Symmetry recognition in group-theoretic computational schemes for complex structural systems

Group theory provides a formal means for exploiting symmetry in the analysis of physical systems. In current group-theoretic formulations, it is assumed that the symmetry properties of the system are self-evident, and the symmetry group of the problem is deduced by the analyst and assigned as an input parameter. However, for complex systems with a large number of nodes or elements, the symmetry properties may not be obvious. The present paper proposes a procedure for the systematic search and identification of the symmetries of 2D and 3D structural configurations, and hence for the automatic recognition of the symmetry group to be used in a group-theoretic analysis of the system.