SADDLE: A computer-aided structural analysis and dynamic design language—Part I. design system

Abstract

The SADDLE system is a tool for computer-aided optimal design of structural and mechanical systems. The system is divided into four parts—the preprocessor, the ‘analyzer’, the ‘synthesizer’, and the postprocessor. The structural model and the design data are generated by the preprocessor. The analyzer uses the finite-element method to compute deflections and stresses in the structure. The synthesizer solves the design problem that is cast into a nonlinear programming format. The postprocessor is used to examine the analysis and design results. Different parts of the system interact via a global database. This study presents the design system configuration. In a companion study, the data management part is presented in detail. The user-interface for design is examined first. The design problem formulation, in the nonlinear programming problem context, is presented. The use of utility libraries to achieve this objective with a minimum programming effort is also explained. The article concludes with two numerical examples that belong to two different classes of design problems—a minimum weight design problem and a min-max problem.