Structural Mechanics Computer Programs [antikvár]

PREFACE The growth and extension of computational capabilities which have taken place during the last decade have resulted in a quantum leap forward in the complex problems in many technological disciplines, including structural mechanics. Unfortunately, these capabilities have not been achieved without considerable growing pains. Concomitant with the greatly increased computational capabilities for the designer, the analyst, and the technician is the likelihood that future progress in the computing technology field will be accompanied by many other severe problems. One particular discipline where problems are manifold is the field of structural mechanics software development. Inaccessibility of software, lack of user confidence in software developed by others, inadequate documentation, and lack of unified theoretical and algorithmic approaches to the solution of complex structural problems in many functional and disciplinary areas have led to much duplication of effort. As a result, a paradoxicai situation arises wherein considerable effort and funds are expended annually for software development, but the engineers and scientists for whom this software has presumably been generated cannot fully absorb and use this technology. As a result of the concern for the many problems associated with structural mechanics software development and dissemination, a unique symposium was conceived and held at the University of Maryland in June 1974. In contrast to traditional meetings emphasizing theoretical aspects and/or numerical algorithms this symposium highlighted the computer program, the program developer, and the program user. The symposium sessions were categorized into three broad areas: (1) user response to structural mechanics software and interaction between program developers and the user community; (2) reviews and summaries of available computer programs, relying heavily upon responses to questionnaires sent to program developers and users as well as descriptions of code capabilities provided by developers; and (3) future considerations and possible means of facilitating the development and dissemination of analysis and design programs. In addition, representative programs of the current state-of-theart in structural mechanics software were modified by the addition of preprocessors and postprocessors to permit execution in an interactive mode during and prior to the symposium. The assistance of several program developers who modified their own programs and Y. H. Chen, A. Jay, G. Johnson, C. Thasanatom, and D. D. Lee of the University of Virginia in modifying programs provided by other developers is gratefully appreciated. The quality of the papers included in this volume is a tribute to the effort expended by each of the authors. Several of the authors were directly supported by the National Science Foundation or by the Office of Naval Research. The editors of this volume would üke to take this opportunity to recognize, in a collective sense, all of these contributions and to express our appreciation. The encouragement, support, and advice of Dr. Nicholas Perrone of the Office of Naval Research and Dr. Michael Gaus of the National Science Foundation has been a major factor leading to the symposium and the publication of this volume.