On May 29 and May 30, 2011, over 70 researchers and students gathered at Tongji University in Shanghai, China for OpenSees Days Shanghai 2011. The event, jointly sponsored by the PEER Center and Tongji University, focused on introducing the workshop participants to two platforms, OpenSees and OpenFresco, that were developed at the PEER Center.

On the first day of the workshop, participants from provinces and cities around China learned how to develop basic models in OpenSees and Tcl through lecture and interactive modeling sessions. They also learned how to perform nonlinear analyses and how to interpret the output results from the OpenSees platform. The sessions emphasized structural models but also discussed how to incorporate geotechnical modeling as well to better capture soil-structure-foundation-interaction.

The second day of the workshop focused on the use of the Open Fresco platform as a tool for hybrid simulation experimentation, which integrates physical experimental test specimens with computer simulations of full-scale structures. The Open Fresco platform provides a communication mechanism between an analytical computer model and the data being relayed from a physical test specimen. During the session, the participants learned about the capabilities of OpenFresco and how it facilitates cost-effective studies of complex structures by integrating the output from physical tests of critical structural components into the model of the larger structure. The workshop ended with discussion of some potential future uses of this technology to advance earthquake engineering.

PEER extends its thanks to Professor Xilin Lu and Dr. Ying Zhou from Tongji University who coordinated and planned this successful, well-attended event.

The presentations for this event can be downloaded at the OpenSees Wiki page.

Attendees from throughout China attended OpenSees Days Shanghai 2011