Vision, Perception and Intuition in Structural Analysis

Forces geometric visualization and representation in one of the key aspects in Structural Mechanics and its advancement went along with the progress of the subject itself. From graphic statics to modern Computer Vision (CV) systems, there is a constant and significant component of the visual factor when compared to other disciplines in the STEM panorama. In this work, I present the experience carried on in the MSCA FORSEES to try to frame and quantify this visual factor. I will then suggest a new perspective to the problem of forces identification (and related stress and strain) in solids based on some recent discoveries in Neuroscience. The analogy that represents the first step of this exploration is between the Free Energy Principle (FEP) [1] and the Elastic Potential Energy, by defining a structure behavior as the inner agent to sustain structural integrity. Limiting the FEP to the visual sense only [2], we will look through the indissoluble link that lies within the relation of a form and its structural behavior, circling back to the base of the Theory of Elasticity. Final step will be the application to common methods in engineering practice and teaching of AI-based visual tools for structural analysis.