NAMES: NDIKURYAYO Jean Damascene

Email: j.nkuriza@gmail.com
TEL: +250783303842
ACADEMIC YEAR 2019-2020
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
BACHELOR IV OF ENGINEERING IN MECHANICAL AND MANUFACTURING
ENGINEERING

Reg. number: 19/8695

CAT 1 OF FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS AND APPLICATIONS

QUESTION 1. Why finite element method is used?

The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is the simulation of any given physical
phenomenon using the numerical technique called Finite Element Method (FEM).
Engineers use it to reduce the number of physical prototypes and experiments and optimize
components in their design phase to develop better products, faster.

QUESTION 2. How does finite element analysis work?

FEA cuts a structure into several elements (pieces of the structure). Then reconnects elements at
“nodes”as if nodes were pins or drops of glue that hold elements together. This process results in
a set of simultaneous algebraic equations.

FEM uses the concept of piecewise polynomial interpolation. -By connecting elements together,
the field quantity becomes interpolated over the entire structure in piecewise fashion. -A set of
simultaneous algebraic equations at nodes.

Finite Element Analysis grew out of Matrix Structural Analysis where a framework of beams can be
solved with matrix algebra. Equations for beam stiffness have been derived and used for some time but
the computer made it easier to represent the whole structure in one matrix which could be solved
for displacements. This was useful because of the interaction of beams and columns in a
structure such as a steel framed building.

These sorts of problems could be solved with programs written by engineers using BASIC on
personal computers but the method was expanded to include plates, solids, and other elements in
codes such as ANSYS and Nastran. These were first only available on mainframe computers but
eventually became available on PCs. Formulating solid elements was a bit more complex with
polynomials used to express displacements. Originally, the method required the analyst to break
down the part into cubes when using solid elements and define each of the nodes and the
connectivity. Today, front-end processors can take a CAD database and convert it to a system of
solid elements with little effort by the operator. The graphics have become more sophisticated
but behind it, all is the matrix algebra and the stiffness matrix that represents the elastic behavior
of the part.

QUESTION 3. What is the use of finite element analysis?

FEM finite element analyze is used to find out the stress strain deformation, natural frequency, of
the irregular body.

Irregular body converted and split into no of sub bodies to regular known shapes (quad, tri, hex)

Before find out FEM, we have to check deformation of body or innovative new design check has
to done by manually so lots of money waste and time waste.

Eg:- If I want to innovate new single seated aircraft full structural design I can design by using
CAD software and then I will check the margin of safety and fos , maximum deform area in all
load conditions all I can find out using a FEM software

QUESTION 4. What are the application of finite element method?

Finite element method (FEM) is a numerical method to solve certain class of partial differential
equations (PDE). In most cases, a close form solution for a PDE in a complex domain is
impossible. Fortunately, the PDEs that govern the different phenomena in physics can be solved
by FEM. First applications were on

 Mechanics (stress analysis)

 Then extended to heat transfer,
 Electro-magnetism (Maxwell equations),
 Fluid dynamics (Navier- Stokes equations),
 Wave propagation, etc.
QUESTION 5. What is the effect of the strain rate on the rupture of steel materials? What
is the best procedure to predict it in a finite element analysis?

Strain rate effect is the basic property of solid materials while strain rate effect of no uniform
materials is more obvious than that of uniform materials.

Although there is obvious variance among the experimental results of strain rate effects, the
following consensus has been obtained. As an inhomogeneous material for concrete, the strain
rate effect of concrete is more obvious than the homogeneous materials, such as metals. The
strain rate effects for tensile behavior of concrete are more obvious than that for compressive
behavior, and the strain rate effects for concrete strength are more significant than that for elastic
modulus. Under the same strain rates, the increasing value for dynamic strength of wet concrete
is higher than that of dry concrete. The strain rate effect increases sharply when the strain rate is
up to the range of 100–102 s−1. The discussion on strain rate effects of concrete is mainly based
on the explanation on the earlier experimental results with basic consensus. For the dynamic
mechanical characteristics of concrete structures under an earthquake, the maximum strain rate
under an earthquake ranges from 10−3 s−1 to 10−2 s−1. The explanation on the mechanisms for
strain rate effects can be summarized as follows:

 Energy dissipation mechanisms based on the view of fracture mechanics, and compared
to the energy needed for crack development, the energy needed for the forming process
of crack is far higher than that during crack development. For example, the number of
crack increases as the loading rate increases, thus more energy is dissipated (Eibl et al.,
1989; Rossi, 1991). As the dynamic loading time is short, the weakest part cannot be
tracked to release cracking energy, which also induces the increase of the number of
cracks.

 The influence of free water viscosity in concrete By experimental monitoring and

theoretical assumption, Rossi et al. (1990, 1991, 1994) pointed out that the mechanical
characteristics of concrete under high strain rates can be explained by Stefan effect and
the mutual action during the cracking process of materials. Stefan effect shows that, when
a thin liquid membrane exists between two parallel plates with h distance and the plates
separate with a certain velocity, the resistance will be induced. In addition, the resistance
is in proportion to the velocity. The Stefan effects mainly explain why the strain rate
effect in the strength of wet concrete is more obvious than that of dry concrete, and the
experimental results also indicate that the dry concrete shows strain rate effect as well.

 Thermal activation and macro viscous mechanisms based on the experimental results
from Zhurkov (1979), Qi and Qian (2003) thought that the relationship between the strain
rate and strength of materials was controlled by the mechanisms of thermal activation
during the small strain rate range. With a further increase in strain rate, the macro viscous
damping of the materials appears and becomes dominant. Under the region of high strain
 rate, the influence of material inertia becomes significant. The dependence of strength on
strain rate is the result due to the parallel existence and mutual competition of the thermal
activation and macro viscosity mechanisms. These two mechanisms dominate in different
strain rate ranges.

The best procedure is to use Finite element analysis software

Finite element analysis (FEA) is a computerized method for predicting how a product reacts to
real-world forces, vibration, heat, fluid flow and other physical effects. Finite element analysis
shows whether a product will break, wear out or work the way it was designed. It is called
analysis, but in the product development process, it is used to predict what is going to happen
when the product is used.

EA works by breaking down a real object into a large number (thousands to hundreds of
thousands) of finite elements, such as little cubes. Mathematical equations help predict the
behavior of each element. A computer then adds up all the individual behaviors to predict the
behavior of the actual object.

Finite element analysis helps predict the behavior of products affected by many physical effects,
including:

 Mechanical stress
 Mechanical vibration
 Fatigue
 Motion
 Heat transfer
 Fluid flow
 Electrostatics
 Plastic injection molding