INTRODUCTION TO FINITE ELEMNT METHOD

1. INTRODUCTION: The finite element method is a numerical method for solving problems of engineering and mathematical physics. Typical problem areas of interest: Structural analysis, heat transfer, fluid flow, mass transport, and Electromagnetic potential Useful for problems with complicated geometries, loadings, and material properties where analytical solutions can not be obtained. The finite element formulation of the problem results in a system of simultaneous algebraic equations for solution, rather than requiring the solution of differential equations. Process of modeling a body by dividing it into an equivalent system of smaller bodies or units (finite elements) interconnected at points common to two or more elements (nodal points or nodes) and/or boundary lines and/or surfaces is called discretization. The solution for structural problems typically refers to determining the displacements at each node and the stresses within each element making up the structure that is subjected to applied loads. In nonstructural problems, the nodal unknowns may, for instance, be temperatures or fluid pressures due to thermal or fluid fluxes.

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Brief History:
Grew out of aerospace industry Post-WW II jets, missiles, space flight Need for light weight structures Required accurate stress analysis Paralleled growth of computers

Common FEA Applications

Mechanical/Aerospace/Civil/Automotive Engineering Structural/Stress Analysis Static/Dynamic Linear/Nonlinear Fluid Flow Heat Transfer Electromagnetic Fields Soil Mechanics Acoustics Biomechanics

General Steps In Finite Element method Analysis:

There are two general direct approaches traditionally associated with the finite element method as applied to structural mechanics problems. One approach, called the force, or flexibility, method, uses internal forces as the unknowns of the problem. The second approach, called the displacement, or stiffness, method, assumes the displacements of the nodes as the unknowns of the problem. For computational purposes, the displacement (or stiffness) method is more desirable because its formulation is simpler for most structural analysis problems.

1. Discretization:
The first step involves dividing the body into an equivalent system of finite elements with associated nodes and choosing the most appropriate element type to model most closely the actual physical behavior. Model body by dividing it into an equivalent system of many smaller bodies or units (finite elements) interconnected at points common to two or more elements (nodes or nodal points) and/or boundary lines and/or surfaces.

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Feature
Obtain a set of algebraic equations to solve for unknown (first) nodal quantity (displacement). Secondary quantities (stresses and strains) are expressed in terms of nodal values of primary quantity.

Types of Elements:
The primary line elements consist of bar (or truss) and beam elements (1D). They have a cross-sectional area but are usually represented by line segments. In general, the crosssectional area within the element can vary, but it will be considered to be constant for the sake of this section. These elements are often used to model trusses and frame structures. The simplest line element (called a linear element) has two nodes, one at each end. The basic two-dimensional (or plane) elements are loaded by forces in their own plane (plane stress or plane strain conditions). They are triangular or quadrilateral elements. The simplest two-dimensional elements have corner nodes only (linear elements) with straight sides or boundaries The elements can have variable thicknesses throughout or be constant. The most common three-dimensional elements are tetrahedral and hexahedral (or brick) elements; they are used when it becomes necessary to perform a threedimensional stress analysis. The basic three-dimensional elements have corner nodes only and straight sides.

FEM FORMULATION PROCEDURE:

Principles of FEA:
The finite element method (FEM), or finite element analysis (FEA), is a Computational technique used to obtain approximate solutions of boundary value problems in engineering. Boundary value problems are also called field problems. The field is the domain of interest and most often represents a physical structure. The field variables are the dependent variables of interest governed by the differential equation. The boundary conditions are the specified values of the field variables (or related variables such as derivatives) on the boundaries of the field. For simplicity, at this point, we assume a two-dimensional case with a single field variable (x, y) to be determined at every point P(x, y) such that a known governing equation (or equations) is satisfied exactly at every such point.

A finite element is not a differential element of size dx dy. A node is a specific point in the finite element at which the value of the field variable is to be explicitly calculated.

The Mathematical and Physical FEM

Mathematical FEM: The centerpiece in the process steps of the Mathematical FEM is the mathematical model which is often an ordinary or partial differential equation in space and time. A discrete finite element model is generated from of the mathematical model. The resulting FEM equations are processed by an equation solver, which provides a discrete solution. FEM discretization may be constructed without any reference to physics. The concept of error arises when the discrete solution is substituted in the mathematical and discrete models. This replacement is generically called verification. The solution error is the amount by which the discrete solution fails to satisfy the discrete equations. This error is relatively unimportant when using computers. More relevant is the discretization error, which is the amount by which the discrete solution fails to satisfy the mathematical model.

PHYSICAL FEM: The processes of idealization and discretization are carried out concurrently to produce the discrete model. Indeed FEM discretization may be constructed and adjusted without reference to mathematical models, simply from experimental measurements. The concept of error arises in the physical FEM in two ways, known as verification and validation. Verification is the same as in the Mathematical FEM: the discrete solution is replaced into the discrete model to get the solution error. As noted above, this error is not generally important. Validation tries to compare the discrete solution against observation by computing the simulation error, which combines modeling and solution errors. Since the latter is typically insignificant, the simulation error in practice can be identified with the modeling error. Comparing the discrete solution with the ideal physical system would in principle quantify the modeling errors.