A developed toolkit for analysis of large deflections of beams

In the presented paper, an interesting and unconventional approach for analysis of non-linear bending of a flexible cantilever beam subjected to an inclined end-load is explored utilizing Lab VIEW. The numerical scheme employed in the Lab VIEW Virtual Instrument (VI) developed in this study utilizes elliptic integrals to generate the theoretical solution. The procedure employed in the study is capable of determining not only the primary deflected shape, but also other possible stable configurations of the beam subjected to an end-load. In earlier research done by the author, it was proven that depending upon the specific beam and loading parameters, multiple deflected configurations are possible for flexible beams subjected to loads. Utilizing the front panel of the developed VI, the user can conveniently control the beam and load parameters and interactively generate the internal shear and moment reactions along the length of the beam and the deflected configurations. Provisions are included in the VI to ensure that the maximum normal and shearing stresses exerted on the beam do not exceed the beam's allowable stresses. A visual indicator placed on the front panel of the created VI alerts the user if this occurs. Virtual Instrument developed in this study will be prepared in a form to allow the users to be able to run the toolkit remotely over the web for any desired input. A special executable version of this VI will also be created to further enhance the accessibility of the toolkit. This executable file can run on any computer with or without Lab VIEW installed. The developed toolkit will allow the students, educators, and researchers to create a variety of "what if scenarios and gain a better insight into predicting the behavior of beams undergoing large deflections. The sample solutions included in this paper will clearly demonstrate the utility and efficiency of the developed toolkit. The procedure developed in this study can further be extended to obtain the solutions for other cases, such as deflections of beams with initial curvature, and beam subjected to other static and dynamic loads.