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EFESTS: Educational finite element software for truss structure. Part I: Preprocess

2014; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 42; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/0306419015574637

2050-4586

Wenjie Zuo, Jiantao Bai, Fei Cheng,

Vibration and Dynamic Analysis

An educational finite element software for truss structure is presented to assist the education of the finite element method and enhance the computer application in engineering education. The bar element, as a representative finite element, is introduced to cover all the finite element theories: statics, dynamics, linear analysis, nonlinear analysis, implicit analysis, explicit analysis, structural sensitivity analysis, structural optimization and so on. In the part I of this series, the finite element preprocess is developed in this paper. The object-oriented programming is adopted to create the software framework. To render the truss structure, we develop the graphic engine using Microsoft's graphic device interface. Friendly graphical user interfaces are designed to conveniently build up the finite element model of truss structure. In addition, lattice truss in a regular periodic pattern is automatically copied in bulk, which accelerates the preprocess for large-scaled truss structure. Finally, this software is free for educational research and can be downloaded from the website: http://www.zuowenjie.net/efests.html