Dynamic Structural Analysis
Structures are often exposed to loading which varies over time, exciting the structure and causing it to resonate and vibrate. Depending on the level vibration and the nature of the structure, failure may occur by collapse or by fatigue. Some examples of conditions that may cause a structure to exhibit a dynamic response are:
- Structures exposed to earthquake loading
- Piping exposed to loading resulting from internal flow, such as flow induced vibration, acoustic pulsation, or slug loading
- Equipment or structures attached to rotating machinery
- Vortices shed when fluid or air flows past a structure can cause it to vibrate. This is typically considered in the design of chimney stacks, piping or bridge cables.
In order to ensure that the structure does not vibrate excessively, resonance must be avoided by ensuring that the load excitation frequencies do not coincide with the structural natural frequencies. SEAM performs random vibration, modal analysis, response spectrum, and time history simulations to assess the response of structures to various dynamic loading scenarios and to determine cyclic stresses and strains. This enables the optimisation or modification of structural designs in order to avoid vibration issues, and the calculation of the remaining life of structures subject to vibration.