The NASTRAN computer program for structural analysis. Paper presented at the National Aeronautic and Space Engineering and Manufacturing Meeting, Los Angeles, California, October 6-10, 1969.

NASTRAN is a large digital computer program for static and dynamic structural analysis by the finite element approach. The program is intended primarily for large problems with hundreds or thousands of degrees of freedom. All mathematical subroutines are designed for efficient solution of large problems by taking maximum advantage of matrix sparsity and bandedness. A flexible executive system facilitates addition of new functional capabilities. The paper describes major functional capabilities of NASTRAN and convenience features for the user.