Adaptation of SAP IV to a three dimensional space truss

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate some of the limits and capabilities of the user's structural analysis program known by the acronym, SAP IV. The program, developed at the University of California, Berkeley, was sponsored by grants from the National Science Foundation. The effective use of this program as a structural analysis tool requires a knowledge of three scientific disciplines -- structural mechanics, numerical analysis and computer science. A modern matrix analysis background in structural mechanics is a basic necessity for the interpretation of utilization of matrix stiffness method which forms the basis of the program's solution techniques. This thesis is a basic overview of the SAP IV program, a summary of the procedures required to input a problem into the program, the application of the program to the solution of a three dimensional space truss, and the physical interpretation of the computer output.