FORMULATION OF THE

DISPLACEMENT-BASED
FINITE ELEMENT
METHOD

LECTURE 3
58 MINUTES

31

Formulation of the displacement-based finite element method

LECTURE 3 General effective formulation of the displace

ment-based finite element method
Principle of virtual displacements
Discussion of various interpolation and element
matrices
Physical explanation of derivations and equa
tions
Direct stiffness method
Static and dynamic conditions
Imposition of boundary conditions
Example analysis of a nonuniform bar. detailed
discussion of element matrices

TEXTBOOK: Sections: 4.1. 4.2.1. 4.2.2

Examples: 4.1. 4.2. 4.3. 4.4

32

Formulation of the displacement-based finite element method

FORMULATION OF
THE DISPLACEMENT
BASED FINITE
ELEMENT METHOD

- A very general
formu lation
-Provides the basis of
almost all finite ele
ment analyses per
formed in practice

-The formulation is
really a modern appli
cation of the Ritz/
Gelerkin procedures
discussed in lecture 2
-Consider static and
dynamic conditions, but
linear analysis

Fig. 4.2. General three-dimensional body.

33

FOl'Dlulation of the displaceDlentbased finite e1mnent lDethod

The external forces are

fB

fB

= fBy

fS

fB

f~

i
FX

= fSy

Fi = Fyi

fS

i
FZ

(4.1)

The displacements of the body from

the unloaded configuration are
denoted by U, where

uT = [u

w]

(4.2)

The strains corresponding to U are,

~T = [E XX Eyy EZZ YXy YyZ YZX]

and the stresses corresponding to
are

34

(4.3)

Formulation of the displacement-based finite element method

Principle of virtual displacements

where

ITT = [IT If w]

(4.6 )

Fig. 4.2. General three-dimensional body.

35

Formulation of the displaceaenl-based filile e1eDlenl .ethod

,,
x,u

""
Finite element

For element (m) we use:

!!(m) (x, y, z)

"T
!!
= [U, V, W,

z)

(4.8)

U2V2W2 UNVNW N]

!!"T = [U,U 2U3

... Un]

.(m) (x, y, z)

=~(m) (x, y,

!.(m)

3&

=!:!.(m) (x, y,

=f(m)~(m)

+ -rI(m)

(4.9)
z)

!!

(4.'0)
(4.'1)

'OI'IIalation of the displaceDlenl-based filile eleDlenl method

Rewrite (4.5) as a sum of integrations

over the elements

(4.12)

Substitute into (4.12) for the element

displacements, strains, and stresses,
using (4.8), to (4.10),

____---..ll.c=~~-----I
j-

'iTl

If

~
~

B(m) Tc(m)B(m)dv(m)j U=
v(m) l-

j [I
T

I 1
_"

-(m) T

--

L l(m)

T (m)
!!(m) 1.B
dV(m)

---- ~(m) = f.(m) ~(m)

-

m
V
I
, .

( )T

B(m)TTI(m) dv(m)j

m
-___.r__.........1

"<I:::

--

_~m

:,. L f. ) !!sCm)Ti m)dScmlj

m
_m_JV...:........<,==~I______

El;rm) -

= B(m) l..u)

(- )(m)

y:(m)

=!!(m)

(m) T

-US
-(m) T

------.
... ~

(4.13)

37

Formulation of the displacement-based finite element .ethod

We obtain

KU

=R

(4.14)

where

R=.Ba + Rs - R1 + ~
~f

K=

( 4. 15)

B(m)Tc(m)B(m)dV(m)
(4.16)

m V(m)- -

R =

"'1.
~ lm) -

H(m)TfB(m)dV(m)

(4.17)

"'1
= "'1
-1
R

-S

HS (m)Tfs(m)dS(m) (4.18)
~ ~m) B(m)TT1(m)dV(m)
~ V(m) -

(4.19)

=-F

(4.20)

In dynam ic analysis we have

~B = ~

(m)T -B(m)

V(m) .!:!.

[1.

_ p(m).!:!.(m)~]dV(m)
MD+KU= R

38

B(m)

1.
(4.21 )
(4.22)

-B(m)

1.

(m)

- p!!

Formulation of the displacement-based finite element method

To impose the boundary conditions,
we use

~a ~b

~a ~b
+

~a

t!t>b

-~

(4.38)

..

..

~a~+~a~=~-~b~-~b~

(4.39)

~=~a~+~b~+~a~+~b~
(4.40)

I
!

Global degrees
of freedom
;~

(restrained\

COS

T=
[

'/..

Transformed

C,-:~:e)
rl'f

a -sin

a]

sin a

U= T

\eedom

degrees of
f

cos a

IT

Fig. 4.10. Transformation to skew

boundary conditions

39

Formulation of the displacement-based finite element method

.th
1
column
For the transformation on the
total degrees of freedom we use

1.

i th row

(4.41 )
so that

1
cos a.

T=

..

Mu+Ku=R

(4.42)

}h

sin a.

where

L
Fig. 4.11. Skew boundary condition
imposed using spring element.

We can now also use this procedure

(penalty method)
Say Ui = b, then the constraint
equation is

k U. = k b
where

k k ..

"

___ 310

(4.44)

.th

-s ina.
1
cos a.
1

FormDlation of the displacementbased finite element method

Example analysis

area

=1

100

area

=9

100

80
element

Finite elements

J~
I"

-I

100

80

~I

311

Formulation of the displacementbased finite element method

Element
interpolation functions

1.0

I ...

--I

Displacement and strain

interpolation matrices:

H(l} = [(l-L)

100

!:!.(2} = [

!!(l)=[
!!(2) = [

312

100

(1- L)

a]
v(m} = H(m}U

80

:0]

1
100

1
100

a]

1
80

1
80]

av = B(m}U
ay -

FOI'IDDlation of the displacementbased finite element method

stiffness matrix

- 1
100

5.= (1 HEllO
a

l~O [-l~O l~O

o}Y

a
U

- 80

1
80

Hence

=240

[ 2.4

-2.4

-2.4

15.4

-13

Similarly for M '.!!B ' and so on.

Boundary conditions must still be
imposed.

313

MIT OpenCourseWare
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Resource: Finite Element Procedures for Solids and Structures

Klaus-Jrgen Bathe

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