This example shows how to define stresses of wall panel's window lintel. The top track of the wall is loaded by a 4 kN/m line load.

Self-weight of study members are included into this study. All connections are considered as a joints.




Create a new study

  1. Open FEA for Beams and frames functionality from contextual menu FEA >  FEA for Beams and Frames


  2. Create a new study by selecting wall panel members and pressing New study from ribbon tab.


  3. Fill study information.


  4. As default, each member of the study consist of one FEM beam element, when both ends of the member contains a node. All members are connected with a joint connection and they can rotate freely about Y axis.

Link nodes

  1. Select all parts of the study by pressing Select parts from the contextual menu of the active study in study tree.


  2. Link the nodes of selected parts by pressing Link from the contextual tab. Set automatic tolerance on and Hinged about transverse axis Y as connection between nodes. In this example, master-slave type of link is used. Press OK.


  3. In this model, diagonal parts are nested with top and bottom chords so the end nodes of the diagonals are located very near together and to the neutral axle of the chords. Thus, connection can be done by using master-slave connection when the connection will be considered as a single node in FEM analysis.


  4. All study members are now connected with joint connections.

Set supports

  1. Select the end node of linked studs (the main node of the linked group).



  2. Set the selected node supported by pressing Hinged > About axis Y from contextual tab.


  3. Repeat this process for the other studs. In this example, the supports are identical on both sides of the lintel.

Set loads

  1. Start adding a linear load to the top track of the wall by selecting Linear load from the ribbon tab. The linear load is set between two user defined nodes.

Solve the study

  1. Select Solve from ribbon tab.


  2. Change stress plot to Displacement. Set Show force reactions on.



  3. Change stress plot to Von Mises stress. Set 3D limits if needed.



  4. Change stress plot to Bending moment MY. Set results display to Diagram.