basic principal

1. i'd like to ask about the basic principal that CAESAR II used? finite element, finite differences, or finite volume?
2. if CAESAR II using finite element method, then how come the result have different result to manual calculation using finite element method?
3. is there any coefisien factor used in calculating in caesar II that make the result different to manual calculation?what is it?then why we need coefisien factor?

1) CAESAR II is a finite element program.

2) We have many, many benchmarks, comparing CAESAR II to other industry software programs, published results, and hand calculations. If you can't match results against hand calculations, then either the models are different, you made a mistake in the hand calculations, or there is something else going on that you didn't consider.

3) I don't understand "coefisien factor".

Dear Iden,
I strongly advise you go through a book on Martix Analysis of structures( book by Weaver is good one) or go through a good text book on Finite Element Analysis ( By Bathe and Wilson). You have mentioned that you have checked using manual calculations by Finite Element method. To my knowledge you can't do a manual finite element analysis of a big system.Besides, how did you incorporate the bend flexibilities? You must be knowing how restraints are modelled in finite element analysis( typically by stiff springs)and how results change becuase of change in this stiffness value .Then there is the problem of "truncation error". Once these concepts are clear, you will understand why there is a difference between your calculation and Caesar output.

Regards