STRUDL—A Computer System for Structural Design

STRUDL (STRUctural Design Language) is a computer system for application to the structural design process. The system is designed to relieve the engineer of tedious clerical and computational tasks and to permit the more rapid implementation of engineering decisions. Some of the analytic and clerical user capabilities in the initial version of STRUDL are described. The system capabilities include data manipulation, a wide range of analysis and design operations, accounting procedures, and process control functions. In addition, some of the system requirements for implementing decisions are outlined, including data structuring with dynamic memory allocation, a data dictionary, and a command interpreter. On-line interaction through time-sharing is evaluated in terms of the need for sensitive control over interaction. The capabilities described represent the first stage of a dynamically developing system, oriented towards generating design information.