Structural analysis of large scale problems using a microcomputer

Abstract

A successful implementation of user‐friendly large scale finite element (SNAP/FE) and boundary element (SNAP/BE) structural numerical analysis programs on an IBM PC with 256 kbyte of internal memory and two 360 kbyte disk drives is reported. The key to this adaptation was the use of split BASIC—FORTRAN operation, highly efficient compacted matrix storage schemes and equally efficient element‐by‐element (EBE) in‐core and out‐of‐core solution schemes. The effectiveness of the in‐core SNAP/FE program is demonstrated for the stress analysis of a 288 degrees of freedom space truss model and a 179 degrees of freedom plane elasticity model of a gear tooth. In principle, however, SNAP/FE has the capability to solve virtually any size problems currently employing 3‐D truss, beam, membrane or thick shell elements.

Citation

Brown, S.A. and Kamat, M.P. (1985), "Structural analysis of large scale problems using a microcomputer", Engineering Computations, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 155-158. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb023615