Rigid Links Problems

[nrojas]

Dear all:

I am trying to model a Beam-Column Joint, using rigid links. First I modeled the structure with beam and columns elements and its works without problems. When I used rigid links an error message appears. I am including part of the input file of the problem with the message error.

# tag x y (inches)

node 1 0 -63
node 2 0 -8
node 3 0 0
node 4 0 8
node 5 0 63
node 6 8 0
node 7 74 0

# Single point constraints -- Boundary Conditions
fix 1 1 1 0; # node DX DY RZ (1 = Constrained; 0 = Unconstrained)
fix 2 0 0 0;
fix 3 0 0 0;
fix 4 0 0 0;
fix 5 1 0 0;
fix 6 0 0 0;
fix 7 0 0 0;
element beamWithHinges 1 1 2 $Colsectag $phl $Colsectag $phl $Ec $ACol $IzCol $ColTransfTag

element beamWithHinges 2 4 5 $Colsectag $phl $Colsectag $phl $Ec $ACol $IzCol $ColTransfTag

element beamWithHinges 3 6 7 $Beamsectag $phl $Beamsectag 0 $Ec $ABeam $IZBeam $Beamsectag

rigidLink beam 3 2;

rigidLink beam 3 6;

rigidLink beam 3 4;

WARNING PlainHandler::handle() - constraint matrix not identity, ignoring constraint for node 2
non-varyng assumed
WARNING PlainHandler::handle() - constraint matrix not identity, ignoring constraint for node 4
non-varyng assumed
WARNING PlainHandler::handle() - constraint matrix not identity, ignoring constraint for node 6
non-varyng assumed
WARNING BandGenLinLapackSolver::solve() -LAPACK routine returned 5
WARNING NewtonRaphson::solveCurrentStep() -the LinearSysOfEqn failed in solve()
StaticAnalysis::analyze() - the Algorithm failed at iteration: 0 with domain at
load factor 0.1
OpenSees > analyze failed, returned: -3 error flag

What do you think is going on? Can anybody help me?

[fmk]

you have to use a diffenrent constraint handler (Penalty, Lagrange or Transformation) .. why are you not using the rigid offset capability of the coordinate transformation.