Seismosoft | Earthquake Engineering Solutions

dear frinds

I modeled one industrial buildings with column which are fixed to ground and have 8m height also at the height of 7.5m i define one beam with hinge end at the height of 8 m also the column are hinge end and connect to beam as the seismostruct have problem with release i define the element with small length and small EI and GJ to produce hinge connection now when i want to run the program gives this massage error in definition of the element connectivity element 27 the external (excluding offset) and internal (including offset) elements can not be perpendicular the element 27 is the column top part that is between heights of 7.5 m and 8m which is placed at the edge of structure. from two side there are the small element perpendicular to each other to represent the hinge connection at two level of 7.5 and 8m please help me

regards

regards

Based on your explanation, it seems that this may be an instability problem of the frame model. I personally have not received such error in element connectivity. Your short hinge-ended members may arise such problem if you're doing lateral pushover analysis on this frame.

What type of analysis are you doing? I recommend checking the below steps:
1- Assuming this is a steel frame considering your explanation, as stated in different posts, run an Eigen value analysis, if feasible?

2- If not, replace your hinge members with stiff-elastic elements. If that solves the problem, then do some workaround to model your hinges.

3- One approach to represent your hinge behavior, you might assign FB elements (no release) with a relatively low buckling strain with no strain hardening. Although, anticipate to have analysis ended up soon if your frame is pushed over laterally.

4- You may also use an FB element for the hinge element with just one end with moment release, while the other end is not released.

Hope this may help you.