BFRL: Turnout Gear Selector

GetGo

GetGo, a two-way computer interface between thermal and structural analyses, enhances the capability of available computational software to predict the effects of fires in buildings, for use in the design of fire protection systems and the analysis of building response to fires. The program GetGo provides a two-way interface between ANSYS thermal and ANSYS structural. GetGo complements the current capabilities of ANSYS 10 and 11.0, which only transfer data between compatible types of elements, such as solids to solids or shells to shells.

In the case of a general purpose, commercial software, namely Ansys, the transfer of temperatures from a thermal model to a structural model, or the transfer of deflections from a structural model to a thermal model can only be performed with compatible finite elements, e.g., solid to solid or shell to shell. These types of elements are prevalent in thermal analyses, and are often used in structural analysis as well, especially in smaller structures where a manageable number of solid or shell elements may suffice. For larger, more complex structures, the use of beam finite-elements to model columns, girders and trusses, and of shell finite-elements to model floor slabs is desirable to keep the structural model to a reasonable size. A procedure for efficient, general and automatic transfer of results between thermal and structural analyses is hereby presented. Temperature results are transferred from the thermal to the structural analysis, so the effects of thermal expansion and evolution of material properties with temperature can be determined over time; conversely, structural deflections and strains are transferred back to the thermal model. This last step is especially important in the case of intense fires of long duration, where significant structural deflections may cause local damage to the insulation and move the structure to a different thermal regime.

"This software was developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology by employees of the Federal Government in the course of their official duties and is in the public domain. NIST assumes no responsibility whatsoever for its use by other parties, and makes no guarantees, expressed or implied, about its quality, reliability, or any other characteristic. We would appreciate acknowledgement if the software is used."