Applies To
	Product(s):	STAAD.Pro
	Version(s):	ALL
	Environment:	ALL
	Area:	Postprocessing workflow
	Subarea:
	Original Author:	Bentley Technical Support Group

When I enter the post processing mode, I get the message "Plate Results are not Available", and the  values displayed in the Plate Corner Stress Table seem to be erroneous. What to do?

 

 When you analyze a model, the program generates many files where the different analysis results are kept.

 

.EST  has the center stresses for plates.  The results that you see in tables and contour plots for
plates are based on the data in this file.  

.EJT contains the plate stresses at the joints. These are displayed in the plate stress tables.  

.ECF file has the plate joint forces. These are displayed in the plate stress tables.

.DSP has the joint displacements

.REA has the support reactions

.BMD has the member forces at the 13 points along the beam

.SCN has the section displacements

.DGN has the design results for the members.

 

When you enter the post processing mode, STAAD reads all the result files and stores that data in memory (called
memory mapping). It does this so that results can be displayed very quickly in post processing. If all these result files add up to more than about 2 GB in size, the limits of the computer (or operating system) will soon be reached from the memory mapping standpoint. It would then not able to read the large files and their corresponding results can’t be displayed. In our experience, this limit is reached with as little as 20000 nodes, 20000 beams + plates, and around 100 load cases. Navigating the program's GUI for such large models can also be quite slow and tedious, besides the possibility of incorrect values being displayed for some of those results.

Due to this, in models with huge number of plate elements and huge number of load cases when we enter the Plate-Contour page in the Post-processing mode, we encountered a message that "Plate Results are not Available", Consequently, the values displayed in the Plate Corner Stress Table were also found to be erroneous.

 We recommend the following:

 

1) Reduce the number of elements in the model. This can be achieved by using a coarser mesh (larger element size
than what you currently have).

 

2) Break up the model into 2 models. In one model, the full geometry, properties, supports, and, all the 20 primary load cases, and the load combination series 20 through 99. In the other model too, the full geometry, properties, supports, and, all the 20 primary load cases, plus, the remaining load combinations.

 

Both these methods will bring down the size of the data stored in the result files and you should be able to obtain the results you are looking for.