. The
supports allow a stable solution while the body accelerations ensure that a zero net reaction load is
realized at the support locations.
The reader is encouraged to review the following reference documentation for further description and
theoretical discussion:
• Inertia Relief (Ch. 11) in the MSC Nastran Linear Static Analysis User’s Guide
• Rigid Body Supports (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran Reference Manual
• Static Condensation in SubDMAPs SEKR and SEMR2 (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran Reference
Manual

CHAPTER 5 283
Inertia Relief Analysis Using Superelements
The Concept of Inertia Relief

Users can use inertia relief to obtain a static solution for a structure that is not stable, but is in a state of
equilibrium under loading. Examples of structures in this state are aircraft in flight, cars in motion, and
spacecraft in orbit. Each of these structures has one or more unconstrained, rigid body motions possible.
Therefore, it is not possible to solve these problems using conventional static analysis. In inertia relief
the structure is in a state of static equilibrium under applied loading and inertial loads.
When inertia relief is invoked, the program will calculate the summation of all loads and the mass
properties about the reference degrees-of-freedom (DOFs), and then the inertial loads required to put the
structure in a state of static equilibrium will be calculated. The program applies the static loads and these
accelerations simultaneously. The model is now in a state of equilibrium, and a set of constraints must
be added that can prevent any rigid body motion or mechanisms. The program accomplishes this task by
constraining the reference DOFs and performing the solution. If the structure is capable of rigid body
motion or mechanisms and the reference DOFs can prevent these, then the reaction forces at the
reference DOFs will be zero.
The inertia relief implementation in SOL 101 allows a maximum of six reference dof can be specified.
This is in contrast to SOL 1 (non-superelement solution) which has a general implementation and allows
for any number and combination of rigid-body modes and mechanisms. The intent of SOL 101 is to
allow the solution of structures that are free-free (or to allow rigid body motion) and not to resolve
structures that have additional mechanisms. At the superelement level, SOL 101 calculates additional
inertia loadings (beyond those specified in the Case Control Section). Each of these loads corresponds
to a unit acceleration of the superelement mass about the reference point (PARAM,GRDPNT). The
procedure used to solve the inertia relief problem is described in detail in General Operations (Ch. 1) in
the MSC Nastran Reference Manual.


Interface for Inertia Relief Using Superelements

Inertia relief is only applicable in static analysis. The inertia relief path is invoked when the user specifies
PARAM,INREL. There are two options available as described in the following sections.
Manual Defin ition of Reference Points

In SOL 101 the manual definition of inertia relief is invoked by using a SUPORT or SUPORT1 with
SUPORT1 case control and PARAM,INREL,-1 . The SUPORT and SUPORT1 entries are as follows:
SUPORT / SUPORT1 Fictitious Support
Defines determinate reaction degrees-of-freedom (r-set) in a free body analysis.

SUPORT1 must be requested by the SUPORT1 Case Control command.
Format(s):
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SUPORT ID1 C1 ID2 C2 ID3 C3 ID4 C4
SUPORT1 SID ID1 C1 ID2 C2 ID3 C3
Examples:
SUPORT 16 123456
SUPORT1 5 16 123456
Field Contents
SID Identification number of the support set.
Idi Grid or scalar point identification numbers.
Ci Component numbers. (Integer zero or blank for scalar points, or any unique
combinations of the Integers 1 through 6 for grid points with no embedded blanks.)
If a SUPORT entry is used and PARAM,INREL is not set to -1, MSC.Nastran will treat the SUPORT
entries the same as SPC1 constraints on the specified dof and the static solution with the reference
(SUPORT) DOFs constrained and will not calculate the acceleration loads required for equilibrium.
If PARAM,GRDPNT is specified in an inertial relief run, it must be specified for all superelements, and
the location of the reference grid point must be identical for all superelements. Otherwise a FATAL
message will be issued. NOTE: this is one potential issue with specifying PART Superelements with

CHAPTER 5 285
inertia relief in Patran. Unless the user removes the PARAM,GRDPNT from the input file, the following
message will likely occur:
^^^
^^^ GRI D POI NT 501 ON PARAM, GRDPNT I S NOT KNOWN TO THE CURRENT SUPERELEMENT. THI S I S NOT ALLOWED I N I NERTI A RELI EF.
^^^
An additional Bulk Data entry, DMIG,UACCEL, is available so user-specified accelerations can be

used in place of the ones calculated for equilibrium. When using DMIG,UACCEL, the user must specify
the point about which the accelerations will be applied (this point must appear on a SUPORT entry). A
different acceleration can be specified for each subcase. In this case, uniform accelerations are applied
to the model, and the solution is found. Uniform accelerations are useful for situations, such as spacecraft
liftoff and landing loadings, which are often specified as static accelerations.
DMIG,UACCEL Direct Matrix Input of Enforced Static Acceleration
Defines rigid body accelerations in the basic coordinate system.

Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
DMIG UACCEL “0" “9" TIN NCOL
DMIG UACCEL L G1 C1 X1
G2 C2 X2 G3 C3 X3
Example:
DMIG UACCEL 0 9 1 4
DMIG UACCEL 2 2 3 386.4
Field Contents
TIN Type of matrix being input. (Integer 1 or 2)
1 Real, single precision (One field is used per element.)
2 Real, double precision (One field is used per element.)


Field Contents
NCOL Number of columns, see Remark 2. Default is the number of columns specified.
(Integer > 0)
L Load sequence number. (Integer > 0)
Gi Grid point identification number of a single reference point. (Integer > 0)
Ci Component number for Gi in the basic coordinate system. See Remark 4. (0 <
Integer < 6)
Xi Value of enforced acceleration term in the basic coordinate system. (Real)
The following rules apply to manual specification of inertia relief in superelement analysis:
• PARAM,INREL,-1
• List Superelements: PARAM,INREL,-1 must be specified in the Main Bulk Data Section or the
Case Control.
• PART Superelements: PARAM,INREL,-1 must appear in each bulk data section or in the case
control (above the first subcase will apply to each superelement).
• SUPORT, SUPORT1 must be specified in the Main Bulk Data Section and refer to grids points
in the residual structure
• DMIG UACCEL entries must be in the Main Bulk Data Section and refer to grid points in the
residual structure.
• PARAM,GRDPNT must be specified for the same grid and must be defined in each
superelement.
• External Superelements produce incorrect results.
Automatic Definition of Reference Points

An alternative method to defining the SUPORT / SUPORT1 entries for the manual method is to specify
the automatic method with PARAM,INREL,-2 . This method was introduced in Version 2004 and is the
recommended inertia relief method. The user does not have to specify the SUPORT entry. The user can
simply specify PARAM,INREL,-2 in the input file. The method is designed for models with exactly 6
rigid body modes. The reference frame is selected automatically, in a manner that poor solutions are
unlikely because of the choice of reference frame variables. Details of the automatic inertia relief method
can be found in Section 3.18 of the V2004 Release Guide and General Operations (Ch. 1) in the MSC
Nastran Reference Manual
The following features are not supported for the Automatic Inertia Relief Method:
• The DMIG,UACCEL option
• The Iterative Solver
• External Superelements produce incorrect answers
The automatic method is supported for List Superelements, PART Superelements.

CHAPTER 5 287
Inertia Relief Examples (Freedom)

The ‘freedom’ aircraft model will be used as the example for inertia relief. Recall from Chapter 3, the
model is broken into superelements as follows:
Figure 5-1 Freedom Superelement Model
For this example there are some fictitious pressure loads on the wings and tail section as well as loads
on the engine as follows:
Figure 5-2 Applied Loads to Freedom Model for Inertia Relief Example


For the manual case, grid 501, attached to an RBE3 on the wingbox, is SUPORTed in all 6dof.
Baseline Residual Example

The baseline model is prepared as normal with elements, properties, and loading. In order to specify
inertia relief in Patran, the user selects Inertia Relief and Node i.d. for Wt. Gener. in the Solution
Parameters Form. Note that in Patran, the SUPORT dof are exported as 123456 on the node specified.
Nastran does allow the user to specify the SUPORT dof on multiple grids as long as the dof are statically
determinate.
Figure 5-3 Defining Inertia Relief (PARAM,INREL,-1) and SUPORT dof in Patran

CHAPTER 5 289
The input for the baseline model contains the standard input plus the loading and the highlighted entries
shown below. This file is part of the delivery in /doc/seug/chapter5/inrel1/freedom-baseline.bdf.

SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = Fr eedom- I ner t i a Rel i ef Exampl e
LABEL = Non- Super el ement Model
ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
$ Subcase name : I ner t i a-Rel i ef
SUBTI TLE=I ner t i a-Rel i ef
LOAD = 2
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1
PARAM INREL -1
PARAM GRDPNT 501
SUPORT 501 123456
Listing 5-1 Entries Generated by Patran for Inertia Relief
Note that PARAM,GRDPNT is not required for inertia relief, but Patran will write it along with the
SUPORT entry.
The solution for the baseline model follows the standard inertia relief algorithms. The data related to
inertia relief include the QRR, QRL, and URA matrices (refer to Inertia Relief (Ch. 11) in the MSC
Nastran Linear Static Analysis User’s Guide for additional detail.)
FREEDOM - I NERTI A RELI EF EXAMPLE APRI L 17, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
NON-SUPERELEMENT MODEL SUBCASE 1
INTERMEDIATE MATRIX ... QRR
COLUMN 1
1 3. 045757E+00 2. 947638E- 11 - 1. 327679E- 10 - 1. 546296E- 09 2. 367779E+01 - 1. 145002E- 07
COLUMN 2
1 - 6. 334501E- 11 3. 045757E+00 - 3. 512300E- 11 - 2. 367779E+01 3. 891883E- 09 1. 823758E+02


COLUMN 3
1 6. 758991E- 10 - 1. 071598E- 10 3. 045757E+00 1. 324432E- 07 - 1. 823758E+02 - 2. 236083E- 08
COLUMN 4
1 4. 486149E- 09 - 2. 367779E+01 1. 265905E- 07 1. 681446E+04 - 5. 012229E- 04 - 5. 598023E+03
COLUMN 5
1 2. 367779E+01 3. 133308E- 08 - 5. 173908E+02 - 5. 168224E- 04 5. 337467E+04 3. 782013E- 04
COLUMN 6
1 - 1. 417457E- 07 5. 173908E+02 - 1. 166995E- 08 - 8. 202438E+03 3. 731522E- 04 6. 687310E+04
INTERMEDIATE MATRIX ... QRL
COLUMN 1
1 4. 503087E+01 1. 140729E- 07 - 2. 206303E+03 - 1. 281470E- 05 1. 877806E+05 2. 372100E- 05
INTERMEDIATE MATRIX ... URA
COLUMN 1
1 4. 578611E+00 - 3. 485217E- 06 3. 012699E+02 - 7. 474066E- 08 - 2. 490782E+00 1. 708873E- 08

FOR DATA BLOCK KLL
LOAD SEQ. NO. EPSI LON EXTERNAL WORK EPSI LONS LARGER THAN 0. 001 ARE FL AGGED WI TH ASTERI SKS
1 - 1. 1948665E- 12 6.1499340E+01
Listing 5-2 QRR, QRL, and URA matrices for Freedom Baseline Inertia Relief Example
FREEDOM - I NERTI A RELI EF EXAMPLE APRI L 19, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10 PAGE
NON-SUPERELEMENT MODEL, AUTOMATIC SUPORT SUBCASE 1
COLUMN 1
1 3. 045757E+00 - 2. 168404E- 18 6. 938894E- 18 2. 664535E- 15 2. 367779E+01 - 1. 202130E- 07

CHAPTER 5 291
COLUMN 2
1 - 8. 673617E- 19 3. 045757E+00 3. 989864E- 17 - 2. 367779E+01 - 4. 440892E- 15 5. 173908E+02
COLUMN 3
1 - 1. 040834E- 17 - 8. 673617E- 19 3. 045757E+00 1. 202130E- 07 - 5. 173908E+02 0. 000000E+00
COLUMN 4
1 2. 664535E- 15 - 2. 367779E+01 1. 202130E- 07 1. 681446E+04 - 5. 140536E- 04 - 8. 202438E+03
COLUMN 5
1 2. 367779E+01 1. 110223E- 16 - 5. 173908E+02 - 5. 140536E- 04 1. 102846E+05 3. 718374E- 04
COLUMN 6
1 - 1. 202130E- 07 5. 173908E+02 4. 440892E- 15 - 8. 202438E+03 3. 718374E- 04 1. 237830E+05
COLUMN 1
1 4. 503087E+01 5. 995204E- 14 - 2. 206303E+03 2. 740799E- 11 4. 304607E+05 2. 065903E- 12
COLUMN 1
1 4. 578611E+00 - 3. 486766E- 06 3. 012699E+02 - 7. 487090E- 08 - 2. 490782E+00 1. 709939E- 08

FOR DATA BLOCK KLL
LOAD SEQ. NO. EPSI LON EXTERNAL WORK EPSI LONS LARGER THAN 0. 001 ARE FLAGGED WI TH ASTERI SKS
1 3. 0007746E- 11 6.1499340E+01
Listing 5-3 QRR, QRL, and URA matrices for Freedom Baseline Inertia Relief Example –
Automatic SUPORT
Note that the displacements are always relative to the SUPORT points. Of course this makes sense
because the SUPORT points are the fictitious constraints used during the inertia relief process, so their
displacements are zero. Since the SUPORT points are statically determinate, the relative displacements
in the structure will be the same. Thus, the element strains and subsequent stresses will be unaffected by
the choice of SUPORT dof. Even though the QRR and QRL matrices are different (in rotations), the net
solution for URA and relative displacements is exactly the same whether manual or automatic SUPORT
points are used. Of course, the external work is exactly the same, as expected.


List Superelement Example

The list superelement (SESET) setup for this model is the same as described in Defining List
Superelements (Ch. 2). The inertia relief definition is the same as shown in Figure 5-3. The resulting
input file is the same as the baseline model with the addition of the SESET entries:
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = Fr eedom- I ner t i a Rel i ef Exampl e
LABEL = SESET Model
param,grdpnt,0
ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
$ Subcase name : I ner t i a-Rel i ef
SUBTI TLE=I ner t i a- Rel i ef
LOAD = 2
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1
PARAM INREL -1
$PARAM GRDPNT 501
SUPORT 501 123456
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES

…
…
$ t a i l . 10
SESET 10 10001 THRU 10142
SESET 10 10163 THRU 10434
$ engi ne. 20
SESET 20 20001 THRU 20010
SESET 20 20012 THRU 20224
SESET 20 20241
SESET 20 20501 THRU 20510
SESET 20 20512 THRU 20724
SESET 20 20741
$ aft - f usel age.30
SESET 30 30055 THRU 30078
SESET 30 30103 THRU 30811
$ wi ngs. 40
SESET 40 40009 THRU 40552
SESET 40 45009 THRU 45552

CHAPTER 5 293
$ cabi n. 50
SESET 50 50025 THRU 50781
$ nose. 60
SESET 60 60025 THRU 60241
…
Listing 5-4 Entries Generated by Patran for Inertia Relief SESET Example
Note that PARAM,GRDPNT,501 is manually commented to avoid User Fatal Message 6009 described
in Manual Definition of Reference Points above. The results of this solution are exactly the same as the
baseline model:
SESET MODEL SUBCASE 1
COLUMN 1
1 3. 045757E+00 - 2. 316819E- 11 - 5. 672507E- 11 5. 707202E- 10 2. 367779E+01 - 1. 241147E- 07
COLUMN 2
1 - 6. 210241E- 11 3. 045757E+00 8. 054769E- 13 - 2. 367779E+01 - 1. 651148E- 09 1. 823758E+02
COLUMN 3
1 - 7. 951607E- 11 8. 219830E- 11 3. 045757E+00 1. 193610E- 07 - 1. 823758E+02 1. 274564E- 08
COLUMN 4
1 3. 622851E- 09 - 2. 367779E+01 1. 209920E- 07 1. 681446E+04 - 5. 007371E- 04 - 5. 598023E+03
COLUMN 5
1 2. 367779E+01 - 2. 480283E- 08 - 5. 173908E+02 - 5. 136385E- 04 5. 337467E+04 3. 679409E- 04
COLUMN 6
1 - 1. 413612E- 07 5. 173908E+02 2. 598918E- 10 - 8. 202438E+03 3. 712929E- 04 6. 687310E+04
COLUMN 1
1 4. 503087E+01 - 8. 756203E- 08 - 2. 206303E+03 9. 046338E- 07 1. 877806E+05 - 1. 354397E- 05


COLUMN 1
1 4. 578611E+00 - 3. 486443E- 06 3. 012699E+02 - 7. 484697E- 08 - 2. 490782E+00 1. 710076E- 08

FOR DATA BLOCK KLL
1 - 3. 5960325E- 12 2.5560770E+01
Listing 5-5 QRR, QRL, and URA matrices for Freedom SESET Inertia Relief Example,
Manual SUPORT
SESET MODEL, AUTOMATI C SUPORT SUBCASE 1
COLUMN 1
1 3. 045757E+00 - 4. 340937E- 13 6. 695174E- 13 4. 467154E- 11 2. 367779E+01 - 1. 204133E- 07
COLUMN 2
1 - 6. 561843E- 13 3. 045757E+00 - 6. 132841E- 13 - 2. 367779E+01 8. 992702E- 11 5. 173908E+02
COLUMN 3
1 2. 177562E- 12 - 2. 058131E- 12 3. 045757E+00 1. 208757E- 07 - 5. 173908E+02 - 7. 164146E- 10
COLUMN 4
1 3. 561191E- 10 - 2. 367779E+01 1. 209224E- 07 1. 681446E+04 - 5. 141476E- 04 - 8. 202438E+03
COLUMN 5
1 2. 367779E+01 2. 840832E- 10 - 5. 173908E+02 - 5. 141501E- 04 1. 102846E+05 3. 719388E- 04
COLUMN 6
1 - 1. 204577E- 07 5. 173908E+02 - 1. 673694E- 10 - 8. 202438E+03 3. 718660E- 04 1. 237830E+05
COLUMN 1
1 4. 503087E+01 2. 076625E- 09 - 2. 206303E+03 - 6. 944076E- 07 4. 304607E+05 7. 571039E- 07

CHAPTER 5 295
COLUMN 1
1 4. 578611E+00 - 3. 486421E- 06 3. 012699E+02 - 7. 485668E- 08 - 2. 490782E+00 1. 709656E- 08

FOR DATA BLOCK KLL
1 - 8. 9810836E- 13 2.5560770E+01
Listing 5-6 QRR, QRL, and URA matrices for Freedom SESET Inertia Relief Example,
Automatic SUPORT
Note that the external work is different than the non-superelement example. This is because the external
work is calculated for the residual solution only.
PART Superelement Example

The PART superelement setup for this model is the same as described in Defining PART Superelements
(Ch. 2). The inertia relief definition is the same as shown in Figure 5-3. The resulting input file is the
same as a PART superelement model except PARAM,INREL,-1, PARAM,GRDPNT,501, and the
SUPORT entries are in each PART superelement. This input would result in a fatal message 9006
described above. But if the PARAM,GRDPNT and SUPORT entries are commented from each PART
superelement, the model will solve as expected.
PART MODEL, MANUAL SUPORT SUBCASE 1
COLUMN 1
1 3. 045757E+00 - 2. 289200E- 11 - 5. 686449E- 11 5. 693241E- 10 2. 367779E+01 - 1. 240983E- 07
COLUMN 2
1 - 6. 284509E- 11 3. 045757E+00 5. 457716E- 13 - 2. 367779E+01 - 1. 620809E- 09 1. 823758E+02
COLUMN 3
1 - 6. 685159E- 11 8. 156821E- 11 3. 045757E+00 1. 193249E- 07 - 1. 823758E+02 1. 271673E- 08
COLUMN 4
1 3. 657268E- 09 - 2. 367779E+01 1. 209012E- 07 1. 681446E+04 - 5. 007266E- 04 - 5. 598023E+03
COLUMN 5


1 2. 367779E+01 - 2. 459625E- 08 - 5. 173908E+02 - 5. 136293E- 04 5. 337467E+04 3. 679520E- 04
COLUMN 6
1 - 1. 416112E- 07 5. 173908E+02 1. 727775E- 10 - 8. 202438E+03 3. 713032E- 04 6. 687310E+04
COLUMN 1
1 4. 503087E+01 - 8. 689504E- 08 - 2. 206303E+03 9. 421889E- 07 1. 877806E+05 - 1. 351392E- 05
COLUMN 1
1 4. 578611E+00 - 3. 486449E- 06 3. 012699E+02 - 7. 484717E- 08 - 2. 490782E+00 1. 710085E- 08

FOR DATA BLOCK KLL
1 - 3. 1166439E- 12 2.5560770E+01
Listing 5-7 QRR, QRL, and URA matrices for Freedom PART Inertia Relief Example,
Manual SUPORT
PART MODEL, AUTOMATIC SUPORT SUBCASE 1
COLUMN 1
1 3. 045757E+00 - 4. 344630E- 13 6. 695105E- 13 4. 467153E- 11 2. 367779E+01 - 1. 204133E- 07
COLUMN 2
1 - 6. 562398E- 13 3. 045757E+00 - 6. 132425E- 13 - 2. 367779E+01 8. 984531E- 11 5. 173908E+02
COLUMN 3
1 2. 177479E- 12 - 2. 058378E- 12 3. 045757E+00 1. 208757E- 07 - 5. 173908E+02 - 7. 163629E- 10
COLUMN 4
1 3. 561466E- 10 - 2. 367779E+01 1. 209225E- 07 1. 681446E+04 - 5. 141476E- 04 - 8. 202438E+03

CHAPTER 5 297
COLUMN 5
1 2. 367779E+01 2. 840672E- 10 - 5. 173908E+02 - 5. 141501E- 04 1. 102846E+05 3. 719388E- 04
COLUMN 6
1 - 1. 204578E- 07 5. 173908E+02 - 1. 672735E- 10 - 8. 202438E+03 3. 718659E- 04 1. 237830E+05
COLUMN 1
1 4. 503087E+01 2. 076575E- 09 - 2. 206303E+03 - 6. 944107E- 07 4. 304607E+05 7. 572106E- 07
COLUMN 1
1 4. 578611E+00 - 3. 486420E- 06 3. 012699E+02 - 7. 485668E- 08 - 2. 490782E+00 1. 709656E- 08

FOR DATA BLOCK KLL
1 - 3. 9768788E- 13 2.5560770E+01
Listing 5-8 QRR, QRL, and URA matrices for Freedom PART Inertia Relief Example,
Automatic SUPORT
Notice that the PART superelement solution matches the List Superelement solution for both the manual
and automatic SUPORT solutons.
External Superelement Exampl e

As noted in Comparison of Methods (Ch. 3), the mass matrix is not generated in static analysis. As a
consequence, inertia loads (GRAV and RFORCE) are not applied to external superelements during the
assembly run. Similarly, inertia relief calculations will not include the external superelement mass
matrix. Since external superelements produce incorrect answers for inertia relief, the examples are
withheld.
Comparison of results
The key results are summarized below. The files are located in the MSC.Nastran delivery subdirectory
/doc/seug/chapter5. Note that the URA (acceleration) numbers are exactly the same for the baseline, List
Superelement (SESET) and PART Superelements. The key stress is reported for element 30715 von


Mises at the Center +Z. Note that the only key value that changes is the External Work value. The
External Work value is calculated for the residual structure, so it makes sense that the superelement
values are different (and lower) than the residual structure only solution.
Table 5-1 Inertia Relief Comparison Matrix

File INREL URA-Tx URA-Tz URA-Ry Ext Work Stress
Freedom- -1 4.578611E+00 3.012699E+02 -2.490782E+00 6.1499340E+01 1.240841E+03
baseline-
inrel.bdf
Freedom- -2 4.578611E+00 3.012699E+02 -2.490782E+00 6.1499340E+01 1.240841E+03
baseline-
inrel2.bdf
Freedom- -1 4.578611E+00 3.012699E+02 -2.490782E+00 2.5560770E+01 1.240841E+03
partse-
continuous-
inrel.bdf
Freedom- -2 4.578611E+00 3.012699E+02 -2.490782E+00 2.5560770E+01 1.240841E+03
partse-
continuous-
inrel2.bdf
Freedom- -1 4.578611E+00 3.012699E+02 -2.490782E+00 2.5560770E+01 1.240841E+03
seset-
inrel.bdf
Freedom- -2 4.578611E+00 3.012699E+02 -2.490782E+00 2.5560770E+01 1.240841E+03
seset-
inrel2.bdf
From the data presented in this chapter, it can be concluded that inertia relief works equally well for
internal superelement solutions as residual-only solutions.
1.

Chapter 6: Multiple Loading in Static Analysis

6 Multiple Loading in Static Analysis
 Introduction
 Internal Case Control Partitioning

Examples for Multiple Loading Conditions (cantilever plate)


Introduction
Introduction
Although Case Control (Ch. 4) discussed multiple loadings, this chapter clarifies how the Case Control
is handled in static analysis with multiple loading conditions. If multiple load cases exist in a static
solution, a separate subcase must exist for the residual structure for each load condition or boundary
condition. Separate subcases can exist for the superelements for each solution. This section describes
how the program internally partitions the Case Control into separate sections for each superelement.

CHAPTER 6 301
Multiple Loading in Static Analysis
Internal Case Control Partitioning

As discussed in Superelement Partitioning (Ch. 2), MSC.Nastran divides the Bulk Data into separate
sections (internal tables) based on the superelement definitions. Similarly, the Case Control is also
partitioned into separate sets for each superelement. The name of this separate datablock is CASES in
the DMAP. Section 4.x discusses how the the SUPER command is used to determine which SUBCASEs
apply to which superelements. This command is also used in partitioning the Case Control.
Based the specification of the SUPER command, a separate set of Case Control is created for each
superelement. One set is for the residual structure. The residual Case Control controls the final solution
of
 P t  =  K tt   U t  (6-1)
As described in The SUPER Command (Ch. 4), a SUBCASE must be defined for the residual structure
for each loading condition (or boundary condition) which will be solved. As mentioned before, the
program actually copies any SUBCASEs that reference superelement 0 into a CASES table, which is
qualified with SEID = 0 (refer to the qualifier discussion in The SUPER Command (Ch. 4)). When
processing the residual structure (PHASE 1), the program uses this copy of the Case Control. The
program creates a separate CASES table for each superelement in the model (qualified with SEID=seid ).
The SEP2CT module creates this table during execution of the PHASE0 subDMAP in the program.
The following examples demonstrate (in an idealized form) the Case Control partitioning.
Use of Load Sequences

As a review, refer to The SUPER Command (Ch. 4) for a detailed description of load sequences with the
SUPER command.
Condensed Case Control

As discussed in Condensed Case Control (Ch. 4), condensed Case Control provides a single set of case
control instructions that apply to every superelement for each load sequence.
A simple example of condensed Case Control is:
DI SP=ALL
STRESS=ALL
SPC=2
SUBCASE 101
LOAD = 15
SUBCASE 201
LOAD = 3
SUBCASE 301
LOAD = 77


Internal Case Control Partitioni ng
Listing 6-1 Simple Example of Condensed Case Control
Expanded Case Contro l

Expanded Case Control (Ch. 4) discussed the aspects of expanded control and how the loads, constraints,
parameters, and output can be more precisely applied to each superelement. An example of expanded
case control is:
I SPL=ALL
STRESS=ALL
$
SUBCASE 11
SUPER=10, 1
SPC=3
SUBCASE 12
SUPER=10, 2
SUBCASE 13
SUPER=10, 3
LOAD=542
SUBCASE 21
SUPER=20, 3
SPC=3
LOAD=21
SUBCASE 22
SUPER=20, 2
SPC=3
LOAD=22
SUBCASE 23
SUPER=20, 1
SPC=3
SUBCASE 31
SUPER=0, 1
SPC=2
LOAD=1
SUBCASE 32
SUPER=0, 2
SPC=2
LOAD=29
SUBCASE 33
SUPER=0, 3
SPC=2
LOAD=3
Listing 6-2 Example of Expanded Case Control

CHAPTER 6 303
Examples for Multiple Loading Conditions (cantilever

plate)
In this Section, the Expanded Case Control Example 2 from Case Control (Ch. 4) will be expanded to
include List Superelements, PART Superelement, and External Superelements. Comparison of Results
will summarize the results.
A slight variant of the cantilever plate that was used in Defining List Superelements (Ch. 2) will be used
here. The differences are in the applied loads, constraints, and parameters.
Figure 6-1 Geometry for Expanded Case Control Example
The geometry and properties for this model are as follows:
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . 0
$
$ Canti l evered BeamMade of Pl at es Model
$
$ / 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211
$ Y / * - - - - *- - - - * - - - - * - - - - *- - - - * - - - - * - - - - *- - - - * - - - - * - - - - *
$ ^ /| | | | | | | | | | |
$ | /| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
$ | /| | | | | | | | | | |
$ +- - - >X /*--- -*--- -*--- -*--- -*--- -*--- -*--- -*--- -*--- -*--- -*
$ / 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111
$
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . 0
GRI D 101 0. 0. 0.
GRI D 102 1. 0. 0.
GRI D 103 2. 0. 0.
GRI D 104 3. 0. 0.
GRI D 105 4. 0. 0.
GRI D 106 5. 0. 0.
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 108 7. 0. 0.


Examples for Multiple Loading Conditi ons (cantilever plate)
GRI D 109 8. 0. 0.
GRI D 110 9. 0. 0.
GRI D 111 10. 0. 0.
GRI D 201 0. 1. 0.
GRI D 202 1. 1. 0.
GRI D 203 2. 1. 0.
GRI D 204 3. 1. 0.
GRI D 205 4. 1. 0.
GRI D 206 5. 1. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
GRI D 208 7. 1. 0.
GRI D 209 8. 1. 0.
GRI D 210 9. 1. 0.
GRI D 211 10. 1. 0.
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . 0
CQUAD4 1 1 101 102 202 201
CQUAD4 2 1 102 103 203 202
CQUAD4 3 1 103 104 204 203
CQUAD4 4 1 104 105 205 204
CQUAD4 5 1 105 106 206 205
CQUAD4 6 2 106 107 207 206
CQUAD4 7 2 107 108 208 207
CQUAD4 8 2 108 109 209 208
CQUAD4 9 2 109 110 210 209
CQUAD4 10 2 110 111 211 210
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . 0
MAT1 1 10. E6 .3 2. 588- 4 1. E- 6 0.
PSHELL 1 1 .1 1
PSHELL 2 1 .1 1
Listing 6-3 Geometry and Properties for Expanded Case Control Example
The loadings and constraints are as follows:
Figure 6-2 Constraints for Expanded Case Control Example

CHAPTER 6 305
Figure 6-3 Load Sequence 1 for Expanded Case Control Example


For simplicity of comparing input files, the loads and boundary conditions retain the same values and
comments – the loads on the residual structure are defined in the bulk data section as follows:
$ al l spc' s are appl i ed t o al l subcases

spcadd, 99, 2, 3
$ SE 20 SPC' s
spc1, 3, 123456, 101, 201
$ SE 10 SPCs
spc1, 3, 6, 111, 211
$ SE 0 SPCs
spc1, 2, 6, 101, t hru, 211
$ 1st l oad sequence = f orce 1 + f orce 23

l oad, 1001, 1. , 1. , 1, 1. , 23
$ 2nd l oad sequence = f orce 22 + f orce 29
l oad, 1002, 1. , 1. , 22, 1. , 29
$ 3r d l oad sequence = f orce 542 + f orce 21 + f orce 3
l oad, 1003, 1. , 1. , 3, 1. , 21, 1. , 542
$ SE 20 l oads
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . 0
FORCE 21 203 21. 0. 1. 0.
FORCE 22 203 22. 1. 0. 0.
$ SE 10 l oads
FORCE 542 211 542. 1. 0. 0.
$ SE 0 l oads
FORCE 1 206 1. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 29 206 29. 1. 0. 0.
FORCE 3 206 3. 0. 1. 0.
Listing 6-4 Loads and Constraints for Expanded Case Control Example
In addition, DISP=ALL and STRESS=ALL are the output requests and PARAM,K6ROT,0. is the only
non-default parameter specified.
Baseline Residual Example

The case control for the baseline model (/doc/seug/chapter5/expanded-case-control/ex2 -baseline.dat) is
as follows:
DI SPL=ALL
STRESS=ALL
$
spc = 99
SUBCASE 1

CHAPTER 6 307
LOAD = 1001
SUBCASE 2
LOAD = 1002
SUBCASE 3
LOAD = 1003
Listing 6-5 Baseline Case Control
The spc=99 points to the SPCADD entry that combines all of the constraints. The LOAD =100x points
to the corresponding LOAD bulk data entries that combine the individual FORCEs.
List Superelements
The list superelement example (/doc/seug/chapter5/expanded-case-control/ex2 -seset.dat)uses expanded
case control to place the appropriate loads and constraints with each superelement. Note that there is a
superelement subcase for each load sequence, even if there is no load.
SUBCASE 11
SUPER=10, 1
SPC=3
SUBCASE 12
SUPER=10, 2
SPC=3
SUBCASE 13
SUPER=10, 3
LOAD=542
SPC=3
SUBCASE 21
SUPER=20, 1
SPC=3
LOAD=23
SUBCASE 22
SUPER=20, 2
SPC=3
LOAD=22
SUBCASE 23
SUPER=20, 3
SPC=3
LOAD=21
SUBCASE 31
SUPER=0, 1
SPC=2
LOAD=1


SUBCASE 32
SUPER=0, 2
SPC=2
LOAD=29
SUBCASE 33
SUPER=0, 3
SPC=2
LOAD=3
SESET, 10, 108, t hru, 111

SESET, 10, 208, t hru, 211
SESET, 20, 101, t hru, 103
SESET, 20, 201, t hru, 203
Listing 6-6 List Superelement (SESET) Expanded Case Control and SESET Entries
PART Superelements
The PART superelement model (/doc/seug/chapter5/expanded-case-control/ex2 -part.dat) is broken into
its constituent sections. The case control is exactly the same as shown in Listing 6-1. Below is the bulk
data listing for the PART superelement. Note that param,k6rot is specified within each bulk data section.
Also note that the loads and constraints are only defined in the relevant superelement bulk data section.
BEGI N BULK
par am, k6r ot , 0.
GRI D 104 3. 0. 0.
GRI D 105 4. 0. 0.
GRI D 106 5. 0. 0.
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 204 3. 1. 0.
GRI D 205 4. 1. 0.
GRI D 206 5. 1. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
CQUAD4 4 1 104 105 205 204
CQUAD4 5 1 105 106 206 205
CQUAD4 6 2 106 107 207 206
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . 0
MAT1 1 10. E6 .3 2. 588- 4 1. E- 6 0.
PSHELL 1 1 .1 1
PSHELL 2 1 .1 1
$ SE 0 SPCs

CHAPTER 6 309
spc1,2,6,101,thru,211
$ SE 0 loads
FORCE 1 20 6 1. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 29 206 29. 1. 0. 0.
FORCE 3 20 6 3. 0. 1. 0.
BEGIN SUPER = 10
param,k6rot,0.
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 108 7. 0. 0.
GRI D 109 8. 0. 0.
GRI D 110 9. 0. 0.
GRI D 111 10. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
GRI D 208 7. 1. 0.
GRI D 209 8. 1. 0.
GRI D 210 9. 1. 0.
GRI D 211 10. 1. 0.
CQUAD4 7 2 107 108 208 207
CQUAD4 8 2 108 109 209 208
CQUAD4 9 2 109 110 210 209
CQUAD4 10 2 110 111 211 210
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . 0
MAT1 1 10. E6 .3 2. 588- 4 1. E- 6 0.
PSHELL 2 1 .1 1
$ SE 10 SPCs
spc1,3,6,111,211
$ SE 10 loads
FORCE 542 211 542. 1. 0. 0.
BEGIN SUPER = 20
param,k6rot,0.
GRI D 101 0. 0. 0.
GRI D 102 1. 0. 0.
GRI D 103 2. 0. 0.
GRI D 104 3. 0. 0.
GRI D 201 0. 1. 0.
GRI D 202 1. 1. 0.
GRI D 203 2. 1. 0.
GRI D 204 3. 1. 0.
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . 0
CQUAD4 1 1 101 102 202 201


CQUAD4 2 1 102 103 203 202

CQUAD4 3 1 103 104 204 203
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . 0
MAT1 1 10. E6 .3 2. 588- 4 1. E- 6 0.
PSHELL 1 1 .1 1
$ SE 20 SPC's
spc1,3,123456,101,201
$ SE 20 loads
$.......2.......3.......4.......5.......6.......7.......8.......9.......0
FORCE 21 203 21. 0. 1. 0.
FORCE 22 203 22. 1. 0. 0.
Listing 6-7 PART Superelement Bulk Data for Expanded Case Control Example
The external superelement example is broken into its constituent superelement component models
(/doc/seug/chapter5/expanded-case-control/ex2 –extout10.dat, and -extout20.dat). The bulk data for
each superelement differs from the bulk data in the corresponding PART superelement shown above
because the SUPER entry is removed. Remember, during the reduction step, there are no superelements.
The Case Control for each External Superelment creation run is shown below. The boundaries are
defined with appropriate ASET1 entries. In this case, the MATDB (a.k.a. MATRIXDB) method is used
to store the external superelement matrices.
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10, MATDB)

$
SUBCASE 11
SPC=3
SUBCASE 12
SPC=3
SUBCASE 13
LOAD=542
SPC=3
BEGI N BULK
aset1, 123456, 107, 207
Listing 6-8 Case Control for External Superelement 10 in Expanded Case Control Example
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK, EXTBULK, EXTI D=20, MATDB)

$
SUBCASE 21
SPC=3
LOAD=23

CHAPTER 6 311
SUBCASE 22
SPC=3
LOAD=22
SUBCASE 23
SPC=3
LOAD=21
BEGI N BULK
aset1, 123456, 104, 204
Listing 6-9 Case Control for External Superelement 20 in Expanded Case Control Example
Note that the Case Control sections for the external superelements are exactly the same as for the internal
List and PART superelements. One of the key things to notice is that subcases are required for each
Residual Load Sequence, even if there are no loads in the external superelement.
The assembly run (/doc/seug/chapter5/expanded-case-control/ex2 -assemble.dat) requires additional
FMS to attach the external superelements. The SUPER command is not strictly required, but is retained
in the example for completeness. Finally, the assembly information from the .asm file is included in
the bulk data section.
assi gn se10m=' expanded- casecc- ex2- ext out10. MASTER'

DBLOCATE DATABLK=( EXTDB) CONVERT( SEI D=20) LOGI =se20m
SOL 101 $ Li near St ati cs

CEND
$
TI TLE = CANTI LEVERED BEAM MADE OF PLATES
Subt i t l e = Created by Lance Proctor, Eagl eSi m
Label = Ext ernal Super el ement Exampl e - Assembl y
$
DI SPL=ALL
STRESS=ALL
$
SUBCASE 11
SUPER=10, 1
SUBCASE 12
SUPER=10, 2
SUBCASE 13
SUPER=10, 3
SUBCASE 21
SUPER=20, 1


SUBCASE 22
SUPER=20, 2
SUBCASE 23
SUPER=20, 3
SUBCASE 31
SUPER=0, 1
SPC=2
LOAD=1
SUBCASE 32
SUPER=0, 2
SPC=2
LOAD=29
SUBCASE 33
SUPER=0, 3
SPC=2
LOAD=3
BEGI N BULK
i ncl ude ' expanded- casecc- ex2- extout10. asm'
i ncl ude ' expanded- casecc- ex2- extout20. asm'
Listing 6-10 Case Control for the Assembly Run in Expanded Case Control Example
If the user removes the super commands from the assembly run, then only SUBCASEs 31, 32, and 33 are
required to obtain output for all superelements. The modified input file is as follows
(/doc/seug/chapter5/expanded-case-control/ex2 –assemble-alt.dat):


CEND
$
Subt i t l e = Creat ed by Lance Proctor, Eagl eSi m
Label = Ext er nal Super el ement Exampl e - Assembl y
$
DI SPL=ALL
STRESS=ALL
$
SUBCASE 31

CHAPTER 6 313
SPC=3
LOAD=1
SUBCASE 32
SPC=3
LOAD=29
SUBCASE 33
SPC=3
LOAD=3
BEGI N BULK
i ncl ude ' expanded- casecc-ex2- extout10. asm'
i ncl ude ' expanded- casecc-ex2- extout20. asm'
Listing 6-11 Case Control for the Assembly Run in Expanded Case Control Example –
Alternate Condensed Case Control
Comparison of Result s
To compare the results, a displacement and stress component within each superelement for each load
sequence is tabulated below. The answers are exactly the same regardless of method.
Table 6-1 Comparison of Results for Expanded Case Control Example – Load Sequence 1
Solution U
z 203
U
z 206
U
z 211
  m 1   m 5   m 8
Baseline 1.046790E-02 5.013979E-02 1.244254E-01 2.557507E+03 3.738639E+02 5.389776E+00
SESET 1.046790E-02 5.013979E-02 1.244254E-01 2.557507E+03 3.738639E+02 5.389776E+00
PART 1.046790E-02 5.013979E-02 1.244254E-01 2.557507E+03 3.738639E+02 5.389776E+00
External 1.046790E-02 5.013979E-02 1.244254E-01 2.557507E+03 3.738639E+02 5.389776E+00
Table 6-2 Comparison of Results for Expanded Case Control Example – Load Sequence 2
Solution U
y 203 U
y 206 U
y 211   m 1   m 5   m 8
Baseline -6.175009E-04 -3.233154E-03 -8.900994E-03 4.860896E+02 2.826428E+02 1.130378E+00
SESET -6.175009E-04 -3.233154E-03 -8.900994E-03 4.860896E+02 2.826428E+02 1.130378E+00
PART -6.175009E-04 -3.233154E-03 -8.900994E-03 4.860896E+02 2.826428E+02 1.130378E+00
External -6.175009E-04 -3.233154E-03 -8.900994E-03 4.860896E+02 2.826428E+02 1.130378E+00


Comparison of Results for Expanded Case Control Example – Load Sequence 3

Solution U
y 203 U
y 206 U
y 211   m 1   m 5   m 8
Baseline -5.509641E-03 -3.695509E-02 -1.541361E-01 5.174318E+03 5.411604E+03 5.419734E+03
SESET -5.509641E-03 -3.695509E-02 -1.541361E-01 5.174318E+03 5.411604E+03 5.419734E+03
PART -5.509641E-03 -3.695509E-02 -1.541361E-01 5.174318E+03 5.411604E+03 5.419734E+03
External -5.509641E-03 -3.695509E-02 -1.541361E-01 5.174318E+03 5.411604E+03 5.419734E+03
1.

Chapter 7: Multi-Level Superelement Analysis

7 Multi-Level Superelement Analysis
 Introduction
 Comparison of Single- and Multi-Level Superelements

User Interface
 Example – Multi-Level Superelement Solved Manually
 Example – Multi-Level Superelement (Freedom)


Introduction
Introduction
The preceding chapters have described superelements in the context of single level a single-level
superelement tree; that is each superelement is reduced and attached directly to the residual structure.
This chapter will provide more information for the analysis for superelements that are broken into
multiple layers.
The first section of this chapter compares the single- and multi-level superelement analysis.
The remainder of the chapter will provide details about the user interface, work through a manual
solution of multi-level superelement analysis, and walk the user through a few examples of using
MSC.Nastran to solve multi-level superelements.

CHAPTER 7 317
Multi-Level Superelement A nalysis
Comparison of Single- and Multi-Level Superelements

There are many circumstances when the user may want to reduce superelements in a ‘tree’ rather than a
line. For these situations, multi-level superelement analysis is available. In the multi-level superelement
technique, the superelements can be chained together in logical branches. In a single-level analysis, all
superelements are processed independently of each other; however, all superelements have to be
processed before the residual structure can be processed. In multi-level the user can create assemblies of
superelements. That is, the exterior points of several superelements can be interior to a downstream
collector superelement.
In order to compare single and multi-level superelement analysis, the flyswatter example from chapter 3
will be used as an illustrative example. Recall the model from Chapter 3:
Figure 7-1 Flyswatter Example Showing Grids Assigned to Residual in Single-Level

The method of single-level superelement analysis covered in Chapter 3. In this method, each
superelement is connected directly to the residual structure, as depicted in the diagram below.


Comparison o f Single- and Multi-Level Superelements
Figure 7-2 Single Level Superelement Analysis of Flyswatter
For example, the model shown in Figure 7-1 could be arranged into a multi-level tree as illustrated in
Figure 7-3.
Figure 7-3 Multi-Level Superelement Tree of Flyswatter
Consider the left branch of the superelement tree:

CHAPTER 7 319
Figure 7-4 Left Branch of Flyswatter Superelement Tree with Boundary Grids Labeled
The solution for the left branch of the superelement tree can be broken down into the reduction and data
recovery phases as shown below:


Figure 7-5 Multi-Level Reduction Steps for Left Branch of Flyswatter Tree

CHAPTER 7 321
Figure 7-6 Multi-Level Data Recovery Steps for Left Branch of Flyswatter Tree
A detailed description of the static solution for the left branch of the tree proceeds as follows:
• Reduce tip Superelement 10
• The stiffness and loads are reduced to grids 35 and 36 which are on the boundary between
Superelement 10 and Superelement 30


10 10
• Generate boundary matrices  K aa    Pa 
10
 fix ed 
• Calculate fixed boundary solution at grids 35 and 36,  U o 
 
f ixed  o –1
•Recall Equation (1-8),  U o  =  U o  =  K oo   P o 
 
• Assemble Superelement 30
• The reduced matrices of Superelement 10 are added to the element stiffness and nodal loads
on Superelement 30
30 30 30 30
•  K gg  =  K j j  +  K aa  10   P g  =  P j  +  P a  10
• Reduce Superelement 30 Assembly

CHAPTER 7 323
• The assembled stiffness and loads are reduced to grids 19 and 20 which are on the boundary
with Superelement 50
30 30
• Generate boundary matrices ,  K aa    Pa 
30
 fix ed 
 
• Assemble Superelement 50
• The reduced matrices of Superelement 30 are added to the element stiffness and nodal loads
on Superelement 50
50 50 50 50
•  K gg  =  K jj  +  K aa  30   P g  =  P j  +  P a  30
• Reduce Superelement 50 Assembly
• The assembled stiffness and loads are reduced to grids 13 and 23 which are on the boundary
with Superelement 0 (Residual)


50 50
• Generate boundary matrices  K aa    Pa 
50
 fix ed 
 
• [Similar reduction is performed for the SE 20-40-60 tree and SE 70 single-level]
• Assemble Residual – Superelement 0
• The reduced matrices of Superelement 5, 6, and 7 are added to the element stiffness and nodal
loads of Superelement 0
0 0
•  K gg  =  K jj  +  K aa  50 +  K aa  60 +  K aa  70 ,
0 0
 Pg  =  P j  +  P a  50 +  P a  60 +  P a  70
• Solve the residual solution
• Perform standard reductions (apply MPC’s, SPC’s)
• Solve for  K ll   U l l  =  Pl 
• Back expand to G-Set solution vector,  U g 
• Data recovery for Residual
• Calculate and output user requested displacements, stresses, etc.
• Data Recovery for Superelement 50
50
 fr e e 
• Obtain free boundary solution at grids 13 and 23,  U a  by copying displacements of
 
grids 13 and 23 from Superelement 0

CHAPTER 7 325
• Calculate interior displacement for free solution based on boundary displacements,

50
 fr ee 
 U o 
 
•Recall equation 1-7, , (in statics the A-Set is equivalent to the T-
fr ee
Set)  U o  =  G ot   U t 
50
 total 
• Combine free-boundary and fixed boundary solution,  U o 
 
total fr ee fixe d
•Recall equation 1-9,  U o  =  U o  +  U o 
• Calculate total Solution for Superelement 50,
total
•Recall Equation 1-9,  U o  =  U o  fr ee +  U o  fixe d
•The total G-Set solution is obtained by combining the A-Set and O-Set displacement
 
 U a 
vectors,  U g  =  
 U o 
 
30
 fr e e 
 


30
• Calculate total Solution for Superelement 30,  U g 

10
 fr e e 
 
10
• Calculate total Solution for Superelement 10,  U g 

• [Data recovery for Superelement Tree 20-40-60 and Superelement 70 is performed similarly]

CHAPTER 7 327
User Interface
By default, MSC.Nastran will perform a single-level superelement analysis – that is, every superelement
is attached to the residual structure by default. In multi-level superelement analysis, one superelement
can be directly connected to another.
The superelement tree is defined with either the DTI, SETREE or SETREE entries.
DTI,SETREE Superelement Tree Definition
Specifies superelement tree that determines the superelement processing order.

Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
DTI SETREE “1” SEUP1 SEDWN1 SEUP2 SEDWN2 SEUP3 SEDWN3
SEUP4 SEDWN4 SEUP5 SEDWN5 -etc.-
Example:
DTI SETREE 1 1 14 2 14 3 14
4 14 14 0
Field Contents
SEUPi Identification number of the superelement upstream from SEDWNi. (Integer > 0)
SEDWNi Identification number of the uperelement into which SEUPi is assembled. (Integer
0)
In the example above, the following superelement tree is defined:


User Interface
Figure 7-7 DTI, SETREE Schematic Example
A more convenient input format is the SETREE entry.
SETREE Superelement Tree Definition (Alternate Form of DTI,SETREE)
Specifies superelement reduction order.

Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SETREE SEID SEUP1 SEUP2 SEUP3 SEUP4 SEUP5 SEUP6 SEUP7
SEUP8 SEUP9 -etc.-
Example:
SETREE 400 10 20 30 40
Field Contents
SEID Partitioned superelement identification number of a downstream superelement.
(Integer > 0)
SEUPi Identification number of superelements that are upstream of SEID. (Integer > 0)

CHAPTER 7 329
Figure 7-8 SETREE Schematic Example
If a superelement is not referenced on the DTI,SETREE or SETREE entry, then the manner in which it
is handled depends on the type of that superelement.
List Superelements
DTI, SETREE
• A List Superelement that is unreferenced in the DTI,SETREE will be automatically attached to

the residual structure if all of its exterior points belong to the residual. However, if one or more
of its exterior points do not belong to the residual, then the program will terminate with a user
fatal error complaining that one of more of the superelements are not in the same path.
SETREE
• SETREE will only be processed if the new superelement partitioning is requested by using
BEGIN SUPER. (for details refer to the note on BEGIN SUP ER vs. BEGIN BULK Superelement
Partitioning)
• A List Superelement that is unreferenced in the SETREE will be automatically attached to the
residual structure if all of its exterior points belong to the residual. However, if one or more of
its exterior points do not belong to the residual, then the program will terminate with a user fatal
error complaining that one of more of the superelements are not in the same path.
PART Superelements
DTI, SETREE


User Interface
• A PART Superelement that is unreferenced in the DTI,SETREE will be automatically attached

to the residual structure if all of its exterior points belong to the residual. However, if one or
more of its exterior points do not belong to the residual, then the program will terminate with a
user fatal error complaining that one of more of the superelements are not in the same path.
SETREE
BEGIN SUPER. (for details refer to the note on BEGIN SUPER vs. BEGIN BULK )
• A PART Superelement that is unreferenced in the SETREE will be automatically attached to the
The external superelement process for multi-level superelement processing can be thought of as a manual
reduction at each level. This type of solution sounds cumbersome at first, but for a large program such
as an aircraft or spacecraft, it is a practical method for creating sub-assemblies and assemblies that have
reduced dof size while retaining full fidelity of the component model.

CHAPTER 7 331
Example – Multi-Level Superelement Solved Manually

An example solved by hand is the best demonstration of how multilevel superelements are processed.
Since solving large problems by hand is not practical, a simple fixed-fixed beam using uniaxial springs
will be is divided into multilevel superelements and solved by hand. The model is shown in the figure
below.
Figure 7-9 Multi-Level Superelement Example – Spring Model and Superelement Tree
This problem can be solved with either List (SESET) Superelements or PART superelements. The
entries required to use the List superelement option are:
SESET, 1, 6, 7
SESET, 2, 4, 5
DTI , SETREE, 1, 2, 0, 1,2
Listing 7-1 Entries for Multi-Level Spring Example using List Superelements
BEGI N BULK
SETREE 2 1
…


[ r esi dual bul k dat a omi t t ed]

…
$ Super el ement Name: SEI D. 1
BEGI N SUPER = 1
…
[ superel ement 1 bul k dat a omi t t ed]
…
BEGI N SUPER = 2
…
[ superel ement 2 bul k dat a omi t t ed]
…
ENDDATA f 0f d6b01
Listing 7-2 Entries for Multi-Level Spring Example using PART Superelements
The corresponding MSC.Nastran input files for this example are located at
/doc/seug/chapter7/spring/baseline.bdf, /doc/seug/chapter7/spring/seset-setree.bdf, and
/doc/seug/chapter7/spring/part-setree.bdf.
Using this superelement definition, the following SEMAP is generated:
Table 7-1 SEMAP for Multi-Level Spring Example

Superelement Exterior Grids Interior Grids Elements
1 5 6,7 5,6
2 3 4,5 3,4
0 - 1,2,3 1,2
Figure 7-10 Superelement 1 Grids and Elements for Spring Example

CHAPTER 7 333
NOTE: for this example, only 1 dof per grid is used.

SUPERELEMENT 1 REDUCTION
The first step in processing the superelement is to generate the matrices associated with the physical
elements contained within the superelement, i.e. the J-Set matrictes. The following stiffness and loading
matrices are generated for superlement 1.
 
1. – 1. 0.  U 5 
 
 K jj  = – 1. 2. – 1. in term of  U 6  (7-1)
 
0. – 1. 1.  U 7 
 
 0. 
 
 P j  =  4.  (7-2)
 
 0. 
Next, the reduced matrices of the upstream superelement (the A-Set boundary matrices) are added to the
physical elements to generate the G-Set matrices. In this case, there are no superelements upstream of
superelement 1, so the G-Set matrices are equivalent to the J-Set matrices. (Note that for this situation,
where two matrices are identical, MSC.Nastran stores only one matrix in the database and will create a
pointer for the second matrix, which points to the stored data. Therefore, the database files do not become
excessively large with duplicated data.)
Following the standard reduction process for statics:
• Remove MPC Dependencies.


• if there were any MPC-type relations (MPCs, RBE2, RBAR, etc), the program would apply
and process these relations, and the G-Set matrices would be reduced to N-Set matrices. In
this case, the N-Set is equivalent to the G-Set.
• Apply SPC Constraints
• For superelement 1, grid point 7 is constrained; thus, terms associated with this grid point are
removed from the matrices to apply that constraint. After applying the constraints, the
matrices are defined for the F-set.
1.0 – 1. K aa K ao

 K ff  = = (7-3)
– 1. 2.0 K oa K oo
 0.  Pa
 P f  =   = (7-4)
 4.  Po
At this point, the static condensation is performed. The matrices are partitioned into A-Set and O-Set
DOFs and then transformed. This process is the same as described in Manual Solution of a Small
Superelement Example (Ch. 1).
–1
 G oa  = –  K o o   K oa  = –  0.5    – 1.  =  0.5  (7-5)
T
 K aa  =  K aa  +  K oa   G oa  =  1.  –  0.5  =  0.5  (7-6)
 Pa  =  P a  +  G oa  T  P o  =  2.0  (7-7)
The stiffness and loads for Superelement 1 have been reduced and are available to attach to the
downstream superelement (in this case Superelement 2)
Once again, the J-Set matrices are generated for the physical model of the superelement.
 
1.0 – 1.0 0.0  0.   U 3 
   
 K jj  = – 1. 2.0 – 1.  P j  =  0.  in terms of  U 4  (7-8)
   
0.0 – 1.0 1.0  3.   U 5 
 
Next, the reduced matrices of upstream Superelement 1 are connected to the appropriate dof to form the
G-Set matrices. In this case the stiffness and loads are added to Grid 5.
The reduced stiffness of .5 units is added to the existing term in that position (1.0) to get the assembly
stiffness of 1.5 in that DOF. The reduced load of 2.0 units is added to the physical load on grid 5 (3.0

CHAPTER 7 335
units), resulting in an assembly load of 5.0 units on that point. The resulting assembly stiffness and
loading matrices are shown below.
 
1.0 – 1.0 0.0  0.   U 3 
   
 K gg  = – 1. 2.0 – 1.0  P g  =  0.  in terms of  U 4  (7-9)
   
0.0 – 1.0 1.5  5   U 5 
 
This superelement has no MPCs and constraints applied, so we proceed to the reduction process.
1.0 – 1.0 0.0

 K ff  =
– 1.0 2.0 – 1.0
1.5 (7-10)
0.0 1.0
 G oa  = –
1
 K oo  –  K oa  = –
0.75 0.5 – 1.
=
0.75 (7-11)
0.5 1. 0.0 0.50
T
 K aa  =  K aa  +  K oa   G oa  =  0.25  (7-12)
 Pa  =  P a  +  G o a  T  P o  = 0. + 2.5 =  2.5  (7-13)
RESIDUAL STRUCTURE SOLUTION
The residual structure consists of elements 1 and 2 plus the reduced assembly matrices from
superelement 2. Once again, the physical matrices are generated, providing the following:
1.0 – 1.0 0.0  0.  U 1

 
 K jj  = – 1. 2.0 – 1.  P j  =  1.  in terms of U 2 (7-14)
 
0.0 – 1.0 1.  2.  U 3
Now the reduced matrices are added from upstream assembly superelement 2. The reduced stiffness
value of .25 units is added into the term for dof 3, resulting in a diagonal term in the stiffness of 1.25
units. The reduced loads are added into the loading vector at the appropriate location, providing a
resulting load of 4.5 units (2.5+2.0) at dof 3.
1.0 – 1.0 0.0  0. 

 
 K gg  = – 1. 2.0 – 1.0  P g  =  1.  (7-15)
 
0.0 – 1.0 1.25  4.5 


Following the standard reduction process for statics, the MPC and SPCs are applied, resulting in the
constrained stiffness matrix and loading matrix.
 2.0 – 1.   1. 
 K ff  =   P f  =   (7-16)
 – 1. 1.25   4.5 
Because there are no additional reductions or inertia relief the F-Set, A-Set, and L-Set are equivalent.
Solving the equations produces the displacements for the residual structure.
 3.833 
 K ff   U f  =  P f  which gives  U f  =   (7-17)
 6.667 
This solution is then expanded to G-Set size, providing the solution vector for the residual structure.
 
 0.   U 1 
   
 U g  =  3.833  =  U 2  (7-18)
   
 6.667   U 3 
 
RESIDUAL STRUCTURE DATA RECOVERY
Following the solution phase, the data recovery phase can be started. The solution vector (displacements)
for the superelement can be used to calculate and output the user requested quantities such as stress,
element forces, SPC forces, etc. The actual data recovery will not be performed here since it follows
standard procedures.
DATA RECOVERY FOR SUPERELEMENT 2
The superelement directly above the residual structure is Superelement 2, thus the data recovery must be
performed for Superelement 2 first (i.e. the reverse of the reduction process). The data recovery follows
the process outlined in Manual Solution of a Small Superelement Example (Ch. 1). The reader is
encouraged to review the equations and formulation in Chapter 1 if the equations below seem unfamiliar.
The total displacements for the interior dof are based on the free-boundary solution (i.e. the displacement
vector cause by boundary motion) and the fixed-boundary solution (i.e. the displacements with the
boundary fixed with interior loads applied). The total interior solution is:
U o = U oo + G ot U a (7-19)
First, the boundary solution for Superelement 2 is partitioned form the solution for the residual structure.
 U 3  =  6.667  =  U a  (7-20)
The interior dof solution is found by applying constraint modes to the boundary motion.

CHAPTER 7 337
fr ee
 
0.75  6.667   5.0   U 4 
 U oa  =  G ot   U a  = =   =   (7-21)
0.5  3.33   U 5 
 
The fixed-boundary solution
fi xed
 
 U oo 
–1
 K oo   P o  0.75 0.5  0.   2.5   U 4 
= =   =   =   (7-22)
0.5 1.  5.   5.0   U 5 
 
Combining the two, we obtain the solution for displacements of superelement 2.
total
 
 7.5   U 4 
 U o  =  U oa + U oo  =   =   (7-23)
 8.333   U 5 
 
Combining the boundary solution to the interior solution yields
 
 6.666   U 3 
   
 U g  =  7.5  =  U 4  (7-24)
   
 8.333   U 5 
 
The solution vector (displacements) for the superelement can be used to calculate and output the user
requested quantities such as stress, element forces, SPC forces, etc. Again, the actual data recovery will
not be performed here since it follows standard procedures.
DATA RECOVERY FOR SUPERLEMENT 1
The same process for data recovery is applied to Superelement 1; the boundary solution at the exterior
points (in this case grid 5).
 U 5  =  8.333  =  U a  (7-25)
The free boundary solution is generated from the boundary displacements:
 U oa  =  G ot   U a  =  0.5   8.333  =  4.166  =  U 6  f r ee (7-26)
Finally, we calculate the fixed boundary solution. Then we combine this result with the solution due to
the boundary motion to get the displacements for superelement 1.
1
 U oo  =  K oo  –  P o  =  0.5   4.0  =  2.0  =  U 6  fi xe d (7-27)


total
 U o  =  U oa  +  U oo  =  4.166  +  2.0  =  6.166  =  U 6  (7-28)
Since grid 7 is constrained, its displacement is 0.0. Combining the displacements, the solution vector for
Superelement 1 is obtained:
 
 8.333   U 5 
   
U g  =  6.166  =  U 6  (7-29)
   
 0.0   U 7 
 
Data recovery for stresses, spcforces, etc. follow standard data recovery procedures.
For comparison, if the problem is solved without superelements, the solution matrices are:
 
 U 2   
2. – 1. 0. 0. 0.    1. 
– 1. 2. – 1. 0. 0.  U 3   2. 
   
 K ff   U f  =  P f  = 0. – 1. 2. – 1. 0.  U 4  =  0.  (7-30)
   
0. 0. – 1. 2. – 1.  U 5   3. 
0. 0. 0. – 1. 1.    4. 
 U 6   
 
Which produces:
 
 U 2   
   3.833 
 U 3   6.667 
   
 U 4  =  7.5  (7-31)
   
 U 5   8.333 
   6.166 
 U 6   
 
The two approaches give identical answers, verifying that, for statics, using multi-level superelements
for the solution does not introduce any approximation.

CHAPTER 7 339
Example – Multi-Level Superelement (Freedom)

In this section, the model used in Static Example Input Using Freedom (Ch. 2), will be used to
demonstrate the different techniques available in MSC.Nastran to solve multi-level superelements. The
examples will include solving multi-level superelements with List (SESET) Superelements, PART
Superelements, and External Superelements. As a refresher, the model definition is:
Figure 7-13 Freedom Plane Sections
NOTE: in this solution PARAM,SNORM,0.0 is used. This simplifies the solution process because shell
normals for boundaries do not have to be calculated for the external superelement solution. For further
details on the impact of SNORM, refer to SNORM for PART or External Superelements (Ch. 4).
The baseline solutions for Non-Superelement, and single-level List and PART Superelements can be
found at /doc/seug/chapter7/freedom/baseline:
Table 7-2 Files for Non-Superelement and Single-Level Superelement Baselines

Filename Description
freedom-baseline.bdf Baseline solution without superelements
freedom-seset.bdf List superelement solution
freedom-partse-discontinuous.bdf PART Superelement solution, discontinuous grid
ids at boundary
The baseline solutions will be used to demonstrate that the multi-level superelement solutions provide
the same results.
The superelement tree used for the multi-level superelement solutions will be based on a hypothetical
project that separates its functional groups based on major components. Below is a depiction of the
superelement tree that will be used:


Figure 7-14 Superelement Tree used for Freedom Example
Baseline Residual Solution

For comparison, a few key results will be used: the displacement of grid 40465, and stresses for element
30849, and the constraint forces for grids 30398, 40093, and 45093. In addition, the external work will
be compared. The results from the .f06 file for the non-superelement solution are shown below:

FOR DATA BLOCK KLL
1 2. 4914695E- 10 7.5310065E+02
…

40465 G - 4. 159350E- 03 - 6. 231965E- 03 -4.670197E-02 7. 550971E- 04 - 3. 095922E- 04 1. 120664E- 05
…

CHAPTER 7 341

30398 G 0. 0 0. 0 4.444910E+02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
40093 G - 1. 049091E- 08 1. 357353E- 08 4.657378E+02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
45093 G - 1. 708439E- 08 0. 0 4.657378E+02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
S T R E S S E S I N QU A D R I L A T E R A L E L E ME N T S ( QU A D 4 ) OPTI ON = BI LI N
ELEMENT STRESSES I N ELEMENT COORD SYSTEM PRI NCI PAL STRESSES ( ZERO SHEAR)
ID GRI D- I D NORMAL- X NORMAL- Y SHEAR- XY ANGLE MAJ OR MI NOR VON MISES
30849 CEN/ 4 - 3. 129590E+04 - 1. 111215E+04 - 1. 175186E+03 - 86. 6789 - 1. 104395E+04 - 3. 136409E+04 2.755525E+04
3. 214362E+04 1. 387658E+04 - 2. 111494E+03 - 6. 5085 3. 238451E+04 1. 363569E+04 2.816209E+04
30744 - 3. 665192E+04 - 8. 794149E+03 - 1. 224859E+03 - 87. 4873 - 8. 740398E+03 - 3. 670568E+04 3.320962E+04

2. 832415E+04 8. 950524E+03 - 2. 293816E+03 - 6. 6611 2. 859203E+04 8. 682644E+03 2.538973E+04
30752 - 3. 547250E+04 - 1. 325342E+04 - 1. 302092E+03 - 86. 6576 - 1. 317738E+04 - 3. 554854E+04 3.112725E+04

2. 917080E+04 1. 841779E+04 - 2. 066394E+03 - 10. 5118 2. 955423E+04 1. 803437E+04 2.580114E+04
30751 - 2. 723056E+04 - 1. 310064E+04 - 1. 142598E+03 - 85. 4066 - 1. 300884E+04 - 2. 732236E+04 2.367085E+04

3. 504300E+04 1. 810185E+04 - 1. 962243E+03 - 6. 5214 3. 526731E+04 1. 787754E+04 3.054336E+04
30737 - 2. 604683E+04 - 8. 940170E+03 - 1. 027284E+03 - 86. 5757 - 8. 878700E+03 - 2. 610830E+04 2.299276E+04

3. 588052E+04 9. 271286E+03 - 2. 143555E+03 - 4. 5762 3. 605209E+04 9. 099715E+03 3.247298E+04
Listing 7-3 Freedom Non-Superelement Baseline Results
Note that the List and PART Superelement solutions produce the same results for displacements, SPC
forces, and stresses.
List Superelement Solution

For List (SESET) Superelements, the DTI,SETREE entry is required to define a superelement tree. The
definition of list superelements in Patran follows the procedure described in Demonstration of Defining
Interior Points in Patran (Ch. 2). However, Patran does not support the DTI,SETREE entry, so the user
must use Direct Text Input as shown below.
To define the superelement tree depicted in Figure 7-14, the following DTI,SETREE entry is required:
DTI,SETREE,1,10,30,20,30,30,50
,60,50,50,0,40,0


Figure 7-15 Defining DTI,SETREE in Patran with Direct Text Input
The resulting input file:
SUBCASE 1
$ Subcase name : Def aul t
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
SPC = 2
LOAD = 6
SET 1 = 40465
DI SPLACEMENT( pr i nt , SORT1, REAL) =1
SET 2 = 30849
$ STRESS( pl ot , SORT1, REAL, VONMI SES, BI LI N) =ALL
STRESS( pr i nt, SORT1, REAL, VONMI SES, BI LI N) =2
BEGI N BULK
DTI,SETREE,1,10,30,20,30,30,50

CHAPTER 7 343
,60,50,50,0,40,0
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
Listing 7-4 Resulting DTI,SETREE in .bdf file
The corresponding input file is found at: /doc/seug/chapter7/freedom/setree/seset-setree.bdf. The

resulting SEMAP is:

( SORTED BY SEI D)


1 10 30 50 0
2 20 30 50 0
3 30 50 0
4 40 0
5 50 0
6 60 50 0
MD NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 29- MAR- 11 AT 17: 13: 27 MAY 28, 2011 MD NASTRAN


**** TREE CONFIGURATION IS MULTILEVEL ****

I NDEX
-1- -2- -3-
1 40
6*
2 50 30 10
5* 4* 2*
3 20
1*
4 60
3*
Listing 7-5 SEMAP Showing Multi-Level Superelement Processing Order for Freedom
SESET Model
Investigation of the SEMAP confirms that the superelements are connected to one another as requested
by the DTI,SETREE defined above.
The output is partitioned to the appropriate superelements:
SUBCASE 1
40465 G - 4. 159350E- 03 - 6. 231965E- 03 - 4. 670197E- 02 7. 550971E- 04 - 3. 095922E- 04 1. 120664E- 05
…
40093 G - 5. 469864E- 09 9. 506579E- 09 4. 657378E+02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
45093 G - 9. 333434E- 09 0. 0 4. 657378E+02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
…
SUBCASE 1

CHAPTER 7 345
30398 G 0. 0 0. 0 4. 444910E+02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
…
S T R E S S E S I N Q U A D R I L A T E R A L E L E M E N T S ( Q U A D 4 ) OPTION = BILIN
ID GRI D- I D NORMAL- X NORMAL- Y SHEAR- XY ANGLE MAJ OR MI NOR VON MI SES
30849 CEN/ 4 - 3. 129590E+04 - 1. 111215E+04 - 1. 175186E+03 - 86. 6789 - 1. 104395E+04 - 3. 136409E+04 2. 755525E+04
3. 214362E+04 1. 387658E+04 - 2. 111494E+03 - 6. 5085 3. 238451E+04 1. 363569E+04 2. 816209E+04
30744 - 3. 665192E+04 - 8. 794149E+03 - 1. 224859E+03 - 87. 4873 - 8. 740398E+03 - 3. 670568E+04 3. 320962E+04

2. 832415E+04 8. 950524E+03 - 2. 293816E+03 - 6. 6611 2. 859203E+04 8. 682644E+03 2. 538973E+04
30752 - 3. 547250E+04 - 1. 325342E+04 - 1. 302092E+03 - 86. 6576 - 1. 317738E+04 - 3. 554854E+04 3. 112725E+04

2. 917080E+04 1. 841779E+04 - 2. 066394E+03 - 10. 5118 2. 955423E+04 1. 803437E+04 2. 580114E+04
30751 - 2. 723056E+04 - 1. 310064E+04 - 1. 142598E+03 - 85. 4066 - 1. 300884E+04 - 2. 732236E+04 2. 367085E+04

3. 504300E+04 1. 810185E+04 - 1. 962243E+03 - 6. 5214 3. 526731E+04 1. 787754E+04 3. 054336E+04
30737 - 2. 604683E+04 - 8. 940170E+03 - 1. 027284E+03 - 86. 5757 - 8. 878700E+03 - 2. 610830E+04 2. 299276E+04

3. 588052E+04 9. 271286E+03 - 2. 143555E+03 - 4. 5762 3. 605209E+04 9. 099715E+03 3. 247298E+04
…
Listing 7-6 Results for Multi-Level Solution of Freedom List Superelements
Note that the results are printed in reverse order of superelement reduction.
PART Superelement Solutio n

Again, using the superelement tree shown in Figure 7-14, the same problem will be solved using PART
superelements. Patran provides a convenient form for defining the Superelement Tree for PART
Superelements as shown below.


Figure 7-16 Defining the SETREE for Part Superelements in Patran
The resulting input file: (ref /doc/seug/chapter7/freedom/partse-discontinuous-setree.bdf)
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = MD Nast r an j ob cr eat ed on 29- Mar - 11 at 17: 13: 27
ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
SPC = 2
LOAD = 6
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES

CHAPTER 7 347
SETREE 30 10
SETREE 30 20
SETREE 50 30
SETREE 50 60
$ El ement s and El ement Proper t i es f or r egi on : pbar. 3

PBAR 3 4 1. 1. 2 .5
Listing 7-7 Input File for Multi-Level PART Analysis with SETREE as Defined by Using
Patran
Note that any SETREE entries that use SEID 0 (the residual structure) as the downstream superelement
are not written since the default is to attach superelements to the residual.
Note that the SEMAP indicates a slightly different processing order for the PART superelement, but
every superelement is processed before it is needed by its downstream connection, so the result is an
equivalent solution.

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- ------------------------
SUPERELEMENT DEFI NI TI ON TABLE ( SORTED BY PROCESS ORDER)

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- ------------------------

------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 30 50 0


20 30 50 0
30 50 0
40 0
50 0
60 50 0
FREEDOM PLANE EXAMPLE, MULTI - LEVEL PART SUPERELEMENT MAY 28, 2011
DI SCONTI NUOUS NODES AT I NTERFACES
( CONFI GURATI ON = MULTI LEVEL NO. LEVELS = 3 NO. TI PS = 4 )
TI P LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL L
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- -
1 40
2 50 30 10
3 20
4 60
Listing 7-8 SEMAP Showing Multi-Level Superelement Processing Order for Freedom
PART Model
The solution for the PART multi-level superelement model is equivalent to the List multi-level
superelement model.
FREEDOM PLANE EXAMPLE, MULTI - LEVEL PART SUPERELEMENT MAY 28, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
DEFAULT SUPERELEMENT 40
DI SCONTI NUOUS NODES AT I NTERFACES SUBCASE 1
40465 G - 4. 159350E- 03 - 6. 231965E- 03 - 4. 670197E- 02 7. 550971E- 04 - 3. 095922E- 04 1. 120664E- 05
…
F OR C E S OF S I N G L E - P OI N T C O N S T R A I N T
40093 G 8. 011156E- 09 2. 258071E- 08 4. 657378E+02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
45093 G - 2. 125145E- 08 0. 0 4. 657378E+02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
…

CHAPTER 7 349
FREEDOM PLANE EXAMPLE, MULTI - LEVEL PART SUPERELEMENT MAY 28, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
DEFAULT SUPERELEMENT 30
DI SCONTI NUOUS NODES AT I NTERFACES SUBCASE 1
F OR C E S OF S I N G L E - P OI N T C ON S T R A I N T
30374 G 0. 0 0. 0 4. 444910E+02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
…
LEMENT STRESSES I N ELEMENT COORD SYSTEM PRI NCI PAL STRESSES ( ZERO SHEAR)
30849 CEN/ 4 - 3. 129590E+04 - 1. 111215E+04 - 1. 175186E+03 - 86. 6789 - 1. 104395E+04 - 3. 136409E+04 2. 755525E+04
3. 214362E+04 1. 387658E+04 - 2. 111494E+03 - 6. 5085 3. 238451E+04 1. 363569E+04 2. 816209E+04
30720 - 3. 665192E+04 - 8. 794149E+03 - 1. 224859E+03 - 87. 4873 - 8. 740398E+03 - 3. 670568E+04 3. 320962E+04

2. 832415E+04 8. 950524E+03 - 2. 293816E+03 - 6. 6611 2. 859203E+04 8. 682644E+03 2. 538973E+04
30728 - 3. 547250E+04 - 1. 325342E+04 - 1. 302092E+03 - 86. 6576 - 1. 317738E+04 - 3. 554854E+04 3. 112725E+04

2. 917080E+04 1. 841779E+04 - 2. 066394E+03 - 10. 5118 2. 955423E+04 1. 803437E+04 2. 580114E+04
30727 - 2. 723056E+04 - 1. 310064E+04 - 1. 142598E+03 - 85. 4066 - 1. 300884E+04 - 2. 732236E+04 2. 367085E+04

3. 504300E+04 1. 810185E+04 - 1. 962243E+03 - 6. 5214 3. 526731E+04 1. 787754E+04 3. 054336E+04
30713 - 2. 604683E+04 - 8. 940170E+03 - 1. 027284E+03 - 86. 5757 - 8. 878700E+03 - 2. 610830E+04 2. 299276E+04

3. 588052E+04 9. 271286E+03 - 2. 143555E+03 - 4. 5762 3. 605209E+04 9. 099715E+03 3. 247298E+04
Listing 7-9 Results for Multi-Level Solution of Freedom List Superelements
As with the List Superelements, the PART Superelement data recovery is performed in reverse order of
the reduction.
External Superelement Solution

The external superelement method provides the user the maximum flexibility when multiple
organizations are involved in a project, or there are many design changes in a few components. For a
review of the external superelement methods, the user is encouraged to review Demonstration of Defining
Interior Points in Patran (Ch. 2) before proceeding.


PARAM,EXTOUT Method
For a review of the 3-Step External Superelement method, the user may want to review Using
PARAM,EXTOUT (3-Step) External Superelements (Ch. 2).
When using the 3-step PARAM,EXTOUT external superelement method for multi-level superelement
reduction, the user manually reduces and attaches each superelement in the tree. In order to reduce a
collector superelement, the reduced matrices from its constituent components must have already been
reduced so that they can be attached.
For the superelement tree defined in Figure 7-14, the steps in Table 7-3 must be performed in order. The
files in the table are located at /doc/seug/chapter7/freedom-param-extout-multilevel. Note that for proper
data recovery, SCR=NO must be specified on the command line. (The default installation is SCR=NO,
but if the user has overwritten the default in a MSC.Nastran rc file, SCR=NO must be specified on the
command line.)
Table 7-3 Steps for Performing 3-Step Multi-Level Superelement Analysis of Freedom
Step Filename Comment
The tail must be reduced prior to
Reduce Tail reduce-tail.dat attaching the tail matrices to the aft-
fuselage
The engines must be reduced prior to
Reduce Engines reduce-engines.dat attaching the engine matrices to the aft-
fuselage.
The tail and engines must be attached to
the aft-fuselage. The aft-fuselage must
Reduce Aft-Fuselage reduce-aft-fuselage.dat
be reduced prior to attaching the aft-
fuselage matrices to the cabin.
The nose must be reduced prior to
Reduce Nose reduce-nose.dat
attaching the nose matrices to the cabin.
The aft-fuselage and nose must be
attached to the cabin. The cabin must
Reduce Cabin reduce-cabin.dat
be reduced prior attaching the cabin
matrices to the wingbox.
The wings must be reduced prior to
Reduce Wings reduce-wings.dat attaching the wing matrices to the
cabin.
The cabin and wings are attached to the
wingbox and the residual solution is
Residual Solution and Data Recovery assemble-wingbox.dat
performed. Boundary solutions for the
cabin and wings are generated.

CHAPTER 7 351
Table 7-3 Steps for Performing 3-Step Multi-Level Superelement Analysis of Freedom
The data recovery for the wings is
Wing Data Recovery Recover-wings.dat
performed.
The data recovery of the cabin is
Cabin Data Recovery Recover-cabin.dat performed. Boundary solution for the
nose and aft-fuselage are generated.
The data recovery for the nose is
Nose Data Recovery Recover-nose.dat
performed.
The data recovery for the aft fuselage is
Aft Fuselage Data Recovery Recover-aft-fuselage.dat performed. Boundary solution for the
engines and tail is performed.
The data recovery for the engines is
Engine Data Recovery Recover-engines.dat
performed.
The data recovery for the tail is
Tail Data Recovery Recover-tail.dat
performed.
Schematically, the steps in Table 7-3, can be represented as follows:
Listing 7-10 Schematic of 3-Step Multi-Level Superelement Steps for Freedom


As an example of a tip superelement reduction, the ‘reduce-engines.dat’ file is shown below. A

description of the highlighted lines is as follows:
• The assign master and assign dball statements define the MSC.Nastran database which will be
used for data recovery.
• The assign output2 entry identifies the file that stores the reduced matrices of the engines. The
unit number matches the unit number on the PARAM,EXTUNIT entry
• PARAM,EXTOUT,DMIGOP2 specifies the format of the matrices.
• PARAM,EXTUNIT,31 specifies the unit number to store the reduced matrices. This matches
the unit number on the assign output2 line.
• The BNDFIX1 entry defines the boundary dof between the engines and the aft-fuselage.
assign master='engines.master' delete
assign dball ='engines.dball' delete
assign output2='engines_dmigop2.op2' unit=31 delete
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = Fr eedompl ane exampl e, engi nes Reduct i on
LABEL = Step 1 of 3-st ep Ext ernal SE Reduct i on, Mul t i - Level
ECHO = NONE
par am, snor m, 0. $tur n of f SNORM processi ng
SUBCASE 1
LOAD = 1
BEGI N BULK
$ def i ne boundar y dof
BNDFIX1,123456,20449,thru,20482
PARAM,EXTUNIT,31
$ model and l oads

i ncl ude ' f r eedom- part - engi nes. bdf '
enddat a
Listing 7-11 External Superelement Reduction of Engines (reduce-engines.dat) 3-Step

Method
The resulting .f06 file reveals some key information including the external work on the member. When
comparing the external work to the freedom-part-discontinuous-setree, which breaks down each
individual superelement, the user will notice that the work is the same. This verifies the that the same
solution is obtained whether using internal or external superelements.

CHAPTER 7 353

FOR DATA BL OCK KOO
LOAD SEQ. NO. EPSI LON EXTERNAL WORK EPSI LONS LARGER THAN 0. 001 ARE FLAGGED WI TH
ASTERI SKS
1 3. 0666982E- 12 1.9711174E+01
Listing 7-12 External Work of Engine Superelement using External Superelements

FOR DATA BL OCK KOO
LOAD SEQ. NO. EPSI LON EXTERNAL WORK EPSI LONS LARGER THAN 0. 001 ARE FL AGGED WI TH
ASTERI SKS
1 - 4. 2039805E- 12 1.9711174E+01
1 FREEDOM PLANE EXAMPLE, SI NGLE LEVEL PART SUPERELEMENT MAY 25, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
PAGE 30
Listing 7-13 External Work of Engine Superelement using PART Superelements
After the engines and tail are reduced, the aft-fuselage can be assembled and reduced. A description of
the highlighted lines is as follows:
• The assign output2 entry identifies the file that stores the reduced matrices of the aft-fuselage
assembly. The unit number matches the unit number on the PARAM,EXTUNIT entry
• The assign inputt2 entries identify the files that contain the stored matrices for the tail and
engines. The unit numbers match the unit numbers on the SEBULK entry
• PARAM,EXTOUT,DMIGOP2 specifies the format of the matrices.
• PARAM,EXTUNIT,31 specifies the unit number to store the reduced matrices. This matches
the unit number on the assign output2 line.
• The SEBULK entry identifies that the tail and engines are external superelements with a
DMIGOP2 format and the unit numbers
• The SECONCT entry defines the superelement connections
• The BEGIN SUPER entries identify the start of data for the external superelements
• The EXTRN entries define the grids/dofs that are mapped on the external matrices. These are
the same grids/dofs used during the reduction run.


• The GRID and CORD2R entries define the geometric location of the grids for each external
superelement. These must be manually copied from the input files used in the reduction runs.
assign master='aft-fuselage.master' delete
assign dball ='aft-fuselage.dball' delete
assign output2='aft-fuselage_dmigop2.op2' unit=31 delete
assign inputt2='tail_dmigop2.op2' unit=32
assign inputt2='engines_dmigop2.op2' unit=33
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = Fr eedompl ane exampl e, af t - f usel age Reduct i on
ECHO = NONE
SPC=1
$ exampl e use expanded case cont r ol

SUBCASE 10
SUPER = 10, 1
SUBCASE 20
SUPER = 20, 1

SUBCASE 30
SUPER = 0, 1
LOAD = 1
BEGI N BULK
BNDFIX1,123456,30788,thru,30811
PARAM,EXTUNIT,31
$ i n thi s r educti on, t he af t - f usel age a col l ect or and i s consi dered t he resi dual dur i ng the reducti on process
$ at t ach upst reamse

SEBULK 10 EXTOP2 AUTO 32
SECONCT 10 0
$ at t ach upst reamse


CHAPTER 7 355
SECONCT 20 0
$ model and l oads

i ncl ude ' f reedom- part - aft - f usel age.bdf '
BEGIN SUPER = 10 $ Tai l
$ defi ne ext ernal dof - t hese ar e the BNDFI X1 data f r omt he r educt i on r un
EXTRN,10415,thru,10434,123456
$ defi ne external gri ds

GRID 10415 287.7 0. 20.281
GRID 10416 287.532 2.057 20.049
BEGI N SUPER = 20 $ Engi nes

$ defi ne ext ernal dof - t hese ar e the BNDFI X1 data f r omt he r educt i on r un
EXTRN,20449,thru,20482,123456
$ def i ne coord syst ems necessar y f or boundary dof

CORD2R 85 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. - 1.
- 1. 0. 0.
$ defi ne external gri ds
GRID 20449 242.97 -15.343 12.686
GRID 20450 246.303 -14.406 13.96
enddata
Listing 7-14 External Superelement Attachment of Tail and Engines to Aft-Fuselage and
Reduction of Aft-Fuselage (reduce-aft-fuselage.dat), PARAM,EXTOUT
method
The remaining ‘reduce’ files follow a similar format. The tail, engines, wings, and nose are tip
superelements; while the aft-fuselage and cabin are collector superelements that attach upstream
superelements before they are reduced.
At the end of the tree, the wingbox is the residual structure. The attachment of the upstream
superelements is similar to the aft-fuselage listing above. In order to perform data recovery on the
upstream superelements, the boundary information must be partitioned and stored using the following
entries:
• The assign output2 entries identify the files which will receive the boundary solution for the
respective superelements. The unit number matches the unit specified on
PARAM,EXTDRUNT.
• Expanded case control allows parameter control for each superelement. SUPER= defines the
superelement for the subcase.
• PARAM,EXTDROUT,DMIGOP2 defines the format to store the external superelement
boundary solution.


• PARAM,EXTDRUNT defines the unit to store the boundary solution for each respective
superelement.
assi gn mast er=' wi ngbox. mast er' del et e

assi gn dbal l =' wi ngbox. dbal l ' del ete
assi gn i nputt 2=' wi ngs_dmi gop2. op2' uni t =32
assi gn i nputt 2=' cabi n_dmi gop2. op2' uni t =33
assign output2='wings-bndry-soln.op2' unit=35 delete
assign output2='cabin-bndry-soln.op2' unit=36 delete
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = Fr eedompl ane exampl e, Wi ngbox Assembl y
ECHO = NONE
DI SP=ALL
STRESS( BI LI N) =ALL
SPCF=ALL
SUBCASE 40
super = 40,1
param,extdrout,dmigop2
param,extdrunt,35
SUBCASE 50
super=50,1
param,extdrunt,36

SUBCASE 99
super=0,1
LOAD = 1

BEGI N BULK
$ i n t hi s reducti on, t he wi ngbox i s t he resi dual and t he fi nal l evel of r educt i on
par am, maxrat i o, 1. e8
$ at t ach upst r eam se - wi ngs
SECONCT 40 0

CHAPTER 7 357
$ at t ach upstr eam se - cabi n col l ect or

SECONCT 50 0
$ model and l oads

i ncl ude ' f r eedom- par t - wi ngbox. bdf '
Listing 7-15 External Superelement Residual Solution (assemble-wingbox.dat) With

Directives for Upstream Boundary Solution Storage, P ARAM,EXTOUT Method
After the residual solution is obtained, and the boundary solutions are stored on appropriate files, the data
recovery for upstream superelements can begin. As an example, the cabin data recovery input file is
shown below. A description of the highlighted lines is as follows:
• The assign + restart entries define the database that was specified during the reduction run. This
database contains all of the grids, elements, coordinates, loading, constraints, etc., so there is no
need to specify any bulk data.
• The assign inputt2 entry defines the boundary solution written by the downstream superelement.
• The assign output2 entry defines the files that store the boundary solution of the upstream
superelements
boundary solution.
superelement.
• The output requests can specify any valid output request for a static solution as if it were run
without superelements.
assign se50='cabin.master'
restart logi=se50
assign inputt2='cabin-bndry-soln.op2' unit=31
$ defi ne f i l es to st ore boundary sol ut i on f or upstr eam data recover y

assign output2='aft-fuselage-bndry-soln.op2' unit=35 delete
assign output2='nose-bndry-soln.op2' unit=36 delete

DI AG 5, 6, 8, 56
CEND
$
TI TLE = Fr eedompl ane exampl e, Cabi n Dat a Recovery



$
$ output r equest s appl y to al l subcases unl ess over wr i t t en
DI SPL=ALL
STRESS(bi l i n)=ALL
SPCF=ALL
ECHO=NONE
$
$ specify data recovery from boundary solution
param,extdr,yes
param,extdrunt,31
$
$ use same case contr ol f r omr educti on r un
SUBCASE 30 $ af t - f usel age

super = 30,1
param,extdrunt,35
SUBCASE 60 $ nose
super = 60,1
param,extdrunt,36

SUBCASE 99
SUPER = 0, 1
LOAD = 1

BEGI N BULK
$ no bulk data necessary
ENDDATA
Listing 7-16 Cabin Data Recovery Input (recover-cabin.dat) With Directives for Upstream
Boundary Solution Storage.
The data recovery solutions are performed for every superelement that is desired. The data recovery for
the wings (recover-wings.dat and recover aft-fuselage.dat) demonstrates that the same solution is
obtained for the 3-step external superelement process when compared to both the List and PART multi-
level superelement solutions.

CHAPTER 7 359
L
[DATA RECOVERY FOR WINGS]
FREEDOM PLANE EXAMPLE, WI NG DATA RECOVERY MAY 24, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
STEP 3 OF 3- STEP EXTERNAL SE REDUCTI ON, MULTI - LEVEL SUBCASE 1

40465 G - 4. 159352E- 03 - 6. 231966E- 03 -4.670198E-02 7. 550971E- 04 - 3. 095921E- 04 1. 120662E- 05
…


40093 G - 5. 100531E- 09 8. 711197E- 09 4.657378E+02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
45093 G - 8. 245081E- 09 0. 0 4.657378E+02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
[DATA RECOVERY FOR AFT-FUSELAGE]

30374 G 0. 0 0. 0 4.444910E+02 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
…
S T R E S S E S I N QU A DR I L AT E R A L E L E ME N T S ( QU A D4 ) OPTI ON = BI LI N
0 30849 CEN/ 4 - 3. 129590E+04 - 1. 111215E+04 - 1. 175186E+03 - 86. 6789 - 1. 104395E+04 - 3. 136409E+04 2. 755525E+04
3. 214362E+04 1. 387658E+04 - 2. 111494E+03 - 6. 5085 3. 238451E+04 1. 363569E+04 2. 816209E+04
30720 - 3. 665192E+04 - 8. 794149E+03 - 1. 224859E+03 - 87. 4873 - 8. 740398E+03 - 3. 670568E+04 3. 320962E+04

2. 832415E+04 8. 950524E+03 - 2. 293816E+03 - 6. 6611 2. 859203E+04 8. 682644E+03 2. 538973E+04
30728 - 3. 547250E+04 - 1. 325342E+04 - 1. 302092E+03 - 86. 6576 - 1. 317738E+04 - 3. 554854E+04 3. 112725E+04

2. 917080E+04 1. 841779E+04 - 2. 066394E+03 - 10. 5118 2. 955423E+04 1. 803437E+04 2. 580114E+04
30727 - 2. 723056E+04 - 1. 310064E+04 - 1. 142598E+03 - 85. 4066 - 1. 300884E+04 - 2. 732236E+04 2. 367085E+04

3. 504300E+04 1. 810185E+04 - 1. 962243E+03 - 6. 5214 3. 526731E+04 1. 787754E+04 3. 054336E+04


30713 - 2. 604683E+04 - 8. 940170E+03 - 1. 027284E+03 - 86. 5757 - 8. 878700E+03 - 2. 610830E+04 2. 299276E+04

3. 588052E+04 9. 271286E+03 - 2. 143555E+03 - 4. 5762 3. 605209E+04 9. 099715E+03 3. 247298E+04
Listing 7-17 Wing and Aft-Fuselage Data Recovery Solutions (recover-wings.dat and
recover-aft-fuselage.dat) Excerpts
EXTSEOUT Method
The standard 2-step external superelement method using the EXTSEOUT case control command is
intended for single-level superelement trees. However, by adapting the 3-step method for data recovery,
a full solution of upstream superelements is possible.
The files in the table are located at /doc/seug/chapter7/freedom-extseout-multilevel. Note that for proper
data recovery, SCR=NO must be specified on the command line. (The default installation is SCR=NO,
but if the user has overwritten the default in a MSC.Nastran rc file, SCR=NO must be specified on the
command line.)
Table 7-4 Steps for Performing 2-Step Hybrid Multi-Level Superelement Analysis of Freedom
The tail must be reduced prior to
Reduce Tail reduce-tail.dat attaching the tail matrices to the aft-
fuselage
The engines must be reduced prior to
Reduce Engines reduce-engines.dat attaching the engine matrices to the aft-
fuselage.
The tail and engines must be attached to
the aft-fuselage. The aft-fuselage must
Reduce Aft-Fuselage reduce-aft-fuselage.dat
be reduced prior to attaching the aft-
fuselage matrices to the cabin.
The nose must be reduced prior to
Reduce Nose reduce-nose.dat
attaching the nose matrices to the cabin.
The aft-fuselage and nose must be
attached to the cabin. The cabin must
Reduce Cabin reduce-cabin.dat
be reduced prior attaching the cabin
matrices to the wingbox.
The wings must be reduced prior to
Reduce Wings reduce-wings.dat attaching the wing matrices to the
cabin.

CHAPTER 7 361
Table 7-4 Steps for Performing 2-Step Hybrid Multi-Level Superelement Analysis of Freedom
The cabin and wings are attached to the
wingbox and the residual solution is
Residual Solution and Data Recovery assemble-wingbox.dat
performed. Boundary solutions for the
cabin and wings are generated.
The data recovery for the wings is
Wing Data Recovery recover-wings.dat
performed.
The data recovery of the cabin is
Cabin Data Recovery recover-cabin.dat performed. Boundary solution for the
nose and aft-fuselage are generated.
The data recovery for the nose is
Nose Data Recovery recover-nose.dat
performed.
The data recovery for the aft fuselage is
Aft Fuselage Data Recovery recover-aft-fuselage.dat performed. Boundary solution for the
engines and tail is performed.
The data recovery for the engines is
Engine Data Recovery recover-engines.dat
performed.
The data recovery for the tail is
Tail Data Recovery recover-tail.dat
performed.
The 2-step method uses the EXTSEOUT case control command instead of PARAM,EXTOUT during
the reduction step. The advantage of the EXTSEOUT command with the EXTBULK option is that the
BEGIN SUPER entries and associated EXTRN, GRID, and CORD2R entries are generated, eliminating
the need to cut/paste this data from the reduction run input file. The highlighted entries for the reduce-
engines.dat file are:
• The assign output2 entry identifies the file that stores the reduced matrices of the engines. The
unit number matches the unit number on the PARAM,EXTUNIT entry
• The EXTSEOUT entry defines the EXTBULK, EXTID (superelement ID), and the matrix
format (DMIGOP2) and unit number to store the reduced matrices.
assi gn master=' engi nes. master' del ete

assi gn dbal l =' engi nes. dbal l ' del ete
assign output2='engines_dmigop2.op2' unit=31 delete
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = Fr eedompl ane exampl e, engi nes Reduct i on



ECHO = NONE
$ note: t he uni t number must be di f f erent t han the uni t f or t he t ai l

$ si nce bot h op2 f i l es need t o be att ached i n t he aft - f usel age col l ector
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK,EXTBULK,EXTID=20) DMIGOP2=31
DI SP=ALL
STRESS=ALL
SPCF=ALL
SUBCASE 1
LOAD = 1
BEGI N BULK
BNDFI X1, 123456, 20449, t hru, 20482
PARAM, EXTOUT, DMI GOP2
PARAM, EXTUNI T, 31
$ model and l oads

i ncl ude ' f r eedom- part - engi nes. bdf '
enddat a
Listing 7-18 External Superelement Reduction of Engines (reduce-engines.dat) EXTSEOUT

Method
The EXTBULK option on the EXTSEOUT entry creates a .pch file which will automatically create the
information necessary to attach the engines to the aft-fuselage. The contents of the .pch file are as
follows:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$ STANDARD PUNCH ( . PCH) FI LE FOR EXTERNAL SUPERELEMENT 20
$ -------------------------------------------------------------
$
$ AT THE VERY END OF THE MAI N BULK DATA PORTI ON OF THE ASSEMBLY RUN
$
$ NOTE
$ -- --
$
$ USE OF THI S FI LE I N THE ASSEMBLY RUN I S PURELY OPTI ONAL SI NCE

CHAPTER 7 363
$ THI S I NFORMATI ON I S ALSO STORED ON THE OP2 FI LE GENERATED I N THE

$ EXTERNAL SUPERELEMENT CREATI ON RUN
$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COLUMN NUMBERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$00000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555556666666666777
$23456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
BEGIN SUPER 20
$
CORD2R 85 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. - 1.
- 1. 0. 0.
$
EXTRN 20449 123456 20450 123456 20451 123456 20452 123456
20453 123456 20454 123456 20455 123456 20456 123456
20457 123456 20458 123456 20459 123456 20460 123456
20461 123456 20462 123456 20463 123456 20464 123456
20465 123456 20466 123456 20467 123456 20468 123456
20469 123456 20470 123456 20471 123456 20472 123456
20473 123456 20474 123456 20475 123456 20476 123456
20477 123456 20478 123456 20479 123456 20480 123456
20481 123456 20482 123456
$
$
GRI D 20449 242. 97 - 15. 343 12. 686
GRI D 20450 246. 303 - 14. 406 13. 96
…(etc) …
GRI D 20482 276. 303 17. 391 11. 706 85
$
ASET 20449 123456 20450 123456 20451 123456 20452 123456
ASET 20453 123456 20454 123456 20455 123456 20456 123456
ASET 20457 123456 20458 123456 20459 123456 20460 123456
ASET 20461 123456 20462 123456 20463 123456 20464 123456
ASET 20465 123456 20466 123456 20467 123456 20468 123456
ASET 20469 123456 20470 123456 20471 123456 20472 123456
ASET 20473 123456 20474 123456 20475 123456 20476 123456
ASET 20477 123456 20478 123456 20479 123456 20480 123456
ASET 20481 123456 20482 123456
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Listing 7-19 .pch File Containing Mapping Information for Engines – Generated with
EXTBULK Option on EXTSEOUT entry


It is key to note in the .pch file the BEGIN SUPER command which is useful for the remainder of the
reduce files.
As with the PARAM,EXTOUT method, after the engines and tail are reduced, the aft-fuselage can be
assembled and reduced. A description of the highlighted lines is as follows:
• The assign output2 entry identifies the file that stores the reduced matrices of the aft-fuselage
assembly. The unit number matches the unit number on the PARAM,EXTUNIT entry
• The assign inputt2 entries identify the files that contain the stored matrices for the tail and
engines. The unit numbers match the unit numbers on the SEBULK entry
• The EXTSEOUT entry defines the EXTBULK, EXTID (superelement ID), and the matrix
format (DMIGOP2) and unit number to store the reduced matrices.
• The SEBULK entry identifies that the tail and engines are external superelements with a
DMIGOP2 format and the unit numbers
• The SECONCT entry defines the superelement connections. Note that when EXTSEOUT is
used, the connections must be made manually.
• The include .pch files define the EXTRN, GRID, and CORD2i entries for each superelement.
Since these have BEGIN SUPER entries, they must be included at the end of the input file.
assign master='aft-fuselage.master' delete
assign dball ='aft-fuselage.dball' delete
assign output2='aft-fuselage_dmigop2.op2' unit=31 delete
assign inputt2='tail_dmigop2.op2' unit=32
assign inputt2='engines_dmigop2.op2' unit=33
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = Fr eedompl ane exampl e, af t - f usel age Reduct i on
ECHO = NONE
SPC=1
DI SP=ALL
STRESS=ALL
SPCF=ALL
$ exampl e use expanded case cont r ol

CHAPTER 7 365
SUBCASE 10
SUPER = 10, 1
SUBCASE 20
SUPER = 20, 1

SUBCASE 30
SUPER = 0, 1
LOAD = 1
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK,EXTBULK,EXTID=30) DMIGOP2=31
BEGI N BULK
$ def i ne boundary dof
BNDFIX1,123456,30788,thru,30811
$ model and l oads

i ncl ude ' f reedom- part - aft - f usel age.bdf '
$ i ncl ude assembl y i nf ormati on

SEBULK 10 EXTOP2 MANUAL 32
SECONCT 10 0
,10415,thru,10434,30001,thru,30020
SECONCT 20 0
,20449,thru,20482,30021,thru,30054
$ i ncl ude bul k dat a f or PARTS - t hese must be i ncl uded LAST i n the bdf
include 'reduce-tail.pch'
include 'reduce-engines.pch'
Listing 7-20 External Superelement Attachment of Tail and Engines to Aft-Fuselage and
Reduction of Aft-Fuselage (reduce-aft-fuselage.dat), EXTSEOUT method
The remaining ‘reduce’ files follow a similar format. The tail, engines, wings, and nose are tip
superelements; while the aft-fuselage and cabin are collector superelements that attach upstream
superelements before they are reduced.
At the end of the tree, the wingbox is the residual structure. The attachment of the upstream
superelements is similar to the aft-fuselage listing above. In order to perform data recovery on the
upstream superelements, the boundary information must be partitioned and stored using the following
entries:
• The assign output2 entries identify the files which will receive the boundary solution for the
respective superelements. The unit number matches the unit specified on
PARAM,EXTDRUNT.


boundary solution.
superelement.
assi gn mast er=' wi ngbox. mast er' del et e

assi gn dbal l =' wi ngbox. dbal l ' del ete
assi gn i nputt 2=' cabi n_dmi gop2. op2' uni t =31
assi gn i nputt 2=' wi ngs_dmi gop2. op2' uni t =32
assign output2='wings-bndry-soln.op2' unit=35 delete
assign output2='cabin-bndry-soln.op2' unit=36 delete
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = Fr eedompl ane exampl e, Wi ngbox Assembl y
ECHO = NONE
DI SP=ALL
STRESS( BI LI N) =ALL
SPCF=ALL
SUBCASE 40
super = 40,1
param,extdrunt,35
SUBCASE 50
super=50,1
param,extdrunt,36

SUBCASE 99
super =0, 1
LOAD = 1

BEGI N BULK
$ i n t hi s reducti on, t he wi ngbox i s t he resi dual and t he fi nal l evel of r educt i on
par am, maxrat i o, 1. e8

CHAPTER 7 367
$ at t ach upst r eam se - wi ngs

SECONCT 40 0
, 40001, t hru, 40008, 171, t hru, 178
, 45001, t hru, 45008, 179, t hru, 186
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . CONTI NUE
$ 40001 171 40002 172 40003 173 40004 174
$ 40005 175 40006 176 40007 177 40008 178
$ 45001 179 45002 180 45003 181 45004 182
$ 45005 183 45006 184 45007 185 45008 186
$
$ at t ach upstr eam se - cabi n col l ect or

SECONCT 50 0
, 50001, t hru, 50037, 187, t hru, 223
$ model and l oads

i ncl ude ' f r eedom- par t - wi ngbox. bdf '
i ncl ude ' r educe-wi ngs. pch'

i ncl ude ' reduce- cabi n
Listing 7-21 External Superelement Residual Solution (assemble-wingbox.dat) With

Directives for Upstream Boundary Solution Storage, EXTSEOUT Method
After the residual solution is obtained, and the boundary solutions are stored on appropriate files, the data
recovery for upstream superelements can begin. As an example, the cabin data recovery input file is
shown below. A description of the highlighted lines is as follows:
• The assign + restart entries define the database that was specified during the reduction run. This
database contains all of the grids, elements, coordinates, loading, constraints, etc., so there is no
need to specify any bulk data.
• The assign inputt2 entry defines the boundary solution written by the downstream superelement.
• The assign output2 entry defines the files that store the boundary solution of the upstream
superelements
boundary solution.
superelement.


• The output requests can specify any valid output request for a static solution as if it were run
without superelements.
assign se50='cabin.master'
restart logi=se50
assign inputt2='cabin-bndry-soln.op2' unit=31
$ defi ne f i l es to st ore boundary sol ut i on f or upstr eam data recovery

assign output2='aft-fuselage-bndry-soln.op2' unit=35 delete
assign output2='nose-bndry-soln.op2' unit=36 delete

DI AG 5, 6, 8, 56
CEND
$
TI TLE = Fr eedompl ane exampl e, Cabi n Dat a Recover y
$
$ output r equest s appl y to al l subcases unl ess over wr i t t en
DI SPL=ALL
STRESS(bi l i n)=ALL
SPCF=ALL
ECHO=NONE
$
$ specify data recovery from boundary solution
param,extdr,yes
param,extdrunt,31
$
$ use same case contr ol f r omr educti on r un
SUBCASE 30 $ af t - f usel age

super = 30,1
param,extdrunt,35
SUBCASE 60 $ nose
super = 60,1
param,extdrunt,36

SUBCASE 99
SUPER = 0,1
LOAD = 1

CHAPTER 7 369

BEGI N BULK
$ no bulk data necessary
ENDDATA
Listing 7-22 Cabin Data Recovery Input (recover-cabin.dat) With Directives for Upstream
Boundary Solution Storage, EXTSEOUT method
The data recovery solutions are performed for every superelement that is desired. The data recovery for
the wings (recover-wings.dat and recover aft-fuselage.dat) demonstrates that the same solution is
obtained for the EXTSEOUT with PARAM,EXTDROUT superelement process when compared to both
the List and PART multi-level superelement solutions. The solution is the same as shown in Listing 7-17.
When comparing results from all of the methods for multi-level superelement analysis described above,
the reader will notice that all elements have the exact same values for deflections and stresses. Below are
tables which summarize the results solved for in the methods discussed in this chapter.
Table 7-5 Results Comparison for Multi-Level Superelement Analysis Methods

Elm. 30849, Grid
Displacement Maximum 30720 Von Mises
Model External Work Vector (40465) SPCFORCES Stress
Baseline 7.5310065E+02 -4.670197E-02 4.6573779E+02 3.320962E+04
List Superelement 7.2700531E+02 -4.670197E-02 4.6573779E+02 3.320962E+04
PART Superelement 7.5153900E+02 -4.670197E-02 4.6573779E+02 3.320962E+04
3-Step External
7.2341473E+02 -4.670197E-02 4.6573779E+02 3.320962E+04
Superelement
2-Step External
7.2341473E+02 -4.670198E-02 4.6573779E+02 3.320962E+04
Superelement
Table 7-6 Results Comparison for Multi-Level Superelement Analysis Methods

Model SPCF 30398 SPCF 40093 SPCF 45093
Baseline 4.444910E+02 4.657378E+02 4.657378E+02
List Superelement 4.444910E+02 4.657378E+02 4.657378E+02
PART Superelement 4.444910E+02 4.657378E+02 4.657378E+02
PARAM,EXTOUT External Superelement 4.444910E+02 4.657378E+02 4.657378E+02
EXTSEOUT External Superelement 4.444910E+02 4.657378E+02 4.657378E+02


1.

Chapter 8: Output Description and Control in Static Superelement Analysis

8 Output Description and Control in

Static Superelement Analysis
 Introduction

Diagnostic/Connection Output
 Part Superelement Diagnostic Output
 List (SESET) Superelement Diagnostic Output

Visualizing Model with OUTPUT(PLOT)
 Result Output


Introduction
Introduction
Up to this point, this guide provided snippets of output. The purpose of this chapter is to summarize and
consolidate the various MSC.Nastran output in one convenient location. Additional output controls will
be discussed.
Note: BEGIN SUPER vs. BEGIN BULK Superelement Partitioning

MSC.Nastran maintains two distinct paths for superelement processing in the solution
sequences. When a BEGIN SUPER entry is present the program uses the more modern
SEP1X module to make the SEMAP table used to control partition of superelements. When
there is a BEGIN BULK entry but no BEGIN SUPER entries a parallel path using the older
SEP1 module is used instead. For a more detailed discussion of these two methods, please
refer to Superelement Analysis (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran Reference Manual.

CHAPTER 8 373
Output Description and Control i n Static Superelement Analysis
Diagnostic/Connection Output
MSC.Nastran provides detailed diagnostics related to superelements and their connection to each other.
The sections below will discuss the superelement definition tables and output controls available to the
user.
Superelement Definition Tables

Superelement definition tables list the superelement processing order used in the solution. The user can
find this table in the .f06 file when solving using list superelements and PART superelements.
For this section, the output for the flyswatter examples in CHAPTER 3 are investigated in more detail.
List Superelements
For list superelements, the superelement definition table is presented in two formats. The first table lists
the superelements by number (SEID). In the second table, the superelements are listed by processing
order.
(SORTED BY SEID)
INDEX SUPERELEMENT PROCESS ORDER DOWNSTREAM SE SUPERELEMENT TYPE
0 0 8 0 RESIDUAL STRUCTURE
1 10 1 0 PRIMARY SUPERELEMENT




Diagnostic /Connection Output
Listing 8-1 List Superelement Definition Table (Ref output from:

/doc/seug/chapter3/flyswatter-seset.bdf)
In the second column, the superelement number (SEID) is identified. In the third column, the order which
the superelements are processed is presented.
PART Superelements
With PART superelements, the superelement definition table is presented in two similar, but slightly
different formats from the list superelements. The PART superelements definition table includes a
column titled ‘Label’, which can define the superelement defined via the SELABEL bulk data entry.

SUPEREL EMENT SUPERELEMENT ORDER SUPEREL EMENT TYPE LABEL
------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- -----------------------------------------

SUPEREL EMENT SUPERELEMENT ORDER SUPEREL EMENT TYPE LABEL
------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Listing 8-2 PART Superelement Definition Table (Ref output from:

/doc/seug/chapter3/flyswatter-part.bdf)
For PART superelements, the first column lists the superelements. The third column lists the process
order and the fourth column lists and downstream elements, if applicable to the problem.

CHAPTER 8 375
There are no definition tables for external superelements during the superelement generation run. When
an external superelement is attached in an assembly run, the external superelement is identified as an
“EXTERNAL” in the Superelement Definition Tables.

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- ----------------------------


------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- ----------------------------
Listing 8-3 External Superelement Definition Table (Ref output from:

/doc/seug/chapter3/assembly.bdf)
Controlling Diagnostic Output with PARAMs SEMAP,

SEMAPOPT, SEMAPPRT
The user has many of options to control the amount and type of Superelement diagnostic output. User
parameters SEMAP, SEMAPOPT, and SEMAPPRT control the diagnostic output.
PARAM,SEMAP
The user has four options for PARAM,SEMAP: SEMAPALL, SEMAPEST, SEMAPCON,
SEMAPPUN. A table with the PARAM,SEMAP options and their description is shown here:


Table 8-1 PARAM SEMAP Options for Controlling Superelement Diagnostic Output
SEMAP Value Output and Application
SEMAP (Default) ISM, SDT. The lengthy GPM is suppressed. This is the appropriate value for use after the
model is stable and only minor changes are to be made.
SEMAPALL GPM, ISM, SDT. All tables are printed. This value is useful on the initial debug run of a model
and when making extensive modeling changes.
SEMAPCON Only the summary tables of the GPM and the estimation data is output. This is a useful value
when iterating to an economic partitioning scheme for large, complex models.
SEMAPEST Only the estimation data is printed. This is useful when evaluating several alternative
partitioning schemes.
SEMAPPUN No output is printed. The exterior grid points of the superelement with a SEID that is input on
SEMAPOPT are placed on a CSUPER entry image on the PUNCH file, allowing the
superelement to be used as an external superelement. If SEMAPOPT > 0, the superelement
entry is given an SSID of SEMAPOPT. If SEMAPOPT < 0, the exterior points listed are those
of the residual structure, but the CSUPER entry is given an SSID of |SEMAPOPT|.
In the above table, there are three abbreviations which represent the output data displayed in the .f06 file.
ISM stands for the individual superelement map. In the .f06 file, this can be found by searching for the
superelement connectivity list. If a grid is attached to more than one superelement, the ISM identifies
each superelement.
The for list superelements, the superelement connectivity list (aka ISM) shows the grids attachments to
each superelement. .
[ I ndi vi dual Super el ement Map (I SM) f or SESET Super el ement s]
SUPERELEMENT CONNECTIVITY LIST - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I NDEX GRI D I D TYPE I NT. - TO- SE SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D
1 1 70
2 2 70
3 3 70
4 4 70
5 5 70
6 6 70
7 7 70 0
8 8 70 0
9 9 50 0
10 10 50 0
11 11 50 0
12 12 50 0
13 13 0 50 70

CHAPTER 8 377

102 102 20
103 103 20
104 104 20
Listing 8-4 Individual Superelement Map (ISM) data from .f06 for SESETS
For Part superelements, the ISM identifies the boundary grids for each superelement – the boundary grid
ids (i.e. “1B, 2B,...) are related to their corresponding superelement grid ids via the grid point map.
[ I ndi vi dual Super el ement Map (I SM) f or PART Super el ement s]
SUPERELEMENT 0

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 1B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B 9B
11 11B 12B
SUPERELEMENT 0

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 5
SUPERELEMENT 10

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 1B 2B
SUPERELEMENT 20

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 3B 4B
SUPERELEMENT 30

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 1B 2B 5B 6B
SUPERELEMENT 40



I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 3B 4B 7B 8B
SUPERELEMENT 50

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 5B 6B 9B 10B
SUPERELEMENT 60

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 7B 8B 11B 12B
SUPERELEMENT 70

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 9B 11B
Listing 8-5 Individual Superelement Map (ISM) data from .f06 for PARTS (Ref output from:
The Superelement Definition Table (SDT) is next; it contains the SEID of every superelement in the
model, the processing order, and the superelement tree. Below is a sample SDT output.
[ Super el ement Def i ni t i on Tabl e ( SDT) f or SESET Super el ement s]
(SORTED BY SEID)


CHAPTER 8 379

TABLE OF DOWNSTREAM CONNECTI ONS FOR EACH SUPERELEMENT

1 10 0
2 20 0
3 30 0
4 40 0
5 50 0
6 60 0
7 70 0
MD NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 02- APR- 11 AT 08: 53: 17 J UNE 2, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10 PAGE 11
I NDEX
- 1-
1 10
1*
2 20
2*
3 30
3*
4 40
4*
5 50
5*
6 60
6*


7 70
7*
Listing 8-6 Superelement Definition Table (SDT) data from .f06 for SESETS (Ref output
from: /doc/seug/chapter3/flyswatter-seset.bdf)L
[ Super el ement Def i ni t i on Tabl e ( SDT) f or PART Superel ement s]

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- ------------------------------------

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- ------------------------------------

------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 0
20 0
30 0
40 0
50 0
60 0

CHAPTER 8 381
70 0
MD NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 02- APR- 11 AT 13: 36: 21 J UNE 2, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10

TI P LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEV
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10- - 11
1 10
2 20
3 30
4 40
5 50
6 60
7 70
Listing 8-7 Superelement Definition Table (SDT) data from .f06 for PARTS (Ref output
from: /doc/seug/chapter3/flyswatter-part.bdf)
Finally, the Grid Point Map (GPM) contains a list of each superelement’s boundary grid points . Below
is a sample of the GPM data.
[ Gr i d Poi nt Map ( GPM) f or SESET Super el ements ]
UNIQUE SUPERELEMENT CONNECTIVITY LIST - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
( SORTED BY 1ST GRD)

COUNT 1ST GRD TYPE I NT. - TO- SE SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D
6 1 70
2 7 70 0
6 9 50 0
1 13 0 50 70
1 14 0 60 70
6 15 60 0
2 19 0 30 50
1 23 0 50
1 24 0 60
2 27 0 40 60
2 29 30 0


2 31 40 0
28 33 10
6 34 10 0
2 35 0 10 30
28 39 20
6 40 20 0
2 41 0 20 40
1 MD NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 02- APR- 11 AT 08: 53: 17 J UNE 2, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10 PAGE 16
0
0 UNI QUE SUPEREL EMENT CONNECTI VI TY L I S T - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
( SORTED BY COUNT)
COUNT 1ST GRD TYPE I NT. - TO- SE SE- I D SE-I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE-I D SE- I D SE-I D SE- I D
0
1 13 0 50 70
1 14 0 60 70
1 23 0 50
1 24 0 60
2 7 70 0
2 19 0 30 50
2 27 0 40 60
2 29 30 0
2 31 40 0
2 35 0 10 30
2 41 0 20 40
6 1 70
6 9 50 0
6 15 60 0
6 34 10 0
6 40 20 0
28 33 10
28 39 20
1 MD NASTRAN J OB CREATED ON 02- APR- 11 AT 08: 53: 17 J UNE 2, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10 PAGE 17
0
0 UNI QUE SUPEREL EMENT CONNECTI VI TY L I S T - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
0
1 13 0 50 70
2 27 0 40 60
2 35 0 10 30
2 19 0 30 50
1 24 0 60
1 23 0 50

CHAPTER 8 383
1 14 0 60 70
2 41 0 20 40
28 33 10
6 34 10 0
6 40 20 0
28 39 20
2 29 30 0
2 31 40 0
6 9 50 0
6 15 60 0
6 1 70
2 7 70 0
Listing 8-8 Grid Point Map (GP M) data from .f06 for SESETS (Ref output from:
/doc/seug/chapter3/flyswatter-seset.bdf)
[ Gr i d Poi nt Map (GPM) f or PART Superel ements ]
POINT/SUPERELEMENT CONNECTIVITY LIST ( SORTED BY POI NT I D - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY SEQUENCE I D)
I NTERI OR TO
POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1B G 0 10 30
2B G 0 10 30
3B G 0 20 40
4B G 0 20 40
5B G 0 30 50
6B G 0 30 50
7B G 0 40 60
8B G 0 40 60
9B G 0 50 70
10B G 0 50
11B G 0 60 70
12B G 0 60
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST ( SORTED BY FI RST POI NT I D - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY SEQUENC
COUNT POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 1B 0 10 30
2 3B 0 20 40
2 5B 0 30 50


2 7B 0 40 60
1 9B 0 50 70
1 10B 0 50
1 11B 0 60 70
1 12B 0 60
1 12B 0 60
1 10B 0 50
1 11B 0 60 70
1 9B 0 50 70
2 1B 0 10 30
2 5B 0 30 50
2 3B 0 20 40
2 7B 0 40 60
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST ( SORTED BY I NTERI OR SUPERELEMENT - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY
1 12B 0 60
2 5B 0 30 50
2 3B 0 20 40
2 1B 0 10 30
1 9B 0 50 70
1 11B 0 60 70
1 10B 0 50
2 7B 0 40 60
Listing 8-9 Grid Point Map (GPM) data from .f06 for PARTS(Ref output from:
If the user would like to find more information on these options refer to the Quick Reference Guide.

CHAPTER 8 385
PARAM,SEMAPOPT
PARAM,SEMAPOPT controls the amount of output for the SEMAP. The most common options are 0,
1, or 2 as described in the table below.
Table 8-2 Common PARAM,SEMAPOPT options

SEMAPOPT Value Result
0 Both grid list and summaries of grid lists
1 Only grid list
2 Only Summaries of grid lists
Additional controls can be found in the MSC.Nastran DMAP User’s Guide, TABPRT Module
Description.
[ PARAM, SEMAPOPT, 1 Out put ]
SUPERELEMENT CONNECTIVITY LIST - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I NDEX GRI D I D TYPE I NT. - TO- SE SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D
1 1 70
2 2 70
3 3 70
13 13 0 50 70
14 14 0 60 70
15 15 60 0
16 16 60 0
101 101 20
102 102 20
103 103 20
104 104 20
Listing 8-10 PARAM,SEMAPOPT,1 Output (SESET)
[ PARAM, SEMAPOPT, 2 Out put ]
UNIQUE SUPERELEMENT CONNECTIVITY LIST - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

( SORTED BY 1ST GRD)
COUNT 1ST GRD TYPE I NT. - TO- SE SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D SE- I D


6 1 70
2 7 70 0
6 9 50 0
1 13 0 50 70
1 14 0 60 70
2 35 0 10 30
1 14 0 60 70
2 41 0 20 40
28 33 10
6 34 10 0
6 40 20 0
28 39 20
2 29 30 0
2 31 40 0
6 9 50 0
6 15 60 0
6 1 70
2 7 70 0
Listing 8-11 PARAM,SEMAPOPT,2 output (SESET shown)
PARAM,SEMAPPRT
PARAM,SEMAPPRT controls which data from the SEMAP that will be output as shown below.
Table 8-3 PARAM,SEMAPPRT Options

Input Code Output Information
PARAM,SEMAPPRT,-1 No output data
Superelement definition table, superelement tree, unique
PARAM,SEMAPPRT,0 superelement connectivity list, estimation data for
superelement
PARAM,SEMAPPRT,1 Superelement definition table, superelement tree
PARAM,SEMAPPRT,2
superelement connectivity list
superelement
PARAM,SEMAPPRT,4 No output data
superelement

CHAPTER 8 387
Part Superelement Diagnostic Output
Sorted Bulk Data

For PART superelements, the sorted bulk data is partitioned into separate sections for each superelement.
S O R T E D B U L K D A T A E C H O SUPER = 10
ENTRY
COUNT . 1 .. 2 .. 3 .. 4 .. 5 .. 6 .. 7 .. 8 .. 9 .. 10 .
1- CQUAD4 18 1 33 34 46 45 0. 0.
2- CQUAD4 19 1 34 35 47 46 0. 0.
3- CQUAD4 20 1 35 36 48 47 0. 0.
4- CQUAD4 21 1 36 37 49 48 0. 0.
5- CQUAD4 22 1 37 38 50 49 0. 0.
6- CQUAD4 23 1 45 46 58 57 0. 0.
7- CQUAD4 24 1 46 47 59 58 0. 0.
65- LOAD 305 1. 1. 301

66- LOAD 307 1. 1. 101
67- MAT1 *1 3. +7 1. 15385+7 .3 +000001
68- *+0000017. 33- 4 +000002
69- PARAM GRDPNT 0
70- PARAM POST -1
71- PARAM PRTMAXI MYES
72- PLOAD4 101 18 - 1. THRU 42
73- PSHELL 1 1 1. 1 1
ENDDATA
TOTAL COUNT= 74
I NPUT BULK DATA ENTRY COUNT = 91

S OR T E D B U L K D A T A E C H O SUPER = 20
ENTRY
COUNT . 1 .. 2 .. 3 .. 4 .. 5 .. 6 .. 7 .. 8 .. 9 .. 10 .
1- CQUAD4 43 2 39 40 52 51 0. 0.
2- CQUAD4 44 2 40 41 53 52 0. 0.
3- CQUAD4 45 2 41 42 54 53 0. 0.
4- CQUAD4 46 2 42 43 55 54 0. 0.
5- CQUAD4 47 2 43 44 56 55 0. 0.
64- LOAD 303 1. 1. 201

65- LOAD 305 1. 1. 301
66- LOAD 307 1. 1. 101
67- MAT1 *2 3. +7 1. 15385+7 .3 +000001
68- *+0000017. 33- 4 +000002


69- PARAM GRDPNT 0

70- PARAM POST -1
71- PARAM PRTMAXI MYES
72- PLOAD4 101 43 - 1. THRU 67
73- PSHELL 2 2 1. 2 2
ENDDATA
TOTAL COUNT= 74
[ l i st i ng f or super el ement 30, 40, 50, 60 omi t t ed]
S OR T E D B U L K D A T A E C H O SUPER = 70
ENTRY
COUNT . 1 .. 2 .. 3 .. 4 .. 5 .. 6 .. 7 .. 8 .. 9 .. 10 .
1- CQUAD4 1 7 1 2 4 3 0. 0.
2- CQUAD4 2 7 3 4 6 5 0. 0.
20- PSHELL 7 7 1. 7 7
21- SPC1 1 123456 1 2
22- SPCADD 2 1
ENDDATA
TOTAL COUNT= 23
Listing 8-12 PART Superelement Sorted Bulk Data
Boundary Grid Search Output

The boundary grids associated with each PART superelement are output the Boundary Sequence
Assignment Table. For example, the Figure below will generate the following Boundary Sequence
assignment table.
BOUNDARY
SEQUENCE I D - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSI GNED TO POI NT I D ( SUPEREL EMENT) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1B 35 ( 10) 35 ( 30)
2B 36 ( 10) 36 ( 30)
3B 41 ( 20) 41 ( 40)
4B 42 ( 20) 42 ( 40)
5B 19 ( 30) 19 ( 50)
6B 20 ( 30) 20 ( 50)
7B 27 ( 40) 27 ( 60)
8B 28 ( 40) 28 ( 60)
9B 13 ( 0) 13 ( 50) 13 ( 70)
10B 23 ( 0) 23 ( 50)
11B 14 ( 0) 14 ( 60) 14 ( 70)
12B 24 ( 0) 24 ( 60)

CHAPTER 8 389
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST ( SORTED BY POI NT I D - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY SEQUENCE I D)
I NTERI OR TO
POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1B G 0 10 30
2B G 0 10 30
3B G 0 20 40
4B G 0 20 40
5B G 0 30 50
6B G 0 30 50
7B G 0 40 60
8B G 0 40 60
9B G 0 50 70
10B G 0 50
11B G 0 60 70
12B G 0 60
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY L I ST ( SORTED BY FI RST POI NT I D - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY SEQUENCE I D)
COUNT POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 1B 0 10 30
2 3B 0 20 40
2 5B 0 30 50
2 7B 0 40 60
1 9B 0 50 70
1 10B 0 50
1 11B 0 60 70
1 12B 0 60
1 12B 0 60
1 10B 0 50
1 11B 0 60 70
1 9B 0 50 70
2 1B 0 10 30
2 5B 0 30 50
2 3B 0 20 40
2 7B 0 40 60
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST ( SORTED BY I NTERI OR SUPERELEMENT - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY SEQUENCE I D)
1 12B 0 60


2 5B 0 30 50
2 3B 0 20 40
2 1B 0 10 30
1 9B 0 50 70
1 11B 0 60 70
1 10B 0 50
2 7B 0 40 60
Listing 8-13 PART Superelement Boundary Grid Search Output
Figure 8-1 Boundary Grid Illustration

CHAPTER 8 391
List (SESET) Superelement Diagnostic Output
Sorted Bulk Data

Just like non-superelement analysis, for List (SESET) Superelements the sorted bulk data echo is
contained in one section for the entire model.
S OR T E D B U L K DA T A E C H O
ENTRY
COUNT . 1 .. 2 .. 3 .. 4 .. 5 .. 6 .. 7 .. 8 .. 9 .. 10 .
1- CQUAD4 1 7 1 2 4 3 0. 0.
2- CQUAD4 2 7 3 4 6 5 0. 0.
3- CQUAD4 3 7 5 6 8 7 0. 0.
4- CQUAD4 4 7 7 8 14 13 0. 0.
5- CQUAD4 5 10 13 14 24 23 0. 0.
6- CQUAD4 6 5 9 10 20 19 0. 0.
7- CQUAD4 7 5 10 11 21 20 0. 0.
8- CQUAD4 8 5 11 12 22 21 0. 0.
9- CQUAD4 9 5 12 13 23 22 0. 0.
10- CQUAD4 10 6 14 15 25 24 0. 0.
11- CQUAD4 11 6 15 16 26 25 0. 0.
12- CQUAD4 12 6 16 17 27 26 0. 0.
13- CQUAD4 13 6 17 18 28 27 0. 0.
14- CQUAD4 14 3 19 20 30 29 0. 0.
15- CQUAD4 15 3 29 30 36 35 0. 0.
16- CQUAD4 16 4 27 28 32 31 0. 0.
17- CQUAD4 17 4 31 32 42 41 0. 0.
18- CQUAD4 18 1 33 34 46 45 0. 0.
19- CQUAD4 19 1 34 35 47 46 0. 0.
20- CQUAD4 20 1 35 36 48 47 0. 0.
201- PSHELL 3 3 1. 3 3
202- PSHELL 4 4 1. 4 4
203- PSHELL 5 5 1. 5 5
204- PSHELL 6 6 1. 6 6
205- PSHELL 7 7 1. 7 7
206- PSHELL 10 10 1. 10 10
207- SESET 10 33 34 37 38
208- SESET 10 45 THRU 50
209- SESET 10 57 THRU 62
210- SESET 10 69 THRU 74
211- SESET 10 81 THRU 86
212- SESET 10 93 THRU 98
213- SESET 20 39 40 43 44


List (SESET) Superelement Diagnostic Output
214- SESET 20 51 THRU 56

215- SESET 20 63 THRU 68
216- SESET 20 75 THRU 80
217- SESET 20 87 THRU 92
218- SESET 20 99 THRU 104
219- SESET 30 29 30
220- SESET 40 31 32
221- SESET 50 9 THRU 12
222- SESET 50 21 22
223- SESET 60 15 THRU 18
224- SESET 60 25 26
225- SESET 70 1 THRU 8
226- SPC1 1 123456 1 2
227- SPCADD 2 1
ENDDATA
0 TOTAL COUNT= 228
Listing 8-14 List (SESET) Superelement Sorted Bulk Data
Boundary Grid Search Output

For SESET superelements, the boundary grid connectivity is displayed in one table called the Unique
Superelement Connectivity List.
0 UNI QUE SUPEREL EMENT CONNECTI VI TY L I S T - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

0
1 13 0 50 70
2 27 0 40 60
2 35 0 10 30
2 19 0 30 50
1 24 0 60
1 23 0 50
1 14 0 60 70
2 41 0 20 40
28 33 10
6 34 10 0
6 40 20 0
28 39 20
2 29 30 0
2 31 40 0
6 9 50 0

CHAPTER 8 393
6 15 60 0
6 1 70
2 7 70 0
Listing 8-15 SESET Unique Superelements Connectivity List for Boundary Grids


Visualizin g Model wit h OUTPUT(PLOT)
Visualizing Model with OUTPUT(PLOT)

Visualizing the model is one of the most important verification steps in superelement analysis. In many
cases, preprocessing programs such as Patran are adequate to visualize the model and provide interactive
feedback. However, MSC.Nastran supports imaged superelements (copies, mirrors, etc.) which are not
always supported by commercial preprocessors. In this case MSC.Nastran provides an option to create
a plot of the model using OUTPUT(PLOT) commands. OUTPUT(PLOT) is covered in detail in
Superelement Plotting with PLOT (Ch. 19).

CHAPTER 8 395
Result Output
The .f06 output (diagnostics, displacements, stresses, forces, etc.) for models with superelements is
different than a non-superelement analysis. Recall from Figure 1-9:
Figure 8-2 Flow Chart for Superelement Processing
The process order is determined by MSC.Nastran modules SEP1 (list superelements) or SEP1X (PART
superelements) in Phase 1 operations and listed in the Superelement Definition Tables (refer to
Superelement Definition Tables). Each superelement is processed (reduced) in a loop according to the
process order. Phase 2 is the solution of the residual structure. The data recovery is performed in a loop
in Phase 3; that is, the data recovery for each superelement is performed in a loop that is in reverse order
of Phase 1 process order.
The selected output below comes from the Chapter 3 flyswatter examples.


Result Output
List Superelements
The following listings show the output for list superelements. In this case, the output relative to Phase 1
and Phase 3 operations is shown:
[ PHASE 1 Out put Associ at ed wi t h Li st Superel ement 10]
SUPERELEMENT 10

** SYSTEM I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 4159 ( DFMSA)
THE DECOMPOSI TI ON OF KOO YI ELDS A MAXI MUM MATRI X- TO- FACTOR- DI AGONAL RATI O OF 5. 006693E+00
** USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 5293 ( SSG3A)
FOR DATA BL OCK KOO
LOAD SEQ. NO. EPSI LON EXTERNAL WORK EPSI LONS LARGER THAN 0. 001 ARE FL AGGED WI TH ASTER
1 8. 5530295E- 15 1.1700904E-05
2 6. 9137383E- 15 1. 1700904E- 05
3 6. 9176406E- 15 9. 7933684E- 05

SUPEREL EMENT 20

FOR DATA BL OCK KOO
1 - 2. 3284101E- 14 1.1700904E-05
2 - 2. 0241675E- 14 1. 1700904E- 05
3 - 1. 6063905E- 14 9. 7933684E- 05
SUBCASE 1
33 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 683764E- 04 9. 794447E- 05 1. 543324E- 05 0. 0
34 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 560836E- 04 9. 801662E- 05 1. 548379E- 05 0. 0
35 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 440241E- 04 9. 593536E- 05 1. 486124E- 05 0. 0
36 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 321574E- 04 9. 586434E- 05 1. 520494E- 05 0. 0
37 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 192997E- 04 9. 717572E- 05 1. 586828E- 05 0. 0
38 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 064635E- 04 9. 710126E- 05 1. 598421E- 05 0. 0
.
.

CHAPTER 8 397
.
93 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 633899E- 04 9. 912115E- 05 1. 682907E- 05 0. 0
94 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 496271E- 04 9. 880464E- 05 1. 671144E- 05 0. 0
95 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 361663E- 04 9. 843080E- 05 1. 651792E- 05 0. 0
96 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 228653E- 04 9. 817738E- 05 1. 640466E- 05 0. 0
97 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 096976E- 04 9. 801870E- 05 1. 633151E- 05 0. 0
98 G 0. 0 0. 0 6. 966225E- 04 9. 796763E- 05 1. 631299E- 05 0. 0
SUBCASE 1
S T R E S S E S I N QU A D R I L A T E R A L E L E ME NT S ( QU A D 4 )
18 CEN/ 4 1. 147215E+00 5. 651187E- 01 - 1. 174470E+00 - 38. 0409 2. 066162E+00 - 3. 538281E- 01 2. 263909E+00

- 1. 147215E+00 - 5. 651187E- 01 1. 174470E+00 51. 9591 3. 538281E- 01 - 2. 066162E+00 2. 263909E+00
19 CEN/ 4 9. 589333E+00 1. 521224E+01 - 1. 091012E+01 - 52. 2252 2. 366733E+01 1. 134244E+00 2. 312109E+01
- 9. 589333E+00 - 1. 521224E+01 1. 091012E+01 37. 7748 - 1. 134244E+00 - 2. 366733E+01 2. 312109E+01
Listing 8-16 Phase 1 and Phase 3 List Superelements Output
PART Superelements
PART Superelement analysis Phase 1 and Phase 3 operations are executed and reported the same way
that List Superelements are reported.
[ PHASE 1 Out put Ass oci at ed wi t h PART Super el ement 10]
SUPERELEMENT 10

FOR DATA BL OCK KOO
1 8. 5530295E- 15 1.1700904E-05
2 6. 9137383E- 15 1. 1700904E- 05
3 6. 9176406E- 15 9. 7933684E- 05
[ PHASE 1 Out put Ass oci at ed wi t h PART Super el ement 20]



Result Output
FOR DATA BL OCK KOO
1 - 2. 3284101E- 14 1.1700904E-05
2 - 2. 0241675E- 14 1. 1700904E- 05
3 - 1. 6063905E- 14 9. 7933684E- 05
[ PHASE 3 Out put Assoc i at ed wi t h PART Super el ement 10]
SUBCASE 1
33 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 683764E- 04 9. 794447E- 05 1. 543324E- 05 0. 0
34 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 560836E- 04 9. 801662E- 05 1. 548379E- 05 0. 0
35 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 440241E- 04 9. 593536E- 05 1. 486124E- 05 0. 0
36 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 321574E- 04 9. 586434E- 05 1. 520494E- 05 0. 0
37 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 192997E- 04 9. 717572E- 05 1. 586828E- 05 0. 0
38 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 064635E- 04 9. 710126E- 05 1. 598421E- 05 0. 0
93 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 633899E- 04 9. 912115E- 05 1. 682907E- 05 0. 0

94 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 496271E- 04 9. 880464E- 05 1. 671144E- 05 0. 0
95 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 361663E- 04 9. 843080E- 05 1. 651792E- 05 0. 0
96 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 228653E- 04 9. 817738E- 05 1. 640466E- 05 0. 0
97 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 096976E- 04 9. 801870E- 05 1. 633151E- 05 0. 0
98 G 0. 0 0. 0 6. 966225E- 04 9. 796763E- 05 1. 631299E- 05 0. 0
SUBCASE 1
S T RE S S E S I N QU A D R I L A T E R A L E L E ME N T S ( QU A D 4 )
18 CEN/ 4 1. 147215E+00 5. 651187E- 01 - 1. 174470E+00 - 38. 0409 2. 066162E+00 - 3. 538281E- 01 2. 263909E+00

- 1. 147215E+00 - 5. 651187E- 01 1. 174470E+00 51. 9591 3. 538281E- 01 - 2. 066162E+00 2. 263909E+00
19 CEN/ 4 9. 589333E+00 1. 521224E+01 - 1. 091012E+01 - 52. 2252 2. 366733E+01 1. 134244E+00 2. 312109E+01
- 9. 589333E+00 - 1. 521224E+01 1. 091012E+01 37. 7748 - 1. 134244E+00 - 2. 366733E+01 2. 312109E+01
Listing 8-17 Phase 1 and Phase 3 PART Superelement Output

CHAPTER 8 399
External Superelements Phase 1 operations are performed in a reduction run. In a single-level reduction
run, there are no superelement diagnostics.
During the Phase 2 operations, the external superelements are attached to the residual structure and the
system solution is performed.
During Phase 3 operations, there are two possible paths depending on the method employed:
• 2-Step Method: Data recovery is performed in the same run as the solution
• 3-Step Method: Data recovery is performed in a RESTART of the reduction run.
The following sections describe the diagnostic and results output for each method.
External Superelement 2-Step Method

The assembly run contains the Superelement Definition Table.

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- -----------------------------------

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- -----------------------------------



Result Output
------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 0
20 0
30 0
40 0
50 0
60 0
70 0
Listing 8-18 External Superelement 2-Step Method Superelement Definition Table
Note that this output is in the same format as the Superelement Definition Table for PART Superelements
and that the external superelements are identified in the “TYPE” column.
Since Phase 1 operations were performed in the reduction step, there is no additional reduction necessary
for the external superelements. However, there will be diagnostic messages associated with the retrieval
of the reduced matrices. The results output for the 2-Step method will be reported the same as results
output for internal superelements. The diagnostic output will depend on the storage method defined on
the EXTSEOUT case control entry (i.e. MATRIXDB, DMIGDB, DMIGOP2, DMIGPCH, or
MATOP4).
[ Di agnost i c Output Associ ated wi t h At t achi ng MATRI XDB Ext ernal Super el ement s]
$ DI RECT TEXT I NPUT FOR FI LE MANAGEMENT SECTI ON

ASSIGN SE10M='create-ext10.MASTER'
DBLOCATE DATABLK=(EXTDB) CONVERT(SEID=10) LOGI=SE10M
ASSI GN SE20M=' cr eat e- ext 20. MASTER'

DBLOCATE DATABLK=( EXTDB) CONVERT( SEI D=20) LOGI =SE20M
$ DI RECT TEXT I NPUT FOR EXECUTI VE CONTROL
$ LI NEAR STATI C ANALYSI S, DATABASE
N A S T R A N E X E C U T I V E C ON T R OL E C H O

CHAPTER 8 401
SOL 101
CEND
*** SYSTEM INFORMATION MESSAGE 482 (LCDRVR)
1 DATABLOCK(S) HAVE BEEN LOCATED ON THE SE10M DATABASE.
*** SYSTEM I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 482 ( LCDRVR)

Listing 8-19 Diagnostic Output Associated with Attaching MATRIXDB External

Superelements

[Phase 1 Diagnostic Output Associated with Attaching DMIGOP2 External Superelements]
*** USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 7325 ( SEP2DR)


*** USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 4105 ( I NPTX2)
DATA BLOCK DUMMY RETRI EVED FROM FORTRAN UNI T 31 ( GENERATED I N BI NARY ( LTL END) FORMAT) I N NATI VE BI NARY FORMAT
NAME OF DATA BLOCK WHEN PLACED ON FORTRAN UNI T WAS XSOP2DI R.
DATA BLOCK EXTDB RETRI EVED FROM FORTRAN UNI T 31 ( GENERATED I N BI NARY ( LTL END) FORMAT) I N NATI VE BI NARY FORMAT
NAME OF DATA BL OCK WHEN PLACED ON FORTRAN UNI T WAS GEOM1X .
NAME OF DATA BLOCK WHEN PL ACED ON FORTRAN UNI T WAS MATK .
NAME OF DATA BLOCK WHEN PL ACED ON FORTRAN UNI T WAS MATM .


Result Output

NAME OF DATA BLOCK WHEN PL ACED ON FORTRAN UNI T WAS MATP .
NAME OF DATA BLOCK WHEN PL ACED ON FORTRAN UNI T WAS MATV .
Listing 8-20 Diagnostic Output Associated with Attaching DMIGOP2 External

Superelements

[Phase 0 Diagnostic Output Associated with Attaching DMIGPCH External Superelements]

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- -----------------------
10 0 1 0 PRIMARY (BEGIN SUPER)


------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- -----------------------
[ Phase 1 Di agnost i c Out put Associ at ed wi t h At t achi ng DMI GPCH Exter nal Superel ements ]

CHAPTER 8 403



*** USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 7310 ( VECPRN)
ORI GI N OF SUPERELEMENT BASI C COORDI NATE SYSTEM WI LL BE USED AS REFERENCE LOCATI ON.
OLOAD RESULTANT
SUBCASE/ LOAD
1 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- 2. 000000E+00 1. 200000E+01 7. 500952E+00 ----
MX - -- - ---- ---- 8. 000000E+00 ---- ----
MY - -- - ---- ---- ---- 2. 899048E+00 ----
MZ - -- - ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 2. 000000E+00 2. 000000E+01 1. 040000E+01 0. 000000E+00
2 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- 2. 000000E+00 1. 200000E+01 7. 500952E+00 ----
MX - -- - ---- ---- 8. 000000E+00 ---- ----
MY - -- - ---- ---- ---- 2. 899048E+00 ----
MZ - -- - ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 2. 000000E+00 2. 000000E+01 1. 040000E+01 0. 000000E+00
3 FX 0. 000000E+00 ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00
FY ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00 ---- 0. 000000E+00
FZ ---- ---- - 1. 600000E+01 - 9. 600000E+01 - 5. 120000E+01 ----
MX - -- - ---- ---- - 3. 200000E+01 ---- ----
MY - -- - ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00 ----
MZ - -- - ---- ---- ---- ---- 0. 000000E+00
TOTALS 0. 000000E+00 0. 000000E+00 - 1. 600000E+01 - 1. 280000E+02 - 5. 120000E+01 0. 000000E+00

PROCESSI NG OF SUPERELEMENT 20 I S NOW I NI TI ATED.


Result Output
Listing 8-21 Diagnostic Output Associated with Attaching DMIPCH External Superelements
SUBCASE 1
33 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 683764E- 04 9. 794447E- 05 1. 543324E- 05 0. 0
34 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 560836E- 04 9. 801662E- 05 1. 548379E- 05 0. 0
35 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 440241E- 04 9. 593536E- 05 1. 486124E- 05 0. 0
36 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 321574E- 04 9. 586434E- 05 1. 520494E- 05 0. 0
37 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 192997E- 04 9. 717572E- 05 1. 586828E- 05 0. 0
38 G 0. 0 0. 0 3. 064635E- 04 9. 710126E- 05 1. 598422E- 05 0. 0
93 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 633899E- 04 9. 912116E- 05 1. 682907E- 05 0. 0

94 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 496271E- 04 9. 880464E- 05 1. 671144E- 05 0. 0
95 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 361663E- 04 9. 843080E- 05 1. 651792E- 05 0. 0
96 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 228653E- 04 9. 817738E- 05 1. 640465E- 05 0. 0
97 G 0. 0 0. 0 7. 096976E- 04 9. 801870E- 05 1. 633151E- 05 0. 0
98 G 0. 0 0. 0 6. 966225E- 04 9. 796763E- 05 1. 631299E- 05 0. 0
OPPOSI NG LOADS SUPERELEMENT 10
SUBCASE 1
S T RE S S E S I N QU A D R I L A T E R A L E L E ME NT S ( QU A D 4 )
I D. NORMAL- X NORMAL- Y SHEAR- XY ANGLE MAJ OR MI NOR VON MISES
18 1. 147401E+00 5. 651970E- 01 - 1. 174603E+00 - 38. 0404 2. 066437E+00 - 3. 538384E- 01 2. 264188E+00

- 1. 147401E+00 - 5. 651970E- 01 1. 174603E+00 51. 9596 3. 538384E- 01 - 2. 066437E+00 2. 264188E+00
19 9. 590242E+00 1. 521231E+01 - 1. 091089E+01 - 52. 2236 2. 366846E+01 1. 134096E+00 2. 312228E+01
- 9. 590242E+00 - 1. 521231E+01 1. 091089E+01 37. 7764 - 1. 134096E+00 - 2. 366846E+01 2. 312228E+01
Listing 8-22 2-Step Method Superelements Data Recovery Output
The data recovery output for the 2-Step External Superelement process is the same format as for internal
(List or PART) superelements.
External Superelement 3-Step Method

Since the data recovery is the 3rd step of the 3-step method, there is no ‘superelement’ processing
associated with the data recovery run.

CHAPTER 8 405
Controlling Results Output w ith SEDR

The user can limit the results output by using the SEDR case control entry in conjunction with a SET of
superelements. For example, if the user desired output for the residual and superelements 10 and 20
only, a SET is defined as: SET 99=0,10,20. In the resulting .f06 file (and corresponding .op2 or .xdb
files), the Phase 3 data recovery is only be performed superelements 0, 10 and 20. A sample input is
shown in Listing 8-20.
SOL 101
CEND
SET 99 = 0,10,20
SEDR=99
SUBCASE 1
SPC = 2
LOAD = 303
Listing 8-23 Using SEDR to Limit the Data Recovery for Specific Superelements
1.


Result Output

Chapter 9: Introduction to Dynamic Analysis Using Superelements

9 Introduction to Dynamic Analysis

Using Superelements
 Introduction
 Description of Dynamic Reduction Process
 Illustrative Example
 Nastran Set Definitions – The USET Table


Introduction
Introduction
Dynamic reduction is an optional numerical approach that can be used in MD Nastran to reduce a
dynamic model to one with fewer degrees-of-freedom. Typically, the intent of dynamic reduction is to
increase the efficiency of a dynamic solution by working with smaller matrices while maintaining the
dynamic characteristics of the system.
As demonstrated in the preceding chapters, superelements in statics produce an exact solution (within
machine precision). The static reduction process replaces the physical representation of the superelement
model with reduced matrices that have the same properties. Therefore, in static analysis no
approximation is introduced by using superelements. That is, the full static response of the superelement
can be represented by the reduced matrices. In statics the fixed boundary solution, added on to the
boundary solution. Recall the total static solution developed in Static Condensation Process (Ch. 1).
Equation (1-7) thru Equation (1-9) and Figure 1-6 are repeated here:
total
· –1
 U o  =  G ot    U t  +  K oo    P o  (Static Solutions) (9-1)
Figure 9-1 Pictorial Representation of Static Superelement Solution
f ixed
In static analysis, the interior motion,  U o  , is represented by the fixed boundary solution
generated by the loads. But in classic modal analysis, the mass matrix is required and there are no loads

CHAPTER 9 409
Introducti on to Dynamic Analysis Using Superelements
to be considered. The static reduction process produces approximate (and often poor) results in dynamics
despite preserving the mass properties of the reduced structure. The biggest deficiency in static
reduction is that the dynamic mass is not retained. Therefore, the static reduction must be augmented
with terms to account for the dynamic mass. This is done by representing the interior dynamic mass with
modes at the fixed boundary with a dynamic transformation matrix, G oq . Thus, the total solution for
the superelement modal displacements becomes:
 U o  total =  G ot    U t  +  G oq    U q  (9-2)
Where
 G ot  = Constraint Modes (same as in statics)
 U t  = Superelement Boundary Physical DOF Solution
 G oq  = Dynamic Transformation Matrix
 U q  = Superelement Modal DOF Solution
The Physical and Modal DOF Solution will be developed in Description of Dynamic Reduction Process.
Graphically, mode 1 of a cantilever beam can be represented as:
Figure 9-2 Pictorial Representation of Modal Superelement Solution


Descript ion of Dynamic Reduction Process
Description of Dynamic Reduction Process

The following information explains the internal operations used in MSC.Nastran when reducing
superelement matrices for a dynamic solution. The user interface is shown in the next section.
Before developing the theory, recall from basic dynamic theory the following facts:
• Dynamic dof must have mass
• A state of vibration will be a linear combination of the dynamic modes shapes available
Also, combining the physical (t) and modal (q) dof in Equation (9-2),
 
 U o t  G ot  U t 
 U o  =   =   (9-3)
 U oq  G oq  Uq 
 
The total boundary transformation matrix,  G oa  is defined as:
G ot
 G oa  = (9-4)
G oq
Static Condensation
The default approach in superelement dynamic analysis is to use static condensation, commonly known
as Guyan[] reduction. In this case, the dynamic transformation matrix,  G oq  , is ignored and the
superelement motion of the free boundary solution is
 U o  =  G ot    U t  (9-5)
The stiffness, mass, damping, and loads applied to the superelement are transformed into the reduced
matrices using only the static transformation matrix  G ot  . Recall from Equation (1-6), that the
constraint modes are:
1
 G ot  = –  K oo  –  K ot  (9-6)
And from Equation 1-11, the physical reduced stiffness matrix is
 K tt  =  K ot  T  G ot  +  K tt  (9-7)
Similar manipulations can be performed on the mass matrix, producing the physical reduced mass matrix
(refer to General Operations (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran Reference Manual)
T T
 M t t  =  G ot    M oo    G ot  +  M ot   +   M ot    G ot  +  M tt   (9-8)

CHAPTER 9 411
Note that the  M tt  matrix preserves the rigid body mass properties of the superelement provided no
mass is removed during constraint processing. The structural damping  B tt  and viscous damping
 K tt
4  matrices are reduced similarly. For more details on the damping reduction, refer to the MATREDU
(Ch. ) in the MSC Nastran DMAP Programmer’s Guide description.

Static condensation can provide adequate dynamic results in a few cases. For instance, a small avionics
box that is included in a aircraft dynamic landing analysis may have modal frequencies higher than the
range of interest and will respond ‘statically.’ In this case the physical stiffness and mass of the box are
important, but the dynamic mass (i.e. local frequencies) are irrelevant to the solution objective.
Another case when static condensation is sufficient for dynamic analysis is when the physical dof that
are retained are sufficient to represent the dynamic response of interest. For example, a simply supported
beam with 100 grids that is statically reduced to 50 grids (i.e. every other grid) will be sufficient for
dynamic analysis that only requires a few dozen modes.
Other than the examples described, it is usually required to add modal dof in order to capture system
dynamics adequately. This will be described in subsequent subsections.
Example of Constraint Modes

As described in Static Condensation Process (Ch. 1),  G ot  , represent the superelement physical
influence coefficients (or superelement physical shape functions) for the free boundary solution. That
is, each column of this matrix represents the motion of the interior points when one boundary dof is
moved one unit while the other boundary points are held constrained. Therefore, the transformation
matrix has one column for each exterior (boundary) dof (the Aset for the superelement), and the number
of rows are equal to the number of interior dof (the O-set for the superelement).
So, what does a constraint mode look like? This is best described by figures for a simple example.
Consider the structure shown here:


Figure 9-3 Geometry for Constraint Mode Example, Boundary Grids 501 and 502
For this case, the superelement boundary dof are specified at the independent grid (501 and 502) for the
RBE2 at each end of the model. Accordingly, the constraint modes are as follows:
Figure 9-4 Pictorial Representation of Constraint Modes for Boundary Grid 501

CHAPTER 9 413
Figure 9-5 Pictorial Representation of Constraint Modes for Boundary Grid 502
This example is contained in /doc/seug/chapter9/Component-Modes.bdf.

Recall that a dynamic shape is a linear combination of the shapes available. Thus, the static condensation
shapes would have difficulty representing the 1st bending mode of the structure, let alone a 2nd or 3rd
order mode.
Dynamic Reduct ion – Compo nent Modes Synthesis

Dynamic reduction consists of calculating additional dynamic superelement influence coefficients (or
superelement dynamic shape functions),  G oq  , to improve the approximation used to reduce a
superelement for dynamic analysis.
Structural dynamicists are familiar with modal solutions where the physical space is transformed to the
modal space for efficient solutions. The MSC.Nastran modal solutions include: Modal Complex
Eigenvalues (SOL 110), Modal Frequency Response (SOL 111), Modal Transient Response (SOL 112),
and Aerodynamic Flutter (SOL 145). When a modal transformation is used and all modes of a structure
are used, no approximation occurs in this transformation. However, there is no computational advantage
to retaining all of the modes in a modal solution, because a direct solution would not carry the burden of
modal calculation. Thus, the dilemma is to select the cutoff frequency to use in the modal solution.
Some guidelines on the cutoff frequency can be found in the Mode Truncation in Modal Transient
Response Analysis (Ch. 5) in the MSC Nastran Dynamic Analysis User’s Guide.


Dynamic reduction of superelements is similar to the transformation of a structure into modal

coordinates. However, the transformation involves the use of both static and dynamic shapes.
MSC.Nastran offers Component Modes Synthesis (CMS) for dynamic reduction. As with the modal
solutions, the frequency cutoff is an important consideration in dynamic reduction.
The flow chart introduced in Superelement Analysis (Ch. 1) is valid for both statics and dynamics.
Figure 9-6 Flowchart for Dynamic Superelement Processing
Chapter 1 discussed the static condensation required to form the  K aa  matrix. For statics, the  K aa 
matrix is the same as the  K tt  matrix as describe in Static Condensation Process (Ch. 1). In
Component Modes Synthesis, the process is modified by adding the dynamic mass and stiffness  K qq 
a mass reduction for  M aa  that includes both the static mass matrix  M tt  and the dynamic mass matrix
from the component modes  M qq  . The flowchart for the dynamic superelement reduction can be
expanded to include the component modes synthesis detail as follows:

CHAPTER 9 415
Figure 9-7 Dynamic Superelement Reduction Flowchart
The synthesis step forms the total boundary matrices as follows:
K tt K tq
 K aa  = (9-9)
K qt K qq
M t t M tq
M aa  = (9-10)
M qt M qq
The “q” subscript represents the MSC.Nastran Q-Set, which is designated to store the computed
component modes. The “qt” and “tq” matrices represent the coupling matrices between the physical T-
Set and modal Q-Set.
Since the static condensation process provides an exact solution for statics, there is no coupling between
the constraint modes and the component modes, so Equation (9-9) becomes:


K tt 0
 K aa  = (9-11)
0 K qq
For simplicity, this manual will describe the equations necessary for the fixed boundary reduction
described in Fixed-Boundary Reduction (Craig-Bampton Method). For a more detailed discussion of all
component modes calculations, refer to Real Eigenvalue Analysis in SubDMAPs SEMR3 and MODERS
(Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran Reference Manual.
Fixed-Boundary Reduction (Craig-Bampton Method)

The most popular form of Component Modes Synthesis is the Fixed Boundary Method. This method is
also known as the Craig-Bampton Method [] . In this technique, the dof that are used for the static
condensation are fixed during the normal mode calculations which are necessary to capture the dynamic
mass in the Component Modes Synthesis method. The physical dof in the F-Set are partitioned into the
A-Set and O-Set. In static reduction we defined the T-Set as they physical boundary dof for the
superelement. In dynamic fixed boundary reduction, the superelement physical boundary dof are fixed
during component modes calculations. The dof fixed during component modes synthesis are designated
the B-Set. So, for fixed-boundary CMS, the T-Set is equivalent to the B-Set. Also, the omitted dof are
designated as the V-set, or “free to vibrate” set. So, in fixed-boundary CMS, the O-Set is equivalent to
the V-Set.
Starting from the F-Set:
 K ff   U f  =  P f  (9-12)
Recall from Equation (1-3) in the static reduction solution, the F-Set is partitioned to the retained and
omitted sets.
 K oo   K ot    U o  



  Po 


  =   (9-13)
 K ot   K tt    U t 
T
   P t  
   
For Fixed-Boundary, the T-Set is equivalent to the B-Set. Also, substitute the symbol for static
displacement  U  with static mode shape    . Note that since we are solving the constraint modes for
b b
a unit boundary displacement,  b = I b . Also, the applied loads on the O-Set are zero for normal
modes.
   
 b   b 
 K oo   K ob   o    Po  =  0  
T
  =   (9-14)
 K ob   K bb   b b   b 
  b = I b    Pb  
   

CHAPTER 9 417
Extracting the first line of the equation:
b b
 K oo    o  +  K ob   I b  = 0 (9-15)
Solving for the internal constraint modes:
b –1 b
 o  = –  K oo  +  K ob   I b  (9-16)
Thus, the full static constraint mode matrix is assembled as:
 
 b 
b   o  
 b  =   (9-17)
 b 
  I b  
 
For the component modes, the F-Set is partitioned similarly. The free-to-vibrate set, designated as the
V-Set , is equivalent to the O-Set. Both the mass and stiffness are required for normal modes:
K oo K ot K vv K vb

 K ff  = = (9-18)
K to K tt K bv K bb
M oo M ot M v v M vb

M ff  = = (9-19)
M to M tt M bv M bb
The normal modes calculated for component modes synthesis are based on the V-Set, or free-to-vibrate
set, using the familiar Eigenvalue equation:
  K v v  –   M v v     v  = 0 (9-20)
Each column in   v  contains a mode shape vector for the physical dof in the V-set. Since for fixed
boundary component modes, the O-Set is equivalent to the V-Set,
 G oq  =  v  (9-21)
The generalized mass and stiffness for the Q-set modal dof are calculated as:
T (9-22)
 K qq  =  G oq   K o o   G oq 
T
 M qq  =  G oq   M oo   G oq  (9-23)


For mode shapes which are mass-normalized (the “NORM” field on the EIGRL entry), these matrices
take on special properties. The generalized stiffness is a diagonal matrix with the Eigenvalue,  i , for
each mode on the diagonal.
(9-24)
The generalized mass becomes the identity matrix:
 M qq  =  I  (9-25)
The dynamic mass is accounted for by the coupling of the modal dof to the physical dof. Because of
symmetry, only the  M qt  matrix needs to be computed:
T
 M qt  =  G oq   M ot  +  M oo   G oa  (9-26)
Finally, the A-Set matrices are formed by assembling the physical and component modes:
K bb K bq
 K aa  = (9-27)
K qb K qq
M bb M bq
M aa  = (9-28)
M qb M qq
And for mass normalized modes, the fixed-boundary component modes synthesis A-Set matrices
become:
(9-29)
M tt M tq
 M aa  = (9-30)
M qt  I 
Manual Example
For this example, we will revisit the model used in Manual Solution of a Small Superelement Example
(Ch. 1). However, the fixed-fixed boundary condition will be replaced with a cantilever boundary
condition as follows:

CHAPTER 9 419
Figure 9-8 Model for Manual Example of Component Modes Synthesis
In this example,
• K of each spring is 1.0
• M of each mass is 1.0 on each grid
• Grid 1 is defined as external to superelement 2 and internal to the residual.
• Grid 3 is external to both superelement 1 and 2, and internal to the residual.
The conventional analysis model is: /doc/seug/chapter9/simple-modes-conventional1.bdf and the

superelement solution is: /doc/seug/chapter9/simple-fixed-boundary1.bdf.
The input file for the conventional analysis is as follows:
SOL 103
CEND
TI TLE = Si mpl e Modes - Convent i onal Anal ysi s
LABEL = Basel i ne Model
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = NO
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Nor mal Modes
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
VECTOR( SORT1, REAL) =ALL
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0 MASS
$ El ement s and El ement Propert i es f or r egi on : spri ng
PELAS 1 1.
$ Pset : "spri ng" wi l l be i mport ed as: "pel as.1"


CELAS1 1 1 1 1 2 1
CELAS1 2 1 2 1 3 1
CELAS1 3 1 3 1 4 1
CELAS1 4 1 4 1 5 1
$ El ement s and El ement Proper t i es f or r egi on : Uni t _Mass
CONM2 5 1 1.
CONM2 6 2 1.
CONM2 7 3 1.
CONM2 8 4 1.
CONM2 9 5 1.
GRI D 1 0. 0. 0.
GRI D 2 1. 0. 0.
GRI D 3 2. 0. 0.
GRI D 4 3. 0. 0.
GRI D 5 4. 0. 0.
$ Loads f or Load Case : Dynami c
SPCADD 2 1 3
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nt s of Load Set : RyRzMxMyMz
SPC1 1 23456 1 2 3 4 5
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : Cant i l ever- Fi xed
SPC1 3 1 1
Listing 9-1 Input for Simple Dynamic Example (Non Superelement)
The MSC.Nastran Solution for this example is as follows:
R E A L E I G E NV A L U E S
MODE EXTRACTI ON EIGENVALUE RADI ANS CYCLES GENERALI ZED GENERALI ZED
NO. ORDER MASS STI FFNESS
1 1 1.206148E-01 3. 472964E- 01 5. 527393E- 02 1. 000000E+00 1. 206148E- 01
2 2 1.000000E+00 1. 000000E+00 1. 591549E- 01 1. 000000E+00 1. 000000E+00
3 3 2.347296E+00 1. 532089E+00 2. 438395E- 01 1. 000000E+00 2. 347296E+00
4 4 3.532089E+00 1. 879385E+00 2. 991135E- 01 1. 000000E+00 3. 532089E+00
SI MPLE MODES - CONVENTI ONAL ANALYSI S MAY 1, 2011 MD NASTRAN

NORMAL MODES
BASELI NE MODEL
EI GENVALUE = 1. 206148E- 01
CYCLES = 5. 527393E- 02 R E A L E I G E N V E C T O R N O . 1
1 G 0.0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 G 2.280134E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 4.285251E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0

CHAPTER 9 421
4 G 5.773503E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G 6.565385E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
EI GENVALUE = 1. 000000E+00
1 G 0.0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 G 5.773503E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 5.773503E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G 2.065163E-16 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G -5.773503E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
1 G 0.0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 G -6.565385E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 2.280134E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G 5.773503E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G -4.285251E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
1 G 0.0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 G 4.285251E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G -6.565385E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G 5.773503E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G -2.280134E-01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
Listing 9-2 Solution for Simple Dynamic Example (Non Superelement)
The manual solution for the fixed-boundary component modes synthesis is as follows. The MSC.Nastran
solution can be found in file /doc/seug/chapter9/simple-fixed-boundary1.bdf and the output will be
presented to compare to the manual solution.
The component modes are stored in SPOINT dof which are part of the QSET dof for the superelement.
The superelement QSET dof are specified with either SEQSET or SEQSET1 entries described here.
SPOINT Scalar Point Definition



Defines Scalar Points
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SPOINT ID1 ID2 ID3 …
Example:
SPOINT 125 126 127 501
SPOINT ID1 “THRU: ID2

SEELT 5001 THRU 5025
Field Contents
IDi Scalar point identification numbers. (Integer > 0 or “THRU”; for “THRU”
option ID1 < ID2)
SEQSET1 Superelement Generalized Degree-of-Freedom, Alternate Form
Defines the generalized degrees-of-freedom of the superelement to be used in generalized dynamic

reduction or component mode synthesis.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SEQSET1 SEID C G1 G2 G3 G4 GS G6
G7 G8 -etc.-
Example:
SEQSET1 15 123456 1 7 9 22 105 6

52 53

CHAPTER 9 423
SEQSET1 SEID C G1 “THRU” G2

SEQSET1 16 0 101 THRU 110
Field Contents
SEID Superelement identification number. Must be a primary superelement. (Integer > 0)
C Component numbers. (Any unique combination of the Integers 1 through 6 with no
embedded blanks for grid points; Integer 0 or blank for scalar points.)
Gi Grid or scalar point identification numbers. Must be exterior points. (Integer > 0 or
“THRU”; for THRU option G1 < G2.)
In this example, the baseline solution is modified by adding the appropriate superelement entries shown
here:
spoi nt , 11, 12
seqset 1, 1, 0, 11, 12
spoi nt, 21
seqset 1, 2, 0, 21
seset, 1, 4, 5
seset, 2, 2
Figure 9-9 SESET, SP OINT, and SEQSET1 Entries for Fixed-Boundary Reduction
Example
For superelement 1, grid 3 is the exterior grid:
+ SPOINT 11, 12
Figure 9-10 Superelement 1 for Fixed-Boundary Manual Solution
The constraint modes are solved in the same manner as in Section 1.5.2.1.
Notes:
• The G-Set and J-Set for superelement 1 are equivalent since there are no upstream
superelements.


• The G-Set and A-Set include SPOINTs 11 and 12 which are used to store the component mode
mass and stiffness after they are calculated. (SPOINTs 11 and 12 are part of the Q-Set)
The physical dof are reduced independently of the dynamic dof, so the physical reduction presented here
does not include the Q-Set dof:
K 34 – K
34 0 1 –1 0
1
 K gg  = – K
34 K 34 + K 45 – K
45
= –1 –2 –1 (9-31)
0 – K
45 K 45 0 –1 1
1 K 34 + K 45 – K
45 2 –1
 K oo  = = (9-32)
– K K 45 –1 1
45
Similarly,
1 –1 1
 o  = –  K oo  +  K ob   I b  (9-33)
 
1 1 –1  1 0   1   u4 
= –   =   =   (9-34)
1 2 0  0 1   1   u5 
 
   
 1   1   u4 
1   o      
 o  =   =  1  =  u5  (9-35)
 b     
  I b    1   u3 
   
Rearranging:
 1  u3
1 1  
 G ot  =  b  =  1  u4 (9-36)
 
 1  u5
Recall that the constraint modes represent the internal shape when the boundary dof are each moved by
a unit displacement. In this case, the boundary is dof u 3 , so a unit displacement of the boundary results
in unit displacements of the other dof. So the numbers bear out the statement.
Solving the fixed-boundary component modes requires the mass matrix:

CHAPTER 9 425
M 3 0 0 0 0 0
1
 M jj  = 0 M 4 0 = 0 1 0 (9-37)
0 0 M 5 0 0 1
Note that M 3 is an element (i.e. CONM2), therefore, it is considered a boundary element and
automatically assigned to the downstream superelement – in this case, superelement 0. Partitioning the
mass and stiffness to the V-Set:
1 1 M 4 0 1 0
 M vv  =  M oo  = = (9-38)
0 M 5 0 1
And
1 1 K 34 + K 45 – K
45 2 –1
 K vv  =  K oo  = = (9-39)
– K K 45 –1 1
45
The Eigenvalue equation is:
  K v v  –   M v v     v  = 0 (9-40)
 
2 –1     0 
–  1 0  4  =   (9-41)
–1 1 0 1  5   0 
 
Solving the determinate:
det
2 –  –1
(9-42)
–1 1 – 
Produces the quadratic equation:
2
 2 –    1 –   –  – 1   –1  =  – 3 – 1 = 0 (9-43)
With the following roots:
 
 1   0.3819 
  =   (9-44)
 2   2.618 
 q 11
The mass normalized mode coefficients are stored in the Q-Set dof (SPOINT 11 and 12):


 
 1   – 0.8507 
  =  
 2   0.5257 
 q 12
u 11 u 12
 G oq  =  v  =
 0.5257 – 0.8507  u 11 (9-45)
 
 0.8507 0.5257  u
12
Forming the modal mass and stiffness matrices:
u 11 u 12
 K qq  =
T
 G oq   K oo   G o q  =
 0.3719 0  u 11 (9-46)
 
0 2.618  u
12
 M qq  =
T
 G oq   M oo   G oq  =
1 0 (9-47)
0 1
u3
T
1.3764 u 11
 M qt  =  G oq   M ot  +  M oo   G oa  = (9-48)
0.3249 u 12
And the assembled matrices:
u3 u 11 u 12
 
0 0 0  u3 
 K aa  =   (9-49)
0 0.3819 0  u 11 
 
0 0 2.618  u 12 
 
2.0 1.3764 – 0.3249

 M aa  1.3764 1.0 0 (9-50)
– 0.3249 0 1.0
There are some interesting facts that are observable in the reduced matrices. First, notice that the
physically reduced stiffness (the 1-1 term) is 0.0 for this superelement. This superelement is a special
case, where the interface between the superelement and the rest of the structure is determinate. In this
case the reduced stiffness is 0. This can be explained by examining the static transformation vector. If

CHAPTER 9 427
point 3 moves 1.0 units, then points 4 and 5 also move 1.0 units. The static transformation is a rigid-body
vector. The reaction at the interface when the structure moves in this shape is 0.0, indicating that the
reduced stiffness is null. Statically, there is no reaction force when the interface moves, but this does not
mean that the superelement is not connected to the rest of the structure.
Also notice that there are no coupling terms between the modal and physical DOFs in the stiffness
matrix, showing that if the superelement moves (or is loaded) statically, the modes are not excited. The
coupling between modal and physical DOFs occurs in the mass matrix (which is not used in statics),
showing that if the interface is moved in a dynamic analysis, the modes respond dynamically. The
physical mass matrix of the omitted dof is preserved (2.0).
The MSC.Nastran solution for superelement 1 (/doc/seug/chapter9/simple-fixed-boundary1.bdf ) is:
SI MPLE MODES - SUPERELEMENT ANALYSI S MAY 8, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10

SUPEREL EMENT MODEL 1, FI XED BOUNDARY CMS SUBCASE 1
1 1 3.819660E-01 6. 180340E- 01 9. 836316E- 02 1. 000000E+00 3. 819660E- 01
2 2 2.618034E+00 1. 618034E+00 2. 575181E- 01 1. 000000E+00 2. 618034E+00
Listing 9-3 MSC.Nastran Modal Solution for Fixed-Boundary Modes of Superelement 1
Superelement 2 is processed next:
+ SPOINT 21
Figure 9-11 Superelement 2 for Fixed-Boundary Manual Solution
The formulation for superelement 2 follows similarly. Again, note that the mass terms are assigned to
the downstream superelement. Also, note that the constraints are applied on the downstream
superelement.
2 1 –1
0 2 0 0 0
 K gg  = –1 2 – 1   M gg  = 0 1 0 (9-51)
0 –1 1 0 0 0


The static constraint modes are:
u1 u3
2 2
 1 0  u1
 G ot   b    (9-52)
= =
 0.5 0.5  u 2
 0 
1  u3

Investigating this matrix, the u 1 column represents the constraint mode when u 1 is moved a unit
displacement, and u 3 is held fixed. It follows that u 2 is 0.5. Similarly, the u 3 column represents the
motion when u 3 is moved a unit displacement and u 1 is held fixed.
For the constraint modes, the V-Set is partitioned producing:
2 2
 M v v  =  1   K v v  = 2 (9-53)
  K vv  –   M v v     v  =   2  –   1    v  = 0 (9-54)
Which yields as solution of  = 2.0  G oq  =  v  =  1  for a mass-normalized eigenvector.

Synthesizing the A-Set matrices from the physical and modal components:
u1 u2 u3
 1 0 0  u1
 G oa  =   (9-55)
 0.5 0.5 1  u2
 
 0 1 0  u3
0.5 – 0.5 0 u1
2
 K aa  = – 0.5 0.5 0 u3 (9-56)
0 0 2 u 21
0.25 0.25 0.50 u1

2
 M aa  = 0.25 0.25 0.50 u3 (9-57)
0.50 0.50 1.0 u 21

CHAPTER 9 429
SI MPLE MODES - SUPERELEMENT ANALYSI S MAY 8, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10 P

MODE EXTRACTI ON EI GENVALUE RADI ANS CYCLES GENERALI ZED GENERALI ZED
1 1 2.000000E+00 1. 414214E+00 2. 250791E- 01 1. 000000E+00 2. 000000E+00
Listing 9-4 MSC.Nastran Modal Solution for Fixed-Boundary Modes of Superelement 2
RESIDUAL STRUCTURE ASSEMBLY AND SOLUTION
The residual structure includes grids 1, 3, and SPOINTs 11, 12, and 21.
+ SPOINT 11, 12, 21
Figure 9-12 Residual Structure for Fixed-Boundary Manual Solution
From Equation (1-13), the assembled stiffness matrix is:
 K gg  =  K jj  +   K aa  (9-58)
The J-Set residual structure stiffness and mass matrices include only the mass and stiffness of elements
that are interior to the residual structure. Thus,
u1
0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 u3
0 0
 K jj  = 0 0 0 0 0   M jj  = 0 0 0 0 0 u 11
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 u 12
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 u 21
Note that the residual structure contains the physical DOFs associated with points 1 and 3 and the
generalized DOFs representing the upstream superelement modes on SPOINTs 11, 12, and 21.
The upstream A-Set matrices are added to the appropriate ij terms to form the G-Set matrices for the
residual structure:


u1
0.5 – 0.5 0 0 0
– 0.5 0.5 0 0 0 u3
0
 K gg  = 0 0 0.3819 0 0 u 11 (9-59)
0 0 0 2.618 0 u 12
0 0 0 0 2.0 u 21
u1
1.25 0.25 0 0 0.5
0.25 3.25 1.3764 – 0.3249 0.5 u3
0
 M gg  = 0 1.3764 1.0 0 0 u 11 (9-60)
0 – 0.3249 0 1.0 0 u 12
0.50 0.50 0 0 1.0 u 21
Applying the constraints (i.e. removing the rows and columns of u 1 ), the F-Set matrices become:
u3
0.5 0 0 0
0 0 0.3819 0 0 u 11
 K ff  = (9-61)
0 0 0.2618 0 u 12
0 0 0 2.0 u 21
u3
3.25 1.3764 – 0.3249 0.5
0 1.3764 1.0 0 0 u 11
 M f f  = (9-62)
– 0.3249 0 1.0 0 u 12
0.5 0 0 1.0 u 21
The Eigenvalue problem:
  K ff  –   M f f     f  = 0 (9-63)
Produces
 0.1206

 
 1.00 
 i  =   (9-64)
 2.3473 
 3.5321 
 

CHAPTER 9 431

1 1 1. 206148E- 01 3. 472964E- 01 5. 527393E- 02 1. 000000E+00 1. 206148E- 01
2 2 1. 000000E+00 1. 000000E+00 1. 591549E- 01 1. 000000E+00 1. 000000E+00
3 3 2. 347296E+00 1. 532089E+00 2. 438395E- 01 1. 000000E+00 2. 347296E+00
4 4 3. 532089E+00 1. 879385E+00 2. 991135E- 01 1. 000000E+00 3. 532089E+00
Listing 9-5 MSC.Nastran Modal Solution for Fixed-Boundary Modes of Residual
In this example, the solution provides an exact solution because there is no modal truncation – i.e. all of
the modes are retained during the reduction process. For practical models, this will not be the case. For
example, a superelement with a million dof may be reduced to a boundary with a few dozen physical dof
and a few hundred modal dof which will produce an approximate residual solution because of the modal
truncation.
The Solution Eigenvectors:
1 2 3 4
 0.4285 
– 0.5773 – 0.2280 – 0.6565
u3
0  
  ff  =  0.2722 – 1.2858 0.3748 – 1.0132  u 11 (9-65)
  u 12
 – 0.0067 – 0.1159 0.6423 0.8243 
 0.1137 – 0.2887 0.7705 – 0.7568
 u 21
 
DATA RECOVERY FOR RESIDUAL STRUCTURE
The data recovery for the residual structure involves simply partitioning the residual dof from the
solution and expanding back to the G-Set. For this model, residual mode 1 is:
u1
0.0
0.4285 u3
0
 1  = 0.2722 u 11 (9-66)
– 0.0067 u 12
0.0137 u 21


The MSC.Nastran solution /doc/seug/chapter9/simple-fixed-boundary1.bdf
From t he MSC. Nastr an sol uti on of / doc/ seug/chapt er9/ si mpl e-f i xed-boundary1. bdf
NORMAL MODES SUPERELEMENT 0
EI GENVALUE = 1. 206148E- 01
CYCLES = 5. 527393E- 02 R E A L E I G E N V E C T OR N O. 1
1 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 4. 285251E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
11 S 2. 722018E- 01 - 6. 724520E- 03
21 S 1. 375089E- 02
1 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 5. 773503E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
11 S - 1. 285778E+00 - 1. 159385E- 01
21 S 2. 886751E- 01
1 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G - 2. 280134E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
11 S 3. 748278E- 01 6. 423264E- 01
21 S 7. 705452E- 01
1 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 6. 565385E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
11 S - 1. 013219E+00 8. 243195E- 01
21 S - 7. 567943E- 01
Listing 9-6 MSC.Nastran Eigenvectors for Fixed-Boundary Modes of Residual

CHAPTER 9 433
The boundary solution of superelement 2 is extracted from the residual structure solution. In this case,
the boundary solution for mode 1 is:
 0  u1
2  
 a 1  =  0.4285  u3 (9-67)
 
 0.0137  u 21
To obtain the interior solution, the transformation matrix  G oa  is applied to the boundary solution.
Considering mode 1:
 1 0 0  0   0  u1
2     
 1  =  G oa    a 1  =  0.5 0.5 1  0.4285  =  0.2280  u2 (9-68)
    
 1 1 0  0.0137   0.4285  u3
From the MSC.Nastran solution of /doc/seug/chapter9/simple-fixed-boundary1.bdf

SUPERELEMENT MODEL 1, FI XED BOUNDARY CMS SUBCASE 1
EI GENVALUE = 1. 206148E- 01
1 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 G 2. 280134E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 4. 285251E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
21 S 1. 375089E- 02
1 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 G 5. 773503E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 5. 773503E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
21 S 2. 886751E- 01


1 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 G 6. 565385E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G - 2. 280134E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
21 S 7. 705452E- 01
1 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
2 G - 4. 285251E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
3 G 6. 565385E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
21 S - 7. 567943E- 01
Listing 9-7 MSC.Nastran Eigenvectors for Fixed-Boundary Modes of Superelement 2

The same procedure is performed on superelement 1, producing the following solution for mode 1:
 0.4285  u3
1  
 1  =  0.5773  u4 (9-69)
 
 0.6564  u5
From the MSC.Nastran solution of /doc/seug/chapter9/simple-fixed-boundary1.bdf

EI GENVALUE = 1. 206148E- 01
3 G 4. 285251E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G 5. 773503E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G 6. 565385E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
11 S 2. 722018E- 01 - 6. 724520E- 03

CHAPTER 9 435
3 G 5. 773503E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G 3. 469447E- 16 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G - 5. 773503E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
11 S - 1. 285778E+00 - 1. 159385E- 01
3 G - 2. 280134E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G - 5. 773503E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G 4. 285251E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
11 S 3. 748278E- 01 6. 423264E- 01
3 G 6. 565385E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G - 5. 773503E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G 2. 280134E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
11 S - 1. 013219E+00 8. 243195E- 01
Listing 9-8 MSC.Nastran Eigenvectors for Fixed-Boundary Modes of Superelement 1
Note: Note that the data recovery for superelements is based on the Eigenvector normalization
used for the residual structure regardless of the Eigenvalue normalization method
requested for the superelement.
Fixed Bou ndary Mode Shapes with PARAM FIXEDB

The MSC.Nastran solution for /doc/seug/chapter9/simple-fixed-boundary1.bdf will report the
Eigenvectors of the system solution. In some cases, such as during model checkout, the user may want
to view the component modes that are calculated rather than the system modes. To do this, the user can
specify PARAM,FIXEDB,-1 to request an uncoupled solution. (see example


/doc/seug/chapter9/simple-fixed-boundary2.bdf). The solution for the component modes of

superelement 1can be compared to Equation (9-45).

SUPERELEMENT MODEL 1, FI XED BOUNDARY CMS, PARAM, FI XEDB, - 1 SUBCASE 1
EI GENVALUE = 3. 819660E- 01
3 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G 5. 257311E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G 8. 506508E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
11 S 0. 0 0. 0
SUPERELEMENT MODEL 1, FI XED BOUNDARY CMS, PARAM, FI XEDB, - 1 SUBCASE 1
3 G 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
4 G - 8. 506508E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
5 G 5. 257311E- 01 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0 0. 0
11 S 0. 0 0. 0
Listing 9-9 Solution with PARAM,FIXEDB,-1
Free-Boundary Dynamic Reduction

The free-free dynamic reduction technique assumes that the physical boundary dof are free to vibrate
during the component modes synthesis solution. That is the V-Set includes both the interior dof and the
exterior dof of a superelement. In MSC.Nastran, boundary dof are designated to be part of the V-Set by
placing them in the C-Set. If any constraints are applied on interior points, they are included when
performing the dynamic reduction.
The internal operations performed for free-free reduction are more complicated than those for fixed-
boundary reduction. When a fixed-boundary reduction is performed, the dynamic transformation vectors
are independent of the static transformation vectors, because the exterior points are held constrained
while the dynamic transformation vectors are found. When a free-free reduction is performed, one or
more of the dynamic transformation vectors may be (actually, probably will be) a linear combination of
the static vectors. If there are no internal constraints, the rigid-body modes of a free-free component can
be used as an example. These shapes are a linear combination of the static transformation vectors. More
simply, the static transformation vectors are capable of describing any possible rigid-body motion of the
component.

CHAPTER 9 437
If any dynamic transformation vector that is a linear combination of the static vectors (or of any of the
transformation vectors, for that matter) is used, the reduced matrices will be singular, and the problem
will fail. Three methods of preventing this problem are provided in MSC.Nastran:
• Do not calculate the rigid-body modes. Simply, do not request the rigid body Eigenvectors
during the calculation of the dynamic transformations. This can be accomplished by specifying a
value greater than 0.0 for the lowest frequency of interest on the EIGRL entry.
• Calculate the rigid-body modes, let MSC.Nastran will remove them. Logic is included in the
program that attempts to remove any dynamic transformation vectors that are a linear
combination of the static transformations. This logic is shown later in this section.
• Calculate the rigid-body modes, but remove them manually using a SESUP or SUPORT
(PARTs) entry (described in the next section). Any exterior DOFs defined on a SESUP entry are
not constrained during the calculation of the dynamic transformation vectors. For each DOF
listed on an SESUP, MSC.Nastran throws away one dynamic transformation vector, starting
with the first one (lowest frequency). MSC does not recommend this approach, because the
program does not check to verify that the thrown away vectors are actually a linear combination
of the static transformation vectors. Therefore, elastic modes may be removed unintentionally.
Of the three approaches, setting the frequency cutoff greater than 0.0 is the recommended approach for
free-free CMS calculations.
As mentioned above, the processing of models with free boundaries (C-Set) is much more involved than
the fixed-boundary (Craig-Bampton) method. For details on this method, the read can refer to the
Dynamic Reduction and Component Mode Synthesis in SubDMAP SEMR3 (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran
Reference Manual.
Manual Example
The example model for the free-free (CSET) Component Modes Synthesis (CMS) example is similar to
the fixed-boundary (BSET) CMS model, except that mass density has been added to the elements. The
problem descriptions is as follows:
Figure 9-13 Sample Model for Free-Free Component Modes Synthesis
• K 12 = K 23 = K 34 = K 45 = 1.0
• M 1 = M 2 = M 3 = M 4 = M 5 = 1.0
•  12 =  12 =  12 =  12 = 2.0


The conventional analysis model is: /doc/seug/chapter9/simple-modes-conventional2.bdf. As in the

fixed-boundary solution, grids 1 and 3 are assigned to the residual structure. To make the boundary
points free-free, they must be placed in the C-Set by using the SECSET or SECSET1 entry which follow
a familiar format:
SECSET / SECSET1 Free Boundary Degree-of-Freedom
Defines boundary degrees-of-freedom to be free (c-set) during generalized dynamic reduction or
component mode synthesis calculations.
Formats:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SECSET SEID G1 C1 G2 C2 G3 C3
SECSET1 SEID C G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6
G7 G8 G9 -etc.-
Examples:
SECSET 3 124 1 5 23 6 15
SECSET1 5 2 135 14 6 23 24 25
122 127
Field Contents
SEID Superelement identification number. (Integer > 0)
C, Ci Component numbers of degree-of-freedoms. (Any unique combination of the
Integers 1 through 6 with no embedded blanks for grid points; Integer 0 or blank for
scalar points.)
Gi Grid or scalar point identification number. (Integer > 0)
In this example, SECSET1 is used as follows:

SECSET1,1,123456,3
SECSET1,2,123456,1,3
SUPERELMENT 1 REDUCTION
The first step is to reduce superelement 1. The G-Set mass and stiffness matrices are:

CHAPTER 9 439
1 1 –10 1 1 0 0
 K gg  = –1 2 – 1   M gg  = 0 3 0 (9-70)
0 –1 1 0 0 2
Note that the m 3 mass is not contained in superelement 1 because the mass is on a boundary element
and, therefore, assigned to the residual structure.
The static constraint modes are calculated exactly as they are for the fixed-boundary solution in the
previous section, i.e.
 1  u3
1  
 b  =  1  u4 (9-71)
 
 1  u5
Partitioning the O-Set:
 1  u4
 G oc  =   (9-72)
 1  u5
For free-free CMS, the V-Set is the O-Set + C-Set. For this example, the V-Set is the same as the G-Set,
therefore the Eigenvalue equation becomes:
  K   –   M        = 0 (9-73)
 
1 –1 0 1 0 0   3 
  0 
–1 2 –1 –  0 3 0  4  =   (9-74)
   0 
0 –1 1 0 0 2  5 
 
From which the determinate is:
1 –  –1 0
det –1 2 –3  –1 (9-75)
0 –1 1–
Which produces the following roots:


 
 1   0.0 
   
 2  =  0.6667  (9-76)
   
 3   1.500 
 
The first eigenvalue (0.0) is a rigid-body mode, which is a linear combination of the static vectors. In
this case the rigid-body mode is identical to the static transformation vector and therefore needs to be
removed. These eigenvectors (normalized to unit generalized mass) are
 – 0.4082
  0.5477   0.7303 
     
1 =  – 0.4082   2 =  0.1825   3 =  – 0.3651  (9-77)
     
 – 0.4082   – 0.5477   0.1825 
Or,
 – 0.4082 0.5477 0.7303 

1 
v =  – 0.4082 0.1825 – 0.3651  (9-78)
 
 – 0.4082 – 0.5477 0.1826 
Since mode 1 is a linear combination of the constraint mode, it must be removed. The operations for this
are described in the Orthogonalization (Ch. 7) in the MD Nastran Reference Manual beginning with
Equation 7-227. The linear algebra for this follows:
– 0.4082 0.5477 0.7303  1 

1  
G oz = – 0.4082 0.1825 – 0.3651 –  1  – 0.4082 0.5477 0.7303  (9-79)
 
– 0.4082 – 0.5477 0.1826  1 
0 0 0
= 0 – 0.7303 – 1.0954 (9-80)
0 – 1.0954 – 0.5477
The first mode is null and is removed. The matrix is partitioned
– 0.7303 – 1.0954
 x = (9-81)
z – 1.0954 – 0.5477
Now an additional filter is performed to remove any remaining vectors which might
not be independent. First, we transform the o-set mass using  x .

z

CHAPTER 9 441
M z z =
T
 x M o o  x =
2.8 2.4 (9-82)
2 z z 2.4 4.2
A scaling matrix is found using the diagonals of M z z

2
1  2 0.5976 0.
scale =  diagonalM z z  = (9-83)
0. 0.4879
What remains of the eigenvectors as scaled by this
  x   scale  =  x (9-84)

z
The generalized mass is scaled also
M z z =
T
 scale   M z z   scale  =
1. 0.6988 (9-85)
2 0.6988 1.
Now the final filter is done. The reduced mass matrix is passed through the DECOMP
module.
(9-86)
the terms on the matrix diagonal are compared to the values on the factor diagonal.
M z z
RATI O i = -----------i for this problem,  Ratio  =
1.0 0 (9-87)
d i 0 1.96
If Ratio exceeds a filter (PARAM,RESVRAT-default=1.E8), the associated vector is

removed.
For this example, none exceeded the allowable ratio, and both vectors are kept.
A final orthogonalization is performed on the remaining vectors. First, the stiffness is
transformed
K z z =  xT k oo  x =

0.2381 0 (9-88)
0 0.3571
the eigenvalue problem


 K z z –  M zz  z z = 0  z z =

0.6693 – 1.2296 (9-89)
0.4099 1.3387
is solved for all roots (these eigenvalues are not printed). The final transformation
vectors are found by:
– 0.3651 – 0.4472
Go q =   x    z z  = (9-90)
– 0.5477 0.4472
The transformation matrix is then
u3 u 1001 u 1002
1. 0 0 u3
1 1 – 0.3651 – 0.4472
 G oa  =  G ot G oq  = = 1. – 0.3651 – 0.4472 u4 (9-91)
1 – 0.3651 0.4472
1. – 0.3651 0.4472 u5
Using this to transform the stiffness and mass provides:
1 6.0 0 – 2.1909 – 0.4472

T
 M aa  =  G oa   M oo   G oa  = 1. 1.0 0 (9-92)
– 0.4472 0 1.0
1 0 0 0
 K aa  =  G a  T  K o o   G oa  = 0 0.1667 0 (9-93)
0 0 1.0
Next, Superelement 2 reduction is performed. Superelement 2 has grids 1,2, and 3 of which 1 and 3 are
on the boundary.
Figure 9-14 Superelement 2, Free-Free Component Modes Synthesis
The static (Guyan) reduction produces the following:

CHAPTER 9 443
1 –1 0 1 0 0 u1 1 0
K g g = – 1 2 – 1 ; M gg = 0 3 0 u2 ; b = 0.5 0.5 (9-94)
0 –1 1 0 0 1 u3 0 1
Grids 1 and 3 are part of the C-Set, therefore, part of the V-Set and are included in the modal solution.
 K vv –  M vv    v  = 0 (9-95)
 1 –1 0 –  0 0 

 – 1 2 –1 + 0 – 3  0   v  = 0 (9-96)
 
 0 –1 1 0 0 – 
1 –  –1 0
det –1 2 –3  –1 = 0 (9-97)
0 –1 1–
which produces the roots:
 = 0. 1. 1.667 (9-98)
The Eigenvectors (normalized to unit mass) are
 – 0.4472
  0.7071   0.5477 
     
1 =  – 0.4472   2 =  0   3 =  – 0.3651  (9-99)
     
 – 0.4472   – 0.7071   0.5477 
Removing linear combinations of the static constraint modes:
– 0.4722 0.7071 0.5477  1 0 

  – 0.4472 0.7071 0.5477
G oz = – 0.4722 0.0 – 0.3651 –  0.5 0.5 
2   – 0.4472 – 0.7071 0.5477
– 0.4722 0.7071 0.5477  0 1 
0 0 0
= 0 0 – 0.9129 (9-100)
0 0 0
Since the first two eigenvectors are a linear combination of the static transformation, they are removed.
Only a single eigenvector remains. It is normalized to unit generalized mass producing:
G oq =  0.5773  u 2 (9-101)


or transformation matrix
Go q =  0.5 0.5– 0.5773  (9-102)
We now have our transformation matrix for superelement 2:
u1 u3 u 21
1 0 0 u1
 G oq  = 0.5 0.5 – 0.5773 u2 (9-103)
0 1 0. u3
Notice that the filtering removed both the rigid-body mode and one of the elastic modes. The remaining
mode has motion only for grid point 2 and looks similar to the mode from the fixed-boundary CMS. In
general, this will not be the case, but in this example all eigenvectors of the superelement are calculated.
The transformation is used to reduce the stiffness and mass matrix. The dynamic transformation vector
is represented in the reduced model by SPOINT 21.
2 0.5 – 0.5 0
 M aa  =  G oa  T  M oo   G oa  = – 0.5 0.5 0 (9-104)
0 0 0.6667
1.75 0.75 – 0.866

u1
2 T
 M aa  =  G oa   M oo   G oa  = 0.75 1.75 – 0.866 u3 (9-105)
– 0.866 – 0.866 1.0 u 22
RESIDUAL STRUCTURE SOLUTION

The internal grids of residual structure are 1 and 3, and the upstream superelements are attached.
Schematically:
+SPOINT 11, 12, 22
Figure 9-15 Residual Structure for Free-Free CMS
All the remaining grid points are in this model (points 1 and 3). All elements have been placed in
upstream superelements, and there are two sets of reduced matrices representing superelements 1 and 2.
We also have scalar points (SPOINTs) 11, 12 and 22 representing the modes from the superelements.

CHAPTER 9 445
The physical mass and stiffness for the residual structure are generated. Since there are no stiffness
elements, the K jj matrix is null. However, the mass matrix includes the CONM2’s on grids 1 and 3.
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
K j j = 0 0 0 0 0 (9-106)
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
u1
1 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 0 0 u3
M j j = 0 0 0 0 0 u 11 (9-107)
0 0 0 0 0 u 12
0 0 0 0 0 u 22
Add the reduced matrices from superelement 1:
u1
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 u3
K g g = 0 0 0.1667 0 0 u 11 (9-108)
0 0 0 1.0 0 u 12
0 0 0 0 0 u 22
u1
1 0 0 0 0
0 7.0 – 2.1090 – 0.4472 0 u3
M gg = 0 – 2.1909 1.0 0 0 u 11 (9-109)
0 – 0.4472 0 1.0 0 u 12
0 0 0 0 0 u 22
Add the reduced matrices from superelement 2:


u1
0.5 – 0.5 0 0 0
– 0.5 0.5 0 0 0 u3
K g g = 0 0 0.1667 0 0 u 11 (9-110)
0 0 0 1.0 0 u 12
0 0 0 0 0.6667 u 22
u1
2.75 0.75 0 0 – 0.866
0.75 8.75 – 2.1090 – 0.4472 – 0.866

u3
M g g = 0 – 2.1909 1.0 0 0 u 11 (9-111)
0 – 0.4472 0 1.0 0 u 12
– 0.866 – 0.866 0 0 1.0 u 22
Apply constraint at dof 1:
u3
0.5 0 0 0
0 0.1667 0 0 u 11
K f f = (9-112)
0 0 1.0 0 u 12
0 0 0 0.6667 u 22
u3
8.75 – 2.1090 – 0.4472 – 0.866
– 2.1909 1.0 0 0 u 11
M ff = (9-113)
– 0.4472 0 1.0 0 u 12
– 0.866 0 0 1.0 u 22
Solve the eigenvalue problem:
 K ff –  M ff    f  = 0 yilelds  = 0.0468 0.38 0.856 1.217 (9-114)
Just like the fixed-boundary solution, since all of the modes are retained during Component Modes
Synthesis, the solution does not have any modal truncation and matches the non-superelement solution
exactly.
The resulting residual structure eigenvectors are:

CHAPTER 9 447
u3
0.2735 – 0.3085 0.2121 – 0.344
– 0.2338 – 1.2041 0.5772 – 0.8731 u 11

 f = (9-115)
0.006 – 0.0845 – 0.5634 – 0.8614 u 12
– 0.0179 – 0.3541 0.8311 – 0.6585 u 22
Physical eigenvectors for the residual structure are:
0 0 0 0 0 u1
 = (9-116)
– 0.27355 – 0.3085 0.2121 – 0.344 u3
SUPERELEMENT 1 DATA RECOVERY
The superelement 1 boundary dof are extracted from the residual solution:
– 0.2735 – 0.3085
0.2121 – 0.344
u3
1
  boundary  = 0.2338 – 1.2041 0.5772 – 0.8731 u 11 (9-117)
0.006 – 0.0845 – 0.5634 – 0.8614 u 12
Then the internal solution is calculated using the transformation:
1 1 1
 =  G oa    boundary  (9-118)
Numerically:
1 1. 0 0 0.2735 – 0.3085 0.2121 – 0.344

 = 1. – 0.3651 – 0.4472 0.2338 – 1.2041 0.5772 – 0.8731 (9-119)
1. – 0.5477 – 0.4472 0.006 0.0845 – 0.5634 – 0.8614
which produces the physical eigenvectors for superelement 1.
– 0.2735 – 0.30850.2121 – 0.344

u3
1
 = – 0.3616 0.09343 0.2533 0.36 u4 (9-120)
– 0.3989 0.3889 – 0.356 – 0.251 u5
SUPERELMENT 2 DATA RECOVERY
Repeating the process,


0 0 0 0 u1
2
   boundary = – 0.2735 – 0.3085 0.2121 – 0.344 u3 (9-121)
0.0179 0.3541 0.8311 – 0.6585 u 22
2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
 = 0.5 0.5 – 0.5773 0.27355 – 0.3085 0.2121 – 0.344 (9-122)
0.5 0 0 0.0179 0.3541 0.8311 – 0.6585
0 0 0 0 u1
2
 = – 0.1471 – 0.3587 – 0.37385 0.2083 u2 (9-123)
– 0.27355 – 0.3085 0.2121 – 0.344 u3
The solution for the entire structure is:
u1
0 0 0 0
– 0.1471 – 0.3587 – 0.37385 0.2083
u2
   FULLBYHAND = – 0.2735 – 0.3085 0.2121 – 0.344 u3 (9-124)
– 0.3616 0.09343 0.2533 0.36 u4
– 0.3989 0.3889 – 0.356 – 0.251
u5
which compares to the results from an MSC.Nastran run for this model (/doc/seug/chapter9/simple-free-
boundary.bdf)
u1
0 0 0 0
0.1471 0.3587 0.37385 0.2083 u2
 MS C  NAS T R AN = 0.2735 0.3085 – 0.2121 – 0.344 u3 (9-125)
0.3616 – 0.09343 – 0.2533 0.3601 u4
0.3989 – 0.3888 0.3559 – 0.2510 u5
Mixed-Boundary Dynamic Reduction

MSC.Nastran offers the user the option of combining fixed-boundary (B-Set) and free-free (C-Set)
Component Modes Synthesis. Although the theory is not presented here, example file
/doc/seug/chapter9/simple-mixed-boundary.bdf is available to the user for study.
MHRED Reduction
An alternate reduction method is available to users using free-boundary solutions or mixed-boundary
solutions. This method was developed by Dr. Arya Majed and Ed Henkel and implemented in

CHAPTER 9 449
MSC.Nastran Version 2004. For further details, refer to the MSC.Nastran Release Guide Section 3.19
and the Real Eigenvalue Analysis in SubDMAPs SEMR3 and MODERS (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran
Reference Manual.
Residual Vecto rs
During Component Modes Synthesis reduction, it is likely that, for practical models, the combination of
constraint modes and component modes are not sufficient to represent a static deformed shape under the
applied loading. MSC.Nastran uses the Residual Vector technique to add high-frequency vectors so that
the linear combination of static constraint modes + dynamic component modes + residual vectors is
capable of representing the static deformation of the structure for the applied loads. This method is
described in detail in the Modal Augmentation Methods (Ch. 12) in the MSC Nastran Dynamic Analysis
User’s Guide.


Illustrative Example
As an illustrative example of the importance of component modes, we will compare the solution modal
solution for the flat plate example shown in Figure 9-3 for a List Superelement (SESET) with and without
component modes synthesis.
Accuracy Improvements with CMS

In this example, the superelement boundary is selected as the two end grids – 501 and 502. In the residual
structure, grid 501 will be constrained in all 6 dof and grid 502 will be free; i.e. this will be a cantilever
plate solution.
Comparison of results
The baseline solution w/o superelements will be compared to the solution with constraint modes only,
versus constraint modes plus the first 10 component modes. The first 10 flexible modes of the cantilever
solution will be compared.
Baseline Solution w/o Superelements

The baseline solution is prepared as a regular normal modes solution. Since this is a basic modal setup
in Patran, the setup is not shown. The example file is located at c. The first 10 mode shapes are shown
below:

CHAPTER 9 451
Figure 9-16 Baseline Cantilever Plate Mode Shapes
The first 10 Eigenvalues are reported in the .f06 file:
BASELI NE CANTI LEVER PLATE MODAL SOLUTI ON APRI L 27, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
SUBCASE 1
1 1 4. 024357E+04 2. 006080E+02 3. 192775E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 024357E+04
2 2 1. 576860E+06 1. 255731E+03 1. 998557E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 576860E+06
3 3 3. 927420E+06 1. 981772E+03 3. 154088E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 927420E+06
4 4 1. 235382E+07 3. 514801E+03 5. 593979E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 235382E+07
5 5 1. 303454E+07 3. 610338E+03 5. 746031E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 303454E+07
6 6 4. 744861E+07 6. 888295E+03 1. 096306E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 744861E+07
7 7 1. 183608E+08 1. 087938E+04 1. 731506E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 183608E+08
8 8 1. 297454E+08 1. 139059E+04 1. 812868E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 297454E+08
9 9 1. 413472E+08 1. 188895E+04 1. 892185E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 413472E+08
10 10 2. 897126E+08 1. 702095E+04 2. 708968E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 897126E+08


Listing 9-10 Baseline Modal Solution
List Superelement
The setup for a dynamic superelement requires both the physical and component modes definition. To
review the List Superelement (SESET) setup for the physical dof, refer to Defining List Superelements
(Ch. 2). To add the component modes, the user must define the Eigensolution parameters with the
EIGRL entry and add dof to store the component modes.
A convenient alternative to defining SPOINT and SEQSET or SEQSET1 entries, is to request that
MSC.Nastran automatically generate the SPOINT and QSET internally. This can be done by specifying
PARAM,AUTQSET,YES. Another semi-automatic method is SENQSET.
SENQSET Superelement Internal Generalized Degree-of-Freedom
Defines number of internally generated scalar points for superelement dynamic reduction.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SENQSET SEID N
Example:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SENQSET 110 45
Field Contents
SEID Partitioned superelement identification number. See Remark 3. (Integer > 0 or
Character = “ALL”)
N Number of internally generated scalar points for dynamic reduction generalized
coordinates. (Integer > 0; Default = 0)
In Patran, the modal dof are easily defined using the PARAM,AUTOQSET option as follows:

CHAPTER 9 453
Figure 9-17 Defining Superelement Component Modes Automatic QSET in Patran
The resulting bdf file is located at /doc/seug/chapter9/SESET-Modes-With-CMS.bdf . The resulting bdf

file has the appropriate entries as highlighted here:
SOL 103
CEND
TI TLE = SESET wi t h CMS Cant i l ever Pl at e Modal Sol ut i on
ECHO = NONE
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES
RESVEC = NO
SUBCASE 1


SUBTI TLE=Cant i l ever Modes - Basel i ne

METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
VECTOR( PLOT, SORT1, REAL) =ALL
SPCFORCES( PLOT, SORT1, REAL) =ALL
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 10 0 MASS
$ El ement s and El ement Proper t i es f or r egi on : shel l

PSHELL 1 1 .1 1 1
…
…
$ SE10.10
SESET 10 1 THRU 205
$ Loads f or Load Case : Cant i l ever

SPCADD 2 1
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : f i xed-501
SPC1 1 123456 501
Listing 9-11 Component Modes Superelement Example
The SEMAP is similar to the SEMAP for a static solution. The exception is that there are boundary dof
associated with the component modes. When PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES is specified, these dof are not
exposed to the user. However, if the user uses SPOINT and SEQSET entries, the dof will show up in the
SEMAP. MSC.Nastran will first calculate the component modes for the superelement by setting the
boundary dof fixed. In this example the component modes are as follows:
SESET WI TH CMS CANTI LEVER PLATE MODAL SOLUTI ON APRI L 27, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
SUBCASE 1
1 1 1. 646070E+06 1. 282993E+03 2. 041946E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 646070E+06
2 2 1. 249204E+07 3. 534408E+03 5. 625185E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 249204E+07
3 3 4. 800166E+07 6. 928323E+03 1. 102677E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 800166E+07
4 4 5. 470990E+07 7. 396614E+03 1. 177208E+03 1. 000000E+00 5. 470990E+07
5 5 1. 312258E+08 1. 145538E+04 1. 823181E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 312258E+08
6 6 1. 436465E+08 1. 198526E+04 1. 907514E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 436465E+08
7 7 2. 217674E+08 1. 489186E+04 2. 370113E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 217674E+08

CHAPTER 9 455
8 8 2. 929962E+08 1. 711713E+04 2. 724276E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 929962E+08

9 9 5. 099344E+08 2. 258173E+04 3. 593994E+03 1. 000000E+00 5. 099344E+08
10 10 5. 717190E+08 2. 391065E+04 3. 805498E+03 1. 000000E+00 5. 717190E+08
Listing 9-12 Component Modes for Superelement 10
A physical representation of the first 3 component modes is as follows:
Figure 9-18 First 3 Component Modes for List Superelement
The residual structure solution is as follows:
SESET WI TH CMS CANTI LEVER PLATE MODAL SOLUTI ON APRI L 27, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
SUBCASE 1



1 1 4. 024365E+04 2. 006082E+02 3. 192779E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 024365E+04
2 2 1. 576960E+06 1. 255771E+03 1. 998621E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 576960E+06
3 3 3. 931224E+06 1. 982731E+03 3. 155615E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 931224E+06
4 4 1. 235836E+07 3. 515446E+03 5. 595005E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 235836E+07
5 5 1. 304375E+07 3. 611614E+03 5. 748062E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 304375E+07
6 6 4. 749556E+07 6. 891702E+03 1. 096848E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 749556E+07
7 7 1. 192018E+08 1. 091796E+04 1. 737647E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 192018E+08
8 8 1. 299789E+08 1. 140083E+04 1. 814498E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 299789E+08
9 9 1. 430148E+08 1. 195888E+04 1. 903314E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 430148E+08
10 10 2. 904264E+08 1. 704190E+04 2. 712302E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 904264E+08
Listing 9-13 Residual Structure Solution with 10 Superelement Component Modes
If the component modes are eliminated from the solution, only the physical dof will remain. The
resulting bdf file is located at /doc/seug/chapter9/SESET-Modes-NO-CMS.bdf . The resulting modes
are:
SESET WI THOUT CMS CANTI LEVER PLATE MODAL SOLUTI ON APRI L 27, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
SUBCASE 1
1 1 4. 061991E+04 2. 015438E+02 3. 207669E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 061991E+04
2 2 3. 872860E+06 1. 967958E+03 3. 132103E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 872860E+06
3 3 3. 969939E+06 1. 992470E+03 3. 171115E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 969939E+06
4 4 1. 552354E+07 3. 939993E+03 6. 270693E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 552354E+07
5 5 3. 594094E+08 1. 895810E+04 3. 017275E+03 1. 000000E+00 3. 594094E+08
6 6 1. 159474E+09 3. 405105E+04 5. 419392E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 159474E+09
Listing 9-14 Residual Structure Solution with No Superelement Component Modes
But the EIGRL requested 10 modes, how come there are only 6? The answer is that after the constraints
are applied to grid 501, there remain only 6 dynamic dof at grid 501. Recall that a dynamic dof must
have mass and that the reduction process will preserve the rigid body mass matrix, therefore there are 3
translational and 3 rotational masses computed at grid 502 as a result of the mass reduction. Furthermore,
investigation of the residual mode shapes reveals that the modes are a linear combination of the constraint
modes in Figure 9-5. More specifically:

CHAPTER 9 457
Table 9-1 Relation of Residual Modes to Constraint Modes when Component Modes are
Not Calculated
Residual Mode Frequency (Hz) Constraint Mode(s) Scale Factor(s)
1 32.1 502-Tz, 502-Ry -134.29, 17.357
2 313.2 502-Tz, 502-Ry -239.94, 132.08
3 317.1 502-Ty, 502-Rz -133.64, -17.114
4 627.1 502-Rx -347.99
5 3017.3 502-Ty, 502-Rz 231.44, 128.62
6 5419.4 502-Tx -107.52
Finally, a comparison of the Baseline, Non-CMS, and CMS solutions reveals that the CMS solution
closely approximates the Baseline solution, but the Non-CMS solution does inadequate job of
representing the structural modes:
Table 9-2 Comparison of Non-Superelement, List Superelement with CMS, and List
Superelement Without CMS Solutions
Residual Baseline SESET CMS SESET Non CMS
Mode Frequency Frequency Frequency
1 3.192775E+01 3.192779E+01 3.207669E+01
2 1.998557E+02 1.998621E+02 3.132103E+02
3 3.154088E+02 3.155615E+02 3.171115E+02
4 5.593979E+02 5.595005E+02 6.270693E+02
5 5.746031E+02 5.748062E+02 3.017275E+03
6 1.096306E+03 1.096848E+03 5.419392E+03
7 1.731506E+03 1.737647E+03 -
8 1.812868E+03 1.814498E+03 -
9 1.892185E+03 1.903314E+03 -
10 2.708968E+03 2.712302E+03 -
The CMS solution will improve if more component modes are calculated for the superelement.
Note that when PARAM,AUTOQSET is specified, there is an additional modal solution of the residual
structure that does not include the effects of the upstream superelements. This may be undesirable as it
will add solution time, therefore most applications to practical models use either the SPOINT/SEQSET
or SENQSET method.


Nastran Set Definiti ons – The USET Table
Nastran Set Definitions – The USET Table

Throughout this manual several MSC.Nastran Sets were defined during the superelement reduction
process: A-Set, B-Set, C-Set, T-Set, Q-Set, O-Set, V-Set. This section provides a comprehensive
description of the various sets used in the superelement reduction process. This description can also be
found in the Degree-of-Freedom Sets (Ch. 7) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide.
The full set description can be found in the following figure.
Figure 9-19 MSC.Nastran Degree of Freedom Sets
The superelement reduction is concerned with forming the reduced matrices at the A-Set, i.e. ,
, , etc. In order to accomplish this, several auxiliary sets are used. The sets on the left
side of Figure 9-19 are called Mutually Exclusive Set. That is to say, that a dof that is a member of one
mutually exclusive set cannot be a member of another mutually exclusive set.
In addition to the sets above, there are additional sets that are used during the dynamic reduction;
specifically the W-Set and the X-Set. The W-Set is used to identify and remove massless dof from the
problem prior to normal modes calculations. This operation is described in the Real Eigenvalue Analysis
in SubDMAPs SEMR3 and MODERS (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran Reference Manual. The Y-Set is used
for Auto-Support operations when residual vectors are applied to a free-free structure. The Z-Set is used
during the Orthogonalization process.

CHAPTER 9 459
Table 9-3 Dof Sets Used in Superelement Reduction

Dof Set Description
b Physical dof fixed during Component Modes Synthesis
c Physical dof free during Component Modes Synthesis
lm Lagrange multiplier dof created for Rigid elements by RIGID=LAGRANGE
r Physical dof in the Reference Set used to define free body motion.
q Modal dof used to store modes in Component Modes Synthesis
l=b+c+lm Physical dof in the “left-over” set. This is the lowest level of reduction in standard static
analysis.
t=l+r Physical dof in the “total” physical boundary for superelement analysis.
a=t+q Physical and Modal dof in the “analysis” set
v=o+c+r Physical dof free to “vibrate” in component modes synthesis
x Physical dof remaining after null masses are removed. This is the lowest level of
reduction in modal analysis.
The l-Set is the “left-over” set which consists of the B-Set + C-Set + lm-Set. The l-Set is the solution set
for a static solution. The B-Set and C-Set are the physical dof in the Fixed-Boundary and Free-Boundary
Component Modes Synthesis (CMS) calculations defined in this Chapter. The lm-Set are the Lagrange
dof associated with the dependent dof for Rigid Elements (RBE1, RBE2, RBE3, RBAR, RSPLINE)
when RIGID=LAGRANGE is specified in the case control. The use of this set in superelements is
irrelevant, therefore, it is not considered further in this manual. (See Note below regarding Lagrange
dof). The R-Set are the Reference dof defined on SUPORT or SUPORT1 entries. These are used in
static analysis to define inertia relief and in modal analysis to calculate ‘pure’ rigid body modes.
The user can request output the set definitions to the .f06 file by specifying PARAM,USETPRT and
PARAM,USETSTRi . As an example, the mixed boundary example in Mixed-Boundary Dynamic
Reduction (/doc/seug/chapter9/simple-mixed-boundary.bdf), included the following entries:
PARAM, USETPRT, 11
PARAM, USETSTR1, a: b: c: q
PARAM, USETSTR2, v: t
Listing 9-15 Example of USET Print Request
Which produced the following output for superelement 2:

SUPEREL EMENT MODEL 3, MI XED BOUNDARY CMS SUBCASE 1
U S E T D E F I N I T I ON T A B L E ( E X T E R N A L S E QU E N C E , C OL UMN S O R T )


EXT GP. DOF INT DOF INT GP. A B C Q V T
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 - 1 1- 1 G 1 1 1
- 2 2- 2 2 2
- 3 3- 3 3 3
- 4 4- 4 4 4
- 5 5- 5 5 5
- 6 6- 6 6 6
2 - 1 7- 2 G 1
- 2 8-
- 3 9-
- 4 10-
- 5 11-
- 6 12-
3 - 1 13- 3 G 7 1 2 7
- 2 14- 8 7 8
- 3 15- 9 8 9
- 4 16- 10 9 10
- 5 17- 11 10 11
- 6 18- 12 11 12
21 - 0 19- 4 S 13 1
22 - 0 20- 5 S 14 2
23 - 0 21- 6 S 15 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXT GP. DOF I NT DOF I NT GP. A B C Q V T
---- C O L U M N T O T A L S ---- 15 11 1 3 2 12 0 0 0 0 0 0
Listing 9-16 Example .f06 Output for PARAM, USETPRT
Note that in this example, grid 1, dof 1 is in the B-Set, i.e. fixed for Component Modes Synthesis
Calculations. Grid 2, dof1 is in the V-Set, i.e. this was originally part of the O-Set and is free to vibrate
in Component Modes Synthesis. Grid 3, dof1 is in the C-Set which is also part of the V-Set. The spoints
in this model were all assigned to the Q-Set. The table also provides a list of dof in the T-Set (physical
dof) and A-Set (analysis set). In this case, the dof for grids 1 and 3 are assigned to the T-Set and A-Set
because AUTOSPC is not applied to boundary dof during superelement reduction.

CHAPTER 9 461
Note: Lagrange Rigid Element Processing. Typically, the dependent dof associated with RBE’s
are placed in the “mr” set, while the dependent dof associated with MPC’s are placed in
the “mp” set; which collectively define the M-Set. However, if the user specifies
RIGID=LAGRAN in the case control, the dependent dof are carried into the ASET as part
of the “lm” dof. Currently the MSC.Nastran processing does not handle the
RIGID=LAGRAN for superelements and the following message will appear in the .f06
output:
** Warning ** Rigid elements for the upstream superelements have been moved to the
residual. Currently this is a restriction which may be relaxed in the future. This action is
necessary when RIGID=LAGRAN is specified or implied and rigid elements are present
in upstream superelements.
Typically this leads to subsequent FATAL messages because the grids attaching to the
RBE are not in the residual structure.
A slightly different path is taken when an external superelement is reduced. This is not
legal and a FATAL message will ensue:
*** USER FATAL MESSAGE 4349 (GP4)
THERE ARE LAGRANGE RIGID ELEMENTS IN THE MODEL (RBAR, RBE1, RBE2,
RBE3, RJOINT, RROD, RPRPLT) AND AN EXTERNAL SUPERELEMENT GENERATION
REQUEST (EXTSEOUT OR PARAM,EXTOUT).
USER INFORMATION: AN EXTERNAL SUPERELEMENT (CREATED WITH THE

EXTSEOUT CASE CONTROL COMMAND OR THE EXTOUT PARAMETER)
CANNOT CONTAIN LAGRANGE RIGID ELEMENTS.
Therefore, the remainder of this guide will NOT be concerned with RIGID=LAGRAN
processing and consider that all dependent dof belong to the M-Set (either the “mr” or
“mp” set).
1.



Chapter 10: Input and Output for Dynamic Reduction

10 Input and Output for Dynamic

Reduction
 Introduction
 Case Control for Dynamic Reduction
 Single Level Dynamic Reduction
 Multi-Level Dynamic Reduction


Introduction
Introduction
This chapter describes the controls for the dynamic processing of superelements, along with the output
associated with dynamic reduction.
In CHAPTER 9, a description of the process and equations required to perform dynamic reduction for
fixed-boundary, free-boundary, and mixed-boundary Component Modes Synthesis was presented. This
chapter will provide more depth in the application of the various methods along with a description of the
output.
The first section of this chapter describes the Case Control commands associated with dynamic
reduction. The Case Control commands are the same whether you are using PARTs or main bulk data
List superelements.
The remaining sections provide detailed examples for Single-Level and Multi-Level dynamic reduction.
Dynamic reduction is invoked when both the necessary Case Control commands and Bulk Data entries
are present. If either set of information is missing, a static reduction will be performed.

CHAPTER 10 465
Input and Output for Dynamic Reduction
Case Control for Dynamic Reduction

The Case Control for dynamic reduction is an extension of the Case Control in static analysis. The reader
is encouraged to review Case Control (Ch. 4), [for static analysis] before continuing with this section.
In particular, Expanded Case Control (Ch. 4) is particularly important in dynamic analysis because most
practical applications in dynamic superelement analysis will use expanded Case Control.
The Case Control commands SEMG, SELG, SEKR, SELR, SEMR, SEALL, and SEDR are applicable
in both static and dynamic analysis. A brief summary of these commands is available in Table 4-8 and
in the Superelement Control (Ch. 4) in the MD/MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide. A more detailed
description of each command is found in the specific Case Control entries found in the MSC.Nastran
Quick Reference Guide, therefore, they will not be discussed further in this chapter. The SEEXCLUDE
and SEFINAL commands are also the same for statics and dynamics and are described in Case Control
(Ch. 4) [for static analysis].
The most used Case Control command for dynamic analysis is the SUPER command. This was also
described in detail in The SUPER Command (Ch. 4) and the format is repeated here because of its
importance to dynamic analysis and its extensive use in this chapter.
SUPER Superelement Subcase Assignment
Assigns a subcase(s) to a superelement or set of superelements.

Format:
 ALL 
 
 
SUPER =   setid   (10-1)
    ,lseqid  
  seid  
 
Examples:
SUPER=17,3
SUPER=15
SUPER=ALL


Case Control f or Dynamic Reduction
Field Contents
seid Superelement identification number (Integer > 0).
ALL The subcase is assigned to all superelements and all loading conditions (Default).
setid Set identification number of a previously appearing SET command. The subcase is
assigned to all superelements with identification numbers that appear on this SET
command (Integer > 0).
lseqid Load sequence number (Integer > 0; Default=1).
Note that the lseqid is relevant only in static analysis and frequency response analysis when there are
multiple loading conditions. This Chapter concentrates on dynamic reduction, therefore, there are no
examples using lseqid in this Chapter.
The only other case control command required for dynamic reduction is the METHOD entry. The
METHOD selects the ID of either an EIGR or EIGRL bulk data entry. The EIGR and EIGRL entries
define parameters for the Eigenvalue extraction calculations. Refer to the MSC.Nastran Dynamics
Users Guide, Chapter 3 for more details on these entries and their usage.
The EXTSEOUT Case Control entry is used to export the reduced superelement matrices for use in
external superelement analysis. The general usage of EXTSEOUT (or PARAM,EXTOUT) for dynamic
analysis is the same as in static analysis as described in Defining and Attaching External Superelements
(Ch. 2), and Single-Level Analysis Using PART Superelements (Ch. 3). However, in external
superelement analysis in dynamic reduction the modal (or generalized) dof must be defined as part of the
Q-Set. MSC.Nastran offers several methods of specifying the Q-Set dof as follows:
Table 10-1 Methods for Defining Q-Set dof for Component Modes Synthesis
Method Convenience Comments
For use with List (SESET) Superelements.
SPOINT + SEQSET / SEQSET1 Manual Definition Offers maximum control over SPOINT /
Q-Set dof definition
For use with PART and External
SPOINT + QSET / QSET1 Manual Definition Superelements. Offers maximum control
over SPOINT / Q-Set dof definition
For use with PART Superelements.
SENQSET Semi-Automatic Allows the user to specify the number of
Q-Set without reference to SPOINTs
Fully automatic definition of Q-Set dof in
all Superelement types. After the number
of component modes are determined, the
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES Fully Automatic
program generates internal dof for the Q-
Set. Component Modes Synthesis will be
performed on the Residual structure.

CHAPTER 10 467
In static reduction, only the stiffness and loads are required, however, in dynamic reduction the mass is
required. Additional reduced matrices in external superelements for dynamic analysis include the
damping (BAA), and material damping (K4AA).


Single Level Dynamic Reduction

Just as in static single-level superelement analysis, the dynamic single-level superelement analysis is
processed so that the superelements attach directly to the residual structure. Therefore, along with the
physical dof, the component modes dof are passed to the residual structure for the system solution.
Figure 10-1 Schematic Representation of Single-Level Superelement Analysis
Just as in static analysis, the boundary dof are exterior to the superelement and interior to the residual
structure. In statics, the boundary dof included physical dof only. However, in dynamic analysis the
component modes dof must be accounted for. As described in CHAPTER 9, the component modes are
designated as Q-Set dof by the user. These Q-Set dof are part of the superelement A-Set – and therefore,
the modal dof in single-level superelement analysis are exterior to the superelement and interior to the
residual structure.
The following subsections demonstrate how to define the Case Control and Q-Set dof for dynamic
superelement reduction using a simple model. These are intended to be boilerplate examples that users
can modify and adapt to their specific applications.
The examples in this Chapter will use the same example defined in Simple Example using Cantilever
Plate (Ch. 2). The Superelements, grids, and elements for this example are as follows:

CHAPTER 10 469
Figure 10-2 Cantilever Plate Model Used in Dynamic Superelement Examples
The non-superelement solution for this model is located at /doc/seug/chapter10/cantilever-

beam/baseline/modes.bdf. The basic bulk data (grids, elements, materials) are the same as the example
described in Simple Example using Cantilever Plate (Ch. 2); the entries required for a dynamic solution
are highlighted.
SOL 103
CEND
TI TLE = Basel i ne modal sol ut i on
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 10 0 MASS
Listing 10-1 Entries Required for Modal Analysis
Note that residual vectors are not required for this solution, but they have been calculated. For more
information on residual vectors, refer to the Residual Vector (Modal Augmentation) (Ch. 7) in the MSC
Nastran Dynamic Analysis User’s Guide.


For comparison purposes, the Eigenvalue solution for the first 10 modes is:
BASELI NE MODAL SOLUTI ON MAY 12, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
SUBCASE 1
( BEFORE AUGMENTATI ON OF RESI DUAL VECTORS)
1 1 3. 985089E+04 1. 996269E+02 3. 177160E+01 1. 000000E+00 3. 985089E+04
2 2 1. 533628E+06 1. 238397E+03 1. 970970E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 533628E+06
3 3 3. 876550E+06 1. 968896E+03 3. 133595E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 876550E+06
4 4 5. 065938E+06 2. 250764E+03 3. 582202E+02 1. 000000E+00 5. 065938E+06
5 5 1. 184051E+07 3. 441004E+03 5. 476528E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 184051E+07
6 6 4. 487429E+07 6. 698827E+03 1. 066151E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 487429E+07
7 7 4. 523558E+07 6. 725740E+03 1. 070435E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 523558E+07
8 8 1. 212137E+08 1. 100971E+04 1. 752250E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 212137E+08
9 9 1. 243649E+08 1. 115190E+04 1. 774880E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 243649E+08
10 10 1. 352188E+08 1. 162836E+04 1. 850711E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 352188E+08
Listing 10-2 Baseline Eigenvalue Solution for Cantilever Plate Model
List Superelements
The examples in this section are for dynamic reduction of list (SESET) superelements.
Defining Physical Boundary and Modal Dof

The physical dof for List superelement dynamic reduction are defined the same way they are defined for
superelement static reduction. For a review of defining physical dof, refer to Defining List Superelements
(Ch. 2). As a summary, the following bulk data entries can be used:
Table 10-2 Summary of Bulk Data Entries that Define Physical Grids for a Superelement
Entry Comment
SESET Defines the interior grids for a superelement
GRID “SEID” field Defines interior grid points for a superelement
SEELT With BEGIN BULK defines the superelement ID assignment of
boundary elements
SEELT With BEGIN SUPER defines all elements within a superelement
The partitioning of the superelements is described in detail in Superelement Partitioning (Ch. 2).

CHAPTER 10 471
Example – Cantilever Plate

The following sections demonstrate the definitions required to perform modal analysis of List
Superelements using fixed-boundary, free-free boundary, and mixed boundary solutions. In each case
the superelement interior physical grids are defined exactly the way they are defined for static analysis.
These details are defined in detail in Demonstration of Defining Interior Points in Patran (Ch. 2), and
therefore, will not be duplicated here. Instead, these sections will concentrate on the additional steps
required to define the input associated with Component Modes Synthesis.
Fixed-Boundary Component Modes Synthesis

AUTOQSET METHOD
Patran supports the fixed-boundary Component Modes Synthesis formulation for modal solutions with
the PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES technique. To select this method, the user can select the “Calculate
Component Modes (AUTOQSET)” button as shown below.
Figure 10-3 Example of Selecting the AUTOQSET Method in Patran


The associated Superelement and Component Modes Synthesis entries are shown in the following listing
(ref /doc/seug/chapter10/cantilever-beam/seset/modes.bdf):
SOL 103
CEND
TI TLE = Li st Super el ement ( SESET) Sol ut i on
LABEL = AUTOQSET Met hod
ECHO = NONE
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES
RESVEC = YES
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0 MASS
…
$ Ti p. 10
$ Base. 20
SESET 20 101 102 103 201 202 203
Listing 10-3 Input File (partial) for AUTOQSET Method
For the AUTOQSET method, the SEMAP does not contain any information about the Q-Set modal dof
for each superelement because they are not generated or assigned until after the Component Modes
Synthesis calculation is complete.
LI ST SUPERELEMENT ( SESET) SOLUTI ON MAY 12, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10 PAGE
AUTOQSET METHOD
SUPEREL EMENT 10
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 108 109 110 111 208 209 210 211

SUPEREL EMENT 10

CHAPTER 10 473
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 107 207
SUPEREL EMENT 10
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 7 8 9 10
…
SUPEREL EMENT 20
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 101 102 103 201 202 203

SUPEREL EMENT 20
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 104 204
SUPEREL EMENT 20
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 1 2 3
…
SUPEREL EMENT 0
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 104 105 106 107 204 205 206 207

SUPEREL EMENT 0
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
Listing 10-4 SEMAP for List Superelement AUTOQSET Method
The Component Modes Synthesis processing produces a modal solution for each fixed-boundary
superelement. These Q-Set dof are automatically carried down to the residual solution.
LI ST SUPERELEMENT ( SESET) SOLUTI ON MAY 12, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10 P
AUTOQSET METHOD SUBCASE 1


(AFTER AUGMENTATION OF RESIDUAL VECTORS)
1 1 1. 506281E+06 1. 227306E+03 1. 953318E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 506281E+06
2 2 3. 384791E+07 5. 817896E+03 9. 259468E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 384791E+07
3 3 5. 259718E+07 7. 252392E+03 1. 154254E+03 1. 000000E+00 5. 259718E+07
4 4 1. 331114E+08 1. 153739E+04 1. 836233E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 331114E+08
5 5 2. 981700E+08 1. 726760E+04 2. 748224E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 981700E+08
6 6 3. 776630E+08 1. 943355E+04 3. 092946E+03 1. 000000E+00 3. 776630E+08
7 7 7. 868719E+08 2. 805124E+04 4. 464493E+03 1. 000000E+00 7. 868719E+08
8 8 1. 176342E+09 3. 429784E+04 5. 458670E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 176342E+09
9 9 3. 065455E+09 5. 536655E+04 8. 811859E+03 1. 000000E+00 3. 065455E+09
10 10 3. 264128E+09 5. 713255E+04 9. 092927E+03 1. 000000E+00 3. 264128E+09
11 11 6. 010233E+09 7. 752570E+04 1. 233860E+04 1. 000000E+00 6. 010233E+09
12 12 1. 552301E+10 1. 245914E+05 1. 982933E+04 1. 000000E+00 1. 552301E+10
13 13 4. 541589E+10 2. 131100E+05 3. 391752E+04 1. 000000E+00 4. 541589E+10
(BEFORE AUGMENTATION OF RESIDUAL VECTORS)
1 1 2. 113386E+08 1. 453749E+04 2. 313713E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 113386E+08
2 2 3. 167098E+08 1. 779634E+04 2. 832376E+03 1. 000000E+00 3. 167098E+08
3 3 1. 145855E+09 3. 385048E+04 5. 387471E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 145855E+09
4 4 9. 807771E+09 9. 903419E+04 1. 576178E+04 1. 000000E+00 9. 807771E+09
5 5 1. 529802E+10 1. 236851E+05 1. 968510E+04 1. 000000E+00 1. 529802E+10
6 6 3. 483048E+10 1. 866292E+05 2. 970297E+04 1. 000000E+00 3. 483048E+10
7 7 3. 864021E+10 1. 965711E+05 3. 128527E+04 1. 000000E+00 3. 864021E+10
8 8 5. 855620E+10 2. 419839E+05 3. 851293E+04 1. 000000E+00 5. 855620E+10
9 9 6. 722251E+10 2. 592730E+05 4. 126459E+04 1. 000000E+00 6. 722251E+10
10 10 8. 492655E+10 2. 914216E+05 4. 638119E+04 1. 000000E+00 8. 492655E+10
^^^
^^^ USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 9037 ( RESLOAD )
^^^ THE RESI DUAL VECTOR LOADS AND I NI TI AL CONDI TI ONS ARE NOT LI NEARLY I NDEPENDENT WI TH MODAL VECTORS OR
NO RESIDUAL VECTOR LOADS AND INITIAL CONDITIONS WERE FOUND AFTER FILTERING AND SWEEPING.
^^^ USER I NFORMATI ON: RESI DUAL VECTORS WI LL NOT BE ADDED TO THE MODAL VECTORS.

CHAPTER 10 475
1 1 4. 060261E+04 2. 015009E+02 3. 206986E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 060261E+04
2 2 1. 997386E+06 1. 413289E+03 2. 249320E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 997386E+06
3 3 3. 955553E+06 1. 988857E+03 3. 165365E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 955553E+06
4 4 5. 513270E+06 2. 348035E+03 3. 737014E+02 1. 000000E+00 5. 513270E+06
5 5 2. 525060E+07 5. 024998E+03 7. 997532E+02 1. 000000E+00 2. 525060E+07
6 6 7. 125292E+07 8. 441145E+03 1. 343450E+03 1. 000000E+00 7. 125292E+07
7 7 1. 666736E+08 1. 291021E+04 2. 054724E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 666736E+08
8 8 1. 776582E+08 1. 332885E+04 2. 121352E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 776582E+08
9 9 2. 846538E+08 1. 687169E+04 2. 685212E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 846538E+08
10 10 8. 146163E+08 2. 854148E+04 4. 542518E+03 1. 000000E+00 8. 146163E+08
11 11 8. 285748E+08 2. 878497E+04 4. 581271E+03 1. 000000E+00 8. 285748E+08
12 12 1. 051970E+09 3. 243408E+04 5. 162044E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 051970E+09
13 13 1. 903192E+09 4. 362559E+04 6. 943228E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 903192E+09
14 14 2. 225433E+09 4. 717449E+04 7. 508053E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 225433E+09
15 15 9. 740678E+09 9. 869488E+04 1. 570778E+04 1. 000000E+00 9. 740678E+09
1 1 3. 985089E+04 1. 996269E+02 3. 177160E+01 1. 000000E+00 3. 985089E+04
2 2 1. 533628E+06 1. 238397E+03 1. 970970E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 533628E+06
3 3 3. 876551E+06 1. 968896E+03 3. 133595E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 876551E+06
4 4 5. 065942E+06 2. 250765E+03 3. 582203E+02 1. 000000E+00 5. 065942E+06
5 5 1. 184070E+07 3. 441031E+03 5. 476571E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 184070E+07
6 6 4. 488045E+07 6. 699287E+03 1. 066225E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 488045E+07
7 7 4. 525008E+07 6. 726818E+03 1. 070606E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 525008E+07
8 8 1. 212216E+08 1. 101007E+04 1. 752307E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 212216E+08
9 9 1. 246714E+08 1. 116563E+04 1. 777066E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 246714E+08
10 10 1. 352230E+08 1. 162854E+04 1. 850740E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 352230E+08
11 11 2. 732663E+08 1. 653077E+04 2. 630954E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 732663E+08
12 12 3. 360361E+08 1. 833129E+04 2. 917515E+03 1. 000000E+00 3. 360361E+08
13 13 5. 672505E+08 2. 381702E+04 3. 790597E+03 1. 000000E+00 5. 672505E+08


14 14 9. 171191E+08 3. 028397E+04 4. 819844E+03 1. 000000E+00 9. 171191E+08

15 15 9. 621873E+08 3. 101914E+04 4. 936850E+03 1. 000000E+00 9. 621873E+08
16 16 3. 295050E+09 5. 740253E+04 9. 135896E+03 1. 000000E+00 3. 295050E+09
Listing 10-5 Component Modes and Residual Solution for AUTOQSET Method
Note that there are two solutions for the residual structure. The first residual solution is for the residual
structure including the upstream physical dof only and Q-Set dof for the residual are generated for these
dof. The second residual solution is for the residual structure including all component modes. The first
10 modes of the final residual solution track the non-superelement solution in Listing 10-2 with only
minor differences in the frequencies in the higher frequencies. Note that the first 10 modes of the first
residual solution do not track the non-superelement solution very well – this is the solution if there were
no components calculated, thus reinforcing the concept that component modes are required for a good
dynamic solution.
In this case, the OP2 file was the output format requested – when reading the OP2 into Patran, the mode
shape of the assembled solution is displayed properly.
Figure 10-4 Mode 1 of Superelement Solution as Displayed in Patran
SENQSET METHOD
The SENQSET method is not supported for List Superelements (SESET).
SPOINT / SEQSET1 METHOD
The maximum flexibility in defining the Q-Set for Component Modes Synthesis is with the SPOINT /
SEQSET1 method. In this method, the user defines the dof with the SPOINT entry and assigns them to
the Q-Set with the SEQSET1 entry (SEQSET could also be used, but SEQSET1 is the most common
method because of its convenient input format).
Since Patran does not support the SPOINT / SEQSET1 method directly, the user can specify the SPOINT
/ SEQSET1 entries in Direct Text Input as shown below:

CHAPTER 10 477
Figure 10-5 Example of Defining the SP OINT / SEQSET1 Method in Patran
In this case, the number of modes requested is 10. The reason that 16 Q-Set dof are allocated for each
superelement is because there are 6 dof added for Residual Vectors. Since there are no explicit static
loads, there could be a possibility of only 6 residual vectors associated with inertia loads. Refer to the
RESVEC Case Control command and the Residual Vector (Modal Augmentation) (Ch. 7) in the MSC
Nastran Dynamic Analysis User’s Guide for more details on residual vectors. The Direct Text Input for
SPOINT / SEQSET1 are added to the input file as shown here (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/cantilever-
beam/seset/modes2.bdf):
SOL 103
CEND


LABEL = SPOI NT / SEQSET1 Met hod

ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
SPOINT,1001,thru,1016
SEQSET1,10,0,1001,thru,1016
SEQSET1,20,0,2001,thru,2016
Listing 10-6 Input File (partial) for SP OINT / SEQSET1 Method
For the SPOINT / SEQSET1 method, the SEMAP reflects the dof as shown below.
SPOI NT / SEQSET1 METHOD
SUPERELEMENT 10

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 108 109 110 111 208 209 210 211

SUPEREL EMENT 10
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 107 207 1001 1002 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008
11 1009 1010 1011 1012 1013 1014 1015 1016
SUPEREL EMENT 10
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 7 8 9 10

CHAPTER 10 479
SUPERELEMENT 20

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 101 102 103 201 202 203

SUPEREL EMENT 20
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 104 204 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
11 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
SUPEREL EMENT 20
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 1 2 3
SUPERELEMENT 0

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 104 105 106 107 204 205 206 207 1001 1002
11 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009 1010 1011 1012
21 1013 1014 1015 1016 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
31 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
SUPEREL EMENT 0
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 4 5 6
Listing 10-7 SEMAP for SP OINT / SEQSET1 Method
The results of the component modes calculations for the upstream superelements are exactly the same as
the results of the AUTOQSET method. The residual structure, however, does not undergo Component
Modes Synthesis calculations and there is only one set of before and after modal augmentation
Eigenvalues. As with the AUTOQSET method, the first 10 modes of the final residual solution for the
SPOINT / SENQSET1 method track the non-superelement solution in Listing 10-2 with only minor
differences in the frequencies in the higher frequencies.


EXPANDED CASE CONTROL WITH SPOINT / SENQSET1 METHOD

As with statics, Patran exports condensed case control for dynamic superelements. MSC.Nastran offers
the user more control over superelement reduction by using expanded case control. The reader is
encouraged to review Expanded Case Control (Ch. 4) [for statics]. In dynamic superelement reduction
expanded Case Control can be used to control the number of modes or frequency cutoff for each
superelement by changing the METHOD for each superelement. Just as in statics, expanded Case
Control can also be used to specify PARAM entries that are desired for each individual superelement
processing. As an example, the fixed-boundary solution above is reworked by specifying different modal
extraction methods for each superelement. Note that the number of Q-Set points is adjusted accordingly.
The modified input file as shown here (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/ cantilever-beam/seset/modes2e.bdf)

LABEL = SPOI NT / SEQSET1 Met hod, Expanded Case Cont r ol
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
$ out put r equest i s val i d f or al l superel ement s
SUBCASE 10
super = 10
SUBTI TLE=CMS of SEI D 10

METHOD = 10
SUBCASE 20
super = 20

METHOD = 20
$ onl y superel ement 20 has constr ai nts
SPC = 2
SUBCASE 30
super = 0
SUBTI TLE=Sol uti on of Resi dual

METHOD = 30

BEGI N BULK
SPOI NT, 1001, t hru, 1021
SEQSET1, 10, 0, 1001, t hru, 1021
SPOI NT, 2001, t hru, 2018
SEQSET1, 20, 0, 2001, t hru, 2018
$ speci f y a di f f erent number of extr acti on modes f or each super el ement

CHAPTER 10 481
EIGRL 10 15 0 MASS
EIGRL 20 12 0 MASS
EIGRL 30 10 0 MASS
Listing 10-8 Expanded Case Control for SPOINT / SENQSET1 Method
In this case, there is no appreciable change in the residual solution indicating that there is little effect of
modal truncation.
Free-Free Component Modes Synthesis

As discussed in Section 10.3.1.2.1, Patran supports a fixed-boundary solution only. That is to say, the
physical boundary dof are automatically assigned to the B-Set. In order to re-assign the physical
boundary dof to the C-Set, the user must manually re-assign them with the SECSET or SECSET1
entries. Free-Boundary Dynamic Reduction (Ch. 9) discusses the theory and provides a manual solution
for free-free Component Modes Synthesis.
SECSET / SECSET1 Free Boundary Degree-of-Freedom
Defines boundary degrees-of-freedom to be free (c-set) during generalized dynamic reduction or
component mode synthesis calculations.
Formats:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SECSET SEID G1 C1 G2 C2 G3 C3
SECSET1 SEID C G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6
G7 G8 G9 -etc.-
Examples:
SECSET 3 124 1 5 23 6 15
SECSET1 5 2 135 14 6 23 24 25
122 127


Field Contents
SEID Superelement identification number. (Integer > 0)
C, Ci Component numbers of degree-of-freedoms. (Any unique combination of the
Integers 1 through 6 with no embedded blanks for grid points; Integer 0 or blank for
scalar points.)
Gi Grid or scalar point identification number. (Integer > 0)
Note: The AUTOQSET method is incompatible with free-free Component Modes Synthesis. If
boundary dof are placed in the C-Set, the following error will be issued
^^^
^^^ PARAM, AUTOQSET, YES I S REQUESTED I N THE PRESENCE OF SUPERELEMENTS WI TH SECSETI OR SESUP BULK DATA
ENTRI ES OR PART SUPERELEMENTS WI TH CSETI , BNDFREEI OR SUPORTI ENTRI ES.
^^^
Listing 10-9 Fatal Message Issued When AUTOQSET and C-Set are Specified
Therefore, for List Superelements with any boundary dof specified as free for Component Modes
Synthesis, the SPOINT / SEQSET1 method must be used.
Demonstration of Defining Interior Points in Patran (Ch. 2) demonstrates how to create the physical dof
for a superelement based on Patran Groups. Patran will automatically determine the boundary grids
based on the element connectivity. In order to perform a free-free Component Modes Synthesis, these
boundary grids must be placed in the C-Set. Patran provides a convenient method of determining the
boundary grids via the Select Boundary Nodes form as shown here.

CHAPTER 10 483
Figure 10-6 Showing Boundary Grids in Patran
For List Superelements (SESET), the user can place these grids / dof into the C-Set with the SECSET1
when creating the analysis job via direct text input.


Figure 10-7 Defining SECSET1 in Patran for List Superelements
The resulting input file is shown here with the SECSET1 entries highlighted (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/
cantilever-beam/seset/modes2-f.bdf):
SOL 103
CEND
LABEL = SPOI NT / SEQSET1 Met hod
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK

CHAPTER 10 485
SEQSET1,10,0,1001,thru,1016
SEQSET1,20,0,2001,thru,2016
$ place boundary in C-Set
SECSET1,10,123456,107,207
SECSET1,20,123456,104,204
Listing 10-10 Input File (partial) with SECSET1 Entries
The SEMAP does not change from the one shown in Listing 10-7 because the C-Set does not change the
physical boundary dof. The C-Set does, however, change the solution by placing the boundary dof into
the V-Set. Recall from the description of MSC.Nastran Sets, in Nastran Set Definitions – The USET
Table (Ch. 9), that the V-Set defines the physical dof that are free to vibrate during Component Modes
Synthesis. Of course, this affects the component modes calculated for each superelement as shown
below.
LI ST SUPERELEMENT ( SESET) SOLUTI ON MAY 13, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
SPOI NT / SEQSET1 METHOD WI TH C- SET SUBCASE 1
1 1 - 8. 791685E- 06 2. 965078E- 03 4. 719067E- 04 1. 000000E+00 - 8. 791685E- 06
2 2 - 4. 172325E- 06 2. 042627E- 03 3. 250942E- 04 1. 000000E+00 - 4. 172325E- 06
3 3 4. 202127E- 06 2. 049909E- 03 3. 262532E- 04 1. 000000E+00 4. 202127E- 06
4 4 4. 440546E- 06 2. 107260E- 03 3. 353809E- 04 1. 000000E+00 4. 440546E- 06
5 5 4. 753470E- 06 2. 180245E- 03 3. 469968E- 04 1. 000000E+00 4. 753470E- 06
6 6 1. 049042E- 05 3. 238891E- 03 5. 154856E- 04 1. 000000E+00 1. 049042E- 05
7 7 4. 536248E+07 6. 735167E+03 1. 071935E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 536248E+07
8 8 1. 172746E+08 1. 082934E+04 1. 723543E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 172746E+08
9 9 2. 994234E+08 1. 730386E+04 2. 753994E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 994234E+08
10 10 4. 257892E+08 2. 063466E+04 3. 284108E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 257892E+08
( AFTER AUGMENTATI ON OF RESI DUAL VECTORS)


1 1 4. 594047E+06 2. 143373E+03 3. 411284E+02 1. 000000E+00 4. 594047E+06
2 2 6. 219975E+07 7. 886682E+03 1. 255204E+03 1. 000000E+00 6. 219975E+07
3 3 1. 489042E+08 1. 220263E+04 1. 942109E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 489042E+08
4 4 3. 783261E+08 1. 945061E+04 3. 095660E+03 1. 000000E+00 3. 783261E+08
5 5 5. 401025E+08 2. 324011E+04 3. 698778E+03 1. 000000E+00 5. 401025E+08
6 6 9. 494821E+08 3. 081367E+04 4. 904147E+03 1. 000000E+00 9. 494821E+08
7 7 2. 000750E+09 4. 472974E+04 7. 118959E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 000750E+09
8 8 6. 904783E+09 8. 309502E+04 1. 322498E+04 1. 000000E+00 6. 904783E+09
9 9 1. 048266E+10 1. 023849E+05 1. 629506E+04 1. 000000E+00 1. 048266E+10
10 10 3. 013517E+10 1. 735948E+05 2. 762848E+04 1. 000000E+00 3. 013517E+10
11 11 5. 496186E+10 2. 344395E+05 3. 731220E+04 1. 000000E+00 5. 496186E+10
12 12 6. 854768E+10 2. 618161E+05 4. 166933E+04 1. 000000E+00 6. 854768E+10
13 13 8. 205459E+10 2. 864517E+05 4. 559021E+04 1. 000000E+00 8. 205459E+10
1 1 4. 013306E+04 2. 003324E+02 3. 188389E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 013306E+04
2 2 1. 640732E+06 1. 280910E+03 2. 038632E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 640732E+06
3 3 3. 955552E+06 1. 988857E+03 3. 165364E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 955552E+06
4 4 5. 091842E+06 2. 256511E+03 3. 591349E+02 1. 000000E+00 5. 091842E+06
5 5 1. 233339E+07 3. 511893E+03 5. 589351E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 233339E+07
6 6 4. 581940E+07 6. 769002E+03 1. 077320E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 581940E+07
7 7 4. 598342E+07 6. 781108E+03 1. 079247E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 598342E+07
8 8 1. 060017E+08 1. 029571E+04 1. 638613E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 060017E+08
9 9 1. 243820E+08 1. 115267E+04 1. 775002E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 243820E+08
10 10 1. 336136E+08 1. 155913E+04 1. 839693E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 336136E+08
Listing 10-11 Free-Boundary Component Modes and Residual Solution
Note that the free-boundary component modes are drastically different than the fixed-boundary
component modes shown in Listing 10-5. Also note that the residual solution is not as accurate as the
fixed-boundary solution.
But why is the free-boundary solution not as accurate? Mode 1 of the free-boundary solutios is 31.83
Hz, but it should be 31.77Hz and mode 2 is 203.9Hz, but it should be 197.1 Hz.

CHAPTER 10 487
Investigation of the solution indicates that after filtering, only 4 independent component modes for
superelement 10 are retained and brought down to the residual structure. This is verified by reviewing
the Grid Point Singularity Table for Superelement 0:

G R I D P OI N T S I N G U L A R I T Y T A B L E
POI NT TYPE FAI LED STI FFNESS OLD USET NEW USET
ID DI RECTI ON RATI O EXCLUSI VE UNI ON EXCLUSI VE UNI ON
1005 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
1006 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
1007 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
1008 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
1009 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
1010 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
1011 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
1012 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
1013 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
1014 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
1015 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
1016 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
2014 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
2015 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
2016 S 0 0. 00E+00 B F SB S *
Listing 10-12 Residual Structure Grid Point Singularity Table for Free-Boundary Solution
It makes sense that there are only 4 modes retained for Superelement 10 because there are 6 rigid body
modes only 4 flexible modes. Since the rigid body modes can be described by the physical dof, they are
filtered during residual vector calculations. Also there are no residual vectors added for this
superelement.
FREE-BOUNDARY SOLUTION WITH EXPANDED CASE CONTROL
This indicates that there may be modal truncation – that is, there are not a sufficient number of
component modes to accurately capture the dynamic mass. Therefore, the number of modes may need
to be increased for Superelement 10. This could be accomplished by increasing the total number of
modes extracted for every superelement, but this carries the burden of calculating modes that are not
necessary. Instead, expanded Case Control can be used to modify the number of modes calculated for
Superelement 10 (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/cantilever-beam/seset/modes2-f2.bdf):
SOL 103
CEND



LABEL = SPOI NT / SEQSET1 Met hod wi t h C- SET, Expanded Case Cont r ol
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SUBCASE 10
super = 10
METHOD = 10
SUBCASE 20
super = 20
METHOD = 20
SPC = 2
SUBCASE 30
super = 0
METHOD = 30

BEGI N BULK
SPOI NT, 1001, t hru, 1026
SEQSET1, 10, 0, 1001, t hru, 1026
SPOI NT, 2001, t hru, 2016
SEQSET1, 20, 0, 2001, t hru, 2016
$ pl ace boundary i n C- Set
SECSET1, 10, 123456, 107, 207
SECSET1, 20, 123456, 104, 204
EI GRL 10 20 0 MASS
EI GRL 20 10 0 MASS
EI GRL 30 10 0 MASS
Listing 10-13 Input for Free-Boundary Solution with Expanded Case Control
The solution of the residual structure computes the system modes as follows:
SPOI NT / SEQSET1 METHOD WI TH C- SET, EXPANDED CASE CONTROL SUBCASE 30

CHAPTER 10 489
1 1 4. 008070E+04 2. 002017E+02 3. 186308E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 008070E+04
2 2 1. 617656E+06 1. 271871E+03 2. 024245E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 617656E+06
3 3 3. 890399E+06 1. 972409E+03 3. 139187E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 890399E+06
4 4 5. 065938E+06 2. 250764E+03 3. 582202E+02 1. 000000E+00 5. 065938E+06
5 5 1. 219360E+07 3. 491934E+03 5. 557585E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 219360E+07
6 6 4. 523552E+07 6. 725735E+03 1. 070434E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 523552E+07
7 7 4. 581753E+07 6. 768865E+03 1. 077298E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 581753E+07
8 8 1. 243532E+08 1. 115138E+04 1. 774797E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 243532E+08
9 9 1. 299757E+08 1. 140069E+04 1. 814476E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 299757E+08
10 10 1. 386618E+08 1. 177548E+04 1. 874125E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 386618E+08
Listing 10-14 Free-Boundary Residual Solution – Expanded Case Control
Note that in this case there is only slight improvement in the calculated modes at the residual structure.
This indicates that, for this problem, the fixed-boundary solution is superior to the free-boundary
solution using standard reduction techniques.
FREE-BOUNDARY SOLUTION WITH MHRED REDUCTION
In MSC.Nastran Version 2004 an alternate method of C-Set reduction was introduced. This method was
the default in Versions 2004 through 2008, but the original method was restored in Version 2010. The
mathematical formulation is presented in the Real Eigenvalue Analysis in SubDMAPs SEMR3 and
MODERS (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran Reference Manual. The user interface is to simply add
PARAM,MHRED,YES . This can be done in either the Case Control or bulk data sections of the input
file. When this PARAM is added to the free-boundary solution with expanded case control, the results
are much more precise when compared to the baseline solution (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/cantilever-
beam/seset/modes2-f3.bdf).
SPOI NT / SEQSET1 METHOD WI TH C- SET, EXPANDED CASE CONTROL, MHRED SUBCASE 30
1 1 3. 985089E+04 1. 996269E+02 3. 177160E+01 1. 000000E+00 3. 985089E+04
2 2 1. 533627E+06 1. 238397E+03 1. 970970E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 533627E+06
3 3 3. 876548E+06 1. 968895E+03 3. 133594E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 876548E+06
4 4 5. 065922E+06 2. 250760E+03 3. 582196E+02 1. 000000E+00 5. 065922E+06
5 5 1. 184046E+07 3. 440997E+03 5. 476517E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 184046E+07


6 6 4. 487408E+07 6. 698812E+03 1. 066149E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 487408E+07

7 7 4. 523500E+07 6. 725697E+03 1. 070428E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 523500E+07
8 8 1. 211685E+08 1. 100766E+04 1. 751923E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 211685E+08
9 9 1. 243561E+08 1. 115150E+04 1. 774817E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 243561E+08
10 10 1. 352106E+08 1. 162801E+04 1. 850655E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 352106E+08
Listing 10-15 Free-Boundary Residual Solution with MHRED – Expanded Case Control
Mixed-Boundary CMS
The mixed-boundary solution implies that the physical boundary dof are split between B-Set (fixed) and
C-Set (free). The method for defining C-Set dof is the same as for the free-boundary solution above.
The expanded Case Control with MHRED example is modified so that one physical boundary grid is in
the B-Set and one grid is in the C-Set as follows (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/ cantilever-beam/seset/modes2-
m.bdf):
SOL 103
CEND
LABEL = SPOI NT / SEQSET1 Met hod, Mi xed- Boundar y, Expanded Case Cont r ol , MHRED
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
param,mhred,yes

SUBCASE 10
super = 10
METHOD = 10
SUBCASE 20
super = 20
METHOD = 20
SPC = 2
SUBCASE 30
super = 0
METHOD = 30

CHAPTER 10 491
BEGI N BULK
SPOI NT, 1001, t hru, 1026
SEQSET1, 10, 0, 1001, t hru, 1026
SPOI NT, 2001, t hru, 2016
SEQSET1, 20, 0, 2001, t hru, 2016
$ place 104 and 107 boundary in C-Set
SECSET1,10,123456,107
SECSET1,20,123456,104

EI GRL 10 20 0 MASS
EI GRL 20 10 0 MASS
EI GRL 30 10 0 MASS
…
$ Ti p. 10
$ Base. 20
SESET 20 101 102 103 201 202 203
Listing 10-16 Input for Mixed-Boundary Solution with Expanded Case Control
Again, the residual solution compares favorably with the baseline solution.
SPOI NT / SEQSET1 METHOD, MI XED- BOUNDARY, EXPANDED CASE CONTROL, SUBCASE 30
1 1 3. 985089E+04 1. 996269E+02 3. 177160E+01 1. 000000E+00 3. 985089E+04
2 2 1. 533628E+06 1. 238397E+03 1. 970970E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 533628E+06
3 3 3. 876551E+06 1. 968896E+03 3. 133595E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 876551E+06
4 4 5. 065938E+06 2. 250764E+03 3. 582202E+02 1. 000000E+00 5. 065938E+06
5 5 1. 184051E+07 3. 441004E+03 5. 476528E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 184051E+07
6 6 4. 487427E+07 6. 698826E+03 1. 066151E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 487427E+07
7 7 4. 523568E+07 6. 725748E+03 1. 070436E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 523568E+07
8 8 1. 212124E+08 1. 100965E+04 1. 752240E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 212124E+08
9 9 1. 243596E+08 1. 115167E+04 1. 774843E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 243596E+08
10 10 1. 352187E+08 1. 162836E+04 1. 850711E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 352187E+08
Listing 10-17 Free-Boundary Residual Solution with MHRED – Expanded Case Control


PART Superelements
Whether using List Superelements or PART Superelements, the reduction process of the solution is
exactly the same. However, the input and user interface for the PART Superelements varies from the List
Superelements.
Defining Physical Boundary and Modal DOF

The physical dof for PART superelement dynamic reduction are defined the same way they are defined
for superelement static reduction. For a review of defining physical dof, refer to Defining PART
Superelements (Ch. 2).
There are several methods available for defining the modal dof associated with Component Modes
Synthesis. PART Superelements support AUTOQSET. PARTs have a convenient method of defining the
number of modal dof with the SENQSET entry, which is an advantage compared to the List
Superelements. PARTs also support manual definition, but the format is by specifying the modal dof and
Q-Set within the PART bulk data section. The user may also connect modal dof to downstream
superelements other than the residual in mult-level superelement analysis with PARTs. These input
methods are described in detail in the sections below.
Example – Cantilever Plate
Fixed-Bound ary CMS

AUTOQSET METHOD
Just as in List Superelement, Patran supports AUOTQSET for PART superelements. The Select
Superelement form provides the option to write PART superelements and select AUTOQSET as shown
below:

CHAPTER 10 493
Figure 10-8 Selecting PART Superelements and AUTOQSET in Patran
The resulting input file is similar to a static input file with the exception of the entries required for modal
analysis and the AUTOQSET option (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/ cantilever-beam/parts/modes.bdf):
SOL 103
CEND
TI TLE = PART Super el ement Sol ut i on
LABEL = AUTOQSET Met hod
ECHO = NONE
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES
RESVEC = YES
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES


EIGRL 1 10 0 MASS
$ Superel ement Name: Ti p. 10

BEGIN SUPER = 10

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 10 0 MASS
$ Super el ement Name: Base. 20

BEGIN SUPER = 20

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 10 0 MASS
ENDDATA
Listing 10-18 Partial Input File for PART Superelement with AUTOQSET
Because the processing is performed by the PART superelement partitioning module (SEP1X – refer to
Introduction (Ch. 2)), the SEMAP is different from the List superelement partitioning. Note, as with the
List superelements, the Q-Set dof are not reported for AUTOQSET. Even though the format is reported
differently, the partitioning is exactly the same as the List superelement example.
PART SUPERELEMENT SOLUTI ON MAY 13, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10 PAGE
AUTOQSET METHOD
BOUNDARY SEQUENCE ASSI GNMENT TABLE
BOUNDARY
1B 107 ( 0) 107 ( 10)

2B 207 ( 0) 207 ( 10)
3B 104 ( 0) 104 ( 20)
4B 204 ( 0) 204 ( 20)
I NTERI OR TO

CHAPTER 10 495
POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1B G 0 10
2B G 0 10
3B G 0 20
4B G 0 20
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST ( SORTED BY FI RST POI NT I D - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY SEQUENCE I D)
COUNT POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 1B 0 10
2 3B 0 20
2 1B 0 10
2 3B 0 20
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST ( SORTED BY I NTERI OR SUPERELEMENT - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY SEQUEN
2 1B 0 10
2 3B 0 20
SUPERELEMENT 0

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 1B 2B 3B 4B
SUPERELEMENT 0

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 4 5 6
SUPERELEMENT 10

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-


1 1B 2B
SUPERELEMENT 20

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 3B 4B
Listing 10-19 SEMAP for PART Superelement with AUTOQSET
The superelement reduction, residual assembly, solution, and data recovery follow the same path as the
List Superelement example with AUTOQSET and the answers are exactly the same as shown in
Listing 10-5 and therefore, will not be repeated here.
SENQSET METHOD
Since Patran does not support the SENQSET method directly, the entries must be added manually.
(Note: any Direct Text Input that is entered in the Patran bulk data section will be specified in every
superelement. The SENQSET entry is only valid in the main bulk data section, so using Patran Direct
Text Input for SENQSET will result in a FATAL message).
In this case, the number of modes requested is 10. The Q-Set dof allocation for each superelement should
be large enough to account for normal modes plus Residual Vectors. Since there are no explicit static
Nastran Dynamic Analysis User’s Guide for more details on residual vectors. The manual modification
to the input file is shown here (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/cantilever-beam/parts modes2.bdf)
:
SOL 103
CEND
LABEL = SENQSET Met hod
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK

CHAPTER 10 497
$ manually add these entries to the main bulk data section
SENQSET,10,16
SENQSET,20,16
Listing 10-20 Input File (partial) for SENQSET Method
The SEMAP lists the internally generated Q-Set dof when SENQSET is used.
PART SUPERELEMENT SOLUTI ON MAY 13, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 12/ 15/ CREATED BY
LANCE PROCTOR, EAGLESI M
SENQSET METHOD

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- -----------------------------------------

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- -----------------------------------------

------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 0
20 0
PART SUPERELEMENT SOLUTI ON MAY 13, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
TI P LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 10
2 20

BOUNDARY


1B 107 ( 0) 107 ( 10)

2B 207 ( 0) 207 ( 10)
3B 104 ( 0) 104 ( 20)
4B 204 ( 0) 204 ( 20)
I NTERI OR TO
POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1B G 0 10
2B G 0 10
3B G 0 20
4B G 0 20
147477001B Q 0 20 {these are the internally generated Q-Set dof}
147477002B Q 0 20
147477003B Q 0 20
147477004B Q 0 20
147477005B Q 0 20
147477006B Q 0 20
147477007B Q 0 20
147477008B Q 0 20
147477009B Q 0 20
147477010B Q 0 20
147477011B Q 0 20
147477012B Q 0 20
147477013B Q 0 20
147477014B Q 0 20
147477015B Q 0 20
147477016B Q 0 20
147480001B Q 0 10
147480002B Q 0 10
147480003B Q 0 10
147480004B Q 0 10
147480005B Q 0 10
147480006B Q 0 10
147480007B Q 0 10
147480008B Q 0 10
147480009B Q 0 10
147480010B Q 0 10
147480011B Q 0 10
147480012B Q 0 10
147480013B Q 0 10
147480014B Q 0 10
147480015B Q 0 10

CHAPTER 10 499
147480016B Q 0 10
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY L I ST ( SORTED BY FI RST POI NT I D - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY SEQUENCE I D)
18 1B 0 10
18 3B 0 20
COUNT POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
18 1B 0 10
18 3B 0 20
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST ( SORTED BY I NTERI OR SUPERELEMENT - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY SEQUENCE I D)
COUNT POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
18 1B 0 10
18 3B 0 20
SUPERELEMENT 0

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 1B 2B 3B 4B 147477001B 147477002B 147477003B 147477004B 147477005B 147477006B
11 147477007B 147477008B 147477009B 147477010B 147477011B 147477012B 147477013B 147477014B 147477015B 147477016B
21 147480001B 147480002B 147480003B 147480004B 147480005B 147480006B 147480007B 147480008B 147480009B 147480010B
31 147480011B 147480012B 147480013B 147480014B 147480015B 147480016B
SUPEREL EMENT 0
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 4 5 6
SUPERELEMENT 10

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 10-
1 1B 2B 147480001B 147480002B 147480003B 147480004B 147480005B 147480006B 147480007B 147480008B
11 147480009B 147480010B 147480011B 147480012B 147480013B 147480014B 147480015B 147480016B
SUPERELEMENT 20



I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- -9- - 10-

1 3B 4B 147477001B 147477002B 147477003B 147477004B 147477005B 147477006B 147477007B 147477008B
11 147477009B 147477010B 147477011B 147477012B 147477013B 147477014B 147477015B 147477016B
Listing 10-21 SEMAP for PART Superelement with SENQSET
The superelement reduction, residual assembly, solution, and data recovery follow the same path as the
List Superelement example with SPOINT / SEQSET1 and the answers compare favorable to the baseline
solution in Listing 10-2, and therefore, will not be repeated here.
SPOINT / QSET1 METHOD WITH CMS ON RESIDUAL
The maximum flexibility in defining the Q-Set for PART Superelement Component Modes Synthesis is
with the SPOINT / QSET1 method. In this method, the user defines the dof with the SPOINT entry and
assigns them to the Q-Set with the QSET1 entry (QSET could also be used, but QSET1 is the most
common method because of its convenient input format).
Since Patran does not support the SPOINT / QSET1 method directly, the user can specify the SPOINT /
QSET1 entries in Direct Text Input as shown below:
Figure 10-9 Example of Defining the SPOINT / QSET1 Method in Patran
In this case, the number of modes requested is 10. The reason that 16 Q-Set dof are allocated for each
superelement is because there are 6 dof added for Residual Vectors. Since there are no explicit static

CHAPTER 10 501
Nastran Dynamic Analysis User’s Guide for more details on residual vectors. The Direct Text Input for
SPOINT / QSET1 are added to the input file as shown here (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/cantilever-
beam/parts/modes3.bdf):
SOL 103
CEND
LABEL = SPOI NT / QSET1 Met hod
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
$ Direct Text Input for Bulk Data
QSET1,0,1001,thru,1016
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0 MASS
…
BEGIN SUPER = 10
QSET1,0,1001,thru,1016
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0 MASS

BEGIN SUPER = 20
QSET1,0,1001,thru,1016
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES


EI GRL 1 10 0 MASS
ENDDATA
Listing 10-22 Partial Input File for SPOINT / QSET1 Method
Note that the Direct Text Input is applied to the bulk data section for the residual and each PART. This
means that the solution will also perform Component Modes Synthesis on the residual structure (the same
solution operations as the AUTOQSET method).
Even though the SPOINT IDs are common among superelements, the SEMAP keeps track of the IDs and
assigns different boundary sequence numbers to each.
PART SUPERELEMENT SOLUTI ON MAY 13, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10 PAGE
SPOI NT / QSET METHOD
BOUNDARY
1B 1001 ( 10)
2B 1002 ( 10)
3B 1003 ( 10)
4B 1004 ( 10)
5B 1005 ( 10)
6B 1006 ( 10)
7B 1007 ( 10)
8B 1008 ( 10)
9B 1009 ( 10)
10B 1010 ( 10)
11B 1011 ( 10)
12B 1012 ( 10)
13B 1013 ( 10)
14B 1014 ( 10)
15B 1015 ( 10)
16B 1016 ( 10)
17B 107 ( 0) 107 ( 10)
18B 207 ( 0) 207 ( 10)
19B 1001 ( 20)
20B 1002 ( 20)

21B 1003 ( 20)
22B 1004 ( 20)
23B 1005 ( 20)
24B 1006 ( 20)
25B 1007 ( 20)
26B 1008 ( 20)

CHAPTER 10 503
27B 1009 ( 20)

28B 1010 ( 20)
29B 1011 ( 20)
30B 1012 ( 20)
31B 1013 ( 20)
32B 1014 ( 20)
33B 1015 ( 20)
34B 1016 ( 20)
35B 104 ( 0) 104 ( 20)
36B 204 ( 0) 204 ( 20)
I NTERI OR TO
POI NT I D TYPE SUPERELEMEMT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CONNECTED TO SUPERELEMENT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1B SQ 0 10
2B SQ 0 10
3B SQ 0 10
4B SQ 0 10
5B SQ 0 10
6B SQ 0 10
7B SQ 0 10
8B SQ 0 10
9B SQ 0 10
10B SQ 0 10
11B SQ 0 10
12B SQ 0 10
13B SQ 0 10
14B SQ 0 10
15B SQ 0 10
16B SQ 0 10
17B G 0 10
18B G 0 10
19B SQ 0 20
20B SQ 0 20
21B SQ 0 20
22B SQ 0 20
23B SQ 0 20
24B SQ 0 20
25B SQ 0 20
26B SQ 0 20
27B SQ 0 20
28B SQ 0 20
29B SQ 0 20
30B SQ 0 20


31B SQ 0 20
32B SQ 0 20
33B SQ 0 20
34B SQ 0 20
35B G 0 20
36B G 0 20
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST ( SORTED BY FI RST POI NT I D - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY SEQUENCE I D)
18 1B 0 10
18 19B 0 20
18 1B 0 10
18 19B 0 20
POI NT/ SUPERELEMENT CONNECTI VI TY LI ST ( SORTED BY I NTERI OR SUPERELEMENT - " B" I NDI CATES BOUNDARY SEQUEN
18 1B 0 10
18 19B 0 20
SUPERELEMENT 0

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 1B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B 9B
11 11B 12B 13B 14B 15B 16B 19B 20B 21B
21 23B 24B 25B 26B 27B 28B 29B 30B 31B
31 33B 34B
SUPERELEMENT 0

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 17B 18B 35B 36B
SUPERELEMENT 0

CHAPTER 10 505

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 4 5 6
SUPERELEMENT 10

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 1B 2B 3B 4B 5B 6B 7B 8B 9B
11 11B 12B 13B 14B 15B 16B 17B 18B
SUPERELEMENT 20

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 19B 20B 21B 22B 23B 24B 25B 26B 27B
11 29B 30B 31B 32B 33B 34B 35B 36B
Listing 10-23 SEMAP for SP OINT / QSET1 Method
As mentioned above, this model is equivalent to the AUTOQSET method. Therefore, the superelement
reduction, residual assembly, solution, and data recovery follow the same path as the List Superelement
example with AUTOQSET and the answers are exactly the same as shown in Listing 10-5, and therefore,
will not be repeated here.
SPOINT / QSET1 METHOD WITHOUT CMS ON RESIDUAL
It is not necessary to perform Component Modes Synthesis on the residual structure, so the SPOINT /
QSET1 entries can be removed from the main bulk data section. This solution will follow the same path
as the SPOINT / SEQSET1 solution and is not included here. The example file is /doc/seug/chapter10/
cantilever-beam/parts/modes4.bdf.
Free-Bound ary CMS

As discussed in Fixed-Boundary Component Modes Synthesis, Patran supports a fixed-boundary
solution only. That is to say, the physical boundary dof are automatically assigned to the B-Set. For
PART superelements, in order to re-assign the physical boundary dof to the C-Set, the user must
manually re-assign them with the CSET, CSET1, BNDFREE, or BNDFRE1 entries. Free-Boundary
Dynamic Reduction (Ch. 9) discusses the theory and provides a manual solution for free-free Component
Modes Synthesis.
BNDFRFEE, BNDFRE1, CSET, CSET1 Free Boundary Degrees-of-Freedom
Defines analysis set (a-set) degrees-of-freedom to be free (c-set) during generalized dynamic reduction
or component mode synthesis calculations.


Formats:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
BNDFREE ID1 C1 ID2 C2 ID3 C3 ID4 C4
CSET ID1 C1 ID2 C2 ID3 C3 ID4 C4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
BNDFRE1 C ID1 ID2 ID3 ID4 ID5 ID6 ID7
ID8 ID9 -etc.-
CSET1 C ID1 ID2 ID3 ID4 ID5 ID6 ID7
ID8 ID9 ID10 -etc.-
Examples:
BNDFREE 124 1 5 23 6 16
CSET 124 1 5 23 6 16
BNDFRE1 124 1 5 7 6 9 12 122

127
CSET1 124 1 5 7 6 9 12 122
127
Alternate Formats and Example:
BNDFIX1 C ID1 THRU” ID2

BNDFIX1 3 6 THRU 32
CSET1 C ID1 THRU” ID2

CSET1 3 6 THRU 32
CSET1 “ALL”
CSET1 ALL

CHAPTER 10 507
Field Contents
C Component numbers. (Integer zero or blank for scalar points, or any unique
combinations of the Integers 1 through 6 for grid points with no embedded blanks.)
IDi Grid or scalar point identification numbers. (Integer > 0; For “THRU” option, ID1<
ID2)
As discussed in the previous section, the Patran Direct Text Input for PART superelements will apply to
each superelement, so the user must modify the input file manually. The examples shown below are
similar to the examples for the Fixed-Boundary Component Modes Synthesis in the List Superelement
sections above, with the addition of the SENQSET Method which is only available with PART
Superelements.
FREE BOUNDARY SOLUTION WITH AUTOQSET METHOD
As noted before the AUTOQSET Method is incompatible with the C-Set.
FREE-BOUNDARY SOLUTION WITH SENQSET METHOD and MHRED
In this example, the Fixed-Boundary SENQSET is modified to add the appropriate BNDFRE1 entries.
The alternate reduction method MHRED is used as described in the List superelement section above and
the number of component modes for Superelement 10 is set to 20. Note that Patran can be used to display
the boundary grids as shown in Figure 10-6. The example file is at /doc/seug/chapter10/cantilever-
beam/parts/modes2.bdf.
SOL 103
CEND
LABEL = SENQSET Met hod, Fr ee- Boundar y CMS
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
param,mhred,yes
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
$ manually add these entries to the main bulk data section
SENQSET,10,26


SENQSET,20,16

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 10 0 MASS

BEGIN SUPER = 10
$ Manually add the BNDFRE1 entry
BNDFRE1,123456,107,207

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 20 0 MASS

BEGIN SUPER = 20
$ Manually add the BNDFRE1 entry
BNDFRE1,123456,104,204

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 10 0 MASS
ENDDATA
Listing 10-24 PART Superelement Free-Boundary Input File with SENQSET
SPOINT / BNDFRE1 METHOD

The manual SPOINT, BNDFRE1 method is set up similarly (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/cantilever-
beam/parts/modes-f2.bdf)
SPOI NT / BNDFRE1 METHOD

The manual SPOI NT, BNDFRE1 met hod i s set up si mi l ar l y ( r ef / doc/ seug/ chapt er 10/ cant i l ever - beam/ par t s/ modes- f 2. bdf )
SOL 103
CEND
LABEL = SPOI NT / QSET Met hod, Fr ee- Boundar y CMS
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES

CHAPTER 10 509
param,mhred,yes
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 10 0 MASS

BEGI N SUPER = 10
$ Manually add the SPOINT, QSET1, and BNDFRE1 entries
BNDFRE1,123456,107,207
QSET1,0,1001,thru,1026

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 20 0 MASS

BEGIN SUPER = 20
BNDFRE1,123456,104,204
QSET1,0,1001,thru,1016

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 10 0 MASS
ENDDATA
Listing 10-25 PART Superelement Free-Boundary Input File with SPOINT /QSET1
SPOINT / BNDFRE1 METHOD, EXPANDED CASE CONTROL


The equivalent expanded Case Control model is /doc/seug/chapter10/cantilever-beam/parts/modes-

f3.bdf:
SOL 103
CEND
LABEL = SPOI NT / QSET Met hod, Fr ee- Boundar y CMS, Expanded Case Cont r ol
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
param,mhred,yes

SUBCASE 10
super = 10

METHOD = 10
SUBCASE 20
super = 20

METHOD = 20
SPC = 2
SUBCASE 30
super = 0

METHOD = 30

BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 30 10 0 MASS

BEGIN SUPER = 10
BNDFRE1,123456,107,207
QSET1,0,1001,thru,1026

CHAPTER 10 511
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 10 20 0 MASS

BEGIN SUPER = 20
$ Manual l y add t he SPOI NT, QSET1, and BNDFRE1 ent r i es

BNDFRE1,123456,104,204
QSET1,0,1001,thru,1016

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 20 10 0 MASS
ENDDATA
Listing 10-26 PART Superelement Free-Boundary Input File with SPOINT / QSET1 and
Expanded Case Control
Mixed-Boundary CMS
The mixed-boundary solution implies that the physical boundary dof are split between B-Set (fixed) and
C-Set (free). The method for defining C-Set dof is the same as for the free-boundary solution above.
The expanded Case Control with MHRED example is modified so that one physical boundary grid is in
the B-Set and one grid is in the C-Set as follows (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/ cantilever-beam/parts/modes-
m.bdf)
SOL 103
CEND
LABEL = SPOI NT / QSET Met hod, Mi xed Boundar y CMS, Expanded Case Contr ol
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
param,mhred,yes

SUBCASE 10
super = 10

METHOD = 10


SUBCASE 20
super = 20

METHOD = 20
SPC = 2
SUBCASE 30
super = 0

METHOD = 30

BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 30 10 0 MASS

BEGIN SUPER = 10
BNDFRE1,123456,107
QSET1,0,1001,thru,1026

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 10 20 0 MASS

BEGIN SUPER = 20
BNDFRE1,123456,104
QSET1,0,1001,thru,1016

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 20 10 0 MASS
ENDDATA
Listing 10-27 PART Superelement Mixed-Boundary Input File with SPOINT / QSET1 and
Expanded Case Control

CHAPTER 10 513
The Component Modes Synthesis examples for External Superelements are contained in Chapter 12,
External Superelement Examples in Modal Examples (Ch. 12).


Multi-Level Dynamic Reductio n
Multi-Level Dynamic Reduction

Multi-level dynamic reduction is desirable for many models, though not required. As in static analysis,
using a multi-level reduction reduces the size of the residual structure (resulting in a faster solution time
for model change restarts). However, in dynamic analysis multi-level reduction can be used to determine
how sub-assemblies perform before performing the full system-level solution.
A good example of a multi-level reduction is the human arm. The hand cantilevers from the wrist, thus
fixed-boundary modes of the hand behave expected. Then, looking at the forearm, it makes sense to
create a sub-assembly (also referred to as a collector superelement) that includes the effects of both the
forearm and the hand. Once the component modes of the hand-forearm sub-assembly are computed, it
is attached to the upper arm for the final assembly modes.
In contrast, as single-level reduction of the arm will reduce the hand independently of the forearm. Each
reduction will occur independently and the coupled effects are not computed until the final assembly.
This means that the user may not need to carry more component modes of the forearm since they are
calculated with a fixed-boundary. When using a collector superelement sub-assembly, the dynamic
behavior and modal cut-off frequency is much easier to understand.
This section builds on the static muli-level superelement reduction contained in CHAPTER 7. The only
difference between static multi-level superelement analysis and dynamic multi-level superelement
analysis is in defining the entries associated to Component Modes Synthesis described in the preceding
sections.
Defin ing the Superelement Tree

By default, MSC.Nastran will perform a single-level superelement analysis – that is, every superelement
is attached to the residual structure by default. In multi-level superelement analysis, one superelement
can be directly connected to another.
As with multi-level static superelements, the superelement tree for multi-level dynamic List (SESET)
Superelements is defined with the DTI, SETREE entry.
DTI,SETREE Superelement Tree Definition
Specifies superelement tree that determines the superelement processing order.

Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
DTI SETREE “1” SEUP1 SEDWN1 SEUP2 SEDWN2 SEUP3 SEDWN3
SEUP4 SEDWN4 SEUP5 SEDWN5 -etc.-

CHAPTER 10 515
Example:
DTI SETREE 1 1 14 2 14 3 14
4 14 14 0
Field Contents
SEUPi Identification number of the superelement upstream from SEDWNi. (Integer > 0)
SEDWNi Identification number of the uperelement into which SEUPi is assembled. (Integer 0)
Figure 10-10 DTI, SETREE Schematic Example
Multi-Level PART superelements offer a more convenient input format with the SETREE entry.
SETREE Superelement Tree Definition (Alternate Form of DTI,SETREE)
Specifies superelement reduction order.

Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


SETREE SEID SEUP1 SEUP2 SEUP3 SEUP4 SEUP5 SEUP6 SEUP7

SEUP8 SEUP9 -etc.-
Example:
SETREE 400 10 20 30 40
Field Contents
SEID Partitioned superelement identification number of a downstream superelement.
(Integer > 0)
SEUPi Identification number of superelements that are upstream of SEID. (Integer > 0)
Figure 10-11 SETREE Schematic Example
If a superelement is not referenced on the DTI,SETREE or SETREE entry, then the manner in which it
is handled depends on the type of that superelement.
List Superelements
DTI, SETREE

CHAPTER 10 517
• A List Superelement that is unreferenced in the DTI,SETREE will be automatically attached to

the residual structure if all of its exterior points belong to the residual. However, if one or more
of its exterior points do not belong to the residual, then the program will terminate with a user
fatal error complaining that one of more of the superelements are not in the same path.
SETREE
BEGIN SUPER. (for details refer to the note on SEP1X – in Introduction (Ch. 2))
• A List Superelement that is unreferenced in the SETREE will be automatically attached to the
PART Superelements
DTI, SETREE
• A PART Superelement that is unreferenced in the DTI,SETREE will be automatically attached
to the residual structure if all of its exterior points belong to the residual. However, if one or
more of its exterior points do not belong to the residual, then the program will terminate with a
user fatal error complaining that one of more of the superelements are not in the same path.
SETREE
BEGIN SUPER. (for details refer to the note on SEP1X – in Introduction (Ch. 2))
• A PART Superelement that is unreferenced in the SETREE will be automatically attached to the
Multi-Level Superelement Component Modes Synthesis

Connection
As with the single-level dynamic reduction examples above, the modal dof associated to the Component
Modes Synthesis must be assigned. In multi-level superelement analysis, the user has the option of
connecting the superelement component modes to the downstream superelement or to the residual.
Common practice is to assign the component modes as interior dof in the next downstream superelement
of the superelement tree, although it is possible to assign the component modes as internal dof to the
residual structure from any level. The examples will only consider assigning modal dof to the next
downstream superelement in the tree.
Note that for a model with BEGIN BULK and List Superelements only can use either GRIDs or
SPOINTs to store the component modes. However, MSC.Nastran requires that component modes
defined with SPOINTs must be connected directly to internal dof of the residual structure. In order


However, a model with BEGIN SUPER requires that SPOINTs are used to store the Q-Set component
modes. Models with BEGIN SUPER are permitted to pass SPOINTs to the downstream superelement
(instead of the residual).
Multi-Level Modal Reduct ion Example (fly swatter)

For this set of examples, the double headed flyswatter model introduced in Superelement Partitioning
(Ch. 2), will be used.
Figure 10-12 Flyswatter Model for Dynamic Multi-Level Superelement Reduction Examples
In the example below, the following figure demonstrates the schematic of the superelement tree that will
be used.

CHAPTER 10 519
Figure 10-13 Flyswatter Multi-Level Superelement Reduction Schematic
The first 10 system modes for a non-superelement baseline solution are as follows (ref
/doc/seug/chapter10/flyswatter/baseline/modes.bdf)
1 1 5. 771180E+02 2. 402328E+01 3. 823424E+00 1. 000000E+00 5. 771180E+02
2 2 1. 053431E+03 3. 245661E+01 5. 165629E+00 1. 000000E+00 1. 053431E+03
3 3 1. 582892E+03 3. 978558E+01 6. 332071E+00 1. 000000E+00 1. 582892E+03
4 4 3. 441425E+03 5. 866366E+01 9. 336612E+00 1. 000000E+00 3. 441425E+03
5 5 1. 816830E+04 1. 347899E+02 2. 145247E+01 1. 000000E+00 1. 816830E+04
6 6 3. 090139E+04 1. 757879E+02 2. 797752E+01 1. 000000E+00 3. 090139E+04
7 7 4. 377879E+04 2. 092338E+02 3. 330060E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 377879E+04
8 8 5. 775877E+04 2. 403305E+02 3. 824979E+01 1. 000000E+00 5. 775877E+04
9 9 5. 928398E+04 2. 434830E+02 3. 875153E+01 1. 000000E+00 5. 928398E+04
10 10 8. 165628E+04 2. 857556E+02 4. 547942E+01 1. 000000E+00 8. 165628E+04
Listing 10-28 Flyswatter Baseline Modal Solution (No Superelements)
The mode shapes are as follows:


Figure 10-14 Flyswatter Baseline Mode Shapes (No Superelements)
List Superelements
The superelements are defined in Patran by using Groups, refer to Demonstration of Defining Interior
Points in Patran (Ch. 2) to review the superelement creation in Patran. In the case of List (SESET)
Superelements with BEGIN BULK, the DTI,SETREE must be used to specify multi-level superelement
analysis. Patran does not support DTI,SETREE with a form, so it must be entered into the Direct Text
Input as follows:

CHAPTER 10 521
Figure 10-15 Defining DTI,SETREE for List Superelements in Patran
The resulting input file is shown below (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/flyswatter/seset/modes-autoq.bdf)
SOL 103
CEND
TI TLE = Fl yswat t er Modes
LABEL = Li st ( SESET), Mul t i - Level , AUTOQSET
ECHO = NONE
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES
RESVEC = NO
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
DTI,SETREE,1,1,3,3,5,5,0,
,2,4,4,6,6,0
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 10 0

PSHELL 1 1 1. 1 1


$[superelement seset definitions below]
$ SEI D. 1
SESET 1 33 34 37 38
SESET 1 45 THRU 50
SESET 1 57 THRU 62
SESET 1 69 THRU 74
SESET 1 81 THRU 86
SESET 1 93 THRU 98
$ SEI D. 2
SESET 2 39 40 43 44
SESET 2 51 THRU 56
SESET 2 63 THRU 68
SESET 2 75 THRU 80
SESET 2 87 THRU 92
SESET 2 99 THRU 104
$ SEI D. 3
SESET 3 29 30
$ SEI D. 4
SESET 4 31 32
$ SEI D. 5
SESET 5 9 THRU 12
SESET 5 21 22
$ SEI D. 6
SESET 6 15 THRU 18
SESET 6 25 26
$ SEI D. 7
SESET 7 1 THRU 8
SPCADD 2 1
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : gri d. ps
SPC1 1 123456 1 2
ENDDATA e4104518
Listing 10-29 Input File for Multi-Level List Superelement
The SEMAP for superelement tree shows that the superelements are attached in a multi-level tree.
*** USER WARNI NG MESSAGE 4183 ( SEP1A)

TABLE SETREE DI D NOT SPECI FY DOWNSTREAM CONNECTI ON FOR THE FOLL OWI NG SUPERELEMENTS.
USER I NFORMATI ON: A RESI DUAL- ONLY MODEL I S ASSUMED.
7
FL YSWATTER MODES MAY 15, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
LI ST ( SESET) , MULTI - LEVEL, AUTOQSET

CHAPTER 10 523

( SORTED BY SEI D)
I NDEX SUPERELEMENT PROCESS ORDER DOWNSTREAM SE SUPERELEMENT TYPE

I NDEX SUPERELEMENT PROCESS ORDER DOWNSTREAM SE SUPERELEMENT TYPE

1 1 3 5 0
2 2 4 6 0
3 3 5 0
4 4 6 0
5 5 0
6 6 0
7 7 0
**** TREE CONFIGURATION IS MULTILEVEL ****

I NDEX
-1- -2- -3-
1 5 3 1
7* 4* 2*


2 6 4 2
6* 3* 1*
3 7
5*
Listing 10-30 SETREE for Multi-Level List Superelement Modes Example
Note that in this case, the component modes are passed directly to the residual structure. The final
solution indicates that the solution matches the baseline solution.
In order to pass the component modes to the downstream superelement rather than the residual structure,
GRID points must be used to store the Q-Set dof. The goal of the next example is to demonstrate that
the same residual solution and subsequent data recovery are achieved for multi-level dynamic reduction
by combining all of the previous examples and using expanded Case Control. The process is described
as follows:
• The left leg of the superelement tree (SEID 1, 3, and 5, refer to Figure 10-13 ) will be performed
by passing the modal Q-Set dof from the upstream to the downstream superelement. In addition,
this side of the tree will perform a mixed-boundary Component Modes Synthesis by placing the
‘upper’ grids into the C-Set. In this manner, the component modes of SEID 5 can be compared
directly with a solution of the ‘left’ side fixed at grids 13 and 23.
• The right leg of the superelement tree (SEID 2, 4, and 6) will be processed with a fixed-boundary
solution. The component modes modes will also be passed to the downstream superelement.
For comparison purposes, an intermediate model is prepared as shown below (ref
/doc/seug/chapter10/flyswatter/baseline/seid135-fixedbase.bdf).

CHAPTER 10 525
Figure 10-16 Submodel for Fixed Boundary of Superelements 1, 3, 5
The solution for the Submodel is performed without superelements. The Eigensolution is as follows:
FL YSWATTER MODES, COLL ECTOR SUPERELEMENT 5 BREAKOUT MODEL MAY 15, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
BASELI NE MODES SUBCASE 1
1 1 3. 714080E+03 6. 094325E+01 9. 699420E+00 1. 000000E+00 3. 714080E+03
2 2 4. 080678E+03 6. 388018E+01 1. 016685E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 080678E+03
3 3 4. 793354E+04 2. 189373E+02 3. 484495E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 793354E+04
4 4 7. 292526E+04 2. 700468E+02 4. 297928E+01 1. 000000E+00 7. 292526E+04
5 5 3. 250839E+05 5. 701613E+02 9. 074398E+01 1. 000000E+00 3. 250839E+05
6 6 7. 722886E+05 8. 787995E+02 1. 398653E+02 1. 000000E+00 7. 722886E+05
7 7 2. 382625E+06 1. 543575E+03 2. 456676E+02 1. 000000E+00 2. 382625E+06
8 8 4. 861385E+06 2. 204855E+03 3. 509136E+02 1. 000000E+00 4. 861385E+06
9 9 1. 051328E+07 3. 242419E+03 5. 160469E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 051328E+07
10 10 1.500208E+07 3.873252E+03 6.164473E+02 1.000000E+00 1.500208E+07
Listing 10-31 Solution of Submodel for Fixed Boundary of Superelements 1, 3, 5


The full model for this example is as follows (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/flyswatter/seset/modes-multi-

seqset1.bdf)
SOL 103
CEND
LABEL = Li st ( SESET) , Mul t i - Level , SEQSET1
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = NO
par am, mhr ed, yes
SET 246=2, 4, 6
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Subcase f or FOR SEI D 1
SUPER = 1
METHOD = 1
SUBCASE 3
SUPER = 3
METHOD = 3

SUBCASE 5
SUPER = 5
METHOD = 5
SUBCASE 7
SUPER=7
METHOD=7
SPC = 2
SUBCASE 9
SUBTI TLE=Subcase f or FOR SEI D 2, 4, and 6
SUPER = 246
METHOD = 1
SUBCASE 10
SUBTI TLE = Subcase f or Resi dual
SUPER=0

CHAPTER 10 527
METHOD=1
BEGI N BULK
DTI,SETREE,1,1,3,3,5,5,0,
,2,4,4,6,6,0
$ define grids to store component modes of SE 1
$ allocate enough to store 10 modes + 6 Resvec
GRID,1001
GRID,1002
GRID,1003
$ place these grids as INTERIOR TO SE 3
seset,3,1001,thru,1003
$ define the grids as Q-Set dof for SE 1
seqset1,1,123456,1001,thru,1003
$ def i ne gr i ds t o st or e component modes of SE 3

$ al l ocat e enough t o st or e 15 modes + 6 Resvec
GRI D, 3001
GRI D, 3002
GRI D, 3003
GRI D, 3004
$ place these grids as INTERIOR TO SE 5
seset,5,3001,thru,3004
$ defi ne t he gri ds as Q- Set dof f or SE 1

seqset 1, 3, 123456, 3001, t hru, 3004
$ pl ace gri ds 35, 36 i nto C- Set
secset1, 3, 123456, 35, 36

GRI D, 5001
GRI D, 5002
GRI D, 5003
GRI D, 5004
GRI D, 5005
$ pl ace t hese gr i ds as I NTERI OR TO SE 0
seset , 0, 5001, t hru, 5005
seqset 1, 5, 123456, 5001, t hru, 5005
$ place grids 19, 20, 35, and 36 into C-Set
secset1,5,123456,19,20,35,36



GRI D, 2001
GRI D, 2002
GRI D, 2003
seset , 4, 2001, t hr u, 2003
seqset 1, 2, 123456, 2001, t hru, 2003

GRI D, 4001
GRI D, 4002
GRI D, 4003
seset , 6, 4001, t hr u, 4003
seqset 1, 4, 123456, 4001, t hru, 4003

GRI D, 6001
GRI D, 6002
GRI D, 6003
seset , 0, 6001, t hr u, 6003
seqset 1, 6, 123456, 6001, t hru, 6003
$ def i ne SPOI NTs t o st or e component modes of SE 7

SPOI NT, 7001, t hru, 7016
seqset1, 7, 0, 7001, t hru, 7016
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0
EI GRL 3 15 0
EI GRL 5 20 0
EI GRL 7 12 0
$ SEI D. 1
SESET 1 33 34 37 38

CHAPTER 10 529
SESET 1 45 THRU 50
SESET 1 57 THRU 62
SESET 1 69 THRU 74
SESET 1 81 THRU 86
SESET 1 93 THRU 98
$ SEI D. 2
SESET 2 39 40 43 44
SESET 2 51 THRU 56
SESET 2 63 THRU 68
SESET 2 75 THRU 80
SESET 2 87 THRU 92
SESET 2 99 THRU 104
$ SEI D. 3
SESET 3 29 30
$ SEI D. 4
SESET 4 31 32
$ SEI D. 5
SESET 5 9 THRU 12
SESET 5 21 22
$ SEI D. 6
SESET 6 15 THRU 18
SESET 6 25 26
$ SEI D. 7
SESET 7 1 THRU 8
ENDDATA
Listing 10-32 Input for List Superelement Example using Grids to Pass Component Modes to
the Downstream Superelement (instead of residual)
The SEMAP and SETREE have not changed from the previous example – refer to Listing 10-30. Since
the structure is symmetric, the solution of the mixed-boundary leg at Superelement 5 can be directly
compared to the Submodel shown in Figure 10-16, and for contrast, it can also be compared directly to
the fixed-boundary leg at Superelement 6. The effects on residual solution and final mode shapes can
also be compared to the baseline solution.
FL YSWATTER MODES MAY 15, 2011 MSC NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10 P

LI ST ( SESET) , MULTI - LEVEL, SEQSET1 SUBCASE 9
1 1 1. 928906E+05 4. 391931E+02 6. 989976E+01 1. 000000E+00 1. 928906E+05


2 2 2. 065030E+05 4. 544260E+02 7. 232414E+01 1. 000000E+00 2. 065030E+05

3 3 7. 289379E+05 8. 537786E+02 1. 358831E+02 1. 000000E+00 7. 289379E+05
4 4 4. 834193E+06 2. 198680E+03 3. 499308E+02 1. 000000E+00 4. 834193E+06
5 5 6. 997852E+06 2. 645345E+03 4. 210197E+02 1. 000000E+00 6. 997852E+06
6 6 7. 082520E+06 2. 661301E+03 4. 235591E+02 1. 000000E+00 7. 082520E+06
7 7 1. 486210E+07 3. 855140E+03 6. 135646E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 486210E+07
8 8 1. 508492E+07 3. 883931E+03 6. 181468E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 508492E+07
9 9 1. 759065E+07 4. 194122E+03 6. 675151E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 759065E+07
10 10 2. 454850E+07 4. 954645E+03 7. 885562E+02 1. 000000E+00 2. 454850E+07

1 1 3. 714080E+03 6. 094325E+01 9. 699420E+00 1. 000000E+00 3. 714080E+03
2 2 4. 080678E+03 6. 388018E+01 1. 016685E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 080678E+03
3 3 4. 793354E+04 2. 189373E+02 3. 484495E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 793354E+04
4 4 7. 292526E+04 2. 700468E+02 4. 297928E+01 1. 000000E+00 7. 292526E+04
5 5 3. 250839E+05 5. 701613E+02 9. 074398E+01 1. 000000E+00 3. 250839E+05
6 6 7. 722886E+05 8. 787995E+02 1. 398653E+02 1. 000000E+00 7. 722886E+05
7 7 2. 382625E+06 1. 543575E+03 2. 456676E+02 1. 000000E+00 2. 382625E+06
8 8 4. 861387E+06 2. 204855E+03 3. 509136E+02 1. 000000E+00 4. 861387E+06
9 9 1. 051441E+07 3. 242594E+03 5. 160748E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 051441E+07
10 10 1. 500237E+07 3. 873289E+03 6. 164531E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 500237E+07

1 1 5. 771180E+02 2. 402328E+01 3. 823424E+00 1. 000000E+00 5. 771180E+02
2 2 1. 053431E+03 3. 245661E+01 5. 165629E+00 1. 000000E+00 1. 053431E+03
3 3 1. 582892E+03 3. 978558E+01 6. 332071E+00 1. 000000E+00 1. 582892E+03
4 4 3. 441425E+03 5. 866366E+01 9. 336612E+00 1. 000000E+00 3. 441425E+03
5 5 1. 816831E+04 1. 347899E+02 2. 145247E+01 1. 000000E+00 1. 816831E+04
6 6 3. 090142E+04 1. 757880E+02 2. 797753E+01 1. 000000E+00 3. 090142E+04

CHAPTER 10 531
7 7 4. 377881E+04 2. 092339E+02 3. 330060E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 377881E+04

8 8 5. 775886E+04 2. 403307E+02 3. 824982E+01 1. 000000E+00 5. 775886E+04
9 9 5. 928398E+04 2. 434830E+02 3. 875153E+01 1. 000000E+00 5. 928398E+04
10 10 8. 165640E+04 2. 857558E+02 4. 547945E+01 1. 000000E+00 8. 165640E+04
Listing 10-33 Solution of List Superelement Example using Grids to Pass Component Modes
to the Downstream Superelement (instead of residual)
The superelement component modes solution of SEID 6 is drastically different than SEID 5. The reason
is that SEID 5 uses a mixed-boundary solution by placing the physical grids that are not at the boundary
with the residual into the C-Set. If SEID 6 had been exported as an external superelement and then
imported to a model without additional structure, and fixed at the grids that attach to the residual (i.e.
grids 14 and 24), then the solution would give the same results as SEID 5.
When the superelement component modes of SEID 5 are compared to the Submodel modes, it is clear
that the same modal solution is attained. Furthermore, comparison of the residual modes to the baseline
modes indicates a match.
It should also be noted that the solution sequence is based on the SUPERELMENT PROCESSING
ORDER shown in the SETREE rather than the SUBCASE number.
When the solution results are read into Patran and displayed, it is clear that the correct data recovery has
been performed as shown below (only mode 1 is shown).
Figure 10-17 Mode 1 of List Superelement Example using Grids to Pass Component Modes
to the Downstream Superelement (instead of residual)


PART Superelements
Patran provides a convenient form for defining the Superelement Tree for PART Superelements as shown
below.
Figure 10-18 Defining the SETREE for PART Superelements in Patran
The resulting file for the AUTOQSET option is (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/flyswatter/parts/modes-multi-

autoq.bdf)
SOL 103
CEND
LABEL = Par t Super el ement , Mul t i - Level Tree, AUTOQSET
ECHO = NONE
PARAM, AUTOQSET, YES
RESVEC = YES
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2

CHAPTER 10 533
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0
SETREE 3 1
SETREE 5 3
SETREE 4 2
SETREE 6 4
Patran; AUTOQSET Method
Note that any SETREE entries that use SEID 0 (the residual structure) as the downstream superelement
are not written since the default is to attach superelements to the residual. The solution for this model is
the same as the equivalent List Superelement model and produce the same answers as the baseline model.
Since the solution goes through the PART partitioning (SEP1X), the superelement processing order is
slightly different than the List Superelement processing order shown in Listing 10-30. Even so, the
solution is the same.

PART SUPERELEMENT, MULTI - LEVEL TREE, AUTOQSET

SUPERELEMENT SUPERELEMENT ORDER SUPERELEMENT TYPE LABE
------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- ---------------------
SUPERELEMENT DEFI NI TI ON TABLE ( SORTED BY PROCESS ORDER

SUPERELEMENT SUPERELEMENT ORDER SUPEREL EMENT TYPE LABE
------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- ---------------------




------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 3 5 0
2 4 6 0
3 5 0
4 6 0
5 0
6 0
7 0
PART SUPERELEMENT, MULTI - LEVEL TREE, AUTOQSET
( CONFIGURATION = MULTILEVEL NO. LEVELS = 3 NO. TIPS = 3 )

I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9-
1 5 3 1
2 6 4 2
3 7
The same model can be solved with SENQSET instead of AUTOQSET. As noted in Fixed-Boundary
Component Modes Synthesis, the input file must be manually modified to add the SENQSET entries.
The example file is (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/flyswatter/parts/modes-multi-senqset.bdf)
SOL 103
CEND
LABEL = Par t Super el ement , Mul t i - Level , SENQSET
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t

CHAPTER 10 535
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
$ senqset must be added manually.
senqset,1,16
senqset,2,16
senqset,3,16
senqset,4,16
senqset,5,16
senqset,6,16
senqset,7,16

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0
SETREE 3 1
SETREE 5 3
SETREE 4 2
SETREE 6 4
Patran; SENQSET Method
Again the results match the baseline solution. But both the AUTOQSET and SENQSET method pass
the component modes for each superelement directly to the residual. In order to pass the Q-Set to the
next downstream superelement, the SECONCT entry must be used. Using a similar solution as the List
Superelement solution above (Listing 10-32), the modes are passed down for the ‘left’ leg of the
superelement tree using SPOINTs. (ref /doc/seug/chapter10/flyswatter/parts/modes-multi-seconct.bdf)
SOL 103
CEND
LABEL = Par t Super el ement , Mul t i - Level , SECONCT
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
par am, mhr ed, yes
SET 246=2,4,6
SUBCASE 1



SUPER = 1
METHOD = 1
SUBCASE 3
SUPER = 3
METHOD = 3

SUBCASE 5
SUPER = 5
METHOD = 5
SUBCASE 7
SUPER=7
METHOD=7
SPC = 2
SUBCASE 9
SUBTI TLE=Subcase f or FOR SEI D 2, 4, and 6
SUPER = 246
METHOD = 1
SUBCASE 10
SUBTI TLE = Subcase f or Resi dual
SUPER=0
METHOD=1

BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0
SETREE 3 1
SETREE 5 3
SETREE 4 2
SETREE 6 4
$ SECONCT must be used to pass Q-Set component modes to a downstream SE
$ The default for boundary search of physical grids is SEBULK entry "AUTO"
$ only the modal dof need to be connected explicitly
SECONCT, 1, 3
, 1001, t hru, 1016, 31001, t hru, 31016

CHAPTER 10 537
SECONCT, 3, 5
, 3001, t hru, 3021, 53001, t hru, 53021
$ al l ow defaul t pr ocessi ng (i . e. send modal dof t o resi dual ) f or other SE
SENQSET, 2, 16
SENQSET, 4, 16
SENQSET, 5, 26
SENQSET, 6, 16
SENQSET, 7, 16

BEGI N SUPER = 1
$ define spoints to store component modes of SE 1
spoint,1001,thru,1016
qset1,0,1001,thru,1016

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 10 0

BEGI N SUPER = 2
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0

BEGI N SUPER = 3
$ define spoints to store component modes of SE 3
qset1,0,3001,thru,3021
$ define spoints to receive upstream component modes from SE 1

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 3 15 0

BEGI N SUPER = 4
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES


EIGRL 1 10 0

BEGI N SUPER = 5
$ define points to receive component modes from SE 3

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 5 20 0

BEGI N SUPER = 6
$ define spoints to receive upstream component modes from SE 4

PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 10 0

BEGI N SUPER = 7
PARAM POST -1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 7 10 0
ENDDATA
Listing 10-36 Input for PART Superelement Example using SPOINTS / SECONCT to Pass
Component Modes to the Downstream Superelement (instead of residual)
Because each Partitioned Bulk Data Section is treated separately, the same numbers could be re-used for
the SPOINTS in the downstream superelement that are used in the upstream superelement. In either case
the use of a SECONCT entry is required to attach the modes from an upstream to downstream
superelement, otherwise they are assigned to the residual. The upstream modes are attached to these
DOFs by the use of the SECONCT entry in the Main Bulk Data Section. However, in this example
different SPOINT IDs were used for clarity.
The selected output is:

PART SUPERELEMENT, MULTI - LEVEL, SECONCT SUBCASE 5

CHAPTER 10 539
1 1 3. 714080E+03 6. 094325E+01 9. 699420E+00 1. 000000E+00 3. 714080E+03
2 2 4. 080678E+03 6. 388018E+01 1. 016685E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 080678E+03
3 3 4. 793354E+04 2. 189373E+02 3. 484495E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 793354E+04
4 4 7. 292526E+04 2. 700468E+02 4. 297928E+01 1. 000000E+00 7. 292526E+04
5 5 3. 250839E+05 5. 701613E+02 9. 074398E+01 1. 000000E+00 3. 250839E+05
6 6 7. 722886E+05 8. 787995E+02 1. 398653E+02 1. 000000E+00 7. 722886E+05
7 7 2. 382625E+06 1. 543575E+03 2. 456676E+02 1. 000000E+00 2. 382625E+06
8 8 4. 861387E+06 2. 204855E+03 3. 509136E+02 1. 000000E+00 4. 861387E+06
9 9 1. 051441E+07 3. 242594E+03 5. 160748E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 051441E+07
10 10 1. 500237E+07 3. 873290E+03 6. 164532E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 500237E+07

1 1 4. 771979E+03 6. 907951E+01 1. 099435E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 771979E+03
2 2 4. 838306E+03 6. 955793E+01 1. 107049E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 838306E+03
3 3 8. 975424E+04 2. 995901E+02 4. 768125E+01 1. 000000E+00 8. 975424E+04
4 4 1. 469312E+05 3. 833160E+02 6. 100664E+01 1. 000000E+00 1. 469312E+05
5 5 1. 198461E+06 1. 094743E+03 1. 742337E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 198461E+06
6 6 6. 358247E+06 2. 521556E+03 4. 013181E+02 1. 000000E+00 6. 358247E+06
7 7 2. 954034E+07 5. 435103E+03 8. 650234E+02 1. 000000E+00 2. 954034E+07
8 8 3. 230597E+07 5. 683834E+03 9. 046102E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 230597E+07
9 9 3. 739612E+07 6. 115237E+03 9. 732701E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 739612E+07
10 10 7. 022938E+07 8. 380298E+03 1. 333766E+03 1. 000000E+00 7. 022938E+07

1 1 5. 771180E+02 2. 402328E+01 3. 823424E+00 1. 000000E+00 5. 771180E+02
2 2 1. 053431E+03 3. 245661E+01 5. 165629E+00 1. 000000E+00 1. 053431E+03
3 3 1. 582892E+03 3. 978558E+01 6. 332071E+00 1. 000000E+00 1. 582892E+03
4 4 3. 441425E+03 5. 866366E+01 9. 336612E+00 1. 000000E+00 3. 441425E+03


5 5 1. 816830E+04 1. 347899E+02 2. 145247E+01 1. 000000E+00 1. 816830E+04

6 6 3. 090139E+04 1. 757879E+02 2. 797752E+01 1. 000000E+00 3. 090139E+04
7 7 4. 377879E+04 2. 092338E+02 3. 330060E+01 1. 000000E+00 4. 377879E+04
8 8 5. 775877E+04 2. 403305E+02 3. 824979E+01 1. 000000E+00 5. 775877E+04
9 9 5. 928398E+04 2. 434830E+02 3. 875153E+01 1. 000000E+00 5. 928398E+04
10 10 8. 165628E+04 2. 857556E+02 4. 547942E+01 1. 000000E+00 8. 165628E+04
Listing 10-37 Solution for PART Superelement Example using SPOINTS / SECONCT to Pass
Component Modes to the Downstream Superelement (instead of residual)
As with the List Superelement solution in Listing 10-33, the PART superelement component modes
solution of SEID 6 is different than SEID 5. But, the PART component modes for SEID 6 do not match
the List Superelement component modes for SEID 6.
When the superelement component modes of SEID 5 are compared to the Submodel modes, it is clear
that the same modal solution is attained. Furthermore, comparison of the residual modes to the baseline
modes indicates a match.
It should also be noted that the solution sequence is based on the SUPERELMENT PROCESSING
ORDER shown in the SETREE rather than the SUBCASE number.
When the solution results are read into Patran and displayed, it is clear that the correct data recovery has
been performed.
Examination of the SEMAP indicates significant differences between the PART solution and the List
(SESET) Solution.
Isolating the SEMAP for SEID 5 between the two solutions; refer to Figure 10-12 for the geometry.
Table 10-3 Comparison of SEMAP for SEID 5 between List and PART Superelements
Superelement Type Exterior Grids Interior Grids
List (BEGIN BULK) 13, 19, 20, 23, 35, 36 9, 10, 11, 12, 21, 22
PART (BEGIN SUPER) 13, 23 9, 10, 11, 12, 19, 20 21, 22
This means that the exterior grids for both upstream superelements for the List superelements were
carried to Superelement 5 and attached to the residual as physical dof. This is why they needed to be
placed in the C-Set for the component modes of Superelement 5 to match the Subassembly results. In
contrast, the PART superelement processing only allows the grids to be exterior to one and only one
superelement.
1.

Chapter 11: Dynamic Loading on Superelements

11 Dynamic Loading on
Superelements
 Introduction
 Direct Reference to EXCITEID
 Indirect Reference to EXCITEDID: LOADSET / LSEQ Method
 Superelement Damping
 Modal Transient Illustrative Example
 Frequency Response Illustrative Example
 External Superelement Dynamic Loading


Introduction
Introduction
This chapter describes methods available in MSC.Nastran for applying dynamic loading to models with
superelements. This Chapter is not intended to be a comprehensive review of dynamic analysis and
dynamic response, but rather a review of how to use superelements in conjunction with dynamic loading
and response for models that incorporate superelements. For a full review of the dynamic capabilities in
MSC.Nastran, the reader is encouraged to refer to these sections in the MSC.Nastran Dynamic Analysis
Users Guide (Dyn. UG) and MSC.Nastran Reference Manual (Ref. Man.):
• Frequency Response Analysis (Ch. 4) in the MSC Nastran Dynamic Analysis User’s Guide
• Transient Response Analysis (Ch. 5) in the MSC Nastran Dynamic Analysis User’s Guide
• Damping (Ch. 6) in the 3MSC Nastran Dynamic Analysis User’s Guide
• Enforced Motion (Ch. 7) in the MSC Nastran Dynamic Analysis User’s Guide
• Formulation of Dynamic Equations in SubDMAP GMA (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran Reference
Manual
• Frequency Response and Random Analysis in SubDMAP FREQRS (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran
Reference Manual
• Transient Response in SubDMAPs SEDTRAN and SEMTRAN (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran
Reference Manual
Superelement analysis with random vibration is an extension of frequency response and is covered in
detail in CHAPTER 18 of this manual. Note that MSC.Nastran supports acoustics, nonlinear harmonic
response, rotor dynamics, and cyclic symmetry, but these topics are beyond the scope of this User Guide.
Typical dynamic input entries for transient and frequency response are shown in the tables below. Note
that these tables are not exhaustive lists, but they cover many dynamic analysis applications.

CHAPTER 11 543
Dynamic Loading o n Superelements
Table 11-1 Typical Dynamic Input for Transient Analysis

Dynamic Definition Examples Input Entries
Forces, Pressures, Inertia
FORCEi, PLOADi, GRAV,
Load Amplitude Loads, Temperatures, Base
RFORCE, TEMP, SPCD, etc.
Motion TLOADi
Time history tables, start
Temporal Scaling TABLEDi, DELAY
timing
Initial displacements, Initial
Initial Conditions IC TIC
velocities
Load Combinations Combine various loading DLOAD
Integration Time Interval, Time Time increment, output
TSTEP
Output Control interval
Viscous dampers PDAMPi, PBUSH
Structural PARAM,G + PARAM,W3
Material MATi (GE) + PARAM,W4
Damping Rayleigh PARAM, APLPHi
Hybrid Damping, general DAMPING, DAMPING

parameters SEDAMP PARAM,SESDAMP
Modal Schedule SDAMPING TABDMP1
Modal Extraction Frequency range of interest EIGRL


Introduction
Table 11-2 Typical Dynamic Input for Frequency Response Analysis

Forces, Pressures, Inertia FORCEi, PLOADi, GRAV,
Load Amplitude Loads, Temperatures, Base RFORCE, TEMP, SPCD,
Motion etc.
RLOADi
Frequency scaling tables –
Frequency Scaling TABLEDi
real/imag or mag/phase
Phasing Delays, Phasing DELAY, DPHASE
Frequency Output Control Frequency increment FREQi
Viscous dampers PDAMPi, PBUSH
Structural PARAM,G
Material MATi (GE)
Damping Rayleigh PARAM, APLPHi
Hybrid Damping, general DAMPING, DAMPING

parameters SEDAMP PARAM,SESDAMP
Modal Schedule SDAMPING TABDMP1
Modal Extraction Frequency range of interest EIGRL
For modal solutions, modal damping on a per-superelement basis can be defined using expanded case
control with PARAM,SESDAMP.
There are two methods for defining the dynamic load in MSC.Nastran:
• Direct Reference to TLOADi, RLOADi, or DLOAD
• Indirect Reference via the LOADSET / LSEQ Method
In either case, the DLOAD, TLOADi, and RLOADi entries define the dynamic loading.
DLOAD Dynamic Load Combination or Superposition
Defines a dynamic loading condition for frequency response or transient response problems as a linear
combination of load sets defined via RLOAD1 or RLOAD2 entries for frequency response or TLOAD1
or TLOAD2 entries for transient response. The overall load vector is defined by
P  = Scale  Scale i  P i (11-1)

i

CHAPTER 11 545
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
DLOAD SID Scale Scale1 LID1 Scale2 LID2 Scale3 LID3
Scale4 LID4 -etc.-
Example:
DLOAD 17 1.0 2.0 6 -2.0 7 2.0 8

-2.0 9 1.5 3
Field Contents
SID Load set identification number selected with DLOAD case control
Scale Overall Scale Factor
Scalei Individual Scale Factors applied to LIDi
LIDi Load set identification number of RLOAD1, RLOAD2, TLOAD1, or TLOAD2
entries
TLOAD1 Transient Response Dynamic Excitation, Form 1, Tabular Input
Defines a frequency dependent dynamic load in the form
 P  t   =  A   F  t –   (11-2)

for use in transient response or frequency response problems.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
TLOAD1 SID EXCITEID DELAYI/ TYPE TID US0 VS0
DELAYR
Example:
TLOAD1 5 7 15 LOAD 13


Introduction
Field Contents
SID Set identification number. (Integer > 0)
EXCITEID ID of the DAREA or SPCD or static load (LOAD, FORCE, GRAV, etc.) entry that
defines {A}
DELAYI ID of the DELAY entry that defines the time delay  (allows variable delay per dof)
DELAYR Real value of the time delay  (applies constant delay to all dof in EXCITEDID)
TYPE Defines TYPE of dynamic loading (load, displacement, velocity, or acceleration)
TID ID of TABLEDi that defines F  t 
US0 Scale factor for initial displacements for enforced motion analysis
VS0 Scale factor for initial velocities in enforced motion analysis
TLOAD2 Transient Response Dynamic Excitation, Form 2 – Analytical Function
Defines a time dependent dynamic load in the form
0 ,  t   T 1 +    or  t   T 2 +   
 P  f   =
˜
(11-3)
C t
 A  ˜t B e cos  2  F ˜t + P  ,   T 1 +    t   T 2 +   
for use in transient response problems, where ˜t = t – T 1 – 

Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
TLOAD1 SID EXCITEID DELAYI/ TYPE T1 T2 F P
DELAYR
C B US0 VS0
Example:
TLOAD1 4 10 5.0 2.1 4.7 12.0

2.0

CHAPTER 11 547
Field Contents
defines {A}
DELAYI ID of the DELAY entry that defines the time delay  (allows variable delay per dof)
T1, T2 Time constants (  T 1  0 T 2  T 1  )
F Frequency in cycles per unit time
P Phase angle in degrees
C Exponential coefficient
B Growth Coefficient
RLOAD1 Frequency Response Dynamic Excitation, Form 1

i – 2  f  
 P  f   =  A   C  f  + iD  f  e  (11-4)
for use in frequency response problems.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
RLOAD1 SID EXCITEID DELAYI/ DPHASEI/ TC TD TYPE
DELAYR DPHASER
Example:
RLOAD1 5 3 2.0 10 1


Introduction
Field Contents
defines {A}
DELAYI ID of the DELAY entry that defines the time delay 
DPHASEI ID of the DPHASE entry that defines the phase angle (allows variable phase per dof)
DPHASER Real value of the phase angle (applies constant phase for all dof in EXCITEDID)
TC ID of the TABLEDi entry that defines C  f 
TD ID of the TABLEDi entrie that defines D  f 
RLOAD2 Frequency Response Dynamic Excitation, Form 2

   f  +  – 2  f  
 P  f   =  A   B  f  e i (11-5)
for use in frequency response problems.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
RLOAD1 SID EXCITEID DELAYI/ DPHASEI/ TB TP TYPE
DELAYR DPHASER
Example:
RLOAD1 5 3 15 5.0 7
Field Contents
EXCITEID ID of the DAREA or SPCD entry that defines {A}
DELAYI ID of the DELAY entry that defines the time delay 
DELAYR Real value of the time delay (applies constant delay to all dof in EXCITEDID)

CHAPTER 11 549
Field Contents
DPHASEI ID of the DPHASE entry that defines the phase angle (allows variable phase per dof)
DPHASER Real value of the phase angle (applies constant phase for all dof in EXCITEDID)
TB ID of the TABLEDi entry that defines  f 
TP ID of the TABLEDi entrie that defines   f 
The TYPE of loading above can be an applied load, enforced displacement, enforced velocity, or
enforced displacement with the following format:
Table 11-3 TYP E of Dynamic Loading defined on RLOADi or TLOADi Entries

TYPE Dynamic Excitation
0, L, LO, LOA, or LOAD Applied Load (any static load such as FORCE,
MOMENT, PLOADi, GRAV, etc.)
1, D, DI, DIS, or DISP Enforced displacement using large mass method
or SPC/SPCD method
1, V, VE, VEL, or VELO Enforced velocity using large mass method or
SPC/SPCD method
1, A, AC, ACC, or ACCE Enforced acceleration using large mass method or
SPC/SPCD method


Direct Reference to EXCITEID

The dynamic loading in MSC.Nastran is defined for transient and frequency response by selecting a
dynamic load excitation set in the case control with the DLOAD case control entry. The setid on the
DLOAD case control selects the excitation setid defined on a DLOAD, TLOAD1, TLOAD2,
RLOAD1, or RLOAD2 bulk data entry shown above.
In the direct reference to TLOADi, RLOADi, the static load vectors are referenced directly by the
EXCITEID field on the TLOADi or RLOADi entries as illustrated in the figure below.
Figure 11-1 Direct Method of Relating Static Load Vector to EXCITEID Field on the RLOADi
/ TLOADi Entries
If the TYPE of loading is applied load (see Table 11-3), the EXCITEID on the RLOADi or TLOADi
entries may reference DAREA , static (FORCE, PLOADi, GRAV, etc.) or thermal (TEMP, TEMPP1,
TEMPRB) entries.
If the TYPE of loading is enforced motion, the EXCITEID must reference the SETID on SPCD entries.

CHAPTER 11 551
Examples for the case control and simple dynamic load definition for direct and modal frequency and
transient response are shown below.
SOL 108 $ Di r ect Fr equency Response

CEND
DI SP=ALL
SUBCASE 10801
DLOAD = 10801
FREQ = 10802
BEGI N BULK
$ Har moni c Load, Out put Fr equenci es, and Dampi ng PARAMs f or SOL 108/
$ Di r ect Fr equency Response
RLOAD1 10801 10803 10804
FREQ1 10802 500. 250. 10

FORCE 10803 105 0 100. 0. 0. 100.
TABLED1 10804
0. 0. 10. 1. 2000. 1. 3000. 0.
99999. 0. ENDT
PARAM G . 08
ENDDATA
Listing 11-1 Direct Method Example Dynamic Loading and Structural Damping for Direct
Frequency Response
SOL 109 $ Di r ect Tr ansi ent Response

CEND
DI SPL=ALL
SUBCASE 10901 $ Di r ect Transi ent Response
DLOAD = 10901
TSTEP = 10902
BEGI N BULK
$ Tr ansi ent Load, Ti me St ep f or SOL 109/ Di r ect Tr ansi ent Response

TLOAD1 10901 10903 0 10904
TSTEP 10902 19 . 01 1
FORCE 10903 105 100. 0. 0. 100.
TABLED1 10904
0. 0. . 05 0. . 08 1. . 14 - 1.
. 17 0. 99999. 0. ENDT
PARAM W3 1000.


PARAM G . 08
ENDDATA
Listing 11-2 Direct Method Example Dynamic Loading and Structural Damping for Direct
Transient Response
SOL 111 $ Modal Fr equency Response

CEND
DI SPL=ALL
SUBCASE 11101 $ Modal Fr equency Response
METHOD = 11101
SDAMP = 11102
DLOAD = 11103
FREQ = 11104
BEGI N BULK
$ Modal Fr equency Response
EI GRL 11101 -.1 2000. 10
TABDMP1 11102 CRI T
0. . 06 99999. 0. 6 ENDT
RLOAD1 11103 11105 11106
FREQ1 11104 500. 250. 10

FORCE 11105 105 100. 0. 0. 100.
TABLED1 11106
0. 0. 10. 1. 2000. 1. 3000. 0.
99999. 0. ENDT
ENDDATA
Listing 11-3 Direct Method Example Dynamic Loading and Modal Damping for Modal
Frequency Response
SOL 112 $ Modal Tr ansi ent Response

CEND
DI SPL=ALL
SUBCASE 11201 $ Modal Tr ansi ent Response
METHOD = 11201
SDAMP = 11202
DLOAD = 11203
TSTEP = 11204
BEGI N BULK

CHAPTER 11 553
$ Transi ent Load, Ti me Step f or SOL 112/ Modal Transi ent Response
EI GRL 11201 -.1 2000. 10
TABDMP1 11202 CRI T
0. . 06 99999. 0. 6 ENDT
TLOAD1 11203 11205 0 11206
TSTEP 11204 19 . 01 1
FORCE 11205 105 100. 0. 0. 1.
TABLED1 11206
0. 0. . 05 0. . 08 1. . 14 - 1.
. 17 0. 99999. 0. ENDT
ENDDATA
Listing 11-4 Direct Method Example Dynamic Loading and Modal Damping for Modal
Transient Response


Indirect Reference to EXCITEDID: LOADSET / LSEQ Method
Indirect Reference to EXCITEDID: LOADSET / LSEQ

Method
As with the Direct Reference Method, the dynamic loading in MSC.Nastran is defined for transient and
frequency response by selecting a dynamic load excitation set in the case control with the DLOAD case
control entry. The setid on the DLOAD case control selects the excitation setid defined on a DLOAD,
TLOAD1, TLOAD2, RLOAD1, or RLOAD2 bulk data entries shown above. However, in the Indirect
Method, the static load vectors are referenced indirectly by defining an LSEQ entry and adding the
LOADSET case control command.
LSEQ Static Load Set Definition
Defines a sequence of static or thermal load sets.

Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
LSEQ LSID EXCITE LID TID
ID
Example:
LSEQ 99 105 1 55
Field Contents
LSID Load Sequence Identification number (referenced by LOADSET case
control entry in dynamic analysis)
EXCITEID The EXCITEID set identification number of the static load vector – Links to
EXCITEID on RLOADi or TLOADi entries
LID Load set identification number of a set of static load entries
TID Temperature set identification number of a set of thermal load entries
The Indirect Method is illustrated in the figure below.

CHAPTER 11 555
Figure 11-2 Indirect Method (LOADSET/LSEQ) of Relating Static Load Vectors to

EXCITEID Field on the RLOADi / TLOADi Entries
For multiple loadings, as many LSEQ entries as necessary may be specified.

If the TYPE of loading is applied load (see Table 11-3) , the EXCITEID on the RLOADi or TLOADi
entries are linked to the EXCITEID on the LSEQ entry. The LSEQ entry, in turn, may reference
DAREA, static (FORCE, PLOADi, GRAV, etc.) or thermal (TEMP, TEMPP1, TEMPRB) entries.
The LOADSET entry is used to activate the Load Sequence ID (LSID) on the LSEQ entry.
If the TYPE of loading is enforced motion, the EXCITEID is linked to the EXCITEID on the LSEQ
entry. In turn, the LSEQ entry must reference the SETID on SPCD entries. The LOADSET entry is
used to activate the LSID on the LSEQ entry.


Examples for the case control and simple dynamic load definition for direct and modal frequency and
transient response are shown below.
SOL 108 $ Di r ect Fr equency Response

CEND
$
$
LOADSET = 999
DI SPL=ALL
SUBCASE 10801 $ Di r ect Fr equency Response w/ Random
DLOAD = 10801
FREQ = 10802
BEGI N BULK
$ Di r ect Fr equency Response
FORCE 888 105 100. 0. 0. 1.
LSEQ 999 10803 888
RLOAD1 10801 10803 10804
FREQ1 10802 500. 250. 10

TABLED1 10804
0. 0. 10. 1. 2000. 1. 3000. 0.
99999. 0. ENDT
PARAM W3 1000.
PARAM G . 08
ENDDATA
Listing 11-5 Indirect Method (LOADSET/LSEQ) Example Dynamic Loading and Structural
Damping for Direct Frequency Response
SOL 109 $ Di r ect Tr ansi ent Response

CEND
LOADSET = 999
DI SPL=ALL
SUBCASE 10901 $ Di r ect Transi ent Response
DLOAD = 10901
TSTEP = 10902
BEGI N BULK
$ Tr ansi ent Load, Ti me St ep f or SOL 109/ Di r ect Tr ansi ent Response
FORCE 888 105 100. 0. 0. 1.
LSEQ 999 10903 888
TLOAD1 10901 10903 0 10904
TSTEP 10902 19 . 01 1

CHAPTER 11 557
TABLED1 10904
0. 0. . 05 0. . 08 1. . 14 - 1.
. 17 0. 99999. 0. ENDT
PARAM W3 1000.
PARAM G . 08
ENDDATA
Listing 11-6 Indirect Method (LOADSET/LSEQ) Example Dynamic Loading and Structural
Damping for Direct Transient Response
SOL 111 $ Modal Fr equency Response

CEND
LOADSET=999
DI SPL=ALL
SUBCASE 11101 $ Modal Fr equency Response
METHOD = 11101
SDAMP = 11102
DLOAD = 11103
FREQ = 11104
BEGI N BULK
$ Modal Fr equency Response
FORCE 888 105 100. 0. 0. 1.
LSEQ 999 11105 888
EI GRL 11101 -.1 2000. 10

TABDMP1 11102 CRI T
0. . 06 99999. 0. 6 ENDT
RLOAD1 11103 11105 11106
FREQ1 11104 500. 250. 10

TABLED1 11106
0. 0. 10. 1. 2000. 1. 3000. 0.
99999. 0. ENDT
ENDDATA
Listing 11-7 Indirect Method (LOADSET/LSEQ) Example Dynamic Loading and Modal
Damping for Modal Frequency Response
SOL 112 $ Modal Tr ansi ent Response

CEND
LOADSET=999
DI SPL=ALL
SUBCASE 11201 $ Modal Tr ansi ent Response
METHOD = 11201


SDAMP = 11202
DLOAD = 11203
TSTEP = 11204
BEGI N BULK
$ Transi ent Load, Ti me Step f or SOL 112/ Modal Transi ent Response
FORCE 888 105 100. 0. 0. 1.
LSEQ 999 11205 888
EI GRL 11201 -.1 2000. 10

TABDMP1 11202 CRI T
0. . 06 99999. 0. 6 ENDT
TLOAD1 11203 11205 0 11206
TSTEP 11204 19 . 01 1
TABLED1 11206
0. 0. . 05 0. . 08 1. . 14 - 1.
. 17 0. 99999. 0. ENDT
ENDDATA
Listing 11-8 Indirect Method (LOADSET/LSEQ) Example Dynamic Loading and Modal
Damping for Modal Transient Response

CHAPTER 11 559
Superelement Damping
By default modal damping for the modal solutions is only applied to the residual structure modes. In
order to specify modal damping for a superelement PARAM,SESDAMP,YES must be specified along
with the appropriate SDAMP/TABDMP1 and SEDAMP/DAMPING entries. Expanded case control can
be used to apply different modal damping to each superelement. Refer to Expanded Case Control (Ch. 4)
for more details on expanded case control.
Note that damping is additive; that is, modal damping is applied to the upstream mode, and additional
modal damping will be applied to system (residual) modes. Applying modal damping to an upstream
superelement may lead to an over-damped component.


Modal Transient Illustrative Example

Patran supports the pre- and post-processing of dynamic results with Superelements. For this example,
the cantilever plate introduced in Simple Example using Cantilever Plate (Ch. 2), will be used to
demonstrate the use of Patran to generate and post-process a modal transient solution. The grid ids,
element ids, and superelement partitioning are shown in the figure below.
Figure 11-3 Cantilever Plate Model used for Dynamic Examples
The user is urged to review the superelement definition process outlined in detail in Demonstration of
Defining Interior Points in Patran (Ch. 2) since this chapter assumes the user is familiar with defining
superelements in Patran and will only focus on the procedures necessary for using superelements in
dynamic analysis.
Non-Superelement Solution
The procedure for generating a modal transient input file for a superelement model is very similar to the
procedure for generating a modal transient input file for a non-superelement model. The required forms,
resulting MSC.Nastran input file, and output are detailed in this section. The superelement solutions are
shown in subsequent sections.
First, the user must define a time dependent load case in the Loads/BCs tab as shown in the figure below.

CHAPTER 11 561
Figure 11-4 Creating a Transient Load Case in Patran
For this example, two dynamic loads are specified; one time varying point load for superelement 10 (grid
211) and one for superelement 0 (grid 105) :
• A sinusoidal input at grid 211 tuned to the first bending mode
• A sinusoidal input at grid 105 tuned to the second bending mode
The loading history is shown in the figure below. For the user’s convenience, an excel spreadsheet of
the input loadings is included at /doc/seug/chapter11/transient-response/baseline/time.xlsx. In this
spreadsheet, the input values for a TLOAD2 entry are converted to tabular input. The tabular input is
then saved to CSV files for convenient input to Patran (ref: files /doc/seug/chapter11/transient-
response/baseline/time105.csv and time211.csv)


Figure 11-5 Time History Loading for Grids 211 and 105
Patran provides a convenient method of importing CSV files to a time dependent field. In the Loads/BCs
tab, the user can use the “Create Non-Spatial” field icon to bring up the Fields form where the field name
is entered and the CSV file can be imported as shown below.
Figure 11-6 Importing a Time-Dependent CSV File to a Patran Field

CHAPTER 11 563
Next, the load is applied to the appropriate grids. This is similar to the process of defining a point load
in statics except that the time-dependent field must be specified.
Note: for a time-dependent load case, the input data form is double-wide as shown below. The
form will initially appear as a single-wide form with a slidebar on the bottom, but the user
may manually resize the form to show the additional input depicted below.
Figure 11-7 Defining a Time-Dependent Point Load in Patran
The time-dependent load definition procedure outlined above is applicable to Direct or Modal Transient
Response for non-superelement, list (SESET) superelement, and PART superelement models.
To define a modal transient solution, open the Analysis tab and select Solution Type… as shown below:


Figure 11-8 Accessing the Solution Type Form in Patran
To define a modal transient response, the Solution Type form is set as shown below.

CHAPTER 11 565
Figure 11-9 Defining a Modal Transient Solution Type in Patran
Next, the integration time step is defined in the appropriate Subcase Parameters forms shown below.
This will generate the TSTEP entries in the MSC.Nastran input file.


Figure 11-10 Defining Integration Time Step in Patran
In this example, the modal damping is defined as 2% Critical damping over the frequency range. The
appropriate forms are shown below. This will generate TABDMP1 entries in the MSC.Nastran input file.

CHAPTER 11 567
Figure 11-11 Defining Modal Damping in Patran
The user can define the desired output in the Output Requests form:


Figure 11-12 Defining Modal Transient Output Requests in Patran
The appropriate subcase must be selected for the solution:
Figure 11-13 Selecting the Appropriate Subcase for Modal Transient Analysis

CHAPTER 11 569
Patran will generate an input file (.bdf) using the indirect LOADSET/LSEQ method described in Indirect
Reference to EXCITEDID: LOADSET / LSEQ Method. The input file is detailed below (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter11/transient-response/baseline/modal-transient.bdf)
SOL 112
CEND
TI TLE = Cant i l ever Beam Modal Tr ansi ent Sol ut i on
LABEL = Basel i ne, No Superel ements
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPING = 1
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modal - Tr ansi ent
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
DI SPLACEMENT( PLOT, SORT2, REAL) =ALL

VELOCI TY( PLOT, SORT2, REAL) =ALL
ACCELERATI ON( PLOT, SORT2, REAL) =ALL
OLOAD( PLOT, SORT2, REAL) =ALL
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EIGRL 1 10 0
PSHELL 1 1 .1 1 1. . 833333
$ Loads f or Load Case : Modal - Transi ent

SPCADD 2 1
TLOAD1 5 6 1
LSEQ 1 6 3
TLOAD1 7 8 2
LSEQ 1 8 4
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 5 1. 7


SPC1 1 123456 101 201

$ Nodal Forces of Load Set : f 211
FORCE 4 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$ Ref er enced Dynami c Load Tabl es
$ Dynami c Load Tabl e : t i me211
TABLED1 2
0. 0. 2. - 4 0. 4. - 4 0. 6. - 4 0.
. 0312 0. . 0314 0. . 0316 - . 025 . 0318 - . 0649

. 032 - . 105 . 0322 - . 144 . 0324 - . 184 . 0326 - . 223
. 0328 - . 261 . 033 -.3 . 0332 - . 338 . 0334 - . 375
. 0336 - . 412 . 0338 - . 448 . 034 - . 483 . 0342 - . 518
. 1992 0. . 1994 0. . 1996 0. . 1998 0.

.2 0. ENDT
TABLED1 1
0. 0. 2. - 4 0. 4. - 4 0. 6. - 4 0.
. 0304 0. . 0306 - . 195 . 0308 - . 429 . 031 - . 637

. 0312 - . 807 . 0314 - . 927 . 0316 - . 991 . 0318 - . 994
. 032 - . 936 . 0322 - . 822 . 0324 - . 657 . 0326 - . 452
. 0328 - . 219 . 033 . 0264 . 0332 . 271 . 0334 . 498
. 1992 0. . 1994 0. . 1996 0. . 1998 0.

.2 0. ENDT
ENDDATA 987c7626
Listing 11-9 Non-Superelement Modal Transient Input File
After running MSC.Nastran, the .xdb file can be attached to Patran for post-processing. In addition to
animations and fringe plots, dynamic results are often graphed vs. time. A convenient method of
selecting multiple results (in this case 5000 time steps) is accomplished by using the filtering option as
shown below.

CHAPTER 11 571
Figure 11-14 Using Filter Option to Select Multiple Results Time Steps
To view the applied load history for grids 105 and 211, the Applied Loads, Translational is selected.
Next, the “Target Entities” is used to select the desired nodes.


Figure 11-15 Selecting Nodes for Graphing Results
Figure 11-16 Applied Load Time History for Grids 105 and 211 (t=0.0 to 0.2 seconds)
Note that the applied load matches the expected applied loads shown in Figure 11-5.
The following figures show results for displacements and accelerations of grids 105 and 211 (the load
application points).

CHAPTER 11 573
Figure 11-17 Displacement Time History for Grids 105 and 211 (time =0-1.0 seconds)
Figure 11-18 Displacement Time History for Grids 105 and 211 (time =0-0.2 seconds)


Figure 11-19 Acceleration Time History for Grids 105 and 211 (time =0-0.2 seconds)
List Superelement L OADSET / LSEQ Referenc e to EXCITEDID

To define a List (SESET) Superelement model for modal transient response analysis, the SESET entries
and component modes (Q-set dof) for each superelement must be defined. Component modes can be
defined so that the Q-Set dof are automatically generatated (AUTOQSET) or manually defined
(SPOINT/SEQSET1). The following sections show the input for these two methods.
Compon ent modes wi th AUTOQSET

To define a List (SESET) Superelement model, the SESET entries and QSET dof must be defined. This
is easily accomplished in Patran by using the Select Superelements form as shown below:

CHAPTER 11 575
Figure 11-20 Defining List Superelements and AUTOQSET for Modal Transient Solution
The resulting input file only differs from the baseline model by adding the PARAM,AUTOQSET and
SESET entries which are highlighted below (ref: /doc/seug/chapter11/transient-response/seset/modal-
transient-lseq-autoq.bdf)
SOL 112
CEND
LABEL = SESET Sol uti on
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2


DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0
$ Tip.10
$ Base.20
SESET 20 101 102 103 201 202 203

SPCADD 2 1
TLOAD1 5 6 105
LSEQ 1 6 3
TLOAD1 7 8 211
LSEQ 1 8 4
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 5 1. 7
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
FORCE 4 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
i ncl ude ' t i me211. dat '
ENDDATA
Listing 11-10 List (SESET) Superelement Modal Transient Input File with AUTOQSET and
LOADSET / LSEQ

CHAPTER 11 577
Component modes with SPOINT/SEQSET1

The component modes could be passed to the residual using manual definition of SPOINT/SEQSET1
entries. The proper input file for this method is as follows (ref: /doc/seug/chapter11/transient-
response/seset/modal-transient-lseq-seqset.bdf)
SOL 112
CEND
LABEL = SESET Sol ut i on, LOADSET/ LSEQ, SEQSET
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
SEQSET1,10,0,1001,thru,1016
SEQSET1,20,0,2001,thru,2016
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0
$ Ti p. 10
$ Base. 20
SESET 20 101 102 103 201 202 203
SPCADD 2 1


TLOAD1 5 6 1
LSEQ 1 6 3
Listing 11-11 List (SESET) Superelement Modal Transient Input File with SEQSET1 and
LOADSET / LSEQ
The results are the same as the baseline model.
List Superelement Direct Reference to EXCITEDID

List superelements also support the direct reference method described in Direct Reference to EXCITEID.
In this case, the EXCITEDID on the TLOAD1 entry points directly to the load identification number on
a static load entry (FORCE, PLOAD4, GRAV, etc.) or enforced motion entry (SPCD). The examples
in the previous section are modified for the direct reference method as listed below.

The component modes for each LIST Superelement can be passed to the residual structure automatically
by specifying PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES. The proper input file for this method is as follows
SOL 112
CEND
LABEL = SESET Sol uti on, Di r ect Ref erence, AUTOQSET
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4

CHAPTER 11 579
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0
$ Ti p. 10
$ Base. 20
SESET 20 101 102 103 201 202 203
SPCADD 2 1
TLOAD1 5 3 105
TLOAD1 7 4 211
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 5 1. 7
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
FORCE 4 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
ENDDATA
Direct Reference to EXCITEDID

If SEQSET1 entries are specified instead of PARAM,AUTOQSET (ref : /doc/seug/chapter11/transient-
response/seset/modal-transient-dir-autoq.bdf):
SOL 112
CEND
LABEL = SESET Sol uti on, Di r ect Refer ence, SEQSET
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1


SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
SEQSET1,10,0,1001,thru,1016
SEQSET1,20,0,2001,thru,2016
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0
$ Ti p. 10
$ Base. 20
SESET 20 101 102 103 201 202 203
SPCADD 2 1
TLOAD1 5 3 105
TLOAD1 7 4 211
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 5 1. 7
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
FORCE 4 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
ENDDATA

CHAPTER 11 581
Direct Reference to EXCITEDID
Once again, the results are the same as the baseline model.
PART Superelement LOADSET / LSEQ Reference to

EXCITEDID
For PART Superelements the transient load definition, integration time steps, and modal damping
(TLOADi , TABLEDi, TSTEP, and TABDMP1) entries must be defined in the main bulk data section.
Patran does not support these rules for PART superelements, so the user must manually modify the input
file.
In modal transient response analysis, the component modes (Q-set dof) for each superelement must be
defined and passed to the downstream superelement. Component modes can be defined so that the Q-
Set dof are automatically generated and attached (AUTOQSET ), semi-automatically generated and
attached (SENQSET) or manually defined and attached (SPOINT/QSET1 + SECONCT). The
following sections show the input for these three methods to define the component mode dof.
Compon ent mod es with A UTOQSET

The component modes for each PART Superelement can be passed to the residual structure automatically
by specifying PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES. The proper input file for this example is as follows (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter11/transient-response/parts/modal-transient-lseq-autoq.bdf)
SOL 112
CEND
LABEL = PART SE Sol ut i on, LOADSET/ LSEQ, AUTOQSET
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK



PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

$ superelement 0 loads
TLOAD1 6 7 105
LSEQ 1 7 3
$ super el ement 10 l oads

TLOAD1 10 11 211
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$ Referenced Dynamic Load Tables
$ Const ant Load Tabl e : t i me105

$
$
BEGIN SUPER = 10

PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0
LSEQ 1 11 5
FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
BEGIN SUPER = 20

PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0

SPCADD 2 1

CHAPTER 11 583
$ need to specify dummy LSEQ entry for each subcase,
$ i.e. fill a zero load column for this superelement
LSEQ 1 14 6
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
ENDDATA
Listing 11-14 PART Superelement Modal Transient Input File with AUTOQSET and
LOADSET / LSEQ
Component modes with SPOINT/QSET1

The component modes could be passed to the residual using manual definition of SPOINT/QSET1
entries in the PART Superelement bulk data sections and SECONCT entries in the main bulk data
section. The proper input file for this example is as follows (ref: /doc/seug/chapter11/transient-
response/parts/modal-transient-lseq-qset.bdf)
SOL 112
CEND
LABEL = PART SE Sol ut i on, LOADSET/ LSEQ, QSET1
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
SECONCT 10 0
1001 THRU 1016 11001 THRU 11016
SECONCT 20 0
2001 THRU 2016 12001 THRU 12016


PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

TLOAD1 6 7 105
LSEQ 1 7 3
TLOAD1 10 11 211
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
$
BEGIN SUPER = 10

QSET1,0,1001,thru,1016
PARAM POST 0
LSEQ 1 11 5
FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
BEGI N SUPER = 20
SPOI NT, 2001, t hru, 2016
QSET1, 0, 2001, t hru, 2016
PARAM POST 0

SPCADD 2 1

CHAPTER 11 585
$ need dummy LSEQ ent r y f or subcas e,

$ i . e. f i l l a zero l oad col umn for t hi s superel ement
LSEQ 1 14 6
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
ENDDATA
Listing 11-15 PART Superelement Modal Transient Input File with QSET1 and LOADSET /
LSEQ
Compon ent mod es with SENQSET

The component modes could be passed to the residual using semi-automatic definition of SENQSET
entries in the main bulk data section. The proper input file for this method is as follows (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter11/transient-response/parts/modal-transient-lseq-senqset.bdf):
SOL 112
CEND
LABEL = PART SE Sol ut i on, LOADSET/ LSEQ, SENQSET
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
senqset,10,16
senqset,20,16
PARAM POST 0

TLOAD1 6 7 105


LSEQ 1 7 3
TLOAD1 10 11 211
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
$
BEGIN SUPER = 10

PARAM POST 0
LSEQ 1 11 5
FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
BEGIN SUPER = 20

PARAM POST 0

SPCADD 2 1
LSEQ 1 14 6
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
ENDDATA
Listing 11-16 PART Superelement Modal Transient Input File with SENQSET and LOADSET
/ LSEQ
Once again, the results match the baseline.

CHAPTER 11 587
PART Superelement Direct Reference to EXCITEDID

PART superelements also support the direct reference method described in Direct Reference to
EXCITEID. In this case, the EXCITEDID on the TLOAD1 entry points directly to the load
identification number on a static load entry (FORCE, PLOAD4, GRAV, etc.) or enforced motion entry
(SPCD). The examples in the previous section are modified for the direct reference method as listed
below.

/doc/seug/chapter11/transient-response/parts/modal-transient-dir-autoq.bdf)
SOL 112
CEND
LABEL = PART SE Sol ut i on, Di r ect Ref er ence, AUTOQSET
ECHO = NONE
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

TLOAD1 6 3 105


TLOAD1 10 5 211
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
$
BEGI N SUPER = 10
PARAM POST 0

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
BEGIN SUPER = 20

PARAM POST 0

SPCADD 2 1
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
ENDDATA
Listing 11-17 PART Superelement Modal Transient Input File with AUTOQET and Direct
Reference to EXCITEDID
Compon ent modes with SPOINT/QSET1


CHAPTER 11 589
section. The proper input file for this example is as follows (ref: /doc/seug/chapter11/transient-
response/parts/modal-transient-dir-qset.bdf)
SOL 112
CEND
LABEL = PART SE Sol uti on, Di r ect Refer ence, QSET1
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
SECONCT 10 0
1001 THRU 1016 11001 THRU 11016
SECONCT 20 0
2001 THRU 2016 12001 THRU 12016
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

TLOAD1 6 3 105
TLOAD1 10 5 211
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.



$
$
BEGIN SUPER = 10

QSET1,0,1001,thru,1016
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
BEGIN SUPER = 20

QSET1,0,2001,thru,2016
PARAM POST 0

SPCADD 2 1
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
ENDDATA
Listing 11-18 PART Superelement Modal Transient Input File with QSET1 and Direct

CHAPTER 11 591

/doc/seug/chapter11/transient-response/parts/modal-transient-dir-senqset.bdf):
SOL 112
CEND
LABEL = PART SE Sol uti on, Di r ect Ref erence, SENQSET
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
senqset,10,16
senqset,20,16
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

TLOAD1 6 3 105
TLOAD1 10 5 211
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.



$
$
BEGIN SUPER = 10

PARAM POST 0

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
BEGIN SUPER = 20

PARAM POST 0

SPCADD 2 1
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
ENDDATA 621e13d3
Listing 11-19 PART Superelement Modal Transient Input File with SENQSET and Direct

CHAPTER 11 593
Frequency Response Illustrative Example
Non-Superelement Solution
The procedure for generating a modal frequency response input file for a superelement model is very
similar to the procedure for generating a modal frequency response input file for a non-superelement
model. The required forms, resulting MSC.Nastran input file, and output are detailed in this section. The
superelement solutions are shown in subsequent sections.
First, the user must define a frequency dependent load case in the Loads/BCs tab as shown in the figure
below.
Figure 11-21 Creating a Frequency Response Load Case in Patran
For this example, a constant amplitude sine sweep from 0 to 2000 Hz will be applied as a force to two
locations: one point load for superelement 10 (grid 211) and one for superelement 0 (grid 105).
Patran provides a convenient method of defining the frequency-dependent loads. In the Loads/BCs tab,
the user can use the “Create Non-Spatial” field icon to bring up the Fields form where the field name is
entered and the data can be defined as shown.


Figure 11-22 Defining a Frequency Dependent Load with a Patran Field
Next, the load is applied to the appropriate grids. This is similar to the process of defining a point load
in statics except that the frequency-dependent field must be specified. NOTE: for a frequency-dependent
load case, the input data form is double-wide as shown below. The form will initially appear as a single-
wide form with a slidebar on the bottom, but the user may manually resize the form to show the additional
input depicted below.

CHAPTER 11 595
Figure 11-23 Defining a Frequency-Dependent Point Load in Patran
The frequency-dependent load definition procedure outlined above is applicable to Direct or Modal
Frequency Response for non-superelement, list (SESET) superelement, and PART superelement models.
To define a modal frequency response solution, open the Analysis tab and select Solution Type… as
shown below:


Figure 11-24 Accessing the Solution Type Form in Patran
To define a modal frequency response solution, the Solution Type form is set as shown below.

CHAPTER 11 597
Figure 11-25 Defining a Modal Transient Solution Type in Patran
Next, the frequency output intervals are defined in the appropriate Subcase Parameters forms shown
below. The forms as shown below will generate the FREQ2 and FREQ4 entries in the MSC.Nastran
input file for a solution frequency range from 10 to 1000Hz. For more details on strategies for specifying
frequency output request intervals refer to the Solution F requencies (Ch. 4) in the MSC Nastran Dynamic
Analysis User’s Guide.


Figure 11-26 Defining Frequency Output Intervals in Patran

CHAPTER 11 599
The user can define the desired output in the Output Requests form:


Figure 11-28 Defining Modal Frequency Response Output Requests in Patran
The appropriate subcase must be selected for the solution:

CHAPTER 11 601
Figure 11-29 Selecting the Appropriate Subcase for Modal Frequency Response Analysis
Reference to EXCITEDID: LOADSET / LSEQ Method. The input file is detailed below (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter11/frequency-response/baseline/freq-resp.bdf)
SOL 111
CEND
TI TLE = Cant i l ever Pl at e Modal Fr equency Response Sol ut i on
LABEL = Basel i ne, no superel ement s
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modal - Fr equency
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2


DI SPLACEMENT( PLOT, SORT1, PHASE) =ALL

STRESS( PLOT, SORT1, REAL, VONMI SES, BI LI N) =ALL
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
$[output f r equency r equest s]
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
$[ modal dampi ng schedul e]
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0
$ Loads f or Load Case : Modal - Fr equency

SPCADD 2 1
RLOAD1 5 6 1
LSEQ 1 6 3
RLOAD1 7 8 1
LSEQ 1 8 4
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 5 1. 7
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 4 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$ Dynami c Load Tabl e : si ne- sweep
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
$
$
ENDDATA
Listing 11-20 Non-Superelement Modal Frequency Response Input File
After running MSC.Nastran, the .xdb file can be attached to Patran for post-processing. In addition to
animations and fringe plots, dynamic results are often graphed vs. time. A convenient method of

CHAPTER 11 603
selecting multiple results (in this case 78 output frequencies), is by using a filtering option as shown
below.
Figure 11-30 Using Filter Option to Select Multiple Results Frequencies
To view the acceleration output for grids 105 and 211, the Accelerations, Translational is selected. Next,
the “Target Entities” is used to select the desired nodes.


Figure 11-31 Selecting Nodes for Graphing Results
The displacement and acceleration responses for grids 105 and 211 are shown below

CHAPTER 11 605
Figure 11-32 Acceleration Frequency Response for Grids 105 and 211 (10-100 Hz)
Figure 11-33 Displacement Frequency Response for Grids 105 and 211 (10-100 Hz)


List Superelement L OADSET / LSEQ Referenc e to EXCITEDID

To define a List (SESET) Superelement model for modal frequency response analysis, the SESET entries
and component modes (Q-set dof) for each superelement must be defined. Component modes can be
defined so that the Q-Set dof are automatically generatated (AUTOQSET ) or manually defined
(SPOINT/SEQSET1). The following sections show the input for these two methods.

This is easily accomplished in Patran by using the Select Superelements form as shown below:
Figure 11-34 Defining List Superelements and AUTOQSET for Modal Frequency Response
Solution
The resulting input file only differs from the baseline model by adding the PARAM,AUTOQSET and
SESET entries which are highlighted below (ref: /doc/seug/chapter11/ frequency-response/seset/freq-
resp-lseq-autoq.bdf)
SOL 111
CEND
TI TLE = Cant i l ever Beam Modal Fr equency Response Sol ut i on
LABEL = Li st super el ement s, LOADSET/ LSEQ, AUTOQSET
ECHO = NONE
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES

CHAPTER 11 607
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0
$ Tip.10
$ Base.20
SESET 20 101 102 103 201 202 203
$ Loads f or L oad Case : Modal - Fr equency

SPCADD 2 1
RLOAD1 5 6 1
LSEQ 1 6 3
RLOAD1 7 8 1
LSEQ 1 8 4
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 5 1. 7
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 4 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT



$
$
ENDDATA 07282f bc
Listing 11-21 List (SESET) Superelement Frequency Response Input File with AUTOQSET
and LOADSET / LSEQ

The component modes could be passed to the residual using manual definition of the
SPOINT/SEQSET1 entries – refer to Figure 11-34. The proper input file for this method is as follows
(ref: /doc/seug/chapter11/frequency-response/seset/freq-resp-lseq-seqset.bdf):
SOL 111
CEND
LABEL = Li st super el ements , LOADSET/ LSEQ, SEQSET1
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
SEQSET1,10,0,1001,thru,1016
SEQSET1,20,0,2001,thru,2016
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT

CHAPTER 11 609
EI GRL 1 10 0
$ Ti p. 10
$ Base. 20
SESET 20 101 102 103 201 202 203
SPCADD 2 1
RLOAD1 5 6 1
LSEQ 1 6 3
RLOAD1 7 8 1
LSEQ 1 8 4
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 5 1. 7
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 4 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
$
$
ENDDATA
Listing 11-22 List (SESET) Superelement Modal Frequency Response Input File with
SEQSET1 and LOADSET / LSEQ
The results are the same as the baseline model.
List Superelement Direct Reference to EXCITEDID

List superelements also support the direct reference method described in Direct Reference to
EXCITEID. In this case, the EXCITEDID on the TLOAD1 entry points directly to the load
identification number on a static load entry (FORCE, PLOAD4, GRAV, etc.) or enforced motion entry
(SPCD). The examples in the previous section is modified for the direct reference method and listed
below.



The component modes for each List Superelement can be passed to the residual structure automatically
by specifying PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES. The proper input file for this method is as follows
SOL 111
CEND
LABEL = Li st superel ement s, Di r ect Ref erence, AUTOQSET
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0
$ Ti p. 10
$ Base. 20
SESET 20 101 102 103 201 202 203
SPCADD 2 1
RLOAD1 5 3 1
RLOAD1 7 4 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 5 1. 7

CHAPTER 11 611
SPC1 1 123456 101 201

FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 4 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
ENDDATA
Listing 11-23 List (SESET) Superelement Modal Frequency response Input File with
AUTOQSET and Direct Reference to EXCITEDID

The component modes could be passed to the residual using manual definition of SPOINT/SEQSET1
entries. The proper input file for this method is as follows (ref : /doc/seug/chapter11/frequency-
response/seset/freq-resp-dir-seqset.bdf):
SOL 111
CEND
LABEL = Li st super el ements , LOADSET/ LSEQ, SEQSET1
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
SEQSET1,10,0,1001,thru,1016
SEQSET1,20,0,2001,thru,2016
PARAM POST 0


PARAM PRTMAXI M YES

FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0
$ Ti p. 10
$ Base. 20
SESET 20 101 102 103 201 202 203
SPCADD 2 1
RLOAD1 5 3 1
RLOAD1 7 4 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 5 1. 7
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 4 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
ENDDATA
Listing 11-24 List (SESET) Superelement Modal Frequency response Input File with
AUTOQSET and Direct Reference to EXCITEDID
Once again, the results are the same as the baseline model
PART Superelement LOADSET / LSEQ Reference to

EXCITEDID
For PART Superelements the frequency load definition, frequency output intervals, and modal damping
(RLOADi , TABLEDi, FREQi, and TABDMP1) entries must be defined in the main bulk data section.
Patran does not support these rules for PART superelements, so the user must manually modify the input
file.
In modal frequency response analysis, the component modes (Q-set dof) for each superelement must be
defined and passed to the downstream superelement. Component modes can be defined so that the Q-
Set dof are automatically generated and attached (AUTOQSET ), semi-automatically generated and

CHAPTER 11 613
attached (SENQSET) or manually defined and attached (SPOINT/QSET1 + SECONCT). The

following sections show the input for these three methods to define the component mode dof.

by specifying PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES. The proper input file for this method is as follows (ref:
/doc/seug/ frequency-response/chapter11/parts/freq-resp-lseq-autoq.bdf)
SOL 111
CEND
LABEL = PART Super el ement s, LOADSET/ LSEQ, AUTOQSET
ECHO = NONE
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

RLOAD1 6 7 1
LSEQ 1 7 3
RLOAD1 10 11 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10


FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
BEGI N SUPER = 10
PARAM POST 0

LSEQ 1 11 5
FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
BEGI N SUPER = 20
PARAM POST 0

SPCADD 2 1
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
$ dummy LSEQ
LSEQ 1 99 88
$
$
ENDDATA
Listing 11-25 PART Superelement Modal Frequency Response Input File with AUTOQSET
and LOADSET / LSEQ

section. The proper input file for this method is as follows (ref: /doc/seug/chapter11/frequency-
response/parts/freq-resp-lseq-qset.bdf)
SOL 111
CEND
LABEL = PART Super el ement s, LOADSET/ LSEQ, QSET1

CHAPTER 11 615
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
SECONCT 10 0
1001 THRU 1016 11001 THRU 11016
SECONCT 20 0
2001 THRU 2016 12001 THRU 12016
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

RLOAD1 6 7 1
LSEQ 1 7 3
RLOAD1 10 11 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
$
BEGI N SUPER = 10


QSET1,0,1001,thru,1016
PARAM POST 0

LSEQ 1 11 5
FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
BEGI N SUPER = 20
QSET1,0,2001,thru,2016
PARAM POST 0

SPCADD 2 1
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
$ dummy LSEQ
LSEQ 1 99 88
$
ENDDATA
Listing 11-26 PART Superelement Modal Frequency Response Input File with QSET1 and
LOADSET / LSEQ

/doc/seug/chapter11/frequency-response/parts/freq-resp-lseq-senqset.bdf)
SOL 111
CEND
LABEL = PART Super el ement s, LOADSET/ LSEQ, SENQSET
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1

CHAPTER 11 617
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
senqset,10,16
senqset,20,16
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT

RLOAD1 6 7 1
LSEQ 1 7 3
RLOAD1 10 11 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
$
BEGI N SUPER = 10
PARAM POST 0

LSEQ 1 11 5
FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$



BEGI N SUPER = 20
PARAM POST 0

SPCADD 2 1
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
$ dummy LSEQ
LSEQ 1 99 88
$
$
ENDDATA
Listing 11-27 PART Superelement Modal Frequency Response Input File with SENQSET
and LOADSET / LSEQ
Once again, the results match the baseline.
PART Superelement Direct Referenc e to EXCITEDID

PART superelements also support the direct reference method described in Direct Reference to
EXCITEID. In this case, the EXCITEDID on the TLOAD1 entry points directly to the load identification
number on a static load entry (FORCE, PLOAD4, GRAV, etc.) or enforced motion entry (SPCD). The
examples in the previous section are modified for the direct reference method as listed below.

/doc/seug/chapter11/frequency-response/parts/freq-resp-dir-autoq.bdf)
SOL 111
CEND
LABEL = PART Super el ements , Di r ect Ref er ence, AUTOQSET
ECHO = NONE
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1

CHAPTER 11 619

METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

RLOAD1 6 3 1
RLOAD1 10 5 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
$
BEGI N SUPER = 10
PARAM POST 0

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
BEGI N SUPER = 20
PARAM POST 0



SPCADD 2 1
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
ENDDATA
Listing 11-28 PART Superelement Modal Transient Input File with AUTOQET and Direct

section. The proper input file for this example is as follows (ref: /doc/seug/chapter11/frequency-
response/parts/freq-resp-dir-qset.bdf)
SOL 111
CEND
LABEL = PART Super el ement s, LOADSET/ LSEQ, QSET1
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
SECONCT 10 0
1001 THRU 1016 11001 THRU 11016
SECONCT 20 0
2001 THRU 2016 12001 THRU 12016
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50

CHAPTER 11 621
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5

TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

RLOAD1 6 3 1
RLOAD1 10 5 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
$
BEGI N SUPER = 10
QSET1,0,1001,thru,1016
PARAM POST 0

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
BEGI N SUPER = 20
QSET1,0,2001,thru,2016
PARAM POST 0

SPCADD 2 1
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
ENDDATA
Listing 11-29 PART Superelement Modal Transient Input File with QSET1 and Direct



/doc/seug/frequency-response/chapter11/parts/freq-resp-dir-senqset.bdf):
SOL 111
CEND
LABEL = PART Superel ements , Di r ect Ref er ence, SENQSET
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
senqset,10,16
senqset,20,16
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

RLOAD1 6 3 1
RLOAD1 10 5 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT

CHAPTER 11 623
$
BEGI N SUPER = 10
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
BEGI N SUPER = 20
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0

SPCADD 2 1
SPC1 1 123456 101 201
ENDDATA
Listing 11-30 PART Superelement Modal Frequency Response Input File with SENQSET
and Direct Reference to EXCITEDID


External Superelement Dynamic Loading

There are two common strategies for applying dynamic loads to external superelements:
• Apply the load in the reduction run and carry it downstream
• Keep physical dof at the load application points so that the load can be applied at the assembly
level
The first method allows the user to define either point or distributed loads efficiently, while the second
method is only practical if there are only a few loading points.
Residual Vectors
One consideration for external superelements is the handling of residual vectors. A detailed description
of residual vectors can be found in the Modal Augmentation Methods (Ch. 12) in the MSC Nastran
Dynamic Analysis User’s Guide. Currently, MSC.Nastran computes the flexible component modes and
residual vectors and combines them with the constraint modes. When the combined matrices are attached
in a downstream dynamic solution, the residual vectors are not distinguished from the flexible component
modes and are used in the computation of the assembly flexible modes. In this case, the upstream
residual vectors will combine with the system modes and become indistinguishable. The ramifications
are that the upstream residual vectors are allowed to respond dynamically in the system solution. In other
words, RESVEC(NODYN) is only applicable to residual vectors calculated for the residual structure.
Remark 5 of the RESVEC case control command states:
5. Caution needs to be exercised when allowing the residual vectors to respond dynamically in a modal
solution. The best approach is to always include enough normal modes to capture the dynamics of the
problem, and rely on the residual vectors to help account for the influence of the truncated modes on the
quasistatic portion of the response. This is not the default setting for this capability. When choosing to
allow the residual vectors to respond dynamically, it is important to be aware of the frequency content of
the excitation, as it will have the ability to excite these augmentation modes. If this is undesirable, then
the forcing function should be filtered in advance to remove any undesired frequency content, or specify
the NODYNRSP keyword.
Applying a Dynamic Load an External Superelement

Dynamic loads are applied during the dynamic solution. In order to apply a dynamic loading to an
external superelement, the static load vector must have been generated during the reduction run. The
static load can be generated for normal modes, transient response, or frequency response solutions as
detailed in the following table:

CHAPTER 11 625
Table 11-4 Defining Static Load Vector During External Superelement Creation Run
Static Load Vector
Reduction Solution Definition Case Control Bulk Data Loading
Normal Modes (SOL 103) LOAD=loadid FORCE, PLOAD4, GRAV, etc
Transient Response DLOAD= dynloadid DLOAD, TLOADi
• Direct, SOL 109
• Modal SOL 112
Frequency Response DLOAD= dynloadid DLOAD, RLOADi
• Direct, SOL 108
• Modal, SOL 111
A sample of the case control and bulk data necessary to define the static load vector for Normal Modes,
Modal Transient Response, and Modal Frequency Response external superelement creation are shown
below:
assi gn output2=' se10_dmi g_103. op2' uni t =31 del ete

SOL 103
CEND
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10) DMI GOP2=31

$
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modes
METHOD = 1
$ define static load
LOAD=5

BEGI N BULK
spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1017
qset 1, 0, 1001, t hru, 1017
aset1, 123456, 107, 207
FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
EI GRL 1 10 0
Listing 11-31 Example of Defining a Static Load Vector in Normal Modes External
Superelement Creation Run



SOL 112
CEND

$
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
$ not necessary duri ng r educti on
$ TSTEP = 1
DLOAD = 10
BEGI N BULK
spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1017
qset 1, 0, 1001, t hr u, 1017
aset1, 123456, 107, 207
TLOAD1 10 5 211
$ Dynamic Load Table : time211
include 'time211.dat'
$ Nodal Forces of Load Set : f211
FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
Listing 11-32 Example of Defining a Static Load Vector in Modal Transient External
Superelement Creation Run

SOL 111
CEND

$
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
$ not necessary duri ng r educti on
$ FREQ = 1
DLOAD = 10
BEGI N BULK

CHAPTER 11 627
spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1017

qset 1, 0, 1001, t hru, 1017
aset1, 123456, 107, 207
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50

FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
RLOAD1 10 5 1
$ Nodal Forces of Load Set : f211
FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$ Dynamic Load Table : sine-sweep
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
Listing 11-33 Example of Defining a Static Load Vector in Modal Frequency Response
External Superelement Creation Run
Note that for the dynamic solution sequences, the time varying or frequency varying loads are not
applied. Another way of saying this is that only the static load vector is calculated for the external
superelement.
More detailed examples are contained in CHAPTER 12.
Applying the Time History to the External Loading

Since only the static load vectors are calculated during external superelement creation, the dynamic
loading must be defined during the assembly run. The method applying dynamic load history to the
external superelement is the same as the LOADSET / LSEQ method for PART Superelements defined
in Sections PART Superelement LOADSET / LSEQ Reference to EXCITEDID and PART Superelement
LOADSET / LSEQ Reference to EXCITEDID. This means that the DLOAD, TLOADi, and/or
RLOADi entries for the external superelement loads must be defined in the main bulk data section and
that an LSEQ entry must be defined in the BEGIN SUPER section associated with the external
superelement. Examples for defining dynamic loading on an external superelement for modal transient
and modal frequency response are shown below.
assi gn i nputt 2=' se10_dmi g_112. op2' uni t =31

SOL 112
CEND
SDAMPI NG = 1
LOADSET=1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1


SPC = 2
DLOAD = 10
BEGI N BULK
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

TLOAD1 10 5 211
TABLED1 211
0. 0. 2. - 4 0. 4. - 4 0. 6. - 4 0.
i ncl ude ' cr eat e-se10- 112. asm'

$ . pch f i l e has BEGI N SUPER=10
i ncl ude ' cr eat e-se10- 112. pch'
$ need dummy LSEQ entry for subcase,
LSEQ 1 101 1
Listing 11-34 Defining the Dynamic Loading for an External Superelement in the Assembly
Run for Modal Transient Analysis

SOL 111
CEND
SDAMPI NG = 1
LOADSET=1
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modal Fr equency Response
METHOD = 1
FREQ= 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 10
BEGI N BULK

RLOAD1 10 11 1

TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT

CHAPTER 11 629

i ncl ude ' create- se10-111. pch'
LSEQ 1 101 1
Listing 11-35 Defining the Dynamic Loading for an External Superelement in the Assembly
Run for Modal Frequency Response Analysis
More detailed examples are contained in CHAPTER 12.
Combining External Superelement Dynamic Loads wit h

Residual Dynamic Loads
Combining external superelement dynamic loads with residual structure dynamic loads is accomplished
by using the DLOAD bulk data entry to combing multiple dynamic loads. The DLOAD bulk data entry
must be defined in the main bulk data section only. Examples for modal transient and modal frequency
response are shown below.l

SOL 112
CEND
SDAMPI NG = 1
LOADSET=1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
BEGI N BULK
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

TLOAD1 6 7 105
LSEQ 1 7 3
TLOAD1 10 5 211
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10



FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.

i ncl ude ' cr eat e-se10- 112. pch'
LSEQ 1 101 1
ENDDATA
Listing 11-36 Combining Dynamic Loads on External Superelement and Residual Structure
with DLOAD Bulk Data Entry for Modal Transient Response Analysis

SOL 111
CEND
SDAMPI NG = 1
LOADSET=1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQ= 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
BEGI N BULK
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

RLOAD1 6 7 1
LSEQ 1 7 3

CHAPTER 11 631

FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
RLOAD1 10 11 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10

TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
i ncl ude ' create- se10-111. asm'

LSEQ 1 101 1
Listing 11-37 Combining Dynamic Loads on External Superelement and Residual Structure
with DLOAD Bulk Data Entry for Modal Frequency Response Analysis


External Superelements and Dampin g

Depending on the type of damping, damping applied directly to the external superelement must be
defined either during the superelement reduction run or the assembly run. A detailed discussion of
damping can be found in the Damping (Ch. 6) in the 3MSC Nastran Dynamic Analysis User’s Guide .
Table 11-5 Applying Damping to External Superelements

Damping Effect Case Control Entries Bulk Data Entries Comment
Structural Damping n/a PARAM,G Applied during
assembly run only
PARAM,W3
Material Damping n/a MATi, GE field Applied during
reduction run only.
PARAM,W4 Generates “K4”
matrices (i.e.
K4AAX)
Modal Damping SDAMPING TABDMP1 Generated during
reduction run only.
PARAM,SESDAMP,YES Generates “BAA”
matrices (i.e. BAAX)
Rayleigh Damping SEDAMP DAMPING ALPHA1 Generated during
and ALPHA2 entries assembly run only.
Or Must use DMIGPCH
Or option.
n/a
PARAM,ALPHA1
PARAM,ALPHA2
Viscous Dampers n/a CDAMPi, PBUSH, etc. Generated during
assembly run only.
Generates “BAA”
matrices (i.e. BAAX)
Note: Damping is additive. This means that modal damping applied to a superelement
component modes and modal damping applied to the residual solution will be additive.
1.

Chapter 12: External Superelement Examples

12 External Superelement Examples
 Introduction
 Connections
 Static Examples
 Modal Examples
 Transient Response Examples
 Frequency Response Examples


Introduction
Introduction
The purpose of this Chapter is to provide a single-source location for external superelement examples
using both the 2-Step and 3-Step methods. Although there have been many examples throughout this
Guide, this section provides the practioner with a single reference location for the common solutions and
examples to cover most of the methods that can be used to define and attach external superelements.
The model used throughout this section is intentionally simple so that the reader can concentrate on
process rather than geometry:
Figure 12-1 External Superelement Example Model Used Throughout Chapter 12
Section Connections provides a summary of the commands necessary to use external superelements, and

section Static Examples – Frequency Response Examples provides detailed examples for statics, normal
modes, modal transient response, and modal frequency response.
There are two methods for defining external superelements, the 2-Step Method and the 3-Step Method.
Section Defining and Attaching External Superelements (Ch. 2) should be reviewed for the basic
differences between the two methods and their implementation and limitations.

CHAPTER 12 635
External Superelement Examples
Connections
Patran provides an excellent interface for creating external superelements with the 2-Step method; and
creating the external superelements for the 3-Step method requires only a few extra entries to be entered
manually in the Direct Text Input section when creating an Analysis Job. However, Patran does not
provide a specific interface for connecting the external superelements to a downstream solution, so the
user must enter the connection information manually, either via the Direct Text Input section of Patran,
or by manipulating the input file by hand.
The following subsections describe the connection options and caveats for attaching external
superelements to an assembly run.
Automatic Connections
The easiest method for the user is to use the automatic boundary search option built in to MSC Nastran.
In the automatic search, the locations of the boundary are compared to the locations of all other grids in
the model, and if there is a geometric match (within tolerance), the grids are automatically connected in
the superelement map (refer to Section The Superelement Map – SEMAP (Ch. 2), for more details).
The SEBULK bulk data entry is used to define the external superelement (the TYPE field) and the
connection method (the METHOD field).
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Example:
SEBULK 14 REPEAT 4 AUTO 1.0E-3
Field Contents
SEID Partitioned superelement identification number. See Remark 10. (Integer > 0)
TYPE Superelement type. (Character; no Default)


Connections
Field Contents
PRIMARY Primary
REPEAT Identical
MIRROR Mirror
COLLCTR Collector
EXTERNAL External
EXTOP2 External using an OUTPUT2 file created in an earlier run.

RSEID Identification number of the reference superelement, used if TYPE = “REPEAT” and
“MIRROR”. (Integer > 0; Default = 0)
METHOD Method to be used when searching for boundary grid points. (Character: “AUTO” or
“MANUAL”; Default = “AUTO”)
TOL Location tolerance to be used when searching for boundary grid points. (Real; Default
= 10E-5)
LOC Coincident location check option for manual connection option. (Character: “YES” or
UNITNO FORTRAN unit number for the OUTPUT2 file (applicable and meaningful only when
TYPE = “EXTOP2”).
When the AUTO method is chosen, MSC Nastran performs a boundary search for the external
superelement in the same manner as it does for internal PART superelements.
Manual Connections
The automatic attachment method to find boundary connections works in many applications, however,
there are circumstances when it will fail or provide unintended connections. An example where the
automatic connection logic will fail is when there are multiple coincident grids at the attachment points.
In this case, MSC Nastran cannot determine the user intention and will issue a FATAL message. Another
example where the automatic connection logic will provide unintended connections is when there are
grids retained in the reduction run that are not intended to be attached to an assembly. For instance, the
user may retain additional grids in the reduction so that relative displacements can be calculated between
the component and a grid that is in the assembly solution.
Fortunately, MSC Nastran has anticipated these cases and provides the user options to define the
connections manually. The following subsections describe the entries available to the user to handle the
cases where there are multiple coincident grids or grids that should not be connected.

CHAPTER 12 637
SECONCT
The SECONCT entry is used to explicitly define the attachment grids (or spoints). The format is straight
forward as the user defines the superelements to be considered and the grid/spoint pairings.
Explicitly defines grid and scalar point connection procedures for a partitioned superelement.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Example:

1001 4001 2222 4444

GIDA1 ‘THRU’ GIDA2 GIDB1 ‘THRU’ GIDB2
SECONCT 10 20
101 ‘THRU’ 110 201 ‘THRU’ 210
Field Contents
LOC Coincident location check option for manual connection. (Character; “YES” or “NO”;
Default = “YES”)


Connections
Field Contents
GIDAi Identification number of a grid or scalar point in superelement SEIDA, which will be
connected to GIDBi
GIDBi Identification number of a grid or scalar point in superelement SEIDB, which will be
connected to GIDAi
SEEXCLD
Rather than define a manual pairing (which is potentially a tedious process), the user has the option to
exclude grids from the automatic search with the SEEXCLD entry. The interface requires the
superelement pairings and the grids/spoints to be excluded in the search (on one side of the superelement
interface).
SEEXCLD Partitioned Superelement Exclusion
Defines grids that will be excluded during the attachment of a partitioned superelement.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SEEXCLD SEIDA SEIDB GIDA1 GIDA2 GIDA3 GIDA4 GIDA5 GIDA6
GIDA7 GIDA8 -etc.-
Example 1:
SEEXCLD 110 10 45 678 396
Example 2:
SEEXCLD 400 ALL 10 20 30 THRU 40
Field Contents
SEIDB Superelement identification. (Integer > 0 or Character = “ALL”; Default = “ALL”)
GIDAi Identification number of a grid in superelement SEIDA to be excluded from connection
to superelement SEIDB. (Integer > 0 or “THRU”; for “THRU” option GIDA1 <
GIDA2.)

CHAPTER 12 639
SEBNDRY
Another method for removing conflicts (multiple grids) or unintentional connections is with the
SEBNDRY entry. In this case, the automatic boundary search is limited to the grids specified on the
SEBNDRY entry.
SEBNDRY Superelement Boundary-Point Definition
Defines a list of grid points in a partitioned superelement for the automatic boundary search between a
specified superelement or between all other superelements in the model.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SEBNDRY SEIDA SEIDB GIDA1 GIDA2 GIDA3 GIDA4 GIDA5 GIDA6
GIDA7 GIDA8 -etc.-
Example:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SEBNDRY 400 4 10 20 30 40
This entry is used to limit the automatic search logic to selected grid points for certain PARTs. Any grid
points listed on this entry are the only grid points in SEIDA to which the automatic logic can connect
grid points in SEIDB.
Field Contents
SEIDB Superelement identification. See Remark 2. (Integer > 0 or Character “ALL”; Default
= “ALL”)
GIDAi Identification number of a boundary grid point in superelement SEIDA. (Integer > 0 or
“THRU”; For “THRU” option, G1 < G2.)
Potential Confl ict s with SPC/MPC dof

During the superelement reduction, the boundary dof are defined with ASET/ASET1, BSET/BSET1,
CSET/CSET1, BNDFIX/BNDFIX1, BNDFREE /BNDFREE1 , or QSET/QSET1 entries. The
boundary dof must be part of the MSC Nastran ASET; therefore, the boundary dof must not be SPC’d,
MPC’d, or AUTOSPC’d during the reduction process.


Connections
PARAM AUTOMSET
Boundary dof are often chosen at centerline grids for external superelement models. In many cases an
RBE3 is used to spider the centerline grid dof to the physical grids as shown below.
Figure 12-2 Example of RBE3 Connecting Centerline Grid to Structural Grids
In the case of an RBE3, the central grid is dependent by default; therefore if the user assigns this as an
external point, there will be conflicts between the dependent dof (M-Set) and the A-set dof and a FATAL
message will occur. To avoid the set conflict, the user has two options:
• Use the “UM” option on the RBE3 to reassign the dependent dof
• Use PARAM,AUTOMSET,YES to instruct MSC Nastran to resolve the conflict
For either option, the set conflict is resolved and the reduction to the boundary occurs without incident.
Lagrange MPCs
Typically, the dependent dof associated with RBE’s are placed in the “mr” set, while the dependent dof
associated with MPC’s are placed in the “mp” set; which collectively define the M-Set. However, if the
user specifies RIGID=LAGRAN in the case control, the dependent dof are carried into the ASET as part
of the “lm” dof. Currently the MSC.Nastran processing does not handle the RIGID=LAGRAN for
external superelement reduction. This is not legal and a FATAL message will ensue:
*** USER FATAL MESSAGE 4349 (GP4)

CHAPTER 12 641
THERE ARE LAGRANGE RIGID ELEMENTS IN THE MODEL (RBAR, RBE1, RBE2, RBE3,
RJOINT, RROD, RPRPLT) AND AN EXTERNAL SUPERELEMENT GENERATION REQUEST
(EXTSEOUT OR PARAM,EXTOUT).
USER INFORMATION: AN EXTERNAL SUPERELEMENT (CREATED WITH THE EXTSEOUT

CASE CONTROL COMMAND OR THE EXTOUT PARAMETER) CANNOT CONTAIN
LAGRANGE RIGID ELEMENTS.


Static Examples
Static Examples
The static examples are based on the model shown in Figure 12-1, section Defining and Attaching External
Superelements (Ch. 2) provides additional details about the commands.
The examples for each method described in this section are organized as follows in the MSC Nastran
installation directories /doc/seug/chapter12/statics:
Figure 12-3 Example Files for Static 2-Step External Superelement Method
Static Examples Using 2-Step Method (EXTSEOUT)

Baseline Solution Without Superelements
The baseline solution for the cantilever plate in Figure 12-1 was covered in section Simple Example using
Cantilever Plate (Ch. 2), and will not be revisited here. The baseline file can be found in
/doc/seug/chapter12/statics/baseline/cant-beam.bdf. This file will be used as the comparison point for all
examples detailed in this section.
Step 1: Creatio n of External Superelement

When using the 2-step method to create an external superelement, the EXTSEOUT provides different
formats of creating the reduced matrices and output transformation matrices:
• MATRIXDB * – store the matrices and output transformation matrices on the MASTER/DBALL
• DMIGDB * – store the matrices and output transformation matrices on the MASTER/DBALL in
DMIG binary format
• DMIGOP2 – store the matrices and output transformation matrices on an .op2 file
• MATOP4 – store the matrices and output transformation matrices on the .pch and .op4 files
• DMIGPCH – store the matrices and output transformation matrices on the .pch

CHAPTER 12 643
Note: If the user selects MATRIXDB or DMIGDB method, the input file must be run with
SCRATCH=NO to save the .MASTER/.DBALL for the second step.
The first step in creating an external superelement is to define the boundary dof by specifying the ASET
entries. Patran provides a convenient form to define the ASET. A representative example is shown
below.
Figure 12-4 Defining Boundary dof in Patran
The Patran interface allow the user to select the desired method through the ‘Translation Parameters’ tab
of the Analysis form.


Static Examples
Figure 12-5 Selecting EXTSEOUT Method in Patran
Patran will export an MSC Nastran input file with the appropriate entries to perform the external
superelement creation:
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = MSC Nast r an J OB CREATED ON 20- MAR- 11 AT 12: 28: 00
ECHO = NONE
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK,EXTBULK,EXTID=20,MATRIXDB)
SUBCASE 1
TI TLE=MSC Nast r an J OB CREATED ON 20- MAR- 11 AT 12: 28: 00
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT
LABEL=SESET STATI C SOLUTI ON
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK

CHAPTER 12 645
ASET1 123456 104 204

ENDDATA
Listing 12-1 Static Reduction Run for MATRIXDB Method – 2-Step Method
In the .bdf file, the EXTSEOUT command is in the case control section.
The external creation runs for the various methods can be found in /doc/seug/chapter12/statics/external-
2-step/*/create-se10.bdf and create-se20.bdf; where *=dmigdb, dmigop2, dmigpch, matop4, or
matrixdb.
If there is more than one superelement, the user will need to check the UNIT numbers that PATRAN has
automatically assigned. Since there are multiple superelements that will be attached in the assembly run,
the user will need to manually adjust the unit numbers in the DMIGOP2 or MATOP4 options to avoid
conflicts during the assembly. These necessary changes are highlighted in the listings below
ASSIGN OUTPUT4='extse10.op4',UNIT=35
SOL 101
CEND
ECHO = NONE
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10, MATOP4=35 )
SUBCASE 1
ASSI GN OUTPUT4=' ext se20. op4' , UNI T=36
SOL 101
CEND
ECHO = NONE
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10, MATOP4=36 )
SUBCASE 1
Listing 12-2 Example Highlighting Changes to Input File Necessary to Avoid Conflicts in the
Assembly Run (MATOP4 shown, DMIGOP2 similar)
After running the reduction run, MSC Nastran will produce two files (.asm and .pch) that define the
necessary connection information. These files assume that the connection nodes in the assembly run will
have the same IDs as the grids in the reduction run. If this is not the case, the user can modify the
SEBULK entry to use the AUTO method, or manually provide the pairs.


Static Examples
An example of the .asm and .pch files defining the default external superelement connections are shown
below:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$ ASSEMBLY PUNCH (.ASM) FILE FOR EXTERNAL SUPERELEMENT 10
$ -------------------------------------------------------------
$
$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COLUMN NUMBERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$00000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555556666666666777
$23456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$
SECONCT 10 0
107 107 207 207
$
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Listing 12-3 External Superelement “.asm” File Generated Automatically from the External
Superelement Reduction Run (ASMBULK option chosen)
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$ STANDARD PUNCH (.PCH) FILE FOR EXTERNAL SUPERELEMENT 10
$ -------------------------------------------------------------
$
$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COLUMN NUMBERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$00000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555556666666666777
$23456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012

CHAPTER 12 647
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
BEGIN SUPER 10
$
EXTRN 107 123456 207 123456
$
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$
ASET 107 123456 207 123456
Listing 12-4 External Superelement “.pch” File Generated Automatically from the External
Superelement Reduction Run (EXTBULK option chosen)
Note that if coordinate systems are necessary to define the grid placement or displacement coordinate
systems, then they would also be generated.
Step 2: Attachment o f External Superelement with Data Recovery

To create the assembly input file, the user needs to define the appropriate File Management Section
entries to define the external superelement files and define the appropriate Bulk Data entries to define
the external superelement attachment information. The required entries can be entered manually by
editing the assembly input file or by defining the commands in the Direct Text Input when generating an
Analysis file in Patran.
For the MATRIXDB method, the direct text is shown in the figures below.
Figure 12-6 Direct Text Input for the File Management Section Required to Attach the
External Superelements (MATRIXDB and DMIGDB Methods)


Static Examples
Figure 12-7 Direct Text Input for the Bulk Data Section Required to Attach the External
Superelements (all Methods)
Note: The Direct Text Input for the bulk data section must be written at the “END” of the input
file. The correct order is to include all of the .asm files, followed by the .pch files. Recall
that the .pch files have a BEGIN SUPER entry which means the entries after the include
.pch will be applicable to the superelement
The resulting assembly input file for the MATRIXDB method is shown below with the direct text inputs
highlighted.
$ Di rect Text I nput f or Nast ran SystemCel l Sect i on

$ Direct Text Input for File Management Section
assign se10m='se_10_reduce_matrixdb.MASTER'

SOL 101
CEND
ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT

CHAPTER 12 649

STRESS( SORT1, REAL, VONMI SES, CENTER)=ALL
BEGI N BULK

include 'se_10_reduce_matrixdb.asm'
include 'se_10_reduce_matrixdb.pch'
ENDDATA
Listing 12-5 Static Assembly Input File for the MATRIXDB and DMIGDB Methods
The DMIGDB option uses the same FMS and BULK entries as the MATRIXDB method.
For the DMIGPCH file, the case control section must be modified to include the K2GG and P2G entries
as shown below:
Figure 12-8 Direct Text Input for the Case Control Section Required to Attach the External
Superelements (DMIGPCH Method)
For the DMIGOP2 assembly file, the File Management Section of direct text input must specify the file
names associated with each external superelement. Here, the user will define the ASSIGN INPUTT2
entries with their associated unit numbers for the respective files.


Static Examples
External Superelements (DMIGOP2 Method)
The MATOP4 method uses similar File Management Section entries except INPUTT4 replaces
INPUTT2.
Static Examples Using 3-Step Metho d

The 3-Step method of external superelement creation, assembly, and data recovery is not directly
supported by Patran. However, the required entries are reasonably straight forward and easily entered by
hand.

The baseline solution is the same as described in Section Baseline Solution Without Superelements .

The difference for the External Superelement Creation between the 2-step method and the 3-step method
is accomplished by replacing the EXTSEOUT case control command with PARAM,EXTOUT and
PARAM,EXTUNIT. The following table summarizes the commands necessary for each method:

CHAPTER 12 651
Table 12-1 Summary of Commands Required for Step 1 of 3-Step Method

Method Command(s) Comment
MATRIXDB PARAM,EXTOUT,MATRIXDB Run with SCR=NO
DMIGDB PARAM,EXTOUT,DMIGDB Run with SCR=NO
DMIGOP2 ASSIGN OUTPUT2… unitnumber Run with SCR=NO
PARAM,EXTUNIT, unitnumber
DMIGPCH PARAM,EXTOUT,DMIGPCH Cannot be used for data
recovery step
MATRIXOP4 ASSIGN OUTPUT4… unitnumber Run with SCR=NO
PARAM,EXTOUT,MATRIXOP4
A sample .bdf for DMIGDB and DMIGOP2 reductions can be seen below.
SOL 101
CEND
ECHO = NONE
param,extout,dmigdb
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
ASET1 123456 104 204

ENDDATA
Listing 12-6 External Superelement Reduction for Step 1 of 3 Step Method – DMIGDB
Method


Static Examples
ASSIGN OUTPUT2='extse10.op2',UNIT=35 delete
SOL 101
CEND
ECHO = NONE
$EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10, DMI GOP2=35)
PARAM,EXTUNIT,35
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT
LOAD = 3
BEGI N BULK
ASET1 123456 107 207

ENDDATA
Listing 12-7 External Superelement Reduction for Step 1 of 3 Step Method – DMIGOP2
Method
Step 2: Attachment of External Superelement

In the creation of the residual solution assembly file, the user defines the FMS entries necessary to define
the files created in the Step 1 reduction. The user must also define the connection information (SEBULK
and SECONNCT ) in the main bulk data section as well as the grids, coordinate frames, and EXTERN
entries in the PART superelement section associated with each external superelement.
In addition, the boundary solution must be saved for Step-3, data recovery. In order to save the boundary
solution, a file must be defined and PARAM,EXTROUT and PARAM,EXTDRUNT must be defined
in the bulk data section for each external superelement for which data recovery is desired. The following
table shows the commands necessary to request and store the boundary solution matrices for each
method.

CHAPTER 12 653
Table 12-2 Methods to Store the Boundary Solution for Use in Step 3, Data Recovery
METHOD Commands Comment
MATRIXDB PARAM,EXTDROUT,MATRIXDB Run with SCR=NO
DMIGDB PARAM,EXTDROUT,DMIGDB Run with SCR=NO
DMIGOP2 ASSIGN OUTPUT2… unitnumber
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,unitnumber
DMIGOP4 Use one of the other methods DMIGOP4 data recovery
matrices are not supported,
use one of the other methods
to store the boundary matrics
Sample input files for the DMIGDB and DMIGOP2 methods are shown below.
ASSIGN SE10M='se_10_reduce_dmigdb.master'
ASSIGN SE10D='se_10_reduce_dmigdb.dball'
DBLOCATE DB=(EXTDB) CONVERT(SEID=10),LOGICAL=SE10M
ASSIGN MASTER='assemble_dmigdb.master' delete
ASSIGN DBALL='assemble_dmigdb.dball' delete

SOL 101
CEND
ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT
BEGI N BULK


Static Examples

$
SECONCT 10 0
107 107 207 207

$
SECONCT 20 0
104 104 204 204

BEGIN SUPER 10
PARAM,EXTDROUT,dmigdb
$
EXTRN 107 123456 207 123456
$
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$
ASET 107 123456 207 123456
BEGI N SUPER 20
PARAM, EXTDROUT, dmi gdb
$
EXTRN 104 123456 204 123456
$
$
GRI D 104 3. 0. 0.
GRI D 204 3. 1. 0.
$
ASET 104 123456 204 123456
ENDDATA
Listing 12-8 Assembly Input File for DMIGDB Method – Step 2 of 3 Step Method
ASSIGN MASTER='assemble.master' delete
ASSIGN DBALL='assemble.dball' delete
ASSIGN INPUTT2='extse10.op2' unit=35
ASSIGN OUTPUT2='extse10bndry.op2' unit=37 DELETE

CHAPTER 12 655

SOL 101
CEND
ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT
BEGI N BULK
$ def i ne connect i on f or SE 10 – uses AUTO connect i on

sebulk , 10, ext o p2, , , , , 35
sebulk , 20, ext o p2, , , , , 36
BEGIN SUPER=10
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,37
ext r n 107 123456 207 123456

GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
BEGIN SUPER=20
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,38
ext r n 104 123456 204 123456

GRI D 104 3. 0. 0.
GRI D 204 3. 1. 0.
ENDDATA
Listing 12-9 Assembly Input File for DMIGOP2 Method – Step 2 of 3 Step Method
The figures below show the Patran Direct Text Input necessary for the MATRIXDB method.


Static Examples
Figure 12-10 Definition of FMS Direct Text Input for MATRIXDB Method – Step 2 of 3-Step
Method
Figure 12-11 Definition of Bulk Data Direct Text Input for MATRIXDB Method – Step 2 of 3-
Step Method
Step 3: External Data Recovery Restart

In the data recovery stage of the 3-step method, the user can obtain full data recovery (including Grid
Point Forces, MPCForces, etc.) and obtain .xdb output. In the recover files, it is necessary to restart from
the Step 1 MSC Nastran database (.MASTER and .DBALL files). The user must define the files which
contain the boundary solution for each respective superelement from Step 2. The user must keep the case
control structure (SPC, MPC, LOAD, DEFORM, etc.) the same as the Step 1 solution, with the
exception of data recovery.

CHAPTER 12 657
The following entries are required for the data recovery step:
Table 12-3 Commands Required for Step 3 Data Recovery

Method Commands Comment
MATRIXDB ASSIGN step 1 database Use ‘read-only’ restart with
“LOGICAL”=on RESTART
RESTART step 1 database
command
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
DMIGDB ASSIGN step 1 database Use ‘read-only’ restart with
RESTART step 1 database command
ASSIGN step 2 database
DBLOCATE boundary solution
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
DMIGOP2 ASSIGN step 1 database Use ‘read-only’ restart with
ASSIGN step2 data recovery .op2
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
PARAM,EXTDRUNT
MATRIXOP4 ASSIGN step 1 database Use ‘read-only’ restart with
ASSIGN step2 data recovery .op2
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
PARAM,EXTDRUNT
Sample Step 3 data recovery files for DMIGDB and DMIGOP2 are shown below.

RESTART LOGICAL=SE10M
ASSIGN ASSYM='assemble_dmigdb.master'
DBLOCATE DB=(EXTDB) WHERE(SEID=10),LOGICAL=ASSYM



Static Examples
SOL 101
CEND
ECHO = NONE
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
PARAM, POST, 0
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT
LOAD = 3
BEGI N BULK
ENDDATA
Listing 12-10 Data Recovery Input File for DMIGDB Method – Step 3 of 3 Step Method
ASSIGN SE10M='se_10_reduce_dmigop2.master'
ASSIGN SE10D='se_10_reduce_dmigop2.dball'
ASSIGN INPUTT2='extse10bndry.op2' UNIT=37

SOL 101
CEND
ECHO = NONE
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,37
PARAM, POST, 0
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT
LOAD = 3

CHAPTER 12 659

BEGI N BULK
ENDDATA


Modal Examples
Modal Examples
The modal examples are based on the model shown in Figure 12-1, section Defining and Attaching
External Superelements (Ch. 2) provides additional details.
installation directories /doc/seug/chapter12/modal:
The primary difference between a static reduction and a modal reduction is the definition of entries
required to store and attach the modal dof associated with Component Modes Synthesis. For more
information on Component Modes Synthesis, refer to Dynamic Reduction – Component Modes Synthesis
(Ch. 9).
Modal Exampl es Usin g 2-Step Method (EXTSEOUT)

The modal examples are based on the model shown in Figure 12-1, section Defining and Attaching
External Superelements (Ch. 2) provides additional details.
installation directories /doc/seug/chapter12/modal:

CHAPTER 12 661
The primary difference between a static reduction and a modal reduction is the definition of entries
required to store and attach the modal dof associated with Component Modes Synthesis. For more
information on Component Modes Synthesis, refer to Dynamic Reduction – Component Modes
Synthesis (Ch. 9).

The baseline solution for the cantilever plate in Figure 12-1 was covered in Chapter 2 and will be
revisited here. The baseline file can be found in /doc/seug/chapter12/modal/baseline/modal.bdf. This file
will be used as the comparison point for all examples detailed in this section.
Step 1: Creation of Extern al Superelement

DMIG binary format
Note: If the user selects MATRIXDB or DMIGDB method, the input file must be run with


Modal Examples
and SPOINT/QSET entries. Patran provides a convenient form to define the ASET. A representative
example is shown in Figure 12-4. Often SPOINTS and QSET dof are defined manually to control the IDs.
In Patran, the user can define the SPOINT and QSET entries in the Direct Text Input section for Bulk
Data.
of the Analysis form as shown in Figure 12-5.
superelement creation, a MATRIXDB example is shown below:
SOL 103
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK=MANQ,EXTBULK,EXTID=10,MATRIXDB)
SUBCASE 1
$ Subcase name : DEFAULT. SC1
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT. SC1
METHOD = 1
BEGI N BULK
$ Loads f or Load Case : DEFAULT. SC1

SPOINT 1001 THRU 1016
QSET1 1001 THRU 1016
ASET1 123456 107 207

ENDDATA
Listing 12-12 Modal Reduction Run for MATRIXDB Method – 2-Step Method
In the .bdf file, the EXTSEOUT command is in the case control section.
The external creation runs for the various methods can be found in /doc/seug/chapter12/modal/external-
2-step/*/create-se10.bdf and create-se20.bdf; where *=dmigdb, dmigop2, dmigpch, matop4, or
matrixdb.

CHAPTER 12 663
ASSIGN OUTPUT4='extse10.op4',UNIT=35
SOL 103
CEND
ECHO = NONE
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK=manq, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10, MATOP4=35)
SUBCASE 1
ASSI GN OUTPUT4=' ext se20. op4' , UNI T=36
SOL 103
CEND
ECHO = NONE
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK=manq, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10, MATOP4=36)
SUBCASE 1
below:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------
$
$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COLUMN NUMBERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$00000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555556666666666777
$23456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


Modal Examples
$
$
SECONCT 10 0
107 107 207 207
1001 THRU 1016 1001 THRU 1016
SPOI NT 1001 THRU 1016
$
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------
$
$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COLUMN NUMBERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$00000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555556666666666777
$23456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
BEGIN SUPER 10
$
EXTRN 107 123456 207 123456
$
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$
ASET 107 123456 207 123456
$

CHAPTER 12 665
QSET1 0 1001 THRU 1016

$

the external superelement attachment information. The required entries can be entered manually by
editing the assembly input file or by defining the commands in the Direct Text Input when generating an
Analysis file in Patran.
For the MATRIXDB method, the direct text is shown in the figures below.
External Superelements (MATRIXDB and DMIGDB Methods)


Modal Examples
Figure 12-15 Direct Text Input for the Bulk Data Section Required to Attach the External
Superelements (all Methods)
Note: the Direct Text Input for the bulk data section must be written at the “END” of the input file. The
correct order is to include all of the .asm files, followed by the .pch files. Recall that the .pch files have
a BEGIN SUPER entry which means the entries after the include .pch will be applicable to the
superelement.
The resulting assembly input file for the MATRIXDB method is shown below with the direct text inputs
highlighted.

$ Direct Text Input for File Management Section

SOL 103
CEND
ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT
METHOD = 1

CHAPTER 12 667

BEGI N BULK
ENDDATA
For the DMIGPCH file, the case control section must be modified to include the K2GG and P2G entries
as shown below:
Figure 12-16 Direct Text Input for the Case Control Section Required to Attach the External
Superelements (DMIGPCH Method)
For the DMIGOP2 assembly file, the File Management Section of direct text input must specify the file
names associated with each external superelement. Here, the user will define the ASSIGN INPUTT2
entries with their associated unit numbers for the respective files.


Modal Examples
External Superelements (DMIGOP2 Method)
INPUTT2.
Modal Examples Using 3-Step Method

The 3-Step method of external superelement creation, assembly, and data recovery is not directly
supported by Patran. However, the required entries are reasonably straight forward and easily entered by
hand.

The baseline solution is the same as described in section Baseline Solution Without Superelements.


CHAPTER 12 669

recovery step
A sample .bdf for DMIGDB and DMIGOP2 reductions can be seen below.
SOL 103
CEND
ECHO = NONE
param,extout,dmigdb
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
ASET1 123456 104 204


FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.


Modal Examples
$
EI GRL 10 10 0
ENDDATA
Method
ASSIGN OUTPUT2='extse10.op2',UNIT=35 delete
SOL 103
CEND
ECHO = NONE
$EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10, DMI GOP2=35)
PARAM,EXTUNIT,35
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT
METHOD = 1
BEGI N BULK
ASET1 123456 107 207

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
EI GRL 10 10 0
Listing 12-18 External Superelement Reduction for Step 1 of 3 Step Method – DMIGOP 2
Method


CHAPTER 12 671
in the bulk data section for each external superelement for which data recovery is desired. Refer to
Table 12-4 for the commands necessary to request and store the boundary solution matrices for each
method.
ASSIGN MASTER='assemble_dmigdb.master' delete
ASSIGN DBALL='assemble_dmigdb.dball' delete

SOL 103
BEGI N BULK

$ def i ne connect i on i nfo
SECONCT 10 0
107 107 207 207
1001 THRU 1017 1001 THRU 1017
SECONCT 20 0
104 104 204 204
2001 THRU 2016 2001 THRU 2016
BEGIN SUPER=10
param,extdrout,dmigdb
EXTRN 107 123456 207 123456 1001 0 1002 0

1003 0 1004 0 1005 0 1006 0
1007 0 1008 0 1009 0 1010 0
1011 0 1012 0 1013 0 1014 0
1015 0 1016 0 1017 0
$


Modal Examples
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$
ASET 107 123456 207 123456
$
QSET1 0 1001 THRU 1017
$
BEGIN SUPER=20
param, ext dr out, dmi gdb

EXTRN 104 123456 204 123456 2001 0 2002 0
2003 0 2004 0 2005 0 2006 0
2007 0 2008 0 2009 0 2010 0
2011 0 2012 0 2013 0 2014 0
2015 0 2016 0
$
$
GRI D 104 3. 0. 0.
GRI D 204 3. 1. 0.
$
ASET 104 123456 204 123456
$
QSET1 0 2001 THRU 2016
$
ENDDATA
ASSIGN MASTER='assemble.master' delete
ASSIGN DBALL='assemble.dball' delete

SOL 103

CHAPTER 12 673
BEGI N BULK
$ def i ne connect i on f or SE 10 – uses AUTO connect i on

SECONCT 10 0
107 107 207 207
1001 THRU 1016 1001 THRU 1016
SECONCT 20 0
104 104 204 204
2001 THRU 2016 2001 THRU 2016
BEGIN SUPER=10
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,37
BEGIN SUPER=20
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,38
ENDDATA

control structure (SPC, MPC, METHOD, etc.) the same as the Step 1 solution, with the exception of
data recovery.
Table 12-3 contains the entries necessary for the data recovery step.
ASSIGN ASSYM='assemble_dmigdb.master'



Modal Examples
SOL 103
CEND
ECHO = NONE
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
PARAM, POST, 0
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT
METHOD = 1
BEGI N BULK
ENDDATA
ASSIGN SE10M='se_10_reduce_dmigop2.master'
ASSIGN SE10D='se_10_reduce_dmigop2.dball'
ASSIGN INPUTT2='extse10bndry.op2' UNIT=37

SOL 103
CEND
ECHO = NONE
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,37
PARAM, POST, 0
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT
METHOD = 1

CHAPTER 12 675

BEGI N BULK
ENDDATA


Transient Response Examples

The modal transient examples are based on the model shown in Figure 12-1.
installation directories /doc/seug/chapter12/modal-transient:
Figure 12-18 Example Files for Transient Response External Superelement Method
Transient Response Examples Using 2-Step Method

(EXTSEOUT)
The boundary conditions and loading are based on the example files contained in Modal Transient
Illustrative Example (Ch. 11). As a review, the loading is as follows:
Figure 12-19 Time History Loading for Grids 211 and 105

CHAPTER 12 677
Note that grid 211 is in external superelement 10, while grid 105 is in the residual structure.

DMIG binary format
*Note: If the user selects MATRIXDB or DMIGDB method, the input file must be run with
example is shown in Figure 12-4. Often SPOINTS and QSET dof are defined manually to control the
IDs. In Patran, the user can define the SPOINT and QSET entries in the Direct Text Input section for
Bulk Data.
For a modal transient solution, the user has the option of creating the external superelement with a modal
solution (SOL 103) or a modal transient solution (SOL 112). The example files cover both cases, but
only the SOL 103 reduction case will be covered in this text.
superelement creation, a MATRIXDB example is shown below. Note that the LOAD for the
superelement is also referenced in the case control; this will create the load vector so that the transient
time can be applied to it during the assembly solution.
assi gn master=' create- se10-103. master' del ete

assi gn dbal l =' creat e-se10- 103. dbal l ' del ete
$
SOL 103
CEND
$
TI TLE = Cant i l ever Beam Modal Fr equency Response - modal r educt i on
Label = Ext ernal Super el ement Exampl e, SE 10 Cr eat i on, Step 1
$


DI SPL=ALL
OLOAD=ALL
$
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK=manq,EXTBULK,EXTID=10) MATRIXDB
$
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modes
METHOD = 10
$ def i ne st ati c l oad
LOAD=5

BEGI N BULK
spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1017
qset 1, 0, 1001, t hr u, 1017
aset1, 123456, 107, 207

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
ENDDATA
assign output2='se10_dmigop2_103.op2' unit=31 delete
$
SOL 103
CEND
$

$
DI SPL=ALL
OLOAD=ALL
$
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK=manq, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10) DMIGOP2=31

CHAPTER 12 679
$
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modes
METHOD = 1
$ def i ne stati c l oad
LOAD=5

BEGI N BULK
spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1017
qset 1, 0, 1001, t hru, 1017
aset1, 123456, 107, 207

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
$
SOL 103
CEND
$

$
DI SPL=ALL
OLOAD=ALL
$
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK=manq, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10) MATRIXOP4=31
$
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modes
METHOD = 1
LOAD=5

BEGI N BULK
spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1017
qset 1, 0, 1001, t hru, 1017
aset1, 123456, 107, 207



FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
below:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------
$
$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COLUMN NUMBERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$00000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555556666666666777
$23456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$
SECONCT 10 0
107 107 207 207
1001 THRU 1017 1001 THRU 1017
$
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

CHAPTER 12 681
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------
$
$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COLUMN NUMBERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$00000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555556666666666777
$23456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
BEGIN SUPER 10
$
EXTRN 107 123456 207 123456
$
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$
ASET 107 123456 207 123456
$
QSET1 0 1001 THRU 1017
$

the external superelement attachment information. In addition, LSEQ entries must be placed in each


superelement, even if there is null loading for the superelement. The assembly input file for the
MATRIXDB method is shown below:
ASSI GN MASTER=' assembl e_dmi gdb- 112f r om103. mast er ' del et e
ASSI GN DBALL =' assembl e_dmi gdb- 112f r om103. dbal l ' del et e
ASSI GN SE10M=' cr eat e- se10- 103. mast er '
ASSI GN SE10D=' cr eat e- se10- 103. dbal l '

$
SOL 112
CEND
LABEL = Ext er nal SE Ass embl y Run, SOL 112, LSEQ / LOADSET
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1
loadset=1
set 999=103, 105, 211
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
DI SPLACEMENT( SORT2, REAL) =999
VELOCI TY( SORT2, REAL) =999
ACCELERATI ON( SORT2, REAL) =999
SPCFORCES( SORT2, REAL) =999
OLOAD( SORT2, REAL) =999
BEGI N BULK
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0


CHAPTER 12 683
TLOAD1 6 7 105
LSEQ 1 7 3
TLOAD1 10 5 211
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
$DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.

include 'create-se10-112.asm'
i ncl ude ' create- se20-112. asm'
include 'create-se10-112.pch'
$ need dummy LSEQ entr y f or subcase, poi nt s t o col umn 1 of t he reduced l oad mat r i x
LSEQ 1 101 1

LSEQ 1 201 1
ENDDATA
For the DMIGPCH file, the case control section must be modified to include the K2GG, M2GG, and
P2G case control commands.
For the DMIGOP2 assembly file, the File Management Section must specify the file names associated
with each external superelement. Here, the user will define the ASSIGN INPUTT2 entries with their
associated unit numbers for the respective files.
INPUTT2.
Transient Response Examples Using 3-Step Method

The baseline solution is the same as described in section Baseline Solution Without Superelements .




recovery step
A sample .bdf for DMIGDB and DMIGOP2 reductions can be seen below. Refer to comments in section
Step 1: Creation of External Superelement for comments on loading.
ASSI GN MASTER=' cr eat e- se10- 103. mast er ' del et e

ASSI GN DBALL =' cr eate- se10- 103. dbal l ' del ete
$
SOL 103
CEND
$
$
DI SPL=ALL
OLOAD=ALL
$
$EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK=manq, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10) DMI GOP2=31
param,extout,dmigdb
$
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modes

CHAPTER 12 685
METHOD = 10

LOAD=5

BEGI N BULK
spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1017
qset 1, 0, 1001, t hru, 1017
aset1, 123456, 107, 207
FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
EI GRL 10 10 0
ENDDATA
Method
$
SOL 103
CEND
$
Label = Ext ernal Super el ement Exampl e, SE 10 Cr eat i on, Modes
$
DI SPL=ALL
OLOAD=ALL
$
param,extout,dmigop2
param,extunit,31
$
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modes
METHOD = 1
LOAD=5

BEGI N BULK


spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1017

qset 1, 0, 1001, t hr u, 1017
aset1, 123456, 107, 207

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
EI GRL 1 10 0
Listing 12-29 External Superelement Reduction for Step 1 of 3 Step Method – DMIGOP 2
Method

in the bulk data section for each external superelement for which data recovery is desired. Refer to
method.

$
SOL 112
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1

CHAPTER 12 687
loadset=1
set 999=103, 105, 211
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
BEGI N BULK
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

TLOAD1 6 7 105
LSEQ 1 7 3
TLOAD1 10 5 211
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
$DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$ def i ne SE 10 and SE 20 as ext er nal

SECONCT 10 0
107 107 207 207
1001 THRU 1017 1001 THRU 1017



SECONCT 20 0
104 104 204 204
2001 THRU 2016 2001 THRU 2016
BEGI N SUPER=10
LSEQ 1 101 1
EXTRN 107 123456 207 123456 1001 0 1002 0

1003 0 1004 0 1005 0 1006 0
1007 0 1008 0 1009 0 1010 0
1011 0 1012 0 1013 0 1014 0
1015 0 1016 0 1017 0
$
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$
ASET 107 123456 207 123456
$
QSET1 0 1001 THRU 1017
$
BEGI N SUPER=20
LSEQ 1 201 1
EXTRN 104 123456 204 123456 2001 0 2002 0

2003 0 2004 0 2005 0 2006 0
2007 0 2008 0 2009 0 2010 0
2011 0 2012 0 2013 0 2014 0
2015 0 2016 0
$
$
GRI D 104 3. 0. 0.
GRI D 204 3. 1. 0.
$
ASET 104 123456 204 123456
$
QSET1 0 2001 THRU 2016

CHAPTER 12 689
$
ENDDATA
assi gn i nputt 2=' se10_dmi gop2_103. op2' uni t =31

assi gn output2=' se10- dmi gop2- dr. op2' unit=33
$
SOL 112
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1
l oadset =1
set 999=103, 105, 211
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
BEGI N BULK
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0
$ Loads for Load Case : Modal-Transient



TLOAD1 6 7 105
LSEQ 1 7 3
TLOAD1 10 5 211
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
$DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.

$ def i ne connecti on i nfo
SECONCT 10 0
107 107 207 207
1001 THRU 1017 1001 THRU 1017
SECONCT 20 0
104 104 204 204
2001 THRU 2016 2001 THRU 2016
BEGIN SUPER=10
LSEQ 1 101 1
param,extdrunt,33
EXTRN 107 123456 207 123456 1001 0 1002 0

1003 0 1004 0 1005 0 1006 0
1007 0 1008 0 1009 0 1010 0
1011 0 1012 0 1013 0 1014 0
1015 0 1016 0 1017 0
$
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$
ASET 107 123456 207 123456
$

CHAPTER 12 691
QSET1 0 1001 THRU 1017

$
BEGIN SUPER=20

LSEQ 1 201 1
param,extdrunt,34
EXTRN 104 123456 204 123456 2001 0 2002 0

2003 0 2004 0 2005 0 2006 0
2007 0 2008 0 2009 0 2010 0
2011 0 2012 0 2013 0 2014 0
2015 0 2016 0
$
$
GRI D 104 3. 0. 0.
GRI D 204 3. 1. 0.
$
ASET 104 123456 204 123456
$
QSET1 0 2001 THRU 2016
$
ENDDATA

control structure (SPC, MPC, LOAD, METHOD, etc.) the same as the Step 1 solution, with the
exception of data recovery. The dynamic loading and time steps must be copied from the residual
solution in order to build the proper data recovery tables.



ASSI GN ASSYM=' ass embl e_dmi gdb- 112f r om103. mast er '
ASSI GN ASSYD=' assembl e_dmi gdb- 112f r om103. dbal l '
SOL 112
CEND
TI TLE = Cant i l ever Pl at e Fr equency Response Exampl e
SUBTI TLE = Cr eat ed by Lance Proct or, Eagl esi m
LABEL = EXTERNAL SE, 3- st ep met hod, SE 20 data r ecover y
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPING = 1
set 999=103, 105, 211
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 20 $ method from reduction run
FREQ= 1
SPC = 1 $ original reduction has SPC=1
DLOAD = 2
DI SPLACEMENT( SORT2, PHASE) =999

VELOCI TY( SORT2, PHASE) =999
ACCELERATI ON( SORT2, PHASE) =999
SPCFORCES( SORT2, PHASE) =999
OLOAD( SORT2, PHASE) =999
BEGI N BULK
$ bulk data defining load and frequency solution from residual of assembly
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50

FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
$ Loads for Load Case : Modal-Transient

RLOAD1 6 7 1

CHAPTER 12 693
LSEQ 1 7 3
RLOAD1 10 11 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
ENDDATA
assign inputt2='se10-dmigop2-dr.op2' unit=31
assi gn r un1M=' cr eate- se10- 103. mast er'

assi gn run1D =' create- se10-103. dbal l '
rest art l ogi =run1M
SOL 112
CEND
TI TLE = Cant i l ever Pl at e Tr ansi ent Response Exampl e
SUBTI TLE = Cr eat ed by Lance Proctor, Eagl esi m
ECHO = NONE
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,31
SDAMPI NG = 1
l oadset =1
set 999=103, 105, 211
SUBCASE 1
TSTEP = 1
$ SPC = 2 $ remove because SPC=2 was not in reduction run
DLOAD = 2



BEGI N BULK
TSTEP 1 5000 2. - 4
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 02 2000. . 02 ENDT
TLOAD1 6 7 105
LSEQ 1 7 3
TLOAD1 10 5 211
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10

ENDDATA
Listing 12-33 Data Recovery Input File for DMIGOP 2 Method – Step 3 of 3 Step Method

CHAPTER 12 695
Frequency Response Examples
Frequency Response Examples Using 2-Step Method

(EXTSEOUT)
The modal transient examples are based on the model shown in Figure 12-1.
installation directories /doc/seug/chapter12/Modal-Freq-Response:
Figure 12-20 Example Files for Transient Response External Superelement Method

The boundary conditions and loading are based on the example files contained in Frequency Response
Illustrative Example (Ch. 11). As a review, the loading is a sine-sweep with applied loads at grids 105
and 211. Note that grid 211 is in external superelement 10, while grid 105 is in the residual structure.

DMIG binary format


*Note: If the user selects MATRIXDB or DMIGDB method, the input file must be run with
example is shown in Figure 12-4. Often SPOINTS and QSET dof are defined manually to control the IDs.
In Patran, the user can define the SPOINT and QSET entries in the Direct Text Input section for Bulk
Data.
For a modal transient solution, the user has the option of creating the external superelement with a modal
solution (SOL 103) or a modal transient solution (SOL 112). The example files cover both cases, but
only the SOL 103 reduction case will be covered in this text.
superelement creation, a MATRIXDB example is shown below. Note that the LOAD for the
superelement is also referenced in the case control; this will create the load vector so that the sine-sweep
can be applied to it during the assembly solution.
assi gn master =' create- se10-103. master ' del ete

assi gn dbal l =' creat e-se10- 103. dbal l ' del ete
$
SOL 103
CEND
$
$
DI SPL=ALL
OLOAD=ALL
$
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10) MATRI XDB
$
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modes
METHOD = 10
LOAD=5

BEGI N BULK
spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1017
qset 1, 0, 1001, t hr u, 1017

CHAPTER 12 697
aset1, 123456, 107, 207

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
EI GRL 10 10 0
ENDDATA
$
SOL 103
CEND
$

$
DI SPL=ALL
OLOAD=ALL
$
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK=manq, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10) DMIGOP2=31
$
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modes
METHOD = 1
LOAD=5

BEGI N BULK
spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1017
qset 1, 0, 1001, t hru, 1017
aset1, 123456, 107, 207



FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
$
SOL 103
CEND
$

$
DI SPL=ALL
OLOAD=ALL
$
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK=manq, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10) MATRIXOP4=31
$
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modes
METHOD = 1
LOAD=5

BEGI N BULK
spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1017
qset 1, 0, 1001, t hr u, 1017
aset1, 123456, 107, 207

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$

CHAPTER 12 699
below:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------
$
$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COLUMN NUMBERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$00000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555556666666666777
$23456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$
SECONCT 10 0
107 107 207 207
1001 THRU 1017 1001 THRU 1017
$
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------
$


$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COLUMN NUMBERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$00000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555556666666666777
$23456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
BEGIN SUPER 10
$
EXTRN 107 123456 207 123456
$
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$
ASET 107 123456 207 123456
$
QSET1 0 1001 THRU 1017
$
Step 2: Attachment of External Superelement wit h Data Recovery

entries to define the external superelement files and define the appropriate Bulk Data entries to define the
external superelement attachment information. In addition, LSEQ entries must be placed in each
superelement, even if there is null loading for the superelement. The assembly input file for the
MATRIXDB method is shown below:


CHAPTER 12 701
$
SOL 111
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1
loadset=1
set 999=103, 105, 211
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modal - Fr eq Response
METHOD = 1
FREQ= 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
BEGI N BULK
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

RLOAD1 6 7 1
LSEQ 1 7 3
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
RLOAD1 10 11 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
$ Dynamic Load Table : sine-sweep


TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
include 'create-se10-103.asm'
LSEQ 1 101 1

LSEQ 1 201 1
ENDDATA
Listing 12-38 Frequency Response Assembly Input File for the MATRIXDB and DMIGDB
Methods
For the DMIGPCH file, the case control section must be modified to include the K2GG, M2GG, and
P2G entries
For the DMIGOP2 assembly file, the File Management Section must specify the file names associated
with each external superelement. Here, the user will define the ASSIGN INPUTT2 entries with their
associated unit numbers for the respective files.
INPUTT2.
Frequency Response Examples Using 3-Step Method

The baseline solution is the same as described in section Baseline Solution Without Superelements.


CHAPTER 12 703

recovery step
A sample .bdf for DMIGDB and DMIGOP2 reductions can be seen below. Refer to comments in section
Step 1: Creation of External Superelement for comments on loading.
ASSI GN MASTER=' cr eat e- se10- 103. mast er ' del et e

ASSI GN DBALL =' cr eate- se10- 103. dbal l ' del et e
$
SOL 103
CEND
$
$
DI SPL=ALL
OLOAD=ALL
$
param,extout,dmigdb
$
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modes
METHOD = 10
LOAD=5



BEGI N BULK
spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1017
qset 1, 0, 1001, t hr u, 1017
aset1, 123456, 107, 207

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
EI GRL 10 10 0
ENDDATA
Method
$
SOL 103
CEND
$
Label = Ext ernal Super el ement Exampl e, SE 10 Cr eat i on, Modes
$
DI SPL=ALL
OLOAD=ALL
$
param,extout,dmigop2
param,extunit,31
$
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Modes
METHOD = 1
LOAD=5

BEGI N BULK
spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1017

CHAPTER 12 705
qset 1, 0, 1001, t hru, 1017

aset1, 123456, 107, 207
$

FORCE 5 211 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
$
EI GRL 1 10 0
Listing 12-40 External Superelement Reduction for Step 1 of 3 Step Method – DMIGOP2
Method
Step 2: Attachment of Extern al Superelement

solution, a file must be defined and PARAM,EXTROUT and PARAM,EXTDRUNT must be defined in
the bulk data section for each external superelement for which data recovery is desired. Refer to
method.
ASSI GN MASTER=' ass embl e_dmi gdb- 111f r om103. mast er ' del et e
ASSI GN SE10D=' cr eate- se10- 103. dbal l '

ASSI GN SE20D=' cr eate- se20- 103. dbal l '
$
SOL 111
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1


loadset=1
set 999=103, 105, 211
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQ= 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
BEGI N BULK
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0
?
RLOAD1 6 7 1
LSEQ 1 7 3
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
RLOAD1 10 11 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
$ define connection info
SECONCT 10 0
107 107 207 207
1001 THRU 1017 1001 THRU 1017

CHAPTER 12 707
SECONCT 20 0
104 104 204 204
2001 THRU 2016 2001 THRU 2016
BEGIN SUPER=10
LSEQ 1 101 1
param, ext drout , dmi gdb
EXTRN 107 123456 207 123456 1001 0 1002 0
1003 0 1004 0 1005 0 1006 0
1007 0 1008 0 1009 0 1010 0
1011 0 1012 0 1013 0 1014 0
1015 0 1016 0 1017 0
$
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$
ASET 107 123456 207 123456
$
QSET1 0 1001 THRU 1017
$
BEGIN SUPER=20

LSEQ 1 201 1
EXTRN 104 123456 204 123456 2001 0 2002 0

2003 0 2004 0 2005 0 2006 0
2007 0 2008 0 2009 0 2010 0
2011 0 2012 0 2013 0 2014 0
2015 0 2016 0
$
$
GRI D 104 3. 0. 0.
GRI D 204 3. 1. 0.
$
ASET 104 123456 204 123456
$
QSET1 0 2001 THRU 2016


$
ENDDATA

$
SOL 111
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
SDAMPI NG = 1
loadset=1
set 999=103, 105, 211
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQ= 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
BEGI N BULK
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

CHAPTER 12 709

RLOAD1 6 7 1
LSEQ 1 7 3
FORCE 3 105 0 1. 0. 0. 1.
RLOAD1 10 11 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT

SECONCT 10 0
107 107 207 207
1001 THRU 1017 1001 THRU 1017
SECONCT 20 0
104 104 204 204
2001 THRU 2016 2001 THRU 2016
BEGIN SUPER=10
LSEQ 1 101 1
param,extdrunt,33
EXTRN 107 123456 207 123456 1001 0 1002 0

1003 0 1004 0 1005 0 1006 0
1007 0 1008 0 1009 0 1010 0
1011 0 1012 0 1013 0 1014 0
1015 0 1016 0 1017 0
$
$
GRI D 107 6. 0. 0.
GRI D 207 6. 1. 0.
$
ASET 107 123456 207 123456
$


QSET1 0 1001 THRU 1017

$
BEGIN SUPER=20

LSEQ 1 201 1
param,extdrunt,34
EXTRN 104 123456 204 123456 2001 0 2002 0

2003 0 2004 0 2005 0 2006 0
2007 0 2008 0 2009 0 2010 0
2011 0 2012 0 2013 0 2014 0
2015 0 2016 0
$
$
GRI D 104 3. 0. 0.
GRI D 204 3. 1. 0.
$
ASET 104 123456 204 123456
$
QSET1 0 2001 THRU 2016
$
ENDDATA
Listing 12-42 Assembly Input File for DMIGOP 2 Method – Step 2 of 3 Step Method

control structure (SPC, MPC, LOAD, METHOD, etc.) the same as the Step 1 solution, with the
exception of data recovery. The dynamic loading and frequency steps must be copied from the residual
solution in order to build the proper data recovery tables.

CHAPTER 12 711
assi gn r un1M=' cr eate- se10- 103. mast er'

restart logi=run1M
ASSI GN ASSYM=' ass embl e_dmi gdb- 111f r om103. mast er '
ASSI GN ASSYD=' assembl e_dmi gdb- 111f r om103. dbal l '
SOL 111
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPING = 1
set 999=103, 105, 211
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 10 $ met hod f r om r educt i on r un
FREQ= 1
$ SPC = 2 $ original model does not have SPC=2, remove to avoid error
DLOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50

FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
RLOAD1 6 7 1


LSEQ 1 7 3
RLOAD1 10 11 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
assi gn i nputt 2=' se10- dmi gop2- dr. op2' unit=31

assi gn r un1M=' cr eat e- se10- 103. mast er'
restart logi=run1M
SOL 111
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,31
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPING = 1
set 999=103, 105, 211
SUBCASE 1
FREQ= 1
$ SPC = 2 $ original model does not have SPC=2, remove to avoid error
DLOAD = 2


CHAPTER 12 713
BEGI N BULK
FREQ2 1 10. 1000. 50

FREQ4 1 10. 1000. 5
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 2000. . 03 ENDT
RLOAD1 6 7 1
LSEQ 1 7 3
RLOAD1 10 11 1
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 6 1. 10
TABLED1 1
0. 1. 2000. 1. ENDT
Listing 12-44 Data Recovery Input File for DMIGOP2 Method – Step 3 of 3 Step Method
1.



Chapter 13: Practical Image Superelements

13 Practical Image Superelements
 Introduction
 List Superelements
 PART Superelements
 External Superelements
 Multiple Image Example for Electronic Components


Introduction
Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to document the capabilities of image superelements in MSC.Nastran. The
following figures illustrate the possible types of image superelements. In Figure 13-1 a model of a portion
of a gear is shown. The physical model of one tooth can be represented as a superelement. This type is
called a primary superelement-one where the actual geometry for the superelement is defined in the bulk
data. Other gear teeth, as shown in Figure 13-1, are images of the first (primary) tooth. An image
superelement is a superelement that uses the geometry of another superelement to describe it for
MSC.Nastran. These image superelements can save processing time in that they are able to re-use the
reduced stiffness, mass, and damping matrices from their primary superelement, which reduces the
amount of calculations needed. Full data recovery is available for image superelements. An image
superelement can be an identical image, as shown in Figure 13-1, or a mirror image, as shown in
Figure 13-2. In Figure 13-1, the right side of the plate is a mirror image copy of the primary. Please note
that images can have their own unique loadings. Only the stiffness, mass and damping is identical to the
primary. Another type of superelement is the external superelement, where a part of the model is
represented by using matrices from an outside source (the matrices can come from another MSC.Nastran
run). For these matrices no internal geometry information is available; only the grid points to which the
matrices are attached are known. An external superelement is shown in Figure 13-3. In this figure the
finite element model is on the left and the external superelement is represented by the dashed lines on the
right.
Figure 13-1 A Primary Superelement and Several Identical Images

CHAPTER 13 717
Practical Image Superelements
Figure 13-2 A Primary Superelement and its Mirror Image Superelement
Figure 13-3 An External Superelement
CHAPTER 10.
The following sections provide examples of image superelements for List (CSUPER), PART, and
External Superelements.


List Superelements
List Superelements
List superelements are defined by specifying a list (set) of the interior dof using the SESET entry.
Readers may want to review Defining List Superelements (Ch. 2) before proceeding with this section. As
a quick review: the superelement processing partitions of the model into separate sections based on a list
of interior grid points and/or elements defined by the user. The Main Bulk Data Section is defined as the
‘first’ bulk data input section which occurs after BEGIN BULK or BEGIN SUPER [=0].
Using CSUPER
In this Section, the CSUPER entry will be used to create images (copy and mirror) of List
Superelements. The CSUPER entry uses an encoded superelement id to define the type of image (copy,
mirror) and the attachment locations of the exterior dof of its parent superelement. The image
superelement is also known as a secondary superelement. Internally, MSC.Nastran creates a copy of the
reduced matrices and performs the appropriate coordinate system transformations. Note that a mirror
superelement will be mapped into a left-handed coordinate system. The format of the CSUPER entry is
shown below:
CSUPER Secondary Superelement Connnection
Defines the grid or scalar point connections for identical or mirror image superelements from an external
source. These are all known as secondary superelements.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
CSUPER SSID PSID GP1 GP2 GP3 GP4 GP5 GP6
GP7 GP8 -etc.-
Example:
CSUPER 120003 21 3 6 4 10
Field Contents
SSID Coded identification number for secondary superelement. See Remark 1 (Integer>0)
PSID Identification number for referenced primary superelement. See Remark 2 (Integer>0
or blank)
GPi Grid or scalar point identification number in the downstream superelement or residual
structure. (Integer > 0 or “THRU”; For “THRU” option, GP1<GP2)

CHAPTER 13 719
Remarks:
1. The value of SSID is written in the form XXX000+n, where n is the referenced secondary
superelement identification number and n must be less than 10000 and XXX is a displacement
component sign reversal code as follows:
The sign reversal code specifies the displacement component(s) normal to the plane of the
mirror through which the reflection is to be made
Blank or 0 no reversal for identical superelement. If PSID is preceded by a

minus sign and there is no xxx code on SSID, then a z-reversal
mirror is generated.
1 x-reversal
2 y-reversal
Mirror Images
3 z-reverasl
12 x and y-reversal
23 y and z-reversal
Identical Images
31 z and x-reversal
123 x, y, and z-reversal } Mirror Images
2. If PSID = 0 or blank, the superelement boundary matrices are obtained from an external source
(such as a database or external file). For more information, see PARAM, EXTDRUNT of the
Quick Reference Guide.
3. For identical or mirror image superelements, the grid point IDs, GPi, may appear in any order.
However, if they are not in the same order as the external GRIDs of the primary superelement,
then the SEQSEP entry is also required. In case of external superelements, the GRID IDs must
be in the order that the terms in the associated matrices occrur.
4. Image superelements and their primaries must be congruent. The identical or mirror image
superelement must have the same number of external grid points as its primary superelement
(including dof for the Q-set if cms has been performed on the primary). The exterior grid points
of the image superelement must have the same relative location to each other as do the
corresponding points of the primary superelement. The global coordinate directions of each
exterior grid point of the image superelement must have the same relative alignment as those of
the corresponding grid points of the primary superelement. If congruency is not satisfied because
of round-off, then the tolerance may be adjusted with PARAM, CONFAC or the congruence
checking can be disabled by using DIAG 37
5. For superelements from an external source, please refer to the Quick Reference Guide, PARAMS
EXTDR, EXTDRUNT, and EXTUNIT.


List Superelements
Exampl e Using CSUPER

An example using CSUPER is shown below using the flyswatter example seen throughout this guide.
The grids and elements for the full model are shown below. Results for the baseline and single-level
superelement analysis can be found in Baseline Static Example using Patran (Ch. 3) (ref
/doc/seug/chapter3/baseline/baseline.bdf and /doc/seug/chapter3/seset/seset.bdf).
Figure 13-4 Flyswatter Baseline Model
The full model could be broken up into List superelements as shown in the figure below (ref
/doc/seug/chapter3/seset/seset.bdf).

CHAPTER 13 721
Figure 13-5 Flyswatter Example for Full Model Internal Superelements (SESET)
However, it is computationally efficient to use image superelements for this model. For this example,
half of the flyswatter is removed from the whole so that proper duplication can be demonstrated. The
primary superelements are shown below:


List Superelements
Figure 13-6 Flyswatter Primary Superelements
The following table lists the superelements that define the full model:
Table 13-1 Primary and Secondary Superelements for CSUP ER Example

Superelement ID Type Description Comment
10 Primary Left Swatter Created in proper location
[000]20 Secondary Right Swatter Copy of SE 10
30 Primary Left Vertical Created in Proper Location
[000]40 Secondary Vertical Tail Copy of SE 30
50 Primary Left Horizontal Created in proper location
10060 Secondary Right Horizontal Mirror of SE 50
70 Primary Post Created in proper location
Note that the coded id number for superelement 20 and 40 is 000xx – indicating that these superelements
are simply relocated. The coded id number for superelement 60 is 10060 indicating that this
superelement is mirrored by reversing the X coordinates.
The user will note that the boundary grid points which are used to ‘catch’ (attach) the image
superelements are also retained.

CHAPTER 13 723
Figure 13-7 Selecting Superelements for Image Superelement Example
The secondary superelements are created by the CSUPER instructions shown in the input file below.
Note that Patran does not provide a form for CSUPER entry, so the Direct Text Input must be used as
demonstrated below:


List Superelements
Figure 13-8 Defining CSUP ER Entries and Unattached Secondary Boundary Grids in
Patran
Note that Patran will not export grid points that are not attached to elements, so they must be defined in
the Direct Text Input section as shown in the figure above.
For this example, expanded case control is substituted for the condensed case control that Patran writes.
For a review of expanded case control, refer to section 4.2. The loads must be applied to the appropriate
grids/elements of the primary superelement id. In this case, the ‘outboard grid’ for image superelement
20 is grid id 98 of the primary superelement 10. The elements of secondary superelement 20 are the same
as primary superelement 10.
The final input file is shown below (ref /doc/seug/chapter13/flyswatter/csuper/seset.bdf).
$ NASTRAN i nput f i l e cr eat ed by t he Patr an 2010. 2. 3 64- Bi t ( MD Enabl ed)

$ i nput f i l e t ransl ator on J une 28, 2011 at 19: 42: 36.
SOL 101
CEND

CHAPTER 13 725
TI TLE = MSC Nast r an j ob cr eat ed on 02- Apr - 11 at 08: 53: 17

LABEL = CSUPER Exampl e
ECHO = NONE
SET 20=20
SET 99=0, 10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70
SUBCASE 1
SUPER=20, 1
SPC = 2
LOAD = 1303
SUBCASE 2
SUPER=20, 2
SPC = 2
LOAD = 1305
SUBCASE 3
SUPER=20, 3
SPC = 2
LOAD = 1307
SUBCASE 11
SUPER=99, 1
SPC = 2
LOAD = 303
SUBCASE 12
SUPER=99, 2


List Superelements

SPC = 2
LOAD = 305
SUBCASE 13
SUPER=99, 3
SPC = 2
LOAD = 307
$
[view of full model including image superelements described in Chapter 19]
OUTPUT(PLOT)
CSCALE 1. 0
PLOTTER NAST
SET 1= ALL
AXES x, y, z
$ fr ont vi ew
VI EW 0. , 90. , 90.
seuppl ot 0
pl ot set 1 l abel el ement s symbol s 6
seuppl ot 0
pl ot set 1 l abel gri ds symbol s 6
$
$ si de vi ew
VI EW 0. , 0. , 90.
seuppl ot 0
pt i t l e = pl ot def ormed f ul l model
pl ot st ati c def ormati on set 1 ori gi n 1 shape
$
BEGI N BULK
$[secondary superelement 20 is a copy of primary superelement 10
$ mapped to boundary grids 41 and 42]

CHAPTER 13 727
CSUPER 20 10 41 42
$[secondary superelement 40 is a copy of primary superelement 30
$ mapped to grids 27, 28, 41, and 42]
CSUPER 40 30 27 28 41 42
$[ secondar y superel ement 60 i s a MI RROR I MAGE of pr i mar y superel ement 50

$ mapped t o gri ds 14, 28, 27 and 24]
CSUPER 10060 50 14 28 27 24
GRI D 27 2. 8 4. 4 0.
GRI D 28 3. 6 4. 4 0.
GRI D 41 2. 8 6. 0.
GRI D 42 3. 6 6. 0.
PARAM POST -1
PARAM GRDPNT 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
GRI D 96 - 2. 8 10. 0.
GRI D 97 - 2. 10. 0.
GRI D 98 - 1. 2 10. 0.
$ SE. 10
SESET 10 33 34 37 38
SESET 10 45 THRU 50
SESET 10 57 THRU 62
SESET 10 69 THRU 74
SESET 10 81 THRU 86
SESET 10 93 THRU 98
$ SE. 30
SESET 30 29 30
$ SE. 50
SESET 50 9 THRU 12
SESET 50 21 22
$ SE. 70
SESET 70 1 THRU 8
SPCADD 2 1
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : spc1. 1
SPC1 1 123456 1 2
LOAD 305 1. 1. 301
LOAD 1305 1. 1. 1301
LOAD 307 1. 1. 101
LOAD 1307 1. 1. 1101
FORCE 201 93 0 2. 0. 0. 1.
$ [f or t he i mage super el ement t he "t op ouboard" gr i d i s gri d 98]


List Superelements
FORCE 1201 98 0 2. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 301 93 0 2. 0. 0. 1.
$ [f or t he i mage super el ement t he " t op ouboard" gr i d i s gri d 98]
FORCE 1301 98 0 2. 0. 0. - 1.
PLOAD4 101 18 - 1. THRU 42
$ [for the image superelement, the element numbers are the same as the
$ original superelement]
PLOAD4 1101 18 - 1. THRU 42

ENDDATA
Listing 13-1 Flyswatter Input File with CSUP ER
The CSUPER commands highlighted in Listing 13-1 define the instructions for imaging and attaching
the primary superelement to its secondary superelement location. The first CSUPER command creates
superelement 20, duplicating superelement 10 and placing it on boundary grids 41 and 42. The second
CSUPER command creates superelement 40, duplicating superelement 30 and placing it on boundary
grids 27, 28, 41, and 42. The third CSUPER command creates superelement 60 based on superelement
50. This command calls for an ‘x-reversal’ of superelement 50 which is then placed onto the boundary
grids 14, 28, 27, and 24. The order of the mirror is critical to the creation of the secondary superelement.
In this mirror, grid point 14 corresponds with grid point 13, 28 with 19, 27 with 20, and 24 with 23.
The SEMAP identifies the image superelements as “IDENTICAL” or “MIRROR” as shown below:
( SORTED BY SEI D)

2 20 2 0 IDENTICAL SE NO RESEQ( PRIMARY SE = 10 )

4 40 4 0 IDENTICAL SE NO RESEQ( PRIMARY SE = 30 )

6 60 6 0 MIRROR SE WITH RESEQ( PRIMARY SE = 50 )



1 20 2 0 I DENTI CAL SE NO RESEQ( PRI MARY SE = 10 )

CHAPTER 13 729
3 40 4 0 I DENTI CAL SE NO RESEQ( PRI MARY SE = 30 )

5 60 6 0 MI RROR SE WI TH RESEQ( PRI MARY SE = 50 )
Listing 13-2 SEMAP for Flyswatter CSUPER Example
Currently Patran cannot display image superelements. The OUTPUT(POST) commands inserted at the
end of the Case Control section instruct Nastran to create .plt files which can be converted with the
PLOTPS (refer to Installation and Operations Guide for information on how to use PLOTPS) utility
to generate PostScript files. The details of the OUTPUT(POST) commands are included in CHAPTER
19 of this guide. The plots show the original half of the flyswatter along with the duplicated half from
the CSUPER command.
Figure 13-9 Undeformed Plot of Full Model in Final Position with Element IDs (CSUP ER)


List Superelements
Figure 13-10 Undeformed Plot of Full Model in Final Position with Grid IDs (CSUP ER)
The reader will notice that all of the grid/element numbers on the right half of the flyswatter (i.e. the
secondary imaged superelements) match the grid/element numbers on the left half of the flyswatter (i.e.
the primary superelements). The plots below show a side view of the deformed plots.

CHAPTER 13 731
Figure 13-11 Flyswatter CSUP ER Deformed Plot of Full Model, 3 Subcases
Modifying Connections with SEQSEP

The SEQSEP command can be used in conjunction with the CSUPER command to help define the grid
points for placing superelements.
SEQSEP Superelement Sequences
Used with the CSUPER entry to define the correspondence of the exterior grid points between an
identical or mirror-image superelement and its primary superelement.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SEQSEP SSID PSID GP1 GP2 GP3 GP4 GP5 GP6
GP7 GP8 -etc.-
Example:
SEQSEP 121 21 109 114 124 131


List Superelements
Field Contents
SSID Identification number for secondary superelement. (Integer > 0).
PSID Identification number for the primary superelement. (Integer 0).
GPi Exterior grid point identification numbers for the primary superelement. (Integer > 0).
Remarks:
1. This entry is not needed if the grid points listed on the CSUPER entry with the same SSID are in
the order of the corresponding exterior grid points of the primary superelement.
2. In Figure 13-12 the exterior grid points of 10, 20, and 30 of SEID = 1 correspond to the points 13,
12, and 11, respectively, of image SEID = 2. The CSUPER entry may be defined alone or with a
SEQSEP entry as shown in Figure 13-12
Figure 13-12 Grid Point Correspondence Between Primary and Secondary Superelements
CSUPER Entry Only:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
CSUPER 2 1 13 12 11
CSUPER and SEQSEP Enties:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CHAPTER 13 733
CSUPER 2 1 11 12 13
SEQSEP 2 1 30 20 10
Using the CSUPER file from the previous section, the user could choose to order the GPi nodes in
numerical order by utilizing the SEQSEP command.
SUPER 20 10 41 42
$CSUPER 10060 50 14 28 27 24
CSUPER 10060 50 14 24 27 28
SEQSEP 60 50 13 23 20 19
CSUPER 40 30 27 28 41 42
Listing 13-3 Example using CSUPER with SEQSEP


PART Superelements
PART Superelements
PART superelements are defined by defining each superelement in its own Partitioned Bulk Data section.
These separate sections of the bulk data are self-contained in that each section contains all geometry,
elements, properties, constraints, parameters, and loading data for that component of the model. When
PARTs are used the program works in a manner similar to an assembly process. That is, a series of
separate components are assembled into the final finite element model, i.e. the residual structure. Part
Superelements can be imaged (copied/mirrored) by using one or more of the following commands:
• SELOC – uses 3 points to position a PART superelement in a new location
• SEMPLN – defines a mirror plane for a PART superelement
Using SEBULK and SELOC to image a PART

The SEBULK entry can be used to create an image of a partitioned superelement.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Example:
SEBULK 14 REPEAT 4 AUTO 1.0E-3
Field Contents
SEID Partitioned superelement identification number. See Remark 10. (Integer > 0)
TYPE Superelement type. (Character; no Default)

CHAPTER 13 735
Field Contents
PRIMARY Primary
REPEAT Identical
MIRROR Mirror
COLLCTR Collector
EXTERNAL External
EXTOP2 External using an OUTPUT2 file created in an earlier run.

RSEID Identification number of the reference superelement, used if TYPE = “REPEAT” and
“MIRROR”. (Integer > 0; Default = 0)
METHOD
Method to be used when searching for boundary grid points. (Character: “AUTO” or
“MANUAL”; Default = “AUTO”)
TOL Location tolerance to be used when searching for boundary grid points. (Real; Default
= 10E-5)
LOC Coincident location check option for manual connection option. (Character: “YES” or
UNITNO FORTRAN unit number for the OUTPUT2 file (applicable and meaningful only when
TYPE = “EXTOP2”).
The SELOC command is used to define a partitioned superelement relocation by listing three
noncolinear points in the superelement and defines three corresponding points not belonging to the
superelement.
SELOC Partitioned Superelement Location
Defines a partitioned superelement relocation by listing three noncolinear points in the superelement and
three corresponding points not belonging to the superelement.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SELOC SEID PA1 PA2 PA3 PB1 PB2 PB3


PART Superelements
Example:
SELOC 110 10 100 111 1010 112 30
Field Contents
SEID Partitioned identification number of the partitioned superelement. (Integer > 0)
PAi Identification numbers of three noncolinear grids (GRID entry) or points (POINT
entry) which are in the partitioned superelement. (Integer > 0)
PBi Identification numbers of three grids (GRID entry) or points (POINT entry) defined
in the main Bulk Data Section to which PAi will be aligned. (Integer > 0)
Remarks
1. SELOC can be specified in the main Bulk Data Section and will cause a fatal error message if it
appears after the BEGIN SUPER=n command.
2. The superelement will be rotated and translated for alignment of the GAi and GBi locations.
3. The PAi and PBi can either be GRIDs or POINTs.
4. PA1, PA2, and PA3 must be contained in superelement SEID.
5. PB1, PB2, and PB3 must be specified in the main Bulk Data Section. If they belong to a
superelement that is also relocated, then the original (unmoved) positions of PB1, PB2, and PB3
are used.
6. PB1, PB2, and PB3 must have the same relative locations as PA1, PA2, and PA3.
7. Three grids or points are required even if the superelement connects to only one or two exterior
grids.
8. Coordinate systems, global displacement directions, and element coordinate systems for the
superelement will be rotated and translated.
9. The global coordinate directions of the boundary grid points of the upstream superelement will be
transformed internally to the global coordinate directions of the attachment grid points in the
downstream superelement. For displacement data recovery, the output will be in the original
global coordinate system.
10. The translation and rotation of the superelement to the new position is accomplished by defining
local rectangular coordinate systems based on the specified grid locations:
11. The local systems have their origin at PX1 and the x-axis points from PX1 to PX2.
12. The y-axis lies I nthe plane containing PX1, PX2, and PX3, is perpendicular to the x-axis, and
points towards PX3.
13. The z-axis is defined by the cross product of the x-axis into the y-axis.

CHAPTER 13 737
14. The rotation and translation transformation aligns the local system defined by the superelement
grids with the local system defined by the main Bulk Data Section grids.
15. This entry will only work if PART superelements (BEGIN SUPER) exist.
Using SEMPLN to define a mir ror p lane

The SEMPLN entry is used to define a mirror plane for mirroring a partitioned superelement.
SEMPLN Superelement Mirror Plane
Defines a mirror plane for mirroring a partitioned superelement.

Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
SEMPLN SEID “PLANE” P1 P2 P3
Example:
SEMPLN 110 PLANE 12 45 1125
Field Contents
SEID Partitioned superelement identification number. (Integer > 0).
“PLANE” Flag indicating that the plane is defined by three noncolinear points.
Pi GRID or POINT entry identification numbers of three noncolinear points.
(Integer > 0).
Remarks
1. SEMPLN can only be specified in the main Bulk Data Section and will cause a fatal error
message if it appears after the BEGIN SUPER=n command.
2. Grids or points referenced on this entry must be defined in the main Bulk Data Section
Example Using SEBULK, SELOC, and SEMPLN

An example using SELOC and SEMPLN is shown below using the flyswatter example shown in section
Using CSUPER .


PART Superelements
Table 13-2 Primary and Secondary Superelements for PART Example

10 Primary Left Swatter Created in proper
location
20 Secondary Right Swatter Repeat of SE 10,
relocated with SELOC
30 Primary Left Vertical Created in Proper
Location
40 Secondary Vertical Tail Repeat of SE 30,
relocated with SELOC
50 Primary Left Horizontal Created in proper
location
60 Secondary Right Horizontal Mirror of SE 50,
Mirrored with SEMPLN
and relocated with
SELOC
70 Primary Post Created in proper
location
Note that all of the superelements are primary superelements. Superelements 20, 40, and 60 will re-use
the same bulk data as superelements 10, 30, and 50 respectively. However, superelements 20, 40, and 60
must be repositioned using SELOC and superelement 60 is mirrored to follow the CSUPER example in
section Using CSUPER .
An example using PART superelements is shown below using the flyswatter example seen throughout
this guide. The grids and elements for the full model are shown below. Results for the baseline and
single-level superelement analysis can be found in Baseline Static Example using Patran (Ch. 3) (ref
/doc/seug/chapter3/baseline/baseline.bdf and /doc/seug/chapter3/part/part.bdf).

CHAPTER 13 739
Figure 13-13 Flyswatter Baseline Model
The full model could be broken up into PART superelements as shown in the figure below (ref
/doc/seug/chapter3/part/part.bdf).


PART Superelements
Figure 13-14 Flyswatter Example for Full Model Internal Superelements (PART)
However, it is convenient to use image superelements for this model. For this example, half of the
flyswatter is removed from the whole so that proper duplication can be demonstrated. The primary
superelements are shown below:

CHAPTER 13 741
Figure 13-15 Flyswatter Primary Superelements for PART Image Superelement Example
The reader will notice that additional grids are retained so that the SELOC entry has points retained in
the residual structure necessary to locate each image superelement. The PART superelement input file
is shown below (ref /doc/seug/chapter13/flyswatter/part/seloc-sempln.bdf).


$ i nput f i l e t ransl ator on Apri l 03, 2011 at 17: 54: 16.

SOL 101
CEND
par am, post , - 1
LABEL = PART Super el ement s wi t h SELOC and SEMPLN i mages
ECHO = NONE
SPC=2
SUBCASE 1


PART Superelements

LOAD = 303
SUBCASE 2
LOAD = 305
SUBCASE 3
LOAD = 307
$
OUTPUT(PLOT)
CSCALE 1. 0
PLOTTER NAST
SET 1= ALL
$i sometr i c vi ew
VI EW 0. , 90. , 90.
$f ront vi ew
$ vi ew 0. , 0. , 180.
$ t op vi ew
$ vi ew 0. , 90. , 180.
$ si de vi ew
$ vi ew 270. , 0. , 180.
AXES x , y, z
$ FI ND SCALE ORI GI N 1 SET 1
seuppl ot 0
pl ot set 1 l abel el ement s
$
seuppl ot 0

CHAPTER 13 743
pti t l e = pl ot def ormed f ul l model

$
BEGI N BULK
$ SE 20 i s cr eated i n same l ocat i on as SE 10 and must be
$ r el ocat ed by usi ng t he SELOC ent r y
SELOC 20 93 33 38 99 39 44
POI NT 99 1. 2 10. 0.
POI NT 39 1. 2 6. 0.
POI NT 44 5. 2 6. 0.
$ r el ocat ed by usi ng t he SELOC ent r y
SELOC 40 19 20 36 27 28 42
POI NT 27 2. 8 4. 4 0.
POI NT 28 3. 6 4. 4 0.
POI NT 42 3. 6 6. 0.
$ Mi r r or ed wi t h SEMPLN entr y and rel ocat ed by usi ng t he SELOC entr y
SEMPLN 60 Pl ane 1001 1002 1003
POI NT 1001 0. 1. 0 0.
POI NT 1002 0. 0. 0 0.
POI NT 1003 0. 0. 0 1. 0
SELOC 60 13 23 19 14 24 28
i ncl ude ' resi dual . bdf '

Begin Super=10
i ncl ude' part 10. bdf '

LOAD 303 1. 1. 201
LOAD 305 1. 1. 301
LOAD 307 1. 1. 101
FORCE 201 93 0 2. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 301 93 0 2. 0. 0. 1.
PLOAD4 101 18 - 1. THRU 42
Begin Super=20


PART Superelements
$ [SE 20 is created by using the same include file as SE 10
$ the grids/elements must be relocated using SELOC in the main bulk section]

$ [The l oads on SE 20 are put on t he proper l ocat i ons as t he basel i ne]
LOAD 303 1. 1. 201
LOAD 305 1. 1. 301
LOAD 307 1. 1. 101
FORCE 201 98 0 2. 0. 0. 1.
FORCE 301 98 0 2. 0. 0. - 1.
PLOAD4 101 18 - 1. THRU 42
Begin Super=30

Begin Super=40
$ [SE 40 i s cr eat ed by usi ng t he same i ncl ude f i l e as SE 20

$ the gri ds/ el ement s must be r el ocated usi ng SELOC i n the mai n bul k secti on]
Begi n Super =50
include'part50.bdf'
Begi n Super =60

$ [SE 60 i s cr eat ed by usi ng t he same i ncl ude f i l e as SE 40
$ t he super el ement i s mi r r ored usi ng SEMPLN i n t he mai n bul k sect i on
$ the gri ds/ el ement s must be r el ocated usi ng SELOC i n the mai n bul k secti on]
include'part50.bdf'
Begi n Super =70

include'part70.bdf'
Listing 13-4 Flyswatter Input File for PARTs with SELOC and SEMPLN
In the .bdf listing above, the SELOC commands place the ‘copied’ superelements 20 and 40 in their
proper location. The SEMPLN command creates a mirror plane for superelement 60 and the SELOC
places it in the correct position.
The SEMAP identifies “PRIMARY” and “REPEATED” Superelements as shown below:

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- -------------------------------

CHAPTER 13 745

20 10 5 0 REPEATED ( SEBULK)
Listing 13-5 SEMAP for PART Superelements with SEBULK and SELOC
Currently Patran cannot display duplicate grids or elements and does not recognize the SELOC or
SEMPLN entries. The OUTPUT(POST) commands inserted at the end of the Case Control section
instruct Nastran to create .plt files which can be converted with the PLOTPS (refer to Installation and
Operations Guide for information on how to use PLOTPS) utility to generate PostScript files. The details
of the OUTPUT(POST) commands are included in CHAPTER 13 of this guide. The plots show the
original half of the flyswatter along with the duplicated half from the CSUPER command.


PART Superelements
Figure 13-16 Undeformed Plot of Full Model in Final Position with Element IDs (PART)

CHAPTER 13 747
Figure 13-17 Undeformed Plot of Full Model in Final Position with Grid IDs (PART)
The reader will notice that all of the grid/element numbers on the right half of the flyswatter (i.e. the
secondary imaged superelements) match the grid/element numbers on the left half of the flyswatter (i.e.
the primary superelements). This is expected since the same bulk data file is used for each of the PARTs
that is relocated / mirrored. The plots below show a side view of the deformed plots.


PART Superelements
Figure 13-18 Flyswatter PART Deformed Plot of Full Model, 3 Subcases

CHAPTER 13 749
External Superelements are similar to PART superelements in many respects, except rather than solving
the model in a single run, the superelement can be processed and output for use at a later time. There are
many advantages of external superelements:
• the reduced matrices are compact and can be added to another structure while maintaining full
fidelity of the component behavior on the system
• they can be easily re-used as many times as necessary at a very low runtime cost
• they can protect design information (proprietary geometry) and material information (composite
layup)
• key results can be monitored without the need for full data recovery
• files can be easily shared and maintained across different organizations or design groups.
External Superelements can be imaged (copied or mirrored) and re-used many times in the same
assembly model.
Using SECONCT to A ttach and External Superelement

The SECONCT entry is used to attach the exterior points of an external superelement to the residual of
the assembly model.
Explicitly defines grid and scalar point connection procedures for a partitioned superelement.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Example:

1001 4001 2222 4444

GIDA1 ‘THRU GIDA2 GIDB1 ‘THRU GIDB2
’ ’


SECONCT 10 20
101 ‘THRU 110 201 ‘THRU 210
’ ’
Field Contents
LOC Coincident location check option for manual connection. (Character; “YES” or
GIDAi Identification number of a grid or scalar point in superelement SEIDA, which will be
connected to GIDBi
GIDBi Identification number of a grid or scalar point in superelement SEIDB, which will be
connected to GIDAi
Remarks
1. SECONCT can only be specified in the main Bulk Data section and will cause a fatal error if it
appears after the BEGIN SUPER = n command.
2. TOL and LOC can be used to override the default values specified on the SEBULK entries.
3. The continuation entry is optional.
4. The (GIAi, GIBi) pair must both be grids or scalar points.
5. All six degrees-of-freedom of grid points will be defined as boundary degrees-of-freedom.
6. This entry will only work if PART superelements (BEGIN SUPER) exist.
7. Blank fields are allowed after the first GIDA1-GIDB1 pair. Blank fields must also occur in pairs.
The remark does not apply to the alternate format.
8. For the alternate format, the thru ranges must be closed sets. That is, all IDs listed between 101
and 110 in the example must exist in the model.
In addition to the SECONCT entry, the SELOC and SEMPLN entries can be used to move the external
superelement to its proper location in the assembly. Sections Using SEBULK and SELOC to image a
PART and Using SEMPLN to define a mirror plane describe the SELOC and SEMPLN entries in detail.

CHAPTER 13 751
Example using SECONCT

The flyswatter example will be used to demonstrate the SECONCT entry in conjunction with a SELOC.
In this example, the external superelement 30 will be ‘re-used’ as superelement 40; in effect creating an
image superelement.
Figure 13-19 SECONCT Flyswatter
For this example, the files associated with the example in Single-Level Analysis Using External
Superelements (Ch. 3) will be modified (ref: /doc/seug/chapter13/flyswatter/external):
Table 13-3 File Description for External Superelement Image Example

File Description Comment
create-ext10dmigpch.bdf External Superelement Creation Superelement 10
create-ext30dmigpch.bdf External Superelement Creation Superelement 30 and
Superelement 40 (relocated)
assembly-dmigpch.bdf Assembly Run Assembly Run
The assembly run is straight forward (ref: /doc/seug/chapter13/flyswatter/external/assembly.bdf):



$ i nput f i l e t ransl ator on Apri l 03, 2011 at 17: 54: 16.
SOL 101
CEND
k2gg=kaax
m2gg=maax
p2g=pax
par am, post , - 1

$ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
SUBCASE 2
SUBCASE 3
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM GRDPNT 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES

CHAPTER 13 753
PSHELL 10 10 1. 10 10
CQUAD4 5 10 13 14 24 23 0. 0.
MAT1* 10 3. +7 1. 15385+7 .3
* 7. 33- 4
$ Nodes of Gr oup : pshel l . 10
GRI D 13 -.4 3. 6 0.
GRI D 14 .4 3. 6 0.
GRI D 23 -.4 4. 4 0.
GRI D 24 .4 4. 4 0.
i ncl ude ' cr eat e- ext10dmi gpch. asm'
include 'create-ext40dmigpch.asm'

$
i ncl ude ' create- ext 10dmi gpch. pch'
include 'create-ext40dmigpch.pch'

ENDDATA f f 71f a93
Listing 13-6 SECONCT Assembly File
In this case, superelement 30 is ‘re-used’ as superelement 40. The .asm and .pch files from superelement
30 are copied and modified as shown below:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$ or i gi nal $ ASSEMBLY PUNCH ( . ASM) FI LE FOR EXTERNAL SUPERELEMENT 30


$ -------------------------------------------------------------
$

$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COLUMN NUMBERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$00000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555556666666666777
$23456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$ or i gi nal SEBULK 30EXTERNAL MANUAL
$
$ori gi nal SECONCT 30 0
$ori gi nal 19 19 20 20 35 35 36 36
SECONCT 40 0
19 27 20 28 35 41 36 42
$SELOC Locates Superelement 40 in the correct location
SELOC 40 19 20 36 27 28 42
$
$
GRI D 19 - 3. 6 4. 4 0.
GRI D 20 - 2. 8 4. 4 0.
GRI D 35 - 3. 6 6. 0.
GRI D 36 - 2. 8 6. 0.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Listing 13-7 Modifications to .asm File to ‘Re-Use’ Superelement 30 as Superelement 40
The modifications to the .pch file are shown below:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$or i gi nal STANDARD PUNCH ( . PCH) FI LE FOR EXTERNAL SUPERELEMENT 30
$ -------------------------------------------------------------
$
$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

CHAPTER 13 755
$- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COLUMN NUMBERS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$00000000111111111122222222223333333333444444444455555555556666666666777
$23456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$
$ori gi nal BEGI N SUPER 30
BEGIN SUPER 40
$
$
GRI D 19 - 3. 6 4. 4 0.
GRI D 20 - 2. 8 4. 4 0.
GRI D 36 - 2. 8 6. 0.
$
ASET 19 123456 20 123456 36 123456
$
DMI G KAAX 0 6 2 0 18
DMI G* KAAX 19 1
* 19 1 9. 131879715D+06
DMI G* KAAX 19 2
Listing 13-8 Modifications to .pch File to ‘Re-Use’ Superelement 30 as Superelement 40
When editing the .pch and .asm files for repeated superelements using the DMIGPCH method, the user
will need to make the following modifications
• .asm file
• Update SEID on SEBULK entry
• Add SELOC and/or SEMPLN entries to locate the external part
• Modify the SECONCT entry
• .pch file
• Update SEID for the BEGIN SUPER entry
Note that DMIGOP2, MATRIXDB, and/or MATRIXOP4 methods will require similar modifications as
well as modifying the corresponding ASSIGN statements and UNIT numbers.


Multiple Image Example for Electronic Components

As a more detailed example for image superelements, a model of an electronics board with repeated
components is worked for List, PART, and External Superelements. The example contains 16 solid-body
components attached to a board as shown in the figure below.
Figure 13-20 Electronic Components on a Board Model (Full Model)
Baseline Soluti on (Full Model)

The analysis type for this assembly will be normal modes; a baseline example is located at
/doc/seug/chapter13/elec-board/baseline/elec-board.bdf. The solution of this model provides the
following modes and mode shapes:
Table 13-4 Frequencies for Electronic Components on a Board Model (Full Model)
Mode Number Frequency
1 1.660131E+02
2 2.424249E+02
3 4.654807E+02
4 5.339022E+02
5 6.567084E+02
6 6.667377E+02
7 8.838094E+02
8 9.148818E+02
9 1.033836E+03
10 1.229055E+03

CHAPTER 13 757
Figure 13-21 Mode Shapes 1-4 for Electronic Components on a Board Model (Full Model)
CSUPER Image Superelement Solution

Since the electronic components are exact copies of each other, the CSUPER entry can be used to
efficiently replicate the original component. For this example, there is one component modeled in detail
and 15 components that are imaged using CSUPER.
Figure 13-22 Electronic Components on a Board Model – CSUP ER Images


For this example, the component modes for the primary superelement are defined with SPOINT and
SEQSET1 entries. In addition to the physical dof connection, the component modes must be defined for
the secondary superelements. For a detailed discussion of Component Modes Synthesis, refer to
Dynamic Reduction – Component Modes Synthesis (Ch. 9)
Note: Neither PARAM,AUTOQSET nor SENQSET will work with CSUPER and component

modes synthesis. Therefore, the user must define component modes degree of freedom
with SPOINTS and SEQSETi.
Table 13-5 Primary and Secondary Superelements for Electric Board - CSUPER
10 Primary Original Component Created in proper
location
20-80 Secondary Components on same Repeat of SE 10, located
side with CSUPER
110 - 180 Secondary Components on opposite Repeat of SE 10, located
side with CSUPER, encoded
[120110-120180] with “12” for x and y
reversal
Listing 13-10, shows the CSUPER entries necessary to image and locate the primary superelement 15
times. The components on the same side of the board as the primary are simple copies and do not require
an encoded identification number. However, the components on the opposite side of the board require
an encoded identification number of “12” to indicate an x and y-reversal of the attachment coordinates.
Note that this is not a mirror image, but a copy that has been rotated 180 degrees before being attached
(see Figure 13-22). The input file is shown below (ref: /seug/chapter13/elec-board/csuper/elec-
board.bdf)
SOL 103
CEND
TI TLE = MSC Nast r an j ob cr eat ed on 22- J un- 11 at 16: 14: 40
ECHO = NONE
$PARAM, AUTOQSET, YES
RESVEC = NO
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t

CHAPTER 13 759
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
$ SPOINT Entries for component modes
$ [ pri mary superel ement r equi r es SPOI NT/ SEQSET1 entr i es]
SPOI NT, 11001, THRU, 11016
SEQSET1, 10, 0, 11001, THRU, 11016
$ [s econdary super el ements have SPOI NTs t o ‘ cat ch’ t he pri mar y SPOI NTs]
SPOI NT, 12001, THRU, 12016
SPOI NT, 13001, THRU, 13016
SPOI NT, 14001, THRU, 14016
SPOI NT, 15001, THRU, 15016
SPOI NT, 16001, THRU, 16016
SPOI NT, 17001, THRU, 17016
SPOI NT, 18001, THRU, 18016
SPOI NT, 11101, THRU, 11116

SPOI NT, 12101, THRU, 12116
SPOI NT, 13101, THRU, 13116
SPOI NT, 14101, THRU, 14116
SPOI NT, 15101, THRU, 15116
SPOI NT, 16101, THRU, 16116
SPOI NT, 17101, THRU, 17116
SPOI NT, 18101, THRU, 18116

PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0
?
$ Chi p. 10
SESET 10 796 797 798 802 803 804

SPCADD 2 1
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : Screws
SPC1 1 123456 805 824 838 1383 1402 1416
$ CSUPER Entries
$ [ secondar y superel ements def i ne GRI Ds and SPOI NTs t o map t he pr i mar y dof ]
CSUPER 20 10 878 881 1082 1085 12001 12002
12003 12004 12005 12006 12007 12008 12009 12010
12011 12012 12013 12014 12015 12016


CSUPER 30 10 882 885 1086 1089 13001 13002

13003 13004 13005 13006 13007 13008 13009 13010
13011 13012 13013 13014 13015 13016
CSUPER 40 10 886 889 1090 1093 14001 14002
14003 14004 14005 14006 14007 14008 14009 14010
14011 14012 14013 14014 14015 14016
CSUPER 50 10 890 893 1094 1097 15001 15002
15003 15004 15005 15006 15007 15008 15009 15010
15011 15012 15013 15014 15015 15016
CSUPER 60 10 894 897 1098 1101 16001 16002
16003 16004 16005 16006 16007 16008 16009 16010
16011 16012 16013 16014 16015 16016
CSUPER 70 10 898 901 1102 1105 17001 17002
17003 17004 17005 17006 17007 17008 17009 17010
17011 17012 17013 17014 17015 17016
CSUPER 80 10 902 905 1106 1109 18001 18002
18003 18004 18005 18006 18007 18008 18009 18010
18011 18012 18013 18014 18015 18016
$ [secondary super el ement s on t he opposi t e si de r equi r e 12xxxx] t o

$ speci f y t he x and y rever sal ]
CSUPER 120110 10 1319 1316 1115 1112 11101 11102
11103 11104 11105 11106 11107 11108 11109 11110
11111 11112 11113 11114 11115 11116
CSUPER 120120 10 1323 1320 1119 1116 12101 12102
12103 12104 12105 12106 12107 12108 12109 12110
12111 12112 12113 12114 12115 12116
CSUPER 120130 10 1327 1324 1123 1120 13101 13102
13103 13104 13105 13106 13107 13108 13109 13110
13111 13112 13113 13114 13115 13116
CSUPER 120140 10 1331 1328 1127 1124 14101 14102
14103 14104 14105 14106 14107 14108 14109 14110
14111 14112 14113 14114 14115 14116
CSUPER 120150 10 1335 1332 1131 1128 15101 15102
15103 15104 15105 15106 15107 15108 15109 15110
15111 15112 15113 15114 15115 15116
CSUPER 120160 10 1339 1336 1135 1132 16101 16102
16103 16104 16105 16106 16107 16108 16109 16110
16111 16112 16113 16114 16115 16116
CSUPER 120170 10 1343 1340 1139 1136 17101 17102
17103 17104 17105 17106 17107 17108 17109 17110
17111 17112 17113 17114 17115 17116
CSUPER 120180 10 1347 1344 1143 1140 18101 18102
18103 18104 18105 18106 18107 18108 18109 18110
18111 18112 18113 18114 18115 18116

CHAPTER 13 761

ENDDATA
Listing 13-9 Electronic Components on a Board Model – CSUP ER Images Input File
The results for the SEMAP and modal solution are shown below:
( SORTED BY SEI D)

1 10 1 0 PRIMARY SUPERELEMENT
2 20 2 0 IDENTICAL SE NO RESEQ( PRIMARY SE = 10
3 30 3 0 I DENTI CAL SE NO RESEQ( PRI MARY SE = 10

9 110 9 0 I DENTI CAL SE WI TH RESEQ( PRI MARY SE = 10
10 120 10 0 IDENTICAL SE WITH RESEQ( PRIMARY SE = 10

SUPERELEMENT 0
SUBCASE 1
1 1 1. 088039E+06 1. 043091E+03 1.660131E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 088039E+06
2 2 2. 320139E+06 1. 523200E+03 2.424248E+02 1. 000000E+00 2. 320139E+06
3 3 8. 553875E+06 2. 924701E+03 4.654806E+02 1. 000000E+00 8. 553875E+06
4 4 1. 125337E+07 3. 354604E+03 5.339019E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 125337E+07
5 5 1. 702570E+07 4. 126221E+03 6.567085E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 702570E+07
6 6 1. 754970E+07 4. 189237E+03 6.667377E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 754970E+07
7 7 3. 083732E+07 5. 553136E+03 8.838091E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 083732E+07


8 8 3. 304379E+07 5. 748373E+03 9. 148819E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 304379E+07

9 9 4. 219520E+07 6. 495783E+03 1. 033836E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 219520E+07
10 10 5. 963516E+07 7. 722380E+03 1. 229055E+03 1. 000000E+00 5. 963516E+07
Listing 13-10 Electronic Components on a Board Model – CSUPER Images – SEMAP and
Frequencies
The OUTPUT(POST) commands can be used to visualize the full model and results. OUTPUT(POST)
is described in CHAPTER 13.
Figure 13-23 OUTPUT(P OST) plot of Mode 1 for CSUPER Image Superelement Solution of
Electronics Board
PART Superelement Image Solutio n

For PART superelements the images are created by using the SEBULK entry; the imaged superelements
are either REPEAT or MIRROR. SELOC is required to reposition the imaged superelements and
SEMPLN is required for the mirrored superelement.

CHAPTER 13 763
Figure 13-24 Electronic Components on a Board Model – PART Images
For this example, the component modes for the primary superelement are defined with SPOINT and
SEQSET1 entries. In addition to the physical dof connection, the component modes must be defined
for the secondary superelements. For a detailed discussion of Component Modes Synthesis, refer to
Dynamic Reduction – Component Modes Synthesis (Ch. 9). In this example, PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES
can be used.
Table 13-6 Primary and Secondary Superelements for Electric Board - PARTs
10 Primary Original Component Created in proper
location
20-80 Secondary Components on same Repeat of SE 10 with
side SEBULK, relocated with
SELOC
110-180 Secondary Components on oposite Repeat of SE 10 with
side SEBULK, relocated with
SELOC
Listing 13-11 shows the SEBULK and SELOC entries necessary to image and locate the primary
superelement 15 times. Note that this is not a mirror image, but a copy that has been rotated 180 degrees
before being attached (see Figure 13-22). The input file is shown below (ref: /seug/chapter13/elec-
board/part/elec-board.bdf)


SOL 103
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = NO
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
$ [c omponent i s copi ed t o same si de of boar d]
SEBULK,20,REPEAT,10,AUTO
SEBULK, 30, REPEAT, 10, AUTO

SELOC 20 874 877 1078 878 881 1082
SELOC 30 874 877 1078 882 885 1086

SELOC 40 874 877 1078 886 889 1090
SELOC 50 874 877 1078 890 893 1094
SELOC 60 874 877 1078 894 897 1098
SELOC 70 874 877 1078 898 901 1102
SELOC 80 874 877 1078 902 905 1106
$ [component i s copi ed t o opposi t e si de of board]

SELOC 110 874 877 1078 1319 1316 1115
SELOC 120 874 877 1078 1323 1320 1119

CHAPTER 13 765
SELOC 130 874 877 1078 1327 1324 1123

SELOC 140 874 877 1078 1331 1328 1127
SELOC 150 874 877 1078 1335 1332 1131
SELOC 160 874 877 1078 1339 1336 1135
SELOC 170 874 877 1078 1343 1340 1139
SELOC 180 874 877 1078 1347 1344 1143
i ncl ude ' resi dual board. bdf '
Begi n Super =10

i ncl ude' chi ponl y.bdf '
Listing 13-11 Electronic Components on a Board Model – P ART Images Input File

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- -------------------------------------
20 10 2 0 REPEATED (SEBULK)
SUPERELEMENT 0
SUBCASE 1
1 1 1. 088176E+06 1. 043157E+03 1. 660235E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 088176E+06


2 2 2. 320748E+06 1. 523400E+03 2. 424566E+02 1. 000000E+00 2. 320748E+06

3 3 8. 562537E+06 2. 926181E+03 4. 657162E+02 1. 000000E+00 8. 562537E+06
4 4 1. 126605E+07 3. 356494E+03 5. 342026E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 126605E+07
5 5 1. 705888E+07 4. 130240E+03 6. 573481E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 705888E+07
6 6 1. 757955E+07 4. 192797E+03 6. 673043E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 757955E+07
7 7 3. 094973E+07 5. 563248E+03 8. 854183E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 094973E+07
8 8 3. 315048E+07 5. 757646E+03 9. 163577E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 315048E+07
9 9 4. 239294E+07 6. 510986E+03 1. 036256E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 239294E+07
10 10 6. 007886E+07 7. 751056E+03 1. 233619E+03 1. 000000E+00 6. 007886E+07
Listing 13-12 Electronic Components on a Board Model – PART Images .f06 File
Figure 13-25 OUTP UT(POST) plot of Mode 1 for PART Image Superelement Solution of
Electronics Board
External Superelement Image Solution

For external superelements the images are created by using the SEBULK entry; the imaged
superelements are either REPEAT or MIRROR. The images can be positioned using SELOC or
SECONCT.

CHAPTER 13 767
For external superelements, the first step is to reduce the component to the boundary dof. A detailed
process for generating a static external superelement with Patran is presented in Single-Level Analysis
Using External Superelements (Ch. 3). Below are the forms relevant to a modal reduction:
Figure 13-26 External Superelement of Component


Figure 13-27 Creating a DOF list for the External Superelement Reduction
Next, the External Superelement is created by defining the analysis forms necessary to generate the
EXTSEOUT case control entry:

CHAPTER 13 769
Figure 13-28 Defining Physical Boundary dof for External Superelement
A few modifications to the input file are suggested to make the assembly run easier, these are highlighted
in the listing below (ref /dog/seug/chapter13/elec-board/external/chip-create-external.bdf):
SOL 103
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = NO
$ [ add MANQ]
$ or i ngi al EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10, DMI GPCH)
EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK=MANQ, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10, DMI GPCH)
SUBCASE 1
TI TLE=MSC Nast r an J OB CREATED ON 22- J UN- 11 AT 16: 14: 40
SUBTI TLE=DEFAULT
METHOD = 1
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES


EI GRL 1 10 0 MASS
$ El ement s and El ement Proper t i es f or r egi on : chi pconnector
PBUSH 1 K 1. +6 1. +6 1. +6 1. +6 1. +6 1. +6
RCV 1. 1. 1. 1.
GRI D 1081 1. 2. 0.
$ Loads f or Load Case : DEFAULT. SC1
$ [ r epl ace SPOI NT i ds wi t h mor e conveni ent numbers]
$or i gi nal SPOI NT 1082 THRU 1091
$or i gi nal QSET1 1082 THRU 1091
QSET1 11001 THRU 11016
ASET1 123456 874 877 1078 1081
ENDDATA
Listing 13-13 External Superelement Creation Input File
Figure 13-29 Electronic Components on a Board Model – External Superelement and its
Images
For this example, the component modes for the external superelement are defined with SPOINT and
QSET1 entries. In addition to the physical dof connection, the component modes must be defined for
the secondary superelements. For a detailed discussion of Component Modes Synthesis, refer to
Description of Dynamic Reduction Process (Ch. 9). In this example, the SECONCT entries attach the
imaged SPOINTs.

CHAPTER 13 771
Table 13-7 Primary and Secondary Superelements for Electric Board – External
Superelements
10 External Original Component Created in proper
location
20-80 Secondary Components on same Repeat of SE 10 with
side SEBULK, positioned
with SEBULK
110-180 Secondary Components on oposite Repeat of SE 10 with
side SEBULK, positioned
with SEBULK
Listing 13-14 contains the entries necessary attach the external superelement and image and locate it 15
times. Note that this is not a mirror image, but a copy that has been rotated 180 degrees before being
attached (see Figure 13-29). The input file is shown below (ref: /seug/chapter13/elec-
board/external/assemble-board-chips.bdf)
SOL 103
CEND
RESVEC = NO
K2GG=KAAX
M2GG=MAAX
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
SPC = 2
BEGI N BULK
SELOC 20 874 877 1078 878 881 1082
SELOC 30 874 877 1078 882 885 1086

SELOC 40 874 877 1078 886 889 1090
SELOC 50 874 877 1078 890 893 1094
SELOC 60 874 877 1078 894 897 1098
SELOC 70 874 877 1078 898 901 1102
SELOC 80 874 877 1078 902 905 1106


SELOC 110 874 877 1078 1319 1316 1115

SELOC 120 874 877 1078 1323 1320 1119
SELOC 130 874 877 1078 1327 1324 1123
SELOC 140 874 877 1078 1331 1328 1127
SELOC 150 874 877 1078 1335 1332 1131
SELOC 160 874 877 1078 1339 1336 1135
SELOC 170 874 877 1078 1343 1340 1139
SELOC 180 874 877 1078 1347 1344 1143

include 'chip-create-external.asm'
SEBULK 20 REPEAT 10 MANUAL

SECONCT 20 0
874 878 877 881 1078 1082 1081 1085
11001 THRU 11016 12001 THRU 12016
SECONCT 30 0
874 882 877 885 1078 1086 1081 1089
11001 THRU 11016 13001 THRU 13016
SECONCT 40 0
874 886 877 889 1078 1090 1081 1093
11001 THRU 11016 14001 THRU 14016
SECONCT 180 0
874 1347 877 1344 1078 1143 1081 1140
11001 THRU 11016 18101 THRU 18116

CHAPTER 13 773
$
i ncl ude ' chi p- creat e-ext ernal . pch'
Listing 13-14 Electric Board Assembly Model – External Superelements

------------ ------------ ------- ------------ ----------------------------- ----------------------------
20 10 2 0 REPEATED (SEBULK)
SUPERELEMENT 0
SUBCASE 1
1 1 1. 088039E+06 1. 043091E+03 1. 660131E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 088039E+06
2 2 2. 320139E+06 1. 523200E+03 2. 424248E+02 1. 000000E+00 2. 320139E+06
3 3 8. 553875E+06 2. 924701E+03 4. 654806E+02 1. 000000E+00 8. 553875E+06
4 4 1. 125337E+07 3. 354604E+03 5. 339019E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 125337E+07
5 5 1. 702570E+07 4. 126221E+03 6. 567085E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 702570E+07
6 6 1. 754970E+07 4. 189237E+03 6. 667377E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 754970E+07
7 7 3. 083732E+07 5. 553136E+03 8. 838091E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 083732E+07


8 8 3. 304379E+07 5. 748373E+03 9. 148819E+02 1. 000000E+00 3. 304379E+07

9 9 4. 219520E+07 6. 495783E+03 1. 033836E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 219520E+07
10 10 5. 963516E+07 7. 722380E+03 1. 229055E+03 1. 000000E+00 5. 963516E+07
The frequencies for the full model, List superelement with CSUPER images, PART Superelement with
SEBULK images, and External Superelement with SEBULK images indicate that the answer are very
close for each method:
Table 13-8 Frequency Comparison for Electronics Board Example

Mode Base Model CSUPER PART External
1 1.660131E+02 1.660131E+02 1.660131E+02 1.660131E+02
2 2.424249E+02 2.424248E+02 2.424248E+02 2.424248E+02
3 4.654807E+02 4.654806E+02 4.654806E+02 4.654806E+02
4 5.339022E+02 5.339019E+02 5.339019E+02 5.339019E+02
5 6.567084E+02 6.567085E+02 6.567085E+02 6.567085E+02
6 6.667377E+02 6.667377E+02 6.667377E+02 6.667377E+02
7 8.838094E+02 8.838091E+02 8.838093E+02 8.838091E+02
8 9.148818E+02 9.148819E+02 9.148820E+02 9.148819E+02
9 1.033836E+03 1.033836E+03 1.033836E+03 1.033836E+03
10 1.229055E+03 1.229055E+03 1.229057E+03 1.229055E+03
Note that the frequencies are nearly identical for each method. So the question becomes: which method
is most efficient from a computational standpoint? The answer is based on the processing methods used
for each method as summarized below:

CHAPTER 13 775
Table 13-9 Comparison of Advantages and Disadvantage of Image Superelement

Methods
Method Advantages Disadvantages
Full Model Single Model Cannot take advantage of
Images
CSUPER Image Makes Images of the reduced CSUPER not directly supported
Superelement, very efficient by Patran
PART Image Easier to set up than CSUPER Makes an image of the
unreduced superelement
External Image Makes image of the reduce Cannot plot assembly model or
superelement, very efficient. results on assembly. Requires at
Easier to re-use components least 2 runs.
For computation, the CSUPER is probably the best for image superelements, although external
superelements is computationally the same; although for multiple runs that do not change the external
superelements, the external superelement will realize significant computational advantage. The external
superelement method provides the maximum flexibility for re-use of an existing superelement.
1.



Chapter 14: Preparing Adams Flexible Bodies

14 Preparing Adams Flexible Bodies
 Introduction
 Creating a Flexible Body with ADMSMNF
 Additional Reference Material


Introduction
Introduction
Adams is a multibody dynamics code for analyzing the loads and forces within a system with moving
parts. In its simplest implementation, Adams can be used to model the mechanics of systems using rigid
bodies. Typical models range from analyzing simple linkages to complex assemblies such as
automobiles and helicopters.
To add fidelity to the system, the parts can be represented with flexible bodies in order to capture the
flexible dynamic behavior of the multibody simulation to provide more accurate deformations and loads.
Although not technically a superelement in the traditional MSC Nastran definition, MSC Nastran can be
used to create the flexible bodies for use by Adams. The Modal Neutral File (MNF) is a file that defines
a flexible body that is used in ADAMS FLEX analysis. The MSC Nastran ADMSMNF case control
command is used to generate the MNF file. The interface is similar to generating an external
superelement.

CHAPTER 14 779
Preparing Adams Flexible Bodies
Creating a Flexible Body with ADMSMNF

ADAMS flexible bodies contain physical boundary points and flexible modes, similar to a superelement
for dynamic analysis. The for the reduction of a single body, physical points for the flexible body are
defined with ASET entries and the modal dof are stored in SPOINT/QSETi entries; these entries are
discussed in detail in CHAPTER 9. For the definition of several flexible body in the same MSC Nastran
run, superelements are used to define the boundaries and component modes.
The ADMSMNF case control entry tells MSC Nastran to generate the MNF file; otherwise standard
processing of the ASET/SPOINT/QSETi entries is performed. Note that the definition for the physical
points could also be executed using the SESET entry to define the interior dof (leaving the remaining
grids as boundary grids), but this section will only concentrate on the ASET technique to define the
boundary for a single flexible body.
The ADAMSMNF entry has a plethora of options:
ADAMSMNF Control for Nastran/ADAMS Interface
Control for the Nastran/ADAMS modal neutral file (mnf) interface

Format:
 NO   YES 
ADAMSMNF FLEXBODY =    FLEXONLY =   
 YES   NO 
 NO   NO 
ADMCHECK =    ADMOUT =   
 YES   YES 
 YES   YES 
OUTGSTRS =    OUTGSTRN =   
 NO   NO 
 NO   NO 
OUTSTRS =    OUTSTRN =   (14-1)
 YES   YES 
 – 1.0   1.0e8 
V1ORTHO =    V2ORTHO =   
 value1   value2 
 PARTIAL 
 
 CONSTANT   NONE   MNF 
     
MINVAR =  FULL   PSETID =  setid plotel   EXPORT =  DB 
     
 NONE   ALL   BOTH 
 RIGID 
 
Examples:


ADAMSMNF FLEXBODY=YES
Describer Meaining
FLEXBODY Requests that the Nastran/ADAMS interface be executed
FLEXONLY Requests standard DMAP solution and data recovery following Nastran/ADAMS
interface execution
ADMCHECK Requests Nastran/ADAMS diagnostic output
ADMOUT Requests that the Nastran/ADAMS interface outputs Nastran .op2 files.
OUTGSTRS Controls grid point stress output to the .op2, .mnf, or both
OUTGSTRN Controls grid point strain output to the .op2, .mnf, or both
OUTSTRS Controls element stress output to the .op2 file
OUTSTRN Controls element strain output to the .op2 file
V1ORTHO Lower frequency bound of the Craig-Bampton modes (cycles/unit time)
V2ORTHO Upper frequency bound of the Craig-Bampton modes (cycles/unit time)
MINVAR Requests type of mass invariants to be computed
EXPORT Controls output to .mnf file, Nastran database or both
PSETID Selects a set of elements (including PLOTEL) whose grids are retained in the .mnf, and
whose connectivity defines face geometry for ADAMS display.
In addition to the ADAMSMNF case control entry, the user must specify the units for the model with the
DTI, UNITS bulk data entry:
DTI, UNITS Defines units for ADAMSMNF file.
Defines the mass, force, length, and time units for modal neutral files.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
DTI “UNITS” 1 MASS FORCE LENGTH TIME
Example:
DTI UNITS 1 SLINCH LBF INCH S

CHAPTER 14 781
Field Contents
MASS Defines mass units for the .mnf file.
FORCE Defines force units for the .mnf file.
LENGTH Defines length units for the .mnf file.
TIME Defines time units for the .mnf file.
The valid units are defined in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide ADAMSMNF case control entry
remark 7.
This section will concentrate on only the basic options. For details on the advanced options, refer to the
remarks for the ADAMSMNF* (Ch. 4) in the MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide.
Simple Linkage Example

The following model represents a simple linkage used in a machine part.
Figure 14-1 Finite Element Model of Simple Linkage (element shrink on)
The interface grids for this model are 1001 and 1002 which are connected to the elements with RBE2
mpcs. To define these nodes as interface nodes in Patran, a DOF List must be created as shown below.


Figure 14-2 Defining Physical Interface Nodes for ADAMSMNF Preparation
The analysis is set up as a typical normal modes analysis, but with the additional steps of selecting the
ASET and defining the ADAMSMNF parameters as shown below:
Figure 14-3 Selecting ASET for ADAMSMNF Analysis

CHAPTER 14 783
Figure 14-4 Defining ADAMSMNF Parameters in Patran
The resulting input file includes the ADAMSMNF, DTI UNITS , ASET, SPOINT, and QSET entries
necessary to create the .mnf file:
SOL 103
CEND
TI TLE = Si mpl e Li nkage ADAMSMNF Cr eat i on
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
ADAMSMNF FLEXBODY=YES,FLEXONLY=YES
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
METHOD = 1
BEGI N BULK



PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
DTI UNITS 1 SLINCH LBF IN S
EI GRL 1 10 0

ASET1 123456 1001 1002
ENDDATA
Listing 14-1 Input File for ADAMSMNF .mnf File Creation (ref: /doc/seug/chapter14/Create-
ADAMSMNF.bdf)
The ADAMSMNF processing occurs after the calculation of normal modes and residual vector
augmentation. The .f06 listing includes typical ADAMSMNF output as shown below.
1 SI MPLE LI NKAGE ADAMSMNF CREATI ON J ULY 29, 2011 MSC Nast r an 12/ 15/ 10 P
0 SUBCASE 1
1 1 1. 649128E+06 1. 284184E+03 2. 043842E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 649128E+06
2 2 1. 259018E+07 3. 548264E+03 5. 647238E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 259018E+07
3 3 2. 118292E+07 4. 602491E+03 7. 325092E+02 1. 000000E+00 2. 118292E+07
4 4 4. 866460E+07 6. 976002E+03 1. 110265E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 866460E+07
5 5 8. 422994E+07 9. 177688E+03 1. 460674E+03 1. 000000E+00 8. 422994E+07
6 6 1. 334470E+08 1. 155193E+04 1. 838546E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 334470E+08
7 7 1. 471336E+08 1. 212986E+04 1. 930527E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 471336E+08
8 8 1. 890570E+08 1. 374980E+04 2. 188349E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 890570E+08
9 9 2. 959907E+08 1. 720438E+04 2. 738162E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 959907E+08
10 10 3. 394079E+08 1. 842303E+04 2. 932116E+03 1. 000000E+00 3. 394079E+08
11 11 6. 073292E+08 2. 464405E+04 3. 922222E+03 1. 000000E+00 6. 073292E+08
12 12 6. 390459E+08 2. 527936E+04 4. 023334E+03 1. 000000E+00 6. 390459E+08
13 13 9. 539713E+08 3. 088643E+04 4. 915727E+03 1. 000000E+00 9. 539713E+08
14 14 1. 033393E+09 3. 214644E+04 5. 116264E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 033393E+09
15 15 3. 481046E+09 5. 900039E+04 9. 390203E+03 1. 000000E+00 3. 481046E+09
16 16 3. 860881E+09 6. 213598E+04 9. 889249E+03 1. 000000E+00 3. 860881E+09
^^^
^^^ NASTRAN/ADAMS INTERFACE DMAP INFORMATION MESSAGE:

CHAPTER 14 785
^^^
^^^ READ MODULE I S BEI NG USED FOR A- SET ORTHONORMALI ZATI ON
^^^
*** USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 5010 ( LNCI LD)
STURM SEQUENCE DATA FOR EI GENVALUE EXTRACTI ON.
TRI AL EI GENVALUE = - 3. 947842D+01, CYCLES = 1. 000000D+00 NUMBER OF EI GENVALUES BELOW THI S VALUE = 0
TRI AL EI GENVALUE = 3. 947842D+17, CYCLES = 9. 999999D+07 NUMBER OF EI GENVALUES BELOW THI S VALUE = 28

*** USER I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 4158 ( DFMSA)
- - - - STATI STI CS FOR SPARSE DECOMPOSI TI ON OF DATA BLOCK SCRATCH FOLLOW
NUMBER OF NEGATI VE TERMS ON FACTOR DI AGONAL = 28
MAXI MUM RATI O OF MATRI X DI AGONAL TO FACTOR DI AGONAL = 1. 4E+11 AT ROW NUMBER 13
TABLE OF SHI FTS: ( LNNRI GL)

SHI FT # SHI FT VALUE FREQUENCY, CYCLES # EI GENVALUES BELOW # NEW EI GENVALUES FOUND
1. - 3. 9478416E+01 - 9. 9999994E- 01 0 0
2. 3. 9478415E+17 1. 0000000E+08 28 0
3. 8. 6811436E+03 1. 4828888E+01 6 17
4. 4. 4876333E+10 3. 3715438E+04 27 10
5. 2. 7806302E+11 8. 3925078E+04 FACTOR ERROR 0
6. 3. 0138168E+11 8. 7373258E+04 28 1
0 SUBCASE 1
0
E I G E N V A L U E A N A L Y S I S S UMMA R Y ( READ MODULE)


BLOCK SI ZE USED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
NUMBER OF DECOMPOSI TI ONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
NUMBER OF ROOTS FOUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
NUMBER OF SOLVES REQUI RED . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
^^^
^^^ NASTRAN/ADAMS INTERFACE DMAP INFORMATION MESSAGE:
^^^
^^^ DURI NG A- SET ORTHONORMALI ZATI ON,
^^^ A TOTAL OF 28 MODES WERE FOUND
^^^ OUT OF A POSSI BLE 28 .
^^^
^^^
^^^ NASTRAN/ADAMS EIGENVALUES FROM A-SET ORTHONORMALIZATION:
^^^ FOR SUPERELEMENT 0
^^^
0 SUBCASE 1
1 1 - 5. 658196E- 06 2. 378696E- 03 3. 785812E- 04 1. 000000E+00 - 5. 658196E- 06
2 2 - 3. 430378E- 06 1. 852128E- 03 2. 947753E- 04 1. 000000E+00 - 3. 430378E- 06
3 3 - 3. 396903E- 06 1. 843069E- 03 2. 933335E- 04 1. 000000E+00 - 3. 396903E- 06
4 4 - 2. 619190E- 06 1. 618391E- 03 2. 575750E- 04 1. 000000E+00 - 2. 619190E- 06
5 5 1. 746950E- 06 1. 321722E- 03 2. 103586E- 04 1. 000000E+00 1. 746950E- 06
6 6 2. 873887E- 06 1. 695254E- 03 2. 698081E- 04 1. 000000E+00 2. 873887E- 06
7 7 1. 519705E+06 1. 232763E+03 1. 962004E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 519705E+06
8 8 1. 114487E+07 3. 338393E+03 5. 313217E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 114487E+07
9 9 1. 933255E+07 4. 396880E+03 6. 997852E+02 1. 000000E+00 1. 933255E+07
10 10 4. 156161E+07 6. 446829E+03 1. 026045E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 156161E+07
11 11 7. 645035E+07 8. 743589E+03 1. 391585E+03 1. 000000E+00 7. 645035E+07
12 12 1. 107754E+08 1. 052499E+04 1. 675104E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 107754E+08
13 13 1. 340846E+08 1. 157949E+04 1. 842933E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 340846E+08
14 14 1. 718740E+08 1. 311007E+04 2. 086533E+03 1. 000000E+00 1. 718740E+08
15 15 2. 421276E+08 1. 556045E+04 2. 476523E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 421276E+08
16 16 3. 010368E+08 1. 735041E+04 2. 761404E+03 1. 000000E+00 3. 010368E+08
17 17 4. 809028E+08 2. 192950E+04 3. 490188E+03 1. 000000E+00 4. 809028E+08
18 18 5. 041641E+08 2. 245360E+04 3. 573601E+03 1. 000000E+00 5. 041641E+08

CHAPTER 14 787
19 19 8. 011620E+08 2. 830481E+04 4. 504850E+03 1. 000000E+00 8. 011620E+08

20 20 9. 049791E+08 3. 008287E+04 4. 787837E+03 1. 000000E+00 9. 049791E+08
21 21 9. 457714E+08 3. 075340E+04 4. 894555E+03 1. 000000E+00 9. 457714E+08
22 22 2. 941369E+09 5. 423439E+04 8. 631671E+03 1. 000000E+00 2. 941369E+09
23 23 4. 519138E+09 6. 722454E+04 1. 069912E+04 1. 000000E+00 4. 519138E+09
24 24 1. 742660E+10 1. 320098E+05 2. 101002E+04 1. 000000E+00 1. 742660E+10
25 25 2. 054814E+10 1. 433462E+05 2. 281426E+04 1. 000000E+00 2. 054814E+10
26 26 3. 214366E+10 1. 792865E+05 2. 853434E+04 1. 000000E+00 3. 214366E+10
27 27 4. 063801E+10 2. 015887E+05 3. 208384E+04 1. 000000E+00 4. 063801E+10
28 28 2. 780630E+11 5. 273168E+05 8. 392506E+04 1. 000000E+00 2. 780630E+11
^^^ NASTRAN/ ADAMS I NTERFACE
^^^ CALLI NG ADAMS MNF MODULE
*** USER WARNI NG MESSAGE 7807 ( AFERRM)
THE ADAMSMNF CASE CONTROL COMMAND HAS REQUESTED LOADI NG OF MODAL GRI D POI NT STRESS RESULTS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN
GENERATED. THE REQUEST I S I GNORED.
User Act i on:
Ensure t hat Case Cont rol request s f or gri d poi nt str ess/ str ai n are present i f out put i s desi red. The gri d poi nt
r equest s ar e pl aced i n the OUTPUT( POST) s ect i on usi ng SURFACE and VOLUME ent r i es. Ther e must al so be st andar d
STRESS and/ or STRAI N Case Contr ol output r equest s present .
*** USER WARNI NG MESSAGE 7807 ( AFERRM)
THE ADAMSMNF CASE CONTROL COMMAND HAS REQUESTED LOADI NG OF MODAL GRI D POI NT STRAI N RESULTS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN
GENERATED. THE REQUEST I S I GNORED.
User Act i on:
Ensure t hat Case Cont rol request s f or gri d poi nt str ess/ str ai n are present i f out put i s desi red. The gri d poi nt
r equest s ar e pl aced i n the OUTPUT( POST) s ect i on usi ng SURFACE and VOLUME ent r i es. Ther e must al so be st andar d
STRESS and/ or STRAI N Case Contr ol output r equest s present .
MNF_I nf o: Ti t l e: SI MPLE LI NKAGE ADAMSMNF CREATI ON
MNF_I nf o: Name : . / cr eate- adamsmnf _0. mnf
MNF_I nf o: Type : MSC. Nast r an
MNF_ I nf o: Comment 1:
MNF_I nf o: Comment 2: MNF cr eated by t he ADAMS/ FLEX Tool ki t Modul e I nt er f ace
MNF_ I nf o: Comment 3:
MNF_I nf o: Temp modeshape f i l e: c: / scr atch/ cr eat e- adamsmnf . T5652_1. mnf _01
MNF_I nf o: Expor t i ng f r equency r ange [ - 1. 000000e+000, 1. 000000e+008]
MNF_I nf o: Short ened Shape mode f i l e: c: / scr atch/ cr eat e- adamsmnf . T5652_1. mnf _02
MNF_I nf o:
MNF_Info: Creating a Modal Neutral File with the following information:
MNF_I nf o: Nodal Coords Yes

MNF_I nf o: El ement Faces Yes
MNF_I nf o: Ei genval ues Yes
MNF_I nf o: Mode Shapes Yes
MNF_I nf o: Gl obal Mass Proper t i es Yes
MNF_I nf o: Nodal Masses Yes
MNF_I nfo: Nodal I ner t i as No
MNF_I nfo: General i zed Sti f f ness Yes


MNF_I nf o: Gener al i zed Mass Yes

MNF_I nf o: Gener al i zed Dampi ng No
MNF_I nf o: Mode Tr ansf or mat i on Yes
MNF_I nf o: St r ess Modes No
MNF_I nf o: I nter f ace Nodes Yes
MNF_I nf o: I nert i a I nvari ant s Yes
MNF_I nf o: Modal Pr el oad No
MNF_I nf o: Modal Loads No
MNF_I nf o: St r ai n Modes No
MNF_I nf o: Nodal Pre- Str ess No
MNF_I nfo: Nodal Pre- Str ai n No
MNF_I nf o: Moni t or Poi nts No
MNF_I nf o: Matr i x Oper ator s No
MNF_I nf o: Modal Load Nodal No
MNF_I nf o:
MNF_I nf o: Node i nf o:
MNF_I nf o: Count: 24
MNF_I nf o:
MNF_I nfo: Gl obal body pr opert i es:
MNF_I nf o: Mass : 0. 000259
MNF_I nf o: Cent er of Mass: 5. 000000 0. 500000 0. 000000
MNF_I nf o: I ner t i a Tensor: 0. 000129 0. 000647 - 0. 000000
MNF_I nf o: 0. 000647 0. 008670 - 0. 000000
MNF_I nf o: - 0. 000000 - 0. 000000 0. 008799
MNF_I nf o:
MNF_I nfo: Ei genval ue i nfo:
MNF_I nf o: Modes: 28
MNF_I nf o:
MNF_I nf o: Trans Mode i nf o:
MNF_I nf o: Modes: 28
MNF_I nf o: Nodes: 24
MNF_I nf o:
MNF_I nf o: Wr i t i ng Mode Shapes
*** USER WARNI NG MESSAGE 7811 ( MNF_War ni ng)
MNF MESSAGE: Found 2 mass l ess node( s)
MNF_I nf o:
MNF_I nfo: Uni t s:
MNF_I nf o: Mass: SLI NCH
MNF_I nf o: Length: I NCH
MNF_I nf o: Ti me: SECOND
MNF_I nf o: For ce: POUND_FORCE
MNF_I nf o:
MNF_I nf o: Number of El ement Faces: 14
*** SYSTEM I NFORMATI ON MESSAGE 7801 ( AFERRM)
THE ADAMS/ FL EX MNF TOOLKI T SUCCESSFULLY CREATED A MODAL NEUTRAL FI LE FOR SUPERELEMENT I D 0.

CHAPTER 14 789
^^^
^^^ NASTRAN/ ADAMS I NTERFACE SHAPES COMPLETED
^^^ EXI T REQUESTED
Listing 14-2 ADAMSMNF Processing Messages in the .f06 File


Additional Reference Material
Additional Reference Material

The objective of this Chapter is to introduce the concepts and provide a simple example to generate a
flexible body for ADAMS FLEX use rather than try to recreate a comprehensive treatment of the subject.
The reader interested in more information and details about ADAMS FLEX and its theory, use, and
applications can refer to the following MSC Software documentation:
• MSC Nastran Quick Reference Guide
• ADAMSMNF* case control entry description
• MSC Nastran Reference Manual
• Nastran/ADAMS Interface
• Welcome to Adams/Flex
• Translating FE Model Data
• FE Model Requirements
• Translating MSC.Nastran Data
1.

Chapter 15: Design Sensitivity and Optimization with Superelements

15 Design Sensitivity and

Optimization with Superelements
 Introduction


Introduction
Introduction
The Design Sensitivity and Optimization User’s Guide provides comprehensive coverage of how
superelements are implemented in design sensitivity and optimization.
Specific sections related to superelements are:
• Superelement Optimization (Ch. 2)
• Automatic External Superelement Optimization (AESO) (Ch. 2)
• Case Control for Design Optimization (Ch. 3)
• Matrix Domain Automated Component Modal Synthesis (MDACMS) (Ch. 2)
• Design Variables in Superelement Design Modeling (Ch. 2)
• Twenty-Five Bar Truss, Superelement and Discrete Variable Optimization (Ch. 8)
Additionally, Design Sensitivity and Optimization of PART Superelements was added to MSC.Nastran
in Version 2010. Details can be found in the MSC.Nastran 2010 Release Guide Chapter 12, Part
Superelement Optimization Enhancements.
1.

Chapter 16: Superelements in Aeroelasticity

16 Superelements in Aeroelasticity
 Introduction
 Example of Swept Wing


Introduction
Introduction
The Aeroelastic Analysis User’s Guide describes the theoretical aspects and the numerical techniques
used to perform aeroelastic analyses with MSC.Nastran. The purpose of this chapter is to provide
examples of how superelements can be used in aeroelasticity and not a complete review of aeroelastic
theory. Aeroelasticity in MSC.Nastran is used to model the interaction of aerodynamic, inertial, and
structural forces.
Practitioners find that superelements in aeroelastic response provide a convenient method for
determining the effect of control surfaces and their sensitivity to the flutter solution. Therefore, it is
common practice to place the control surfaces into superelements so that the effect of modal stiffness and
actuator stiffness can be studied.
MSC.Nastran provides an automated interpolation procedure to relate the aerodynamic to the structural
degrees of freedom so that loads can be passed from the aerodynamic dof to the structural dof and
displacements can be passed from the structural dof to the aerodynamic dof. Splining techniques for both
lines and surfaces are used to generate the transformation matrix from structural grid point deflections to
aerodynamic grid point deflections where local streamwise slopes are also computed. The transpose of
this matrix transfers the aerodynamic forces and moments at aerodynamic boxes to structural grid points.
The structural load distribution on an elastic vehicle in trimmed flight is determined by solving the
equations for static equilibrium. The solution process leads to aerodynamic stability derivatives, e.g., lift
and moment curve slopes and lift and moment coefficients due to control surface rotation, and trim
variables, e.g., angle of attack and control surface setting, as well as aerodynamic and structural loads,
structural deflections, and element stresses.
MSC.Nastran supports the use of structural superelements in dynamic aeroelastic analysis: aeroelastic
flutter (SOL 145) and aeroelastic response (SOL 146). Splining to Superelements is not supported in
static aeroelasticity (SOL 144).
When superelements are present, the aeroelastic splines are handled as follows:
• List Superelements (SESET)
• All SPLINEi and corresponding SET1 entries are defined exactly the same as a non-
superelement analysis. Boundary points are assigned to the residual by default.
• PART Superelements
• SPLINEi and corresponding SET1 entries are defined in the superelement where the grids on
the SET1 reside
• Masses and loads on boundary points can be placed in the superelement, the residual, or split
between them with equal validity
• External Superelements
• Reduce the external superelement in a modal solution (i.e. SOL 103)
• Attache the SPLINEi and corresponding SET1 entries in the residual solution
All other aeroleasticity related entries (AERO, CAEROi, PAEROi, FLUTTER, and FLFACT ) are
defined in the main Bulk Data Section for all superelement types. The entries associated with

CHAPTER 16 795
Superelements in Aeroelasticity
Component Modes Synthesis (CMS) follow the same rules as defined in Dynamic Reduction –
Component Modes Synthesis (Ch. 9).
Note: It is recommended to use a consistent coordinate system when using PARTs or External
Superelements.


Example of Swept Wing

The example files used to demonstrated superelements in aeroelasticity are based on the model in
Subsonic Flutter Analysis of the 15-Degree Sweptback Wing by the KE-Method (Example HA145E)
(Ch. 8) in the MSC Nastran: Aeroelastic Analysis User’s GuideAeroelastic Analysis User’s Guide. The
model is a flutter solution based on NASA TN D-1824, available from the NASA Technical Report
Server (NTRS) http://ntrs.nasa.gov/ .
A brief description of the model is taken from Section of the Aeroelastic Analysis User’s Guide:
The subsonic flutter characteristics of several flat-plate flutter models were reported by Tuovila and
McCarty (1955) and investigated further by Yates and Bennett (1963). The untapered wing with 15 deg
of sweepback was analyzed by Rodden, Harder, and Bellinger (1979) with its structure idealized as a
“stick” model and with aerodynamic forces calculated by the Doublet- Lattice method. Both the
calculated flutter speed and frequency were higher than test results in the earlier three-mode solution. The
purpose of this example is to reconsider the analysis of Rodden, Harder, and Bellinger (1979) with a
structural plate model and to demonstrate the KEmethod of flutter analysis.
The structure is modeled with a half-span model with quadrilateral elements with 7 span-wise elements
and 4 chord-wise elements as shown below:
Figure 16-1 Structural Elements for 15 Degree Swept Wing Example
SOL 145 $ FLUTTER ANALYSI S

CEND
TI TLE = EXAMPLE HA145E: HALF SPAN 15- DEG SWEPT UNTAPERED WI NG HA145SS1
SUBT = KE- METHOD FLUTTER ANALYSI S, DOUBLET- LATTI CE AERO, 2 S. E. S
LABEL = 0. 041 I N AL PLATE W/ BEVELLED LEADI NG AND TRAI LI NG EDGES
ECHO = BOTH
SPC =1 $ WI NG ROOT DEFLECTI ONS AND PLATE I N- PLANE ROTATI ONS FI XED
SDAMP = 2000
METHOD = 10 $ MODI FI ED GI VENS METHOD OF REAL EI GENVALUE EXTRACTI ON

CHAPTER 16 797
FMETHOD = 30 $ KE- FL UTTER METHOD

SVEC = ALL $ PRI NT VI BRATI ON MODES. BROKEN I N ALTER
SET 100 = 1 THRU 1000 $ AVOI D PRI NTI NG THE AERO BOX CORNER POI NTS
DI SP = 100 $ OPPHI A DOCUMENTATI ON SAYS USE THI S, NOT SVEC
PARAM, USETPRT, 0 $ PRI NT BOTH STRUCTURAL AND K- SET DOFS
OUTPUT( PLOT)
CSCALE 2. 0
PLOTTER NASTRAN
SET 1 = QUAD4
PTI TLE = STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
FI ND SCALE, ORI GI N 1, SET 1
PLOT MODAL 0 ORI GI N 1, SET 1
OUTPUT ( XYOUT)
CSCALE 2. 0
PLOTTER NASTRAN
CURVELI NESYMBOL = 6
YTTI TLE = DAMPI NG G
YBTI TLE = FREQUENCY F Hz
XTI TLE = VELOCI TY V ( FT/ S)
XTGRI D LI NES = YES
XBGRI D LI NES = YES
YTGRI D LI NES = YES
YBGRI D LI NES = YES
UPPER TI CS = -1
TRI GHT TI CS = - 1
BRI GHT TI CS = - 1
XYPLOT VG / 1(G, F) 2(G, F) 3(G, F)
BEGI N BULK
$ SI D C G1 G2 ETC $
SPC1 1 12345 9
SPC1 1 12345 25
SPC1 1 6 1 THRU 40
$ N V1 V2 $
PARAM KDAMP -1
$ ID +TDP
TABDMP1 2000 +T2000
$ F1 G1 F2 G2 ETC ENDT
+T2000 0. 0 0. 01 1000. 0 0. 01 ENDT
$ ACSI D VELOCI TY REFC RHOREF SYMXZ SYMXY
AERO 0 2. 0706 1. 1092- 7 1
$ EI D PI D CP NSPAN NCHORD LSPAN LCHORD I GI D
CAERO1 101 1 0 6 4 1 +CA101
$ ( FWD LEFT POI NT ) ROOTCHORD ( FWD RI GHT POI NT ) TI P CHORD
$ X1 Y1 Z1 X12 X4 Y4 Z4 X14


+CA101 .0 .0 .0 2. 07055 1. 48044 5. 52510 0. 0 2. 07055

$ PI D B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6
PAERO1 1
$ EI D CAERO BOX1 BOX2 SETG DZ $
SPLI NE1 100 101 101 124 100 .0
$ SI D G1 G2 G3 G4 ETC
SET1 100 2 4 6 8 9 11 13 +S1
+S1 15 18 20 22 24 25 27 29 +S2
+S2 31 34 36 38 40
MKAERO1 0. 45 +MK
$ K1 K2 K3 ETC
+MK . 001 0. 10 0. 12 0. 14 0. 16 0. 20
$ SI D METHOD F1 F2 NO $
EI GRL, 10,
PARAM OPPHI PA 1
PARAM LMODES 4
$ SI D METHOD DENS MACH VEL I METH NVALUE EPS $
FLUTTER 30 KE 1 2 3 L
$ SI D F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 $
FLFACT 1 0. 967 DENSI TY
FL FACT 2 . 45 MACH NO
FLFACT, 3 . 20000 . 16667 . 14286 $ . 12500 . 11111 . 10000 RFREQ
$ N V1 V2
PARAM VREF 12. 0
ENDDATA
Listing 16-1 Entries Necessary to Define Flutter Analysis - Baseline Example (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter16/ha145ss-baseline.dat)
The VG, VF plots for the baseline model are shown below:

CHAPTER 16 799
Figure 16-2 V-G and V-F Plots for 3 Loops – Baseline Model (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter16/ha145e-baseline.dat)
For more details on XYPLOT commands, refer to CHAPTER 19 and the MSC.Nastran Quick Reference
Guide.
List Superelement
The list superelement model consists of two superelements: Superelement 10 is the inboard wing and
Superelement 20 is the outboard wing as shown below:


Figure 16-3 List Superelements for 15 Degree Swept Wing Example
For List Superelements the aeroelastic entries remain the same, however, the structure is partitioned into
superelements with SESET entries and the corresponding entries necessary for Component Modes
Synthesis (refer to Dynamic Reduction – Component Modes Synthesis (Ch. 9) for more details on
Component Modes Synthesis in dynamic analysis). The required entries are shown below:
$ DATA ADDED FOR SUPERELEMENTS

$ PLACE I NBOARD SECTI ON I N S. E. 10
SESET 10 1 THRU 5
SESET 10 10 THRU 13
SESET 10 17 THRU 21
SESET 10 25 THRU 29
SESET 10 33 THRU 37
$ OUTBOARD SECTI ON I N S. E. 20
SESET 20 7 8 15 16 23 24 31
SESET 20 32 39 40
$ GRI D POI NTS 6, 14, 22, 30, 38 ARE BOUNDARY POI NTS, S. E. 0
$ GEN. COORDS FOR C. M. S.
SPOI NT, 1001, t hru, 1021 $ f or s e 10
SPOI NT, 2001, t hru, 2021 $ f or s e 20
SEQSET1, 10, 0, 1001, t hru, 1021
SEQSET1, 20, 0, 2001, t hru, 2021
Listing 16-2 Entries Necessary to Define Superelements with Component Modes Synthesis
for List Superelement Example (ref: /doc/seug/chapter16/ha145ss-seset.dat)
The VG, VF plots for the baseline model are shown below:

CHAPTER 16 801
Figure 16-4 V-G and V-F Plots for 3 Loops – List Superelement Model (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter16/ha145ss-seset.dat)
Guide.
PART Superelement
The Part superelement model consists of two superelements: Superelement 10 is the leading edge and
Superelement 20 is the trailing edge as shown below:


Figure 16-5 PART Superelements for 15 Degree Swept Wing Example
For PART Superelements the aeroelastic entries remain the same, with the exception of the SPLINE and
SET1 entries, which must be placed in the appropriate superelement. The superelements are placed into
their respective PART sections with BEGIN SUPER entries. The corresponding entries necessary for
Component Modes Synthesis are defined with SENQSET entries (refer to Dynamic Reduction –
Component Modes Synthesis (Ch. 9) for more details on Component Modes Synthesis in dynamic
analysis). The required entries are shown below:

CEND
TI TLE = EXAMPLE: HALF SPAN 15- DEG SWEPT UNTAPERED WI NG HA145SS2
SUBT = KE- METHOD FLUTTER ANALYSI S, DOUBLET- LATTI CE AERO
LABEL = WI NG BROKEN I NTO TWO PARTS
ECHO = BOTH
SDAMP = 2000
METHOD = 10 $
SVEC = ALL $ PRI NT VI BRATI ON MODES BROKEN. I N ALTER PACKAGE
DI SP = 100 $ WI TH PARAM, OPPHI A, PRI NTS PHYSI CAL DOF, AERO DOF MODES
PARAM, USETPRT, 0 $ PRI NT ALL USER SETS FOR DI AGNOSTI C PURPOSES
BEGI N BULK $ MAI N BULK $ $ $ $ SE 0
$ MODES FOR TOTAL STRUCTURE
EI GRL, 10, , , 15
$SENQSET, SEI D, N GENERALI ZED COORDS FOR COMPONENT MODE SYNTHESI S
SENQSET, 10, 21
SENQSET, 20, 21
TABDMP1 2000 +T2000

+T2000 0. 0 0. 01 1000. 0 0. 01 ENDT
MKAERO1 0. 45 +MK

CHAPTER 16 803
$ K1 K2 K3 ETC
+MK . 001 0. 10 0. 12 0. 14 0. 16 0. 20
?
FL UTTER 30 KE 1 2 3 L
$ SI D F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 $
FLFACT 1 0. 967
FLFACT 2 . 45 FLFACT 3 . 20000 . 16667 . 14286
$ N V1 V2
PARAM VREF 12. 0
AERO 0 2. 0706 1. 1092- 7 1
$ CUT THE CAERO1 I N HALF, PUT ONE PART I N SE 10, ANOTHER I N SE 20.
$CAERO1 101 1 0 6 4 1 +CA101
$ X1 Y1 Z1 X12 X4 Y4 Z4 X14
$+CA101 .0 .0 .0 2. 07055 1. 48044 5. 52510 0. 0 2. 07055
$ CAERO1 FOR SE 10, ROOT CHORDS CUT I N HALF , NCHORD HALVED
CAERO1 101 1 0 6 2 1
$ X1 Y1 Z1 X12 X4 Y4 Z4 X14
,.0 .0 .0 1. 03527 1. 48044 5. 52510 0. 0 1. 03527
$ CAERO1 FOR SE 20 X1 AT GRI D POI NT 17, X4 AT POI NT 24, ROOT CHORDS
$ CUT I N HALF, EI D CHANGED, NCHORD HALVED, SPLI NE CHANGED TO MATCH
CAERO1 201 1 0 6 2 1 +CA101
$ X1 Y1 Z1 X12 X4 Y4 Z4 X14
+CA101, 1. 03528 . 0 .0 1. 03527 2. 51572 5. 5251 0. 0 1. 03527
$ PI D B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6
PAERO1 1
$ THE SPLI NES ARE NOW I N THE SUPERELEMENTS
BEGIN SUPER=10 $
$ COMPONENT MODES FOR SE 10

EI GRL, 10, , , 15 $ USE THE MODERN METHOD
?
$ FOR SE 10, CHANGE BOX2 TO 112
$SPLINE1 100 101 101 124 100 .0
SPLI NE1 100 101 101 112 100 .0
SET1 100 2 4 6 8 9 11 13 +S1
+S1, 15 18 20 22 24 $ 25 27 29 +S2


BEGIN SUPER=20 $
$ COMPONENT MODES FOR SE 20

EI GRL, 10, , , 15
?
SPC1 1 12345 9
SPC1 1 12345 25
$SPC1 1 6 1 THRU 40
SPLINE1 200 201 201 212 100 .0
SET1, 100, 18 20 22 24 25 27 29 +S2
+S2 31 34 36 38 40
$ END OF SE 20 FI LE
ENDDATA
Listing 16-3 Entries Necessary to Define Superelements with Component Modes Synthesis
for PART Superelement Example (ref: /doc/seug/chapter16/ha145ss-part.dat)
Figure 16-6 V-G and V-F Plots for 3 Loops – PART Superelement Model (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter16/ha145ss-part.dat)

CHAPTER 16 805
Guide.
External Superelement
The external superelement example is a derivative of the PART superelement example; the geometry is
shown below:
Figure 16-7 External Superelements for 15 Degree Swept Wing Example
The external superelement models generate the modal solution only, and contain the physical boundary
points for the structural grids which will be splined to in the assembly solution. The assembly model
must also contain the aeroelastic models and spline to the exterior points of the external superelements.
In addition the aeroelastic mesh point set (the K-Set) must be manually mapped into the assembly
solution with PARAM,FIRSTKI . To obtain the dof map for the K-Set, the user must insert the
following parameters:
• PARAM,USETPRT,0 $ request dof map of the USET
• PARAM,OPGEOM,0 $ required if Aero dof are requested
• PARAM,USETSTR1,K $ request K-Set dof
Note that the user will not know the value of PARAM,FIRSTKI a priori so the first run will print out the
dof map from which FIRSTKI can be obtained.
The partial input for the reduction runs using the MATRIXDB method are shown below (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter16/reduce-leading.dat and reduce-trailing.dat):
assign master='reduce-leading103.master' delete
assign dball ='reduce-leading103.dball' delete
sol 103
CEND
TI TLE = EXAMPLE: HALF SPAN 15- DEG SWEPT UNTAPERED WI NG
LABEL = LEADI NG EDGE EXTERNAL REDUCTI ON


EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK=MANQ,EXTBULK,EXTID=10,MATDB)
subcase 1
METHOD = 10 $ CHANGED TO LANCZOS
DI SP( p l ot ) = al l

$ keep grids which will be splined in the assembly run
bndf i x1, 123456, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13

bndfi x1, 123456, 15, 18, 20, 22, 24
$ store component modes
spoi nt, 1001, t hru, 1021

qset 1, 0, 1001, t hr u, 1021
$ DON' T ALLOW UNUSED GEN. COORDS TO BE AUTOSPCD
SPCOFF1, 0, 1001, t hru, 1021
$EI GRL MI D, F1, F2, NDES
EI GRL, 10, , , 15
Listing 16-4 Leading Edge External Superelement Reduction Input File
assign master='reduce-trailing103.master' delete
assign dball ='reduce-trailing103.dball' delete
sol 103
CEND
LABEL = TRAI LI NG EDGE EXTERNAL REDUCTI ON
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK=MANQ,EXTBULK,EXTID=20,MATDB)
subcase 1
DI SP( p l ot ) = al l

$ keep grids which will be splined in the assembly run
bndfi x1, 123456, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 27

bndfi x1, 123456, 29, 31, 34, 36, 38, 40
$ store component modes
spoi nt, 2001, t hru, 2021

qset 1, 0, 2001, t hr u, 2021
$ DON' T ALLOW UNUSED GEN. COORDS TO BE AUTOSPCD

CHAPTER 16 807
SPCOFF1, 0, 2001, t hru, 2021

EI GRL, 10, , , 15
Listing 16-5 Trailing Edge External Superelement Reduction Input File
Note that SPCOFF is used to turn off autospc processing of the SPOINTs. Although not necessary in
this example, it demonstrates a method for retaining unused SPONTs for use in the assembly run if
desired.
The assembly run includes the entries necessary for attaching the external superelements as well as the
aeroelastic definition for the external superelements; that is the CAEROi entries from the external
superelement are copied to the assembly run. The internal sequence of the K-Set dof is a closed set
starting with 1. The lowest numbered CAEROi entries starts the internal sequence numbers, followed
by a set of numbers in the range NSPAN*NCORD-1 for the remaining points defined on the CAEROi
entries. The next lowered number CAEROi entry continues the internal sequence number of the K-Set.
To obtain the map the model must be run first to obtain the appropriate values for PARAM,FIRSTKI of
each superelement from the USET table.:
[ parameters def i ned i n the i nput f i l e]

PARAM, USETPRT, 0 $ r equest dof map of t he USET
PARAM, OPGEOM, 0 $ requi r ed i f Aer o dof ar e request ed
PARAM, USETSTR1, K $ request K- Set dof
[ corr espondi ng out put ]
EXAMPLE: HALF SPAN 15- DEG SWEPT UNTAPERED WI NG HA145SS2 J ULY 15, 2011 MD NASTRAN 12/ 15/ 10
KE- METHOD FLUTTER ANALYSI S, DOUBLET- LATTI CE AERO SUPERELEMENT 0

K DISPLACEMENT SET
-1- -2- - 3- -4- - 5- - 6- -7- -8- - 9- - 1 0-
1= 101-3 101- 5 102- 3 102- 5 103- 3 103- 5 104- 3 104- 5 105- 3 105- 5
11= 106- 3 106- 5 107- 3 107- 5 108- 3 108- 5 109- 3 109- 5 110- 3 110- 5
21= 111- 3 111- 5 112- 3 112- 5 201-3 201- 5 202- 3 202- 5 203- 3 203- 5
31= 204- 3 204- 5 205- 3 205- 5 206- 3 206- 5 207- 3 207- 5 208- 3 208- 5
Listing 16-6 USET Printout of K-Set dof Necessary to Define PARAM,FIRSTKI


The values of FIRSTKI are used to generate a partitioning vector that inserts the spline matrices of the
external superelements into the proper columns. After updating PARAM,FIRSTKI, the input file
becomes (ref: /doc/seug/chapter16/assemble.dat):
assi gn l eadM=' r educe- l eadi ng. mast er'

assi gn l eadD=' reduce-l eadi ng. dbal l '
assi gn t rai l M=' reduce-t rai l i ng. mast er'
assi gn tr ai l D=' reduce- tr ai l i ng. dbal l '
DBLOCATE DB=(EXTDB) CONVERT(SEID=10) LOGI=leadM $
DBLOCATE DB=(EXTDB) CONVERT(SEID=20) LOGI=trailM $

CEND
TI TLE = EXAMPLE: HALF SPAN 15- DEG SWEPT UNTAPERED WI NG HA145SS2
LABEL = ASSEMBLY MODEL
PARAM,USETPRT,0 $ request dof map of the USET
PARAM,OPGEOM,0 $ required if Aero dof are requested
PARAM,USETSTR1,K $ request K-Set dof
SDAMP = 2000
SVEC = ALL $ PRI NT VI BRATI ON MODES BROKEN. I N ALTER PACKAGE
DI SP = 100 $ WI TH PARAM, OPPHI A, PRI NTS PHYSI CAL DOF, AERO DOF MODES
OUTPUT ( XYOUT)
CSCALE 2. 0
PLOTTER NASTRAN
CURVELI NESYMBOL = 6
YTTI TLE = DAMPI NG G
YBTI TLE = FREQUENCY F Hz
XTI TLE = VELOCI TY V ( FT/ S)
XTGRI D LI NES = YES
XBGRI D LI NES = YES
YTGRI D LI NES = YES
YBGRI D LI NES = YES
UPPER TI CS = -1
TRI GHT TI CS = - 1
BRI GHT TI CS = - 1
XYPLOT VG / 1(G, F) 2(G, F) 3(G, F)
BEGI N super $ MAI N BULK $ $ $ $ SE 0


CHAPTER 16 809

EI GRL, 10, , , 15
PARAM GRDPNT 17
PARAM KDAMP -1
TABDMP1 2000 +T2000
+T2000 0. 0 0. 01 1000. 0 0. 01 ENDT
MKAERO1 0. 45 +MK
$ K1 K2 K3 ETC
+MK . 001 0. 10 0. 12 0. 14 0. 16 0. 20
PARAM LMODES 4
FL UTTER 30 KE 1 2 3 L
$ SI D F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 $
FLFACT 1 0. 967 DENSI TY
FL FACT 2 . 45 MACH NO
FLFACT, 3 . 20000 . 16667 . 14286
$ N V1 V2
PARAM VREF 12. 0
AERO 0 2. 0706 1. 1092- 7 1
$ CUT THE CAERO1 I N HALF, PUT ONE PART I N SE 10, ANOTHER I N SE 20.
$CAERO1 101 1 0 6 4 1 +CA101
$ X1 Y1 Z1 X12 X4 Y4 Z4 X14
$+CA101 .0 .0 .0 2. 07055 1. 48044 5. 52510 0. 0 2. 07055
$ CAERO1 FOR SE 10, ROOT CHORDS CUT I N HALF , NCHORD HALVED
CAERO1 101 1 0 6 2 1
$ X1 Y1 Z1 X12 X4 Y4 Z4 X14
, .0 .0 .0 1. 03527 1. 48044 5. 52510 0. 0 1. 03527
$ CAERO1 FOR SE 20 X1 AT GRI D POI NT 17, X4 AT POI NT 24, ROOT CHORDS
$ CUT I N HALF, EI D CHANGED, NCHORD HALVED, SPLI NE CHANGED TO MATCH
CAERO1 201 1 0 6 2 1 +CA101
$ X1 Y1 Z1 X12 X4 Y4 Z4 X14
+CA101, 1. 03528 . 0 .0 1. 03527 2. 51572 5. 5251 0. 0 1. 03527
$ PI D B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6
PAERO1 1
$ include the upstream assembly data
i ncl ude ' r educe-l eadi ng. asm'


i ncl ude ' reduce- t rai l i ng. asm'
$ include the .pch files
i ncl ude ' reduce- l eadi ng. pch'

param,firstki,1
i ncl ude ' reduce- tr ai l i ng. pch'

param,firstki,25
Listing 16-7 External Superelement Assembly Model for Aeroelasticity Example
Figure 16-8 V-G and V-F Plots for 3 Loops – External Superelement Model (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter16/assemble.dat)
For more details on XYPLOT commands, refer to CHAPTER 19 and the Quick Reference Guide.
1.

Chapter 17: Considerations in Nonlinear and Buckling Analysis

17 Considerations in Nonlinear and

Buckling Analysis
 Introduction
 Superelement Limitations in Nonlinear and Buckling Analysis
 Applying Loads on Upstream Superelements in Nonlinear Statics
 Practical Buckling Example – Isolating and Individual Panel
 Superelements in Heat Transfer


Introduction
Introduction
Superelements can be used in nonlinear and buckling analysis, however, there are several characteristics
that must be considered to ensure a good solution. For instance, in contact analysis which is otherwise
linear, a superelement approach can provide an efficient and accurate solution. However, a very flexible
structure that requires large displacements is not a good candidate for superelements because the
upstream superelement remains small displacement and the coordinate frames are not updated for the
large displacements at the boundary. Even with its limitations, there are many applications for
superelements in nonlinear and buckling analysis. The remaining sections in the chapter are intended to
highlight the limitations and practical applications when using superelements in nonlinear and buckling
analysis

CHAPTER 17 813
Considerations in Nonlinear and Bucklin g Analysis
Superelement Limitations in Nonlinear and Buckling

Analysis
The following list describes the important limitations of upstream superelements in nonlinear analysis;
these limitations do not apply to the residual structure.
• Superelements are small displacement
• Superelements have differential stiffness and follower force effects**
• Superelements have linear material properties
• Superelements cannot be used in contact analysis
• Superelements are linear in heat transfer analysis
** Differential stiffness is a stress-stiffening effect. For example, tightening a guitar string will increase
its frequency because of the stress-stiffening effect. Follower force stiffness is formulated from pressure
loads. Adding air to a soccer ball will increase its stiffness from both the stress-stiffening and follower
force effects. Neither of these events involves large displacements, so the nonlinearity caused by the
differential stiffness from higher stress and/or loading. The differential stiffness calculation is controlled
by PARAM,LGDISP and the follower force stiffness is controlled by PARAM,FOLLOWK . The table
found in Differential Stiffness and Follower Force Stiffness in Linear and Nonlinear Solution Sequences
(Ch. 13) in the MD Nastran Reference Manual shows the nonlinear effects included for the residual
structure in traditional nonlinear static (SOL 106) and normal modes (SOL 103). For completeness, the
table is repeated below and expanded to show the differences between the residual structure and
upstream superelements.
Table 17-1 Effect of PARAM,LGDISP and FOLLOWK on the Element Force and Stiffness Matrices in
SOL 1##
Restart fro m
SOL 106, SOL
400 SOL 1## Cold
Parameters Nonlinear Statics Perturbation Start Using
SOL 106 or SOL 400 STEP STATSUB
Residual Structure
LGDISP FOLLOWK Nonlinear Stiffness Stiffness Stiffness
Element Force
-1 YES l+M+Fs+C l+M+Fs+C l+M+Fs+C l+D+Fs
-1 NO l+M+C l+M+C l+M+C l+D
0 YES l+M+Fs+C l+M+Fs+C l+M+Fs+C l+D+Fs
0 NO l+M+C l+M+C l+M+C l+D
1 YES l+M+G+Fl+C l+M+G+Fl+C l+M+G+Fl+C l+D+Fs
1 NO l+M+G+Fl+C l+M+G+Fl+C l+M+G+Fl+C l+D


Superelement Limitations in Nonlinear and Buckling Analysis
Table 17-1 Effect of PARAM,LGDISP and FOLLOWK on the Element Force and Stiffness Matrices in
SOL 1##
Restart fr om
SOL 106, SOL
400 SOL 1## Cold
Parameters Nonlinear Statics Perturbation Start Usin g
SOL 106 or SOL 400 STEP STATSUB
2 YES l+M+G+C l+M+G+C l+M+G+C l+D
2 NO l+M+G+C l+M+G+C l+M+G+C l+D
Upstream Superelements
-1 YES l+Fs l+Fs l+Fs l+D+Fs
-1 NO l l L L
0 YES l+D+Fs l+D+Fs l+D+Fs l+D+Fs
0 NO l+D l+D l+D l+D
1 YES l+D+Fs l+D+Fs l+D+Fs l+D+Fs
1 NO l+D+Fs l+D+Fs l+D+Fs l+D
2 YES l+D l+D l+D l+D
2 NO l+D l+D l+D l+D
Where:
l = Linear Contribution to Element Stiffness or Force
M = Material Nonlinear Contribution to Element Stiffness or Force

G = Differential Stiffness and Geometric Nonlinear Contribution to Element Stress or Stiffness with
Large Displacement
D = Differential Stiffness Contribution to Element Stiffness with Small Displacement
Fl = Follower Force Contribution to Element Stiffness or Force with Large Displacement
Fs = Follower Force Contribution to Element Stiffness or Force with Small Displacement
C = Contact Contribution to Element Stiffness or Force

SOL 1## = SOL 103, 105, 107 through 112, 115, and 116
Perturbation STEP = SOL 400 perturbation step. The perturbation analysis type is specified by
ANALYSIS = case control and will be based on the total stiffness of previous STEP. Refer to the Quick
Reference Guide ANALYSIS case control command for more details.
Differential stiffness is not calculated for SOL 129, Nonlinear Transient.

CHAPTER 17 815
PARAM,SEKD can be used to control the calculation of the upstream superelement differential

stiffness matrix. The behavior of PARAM,SEKD is shown below:
• PARAM,SEKD,RSONLY – calculate the differential stiffness for the residual structure only.
Default in SOL 106
• PARAM,SEKD,ALL – calculate and reduce the differential stiffness for all superelements and
the residual structure. Default for solutions using STATSUB and SOL 400
Note that even though superelements can calculate differential stiffness and follower force, the matrices
are reduced to the boundary using static condensation. As with dynamic analysis, the static condensation
of the differential stiffness is approximate (and quite poor). But unlike dynamic analysis, there is no
correction that can be applied to the differential stiffness reduction. (Refer to Dynamic Reduction –
Component Modes Synthesis (Ch. 9) for details on dynamic corrections to static condensation.) This
limitation will be shown by demonstration in the following subsection.
Buckling Example Showing Poor App roximation for

Superelements
Consider the simple model below:
Figure 17-1 Model for Buckling Comparison, Non-Superelement Baseline


A detailed description of linear buckling can be found in the Linear Buckling (Ch. 13) in the MSC Nastran
Linear Static Analysis User’s Guide. The Patran setup for a buckling analysis is straight forward. The
mesh, loads, boundary conditions, and properties are set up the same as for a linear static analysis. In the
analysis form, the Solution Type is set to BUCKLING and the Eigenvalue Extraction parameters can be
adjusted as desired – in this case there will be 5 buckling modes extracted. The corresponding analysis
forms are shown below:
Figure 17-2 Patran Setup for Buckling Analysis (non-superelement)
The resulting MSC.Nastran input file includes a static subcase and a buckling subcase for SOL 105 (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter17//euler-buckling/euler-baseline.bdf):
SOL 105
CEND
TI TLE = Eul er Buckl i ng Exampl e
LABEL = basel i ne model , 5 modes
ECHO = NONE
$[ l i near st ati c subcase]
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t

CHAPTER 17 817
SPC = 2
LOAD = 2
$[buckling Eigenvalue extraction subcase]
SUBCASE 2
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
SPC = 2
METHOD = 1
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EIGRL 1 5 0

SPCADD 2 1
LOAD 2 1. 1. 1
SPC1 1 123456 1 12
$ Nodal For ces of Load Set : uni t - f orce
FORCE 1 11 0 .5 - 1. 0. 0.
FORCE 1 22 0 .5 - 1. 0. 0.
ENDDATA
Listing 17-1 Input File for Simple Buckling Example, Non-Superelement Baseline
The Eigenvalues from the .f06 file:
1 1 2. 071765E+01 4. 551664E+00 7. 244198E- 01 1. 233934E- 01 2. 556421E+00
2 2 1. 899995E+02 1. 378403E+01 2. 193797E+00 2. 759804E- 01 5. 243616E+01
3 3 5. 479133E+02 2. 340755E+01 3. 725427E+00 7. 309979E- 01 4. 005234E+02
4 4 1. 135065E+03 3. 369073E+01 5. 362046E+00 1. 369900E+00 1. 554926E+03
5 5 2. 014948E+03 4. 488817E+01 7. 144174E+00 2. 212539E+00 4. 458150E+03
Listing 17-2 Eigenvalues for Simple Buckling Example, Non-Superelement Baseline
The first 5 buckling modes for this model run as a residual-only solution are shown below:


Figure 17-3 Buckling Mode Shapes for Simple Buckling Example, Non-Superelement
Baseline
To understand the behavior in Superelement analysis, the model is broken into one upstream
superelement and the residual structure as shown below:
Figure 17-4 Model for Buckling Comparison, Superelement Model

CHAPTER 17 819
In Patran, the Analysis Forms for Buckling are set up as shown in Figure 17-2, and the superelements are
selected as shown below. For a more comprehensive example of setting up superelements in Patran, refer
to Section 2.4 for List Superelements and Defining PART Superelements (Ch. 2). This example shows
the setup for List Superelements:
Figure 17-5 Selecting Superelements in the Analysis Form (SESET)
The resulting MSC.Nastran input file includes a static subcase and a buckling subcase for SOL 105 as
well as the SESET entries for the superelement definition (ref: /doc/seug/chapter17/euler-
buckling/euler-seset.bdf):
SOL 105
CEND
TI TLE = Eul er Buckl i ng Exampl e
LABEL = SESET model , 5 modes


ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
SPC = 2
LOAD = 2
SUBCASE 2
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
SPC = 2
METHOD = 1
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 5 0
$ SEID.10
SESET 10 5 THRU 11
SESET 10 16 THRU 22
SPCADD 2 1
LOAD 2 1. 1. 1
SPC1 1 123456 1 12
$ Nodal For ces of Load Set : uni t - f orce
FORCE 1 11 0 .5 - 1. 0. 0.
FORCE 1 22 0 .5 - 1. 0. 0.
ENDDATA
Listing 17-3 Input File for Simple Buckling Example, Superelement Model (SESET)
The SEMAP and Eigenvalues from the .f06 file:

( SORTED BY SEI D)


CHAPTER 17 821


SUPEREL EMENT 10
LI ST OF I NTERI OR GRI D POI NTS ( TOTAL NO. OF I NTERI OR POI NTS =
14
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 16 17 18
11 19 20 21 22
SUPEREL EMENT 10
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 4 15
SUPEREL EMENT 10
I NDEX - 1- - 2- - 3- - 4- - 5- - 6- - 7- - 8- - 9- - 1 0-
1 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 1 3. 486207E+01 5. 904411E+00 9. 397162E- 01 3. 437209E+00 1. 198282E+02
2 2 1. 106771E+03 3. 326817E+01 5. 294793E+00 4. 191993E- 01 4. 639576E+02
3 3 3. 471879E+03 5. 892265E+01 9. 377831E+00 3. 313379E+00 1. 150365E+04
4 4 5. 328743E+03 7. 299824E+01 1. 161803E+01 2. 008431E+00 1. 070241E+04
5 5 1. 061742E+04 1. 030409E+02 1. 639947E+01 2. 959141E+00 3. 141845E+04
Listing 17-4 SEMAP and Eigenvalues for Simple Buckling Example, Superelement Model
(SESET)
The first 5 buckling modes for this model run as a superelement solution are shown below:


Figure 17-6 Buckling Mode Shapes for Simple Buckling Example, Superelement Model
(SESET)
The reader will note a significant difference in the Eigenvalues as summarized in the table below:
Table 17-2 Comparison of Simple Buckling Example Eigenvalues for Non-Superelement

and Superelement Solutions
Non-Superelement
Mode Number Eigenvalue Superelement Eigenvalue
1 2.071765E+01 3.486207E+01
2 1.899995E+02 1.106771E+03
3 5.479133E+02 3.471879E+03
4 1.135065E+03 5.328743E+03
5 2.014948E+03 1.061742E+04
So why are the Eigenvalues and Mode Shapes so different? The answer is that the differential stiffness
reduction for the superelement is based on static condensation (refer to Dynamic Reduction – Component
Modes Synthesis (Ch. 9) for a detailed theoretical discussion of static condensation.) In dynamic
analysis static condensation is augmented with component modes synthesis to account for the dynamic
mass (refer to Dynamic Reduction – Component Modes Synthesis (Ch. 9) for a detailed theoretical
discussion of component modes synthesis). There is no similar theory to augment the differential
stiffness static condensation.

CHAPTER 17 823
The following observations are made for this simple example of superelement reduction in linear
buckling analysis:
• The Eigenvalues are significantly different for the superelement solution because of the loss of
fidelity when differential stiffness is condensed to the boundary using static condensation
• The Eigenvectors (mode shapes) of the Superelement are not flexible (i.e. rigid) – the angle of
the rigid superelement buckling modes are based on the rotational dof at the boundary.
• The Buckling Eigenvectors are normalized to 1.0 for the A-Set of the residual structure. If the
superelement boundary rotations are large, the Eigenvector for the superelement can be larger
than 1.0
Additionally, the same solution for the superelement case can be obtained by placing the dof in the
residual structure into the ASET for non-superelement model (ref: /doc/seug/chapter17/euler-aset.dat)
So does this mean that superelements have no place in linear buckling analysis? By all means, no. There
are many cases where the objective of the analysis is to obtain the buckling of a specific region of the
structure. The use of superelements will pass the linear stiffness and loads. The effect of the linear
stiffness provides a more realistic boundary condition rather than assuming a fixed or simply supported
boundary condition. The user must use caution and engineering judgment to determine the location and
size of the superelement in relation to the analysis objective. Section 17.4 will examine a case where
superelements can be used to isolate the buckling loads of an individual panel.


Applying Loads on Upstream Superelements in Nonlinear Statics
Applying Loads on Upstream Superelements in

Nonlinear Statics
MSC.Nastran offers two nonlinear static solutions: SOL 106 and SOL 400 with
ANALYSIS =NLSTATIC. Both solutions provide the nonlinear capabilities of large displacement,
differential stiffness, follower force stiffness, material nonlinear, and contact. SOL 106 is limited to
small strain theory and contact with CGAP and slidelines. SOL 106 is not under active development.
SOL 400 offers nonlinear capabilities of large displacement, differential stiffness, follower force
stiffness, material nonlinear (including large strain), and contact. SOL 400 contact is general body-to-
body contact and offers many ease-of-use capabilities with respect to contact setup and solution. SOL
400 also has advanced convergence schemes and advanced nonlinear formulations.
The method that superelements are implemented in SOL 106 and SOL 400 is similar as far as List
Superelements and PART Superelements with the exception of defining the loading on the upstream
superelement. Currently neither of the nonlinear static solutions support external superelements. The
following subsections describe the differences in applying loads to the upstream superelements for each
solution.
Superelement Loading in SOL 106

The case control for SOL 106 nonlinear statics is the same as the case control for linear statics with one
exception: static loads on upstream superelements cannot be directly referenced by the LOAD case
control command. Instead, the combinations of interior loads on upstream superelements must be
combined with the CLOAD / LOADSET / LSEQ commands.
To apply loads in a SOL 106 nonlinear static analysis, the LOADSET, CLOAD, TEMP, and LOAD Case
Control commands are used in conjunction with the LSEQ and CLOAD bulk data entries along with
typical static load entries (FORCE, PLOAD4, TEMP, etc.).
LSEQ Static Load Set Definition
Defines a sequence of static or thermal load sets.

Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
LSEQ LSID EXCITEID LID TID
Example:
LSEQ 99 105 1 55

CHAPTER 17 825
Field Contents
LSID Load Set Identification number
EXCITEID The EXCITEID set identification number of the static load vector – Links to
EXCITEID on RLOADi or TLOADi entries
LID Load set identification number of a set of static load entries
TID Temperature set identification number of a set of thermal load entries
CLOAD Static Load Combination for Superelement Loads (Superposition)
Defines a static load as a linear combination of previously calculated superelement loads defined by the
LSEQ entry in nonlinear static analysis (SOLs 106 or 153).
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
CLOAD SID Scale Scale1 EXCITID1 Scale2 EXCITID2 Scale3 EXCITID3
Scale4 EXCITID4 -etc.-
Example:
CLOAD 25 1.0 25.0 10 -1.0 101 2.2 604

-62.0 62
Field Contents
SID Load set identification number selected with CLOAD case control
Scale Overall Scale Factor
Scalei Individual Scale Factors applied to EXCITIDi
EXCITIDi EXCITID number on LSEQ Entry


To demonstrate the loading required for upstream superelements in SOL 106, the following model and
loading will be used:
Figure 17-7 Model Used to Demonstrate Superelement Loading in SOL 106
Figure 17-8 Uniform Pressure Loading (Loading 1)

CHAPTER 17 827
Figure 17-9 Lateral Loading on Superelement Node Only (Loading 2)
Note: Patran does not support LOADSET / LSEQ / CLOAD, so the entries must be added
manually. The following listings demonstrate the entries required
SOL 106
CEND
TI TLE = nonl i near l oad exampl e
LABEL = 2 Loads
ECHO = NONE
LOADSET=999
par am, sekd, al l

SUBCASE 1
$ Subcase name : t wo- l oad
SUBTI TLE=t wo- l oad
NLPARM = 1
SPC = 2
CLOAD=555
LOAD = 2
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM AUTOSPC NO
PARAM LGDI SP 1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES


NLPARM 1 10 I TER 1 25 NO
$ SEI D. 10
SESET 10 5 THRU 11
SESET 10 16 THRU 22
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . CONT
$LSEQ LSEQI D EXCI TI D LOAD TEMP
LSEQ 999 101 1
LSEQ 999 201 3
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . CONT
$CLOAD CLOADI D Scal e Scal e1 EXCI T1 Scal e2 EXCI T2 .. .
CLOAD 555 1. 0 1. 0 101 1. 201
$ Loads f or Load Case : t wo- l oad

SPCADD 2 1
LOAD 2 1. 1. 1 1. 3
SPC1 1 123456 1 12
$ Nodal For ces of Load Set : f orce- l at
FORCE 1 11 0 20. 0. 1. 0.
$ Pr essure Loads of Load Set : pressur e
PLOAD4 3 1 -.1 THRU 10
ENDDATA
Listing 17-5 SOL 106 CLOAD Example for List Superelements (SESET) – (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter17/cload/sol-106/nlstat-106-cload-seset.bdf)
SOL 106
CEND
LABEL = 2 Loads
ECHO = NONE
LOADSET=999
par am, sekd, al l

SUBCASE 1
$ Subcase name : t wo- l oad
NLPARM = 1
SPC = 2
CLOAD=555
LOAD = 2

CHAPTER 17 829

BEGI N BULK
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . CONT
LSEQ 999 101 1
LSEQ 999 201 3
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . CONT
CLOAD 555 1. 0 1. 0 101 1. 201

SPCADD 2 1
LOAD 2 1. 1. 1
SPC1 1 123456 1 12
$ Pr essure Loads of Load Set : pressure
$
$
BEGI N SUPER = 10
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . CONT
LSEQ 999 101 1
LSEQ 999 201 3
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . CONT
CLOAD 555 1. 0 1. 0 101 1. 201

LOAD 2 1. 1. 1 1. 3
FORCE 1 11 0 20. 0. 1. 0.
PL OAD4 3 4 -.1 THRU 10
ENDDATA
Listing 17-6 SOL 106 CLOAD Example for List Superelements (SESET) – (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter17/cload/sol-106/nlstat-106-cload-part.bdf


The following table compares the results of the baseline (ref: /doc/seug/chapter17/ cload/sol-106/nlstat-
106-baseline.bdf) and the List and PART Superelement solutions:
Table 17-3 Comparison of SOL 106 Results (non-superelement, List superelement, and
PART superelement)
File Displacement (grid 22)
nlstat-106-baseline.bdf -8.123199E-03 8.082805E-02 -1.706316E-01
nlstat-106-cload-seset.bdf -6.134006E-03 8.042346E-02 -1.558430E-01
nlstat-106-cload-part.bdf -6.134010E-03 8.042353E-02 -1.558490E-01
The effect of the linear behavior of the superelements accounts for the difference in results of the
superelement solutions compared to the non-superelement solution.
Superelement Loading in SOL 400

The load definition for nonlinear static analysis in SOL 400 does not require the LOADSET / LSEQ /
CLOAD entries which greatly simplifies the input. The equivalent SOL 400 input files for the model in
the previous subsection are shown below (ref: /doc/seug/chapter17/sol-400/nlstat-400-baseline.bdf,
nlstat-400-seset.bdf, and nlstat-400-part.bdf).
SOL 400
CEND
LABEL = 2 Loads
SUBCASE 1
STEP 1
ANALYSI S = NLSTATI C
NLPARM = 1
SPC = 2
LOAD = 2
BEGI N BULK
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
PARAM LGDI SP 1
NLPARM 1 I TER 1 25 UPW NO

CHAPTER 17 831
$ SEI D. 10
SESET 10 5 THRU 11
SESET 10 16 THRU 22
SPCADD 2 1
LOAD 2 1. 1. 1 1. 3

SPC1 1 123456 1 12
FORCE 1 11 0 20. 0. 1. 0.
ENDDATA
Listing 17-7 SOL 400 List Superelement Loading Example
SOL 400
CEND
LABEL = 2 Loads
SUBCASE 1
STEP 1
ANALYSI S = NLSTATI C
NLPARM = 1
SPC = 2
LOAD = 2

BEGI N BULK
PARAM AUTOSPC NO
PARAM LGDI SP 1
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
NLPARM 1 10 I TER 1 25 NO

SPCADD 2 1
LOAD 2 1. 1. 1


SPC1 1 123456 1 12
$
$
BEGIN SUPER = 10

LOAD 2 1. 1. 1 1. 3

FORCE 1 11 0 20. 0. 1. 0.
ENDDATA
Listing 17-8 SOL 400 PART Superelement Loading Example
The following table compares the results of baseline, List, and PART Superelement solutions:
Table 17-4 Comparison of SOL 400 Results (non-superelement, List superelement, and
PART superelement)
File Displacement (grid 22)
nlstat-400-baseline.bdf -8.122266E-03 8.082759E-02 -1.705937E-01
nlstat-400-seset.bdf -6.134018E-03 8.042407E-02 -1.557857E-01
nlstat-400-part.bdf -6.134018E-03 8.042407E-02 -1.557857E-01
The effect of the linear behavior of the superelements accounts for the difference in results of the
superelement solutions compared to the non-superelement solution.

CHAPTER 17 833
Practical Buckling Example – Isolating and Individual

Panel
There are many cases where the buckling of a local structure is the objective of the analysis. In this case,
the overall buckling modes and/or buckling in adjacent or remote components is superfluous to the
analysis at hand and adds complication, computational time, and potential confusion. However, the
influence of the stiffness and loads from adjacent structure is necessary to characterize the loads and
stress in the structure of interest. Of course, this assumes that the buckling in adjacent or remote
components does not significantly affect the load path or stress in the local component of interest.
Consider the structure and loading shown below:
Figure 17-10 Example Model for Superelement Buckling Analysis
The loading on the model will put the top skin into compression. Since the panels are of similar size and
have a similar compressive loading, there will be many local panel modes. The input file for the baseline


Practical Buckling Example – Isolating and Individual Panel
solution contains the appropriate bulk data and case control to extract buckling modes in linear buckling
analysis, SOL 105 (ref: /doc/seug/chapter17/torquebox/torquebox-s105-compression.bdf)
SOL 105
CEND
TI TLE = Tor que Box Buckl i ng Exampl e
LABEL = Basel i ne Model , no super el ement s
ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=St at i c Load
SPC = 2
LOAD = 2

subcase 2
SUBTI TLE = Buckl i ng Subcase
SPC=2
METHOD=105
BEGI N BULK
ei gr l , 105, - . 001, , 125
PARAM POST 0

SPCADD 2 1 3 4
LOAD 2 1. 1. 1
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : Dy
SPC1 1 2 1 13 25 37 49 61
799 811 823 835 847 859 1597 1609
1621 1633 1645 1657 2287 2299 2311 2323
2335 2347 3085 3097 3109 3121 3133 3145
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : Dx
SPC1 3 1 1597 1609 1621 1633 1645 1657
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : Dz
SPC1 4 3 1 61 799 859 1597 1657
2287 2347 3085 3145
SPC1 4 3 3884 THRU 3890
SPC1 4 3 3929 THRU 3935
SPC1 4 3 3938 THRU 3945

CHAPTER 17 835
SPC1 4 3 3988 THRU 3995

SPC1 4 3 3998 THRU 4007
SPC1 4 3 4058 THRU 4067
SPC1 4 3 4070 THRU 4080
SPC1 4 3 4135 THRU 4145
$ Nodal Forces of Load Set : Fz
FORCE 1 18213 0 1000. 0. 0. 1.
Listing 17-9 Torque Box Buckling Input File – Baseline Model, No Superelements
The first buckling mode is a local mode near the root of the structure; the panel of interest does not
participate in the buckling shape until modes 12 and 13.
Figure 17-11 Torque Box Buckling Mode Shapes – Baseline Model, No Superelements
The Eigenvalues are tightly spaced:
TORQUE BOX BUCKLI NG EXAMPLE

BASELI NE MODEL, NO SUPERELEMENTS
MODE EXTRACTI ON EI GENVALUE RADI ANS CYCLES
NO. ORDER
1 1 2. 553760E- 01 5. 053474E- 01 8. 042854E- 02
2 2 2. 693821E- 01 5. 190203E- 01 8. 260464E- 02
3 3 2. 981671E- 01 5. 460469E- 01 8. 690605E- 02
4 4 3. 057869E- 01 5. 529800E- 01 8. 800950E- 02
5 5 3. 188613E- 01 5. 646781E- 01 8. 987130E- 02
6 6 3. 197662E- 01 5. 654787E- 01 8. 999872E- 02


7 7 3. 331849E- 01 5. 772218E- 01 9. 186769E- 02

8 8 3. 340883E- 01 5. 780037E- 01 9. 199215E- 02
9 9 3. 522315E- 01 5. 934910E- 01 9. 445702E- 02
10 10 3. 534917E- 01 5. 945517E- 01 9. 462584E- 02
11 11 3. 685873E- 01 6. 071139E- 01 9. 662517E- 02
12 12 3.730561E-01 6. 107832E- 01 9. 720916E- 02
13 13 3.976341E-01 6. 305823E- 01 1. 003603E- 01
14 14 4. 059001E- 01 6. 371029E- 01 1. 013981E- 01
15 15 4. 127828E- 01 6. 424818E- 01 1. 022542E- 01
16 16 4. 268000E- 01 6. 532993E- 01 1. 039758E- 01
17 17 4. 271918E- 01 6. 535991E- 01 1. 040235E- 01
18 18 4. 340169E- 01 6. 587996E- 01 1. 048512E- 01
19 19 4. 425279E- 01 6. 652277E- 01 1. 058743E- 01
20 20 4. 447321E- 01 6. 668824E- 01 1. 061376E- 01
Listing 17-10 Torque Box Buckling Eigenvalues – Baseline Model, No Superelements
Note that a large number of Eigenvalues are extracted in order to ensure that the buckling modes
associated with the panel of interest are calculated.
Next, the model is solved with List Superelements (SESET). In this example, the panel of interest is
retained in the residual structure and the remainder of the model is place in a superelement as shown
below:
Figure 17-12 Torque Box Buckling Example – List Superelement (SESET) Model

CHAPTER 17 837
SOL 105
CEND
TI TLE = Tor que Box Buckl i ng Exampl e
LABEL = Li st Superel ement Model
ECHO = NONE
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=St at i c Load
SPC = 2
LOAD = 2

subcase 2
SUBTI TLE = Buckl i ng Subcase
SPC=2
METHOD=105
BEGI N BULK
ei gr l , 105, - . 001, , 10
SESET 1 1 THRU 72
SESET 1 74 THRU 85
SESET 1 87 THRU 98
SESET 1 18202 THRU 18213

SPCADD 2 1 3 4
LOAD 2 1. 1. 1
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : Dy
SPC1 1 2 1 13 25 37 49 61
799 811 823 835 847 859 1597 1609
1621 1633 1645 1657 2287 2299 2311 2323
2335 2347 3085 3097 3109 3121 3133 3145


$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : Dx

SPC1 3 1 1597 1609 1621 1633 1645 1657
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : Dz
SPC1 4 3 1 61 799 859 1597 1657
2287 2347 3085 3145
SPC1 4 3 3884 THRU 3890
SPC1 4 3 3929 THRU 3935
SPC1 4 3 3938 THRU 3945
SPC1 4 3 3988 THRU 3995
SPC1 4 3 3998 THRU 4007
SPC1 4 3 4058 THRU 4067
SPC1 4 3 4070 THRU 4080
SPC1 4 3 4135 THRU 4145
$ Nodal Forces of Load Set : Fz
FORCE 1 18213 0 1000. 0. 0. 1.
Listing 17-11 Torque Box Buckling Input File – List Superelement (SESET) Model
The results of the buckling analysis are shown below:
Figure 17-13 Torque Box Buckling Shapes – List Superelement (SESET) Model
TORQUE BOX BUCKLI NG EXAMPLE

LI ST SUPERELEMENT MODEL
MODE EXTRACTI ON EI GENVALUE RADI ANS CYCLES
NO. ORDER
1 1 3. 723077E- 01 6. 101702E- 01 9. 711160E- 02
2 2 3. 970236E- 01 6. 300981E- 01 1. 002832E- 01
3 3 6. 074531E- 01 7. 793928E- 01 1. 240442E- 01
4 4 7. 777352E- 01 8. 818929E- 01 1. 403576E- 01
5 5 1. 005842E+00 1. 002917E+00 1. 596191E- 01

CHAPTER 17 839
6 6 1. 023911E+00 1. 011885E+00 1. 610465E- 01

7 7 1. 147565E+00 1. 071245E+00 1. 704939E- 01
8 8 1. 337936E+00 1. 156692E+00 1. 840932E- 01
9 9 1. 446782E+00 1. 202822E+00 1. 914351E- 01
10 10 1. 630566E+00 1. 276936E+00 2. 032307E- 01
Listing 17-12 Torque Box Buckling Eigenvalues – List Superelement (SESET) Model
A comparison of the modes associated with the panel of interest is shown below:
Table 17-5 Torque Box Buckling Eigenvalues – Comparison of Full Model with List
Superelement Model
Full Model Superelement Model
Mode Number Eigenvalue Mode Number Eigenvalue
12 .373 1 .372
13 .398 2 .397
43 .613 3 .607
The results for this model indicate that superelements are a good approach for isolating the local buckling
modes of a structural component. HOWEVER, the suitability of superelements for isolating a
component are dependent upon the structure and its surrounding support structure. The practitioner must
consider the suitability of superelements for his situation. It may be that the residual structure should
include more elements than the component of interest. The superelement approach does provide the
advantage of providing the back-up stiffness of adjacent structure which is generally more accurate than
using assumed boundary conditions (i.e. simply supported or fixed) that are used in local break-out
models with applied loads or enforced displacements.
So why would one want to use superelements in buckling analysis?
• Isolate structure or component of interest
• Easier to identify buckling modes associated with the component of interest
• Optimization – easier to identify the mode is calculated for the component of interest when
applying optimization constraints.


Superelements in Heat Transfer

Superelements have very limited applicability in nonlinear solutions (SOL 153 and SOL 159), but they
can be effectively utilized in linear heat transfer analysis (SOL 101 with ANALYSIS =HEAT).
Patran supports heat transfer by changing the analysis preference to “Thermal”
Figure 17-14 Setting Thermal Analysis Preference in Patran
The example file used for this section is a chip on a circuit board connected with pins as shown below:
Figure 17-15 Geometry for Thermal Analysis Example Problem

CHAPTER 17 841
The boundary conditions for this model include a constant temperature of 20º on the bottom of the board
and a heat flux of 500 applied to the central element on the top of the chip.
The baseline input file is:
SOL 101
APP HEAT
CEND
ANALYSI S = HEAT
TI TLE = Heat Tr ansf er Exampl e Pr obl em
LABEL = Basel i ne Model , No Super el ements
ECHO = NONE
par am, post , 0
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
SPC = 1
LOAD = 200
THERMAL( SORT1, PRI NT) =ALL
FLUX( SORT1, PRI NT) =ALL
BEGI N BULK
$ Mater i al Recor d : pwb
MAT4 1 .6
$ El ement s and El ement Proper t i es f or r egi on : pwb
PSOLI D 1 1 0
PELAS 1 0. 44
$ El ement s and El ement Propert i es f or r egi on : chi p
PSOLI D 2 2 0

$ Fi xed Temperat ur es of Load Set : t empbc
SPC 1 244 1 20. 245 1 20.
SPC 1 246 1 20. 247 1 20.
$ Normal Heat Fl ux of Load Set : f l ux

$ CHBDYG Sur f ace El ement s
QHBDY, 200, AREA4, 500. 0, , 202, 203, 212, 211
ENDDATA
Listing 17-13 Non Superelement Heat Transfer Model (ref: /seug/chapter17/heat-

transfer/heat-xfer-baseline.dat)
The solution temperatures are:


Figure 17-16 Temperature Contour for Heat Transfer Example Problem
The chip and the connectors are separated into superelements as shown in the figure below:
The List Superelement example is created by using BEGIN SUPER in conjunction with SEELT to define
the list associated with each superelement:
SOL 101
APP HEAT
CEND
ANALYSI S = HEAT

CHAPTER 17 843

LABEL = Li st Superel ement Exampl e, SEELT
ECHO = NONE
par am, post , 0
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
SPC = 1
LOAD = 200
BEGIN SUPER $ enable use of SEELT
SEELT,2,1,thru,128
SEELT,3,929,thru,1009
Listing 17-14 List Superelement (SEELT) Heat Transfer Model (ref: /seug/chapter17/heat-
transfer/heat-xfer-seelt.dat)
SOL 101
APP HEAT
CEND
ANALYSI S = HEAT
LABEL = PART Super el ement Exampl e
ECHO = NONE
par am, post , 0
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Def aul t
SPC = 1
LOAD = 200
BEGI N BULK
MAT4 1 .6
Begin super=2
$ El ement s and El ement Propert i es f or r egi on : chi p

PSOLI D 2 2 0
QHBDY, 200, AREA4, 500. 0, , 202, 203, 212, 211

Begin super=3


$ El ement s and El ement Propert i es f or r egi on : cel as2

PELAS 1 0. 44
Listing 17-15 PART Superelement Heat Transfer Model (ref: /seug/chapter17/heat-

transfer/heat-xfer-part.dat)
The results for the List Superelement and PART Superelement models match the results for the baseline
model.
Note: External Superelements are not supported in heat transfer analysis.
1.

Chapter 18: Random Vibration with Superelements

18 Random Vibration with

Superelements
 Introduction
 Enforced Motion (SPCD) Examples
 Enforced Motion (Large Mass) Examples
 Electronics Board Example


Introduction
Introduction
This chapter describes methods available in MSC.Nastran for applying random vibration loading to
models with superelements. This Chapter is not intended to be a comprehensive review of random
response analysis, but rather a review of how to use superelements in conjunction with random response
for models that incorporate superelements. For a full review of the random capabilities in MSC.Nastran,
the reader is encouraged to refer to these sections in the MSC.Nastran Dynamic Analysis User’s Guide
(Dyn. UG) and MSC Nastran Reference Manual (Ref. Man.):
• Random Analysis (Ch. 8) in the MSC Nastran Dynamic Analysis User’s Guide
• Frequency-Dependent Loads (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran Reference Manual
• Frequency Response and Random Analysis in SubDMAP FREQRS (Ch. 1) in the MSC Nastran
Reference Manual
Another useful resource is the MSC.Random Users’s Manual which is a dedicated procedure for random
analysis using MSC.Nastran and Patran. MSC.Random makes use of the xdb output file and, therefore,
is limited to internal superelements that do not contain images. The examples in this guide will not use
MSC.Random, but users familiar with the interface may want to use it for superelements setup and
limited data recovery.
In MSC Nastran, random response analysis is treated as a data recovery procedure that is applied to the
results of a frequency response analysis. First, the frequency response analysis is performed for each
loading as independent subcases. The calculations of power spectral densities (PSDs) and
autocorrelation functions for the output quantities are performed in the random analysis module as a post-
processing of the frequency response results.
Each loading condition subcase represents a unique random load source, which may be applied to many
grid points. Typically, these loads are chosen to be unit loads such as unit “g” loads, unit pressures, or
unit forces. Since the input is unity, the output response is also known as Transfer Function. The
probabilistic magnitude of each load source is defined by spectral density functions on RANDPS input
data. If the load subcases are correlated, the coupling spectral density is also defined on one or more
RANDPS functions. An example of coupled spectral density would be the forces on four wheels of a
vehicle traveling over a rough road.
As a recap of CHAPTER 11, the MSC.Nastran entries for frequency response analysis include:

CHAPTER 18 847
Random Vibration wi th Superelements
Table 18-1 Typical Dynamic Input for Frequency Response Analysis

Load Amplitude Forces, Pressures, Inertia RLOADi FORCEi, PLOADi,
Loads, Temperatures, GRAV, RFORCE, TEMP,
Base Motion SPCD, etc.
Frequency Scaling Frequency scaling tables TABLEDi
– real/imag or mag/phase
Phasing Delays, Phasing DELAY, DPHASE
Frequency Output Control Frequency increment FREQi
Damping Viscous dampers PDAMPi, PBUSH+
Structural PARAM,G
Material MATi (GE)
Rayleigh PARAM, APLPHi
Modal Schedule TABLEDi
Modal Extraction Frequency range of EIGRL
interest
To apply random loading to the frequency response results, the following entries are necessary:
• Case Control
• RANDOM entry points to RANDPS or RANDT1 entries
• Bulk Data
• RANDPS entries to apply power spectral densities and cross-correlation terms
• RANDT1 entries to define time lag constants for autocorrelation
• TABRND1 entries to define power spectral density (PSD) curves
• TABRNDG entries to define PSD of a gust for aeroelastic response analysis
• Parameters
• PARAM,RMSINT defines numerical integration scheme
A brief description of the input entries is shown below:
RANDOM Random Analysis Set Selection
Selects the RANDPS and RANDT1 bulk data entries to be used in random analysis


Introduction
Format:
 n 
RAN DO M =
  (18-1)
 i 
Examples:
RANDOM=177
SET 10 = 100,110,120
RANDOM = 10
Field Contents
n Set identification number of a previously appearing SET command, which, in turn,
references multiple RANDPS/RANDT1 bulk data entries with different set
identification numbers.
i Set identification number of RANDPS and RANDT1 bulk data entries to be used in
random analysis
RANDPS Power Spectral Density Specification
Defines load set power spectral density functions for use in random analysis having the frequency
dependent form:
S jk  f  =  X + iY  G  f  (18-2)
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
RANDPS SID J K X Y TID
Example:
RANDPS 5 3 7 2.0 2.5 4
Field Contents
SID Random Set Identification number
J Subcase identification number of the excited load set.

CHAPTER 18 849
Field Contents
K Subcase identification number of the applied load set.
X,Y
Components of the complex number
TID
Identification number of TABRNDi entries that defines .
RANDT1 Autocorrelation Function Time Lag
Defines time lag constants used in random analysis autocorrelation function calculation.
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
RANDT1 SID N T0 TMAX
Example:
RANDT1 5 10 3.2 9.6
Field Contents
SID Random Set Identification number
N Number of time lag intervals
T0 Starting time lag
TMAX Maximum time lag
TABRND1 Power Spectral Density Table
Defines power spectral density as a tabular function of frequency for use in random analysis. Referenced
by the RANDOM case control entry


Introduction
Format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
TABRND1 TID XAXIS YAXIS
F1 G1 F2 G2 F3 G3 -.etc.-
Example:
TLOAD1 3 LOG LOG
2.5 .01057 2.6 .01362 ENDT
Field Contents
TID Table identification number. (Integer > 0)
XAXIS Specifies a linear or logarithmic interpolation for the x-axis. (Character: “LINEAR” or
“LOG”; Default = “LINEAR”)
YAXIS Specifies a linear or logarithmic interpolation for the Y-axis. (Character: “LINEAR” or
“LOG”; Default = “LINEAR”)
Fi Frequency value in cycles per unit time.
Gi Power Spectral Density corresponding to Fi.
PARAM,RMSINT,value
RMSINT specifies the interpolation method for numerical integration when computing both RMS (Root
Mean Square) and N0 (Number of Zero Crossings or Mean Frequency) from PSDF (Power Spectral
Density Function). RMSINT = LINEAR requests the trapezoidal approximation, which is the existing
Nastran approach. RMSINT = LOGLOG requests the Log-Log interpolation
In many industries, the most common application of random analysis is enforced motion, also known as
base motion. Enforced motion is the application of a random power spectral density input at the base of
a structure or structural component. Other applications include the application of pressures. The
examples in the following sections are based on enforced motion, although the concepts are similar for
any applied loading.
Note that MSC.Nastran supports acoustics but this topic is beyond the scope of this User Guide.

CHAPTER 18 851
Enforced Motion (SPCD) Examples

MSC.Nastran provides two methods for applying enforce motion: constraints (SPCD) or large mass.
This section provides examples for the SPCD method. The internal superelements are based on a
derivative of the cantilever plate model used in Frequency Response Illustrative Example (Ch. 11).
Baseline Model, Cantilever Plate

The model used for the baseline solution is shown below:
Figure 18-1 Example Model Used for Enforced Displacement Base Drive Random Vibration
Analysis
In this case, the base drive analysis is an enforced acceleration applied to grid 999Z which is attached to
the structure with an RBE2 as shown in the figure above. The input power spectral density function is
specified from 10 – 2000Hz as shown below:
Table 18-2 Input Power Spectral Density

Frequency (Hz) G2/Hz
10 0.1
20 0.1
50 0.3
600 0.3
1500 0.12
2000 0.12


Figure 18-2 Input Power Spectral Density
The Patran setup for frequency response is discussed in Frequency Response Illustrative Example
(Ch. 11); however in this case the applied loads are an enforced acceleration at grid 999Z, so a unit
gravity sine-sweep for the z-acceleration is defined as shown below. The unit gravity is applied with a
non-spatial field which will generate TABLED1 entries:
Figure 18-3 Defining Unit Gravity Non-Spatial Field in Patran

CHAPTER 18 853
The loading is defined as an acceleration which will generate RLOAD1 entries with a loading type of
ACCE (for acceleration):
Figure 18-4 Applying Base Acceleration in Patran
Next, the frequency output intervals are defined in the appropriate Subcase Parameters forms shown
below. The forms as shown below will generate the FREQ2 and FREQ4 entries in the MSC.Nastran
input file for a solution frequency range from 10 to 2000Hz. For more details on strategies for specifying
frequency output request intervals refer to the Solution F requencies (Ch. 4) in the MSC Nastran Dynamic
Analysis User’s Guide.


Figure 18-5 Defining Solution Output Frequencies in Patran

CHAPTER 18 855
Once again, Patran provides the MSC.Random (Tools Menu) to perform random analysis as a post-
processing step for a frequency response solution using the xdb file. In order to perform the random
analysis in MSC.Nastran, the RANDOM, RANDPS , TABRND1 , and PARAM,RMSINT entries must
be placed into Direct Text Input. Note: the I and J fields of RANDPS entry must correspond to the
subcases that Patran writes. Typically, Patran writes subcases sequentially starting with SubcaseID=1.


Figure 18-7
Reference to EXCITEDID: LOADSET / LSE Q Method (Ch. 11). The input file is detailed below (ref:
/doc/seug/chapter18/cant-plate-spcd/baseline/freq-resp-spcd-random.bdf)
SOL 111
CEND
RANDOM=33
TI TLE = cant i l ever pl at e enf or ced mot i on - 1g si ne sweep + r andom
LABEL = Basel i ne - no super el ement s
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1

CHAPTER 18 857
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=SPCD- enf orced- accel erat i on
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
ACCELERATI ON( PLOT, SORT2, PHASE) =ALL
SPCFORCES( PLOT, SORT2, PHASE) =ALL
OUTPUT(XYPLOT)
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
XTI TLE Frequency ( Hz)
$
YTI TLE Gr i d 211 Accel er at i on ( i n/ sec^2)
XYPLOT, XYPRI NT ACCE/ 211( T3RM)
YTI TLE PSD - Gr i d 211 ( G^2/ Hz)
XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, PSDF, ACCE / 211( T3) $ i gnor ed i f no r andom
BEGI N BULK
$r a ndps , s i d, j , k, x, y, t i d
RANDPS, 33, 1, 1, 1. , 0. , 44
PARAM, RMSI NT, LOGLOG
TABRND1, 44, l og, l og
+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 0. 3000. 0
$ Loads f or Load Case : SPCD- enf orced- accel erat i on

SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : enforced-grav-999z
SPC1 1 3 999


$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : f i x- 123456

SPC1 3 123456 999
$ Dynami c Load Tabl e : uni t - grav- accel
TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT

$
$
ENDDATA
Listing 18-1 Baseline Random Response Input File – No Superelements
Refer to Output with XYPLOT (Ch. 19) for more information on the XYPLOT commands. The output
from the XYPLOT commands generates the following summary information in the .f06 file:
CANTI LEVER PLATE ENFORCED MOTI ON - 1G SI NE SWEEP + RANDOM J ULY 17, 2011 MSC Nast r an 12/ 15/ 10
SPCD- ENFORCED- ACCELERATI ON
BASELI NE - NO SUPERELEMENTS
X Y - O U T P U T S U M M A R Y ( A U T O O R P S D F )
PLOT CURVE FRAME CURVE I D. / RMS NO. POSITIVE XMI N FOR XMAX FOR YMI N FOR X FOR YMAX FOR X
FOR*
TYPE TYPE NO. PANEL : GRI D I D VALUE CROSSINGS ALL DATA ALL DATA ALL DATA YMI N ALL DATA
YMAX

PSDF ACCE 2 211( 5) 2. 182143E+04 7. 184097E+02 1. 000E+01 2. 000E+03 1. 288E+04 1. 392E+03 1. 751E+07
3. 177E+01
P R I N T E D D A T A F O R T H I S C U R V E F O L L O W S
ACCELERATI ON CURVE ID= 211 COMPONENT = 5 WHOLE FRAME

PRI NT NUMBER X- VALUE Y- VALUE CARD NUMBER
1 1. 000000E+01 2. 037537E+04
2 1. 111784E+01 2. 199330E+04
3 1. 236065E+01 2. 421090E+04
Listing 18-2 Random XYPLOT Summary Information – Baseline Model
The summary information for PSD output includes the RMS value and the number of positive crossings.
The frequency response for the magnitude of acceleration for grid 211 is:

CHAPTER 18 859
Figure 18-8 Frequency Response Accelerations for Grid 211-T3 (Magnitude) – Baseline
Model (Patran Plot)


Figure 18-9 Frequency Response Accelerations for Grid 211-T3 (Magnitude) – Baseline
Model (Nastran XYPLOT)
Baseline Solutio n wit h MSC.Rando m

The Patran tool MSC.Random can be used to process an xdb file generated for a frequency response
solution. The advantages of MSC.Random are many, to name a few:
• Guided analysis setup forms
• Random calculations on any quantity – do not have to pre-define XYPLOT commands
• Change PSD spectrum without rerunning the Nastran solution
• Graphical User Interface for plotting
• Nicer plots than XYPLOT
A few plots of the Patran Random tool are shown below. For a full description, refer to the MSC.Random
User Manual. The example input file associated with the figures below is /doc/seug/chapter18/cant-
plate-spcd/part/freq-resp-spcd-random.bdf

CHAPTER 18 861
Figure 18-10 Accessing MSC.Random from the Tools Menu
Figure 18-11 MSC.Random Tool Guided Model Setup


Figure 18-12 MSC.Random Tool XY Plot Generation Forms
Figure 18-13 MSC.Random RMS Plots
Note that the MSC.Random RMS plot is normalized to “Accel Scale G” so that the values are reported
in G2/Hz instead of (in2/sec2)/Hz and the RMS values is in G’s

CHAPTER 18 863
List Superelement, Cantilever Plate

The cantilever plate random response solution is now solved using List Superelements (SESET). The
superelement definition is shown below:
Figure 18-14 Superelement Definition for Cantilever Plate Random Base Drive Analysis
The superelements definition in Patran is described in detail in Demonstration of Defining Interior Points
in Patran (Ch. 2) and the Component Modes Synthesis definition for superelements is described in Single
Level Dynamic Reduction (Ch. 10). For this example, AUTOQSET is used. Note that in this case, the
superelement definition is different than previous examples using the same geometry. The loading,
damping, etc. are defined exactly the same as the non-superelement example above. After defining the
superelements, the input file is shown below. Note that only the entries associated with the superelement
definition are highlighted (ref: /doc/seug/chapter18/cant-plate-spcd/seset/freq-resp-spcd-random.bdf)
SOL 111
CEND
RANDOM=33
LABEL = Basel i ne - Li st Super el ement s ( SESET)
ECHO = NONE
PARAM,AUTOQSET,YES
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2



OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
SEPLOT 20
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$
BEGI N BULK
$r andps , s i d, j , k, x, y, t i d
RANDPS, 33, 1, 1, 1. , 0. , 44
+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 0. 3000. 0
$ mi ddl e. 10
SESET 10 105 106 107 205 206 207
$ t i p. 20
SESET 20 109 110 111 209 210 211
$ Loads for Load Case : SPCD- enf orced- accel erat i on

SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4
$ Di spl acement Const r ai nts of Load Set : enf orced- grav- 999z
SPC1 1 3 999

CHAPTER 18 865
SPC1 3 123456 999

TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT
$
$
ENDDATA
Listing 18-3 Random Response Input File – List Superelement (SESET)
The results for
SPCD- ENFORCED- ACCELERATI ON SUPERELEMENT 20
BASELI NE - LI ST SUPERELEMENTS ( SESET)
FOR*
YMAX

3. 177E+01
SPCD- ENFORCED- ACCELERATI ON SUPERELEMENT 20
BASELI NE - LI ST SUPERELEMENTS ( SESET)
ACCELERATI ON CURVE ID= 211 COMPONENT = 5 WHOLE FRAME

1 1. 000000E+01 2. 037537E+04
2 1. 111784E+01 2. 199330E+04
3 1. 236065E+01 2. 421090E+04
4 1. 374237E+01 2. 733689E+04
Listing 18-4 Random XYPLOT Summary Information – List Superelement (SESET)


PART Superelement, Cantilever Plate

SOL 111
CEND
RANDOM=33
LABEL = PART Super el ement
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
SEPLOT 0
XYPEAK PSDF ACCE/ 104( T3)
SEPLOT 20
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$
BEGI N BULK
RANDPS,33,1,1,1.,0.,44
PARAM,RMSINT,LOGLOG

+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3

CHAPTER 18 867
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT

PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 0. 3000. 0

SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4
SPC1 1 3 999
SPC1 3 123456 999
TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT
$
$
$
$
$ Super el ement Name: mi ddl e. 10
BEGIN SUPER = 10
PARAM,RMSINT,LOGLOG
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 0. 3000. 0

$ dummy LSEQ
LSEQ 1 99 88
$
$
$
$
$ Superel ement Name: t i p. 20
BEGIN SUPER = 20


PARAM,RMSINT,LOGLOG
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 0. 3000. 0

$ dummy LSEQ
LSEQ 1 99 88

$
$
ENDDATA
SPCD- ENFORCED- ACCELERATI ON ELEM SUPERELEMENT 20
PART SUPERELEMENT
FOR*
YMAX

3. 177E+01
PART SUPERELEMENT
ACCELERATI ON CURVE ID = 211 COMPONENT = 5 WHOLE FRAME

1 1. 000000E+01 2. 037537E+04
2 1. 111784E+01 2. 199330E+04
3 1. 236065E+01 2. 421090E+04

CHAPTER 18 869
External superelements also support random vibration analysis for both the 2-step and 3-step methods.
The following sections show the necessary entries for performing external superelement analysis for
random vibration with the SPCD method of enforced motion.
2-Step
The model shown in Figure 18-14 is used for the 2-step method. The reduction runs use SOL 103 to
compute the boundary stiffness, mass, and component modes. In this example the DMIGOP2 method is
used:
assign output2='ext10.op2' unit=31 delete
SOL 103
CEND
TI TLE = Cant i l ever Pl at e RandomExampl e
LABEL = EXTERNAL SE, 2- st ep met hod, SE 10 r educt i on
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK=MANQ,EXTBULK,EXTID=10,DMIGOP2=31)
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Cent er
METHOD = 1
BEGI N BULK
$[ boundar y nodes and qset dof f or component modes]
QSET1 0 1001 THRU 1016
ASET1 123456 104 108 204 208
EI GRL 1 0. 10
ENDDATA
Listing 18-7 External Superelement 10 Reduction for Random Analysis with SPCD Method
– 2 Step Method (ref: /seug/chapter18/cant-plate-spcd/external-2-
step/create10.dat)
SOL 103
CEND



ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK=MANQ,EXTBULK,EXTID=20,DMIGOP2=32)
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Ti p
METHOD = 1
BEGI N BULK
QSET1 0 2001 THRU 2016
ASET1 123456 108 208
EI GRL 1 0. 10
ENDDATA
step/create20.dat)
The assembly run includes the entries to attach the external superelements and the entries required for
frequency response with random. XYPLOT commands are also included to compare the results with
previous solutions. Note that PARAM,RMSINT,LOGLOG is included within each external
superelement bulk data section as well as the main bulk data section.
assign inputt2='ext10.op2' unit=31
SOL 111
CEND
RANDOM=33

LABEL = Ext ernal Super el ement Assembl y - 2 st ep
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1

CHAPTER 18 871
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
SEPLOT 0
SEPLOT 20
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$
BEGI N BULK
RANDPS, 33, 1, 1, 1. , 0. , 44
+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 0. 3000. 0

SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4
SPC1 1 3 999


SPC1 3 123456 999

TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT
$
include 'create10.asm'
include 'create20.asm'
include 'create10.pch'
PARAM,RMSINT,LOGLOG
$ dummy LSEQ
LSEQ 1 99 88
include 'create20.pch'
PARAM,RMSINT,LOGLOG
$ dummy LSEQ
LSEQ 1 99 88
$
$
ENDDATA
Listing 18-9 External Superelement Assembly Run for Random Analysis with SPCD Method
step/assemble-spcd.dat)
Refer to CHAPTER 19 for more information on the XYPLOT commands. The output from the XYPLOT
commands generates the following summary information in the .f06 file:
CANTI LEVER PLATE ENFORCED MOTI ON - 1G SI NE SWEEP + RANDOM

EXTERNAL SUPERELEMENT ASSEMBLY - 2 STEP
X Y - O U T P U T S UMMA R Y ( A U T O OR P S D F )
PLOT CURVE FRAME CURVE I D. / RMS NO. POSI TI VE XMI N FOR XMAX FOR YMI N FOR X FOR YMAX FOR X
FOR*
TYPE TYPE NO. PANEL : GRI D I D VALUE CROSSI NGS ALL DATA ALL DATA ALL DATA YMI N ALL DATA
YMAX

PSDF ACCE 2 211( 5) 2.182143E+04 7. 184099E+02 1. 000E+01 2. 000E+03 1. 288E+04 1. 392E+03 1. 751E+07
3. 177E+01
Listing 18-10 External Superelement Assembly Results – 2 Step Method

CHAPTER 18 873
3-Step
The model shown in Figure 18-14 is used for the 2-step method. The reduction runs use SOL 103 to
compute the boundary stiffness, mass, and component modes. In this example the DMIGOP2 method is
used:
assign master='create10.master' delete
assign dball= 'create10.dball' delete
SOL 103
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = yes
PARAM,EXTUNIT,31
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Cent er
METHOD = 10
BEGI N BULK
QSET1 0 1001 THRU 1016
ASET1 123456 104 108 204 208
EI GRL 10 10
ENDDATA
step/create10.dat)
assign master='create20.master' delete
assign dball= 'create20.dball' delete
SOL 103
CEND



ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = yes
PARAM,EXTUNIT,32
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Ti p
METHOD = 20
BEGI N BULK
QSET1 0 2001 THRU 2016
ASET1 123456 108 208
EI GRL 20 10
ENDDATA
step/create20.dat)
The assembly run includes the entries to attach the external superelements and the entries required for
frequency response with random. XYPLOT commands are also included to compare the results with
previous solutions. Note that PARAM,RMSINT,LOGLOG is included within each external
superelement bulk data section as well as the main bulk data section.
assign output2='ext10dr.op2' unit=33 delete
assign output2='ext20dr.op2' unit=34 delete
SOL 111
CEND
RANDOM=33

LABEL = Ext ernal Super el ement Assembl y - 2 st ep
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = no
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1

CHAPTER 18 875
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
SEPLOT 0
SEPLOT 20
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$
BEGI N BULK
RANDPS, 33, 1, 1, 1. , 0. , 44
+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 0. 3000. 0
$ Loads for Load Case : SPCD-enforced-acceleration
SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4


SPC1 1 3 999
SPC1 3 123456 999
TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT
$
$
SECONCT 10 0
104 104 108 108 204 204 208 208
1001 THRU 1016 1001 THRU 1016

$
SECONCT 20 0
108 108 208 208
2001 THRU 2016 2001 THRU 2016
BEGIN SUPER=10
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,33
PARAM,RMSINT,LOGLOG
$ dummy LSEQ
LSEQ 1 99 88
$
EXTRN 104 123456 108 123456 204 123456 208 123456
1001 0 1002 0 1003 0 1004 0
1005 0 1006 0 1007 0 1008 0
1009 0 1010 0 1011 0 1012 0
1013 0 1014 0 1015 0 1016 0
$
$
GRI D 104 3. 0. 0.
GRI D 108 7. 0. 0.
GRI D 204 3. 1. 0.
GRI D 208 7. 1. 0.
$
ASET 104 123456 108 123456 204 123456 208 123456
$

CHAPTER 18 877
QSET1 0 1001 THRU 1016

$
BEGIN SUPER=20
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,34
PARAM,RMSINT,LOGLOG
$ dummy LSEQ
LSEQ 1 99 88
EXTRN 108 123456 208 123456 2001 0 2002 0

2003 0 2004 0 2005 0 2006 0
2007 0 2008 0 2009 0 2010 0
2011 0 2012 0 2013 0 2014 0
2015 0 2016 0
$
$
GRI D 108 7. 0. 0.
GRI D 208 7. 1. 0.
$
ASET 108 123456 208 123456
$
QSET1 0 2001 THRU 2016
$
$
ENDDATA
Listing 18-13 External Superelement Assembly Run for Random Analysis with SPCD Method
step/assemble-spcd.dat)
The data recovery runs include the frequency response and random entries:
assign inputt2='ext10dr.op2' unit=31
assign run1M='create10.master'
assign run1D='create10.dball'
restart logi=run1M
SOL 111
CEND



ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,31
RANDOM=33
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 10 $ original reduction
FREQUENCY = 1
$ SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
$SEPLOT 20
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$
BEGI N BULK
$[Bulk data includes the same frequency response and random entries as the assembly run]

RANDPS, 33, 1, 1, 1. , 0. , 44
+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50

CHAPTER 18 879
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3

TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4
SPC1 1 3 999
SPC1 3 123456 999
TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT
ENDDATA
Listing 18-14 External Superelement Data Recovery Input File for Superelement 10 for
Random Analysis with SPCD Method – 3 Step Method (ref:
/seug/chapter18/cant-plate-spcd/external-3-step/recover10.dat)
assign inputt2='ext20dr.op2' unit=31
assign run1M='create20.master'
assign run1D='create20.dball'
restart logi=run1M
SOL 111
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
PARAM,EXTDRUNT,31
RANDOM=33
LOADSET = 1


SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 20 $ or i gi nal r educti on
FREQUENCY = 1
$ SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
$SEPLOT 20
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$
BEGI N BULK
$[Bulk data includes the same frequency response and random entries as the assembly run]

RANDPS, 33, 1, 1, 1. , 0. , 44
+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4

CHAPTER 18 881
SPC1 1 3 999
SPC1 3 123456 999
TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT
ENDDATA
External Superelement Data Recovery Input File for Superelement 20 for Random Analysis with SPCD
Method – 3 Step Method (ref: /seug/chapter18/cant-plate-spcd/external-3-step/recover20.dat)
The results for superelement 20 recovery:
CANTI LEVER PLATE RANDOM EXAMPLE J ULY 24, 2011 MSC Nast r an 12/ 15/ 10
EXTERNAL SE, 3- STEP METHOD, SE 20 DATA RECOVERY
PLOT CURVE FRAME CURVE I D. / RMS NO. POSI TI VE XMI N FOR XMAX FOR YMI N FOR X FOR YMAX FOR X FOR*
TYPE TYPE NO. PANEL : GRI D I D VALUE CROSSI NGS ALL DATA ALL DATA ALL DATA YMI N ALL DATA YMAX

PSDF ACCE 2 211( 5) 2.183625E+04 7. 184697E+02 1. 000E+01 2. 000E+03 1. 070E+04 1. 392E+03 1. 751E+07 3. 177E+01
Listing 18-15 External Superelement Assembly Results – 3 Step Method Data Recovery Run
Results for External Superelement 20


Enforced Motion (Large Mass) Examples
Enforced Motion (Large Mass) Examples

MSC.Nastran provides two methods for applying enforce motion: constraints (SPCD) or large mass.
This section provides examples for the large mass method. The internal superelements are based on a
derivative of the cantilever plate model used in Frequency Response Illustrative Example (Ch. 11).
With the exception of the applied loading, the procedure for random vibration with the large mass method
is the same as for the SPCD method. Rather than repeat all of the input, the difference in loading will be
highlighted and the example file locations identified. The following listing shows the differences
between the large mass and SPCD methods of applied load:
$ Loads f or Load Case : Large- mass- enf orced- accel erat i on

SPCADD 2 1 3
$ spc d met hod
$RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
$ lgmass method
RLOAD1 4 5 1 LOAD
LSEQ 1 5 6
$ spcd met hod - r emove f or l gmass
$SPCD 6 999 3 1.
$ large mass - add conm2 and force
FORCE 6 999 0 1. e6 0. 0. 1.
CONM2 1000 999 0 1. e6
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4
$ r emove spc1 f or l gmass met hod
$SPC1 1 3 999
SPC1 3 12456 999
TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT
Listing 18-16 Input Loading for Large Mass Method (ref: /seug/chapter18/cant-plate-large-
mass/baseline/freq-fresp-lgmass-random.bdf)
The following table lists the example files for the large mass method. The starting subdirectory is:
/seug/chapter18/cant-plate-large-mass:

CHAPTER 18 883
Table 18-3 Example Files for Large Mass Method of Enforced Base Motion Acceleration with Random
Analysis
Superelement
Ap pr oac h Sub di rec to ry Filename Desc ript io n
None Baseline Freq-resp-lgmass-random.bdf Baseline solution for
comparison purposes
List (SESET) Seset Freq-resp-lgmass-random-seset.bdf List Superelement
(SESET) example
PART Part Freq-resp-lgmass-random-part.bdf PART Superelement
Example
External 2-Step External-2-step create10.dat External superelement 10
reduction with
EXTSEOUT case control
create20.dat External superelement 20
reduction with
EXTSEOUT case control
Assemble-lgmass.dat External superelement
Assembly run
External 3-Step External 3-step create10.dat External superelement 10
reduction with
PARAM,EXTOUT
create20.dat External superelement 20
reduction with
PARAM,EXTOUT
Assemble-lgmass.dat External superelement
Assembly run with
PARAM,EXTDROUT for
external data recovery
Recover10.dat External superelement 10
data recovery run with
PARAM,EXTDR
Recover20.dat External superelement 20
data recovery run with
PARAM,EXTDR


Electronics Board Example

The external superelement example is based on a derivative of the electronics board shown in Multiple
Image Example for Electronic Components (Ch. 13).
Baseline
The baseline model is shown in the figure below. Grids 792, 1590, and 3396 represent the same corner
of a chip located in different locations; these grids will be used to compare the baseline solution with the
various superelement solutions.
Figure 18-15 Baseline Circuit Board Model (ref: /seug/chapter18/elec-board/baseline/elec-

board-random.bdf)
The power spectral density for the random analysis is the same as shown in Figure 18-2. The entries
necessary for the random analysis are highlighted in the listing below:
SOL 111
CEND
RANDOM=33
TI TLE = el ect r oni c board enf or ced mot i on - 1g si ne sweep + r andom
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPING = 1
par am, prgpst, no

SUBCASE 1

CHAPTER 18 885

METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$


BEGI N BULK
$[random and frequency solution output requests]
RANDPS, 33, 1, 1, 1. , 0. , 44
+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 0. 3000. 0



$SPC1 1 123456 805 824 838 1383 1402 1416
$ load application point:
GRI D, 9999, 0, 4. 125, 2. 125

$ RBE to original boundaries
RBE2, 10000, 9999, 123456, 805, 824, 838, 1383, 1402

, 1416
$ Loads for Load Case : SPCD-enforced-acceleration
SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 9999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4
SPC1 1 3 9999
SPC1 3 123456 9999
TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT
ENDDATA
Listing 18-17 Frequency Response and RandomInput Entries for Electronics Board Random
Base Drive Analysis
Refer to CHAPTER 19 for more information on the XYPLOT commands. The output from the XYPLOT
commands generates the following summary information in the .f06 file:
ELECTRONI C BOARD - 1G SI NE SWEEP + RANDOM J ULY 24, 2011 MSC Nast r an 12/ 15/ 10 PAGE 23
PLOT CURVE FRAME CURVE I D. / RMS NO. POSI TI VE XMI N FOR XMAX FOR YMI N FOR X FOR YMAX FOR X
FOR*
TYPE TYPE NO. PANEL : GRI D I D VALUE CROSSI NGS ALL DATA ALL DATA ALL DATA YMI N ALL DATA
YMAX

1. 660E+02

CHAPTER 18 887
1. 660E+02
1. 660E+02
Listing 18-18 Baseline Results for Electronics Board Random Base Drive Analysis
List Superelement
The list superelement example uses one chip (Superelement 10) as a primary superelement and images
for the remainder of the superelements using the CSUPER entry, i.e. Superelement 20-80 and 110-180
shown in the figure below are images of superelement 10. For more details on CSUPER entry to
generate image superelements, refer to Using CSUPER (Ch. 13).
Listing 18-19 Image List Superelement Model Using CSUP ER (Superelement ID in blue,
baseline grid in black, image superelement grid in red). (Ref:
/seug/chapter18/elec-board/seset-csuper/elec-board-random.bdf)
In this case, the baseline to superelement nodes map as follows:


Table 18-4 Map of Electronic Board Baseline Model Grid IDs to Image Superelement Grid
IDs
Superelement Number
Baseline Model Grid (Type) Equivalent Grid
792 10 (Primary) 792
1590 30 (Image) 792
3396 130 (Image) 792
The input file for the List (SESET) Superelement model with image (CSUPER) superelements is shown
below:
SOL 111
CEND
RANDOM=33
LABEL = SESET wi t h CSUPER I mage
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
par am, prgpst, no
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
SEPLOT 10
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$

CHAPTER 18 889

SEPLOT 30
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
YTI TLE SE 30, Gr i d 792 Accel er at i on ( i n/ sec^2)
SEPLOT 130
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
BEGI N BULK
RANDPS, 33, 1, 1, 1. , 0. , 44
+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 0. 3000. 0
SPOI NT, 11001, THRU, 11016

SEQSET1, 10, 0, 11001, THRU, 11016


SPOI NT, 12001, THRU, 12016

SPOI NT, 13001, THRU, 13016
SPOI NT, 14001, THRU, 14016
SPOI NT, 15001, THRU, 15016
SPOI NT, 16001, THRU, 16016
SPOI NT, 17001, THRU, 17016
SPOI NT, 18001, THRU, 18016
SPOI NT, 11101, THRU, 11116

SPOI NT, 12101, THRU, 12116
SPOI NT, 13101, THRU, 13116
SPOI NT, 14101, THRU, 14116
SPOI NT, 15101, THRU, 15116
SPOI NT, 16101, THRU, 16116
SPOI NT, 17101, THRU, 17116
SPOI NT, 18101, THRU, 18116
?
$ Chi p. 10
SESET 10 796 797 798 802 803 804

$SPC1 1 123456 805 824 838 1383 1402 1416
$ l oad appl i cat i on poi nt :
GRI D, 9999, 0, 4. 125, 2. 125
$ RBE to ori gi nal boundar i es
RBE2, 10000, 9999, 123456, 805, 824, 838, 1383, 1402
, 1416
SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 9999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4
SPC1 1 3 9999
SPC1 3 123456 9999
TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT
$ CSUPER Ent r i es
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . 0

CHAPTER 18 891
CSUPER 20 10 878 881 1082 1085 12001 12002

12003 12004 12005 12006 12007 12008 12009 12010
12011 12012 12013 12014 12015 12016
CSUPER 30 10 882 885 1086 1089 13001 13002
13003 13004 13005 13006 13007 13008 13009 13010
13011 13012 13013 13014 13015 13016
CSUPER 40 10 886 889 1090 1093 14001 14002
14003 14004 14005 14006 14007 14008 14009 14010
14011 14012 14013 14014 14015 14016
CSUPER 50 10 890 893 1094 1097 15001 15002
15003 15004 15005 15006 15007 15008 15009 15010
15011 15012 15013 15014 15015 15016
CSUPER 60 10 894 897 1098 1101 16001 16002
16003 16004 16005 16006 16007 16008 16009 16010
16011 16012 16013 16014 16015 16016
CSUPER 70 10 898 901 1102 1105 17001 17002
17003 17004 17005 17006 17007 17008 17009 17010
17011 17012 17013 17014 17015 17016
CSUPER 80 10 902 905 1106 1109 18001 18002
18003 18004 18005 18006 18007 18008 18009 18010
18011 18012 18013 18014 18015 18016
CSUPER 120110 10 1319 1316 1115 1112 11101 11102

11103 11104 11105 11106 11107 11108 11109 11110
11111 11112 11113 11114 11115 11116
CSUPER 120120 10 1323 1320 1119 1116 12101 12102
12103 12104 12105 12106 12107 12108 12109 12110
12111 12112 12113 12114 12115 12116
CSUPER 120130 10 1327 1324 1123 1120 13101 13102
13103 13104 13105 13106 13107 13108 13109 13110
13111 13112 13113 13114 13115 13116
CSUPER 120140 10 1331 1328 1127 1124 14101 14102
14103 14104 14105 14106 14107 14108 14109 14110
14111 14112 14113 14114 14115 14116
CSUPER 120150 10 1335 1332 1131 1128 15101 15102
15103 15104 15105 15106 15107 15108 15109 15110
15111 15112 15113 15114 15115 15116
CSUPER 120160 10 1339 1336 1135 1132 16101 16102
16103 16104 16105 16106 16107 16108 16109 16110
16111 16112 16113 16114 16115 16116
CSUPER 120170 10 1343 1340 1139 1136 17101 17102
17103 17104 17105 17106 17107 17108 17109 17110
17111 17112 17113 17114 17115 17116
CSUPER 120180 10 1347 1344 1143 1140 18101 18102


18103 18104 18105 18106 18107 18108 18109 18110

18111 18112 18113 18114 18115 18116
ENDDATA
Listing 18-20 Electronics Board List (SESET) Superelement with Image Superelement
(CSUPER) Input file for Random Base Drive Analyis
The results are summarized in Table 18-6.
Part Superelement
The PART superelement example uses one chip (Superelement 10) as a primary superelement and images
for the remainder of the superelements using the SEBULK entry with the REPEAT option, i.e.
Superelement 20-80 and 110-180 shown in the figure below are images of superelement 10. For more
details on CSUPER entry to generate image superelements, refer to Using SEBULK and SELOC to image
a PART (Ch. 13).
Figure 18-16 Image PART Superelement Model Using SEBULK and SELOC (Superelement
ID in blue, baseline grid in black, image superelement grid in red). (Ref:
/seug/chapter18/elec-board/part/elec-board-random.bdf)

CHAPTER 18 893
In this case, the baseline to superelement nodes map as follows:
Table 18-5 Map of Electronic Board Baseline Model Grid IDs to Image Superelement Grid
IDs
Superelement Number
Baseline Model Grid (Type) Equivalent Grid
792 10 (Primary) 792
1590 30 (Image) 792
3396 130 (Image) 792
The input file for the PART Superelement model with image (SEBULK and SELOC) superelements is
shown below:
SOL 111
CEND
RANDOM=33
LABEL = PART Super el ement wi t h SEBULK I mage
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
par am, prgpst, no
par am, r msi nt, l ogl og
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
SEPLOT 10
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES


$
SEPLOT 30
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
SEPLOT 130
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
BEGI N BULK
RANDPS, 33, 1, 1, 1. , 0. , 44
+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 0. 3000. 0
$. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . 6. . . . . . . 7. . . . . . . 8. . . . . . . 9. . . . . . . 0

CHAPTER 18 895

SELOC 20 874 877 1078 878 881 1082
SELOC 30 874 877 1078 882 885 1086

SELOC 40 874 877 1078 886 889 1090
SELOC 50 874 877 1078 890 893 1094
SELOC 60 874 877 1078 894 897 1098
SELOC 70 874 877 1078 898 901 1102
SELOC 80 874 877 1078 902 905 1106

SELOC 110 874 877 1078 1319 1316 1115
SELOC 120 874 877 1078 1323 1320 1119

SELOC 130 874 877 1078 1327 1324 1123
SELOC 140 874 877 1078 1331 1328 1127
SELOC 150 874 877 1078 1335 1332 1131
SELOC 160 874 877 1078 1339 1336 1135
SELOC 170 874 877 1078 1343 1340 1139
SELOC 180 874 877 1078 1347 1344 1143

$SPC1 1 123456 805 824 838 1383 1402 1416
GRI D, 9999, 0, 4. 125, 2. 125
RBE2, 10000, 9999, 123456, 805, 824, 838, 1383, 1402
, 1416
SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE


LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 9999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4
SPC1 1 3 9999
SPC1 3 123456 9999
TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT

$$$Create two f i l es, one t hat i s st ri ctl y the chi p and one that i s the boar d ( resi dual )
i ncl ude ' resi dual board. bdf '
Begin Super=10
include'chiponly.bdf'
$ dummy lseq
LSEQ 1 99 99
Begin Super=20
LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =30

LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =40
LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =50
LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =60
LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =70
LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =80
LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =110

LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =120
LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =130
LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =140
LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =150

CHAPTER 18 897
LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =160
LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =170
LSEQ 1 99 99
Begi n Super =180
LSEQ 1 99 99
Listing 18-21 Electronics Board PART Superelement with Image Superelement Input file for
Random Base Drive Analysis
The electronics board can be solved efficiently by using external superelements. In both the 2-step and
3-step examples, the chip is reduced and reused multiple times. The DMIGDB option is used for the
external superelement examples.
2-Step Method
The reduction run for the chip using the 2-step external superelement method is shown below:
assi gn master=' chi p. master' del ete

assi gn dbal l =' chi p. dbal l ' del ete
$ i nput f i l e t r ansl ator on J une 27, 2011 at 21: 43: 36.
$ Nor mal Modes Anal ysi s, Dat abase
SOL 103
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = NO
EXTSEOUT(ASMBULK=MANQ,EXTBULK,EXTID=10,DMIGDB)
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Cent er
METHOD = 1


BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 1 10 0 MASS
QSET1 11001 THRU 11016
ASET1 123456 874 877 1078 1081
Listing 18-22 Reduction Run for Electronics Chip – 2 Step Method (ref: /seug/chapter18/elec-
board/external-2-step/chip-create-external-dmigdb.bdf)
Since the chip is reused multiple times, an INCLUDE file containing the common data for each
superelement is used; this is included after BEGIN SUPER = ##.
EXTRN 874 123456 877 123456 1078 123456 1081 123456

11001 0 11002 0 11003 0 11004 0
11005 0 11006 0 11007 0 11008 0
11009 0 11010 0 11011 0 11012 0
11013 0 11014 0 11015 0 11016 0
$
$
GRI D 874 . 25 .5 0.
GRI D 877 1. .5 0.
GRI D 1078 . 25 2. 0.
GRI D 1081 1. 2. 0.
$
ASET 874 123456 877 123456 1078 123456 1081 123456
$
QSET1 0 11001 THRU 11016
$
Listing 18-23 Common Data for Reusing Chip in Multiple Superelements
The corresponding assembly run, attaching and locating the chip 16 times is shown below:
assi gn master =' assy. master' del ete

assi gn dbal l =' assy. dbal l ' del ete
assign chipm='chip.master'
assign chipd='chip.dball'
DBLOCATE DB=(EXTDB) CONVERT(SEID=10),LOGICAL=CHIPM

CHAPTER 18 899
DBLOCATE DB=( EXTDB) CONVERT( SEI D=20) , LOGI CAL=CHI PM



$ i nput f i l e t r ansl ator on J une 27, 2011 at 17: 47: 21.
SOL 111
CEND
RANDOM=33
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
par am, prgpst, no
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2



OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
SEPLOT 10
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$
SEPLOT 30
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
SEPLOT 130
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
BEGI N BULK
RANDPS, 33, 1, 1, 1. , 0. , 44
+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT

CHAPTER 18 901
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

GRI D, 9999, 0, 4. 125, 2. 125
RBE2, 10000, 9999, 123456, 805, 824, 838, 1383, 1402
, 1416
SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 9999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4
SPC1 1 3 9999
SPC1 3 123456 9999
TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT
SELOC 20 874 877 1078 878 881 1082
SELOC 30 874 877 1078 882 885 1086

SELOC 40 874 877 1078 886 889 1090
SELOC 50 874 877 1078 890 893 1094
SELOC 60 874 877 1078 894 897 1098
SELOC 70 874 877 1078 898 901 1102
SELOC 80 874 877 1078 902 905 1106
SELOC 110 874 877 1078 1319 1316 1115

SELOC 120 874 877 1078 1323 1320 1119
SELOC 130 874 877 1078 1327 1324 1123
SELOC 140 874 877 1078 1331 1328 1127
SELOC 150 874 877 1078 1335 1332 1131
SELOC 160 874 877 1078 1339 1336 1135
SELOC 170 874 877 1078 1343 1340 1139
SELOC 180 874 877 1078 1347 1344 1143



$i ncl ude ' chi p-cr eat e-exter nal - dmi gdb. asm'

SECONCT 10 0
874 874 877 877 1078 1078 1081 1081

11001 THRU 11016 11001 THRU 11016
SECONCT 20 0
874 878 877 881 1078 1082 1081 1085
11001 THRU 11016 12001 THRU 12016
SECONCT 30 0
874 882 877 885 1078 1086 1081 1089
11001 THRU 11016 13001 THRU 13016
SECONCT 40 0
874 886 877 889 1078 1090 1081 1093
11001 THRU 11016 14001 THRU 14016
SECONCT 50 0
874 890 877 893 1078 1094 1081 1097
11001 THRU 11016 15001 THRU 15016
SECONCT 60 0
874 894 877 897 1078 1098 1081 1101
11001 THRU 11016 16001 THRU 16016

CHAPTER 18 903

SECONCT 70 0
874 898 877 901 1078 1102 1081 1105
11001 THRU 11016 17001 THRU 17016
SECONCT 80 0
874 902 877 905 1078 1106 1081 1109
11001 THRU 11016 18001 THRU 18016
SECONCT 110 0
874 1319 877 1316 1078 1115 1081 1112
11001 THRU 11016 11101 THRU 11116
SECONCT 120 0
874 1323 877 1320 1078 1119 1081 1116
11001 THRU 11016 12101 THRU 12116
SECONCT 130 0
874 1327 877 1324 1078 1123 1081 1120
11001 THRU 11016 13101 THRU 13116
SECONCT 140 0
874 1331 877 1328 1078 1127 1081 1124
11001 THRU 11016 14101 THRU 14116
SECONCT 150 0
874 1335 877 1332 1078 1131 1081 1128
11001 THRU 11016 15101 THRU 15116
SECONCT 160 0
874 1339 877 1336 1078 1135 1081 1132
11001 THRU 11016 16101 THRU 16116
SECONCT 170 0
874 1343 877 1340 1078 1139 1081 1136
11001 THRU 11016 17101 THRU 17116
SECONCT 180 0
874 1347 877 1344 1078 1143 1081 1140
11001 THRU 11016 18101 THRU 18116
$


BEGIN SUPER 10
i ncl ude ' chi p- extpch. bdf '

$ dummy lseq in each SE
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 20
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 30
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 40
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 50
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 60
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 70
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 80
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 110

LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 120
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 130
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 140
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 150
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 160
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 170

CHAPTER 18 905
i ncl ude ' chi p- ext pch. bdf '

LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 180
LSEQ 1 99 99
ENDDATA
Listing 18-24 Assembly Run for Electronics Board with Reused Chip Components – 2 Step
Method (ref: /seug/chapter18/elec-board/external-2-step/assemble-board-
chips-dmigdb-random.bdf)
3-Step Method
The reduction run for the chip using the 3-step external superelement method is shown below:
assi gn master=' chi p. master' del ete

assi gn dbal l =' chi p. dbal l ' del ete
SOL 103
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = NO
$EXTSEOUT( ASMBULK=MANQ, EXTBULK, EXTI D=10, DMI GDB)
param,extout,dmigdb
SUBCASE 1
SUBTI TLE=Cent er
METHOD = 10
BEGI N BULK
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
EI GRL 10 10 0 MASS

QSET1 11001 THRU 11016
ASET1 123456 874 877 1078 1081


Listing 18-25 Reduction Run for Electronics Chip – 3 Step Method (ref: /seug/chapter18/elec-
board/external-3-step/chip-create-external-dmigdb.bdf)
Since the chip is reused multiple times, an INCLUDE file containing the common data for each
superelement is used; this is included after BEGIN SUPER = ##.
EXTRN 874 123456 877 123456 1078 123456 1081 123456

11001 0 11002 0 11003 0 11004 0
11005 0 11006 0 11007 0 11008 0
11009 0 11010 0 11011 0 11012 0
11013 0 11014 0 11015 0 11016 0
$
$
GRI D 874 . 25 .5 0.
GRI D 877 1. .5 0.
GRI D 1078 . 25 2. 0.
GRI D 1081 1. 2. 0.
$
ASET 874 123456 877 123456 1078 123456 1081 123456
$
QSET1 0 11001 THRU 11016
$
Listing 18-26 Common Data for Reusing Chip in Multiple Superelements
The corresponding assembly run, attaching and locating the chip 16 times is shown below:
assign master='assy.master' delete
assign dball='assy.dball' delete
assign chipm='chip.master'
assign chipd='chip.dball'


$ i nput f i l e t ransl ator on J une 27, 2011 at 17: 47: 21.

CHAPTER 18 907
SOL 111
CEND
RANDOM=33
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
par am, prgpst, no
$PARAM, AUTOQSET, YES
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
SEPLOT 10
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$
SEPLOT 30
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES



SEPLOT 130
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
BEGI N BULK
RANDPS, 33, 1, 1, 1. , 0. , 44
+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT
PARAM POST 0
PARAM PRTMAXI M YES
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
EI GRL 1 10 0

SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 9999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4
SPC1 1 3 9999
SPC1 3 123456 9999
TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT

CHAPTER 18 909
SELOC 20 874 877 1078 878 881 1082
SELOC 30 874 877 1078 882 885 1086
SELOC 170 874 877 1078 1343 1340 1139

SELOC 180 874 877 1078 1347 1344 1143


SECONCT 10 0
874 874 877 877 1078 1078 1081 1081

11001 THRU 11016 11001 THRU 11016
SECONCT 20 0
874 878 877 881 1078 1082 1081 1085
11001 THRU 11016 12001 THRU 12016
SECONCT 180 0
874 1347 877 1344 1078 1143 1081 1140
11001 THRU 11016 18101 THRU 18116
$
BEGIN SUPER 10

$ dummy lseq in each SE
LSEQ 1 99 99
BEGI N SUPER 180

LSEQ 1 99 99
ENDDATA
Listing 18-27 Assembly Run for Electronics Board with Reused Chip Components – 3 Step
Method (ref: /seug/chapter18/elec-board/external-3-step/assemble-board-
chips-dmigdb-random.bdf)


The data recovery can be performed for the chip in any location by restarting the reduction solution
database and applying the appropriate boundary solution from the assembly run. Data recovery input
files for Superelement 10 and 130 are shown below:
assi gn r un1M=' chi p. mast er'

assi gn r un1D=' chi p. dbal l '
restart logi=run1M
assi gn assyM=' assy. mast er '

assi gn assyD=' assy. dbal l '
SOL 111
CEND
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
RANDOM=33
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
FREQUENCY = 1
$ SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
$SEPLOT 10
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$

CHAPTER 18 911

BEGI N BULK
RANDPS, 33, 1, 1, 1. , 0. , 44
+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3
TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4
SPC1 1 3 999
SPC1 3 123456 999
TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT
ENDDATA
Listing 18-28 Data Recovery Run for Electronics Chip as Superelement 10 – 3 Step Method
(ref: /seug/chapter18/elec-board/external-3-step/recover-chip10.bdf)
assi gn r un1M=' chi p. mast er'

assi gn r un1D=' chi p. dbal l '
rest art l ogi =run1M
assi gn assyM=' assy. mast er '
assi gn assyD=' assy. dbal l '
SOL 111


CEND
LABEL = EXTERNAL SE, 3- st ep met hod, SE 130 dat a r ecover y
ECHO = NONE
RESVEC = YES
PARAM,EXTDR,YES
RANDOM=33
LOADSET = 1
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
FREQUENCY = 1
$ SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
$SEPLOT 10
XLOG YES
XGRI D LI NES YES
YLOG YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$
BEGI N BULK
RANDPS, 33, 1, 1, 1. , 0. , 44
+, 10. , 0. 1, 20. , 0. 1, 50. , 0. 3, 600. , 0. 3
+, 1500. , 0. 12, 2000. , 0. 12, ENDT
FREQ2 1 10. 2000. 50

CHAPTER 18 913
FREQ4 1 10. 2000. .3 3

TABDMP1 1 CRI T
0. . 03 3000. . 03 ENDT
SPCADD 2 1 3
RLOAD1 4 5 1 ACCE
LSEQ 1 5 6
SPCD 6 999 3 1.
DLOAD 2 1. 1. 4
SPC1 1 3 999
SPC1 3 123456 999
TABLED1 1
0. 386. 1 3000. 386. 1 ENDT
ENDDATA
Listing 18-29 Data Recovery Run for Electronics Chip as Superelement 130 – 3 Step Method
(ref: /seug/chapter18/elec-board/external-3-step/recover-chip130.bdf
The following table summarizes the results between the various solutions of the electronics board
random base drive analysis.
Table 18-6 Selected Results for Electronics Board Random Vibration Base Drive Example
Superelement ID /
Solution Baseline Grid Grid G (RMS)
Baseline 792 0 / 792 1.481614E+04
1590 0 / 1590 1.978883E+04
3396 0 / 3396 2.349298E+04
SESET 792 10 / 792 1.481615E+04
1590 30 / 792 1.978884E+04
3396 130 / 792 2.349296E+04


Table 18-6 Selected Results for Electronics Board Random Vibration Base Drive Example
Superelement ID /
Solution Baseline Grid Grid G (RMS)
PART 792 10 / 792 1.481625E+04
1590 30 / 792 1.978889E+04
3396 130 / 792 2.349305E+04
External 2-Step 792 10 / 792 1.483775E+04
1590 30 / 792 1.966581E+04
3396 130 / 792 2.347352E+04
External 3-Step 792 10 / 792 1.483876E+04
1590 30 / 792 1.966612E+04
3396 130 / 792 2.347172E+04
1.

Chapter 19: Output with XYP LOT

19 Output with XYPLOT
 Introduction
 Superelement Plotting with PLOT
 XYPLOT Commands


Introduction
Introduction
Typically a pre/post processor such as Patran is used to visualize the model and post process results.
However, there are some cases where visualization of imaged or relocated superelements is not possible
with current preprocessors. In this case, the MSC.Nastran PLOT command provides a method for
generating files showing the full model including all superelements in their final position. Similarly,
results output can be plotted with the MSC.Nastran XYPLOT command. Typically, XYPLOT results
are only used for dynamic response. The following subsections describe the PLOT and XYPLOT
commands available in MSC.Nastran.

CHAPTER 19 917
Output w ith XYPLOT
Superelement Plotting with PLOT

In Chapter 13, Practical Image Superelements, there were several examples that demonstrated the use of
image superelements. The advantage of image superelements is that a superelement component can be
relocated, copied, or moved efficiently. Unfortunately most commercial pre/post processors do not have
built in functionality to manipulate and view imaged superelements. The MSC.Nastran PLOT
command can be used to visualize the full model, including imaged superelements.
The PLOT instructions are contained in a special section of the case control delimited by the
OUTPUT(PLOT) entry. The PLOT commands have many options described in the Quick Reference
Guide in the OUTPUT(PLOT) section. A summary of the commands is shown below.
Table 19-1 Summary of OUTPUT(PLOT) Commands

OUTPUT(PLOT) Command Description
PLOTTER Selects format of plot file for interpretation by
plotter postprocessor.
ORTHOGRAPHIC Selects orthographic projection.
PERSPECTIVE Selects perspective projection.
STEREOSCOPIC Selects stereoscopic projection.
AXES Assigns axes of the basic coordinate system to the
observer’s coordinate system.
VIEW Defines the angular relationship between the
observer’s coordinate system (r, s, and t axes
specified on the AXES command) and the basic
coordinate system.
MAXIMUM DEFORM Defines the magnification of the maximum
displacement.
SCALE Defines reduction, as a scale factor, of the model’s
dimensions so that the model fits on a plot frame.
DISTORTION Specifies the distortion scale factors of axes in the
basic coordinate system.
CSCALE Defines scale factor for characters in the plot
frame.
ORIGIN Defines the origin of the plot frame with respect to
the origin of the (r, s, t) coordinate system defined
on the AXES command.
VANTAGE POINT Defines the location of the observer with respect
to the model in the (r, s, t) coordinate system
defined on the AXES command for perspective
and stereoscopic projections only.


Table 19-1 Summary of OUTPUT(PLOT) Commands

OUTPUT(PLOT) Command Description
PROJECTION Defines the separation, along the r-axis, between
the observer and the projection plane if not already
specified on the VANTAGE POINT command.
Used by stereoscopic projections only.
OCULAR SEPARATION Defines the separation of the left and right eye
vantage points along the s-axis for stereoscopic
projections.
CAMERA Specifies microfilm plotter options.
PAPER SIZE Defines the size and type of the paper.
PEN Generates a message on the printed output to
inform the plotter operator as to what size and
color pen point to mount in the various pen
holders.
PTITLE Defines a character string that will appear at the
top of the plot frame on the line below the
sequence number.
SET Defines a set of elements and/or grid points to be
plotted.
FIND Requests the plotter to optimally compute any of
the parameters that can
be specified on the SCALE, ORIGIN i, and/or
VANTAGE POINT
commands.
CONTOUR Specifies contour plot options for stress,
displacement, or temperature.
PLOT Generates an undeformed plot or a deformed plot
per subcase, mode number, frequency, or time
step. A contour plot may also be requested with an
undeformed or deformed plot.
PLOT Undeformed and Deformed Plot Request
Generates either undeformed or deformed plots for a subcase, mode number, or time step.
Format:

CHAPTER 19 919
Output w ith XYPLOT
 RANGE f 1 f 2 

P LO T  a na l ys i s   dtype   CONTOUR   i 1 i 2 THRU i 3 i 4 etc·   
 TIME t 1  t 2 
 
 PHASELAG  
 MAXIMUM DEFORMATION d 
 MAGNITUD E 
 
 SYMMETRY   PEN 
SET sid 1 O RI GI N o id 1
 w   p PRINT 
 ANTISYMM ETRY   DENSITY 
 SHAPE 
LABEL label   VE CTOR v PRINT 
 OUTLINE 
SHRINK t o NORMA LS 
SET sid 2 O RI GI N o id 2
 etc (19-1)
Field Contents
Analysis Type of results (STATIC, MODAL, CMODAL, TRANSIENT,
FRQUENCY, SENOMOVE)
Dtype Specifies plot quantity (DEFORM, VELOCITY, ACCELERATION)
CONTOUR Request for contour plot
i1,i2,… Subcase identification numbers (default = all)
RANGE f1 f2 Specifies range of natural frequencies, eigenvalues, or excitation
TIME t1,t2 Frequencies, time steps, or load factors.
PHASE LAG Specifies phase lag (in degrees) for complex quantities
MAGNITUDE Requests magnitude of complex quantities
MAXIMUM Specifies magnification of the maximum displacement
DEFORMATION d
SET sid Set identification number which defines elements or grids to be plotted
ORIGIN oid Origin identification number


Field Contents
SYMMETRY w Request plot of the symmetric portion of the symmetrically or
antisymmetrically loaded model.
ANTISYMMETRY w
PEN p Pen number used to generate the plot
DENSITY d Specifies line density scale factor.
SYMBOLS m[,n] Specifies symbol to use at grid points (refer to Quick Reference Guide for
more details)
LABEL label Specifies labeling for grids and elements (GRID, ELEMENTS, BOTH) –
(refer to Quick Reference Guide for more details)
SHAPE All elements in SET are shown by connecting grid points in a specified
manner.
OUTLINE Outline all of the elements in the specified SET.
VECTOR v A line representing length and deformation of displacement (refer to
Quick Reference Guide for more details)
PRINT List of the average stresses at the interior grid points in the set will be
printed for contour stress plots
SHRINK t,o t is the ratio of reduction for 2d elements
o is the ratio of reduction for 1d elements
NORMALS Plot vector normal to CHBDYP and CHBDYG elements
Only a few of these options will be described in the subsequent section.
PART Superelement Example

Consider the simplified jet example shown in the figure below (ref /doc/seug/chapter19/jet101.dat):

CHAPTER 19 921
Output w ith XYPLOT
For this example, the primary and secondary superelements and their positioning / imaging requirements
are described as follows:
Table 19-2 Description of jet101.dat Superelements

1 Primary Fuselage Created in proper location
2 Primary Right Inboard Wing Repositioned with SELOC
3 Primary Right Outboard Wing Repositioned with SELOC
4 Primary Vertical Tail Repositioned with SELOC
5 Primary Left Horizontal Stabilizer Repositioned with SELOC
12 Secondary image Left Inboard Wing Mirror of SE 2
13 Secondary image Left Outboard Wing Mirror of SE 3
15 Secondary image Right Horizontal Stabilizer Mirror of SE 5


This model contains superelements that must be repositioned and superelements that must be mirrored.
In order to obtain a visual confirmation of the final locations and displacements, OUTPUT(PLOT)
commands are specified as follows:
SOL 101
CEND
TI TLE = SE USI NG MI RROR I MAGE AND NASTRAN PLOTTI NG
ECHO = BOTH
DI SP = ALL
STRESS = ALL
SPCFORCE = ALL
OLOAD = ALL
LOAD = 101
SPC = 100
$
OUTPUT(PLOT)
CSCALE 1. 0
PLOTTER NAST
SET 1= ALL
AXES y , z, x
$i sometr i c vi ew
VI EW 210. , 25. , 180.
$ $
sepl ot 1,2, 3, 4, 5
pt i t l e = plot all primary se in their original positions
$
sepl ot 1 thru 5
pt i t l e = prim se (fuse, rt inbd and outbd wing, vert and lt horz stab)
pl ot set 1
$
sepl ot 12, 13, 15
pt i t l e = plot all image se in original position
$
sepl ot 12, 13, 15
pt i t l e = mirrored lt inbd wing, outbd wing, and rt horz stab
pl ot set 1
$
seuppl ot 0
pt i t l e = plot undeformed full model

CHAPTER 19 923
Output w ith XYPLOT

pl ot set 1
$
seuppl ot 0
pt i t l e = plot deformed full model
pl ot stat i c deformati on set 1 ori gi n 1
$
BEGI N BULK
Listing 19-1 OUTP UT(PLOT) Commands for jet101.dat Example
The OUTPUT(PLOT) commands instruct MSC.Nastran to generate a .plt file. The PLOTPS utility can
be used to translate the .plt file to a PostScript file (.ps). For more details on the plotps utility, refer to
the Using the Utility Programs (Ch. 6) in the MSC Nastran 2012.2 Installation and Operations Guide.
On windows systems, the command line to invoke the plotps utility is:
>c:/MSC.Software/MD_Nastran/201013/md20101/win64/plotps.exe jet101.plt
The resulting .ps file can be print to a PostScript compatible printer or opened with viewers capable of
displaying PostScript files. The OUTPUT(PLOT) commands above generate the following figures:
Figure 19-1 Undeformed Plot of Primary Superelements in Original Position (jet1101.dat)


Figure 19-2 Undeformed Plot of Primary Superelements in Final Position (SELOC),

(jet101.dat)
Figure 19-3 Undeformed Plot of Secondary Superelements in Original Position (jet1101.dat)

CHAPTER 19 925
Output w ith XYPLOT
Figure 19-4 Undeformed Plot of Primary Superelements in Final (mirrored) Position

(jet1101.dat)
Figure 19-5 Undeformed Plot of Full Model in Final Position (jet1101.dat)


CSUPER Example
The flyswatter example from Section 13.2.1 can be used to demonstrate the OUTPUT(PLOT) for
CSUPER superelements. In this example, there are two copies and one mirror superelement. In order
to obtain a visual confirmation of the final locations and displacements, OUTPUT(PLOT) commands are
specified as follows (ref /doc/seug/chapter19/flyswatter-csuper-plot.bdf) :
OUTPUT( PLOT)
CSCALE 1. 0
PLOTTER NAST
SET 1= ALL
AXES x, y, z
$ fr ont vi ew
VI EW 0. , 90. , 90.
seuppl ot 0
pl ot set 1 l abel el ement s symbol s 6
seuppl ot 0
pl ot set 1 l abel gri ds symbol s 6
$
$ si de vi ew
VI EW 0. , 0. , 90.
seuppl ot 0
pt i t l e = pl ot def ormed f ul l model
Listing 19-2 OUTP UT(PLOT) Commands for flyswatter-csuper-plot.bdf Example

CHAPTER 19 927
Output w ith XYPLOT
Figure 19-6 Undeformed Plot of Full Model in Final Position with Element IDs (flyswatter-
csuper-plot.bdf)


Figure 19-7 Undeformed Plot of Full Model in Final Position with Grid IDs (flyswatter-csuper-
plot.bdf)

CHAPTER 19 929
Output w ith XYPLOT
Figure 19-8 Deformed Plot of Full Model, 3 Subcases (flyswatter-csuper-plot.bdf)


XYPLOT Commands
XYPLOT Commands
In CHAPTER 11, there were several examples that demonstrated the use of superelements in dynamic
response analysis. Although most commercial pre/post processors have built in functionality plot
dynamic response, many users continue to use the MSC.Nastran XYPLOT commands to output and/or
visualize dynamic results.
The XYPLOT instructions are contained in a special section of the case control delimited by the
OUTPUT(XYPLOT) entry. The XYPLOT commands have many options described in the Quick
Reference Guide in the OUTPUT(XYPLOT)section.
XYPLOTs can be generated for 1-frame per page or 2-frames per page:
Figure 19-9 Example of X-Y P lots: One Frame per Page and Two Frames per Page
A summary of the most common commands is shown below.

CHAPTER 19 931
Output w ith XYPLOT
Table 19-3 Common XYP LOT Controls (All Curves)

XYPLOT Command (All Curves) Description
XMIN, XMAX Specifies the minimum and maximum values on
the x-axis on all curves
XLOG Selects logarithmic or linear x-axis on all curves
YAXIS Controls the plotting of y-axis on all curves.
XDIVISIONS Specifies spacing of tic marks on the x-axis for all

curves
XTITLE Defines x-axis title
TCURVE Defines title for top of plot frame
CSCALE Defines scale factor for characters in the plot
frame
UPPER TICS Specifies how to draw tic marks on the upper /
lower edge and left / right edge
LOWER TICS
CURVELINESYMBOL Selects lines and/or symbols to be drawn through
the x-y points
CLEAR Resets x-y plot commands to default value
Table 19-4 Common XYP LOT Controls (One Frame per Page Curves)
XYPLOT Commands (1 Frame Curves) Description
YMIN, YMAX Specifies the minimum and maximum values on
the y-axis
XAXIS Controls the plotting of the x-axis
XGRID, YGRID Controls the drawing of grid lines in plot area
YLOG Selects logarithmic or linear y-axis
YTITLE Defines y-axis title


XYPLOT Commands
Table 19-5 Common XYP LOT Controls (Two Frame per Page Curves)
XYPLOT Command (2 Frame Curves) Description
YTMIN, YTMAX Specifies the Min/Max y-axis values for the plot.
(T=Top frame, B=Bottom frame)
YBMIN, YBMAX
XTGRID, XBGRID Controls drawing of grid lines in plot area (T=Top
frame, B=Bottom frame)
YTGRID, YBGRID
YTAXIS, YBAXIS Controls the plotting of the y-axis (T=Top frame,
B=Bottom frame)
YTLOG, YBLOG Selects logarithmic or linear y-axis (T=Top frame,
B=Bottom frame)
YTTITLE, TBTITLE Defines y-axis title (T=Top frame, B=Bottom
frame)
MSC.Nastran XYPLOT commands provide several formats for the output of X-Y data:
Table 19-6 XYP LOT Data Generation Commands

XYPLOT Command Description
XYPAPLOT Generate X-Y plots for a printer
XYPEAK Print only the summary information
XYPLOT Generate X-Y plots for a plotter
XYPRINT Generate table of X-Y pairs in .f06 file
XYPUNCH Generate X-Y pairs in the PUNCH (.pch) file
The commands in Table 19-6 follow the same format as the XYPLOT command shown below:
XYPLOT Generate X-Y Plots for a Plotter
Generates X-Y Plots for a plotter

Format:
XYPLOT yvtype ptype [i1, i2, i3, …]/

id11 (itemu11 [,iteml11), id12 (itemu12 [,iteml12]), …/
id21 (itemu21 [,iteml21), id22 (itemu22 [,iteml22]), …/…

CHAPTER 19 933
Output w ith XYPLOT
Field Contents
yvtype Type of y-value to be plotted. ACCE, BOUT, DISP, ELFORCE,
ENTHALPY, FLUX, FMPF, GPMF, HDOT, MPCF, LMPF,
NONLINEAR, OLOAD, PMPF, PRESSURE, SACCE, SDISP, SMPF,
SPCF, STEMP, STRAIN, STRESS, SVELO, TEMP, VECTOR, VELO,
or VG. – (refer to Quick Reference Guide for more details)
ptype Plot type defining meaning of i1, i2, etc., idi, itemui, and itemli. AUTO,
FREQ, MODE, PSDF, RESPONSE, SPECTRAL. – (refer to Quick
Reference Guide for more details)
i1,i2,… Subcase identification numbers for ptype=RESPONSE – (refer to Quick
Reference Guide for more details)
Idij Element, grid, scalar, or extra point identification number for y-value for
frame i.
itemuij Item code for y-value. itemuij is for upper half or whole itemlij curves on
frame i, and itemlij is for lower half curves only on frame i. If itemlij is
not specified, then whole frame curves will be plotted with itemuij.
itemlij is ignored for ptype=“AUTO”, “PSDF”, and “SPECTRAL”
(Character or Integer > 0).
For elements, the code represents a component of the element stress,
strain, or force and is described in Table 6-1and Table 6-2 of the Guide.
For ptype=“AUTO”and “PSDF”, the complex stress or strain item codes
need to be used. Since the output quantities are real, you can use either
the real or the imaginary item code. Both will give the same result.
For grid points and pty=“RESPONSE”, the code is one of the mnemonics
T1, T2, T3, R1, R2, R3, T1RM, T2RM, T3RM, R1RM, R2RM, R3RM,
T1IP, T2IP, T3IP, R1IP, R2IP, or R3IP, where Ti stands for the i-th
translational component, Ri stands for the i-th rotational component, RM
means real or magnitude, and IP means imaginary or phase. For scalar or
extra points, or heat ransfer analysis, use T1, T1RM, or T1IP.
For grid points and ptype=“AUTO” or “PSDF”, the code is one of the
mnemonics T1, T2, T3, R1, R2, R3. For scalar or extra points, use T1.
For yvtype=VG, itemui and/or itemli can be “F” for frequency or “G” for
damping.
For superelement analysis the SEPLOT must be used to define the superelement which is used in the
plot.


XYPLOT Commands
Illustrative Example: Modal Transient

The modal transient example in List Superelement Direct Reference to EXCITEDID (Ch. 11) will be used
to demonstrate the XYPLOT commands for a superelement modal transient solution. The model is
included in /doc/seug/ chapter19/mtran-plot.bdf.
The Case Control and XYPLOT commands in this model are:
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
TSTEP = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2
OLOAD( PLOT, SORT2, REAL) =ALL
STRESS( PLOT, SORT2, BI LI N, VONM) =1
OUTPUT(XYPLOT)
$ xyoutput f or r esi dual

SEPLOT 0
$ set l abel s
XTI TLE = Ti me ( seconds)
$ add gri d l i nes
XGRI D LI NES YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$ create pl ot f i l es for OLOAD
$ set xmi n, xmax, ymi n, ymax f or OLOAD pl ot
XMI N . 02
XMAX . 10
YMI N - 1. 1
YMAX +1. 1
YTI TLE = For ce 105 ( pounds)
XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, XYPUNCH OLOAD/ 105( T3)
$ cl ear al l sett i ngs - xmi n/ xmax, ymi n/ ymax are not known f or accel erat i ons
CLEAR
$ set l abel s
$ creat e pl ot f i l es f or ACCELERATI ON
$ 2 pl ot s on one page
XTGRI D LI NES YES
XBGRI D LI NES YES

CHAPTER 19 935
Output w ith XYPLOT
YTGRI D L I NES YES

YBGRI D L I NES YES
$ pl ot acce 105- T3 on t op f r ame, acce 205- T3 on bot t omf r ame
YTTI TLE=ACCE 105 T3 ( i n/ sec* *2)
YBTI TLE=ACCE 205 T3 ( i n/ sec* *2)
XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, XYPUNCH ACCE/ 105( T3, ) , 205( , T3)
$ xyoutput f or superel ement 10

SEPLOT 10
$ cl ear a l l s et t i ngs
CLEAR
$ add gri d l i nes
XGRI D LI NES YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
XMI N . 02
XMAX . 10
YMI N - 1. 1
YMAX +1. 1
$ creat e pl ot f i l es for OLOAD
XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, XYPUNCH OLOAD/ 211( T3)
$ cl ear al l set t i ngs - xmi n/ xmax, ymi n/ ymax are not known f or accel erat i ons
CLEAR
$ set l abel s
$ add gri d l i nes
XGRI D LI NES YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$ create pl ot f i l es f or ACCELERATI ON
$ one pl ot per page:
YTI TLE=ACCE 108 T3 ( i n/ sec* *2)
XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, XYPUNCH ACCE/ 108( T3)
XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, XYPUNCH ACCE/ 211( T3)
$ 2 pl ot s i n same f r ame
YTI TLE = ACCE 108 / 211 T3
XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, XYPUNCH ACCE/ 108( T3) , 211( T3)
$ 2 f r ames on one page
XTGRI D LI NES YES
XBGRI D LI NES YES
YTGRI D L I NES YES
YBGRI D L I NES YES


XYPLOT Commands

XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, XYPUNCH ACCE/ 108( T3, ) , 211( , T3)
SEPLOT 20
CLEAR
$ add gri d l i nes
XGRI D LI NES YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$ Create pl ot f i l es f or st ress
YTI TLE = VONM STRESS El em 1, Gr i d 101
$ STRESS( BI LI N) means output i s f or el ement t ype 144.
$ Gr i d 101 i s corner 1. I t emCode = 28
XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, XYPUNCH STRESS / 1( 28)
YTI TLE = SPCF GRI D 101 MY

XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, XYPUNCH SPCF / 101( R2)
BEGI N BULK
Listing 19-3 Modal Transient with Superelement XYPLOT Commands (Full)
Breaking down the curves one by one:

SEPLOT 0
$ set l abel s
$ add gri d l i nes
XGRI D LI NES YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
XMI N . 02
XMAX . 10
YMI N - 1. 1
YMAX +1. 1
XYPLOT,XYPRINT,XYPUNCH OLOAD/105(T3)
Listing 19-4 XYPLOT Commands for OLOAD of Grid 105 T3 – Single Frame
The resulting plot:

CHAPTER 19 937
Output w ith XYPLOT
Figure 19-10 Plot for OLOAD of Grid 105 T3 – Single Frame
The resulting XY summary and XYPRINT in the .f06 file:

CANTI LEVER BEAM MODAL TRANSI ENT SOLUTI ON J UNE 25, 2011 MSC Nast r an 12/ 15/ 10
MODAL- TRANSI ENT SUPERELEMENT 0
SESET SOLUTI ON, DI RECT REFERENCE, SEQSET SUBCASE 1
X Y - O U T P U T S U M M A R Y ( R E S P O N S E )
SUBCASE CURVE FRAME CURVE I D. / XMI N- FRAME/ XMAX- FRAME/ YMIN-FRAME/ X FOR YMAX- FRAME/ X FOR
ID TYPE NO. PANEL : GRI D I D ALL DATA ALL DATA ALL DATA YMI N ALL DATA YMAX


XYPLOT Commands
1 LOAD 1 105( 5) 2. 000000E- 02 1. 000000E- 01 - 1. 000000E+00 3. 680000E- 02 1. 000000E+00 4. 440000E- 02

0. 000000E+00 1. 000000E+00 - 1. 000000E+00 3. 680000E- 02 1. 000000E+00 4. 440000E- 02
CANTI LEVER BEAM MODAL TRANSI ENT SOLUTI ON J UNE 25, 2011 MSC Nast r an 12/ 15/ 10 PAGE 31
MODAL- TRANSI ENT SUPERELEMENT 0
SESET SOLUTI ON, DI RECT REFERENCE, SEQSET SUBCASE 1
LOAD CURVE ID = 105 COMPONENT = 5 WHOLE FRAME

1 2. 000000E- 02 0. 000000E+00 3
2 2. 020000E- 02 0. 000000E+00 4
3 2. 040000E- 02 0. 000000E+00 5
4 2. 060000E- 02 0. 000000E+00 6
Listing 19-5 .f06 Output for XYPRINT of OLOAD of Grid 105 T3 – Single Frame
The resulting XYPUNCH data in the .pch file:
$SUBCASE 1 1
$LOAD 1 105 5 1 2
1 2. 000000E- 02 0. 000000E+00 3
2 2. 020000E- 02 0. 000000E+00 4
3 2. 040000E- 02 0. 000000E+00 5
4 2. 060000E- 02 0. 000000E+00 6
5 2. 080000E- 02 0. 000000E+00 7
6 2. 100000E- 02 0. 000000E+00 8
7 2. 120000E- 02 0. 000000E+00 9
Listing 19-6 .pch Output for XYPUNCH of OLOAD of Grid 105 T3 – Single Frame
NOTE: the “105 5” maps to the “105 - T3” degree of freedom.

Also note that the .f06 and .pch files follow the same format for other quantities and will not be repeated
for this illustration. However, the XYPLOT commands will be mapped to their corresponding plots
below.
$ cl ear al l sett i ngs - xmi n/ xmax, ymi n/ ymax are not known f or accel erat i ons
CLEAR
$ set l abel s
$ 2 pl ot s on one page
XTGRI D LI NES YES
XBGRI D LI NES YES
YTGRI D L I NES YES
YBGRI D L I NES YES

CHAPTER 19 939
Output w ith XYPLOT

XYPLOT,XYPRINT,XYPUNCH ACCE/105(T3,),205(,T3)
Listing 19-7 XYPLOT Commands for Acceleration of Grids 105 T3, 211 T3 – Two Frame
Figure 19-11 Plot for Acceleration of Grids 105 T3, 211 T3 – Two Frame


XYPLOT Commands

SEPLOT 10
$ cl ear al l s et t i ngs
CLEAR
$ add gri d l i nes
XGRI D LI NES YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
XMI N . 02
XMAX . 10
YMI N - 1. 1
YMAX +1. 1
XYPLOT,XYPRINT,XYPUNCH OLOAD/211(T3)
Listing 19-8 XYPLOT Commands for OLOAD of Grid 211 T3 (SEID=10) – Single Frame

CHAPTER 19 941
Output w ith XYPLOT
Figure 19-12 2 Plot for OLOAD of Grid 211 T3 (SEID=10) – Single Frame
$ cl ear al l set t i ngs - xmi n/ xmax, ymi n/ ymax are not known f or accel erat i ons
CLEAR
$ set l abel s
$ add gri d l i nes
XGRI D LI NES YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$ one plot per page:

XYPLOT,XYPRINT,XYPUNCH ACCE/108(T3)

XYPLOT,XYPRINT,XYPUNCH ACCE/211(T3)
$ 2 plots in same frame
YTI TLE = ACCE 108 / 211 T3


XYPLOT Commands
XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, XYPUNCH ACCE/ 108( T3) , 211( T3)

$ 2 frames on one page
XTGRI D LI NES YES

XBGRI D LI NES YES
YTGRI D L I NES YES
YBGRI D L I NES YES
$ plot acce 108-T3 on top frame, acce 211-T3 on bottom frame

XYPLOT,XYPRINT,XYPUNCH ACCE/108(T3,),211(,T3)
Listing 19-9 XYPLOT Commands for Single Frame, Multiple Plots on Single Frame, and 2-
Frame Curves

CHAPTER 19 943
Output w ith XYPLOT
Listing 19-10 Plots for Single Frame, Multiple Plots on Single Frame, and 2-Frame Curves
SEPLOT 20
CLEAR
$ add gri d l i nes
XGRI D LI NES YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
$ Create pl ot f i l es f or st ress


XYPLOT Commands
YTI TLE = VONM STRESS El em 1, Gr i d 101

$ STRESS( BI LI N) means output i s f or el ement t ype 144.
$ Gr i d 101 i s corner 1. I t emCode = 28
XYPLOT,XYPRINT,XYPUNCH STRESS /1(28)
YTI TLE = SPCF GRI D 101 MY

XYPLOT,XYPRINT,XYPUNCH SPCF /101(R2)
Listing 19-11 XYPLOT Commands for Superelement 20, Stress and SPCForce
Figure 19-13 Plots for Superelement 20, Stress and SPCForce
Illustrative Example: Modal Frequency Respon se

The modal transient example in Section 11.6.3 will be used to demonstrate the XYPLOT commands for
a superelement modal transient solution. The model is included in /doc/seug/ chapter19/mfreq-plot.bdf.
The Case Control and XYPLOT commands in this model are:
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2
DLOAD = 2

CHAPTER 19 945
Output w ith XYPLOT

STRESS( PLOT, SORT1, PHASE, VONMI SES, BI LI N) =ALL
OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
SEPLOT 0
$ set l abel s
XTI TLE = Fr equency (Hz)
$ 2 pl ot s on one page, magni t ude and phase
$ add gri d l i nes
XTGRI D LI NES YES
XBGRI D LI NES YES
YTGRI D L I NES YES
YBGRI D L I NES YES
$ pl ot acce 105- T3 Phase on t op f r ame, acce 105- T3 Mag on bot t om f r ame
YTTI TLE=ACCE 105 T3 Phase ( degrees)
YBTI TLE=ACCE 105 T3 Mag ( i n/ sec* *2)
XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, XYPUNCH ACCE/ 105( T3I P, ) , 105( , T3RM)
$ change to l og- l og f or magni t ude, l og- l i near f or phase
YBLOG YES
XLOG YES

SEPLOT 10
$ set l abel s
$ add gri d l i nes
XTGRI D LI NES YES
XBGRI D LI NES YES
YTGRI D L I NES YES
YBGRI D L I NES YES
YBLOG YES
XLOG YES
SEPLOT 20
$ set l abel s


XYPLOT Commands
$ add gri d l i nes

XTGRI D LI NES YES
XBGRI D LI NES YES
YTGRI D L I NES YES
YBGRI D L I NES YES
XLOG YES
YBLOG YES
YTTI TLE = SPCF GRI D 101 MY - Phase
YBTI TLE = SPCF GRI D 101 MY - Mag
XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, XYPUNCH SPCF / 101( R2I P, ) , 101( , R2RM)
BEGI N BULK
Listing 19-12 Frequency Response with Superelement XYPLOT Commands (Full)
Breaking down the curves for each superelement:

SEPLOT 0
$ set l abel s
$ 2 plots on one page, magnitude and phase
$ add gri d l i nes

XTGRI D LI NES YES
XBGRI D LI NES YES
YTGRI D L I NES YES
YBGRI D L I NES YES
$ plot acce 105-T3 Phase on top frame, acce 105-T3 Mag on bottom frame

XYPLOT,XYPRINT,XYPUNCH ACCE/105(T3IP,),105(,T3RM)
$ change to log-log for magnitude, log-linear for phase
YBLOG YES
XLOG YES
Listing 19-13 XYPLOT Commands for Residual Structure (Freq. Response)

CHAPTER 19 947
Output w ith XYPLOT
Figure 19-14 Plots for Residual Structure (Freq. Response)
CANTI LEVER BEAM MODAL FREQUENCY RESPONSE SOLUTI ON J UNE 25, 2011 MSC Nast r an 12/ 15/ 10
MODAL- FREQUENCY SUPEREL EMENT 0
LI ST SUPERELEMENTS, LOADSET/ LSEQ, SEQSET1 SUBCASE 1
X Y - O U T P U T S U M M A R Y ( R E S P O N S E )
SUBCASE CURVE FRAME CURVE I D. / XMI N- FRAME/ XMAX- FRAME/ YMIN-FRAME / X FOR YMAX-FRAME / X FOR
ID TYPE NO. PANEL : GRI D I D ALL DATA ALL DATA ALL DATA YMI N ALL DATA YMAX
1 ACCE 1 105( 11,--) 1. 000000E+01 1. 000000E+03 2. 606156E- 01 1. 096478E+02 3. 597626E+02 1. 202264E+02
1. 000000E+01 1. 000000E+03 2. 606156E- 01 1. 096478E+02 3. 597626E+02 1. 202264E+02
MODAL- FREQUENCY SUPEREL EMENT 0
LI ST SUPERELEMENTS, LOADSET/ LSEQ, SEQSET1 SUBCASE 1
ACCELERATION CURVE ID = 105 COMPONENT = 11 UPPER FRAME

1 1. 000000E+01 1. 787928E+02 3
2 1. 096478E+01 1. 786464E+02 4
3 1. 202264E+01 1. 784743E+02 5
4 1. 318257E+01 1. 782689E+02 6
5 1. 445440E+01 1. 780189E+02 7
6 1. 584893E+01 1. 777074E+02 8
Listing 19-14 XYPEAK and XYPRINT Results for Residual Structure (Freq. Response)


XYPLOT Commands
$SUBCASE 1 1
$ACCE 1 105 11 1 2
1 1. 000000E+01 1. 787928E+02 3
2 1. 096478E+01 1. 786464E+02 4
3 1. 202264E+01 1. 784743E+02 5
4 1. 318257E+01 1. 782689E+02 6
5 1. 445440E+01 1. 780189E+02 7
6 1. 584893E+01 1. 777074E+02 8
7 1. 737801E+01 1. 773068E+02 9
8 1. 905461E+01 1. 767698E+02 10
Listing 19-15 XYPUNCH Results for Residual Structure (Freq. Response)
Note: The “105 11” maps to the “105 - T3IP” degree of freedom.
Also note that the .f06 and .pch files follow the same format for other quantities and will not be repeated
for this illustration. However, the XYPLOT commands will be mapped to their corresponding plots
below.

SEPLOT 10
$ set l abel s
$ add gri d l i nes
XTGRI D LI NES YES
XBGRI D LI NES YES
YTGRI D L I NES YES
YBGRI D L I NES YES
YBLOG YES
XLOG YES
Listing 19-16 5 XYPLOT Commands for Superelement 10 (Freq Response)

CHAPTER 19 949
Output w ith XYPLOT
Figure 19-15 Plot for Superelement 10 (Freq Response)
SEPLOT 20
$ set l abel s
$ add gri d l i nes
XTGRI D LI NES YES
XBGRI D LI NES YES
YTGRI D L I NES YES
YBGRI D L I NES YES
XLOG YES
YBLOG YES
XYPLOT,XYPRINT,XYPUNCH SPCF /101(R2IP,),101(,R2RM)
Listing 19-17 XYPLOT Commands for Superelement 20 (Freq Response)


XYPLOT Commands
Figure 19-16 Plot for Superelement 20 (Freq Response)
Illustrative Example: Random Vibration

The modal transient example in section Illustrative Example: Modal Frequency Response will be
modified to demonstrate the XYPLOT commands for a superelement modal transient solution with
random response. The model is included in /doc/seug/ chapter19/mfreq-rand-plot.bdf. The objective of
this section is to demonstrate the commands necessary to generate Power Spectral Density (PSD) plots
using the XYPLOT commands. Note that PSD plots are only available for one frame per page.
The Case Control and XYPLOT commands in this model are shown below (the differences from the
example in section Illustrative Example: Modal Frequency Response are highlighted):
SDAMPI NG = 1
SUBCASE 1
METHOD = 1
FREQUENCY = 1
SPC = 2

CHAPTER 19 951
Output w ith XYPLOT
DLOAD = 2
RANDOM = 88

STRESS( PLOT, SORT1, PHASE, VONMI SES, BI LI N) =ALL
OUTPUT( XYPLOT)
SEPLOT 0
$ set l abel s
$ 2 pl ot s on one page, magni t ude and phase
$ add gri d l i nes
XTGRI D LI NES YES
XBGRI D LI NES YES
YTGRI D L I NES YES
YBGRI D L I NES YES
$ pl ot acce 105- T3 Phase on t op f r ame, acce 105- T3 Mag on bot t om f r ame
$ change to l og- l og f or magni t ude, l og- l i near f or phase
YBLOG YES
XLOG YES
$ psd for acceleration
XGRID LINES YES
YGRID LINES YES
YLOG YES
YTITLE PSDF ACCE 105 T3
XYPLOT,XYPRINT,XYPUNCH ACCE PSDF / 105(T3RM)

SEPLOT 10
$ set l abel s
$ add gri d l i nes
XTGRI D LI NES YES
XBGRI D LI NES YES
YTGRI D L I NES YES
YBGRI D L I NES YES


XYPLOT Commands
YBLOG YES
XLOG YES
$ psd for acceleration
XGRID LINES YES
YGRID LINES YES
YLOG YES
YTITLE PSDF ACCE 211 T3
SEPLOT 20
$ set l abel s
$ add gri d l i nes
XTGRI D LI NES YES
XBGRI D LI NES YES
YTGRI D L I NES YES
YBGRI D L I NES YES
XLOG YES
YBLOG YES
XYPLOT, XYPRI NT, XYPUNCH SPCF / 101( R2I P, ) , 101( , R2RM)
$ psd for spc force
XGRID LINES YES
YGRID LINES YES
YLOG YES
YTITLE PSDF SPCF 101 R2
XYPLOT,XYPRINT,XYPUNCH SPCF PSDF / 101(R2RM)
BEGI N BULK
RANDPS 88 1 1 1. 0. 89
TABRND1 89
0. 0 0. 0 20. 0. 100. .5 200. 0. 5
1000. 0. 1 2000. 0. 1 ENDT
Listing 19-18 Frequency Response with Superelement XYPLOT Commands (Full)

CHAPTER 19 953
Output w ith XYPLOT
The XYPLOT commands not highlighted above are described in the previous section. Breaking down
the curves for each superelement:
SEPLOT 0
$ set l abel s
XLOG YES
$ psd f or accel erati on
XGRI D LI NES YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
YLOG YES
YTI TLE PSDF ACCE 105 T3
Listing 19-19 XYPLOT Commands for Acceleration PSD for Residual Structure
Figure 19-17 Plot Results for Residual Structure (PSD Response)


XYPLOT Commands
MODAL- FREQUENCY SUPERELEMENT 0
LI ST SUPERELEMENTS, LOADSET/ LSEQ, SEQSET1

PLOT CURVE FRAME CURVE I D. / RMS NO. POSITIVE XMI N FOR XMAX FOR YMI N FOR X FOR YMAX FOR X FOR*
TYPE TYPE NO. PANEL : GRI D I D VALUE CROSSINGS ALL DATA ALL DATA ALL DATA YMI N ALL DATA YMAX
PSDF ACCE 3 105( 5) 9.000029E+05 5.750994E+02 1. 000E+01 1. 000E+03 0. 000E+00 1. 000E+01 1. 413E+10 5. 477E+02
MODAL- FREQUENCY SUPERELEMENT 0
LI ST SUPERELEMENTS, LOADSET/ LSEQ, SEQSET1
ACCELERATI ON CURVE ID = 105 COMPONENT = 5 WHOLE FRAME
1 1. 000000E+01 0. 000000E+00 322
2 1. 096478E+01 0. 000000E+00 323
3 1. 202264E+01 0. 000000E+00 324
4 1. 318257E+01 0. 000000E+00 325
5 1. 445440E+01 0. 000000E+00 326
Listing 19-20 XYPEAK and XYPRINT Results for Residual Structure (PSD Response)
$ACCE 3 105 5 9.000029E+05 5.750994E+02 321

1 1. 000000E+01 0. 000000E+00 322
2 1. 096478E+01 0. 000000E+00 323
3 1. 202264E+01 0. 000000E+00 324
4 1. 318257E+01 0. 000000E+00 325
5 1. 445440E+01 0. 000000E+00 326
6 1. 584893E+01 0. 000000E+00 327
7 1. 737801E+01 0. 000000E+00 328
8 1. 905461E+01 0. 000000E+00 329
Listing 19-21 XYPUNCH Results for Residual Structure (PSD Response)
$ xyoutput for superelement 10
SEPLOT 10
$ set l abel s
XLOG YES

CHAPTER 19 955
Output w ith XYPLOT
$ psd f or accel erati on

XGRI D LI NES YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
YLOG YES
YTI TLE PSDF ACCE 211 T3
Listing 19-22 XYPLOT Commands for Acceleration PSD for Superelement 10
Figure 19-18 XYPLOT Commands for Acceleration PSD for Superelement 10
SEPLOT 20
$ set l abel s
XLOG YES


XYPLOT Commands
$ psd for spc force

XGRI D LI NES YES
YGRI D L I NES YES
YLOG YES
YTI TLE PSDF SPCF 101 R2
XYPLOT,XYPRINT,XYPUNCH SPCF PSDF / 101(R2RM)
Listing 19-23 XYPLOT Commands for SPCFORCE PSD for Superelement 20
Figure 19-19 Plot for SP CF ORCE PSD for Superelement 20
1.

Chapter : APPENDICES

APPENDICES
 Glossary


Glossary
Glossary
Boundary Element
For a list superelement, an element that has GRIDs that belong to more than one superelement is a
boundary superelement. The element will be assigned to the uppermost superelement in the
superelement tree or processing order.
Branch Element
For a list superelement, a branch superelement connects to grid pints belonging to more than one
superelement. A common example is a line element that has both grids attaching to the exterior grids of
an upstream superelement. Branch superelements are automatically assigned to the downstream
superelement, but can be reassigned to the upstream superelement using the SEELT command bulk data
entry.
Collector Superelement
In a multilevel superelement tree, a collector superelement is a superelement with more than one
upstream superelements attached to it.
Component Modes Synthesis

Component Modes are generated as part of dynamic reduction and consist of the dynamic superelement
influence coefficients (or superelement dynamic shape functions) and are used to improve the dynamic
mass reduction approximation. The component modes are stored in the G oq matrix; each column of this
matrix represents a dynamic mode shape. The boundary dof may be fixed, free, or a combination of fixed
and free during the Eigenvalue calculation.
Constraint Modes
Constraint modes are generated as part of static condensation and consist of the static influence
coefficients of the interior dof generated when all exterior or dof are held fixed except for one dof which
is moved a unit displacement. The constraint modes are stored in the [GOT] matrix; each column of this
matrix represents the motion of the interior points when one boundary DOF is moved one unit while the
other boundary points are held constrained.
An external superelement is a superelement that has been reduced to its boundary in a separate solution
and attached to the current model.

CHAPTER 3
APPENDICES
Fixed Boundary Solution

Component Modes Synthesis performed with all physical exterior dof fixed during Eigenvalue
calculations is referred to as a fixed boundary solution.
Free Boundary Soluti on

Component Modes Synthesis performed with all physical exterior dof free during Eigenvalue
calculations is referred to as a free boundary solution.
List Superelement
A superelement defined in the main bulk data section by defining a list is a list superelement. The list
superelement can be defined by grids (SESET, or the SEID field of the GRID entry) or by elements
(SEELT) when BEGIN SUPER is present.
Load Sequence
The load sequence is used in static analysis to define the load vector association to a residual structure
load sequence. Most commonly used with expanded case control.
Mixed Boundary Solut ion

Component Modes Synthesis performed with some physical exterior dof fixed and the remaining
physical exterior dof fixed during Eigenvalue calculations is referred to as a fixed boundary solution.
Multilevel Superelement Tree

A multilevel superelement tree occurs when exterior dof from one or more superelements are attached
to the interior dof of a superelement other than the residual.
Mutually Exclusive Set

Each dof is a member of one mutually exclusive set. In superelement analysis, each boundary dof is part
of one of the following sets: B-Set = Physical dof Fixed for Component Modes Synthesis Calculations;
C-Set = Physical dof Free for Component Modes Synthesis Calculations; Q-Set = Modal dof calculated
during Component Modes Synthesis. Since these dof must be mutually exclusive of all other MSC
Nastran sets, they cannot be define as Single Point or Multi Point constraints.


Glossary
Main Bulk Data Section

Most commonly, the Main Bulk Data Section refers to the section of the bulk data that is used to define
the residual structure when PART superelements are used. This Main Bulk Data Section occurs after
BEGIN BULK (or BEGIN SUPER = 0) and concludes with BEGIN SUPER=i, or ENDDATA.
MSC.Nastran has the possibility of auxiliary models used for Optimization, Exterior Acoustic Analysis,
and Arbitrary Beam Cross Sections. These are delimited from the Main Bulk Data Section with BEGIN
AUXMODEL, BEGIN AFPM, or BEGIN ARBMODEL, respectively.
PART Superelement
A PART Superelement is a superelement that is partitioned within its own bulk data section delimited by
BEGIN SUPER.
Phase 1 Processing
In Phase 1 Superelement processing, the superelement matrices are reduced to boundary matrix
representations and assembled with the residual structure. For a multilevel tree multiple reductions and
assemblies are performed until the final assembly of the residual structure.
Phase 2 Processing
In Phase 2 Superelement processing, the solution of residual structure is performed. The solution is
defined as the displacements of the residual structure (including velocities and accelerations for dynamic
solutions). The solution is performed at the lowest reduction level of the residual structure (typically the
A-Set).
Phase 3 Processing
In Phase 3 Superelement processing, the data recovery of each superelement, including the residual, is
performed. The data recovery includes back-expansion of the solution vector to the G-Set and
calculation of additional data recovery items (stresses, forces, etc.).
Qualifier
Each matrix stored on the MSC Nastran database has a qualifier to identify its origin and applicability.
For example, there may be several reduced stiffness matrices K a a stored on the database. The qualifiers
will identify SEID (superelement ID), SPC (constraint set), etc. so that these matrices may be identified
and assembled in the proper sequence.

CHAPTER 5
APPENDICES
SEP1
Superelement Processing, Phase 1 (old style) – generates the superelement map (SEMAP) which defines
the superelement membership of each grid and element and defines the superelement connectivity and
process order. Module SEP1 is executed for list superelements when BEGIN SUPER is not present.
SEP1X
Superelement Processing, Phase 1 (new style) – generates the superelement map (SEMAP) which
defines the superelement membership of each grid and element and defines the superelement
connectivity and process order. Module SEP1X is executed for models with PART superelements and
for List Superelements when BEGIN SUPER is present.
Single Level Superelement Tree

A single level superelement tree is a model where all superelements are connected directly to the residual
structure.
Processing Order
The Processing Order defines the superelement reduction and data recovery order.


Glossary

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MSC Nastran 2012

Superelements User’s Guide

Corporate Europe Asia Pacific

Revision 0. March 13, 2012

1 Introduc tion and Fundamentals

Why Use Superelements? 4

Fundamentals of Superelement Analysis 7

Manual Solut ion of a Small Superelement Example 16

List of Superelement Enhancements Released Since Version 69 34

2 How to Defin e a Superelement

Superelement vs. Residual 41

Three Types of Superelements 43

Defining List Superelements 44

ii Superelements User’s Guide

Defini ng PART Superelements 71

Defining and Attaching External Superelements 94

The Superelement Map – SEMAP 138

3 Single Level Superelement Analysis

Baseline Static Exampl e using Patran 153

Single-Level Analysis Using List Superelements 166

Single-Level Analysis Using PART Superelements 196

Single-Level Analysis Using External Superelements 204

Comparison of Methods 223

4 Loads, Constraints , Case Control, and Parameters i n Static Analysis

Mechanical Loads in Static Analysis 229

Thermal Loads in Static Analysis 235

PART Superelements 241

Boundary Conditions i n Static Analysis 242

Case Contro l 260

Parameter Control s 274

Special Considerations 276

5 Inertia Relief Analysis Using Superelements

The Concept of Inertia Relief 283

Interface for Inertia Relief Using Superelements 284

Inertia Relief Examples (Freedom) 287

6 Multiple Loading in Static Analysis

Internal Case Control Partitioning 301

iv Superelements User’s Guide

Examples for Multiple Loading Conditions (cantilever plate) 303

7 Multi-Level Superelement Analysis

Compariso n of Sing le- and Multi-Level Superelements 317

User Interface 327

Example – Multi-Level Superelement Solved Manually 331

Example – Multi -Level Superelement (Freedom) 339

8 Output Descri ption and Control in Static Superelement Analysis

Diagnostic/Connection Output 373

Part Superelement Diagno stic Outp ut 387

List (SESET) Superelement Diagno stic Output 391

Visualizing Model with OUTPUT(PLOT) 394

Result Output 395

9 Introduction to Dynamic Analysis Using Superelements

Description of Dynamic Reduction Process 410

Illustrative Example 450

Nastran Set Definitio ns – The USET Table 458

10 Input and Output for Dynamic Reduction

Case Control for Dynamic Reduction 465

Single Level Dynamic Reduction 468

Multi-Level Dynamic Reduction 514

11 Dynamic Loading on Superelements

Direct Reference to EXCITEID 550

Indi rect Reference to EXCITEDID: LOADSET / LSEQ Metho d 554

Superelement Dampin g 559

vi Superelements User’s Guide