Element (Distributed) loads

Permanent distributed loads applied along the element’s length can be introduced, as shown in the figure below. As pointed out in the Nodal Loads section, permanent loads can be used on all analysis types and are always considered prior to any other type of load.

As in all other modules, the user is capable of adding new loads and removing/editing existing ones. In addition, a load incrementation facility is also available, so as to enable easier generation of new element actions. The user defines element name and load value increments, and these are then employed to automatically generate new element loads through "repetition" of a selected set of already prescribed loads. This facility requires that element names respect the number (e.g. 100) or word+number (e.g. B20) formats.

Note: Gravity loads should be applied downwards, for which reason they always feature a negative value.