EDACFEM: A linear truss and beam solver in MATLAB

The on-demand design of metamaterials such as lattices and bar structures is typically approached using computational methods due to their inherent complexity. An indispensable element of structural design is a reliable and easy to use FE simulation environment, which in turn not only benefits the design of underlying structures, but also, through easy customization and integration, propels the design of computational methods themselves. In response, this work provides a linear truss and beam FE simulation environment written in MATLAB. The simulation environment supports linear truss elements, Euler-Bernoulli besam elements, and Timoshenko beam elements. It further supports the introduction of self-weight and local truss buckling analysis. A variety of input methods are supported, these are specifically tailored towards simplifying the integration of the FE simulation environment in numerical optimization schemes. With this environment, researchers and design practitioners can easily simulate the mechanical response of complex bar structures without the need for interfacing with commercial FE software through cumbersome Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).