- #1
jkpennings
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I always thought that the principle of virtual work (PVW) is valid for all structures, including continuous structures (like bars, beams, plates, etc.). However, in his book 'Fundamentals of Structural Mechanics', Hjelmstad states that the PVW is only valid for discrete systems with N particles, and that for using the PVW for continuous systems, an approximation like Ritz' method should be used, see attachment. I actually do not understand what Hjelmstad means in this text. Can you please help? I'm really confused right now...