Analysis of space trusses using Microsoft Excel.
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet which is transformed into a powerful tool with the addition of VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). With VBA, the user can perform complex calculations which would be either impossible to implement (or very inefficient) using simple functions. Just hit Alt+F11 for the VBA editor to pop up and you are ready to write code.
In this example, I have created a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet which solves space trusses. The user should use a consistent unit system, as no conversions are made. In the example, length is given in inches, area in square inches, load in kips (= 1000 lb), specific weight in lbs/in3, and Young's modulus (or modulus of elasticity) in ksi (=1000 lb/in2). The stress results are given in ksi, the force results in kips and the displacement results in inches.
After modifying certain cells, such as the number of nodes or the number of bars, you can use the "Highlight Input Cells" button to highlight the cells that need input (they become yellow to assist the user with the data input). You can hit the "Recalculate" button to analyze the truss based on the present data.
This solver can been used in tandem with xlOptimizer, a powerful tool for optimization. For more information please click here.
