STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS AND DESIGN SOFTWARE

GSE General Structural Engineering Software

GSE : GENERAL STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING SOFTWARE

INTEGRATED STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS AND DESIGN SOFTWARE

GSE SOFTWARE

The GSE General Structural Engineering software is a fully integrated analysis and design software for structural engineering. The software accounts for steel, cold-formed steel, concrete, automated slab design, timber, light frame wood and aluminum.

This engineering software solution is used worldwide by several notable international companies in production work for building innovative structures. The GSE software is an advanced structural program based on more than 34 years of Research and Development.

The General Structural Engineering software is a technology built on a powerful user-friendly interface offering comprehensive analysis options and intuitive modeling features.The advanced structural analysis of the GSE software allows the user to achieve specialized analyses crucial to any projects related to the construction industry.

STEEL

CONCRETE

SLAB

LIGHT FRAME WOOD

MASS TIMBER

ALUMINUM

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ANALYSIS SPECIFICATIONS

SIESMIC AND DYNAMIC ANALYSIS

Automated simplified method of the building codes (NBCC and IBC)
Seismic response spectrum, seismic time-history and dynamic time-history analysis
Customized response spectrums and accelerograms
Fully customizable analysis parameters
Maximal response using CQC and SRSS methods
Automated or user defined damping
Graphical display of response spectrums and accelerograms
User defined incidence angle of seismic loads and vertical components
Customized analysis and output time steps
Time refined results can be provided for selected parts of the models
Automated or custom determination of the signs of deformations provided by the maximum response methods
Additional masses can be added to the model by way of static loads
Seismic loads (spectrum or accelerogram) and dynamic loads (sinusoidal, general load functions and random load functions)
Multiple seismic and dynamic loads can be combined together in a single analysis
Base shear calibration according to the selected building code
Possibility to define several seismic loads and account for eccentricities between the center of stiffness and the center of mass
Graphical display of the center of stiffness and the center of mass and seismic forces at floors
Account for accidental eccentricities
Account for the I, F and R coefficients of the NBCC and IBC code in spectral and time-history analysis

LOADS AND LOAD COMBINATIONS

The software allows the user to create load combinations.
A load combination results in an algebric combination of distinct basic loads.
Each basic load is multiplied by a load factor. The resulting load combination acts on the structure to generate a specific structural response.
The load combination wizard in the program also allows creating load patterns.
The load combination wizard generates load combinations according to NBCC, UBC, ASCE 7, BOCA, Eurocode and ECC.
Loading for joints, members including concentrated, uniform, trapezoidal and thermal loads.
Pressure or concentrated floor loads with two-way, one-way and truss distribution using triangular or quadrilateral surfaces.
Pressure or concentrated loads on finite element plates.
Gravity loads in any global direction calculated by the program.
Imposed displacements at any joint. User defined load combinations.

COMPREHENSIVE STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OPTIONS

FEA Finite Elements Analysis, Static Analysis, Linear and Nonlinear Analysis, P-Delta Analysis, Natural Frequency Analysis, Static Equivalent, Seismic and Dynamic Analysis, Time-History Analysis, Modal Analysis, Spatial Objects and Spatial Loads*, Buckling Analysis, Spectral Analysis, Advanced Section Stress, Torsion and Warping, Built Up Sections, Catenary Cables*, Diaphragm Analysis, Notional Horizontal Loads, Loads and Load Combinations.
*Requires the advanced analysis package.

SPATIAL OBJECTS AND SPATIAL LOADS

Spatial objects are used to model non-structural secondary elements attached to the structure. These elements add no stiffness to the existing model. Loads applied to spatial objects are transferred to the structure through one or more attach joints. The loads are transferred using a “rigid plate” approach.
Concentrated, pressure and wind loads may be applied to spatial objects. The figures below shows a spatial object loaded vertically and horizontally attached to a cantilever column. Also, it shows the deformations and biaxial moments induced by the loads transferred by the spatial object.

CATENARY CABLES

The catenary cable element is a highly non-linear element used to model the catenary behavior of a cable suspended between two points under the effect of its self-weight. This formulation accounts for the non-linearity due to large displacements.
A cable has no bending, shear, compression or torsion stiffness. Due to this fact, the fixities at the ends are ignored; the cable is always treated as member acting in tension only. In the interface of the GSE, the user can create a catenary cable by associating a cable type section to a member.

DIRECT ANALYSIS METHOD

Direct Analysis Method (DAM) available for AISC 360-16 and AISC 360-10 standards. The options for the Stability Design Method are Direct Analysis Method (DAM) and Effective Length Method (kL).

TORSION AND WARPING

The GSE software considers restrained warping for the torsion of thin-wall open sections. Notice that this phenomenon is not included in most commonly used frame analysis programs. Almost all frame programs in practice use St-Venant torsion theory ignoring the effects of restrained warping.

MODELING FEATURES

Local coordinate systems
Linear or circular lines of constructions for model creations
Automated commands for model creation such as move, rotate, extrude, copy, attach, subdivide and others
Models can be edited either graphically or by means of spreadsheets
Element can be created in batch or one by one
Elements of the models can be selected either graphically or according to a set of criterions
Persistent groups of selected objects can be created and edited graphically or by means of spreadsheets
Definition of physical members
Selection and edition of physical members
Definition of loading surfaces
Multiple edition grids with user defined spacing, angles and labels
Powerful edition and automatic generation tools
Members can be subdivided in any number of equal segments or at specific positions

EXTENSIVE PROFILE TYPES AND LIBRARIES

Standard sections (CISC, AISC and European)
Custom section libraries
Non-standard sections (over 30 shapes available)
Truss and pre-tensioned cable sections
User defined section properties
Composite sections are available

Similar connected members can be merged together
Elements of the structure can be renumbered according to several criterions
Element attributes can be set graphically or by means of spreadsheets (sections, analysis parameters, rotation angles, etc.)
Element attributes can be edited in batch or element by element
Loads can be edited graphically or by means of spreadsheets
Contour lines for finite element plates with customized bounds
Wizard based geometry generation
A large number of pre-defined frames
Circular and parabolic arches
Cylinders and cones composed of beams and/or plates
Physical elements concept to group different elements
Surfaces can be used for load transfer and self-weight calculation
Surfaces can be used to simulate diaphragm effects

GEOMETRIC CALCULATOR

Wizard based geometry generation
Large number of pre-defined frames
Over 30 pre-defined trusses
Circular and parabolic arches
Cylinders and cones composed of beams and/or plates

DISPLAY FEATURES

The program manages to scale the size of the various pictures including toolbar buttons in order to make the user interface easy to use on every monitor, even on very high resolution monitors.
3D solid display of all section shapes
Ultra-fast 3D visualization in wire frame or solid modes
Customized display of all graphical objects.
Partial model visualization.
Results can be displayed on screen for the whole or a part of the structure.
Results can be displayed for each element separately by means of graphics and numerical results spreadsheets.
Results can be displayed for a set of elements by means of numerical results spreadsheets.

unit systems

Metric, imperial and mixed units systems are allowed and can be modified at any time. Reports are printed according to any unit system.

Graphical display of seismic and dynamic analysis results Model size limited only to the physical capacity of the computer.
Objects transparency for various components such as current selection, solid members, plates, surfaces, spatial objects, panels.
The level of transparency may be customized for each type of object from the Display Options command.
Functionalities of the GSE program allow to generate automatically detail elements in an automatically generated mesh perimeter.
These functionalities are specifically related to the refinement area, the opening, the linear constraint and the punctual constraint.
All detail elements added to the GSE model will be automatically connected to the finite element mesh.
The mesh perimeter will also connect any elements already in the model to the mesh perimeter automatically if they are in the plane of the mesh contour.

Comprehensive Reports Provided

Results can be visualized either graphically or numerically.
Input data and results may be printed for the whole structure or partial structures using a graphical selection or a range of elements.
Customized list of input data and results to be printed.

Reports are available in several formats including SAFI™ reports, Microsoft Excel worksheets, Microsoft Access databases and ASCII text files.
All graphics can be printed or copied to the clipboard for use in external programs.

FILE IMPORT AND DATA EXCHANGE

IFC (INDUSTRY FOUNDATION CLASSES)
The integration of IFC in the GSE program enables importation of models from a large number of architectural and structural software.
IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) is an open and neutral data format allowing the definition of related classes to all construction objects. It is dedicated to the building sector and aims to software interoperability (all editors, all applications).
IFC is the most widely used protocol for information exchange and sharing between different platforms of BIM (Building Information Modeling).

AutoCAD interface to import and export models by way of a DXF file.
The SDNF (Steel Detailing Neutral File) interface exports beams, columns and braces to SDNF compatible detailing software.
The KISS (Keep It Simple Steel) interface exports beams, columns and braces to KISS compatible estimation softwares.
IFC-Architecture interface for importing models from Revit or other IFC compliant programs.
If required, members subdivision and account for physical elements will be carried out automatically The solid view of the structure may also be exported when exporting to AutoCAD.

Slab Engineering

SAFI’s reinforced concrete slab design assistant becomes the ultimate tool for slab design in a simple and intuitive way.

Camera tools

Discover the various camera tool functionnalities in the GSE software designed to help users to customize display of all graphical objects.

Concrete Column Design

Example using the tool for automated design for columns with compressive and bi-axial bending forces using the GSE Concrete application.