Introducing VIBRATA for Advanced Modal Dynamic Analysis

ATA is currently developing Vibrata,a comprehensive, easy-to-use, advanced dynamics toolkit to predict stress, deflection, and other responses to transient, harmonic, random, and response spectrum excitation.

The initial release will address single-component response, but the program will soon be extended to handle multi-component or system-level response, such as coupled loads analysis (VibrataSRA).

The software makes it easy to define, solve, and display results for both simple and advanced dynamic problems. Its graphical user interface lets you focus on the engineering physics rather than the data input formats and data transfer issues, while its textual Event Definition File lets you run rapid trade studies by re-using most of a prior event definition with minor changes . Vibrata comes with the four solvers already mentioned (transient, harmonic, random, response spectrum), but has been designed from the start to let users create their own custom solvers and automatically incorporate them into its user interface. Custom and standard solvers alike are implemented as MATLAB scripts.

Vibrata uses the results of a Finite Element normal modes analysis to compute dynamic responses in the modal domain. It can use results from any FEA solver supported by Siemens/Femap®, although it is particularly suited for use with NX Nastran®.  It uses Femap to store, view, and interact with the FE model definition and results data.

Vibrata Features

• Import eigensolution and matrix data including normal modes, residual vectors, constraint modes, and attachment modes (static corrections at connection and load-application locations to address modal sufficiency issues).

• Graphically view the model and mode shapes; list parameters such as frequency and modal effective mass; screen-pick nodes and elements for load application and data recovery.

• Define “Dynamic Events”, including the type of analysis (transient, frequency, random, and response spectrum), the excitations (forcing functions), modal damping, solution range and resolution, and physical responses to recover.

• Solve for modal domain responses.

• Recover and store physical responses at any or all physical DOF as XY functions or field contours.

• Interactively select response functions and field data (contours) to plot, list, or animate.

• Access and share excitation and response function data between test and analysis.

• Visually display model and analysis diagnostics.

Vibrata runs on Windows XP. MATLAB 2008b (or higher) and Femap 10.0.1 are required.

Vibrata will be available for Beta testing in the second quarter of 2010.

Sample Screenshots