SACON: A KNOWLEDGE-BASED CONSULTANT FOR STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

The report describes an application of artificial intelligence (AI) methods to structural analysis. It also describes the development and (partial) implementation of an 'automated consultant' to advise non-expert engineers in the use of a general-purpose structural analysis program. The analysis program numerically simulates the behavior of a physical structure subjected to various mechanical loading conditions. The automated consultant, called SACON (Structural Analysis Consultant), is based on a version of the MYCIN program (Shortliffe 74) originally developed to advise physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases, The domain-specific knowledge in MYCIN is represented as situation-action rules, and is kept independent of the 'inference engine' that uses the rules. By subsituting structural engineering knowledge for the medical knowledge, the program was converted easily from the domain of infectious diseases to the domain of structural analysis. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  Stanford University

  Department of Computer Science
  Stanford, CA  United States  94305
• Authors:
  • BENNETT, J
  • Creary, L
  • Englemore, R
  • Melosh, R
• Publication Date: 1978-9

Media Info

• Pagination: 69 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automation; Computer aided design; Computer programs; Control systems; Loads; Logic; Materials; Mathematical models; Mechanical loads; Simulation; Structural analysis; Structural engineering
• Uncontrolled Terms: Loading
• Old TRIS Terms: Computer programs (Structural analysis); Logic
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Marine Transportation; Materials;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00198418
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: STAN-CS-78-699 Tech. Rpt., HPP-78-23
• Contract Numbers: DAHC15-73-C-0435, MDA903-77-C-0322
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 17 1980 12:00AM