Truss
The Truss interface has four distinct purposes:
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Modeling of trusses, consisting of straight bars carrying only axial forces
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Modeling of cables and wires
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As reinforcements, used in conjunction with other physics interfaces
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For modeling discrete springs and dampers, often added to other physics interfaces
For a truss model, only one geometrical property is needed, the cross section area. The material model can be linear elastic or elastoplastic. There is also a special material model for creating spring/damper data.
The truss element has no stiffness in the directions perpendicular to its extension. For trusses, this is usually not a problem since they are designed such that each member is stabilized by its neighbors. For cables however, a prestress is necessary to keep them stable.