In this thesis, a computer program for graphically displaying finite element beam stresses is discussed. Beam elements are represented as thick lines with colored stress contours along the length. Stress gradients through the beam thickness are not displayed. Many program options are available to aid in creating a clear view of stress distributions in complex models. The front, right, top, and isometric views are preprogrammed views, or a rotated view of the model can be specified. Also, specific portions of the model can be magnified. A region may be defined for showing cut sections of the model. Contour options are available to help enhance stress representation. Node locations may be marked, and beam line widths modified. Finally, any view that has been developed can be saved in a file to be redisplayed at a later time. The program also has the capability of displaying resultant beam forces and moments.

Beam stress displays for two train car models are used to demonstrate the usefulness of the program as both a presentation and modeling diagnostic tool. Stress gradients and high-stress regions are easily seen. With these displays some model discrepancies were uncovered and some highly stressed locations were observed that had not been discovered in the prior research.