Basic general concepts in the network analysis

This survey is concerned oneself with the study of those types of material networks which can be met both in civil engineering and also in electrotechnics, in mechanics, or in hydrotechnics, and of which behavior lead to linear problems, solvable by means of Finite Element Method and adequate algorithms. Here, it is presented a unitary theory of networks met in the domains mentioned above and this one is illustrated with examples for the structural networks in civil engineering, electric circuits, and water supply networks, but also planar or spatial mechanisms can be comprised in this theory. The attention is focused to make evident the essential proper- ties and concepts in the network analysis, which differentiate the networks under force from other types of material networks. To such a network a planar, connected, and directed or undirected graph is associated, and with some vector fields on the vertex set this graph is endowed. .