ABSTRACT
There is an abundance of structural analysis software for evaluating schemes at various stages, particularly for the analysis of dynamic responses with large displacements in structural assemblies (Lee, 1999). For such analytical tools, each component in an assembly is assumed to have a lumped mass. Another type of structural analysis software, however, is used to evaluate the distribution of stresses or temperatures in mechanical components undergoing force or heat loading. Vibration analysis of components can also be carried out when they undergo dynamic loading. The latter types of analysis are carried out using finite-element analysis (FEA) techniques, originally introduced to calculate stresses in aircraft, and used to good effect in buildings such as the new Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (see chapter 28).
