What is a .PCH file?
A .PCH file is a special kind of computer file known as a Precompiled Header File. It's a file that gets made by a computer program called MSC Nastran. MSC Nastran is used by engineers and designers to check if structures like spaceships or buildings are strong and safe. When they use MSC Nastran to test a structure, it creates a .PCH file to save the results.
The information inside a .PCH file can be different depending on what the user is trying to find out. For example, they might use a specific instruction, known as a card, to tell MSC Nastran what to do. One such instruction could be "XYPUNCH," which tells the program to look at and save information about how something moves or shakes in the X and Y directions, like how much it moves and how often it moves back and forth.
When MSC Nastran finishes its work, it saves the results in a .PCH file. This file can contain a variety of information. Part of it might look similar to another type of file called .F06, which includes details about how the structure moves, any changes in its shape, and the stresses at different points. However, the .PCH file shows this information in a different way. Another part of the .PCH file can show how much and how often something moves or shakes, which can be very useful for making graphs in a spreadsheet program.
To open a .PCH file and see what's inside, you would use the MSC Nastran program. This is the same program that creates these files. So, if you're working on testing structures and you have a .PCH file, you'll need MSC Nastran to open it and work with the data inside.
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