| An object-oriented structural analysis program based on the Matrix application of the 3-D Moment Distribution Method is designed and implemented in Visual Basic .NET allowing users to input structure geometry and loads in a console format and get a linear solution of the structure as the result. The output of the program, also presented in a console format, includes the deflection components at each joint and the reaction components at the supports. The differences between this method and the commonly used Finite Element Method are demonstrated in the fact that a much smaller (6x6) system of equations needs to be solved at any given time with the 3-D Moment Distribution Method as compared to hundreds and thousands of equations solved simultaneously with the Finite Element approach. |
