The Facts 1 )Obtain valid contour plot, of combined stress in a plate finite element model eg Max Principe stress

or Von mises stress? Compatibility means that things must fit together when deformed. This is a fundamental principle of solid mechanics. Applied to finite elements it means that adjacent elements must have the same displacement (but not the same strain) along common edges. Mesh must be fine enough to avoid oscillation Local axes must be aligned consistently in plane of the plate Local z axis of plates elements must be orientated consistently to distinguish top surface The elements must be joined in a manner leading to compatibility of displacement NOT Plate elements joined at nodes MUST have the same thicknesses at the nodes if the stresses are to be averaged at nodes, regardless of property element type. 2) Spot Incorrect YES Stress can be computed at any point in a structural finite element, often found at gauss points, nodes or centroid Nodal stress estimates can be obtained by averaging stresses from all elements meeting at a node Estimation of SHEAR stress at the centre of a 2d rectangular linear element minimizes error due to the sides remaining straight Estimation of IN-PLANE SHEAR stress at the centre of a 2d rectangular linear element minimizes error due to the sides remaining straight When using reduced integration, spurious oscillation of shear stress can occur if hourglass modes are not prevented Stress in a solid finite element model using 20 node brick elements is discontinuous at element boundary NOT Stress in a solid finite element model using 20 node brick elements is continuous at element boundary Nodal stress estimates cannot be obtained by averaging stresses from all elements meeting at a node Stress CANNOT be computed at any point in a structural finite element, often at gauss points, nodes or centroid.

3) If the plane of global axes X and Z in a shell finite element model is a plane of symmetry of geometry YES Anti-symmetric loading, boundary condition code to apply to nodes in that plane is to restrain X and Z displacements as well as rotation about Y For symmetric loading, boundary condition code to apply to nodes in that plane is to prevent Y displacement as well as X and Z rotations No in-plane motion should be permitted for a plane of anti-symmetry For symmetric loading a node in the plane of symmetry cannot move out of that plane No in-plane motion permitted, anywhere on the edge of the element that is in plane of symmetry of geometry for anti-symmetry of loading NO For symmetric loading, restrain only the displacement in the normal Y direction in nodes in that plane For anti-symmetric loading, restrain only in plane X and Z displacements at nodes in that plane For symmetric loading a node in the plane of symmetry cannot move IN that plane

4) Which is the incorrect statement about a plate element made of one material YES Bending stiffness of an elastic plate is PROPORTIONAL TO THICKNESS CUBED Direct stresses in the plane of the plate vary LINEARLY through the thickness Bending stress at the surface is proportional to bending moment per length divided by thickness SQUARED Shear stress acting on small element of material in the plane of the plate is modelled as varying LINEARLY through the thickness Transverse shear stresses are usually modelled as being constant through the thickness NO Bending stiffness of an elastic plate is proportional to thickness SQUARED Shear stress acting on small element of material in the plane of the plate is modelled as varying QUADRATICALLY through the thickness Bending stress at the surface is proportional to bending moment per length divided by thickness CUBED 5) Uniform load is applied to an edge of a model built using two-dimensional finite elements YES With a uniform mesh, the nodal loads will be less at nodes on each end of the edge that at other corner or mid-side nodes of elements The nodal loads are found by weighting the load per length by interpolation function for that node, and integrating over the edge of the element The nodal loads will not be equal, even with a regular mesh With a uniform mesh of linear quadrilaterals elements the loads are equal except at each end of the edge Causes nodal loads found by weighting the load/length by the interpolation function for a node and integrating along the edge of the element loaded No Nodal loads WILL be equal Always causes EQUAL nodal loads Only causes EQUAL nodal loads in a UNIFORM mesh 6) In a linear elastic structural finite element model YES Pressure loads continue to act in their original direction even though the surface they act on may have rotated Buckling deformation cannot be modelled except by an eigenvalue analysis to identify modes of buckling Correction IS made for any change in stiffness caused by deformation Deflections must be small enough for small angle approximations to apply such as making an angle in radians equal to its tangent The strain-displacement relations for an element used to find strains from the nodal displacements refer to the deformed geometry NO Correction is NOT made for any change in stiffness caused by deformation Finite deformation of a mechanism CAN NOT be represented Rotation degrees of freedom are YES Used to imply deformation varying through the depth of a beam or through the thickness of a plate

 NO

Needed to apply moment loading to a node Redundant in two dimensional plane STRESS models Redundant in two dimensional plane STRAIN models MISSING in plate elements except for the drilling degree of freedom ABESENT in solid elements PRESENT in plate elements except for the drilling degree of freedom

7) Spot the incorrect statement (not so sure about this one) YES Nodal degrees of freedom are restrained either because they really are fixed or because they are redundant defs Restraints on an axisymmetric model need only be applied to stop rigid body motion defs! In a mesh quadratic elements mid side nodes should not be restrained on a fixed boundary (curved surface therefore would still need restraining) Excessive restraint preventing Poisson ratio effects unnecessarily will result in artificial stresses defs! NO In a solid model, all rotations are redundant degrees of freedom 8) The B matrix of a finite element based on displacement interpolation relates relevant strains at a point within the element to its nodal displacements YES Has a column for each nodal displacement Has terms which are generally evaluated at each gauss point within the element Has more columns than rows Has uses in computing the element stiffness matrix and in computing stress within the element NO Is a symmetric matrix ([D] is the symmetric matrix!)

8) Which is the incorrect statement about a [D] matrix describing linear elastic stress-strain relations? YES [D] is always symmetric For isotropic behaviour the terms of [D] depend on Youngs modulus and Poissons ratio A separate [D] matrix can be written for each layer of a fibre composite NO For plate bending [D] relates moments per length to curvatures and to twist (eb does! Not [D])

9) To fix a particular displacement at a node, the corresponding row and column of the global stiffness matrix need not be created when elements are assembled, done because: YES The components of the matrix forming the row are coefficients of a redundant equation for an unknown reaction and the column multiplies a zero displacement NO Components of the matrix forming the row are coefficients of an equation for a force that is zero and the column multiplies a zero displacement The components of the matrix forming the row are coefficients of a redundant equation for a force that is zero The components of the matrix forming the row are coefficients of an equation for an unknown reaction and the column multiplies an unknown displacement

The components of the matrix forming the row are coefficients of an equation for a known force, and the column multiplies a zero displacement

10) In order to determine where yield will first occur as loads are increased in a finite element model of a metal component, it is most appropriate to find the location of: YES Highest value of TRESCA stress Highest value of VON MISUS stress NO Highest magnitude of principal stress Highest magnitude of bending moment per length Most tensile of the principal stresses Smallest difference in principal stresses 11) An eigenvalue obtained from a buckling analysis is negative and smaller than one YES The direction of the load previously applied in a static analysis was opposite to that which will cause buckling, and the load was larger than the critical load for buckling 12) An eigenvalue obtained from a buckling analysis is negative and greater than one YES The load applied previously in a static analysis was too small to cause buckling and in the opposite direction to that which will cause buckling 13) A point load at one node is best avoided in an elastic static analysis of a mesh of solid finite elements as YES It will cause unrealistic high stresses locally NO It will result in infinite stress in elements connected to the node at which it acts It will give accurate stresses near the load, but will make it hard to plot contours showing the stresses elsewhere It will cause local yielding that will invalidate stresses away from the load It will cause unrealistic deflections away from the load 13) Interpolation function aim to equal 1 14) Which below is the correct statement about finite element modelling? YES All beam elements must share a common reference node NO All triangles or All quadrilaterals Not p using finer mesh Not singular matrix result in static elastic analysis if rigid body motion permitted (nothing is produced cant be solved) Shell and solid cannot be combined 15) When finding the stresses to represent distributed loading on a beam, a fixed end solution for that beam is superimposed on that found from a finite element model. The fixed end solution is used because YES The fixed end reactions cancel the nodal loading used in the finite element model and cause no nodal deflections, hence by superimposing we are left with the correct response to the distributed load

NO

It causes no nodal deflections, but represents the whole deflection between the nodes caused but the real loading The fixed end reactions are the same as the nodal loads used to represent the intermediate or distributed loading The fixed end problem is a worst case of stressing due to intermediate loading Minus the fixed end reactions were used to represent the distributed load and the real deflections are opposite those of the fixed end case

If a plain strain model is mistakenly used instead of a plane stress model, the displacement will be YES Over estimated To correctly represent rigid body translation, the interpolation functions Ni that multiply displacement at node I must YES Evaluates to 1 at a node and 0 at another The interpolation functions describing displacements of any 2D finite element must YES Be such that edge values of displacement depend uniquely on nodal values on that edge, so that displacements will agree with those of the neighbouring element NO Be expressed in terms of area coordinates Differentiate to give strains which vary over an element Must sum to less than one at any point Must sum to one only at the nodes A plate or shell finite element YES Does not explicitly model a change of thickness of the plate (it implies displacement variation due to bending) NO Series of layers each in a state of plane strain Has surface bending stresses at some location proportional to bending moment per length times the thickness squared Has in plane strains that are always constant through out the thickness Cannot deform in plane