A new dimension in analyzing metal structures

01. A new software program reduces the time needed to identify weak points in large structures like cranes, bridges and mining equipment from several days to several minutes. The program, which was developed by Akselos, a company based at EPFL's Innovation Park, combines 1D and 3D elements and is more reliable than the conventional method. This isn't the fourth dimension, but almost. Akselos, a company based at EPFL's Innovation Park, developed a platform that combines 1D and 3D elements to detect weak points in major metal structures like buildings, cranes and oil platforms with unprecedented speed and accuracy. A few days faster "To give an example, it took 8 minutes and 20 seconds for our software to solve 100 load combinations on a shiploader model that has over 5 million degrees of freedom, versus more than 3 days with the conventional method," said Thomas Leurent, the CEO of Akselos. This new and highly anticipated technology couples the speed of 1D beam elements and the need for 3D simulation.