Introduction of New Concept U*sum for Evaluation of Weight-Efficient Structure

A new index U*

for evaluating load path dispersion is proposed, using a structural load path analysis method based on the concept of U*, which expresses the connection strength between a load point and an arbitrary point within the structure. U*

enables the evaluation of the load path dispersion within the structure by statistical means such as histograms and standard deviations. Different loading conditions are applied to a body structure, and the similarity of the U*

distributions is evaluated using the direction cosine and U*

2-dimensional correlation diagrams. It is shown as a result that body structures can be macroscopically grasped by using the U*

distribution rather than using the stress distribution. In addition, as an example, the U*

distribution of torsion loading condition is shown to comprehensively include characteristics of the U*

distribution of other loading conditions.