In this lecture, we'll cover the following:

• Generating a new mesh grid from a reduced set of unique x and y coordinates using NumPy.
• Reshaping shear force data from a 1D array into a 2D grid aligned with the mesh.
• Implementing a plotting function with widget controls for shear direction and mesh display.
• Correcting data ordering using lexicographic sorting to ensure proper mapping onto the grid.
• Comparing improved shear plots against initial naive visualisations and identifying remaining issues.

In this lecture, we focus on visualising shear forces using a reduced grid of data points. We begin by reconstructing the mesh grid from unique x and y coordinates, ensuring that duplicate points are removed and the grid is properly defined. We then develop a plotting function that allows us to select between different shear components and optionally display the mesh, while reshaping the shear data to align with the grid structure.

A key concept we address is the correct ordering of shear values before reshaping. We use lexicographic sorting to organise the data by y and then x coordinates so that it maps correctly onto the mesh grid. This resolves earlier visual issues such as banding caused by misaligned data. Finally, we compare the improved plots with earlier naive versions, observing more realistic shear distributions while noting that some edge discontinuities remain, which will be refined in the next lecture.

Next up

In the next lecture, we will refine these shear plots further by adding strip and edge masking to isolate the most meaningful regions of the slab.