Will the Force Method Come Back?

Abstract

The force method of structural analysis was overtaken by the displacement method in the mid Sixties, and has disappeared from the scene for few specialized applications. Virtually all existing general-purpose finite element programs are based on the direct stifness method (DSM) introduced three decades ago by Turner et al. (1956) and Turner (1959). The DSM combines the displacement method of solution with the direct, element-by-element assembly of the stifness equations. The simplicity and efficiency of the DSM for general applications have not been matched to date; it has the polished "black box" feeling of Lagrange's analytical mechanics.