spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
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I want to write a VBA or a spreadsheet that calculates bar forces in a statically determinate truss of any configuration. I do a lot of truss calculations and a spreadsheet would be handy
Anyone knows a good algorithm or a reference
respects
IJR
I want to write a VBA or a spreadsheet that calculates bar forces in a statically determinate truss of any configuration. I do a lot of truss calculations and a spreadsheet would be handy
Anyone knows a good algorithm or a reference
respects
IJR





RE: spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
Cheers
Greg Locock
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RE: spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
What structural software is in your possesion? Does it allow text file input? Use excel to pre-process input and to post-process the results of commercial program. Writing your own solver even for statically determined structure will take lots of efforts, much more than you wish to spend.
yakpol
RE: spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
I don't know of a free solver from the net. You can write one yourself using matrix analysis methods.
RE: spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
RE: spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
RE: spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
RE: spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
I also saw a simple plane frame and truss program by an Australian professor. It works fine with a relatively slow gaussian solver. I will look for the author if anyone is interested.
RE: spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
Go on if possible to get us some authors
respects
IJR
RE: spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
That software evolved into a leading package used by one of the largest truss plate suplliers around.
It took a couple of hundred hours getting it to work and adding a bunch of enchancements to make the input much more user friendly.
I think you could find some cheap software on the Net that will solve your problem or spend a few thousand and buy a ready made package.
Good Luck
RE: spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
I won't post my spreadsheet as I'm uncertain about software copyright issues. Does anyone know how to judge when something is altered enough to no longer be a copyright infringement? Also does any know of an open source matrix analysis code that could be translated to visual basic to run inside Excel? I have seen a few open source programs out there but they are a bit more involved than I have time to deal with.
RE: spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
Numerical Methods for Engineers. Griffiths and Smith
Blackwell Scientific Publications.
Covers Linear Algebra and the matrix operations/solutions you requested, non-linear, eigenvalue, interpolation, integration, ODEs and PDEs - all with Fortran 77 subroutines for you to convert to VBA.
This was a third year eng school text which I found quite usable and useful later on.
RE: spreadsheet for truss design-request for algorithm
I think I read some of this book in school. If it is the book I think I used it was very helpful. I don't think I could distribute a program using the code legally though, even though it is in the book. Doesn't redistribution of a published work constitute copyright infringement?
I am leaning towards a federally written bit of software, BLAS or TNT that is in the public domain, but I haven't found more than the solver yet. Otherwise I might look into using/modifying a GNU GPL license program like OOFEM. Has anyone worked on or is anyone interested in developing a GPL finite element package oriented towards civil engineering? Seems a bit daunting but it might be fun.