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Dynamic Nodal Loads

A nested class within TimeHistory used to apply time-dependent external loads to specific structural nodes by assigning predefined time forcing functions. This is frequently used to simulate transient forces or to consider the effects of moving loads.

Constructor

TH.DynamicNodalLoad(Node, TH_Case, FunctionName, Direction, ArrivalTime, ScaleFactor, id=None) Constructs a Dynamic Nodal Load assignment object, linking a predefined time forcing function to one or more specific nodes in the structure.

Parameters

  • Node: Node ID (integer) or a list/tuple of Node IDs to which the load is applied (Required)
  • TH_Case: Target Time History Load Case (Required)
  • FunctionName: Name of the Time Forcing Function (must be a "Force" or "Moment" type) (Required)
  • Direction: Loading direction (e.g., 'X', 'Y', or 'Z' for GCS directions) (Required)
  • ArrivalTime: Delay time before the time forcing function is applied (Required)
  • ScaleFactor: Scale factor for the time forcing function (Required)
  • id (default=None): Load assignment ID (auto-generated if None)

Object Attributes

  • NODE (int or list): The node ID(s) where the dynamic load is applied.
  • TH_Case (str): The name of the Time History Load Case.
  • FUNCTION_NAME (str): The name of the assigned time forcing function.
  • DIRECTION (str): The direction of the applied load.
  • ARRIVAL_TIME (float): The arrival (delay) time.
  • SCALE_FACTOR (float): The scale factor applied to the load.
  • ID (int): The ID of the dynamic nodal load entry.

Methods

json

Returns JSON representation of all dynamic nodal loads. 

dnl1 = TH.DynamicNodalLoad(101, "TH_1", "FUNC_FORCE", "X", 0.0, 1.0)
print(TH.DynamicNodalLoad.json())

create

Sends dynamic nodal loads to Civil NX. 

TH.DynamicNodalLoad.create()

get

Fetches dynamic nodal loads from Civil NX. 

print(TH.DynamicNodalLoad.get())

sync

Synchronizes dynamic nodal loads from Civil NX. 

TH.DynamicNodalLoad.sync()

delete

Deletes all dynamic nodal loads from both Python and Civil NX. 

TH.DynamicNodalLoad.delete()

Examples

# Dynamic Nodal Load Example
# Note: Ensure the Time History Load Case and Time History Functions are created first
# 1. Applying a time forcing function to a single node in the GCS X-direction
TH.DynamicNodalLoad(
    Node=101, 
    TH_Case="TH_1", 
    FunctionName="FUNC_FORCE", 
    Direction="X", 
    ArrivalTime=0.0, 
    ScaleFactor=1.0
)
# 2. Applying a load to multiple nodes simultaneously using a list
TH.DynamicNodalLoad(
    Node=[102, 103, 104], 
    TH_Case="TH_1", 
    FunctionName="FUNC_FORCE", 
    Direction="Z", 
    ArrivalTime=0.5, 
    ScaleFactor=1.5
)
# Push the data to MIDAS Civil NX
TH.DynamicNodalLoad.create()