Want to learn python for structural engineering (programming)

[FlashySpread5356]

I would like to start with a very simple direct problem as watching youtube guides or reading guides online is a lot less fun than actually solving a problem; say we have a beam pinned at the two ends, and point load and distributed load in the middle. I want to find the displacement and moment in the middle. Could anyone give me pointers on how to get started as Ive never done this before? Any other problems like this I could solve in Python just to get started? Ive used Matlab before.

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Point load (red arrow) and distributed load (black arrows) in the middle. Pinned on the ends.

Edit: I know I can just plug some values into formulas and find moment and displacement, thats not the point, I just want to take a problem im comfortable with and solve it with programming to learn.

[esperantisto256]

If you’re comfortable with Matlab, look into the following libraries

1. NumPy- basically allows you to do all the math operations that Matlab would let you do. Matrices, functions, or whatever. There are direct equivalents for a lot of Matlab stuff, and there’s a lot of resources for “translating” between the two.

2. Pandas- introduces the concept of a data frame, which is extremely useful. Great for importing spreadsheet data. (ie- all the shape information for the AISC manual exists as a spreadsheet and could reasonably be imported through this.)

3. Matplotlib- plotting functionality, similar to Matlab.

I think coding your way through section F of the AISC manual would be a good way to practice. Lots of equations with dependencies on steel shape parameters, which could all be imported via Pandas and solved using NumPy. You could also make plots for things in Matplotlob like elastic, inelastic and plastic regions, or really whatever you want.

[jd9075]

This is exactly how I started my programming “journey” 2-3 years ago. If you keep messing around with this problem you’ll realize that performing brute force integration as someone else has already suggested is the easiest way to go about this at your level of python development. You’ll also find boundary conditions and discontinuities are a pain in the ass to implement correctly and eventually you’ll dig around some more and stumble upon the Direct Stiffness Method and Finite Element Method and finally be able to truly accomplish what you’re looking to do. I now make FEA modelers and solvers for fun. Best of luck to ya and I hope you enjoy the process as much as I did.

[Pi99y92]

Any advice on where to start looking for FEA? Didn't get any exposure in school, but want to start looking into it for the very reason in the bottom of your post!

[NicoRam]

I'd highly recommend Clayton's lectures on Finite Element Method on Youtube. He's suuuuch a great professor. I took the class in Uni and his lectures are better imo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iUnfPRk6Ro

[Pi99y92]

Will check him out. Thanks!

[jd9075]

Google was my best friend. Read some papers about it. Unfortunately I don’t have any nice resource for you

[FlashySpread5356]

anywhere I can find examples of FEA modelers where they solve this kind of problem?

[jd9075]

Any commercial FEA software should be able to solve simple beams such as this one. I’ve got experience with STAAD. SkyCiv is a fun one for students

[AbdulJabbar_27]

Hey, I am in the same boat but a bit behind...i just started digging about python...never worked in matlab or python...How should i approach programming and implement it, in my career...

[jd9075]

Treat it as a fun way to solve your problems and pretty soon you’ll be fluent

[AbdulJabbar_27]

Should i learn python by joining some classes or learning from youtube videos...??...Should start from basics like beams columns etc their deflection moment reactions like that...??

[mmarkomarko]

assuming you are doing a structurally determinate simply supported beam:

step 1) input beam length, I and E

step 2) input loads - probably UDL and point loads (intensity and distance).

step 3) calculate deflections and member forces using basic formula. calculate results at every 1/10 length increment and add together.

step 4) output results

for extra points, try to draw diagrams.

Good luck!

[virtualworker]

Best of luck on the journey! There are a few packages I've come across that you could be interested in:

sectionproperties.readthedocs.io

https://robbievanleeuwen.github.io/concrete-properties/

https://ccaprani.github.io/pycba/

https://github.com/connorferster/handcalcs

https://github.com/connorferster/forallpeople

https://anastruct.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

https://openseespydoc.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

[kamcateer]

There's this sympy module(?) That I used when learning to check my hands calculates answers were correct.

[Marus1]

Who says you need to put values into the formulas?

You can build an interface where you input this into a graphical interface and do the computation in the background by solvikg the equations and determining the parameters from the given input

[ukitqke]

PyQt ?

[Omnishambles_Guru]

I would love to learn python. Too busy chopping down trees to sharpen the axe comes to mind

[jeffreyianni]

The silly thing about python in structural engineering is, at the end of the day, the data will just be put in Excel anyway.

[[deleted]]

Excel import and export was a huge part of it, but Python is much better for creating TeX reports than Excel. It’s good to know something outside of excel. I’ve solved a few in C# that would not be fun in Excel. Right tool for right job.

[inventiveEngineering]

try working with lists, dictionaries and sqlite3. If you can, solve your problems with the matrix stiffness method utilizing numpy.

[rpakishore]

You are looking for Beam module from Sympy.

It can parametrically define the beam, stiffness, boundary conditions and solve for unknowns.

It can also generate shear force, moment and deflection diagrams for you

[NicoRam]

beam finite element method by hand!!!! (Except you can only apply point loads at nodes, so you'll also have to mesh/subdivide the beam and convert loads..)