Development of Virtual Structural Dynamics Lab (VSDL): Modal Analysis Tool

With the advent of computer and computer based analytical methods it is very easy today to perform complex and time consuming calculation within a second ; and the humanity learn what a fraction of seconds means whether it comes in context of Earthquake, Tsunami or Hurricane. Due to increasing demands of high rise buildings the subject Structural Dynamics added to syllabus of Under Graduate as well as in Post Graduate students to understand the concept of structural dynamics and this is very important for the practicing structural engineers also. But calculations and interpretation of results involves very time consuming calculations and without using computers it becomes almost impossible when numbers of storey increases above five stories. While performing manual calculations chances of errors are very high so, we have to depend on the software available to perform Dynamic Analysis and source code of them are not open type so novices find difficulty understand it properly. In view of above all difficulties; this project aims in developing a spreadsheet open source program using Visual Basic for applications in Microsoft Excel on Modal Analysis of structural dynamics. Modules of 2-Degrees of Freedom, 3-Degrees of Freedom and 4-Degrees of Freedom developed; testing and verification performed intensively to check the results with standard reference books of structural dynamics.