We developed a tool with Ingenium that generates complete finite element models of concrete beam bridges from Excel inputs.
Ingenium designs concrete beam bridges across South America. The bridges are similar, but each river crossing and its ground conditions are different. Building a model for structural analysis by hand could take weeks.
We built a tool that automatically generates a complete finite element model from an Excel template.
Engineers enter the bridge dimensions and site conditions, and the tool builds the model—including the foundation springs. A task that could take weeks of manual modelling becomes a process of entering data and generating the model.
We developed the full tool in Rhino and Grasshopper, with input and feedback from Ingenium’s engineers. Excel kept the inputs in a tool they already knew. JSON, a common data format, carried information between tools.
When site conditions changed, the engineers could update the inputs and run the script again to create a new model.
