Strategies for the analysis of trusses

This section describes the structural details and the modeling strategies for the simulation of truss structures. It also highlights the major features of the truss element within the SOLIDWORKS Simulation library.

Structural details

Trusses can be designed to function under a wide spectrum of load-supporting applications. However, irrespective of what form they take in appearance, a consistent set of parameters is employed for their analyses. This implies that irrespective of the form of the truss you are analyzing, you will need to know the following technical information before venturing into the analysis:

• The dimensions of the truss:
  1. The details of the cross-section
  2. The geometric length of each member
  3. The orientation angles of the members
• The material properties of the truss members
• The loads applied to specific joints of the truss
• The support provided to the truss to prevent rigid body motion

  Note

  In practice, a chunk...