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Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

Department of Civil Engineering
CE5610: Finite Element Analysis QUIZ I (Closed Book)
Jan-May 2013
Answer all five questions. Maximum marks: 20
All questions carry equal marks. Time: 120 minutes

Question 1:
Consider the Poisson equation governing two-dimensional heat transfer in a square region
⎛ ∂ 2T ∂ 2T ⎞
− k ⎜ 2 + 2 ⎟ = g 0 in Ω = {( x, y ) : 0 < ( x, y ) < 1}
⎝ ∂x ∂y ⎠
with the following boundary conditions:
T = 0 on sides x = 1 and y = 1
∂T
= 0 on sides x = 0 and y = 0
∂n
where g 0 is the rate of uniform heat generation in the region. Using the Galerkin method, find an
approximate solution of the above boundary value problem. Try simple one parameter trial solution
that is admissible.

Question 2:
Consider the prestressed cable shown in the figure below. The variational indicator is
L L
1 ⌠ ⎛ dw ⎞
2

Π = ⎮T ⎜ ⌠ 1 k ( w )2 dx − Pw
⎟ dx + ⎮
⌡2 L
2 ⌡ ⎝ dx ⎠
0 0

where w is the transverse displacement and wL is the transverse displacement at x = L. Establish the
differential equation of equilibrium and state all the boundary conditions.

Question 3:
Using three linear elements of equal length, solve the differential equation given below for p ( x ) = x .
d 2u
+ p ( x) = 0 0 ≤ x ≤ 1
dx 2
u ( 0 ) = 0 ⎫⎪
⎬ Boundary Conditions
u (1) = 0 ⎪⎭

Question 4:
Determine the displacements and forces in the space truss shown in the figure below. The coordinates
of the nodes in meter units are given in the table below. Assume Young’s modulus E = 70 GPa and
area of cross section A = 1 cm2. The magnitude of the downward force (negative z-direction) at node
4 is equal to 10,000 N.

Continued …
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Question 5:
A concentrated load P = 50 kN is applied at the center of fixed beam of length 3 m, depth 200 mm and
width 120 mm. Adopting as few finite elements as possible determine the deflection and slope at the
mid point. Assume E = 2 × 105 N/mm2.