Truss intro

Now we will jump over to a different topic, and discuss trusses and FEM simulation so we can start preparing for project.2

Truss definition

• An assembly of bars or edges (there are many names on this) and nodes where there are no rotation moments in any node
• Nodes can be viewed as ball joints, as seen in the bottom figure (like the femur/pelvis joint)
• The stiffness of the overall structure is only given by axially acting forces produced by the stiffness of each edge

Many truss like structures, like the bridge in the top picture are often modeled by trusses even if each node is stiff (not a ball joint)

The truss concept allows us to build structures with a high weight/strength ratio