computer science

LUSAS

LUSAS is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand LUSAS rather than just read about it. In short: LUSAS is a UK-based developer and supplier of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) application software products that bear the same name. History LUSAS has its origins back in 1970 when a group of research workers at the University of London (now incorporated into Imperial College London) began work on the London University Stress Analysis System, "LUSAS".

Key takeaways

LUSAS belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect LUSAS to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of LUSAS from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

LUSAS is a UK-based developer and supplier of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) application software products that bear the same name.

History LUSAS has its origins back in 1970 when a group of research workers at the University of London (now incorporated into Imperial College London) began work on the London University Stress Analysis System, "LUSAS". This team was led by Dr. Paul Lyons, who, in 1982, set up an independent company, Finite Element Analysis Ltd., to further develop, and subsequently market the software as a general purpose structural analysis system. In 1997, following the introduction of a range of specialist application software packages, the company, for awareness reasons, then started to trade under the LUSAS name.

Software LUSAS software consists of a Windows-based Modeller, used for model building and viewing of results, and a Solver for carrying out an analysis. Four commercial application products cater for the following industries:

Civil & Structural - for civil, structural, nuclear, seismic, geotechnical and offshore engineering. Bridge - for bridge engineering analysis, design, and assessment. Analyst - for automotive, aerospace, defence, manufacturing and general engineering analysis. Composite - for engineers designing composite products or components. For Universities, an Academic version which permits the running of any commercial LUSAS software product can be used for teaching and research use.

Example Applications Civil and structural engineering uses include Anthony Gormley's Quantum Cloud, built alongside the Millennium Dome, (now the O2 Arena), as part of UK's Millennium Commission sponsored celebrations for the year 2000; Spinnaker Tower, the tallest publicly accessible provincial structure in the UK; and Gwangmyeong Velodrome, the largest domed structure built, so far, in South Korea. Bridges designed with the aid of LUSAS include the Lune Millennium Bridge, and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge both also built, coincidentally, as part of the UK's year 2000 celebrations, and the Vasco da Gama cable stayed bridge and associated viaduct structures in Portugal. General mechanical engineering uses are extremely varied and include thermal analysis of marine loading arms - used to transfer Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) from shore to ship and vice versa at a temperature of -163 degrees Celsius, nonlinear analysis of nylon polyamide cable ties used to bundle cables together, and contact analysis of titanium and ceramic hip joint components as used in artificial hip replacement Composites engineering applications involve the analysis of composite material layups for potential delamination, material damage and fatigue modelling of many types of components in the automotive, aviation, and marine industries.

External links LUSAS website Structurae database

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with LUSAS

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what LUSAS claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to LUSAS before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about LUSAS ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of LUSAS

In research: LUSAS appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses LUSAS in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: LUSAS is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Finite element software, Numerical software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for LUSAS outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study LUSAS in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what LUSAS means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain LUSAS out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is LUSAS in simple terms?

LUSAS is a UK-based developer and supplier of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) application software products that bear the same name. History LUSAS has its origins back in 1970 when a group of research workers at the University of London (now incorporated into Imperial College London) began work on th…

Why does LUSAS matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study LUSAS?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on LUSAS.