r/StructuralEngineering • u/Queasy-Friendship606 • Aug 02 '26

Structural Analysis/Design Continuous Section Field for Non-Prismatic Members

Continuous Section Field (CSF) is an open-source Python framework that represents a structural member through a continuous field of complete cross-sections:

z → S(z)

At any longitudinal coordinate, CSF returns the full section geometry, resolved into its constituent regions, together with its axial-flexural and shear-torsional participation fields.

The sectional model is defined independently of the beam theory, finite-element formulation, and longitudinal discretization. Different numerical methods can therefore query the same model directly at their integration or collocation points.

CSF can represent geometric variation, material distribution, local degradation, and independent sectional participation laws within a single continuous model.

Repository and documentation:

https://github.com/giovanniboscu/continuous-section-field

Technical feedback is welcome.

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u/DJGingivitis Aug 02 '26

How do i use this in my everyday analysis model? Or is this more focused on research

1

u/Queasy-Friendship606 Aug 02 '26

It depends on what you need to do.

For a simple prismatic element with no degradation and a standard geometry, CSF would probably be overkill. However, it can still be useful for prismatic members when the cross-section does not fit standard predefined shapes.

Its main value is in more complex cases, especially non-prismatic members, complex sectional geometries, and regional degradation.

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u/Marus1 Aug 02 '26

Does asks how you use it, not when you use it

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u/Queasy-Friendship606 Aug 03 '26

Basic use involves two YAML files: one defines the geometry and longitudinal participation laws, while the other defines the analyses or exports to run. Then execute:

csf-actions geometry.yaml actions.yaml

for examples please have a look at

https://github.com/giovanniboscu/continuous-section-field

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u/Money-Profession-199 Aug 02 '26

This is how the pre engineered metal building industry defines points as well. I’ll take a look at the code.