Introduction

It is originated in the aerospace industry as a tool to study

stresses in complex air- frame structure.
It is numerical technique for obtaining approximate solution to
a wide variety of engineering problem.
Analytical methods provide accurate solution with applications
limited to simple geometries.
Experimental methods are used to test prototypes or full scale
models.
And they are costly and may not be feasible in some cases.
But Numerical methods are most efficient technique for
engineering analysis which can treat complex geometries also.
Among many FEA/FEM is the most versatile & compressive
numerical technique in the hands of engineers today.
FEM is used to obtain approximate solutions of boundary
value problems in engineering.

 Boundary value problems is a mathematical problems with one or

more dependant variables satisfying different equation within the
known domain of independent variable & satisfying specific
conditions on the boundary of the domain.
The boundary conditions are the specified values of the field variables
(or related variables such as derivatives) on the boundaries of the
field.
Depending on the type of physical problem being analyzed, the field
variables may include physical displacement, temperature, heat flux,
fluid velocity, etc.
FEM allows for descretizing the intricate geometries in to small
fundamental volumes called finite elements.
It is then possible to write the governing equations & material
properties for these elements &this will be in terms of unknown
values at points called nodes.
These equations are then assembled by taking proper care to loads &
constraints which results in a set of equation which are to be solved &
the results describe the behavior of the original complex body being
analyzed. The solution to these equations would provide an exact
closed form solution to the particular problem being studied.

Advantages of FEM
Increase productivity (reduce uncertainty)
Minimize physical prototyping (optimize performance
before prototyping)
Innovative products in less time & less costs (reduced
testing and redesign costs thereby shortening the product
development time)
Applicable to linear and non linear problem
Easily applied to complex, irregular shaped objects
composed of several different materials and having complex
boundary conditions
Applicable to steady state, time dependant and eigenvalue
problems
One method can solve a wide variety of problems, including
problems in solid mechanics, chemical reaction,
electromagnetics, biomechanics, heat transfer and acoustics.

Disadvantages of FEM
Experience and judgment are needed in order to
construct a good finite element model
A powerful computer and reliable FEM software are
essential.
Input and output data may be large and tedious to
prepare and interpret.
The FEM is applied to an approximation of the
mathematical model of a system(the source of so called
inherited error)
Susceptible to user introduced modeling error:
1. poor choice of elements types
2. distorted elements
3. geometry not adequately modeled

Application of FEM
FEM is not limited to mechanical system alone but to a
range of engineering problems such as
Stress analysis
Dynamic analysis
Deformation studies
Fluid flow analysis
Heat flow analysis
Magnetic flux studies
And these are different types of commercial software
available in the market for the application of finite
elements such as ALGOR, ANSYS, COSMOS/M,
SAP 90/200., ABAQUS.

Stress Analysis

In the finite element modeling process

there are Six Steps
Step 1 - Discretization: The problem domain is discretized into a collection of simple
shapes, or elements.
Step 2 - Develop Element Equations: Developed using the physics of the problem,
and typically Weighted Residual (Galerkins Method) or variational (Ritz)
principles.
Step 3 - Assembly: The element equations for each element in the FEM mesh are
assembled into a set of global equations that model the properties of the entire
system.
Step 4 - Application of Boundary Conditions: Solution cannot be obtained unless
boundary conditions are applied. They reflect the known values for certain primary
unknowns. Imposing the boundary conditions modifies the global equations.
Step 5 - Solve for Primary Unknowns: The modified global equations are solved for
the primary unknowns (Elemental Displacements) at the nodes.
Step 6 - Calculate Derived Variables (Elemental stress, strain, reaction forces):
Calculated using the nodal values of the primary variables.
And this six steps, categorized in the FEA program to three main stages as follows:

BASIC STEPS IN THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

The basic steps involved in any finite element analysis consist of the following:
Preprocessing Phase
1. Create and discretize the solution domain into finite elements; that is, subdivide the
problem into nodes and elements.
2. Assume a shape function to represent the physical behavior of an element; that is, an
approximate continuous function is assumed to represent the solution of an element.
3. Develop equations for an element.
4. Assemble the elements to present the entire problem. Construct the global stiffness
matrix.
5. Apply boundary conditions, initial conditions, and loading.
Solution Phase
6. Solve a set of linear or nonlinear algebraic equations simultaneously to obtain nodal
results, such as displacement values at different nodes or temperature values at
different nodes in a heat transfer problem.
Post processing Phase
7. Obtain other important information. At this point, you may be interested in values of
principal stresses, heat fluxes, etc.

Typical elements commonly used in finite

Element analysis
The type of elements to be used for generating the mesh depends upon the
actual geometry and the type of problem being considered. Some typical
elements generally found in most of the FE software are shown below
a) One dimensional

2 node lines (BE2)

b) Two dimensional
Triangle

3 node quadratic (BE3)

3 - Node lines (TR3)

6 -node quadratic (TR6)

Quadrilateral

4-Node linear (QU4)

c) Three dimensional
Tetrahedral

4 - Node linear

8 - node quadratic (QU8)

1. Maintain compatibility : e.g. Do not attach

quadratic quadrilateral elements to linear
quadrilateral
Modeling
recommendations
2. Adopt fine mesh in regions of high stress
3. Reduce bandwidth by suitable numbering of
nodes.

Band width of matrix is the number of columns from first to the last non-zero column.
The element band width = max. Difference between the largest and smallest node
Numbers of the element
The total number of band width = element band width +1
e.g.
Element band width = 5-4 = 1
Total number of band width = 1 + 1 = 2
e.g.

BW=21 - 10, Total No. BW= 11 + 1 = 12

4. Exploit symmetry of elements wherever possible methods of element refinement as per
point 2 above
P -method: using size of element but of a higher order interpolating polynomial
h - method: using same element type, but of smaller size

Approaches in Finite Element

Method

In general, there are several approaches to formulating

finite element problems:
(1) Direct formulation,
(2) The Minimum Total Potential Energy Formulation,
(3) Rayleigh Ritz Method and (Variation Method)
(4) Weighted Residual Formulations
Again, it is important to note that the basic steps involved
in any finite element analysis, regardless of how we
general the finite element model, will be tile same as
those listed above.

DIRECT
FORMULATION
The following problem
illustrates the steps and the procedure involved in
direct formulation.
EXAMPLE 1.0
Consider a bar with a variable cross section supporting a load P, as
shown in Figure 1.0 The bar is fixed at one end and carries the load P at
the other end. Let us designate the width of the bar at the top by w1, at
the bottom by w2, its thickness by t, and its length by L. The bar's
modulus of elasticity will be denoted by E. We are interested in
determining how much the bar will deflect at various points along its
length when it is subjected to the load P. We will neglect the weight of
the bar in the following analysis, assuming that the applied load is
considerably larger than the weight of the bar:

Figure 1.0 A bar under axial lodaing

Preprocessing Phase
1. Discretize the solution domain into finite elements.
The given bar is modeled using four individual segments,with
each segment having a uniform cross section.The crosssectional area of each element is represented by an average
area of the cross sections at the nodes that define the
element.This model is shown in Figure2.

Figure 2.0 Subdividing the bar in to elements and nodes

2. Assume a solution that approximates the behavior of an

element.
In order to study the behavior of a typical element, let's
consider the deflection of a solid member with a uniform cross
section A that has a length when subjected to a force F, as
shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3.0 A solid member of uniform crossection subjected to a force F

We can readily show that under additional nodal loads and other fixed boundary
conditions, the relationship given by Eq. (11) can be put into the general form
{R} = [K] {u} {F}

(12)

Develop equations for an element.

Because each of the elements in
Example 1.1 has two nodes, and with
each node we have associated a
displacement, we need to create two
equations for each element.
These equations must involve nodal
displacements
and
the
element's
stiffness.
Consider
the
internally
transmitted forces fi and fi+1 and the end
displacements ui and ui+1 of an element,
which are shown in Figure 5.

Equation (1.14) can be expressed in a matrix

form by

General Differential
Formulation of a Structural
Problem in 1 D

Definition

Weighted Residual Statement

Ex. Cantilever Beam with

Uniform Distributed Load

Temperature effect