Can't read CSV files for fastener analysis plugin

[Stefano.destefanis]

Dear Sirs,
I wanted to run the fastener analysis plugin, however I can't change the default user constants (those that identify the type of bolt to be analyzed). I have tried with CSV files, as suggested by the user guide, but the problem here seems that the plugin does not know in which directory should look for such CSV files, and I couldn't find a way to set that value (please see figure attached, where the field "data directory" is empty.
Any workaround? (possibly not involving recompiling the plugin)

Thanks a lot for the attention
Best Regards
Stefano

[Stefano.destefanis]

one more thing I just realized. Even if the fastener plugin runs correctly (with the default user constants), when I try to produce a stress report I get an error message, saying that the document (both word and excel) template was not found in the plugin directory, therefore it was not possible to produce the report. Any suggestion on how to fix this?

Best Regards
Stefano

[Stephen]

Hi Stefano,

For user constants, you cannot adjust the default value. This is included in the source code. You can, however, adjust the value per-component that is used. To do this, check the "options" tab on the sizing form.

The Plugin is looking for the CSV files in the same directory of the DLL. This is typically C:\HyperSizer Data\Plugins\[Plugin Name]\. Try placing them there and it should work!

Plugin stress reports do indeed require a template file that is used to generate the report. I do not believe we have a template prepared for the fastener plugin, but I will check and reply if I find one.

Thanks,
Stephen

[Stefano.destefanis]

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for the answers. The CSV files are in the plugin directory, as suggested. By the way, assuming that the CSV are read correctly, where are the values supposed to show up? I thought to find them in sizing form -> options tab -> user constants, but maybe they are visible / selectable somewhere else... (I mean, maybe I have already imported the CSV files values, but I simply did not realize it...).
On my PC, the directory is D:\HyperSizer Data\..., not C:\HyperSizer Data\...  Does it matter? Thanks for the answers, if you could find a template it would be great!!
Best Regards
Stefano

[Stefano.destefanis]

Maybe I just wrote the CSV files wrong....

Here is (as an example) the content of file "BoltSizes.csv" (based on plugin documentation): is the format correct?

Bolt Index,Bolt Size,D [in],N [Threads/in],Dpitch [in],Dminor [in]
1,2,0.086,64,0.0759,0.0691
2,4,0.112,48,0.0985,0.0894
3,6,0.138,40,0.1218,0.1109
4,8,0.164,36,0.146,0.1339
5,10,0.19,32,0.1697,0.1562
6,1/4,0.25,28,0.2268,0.2113
7,5/16,0.3125,24,0.2854,0.2674
8,3/8,0.375,24,0.3479,0.3299
9,7/16,0.4375,20,0.405,0.3834
10,1/2,0.5,20,0.4675,0.4459
11,9/16,0.5625,18,0.5264,0.5024
12,5/8,0.625,18,0.5889,0.5649

[Simon]

Hi Stefano,

I'm sorry for the confusion. The CSV files only get read in during analysis. So the data does not show up in the options tab -> user constants. However, after running the analysis, you should be able to see the data that was used in the analysis details (right click a failure method, and select "analysis details").

I hope this helps!

Best regards,
Simon

[Stefano.destefanis]

Hi Simon,

sorry for the late reply. Yes, that clarifies things a little bit... there is however something that I still don't get.. If we consider (for instance) the examples from the plugin user manual, we see that (like in the "BoltSizes.csv" file mentioned in the previous posts) in each CSV files there are data related to several different bolt types. Like, "Bolt Size" value ranging from 2 to 10, 1/4 to 1/2, etc. In this case, how the analysis plugin selects the value to be used for the analysis? Do you happen to have one example CSV file, just so that I can understand how to input correctly my custom values?

Thank you very much for the attention (sorry for the continuous questions :-))

Best regards
Stefano

[Simon]

Hi Stefano,

No worries, that's what we're here for!

So that's where the user constants come in. In the CSV file, you specify the data for all bolt sizes. Using your example, that might be 2 to 10, 1/4 to 1/2, and so on.
Then, for each component, you select the one you would like to use for that component by setting up the user constant appropriately. For example, you might type in a bolt size of 1/4 for some components, and a bolt size of 1/2 for some other components.

The point of doing it this way is that you don't have to repeat the data for a given bolt size over and over again in the user constants. All you need to do is select which one you want to use for each component, and during analysis, the plugin will go to the CSV file and grab the correct data.

Best regards,
Simon

[Stefano.destefanis]

OK, thanks Simon :-)

I'll try it as soon as possible

Best Regards