Finite Element Method (FEM) Finite Element Method (FEM) : ME802 ME802

Finite Element Method (FEM)
ME802
Introduction
Dr Aamir Mubashar
PhD Mechanical Engineering

Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
MSC Advanced Manufacturing Technology and Systems

Management
The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
Course Contents
Introduction
Stiffness (Displacement) Method
Development of Truss Equations
Development of Beam Equations
Frame Equations
Plane Stress and Plane Strain Stiffness Equations
Practical Considerations in Modelling
Isoparametric Formulation
Heat Transfer
Marks Distribution
Quizzes 10%
Projects / Assignments 15%
OHT-1 15%
OHT-2 15%
End Semester Exam 45%

Introduction to FEM
Objectives
Present an introduction to FEM
Provide brief history of FEM
Introduce matrix notation
Present general steps used in FEM
Illustrate various types of elements used in FEM
Show typical applications of FEM
Summarize advantages of FEM

Finite Element Method
FEM is a numerical method for solving problems or engineering
and mathematical physics
Typical classes of problems
Structural analysis
Heat transfer
Fluid flow
Mass transport
Electromagnetic potential
etc.
Can solve problems involving complicated geometries,
loadings and material properties for which analytical solutions
are not possible
Finite element formulation results in a system of

simultaneous algebraic equations
Numerical methods yield approximate values of the

unknowns at discrete number of points in continuum
Continuum or body is divided into an equivalent system

of smaller bodies or units known as finite elements
Finite elements are interconnected at points common to

two or more elements known as nodal points or nodes
This process of representing a body with finite elements is

known as discretisation
Equations are formulated for each element and then

combined to obtain solution for whole body
Brief History
In 1943, Richard Courant proposed breaking a continuous system into

triangular elements
In 1950s, a team from Boeing demonstrated that complex surfaces could

be analysed with a matrix of triangular shapes
The term finite element was coined by Dr Ray Clough in 1960s
In early 1960s, the MacNeal-Schwendle Corporation (MSC) developed a

general purpose FEA code. It had limit of 68000 degrees of freedom
After completion of NASA contract, MSC continued development of its

own code MSC/NASTRAN. The original NASTRAN became available to
public and formed basis for dozens of FE packages
Around the same time, ANSYS, MARC and SAP were introduced
Brief History
In later decade of 1970s, computer aided design (CAD) was introduced
In 1980s, CAD progressed from 2D drafting tool to a 3D surfacing tool. The

use of FEM and CAD on the same workstation with interchangeable
geometry using IGES or DXF was possible
By the end of 1990s, PCs became a major force in the analysis. The
technology became accessible to wide majority of engineers
In 2000s, the commercial FEA codes rapidly developed. User interfaces

became more closer to CAD software. Pre and post analysis became
much more easier. Computing power in form of compute clusters
became available
The latest trends include multiphysics capabilities, damage and failure

modelling, complex nonlinear material models, XFEM etc. Use of
multicore high end compute clusters has become a norm
Matrix Notation
Introduction to Matrix Notation
Matrices used in FEM to

Simplify formulation of element stiffness equations
For purposes of long-hand solutions of various problems
For programming the method for computers
Notation used
Force acting at various points or nodes
1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 2 , , , , Direction
of force
Node
Nodal displacements are given by number
1 , 1 , 1 , 2 , 2 , 2 , , , ,
, and are nodal displacements in , and directions

Thus the nodal forces and nodal displacements can be represented in

form of column matrices of size n x 1
The element and global stiffness matrices are represented by
square matrices
11 11 1 11 11 1
22 2 22 2
= 21 = 21

1 2 1 2
In structural theory, elements and are often referred to as stiffness

influence coefficients
The global nodal forces and global nodal displacements are related
through global stiffness matrix
=
=
The equation is called global stiffness equation and represents a
set of simultaneous equations
In expanded form
1 11 11 1 1
1 22 2 1
= 21

1 2
Assume a structure to be forced in a displace configuration

1 = 1, 1 = 1 = = 0
then
1 = 11 , 1 = 21 , , = 1
General Steps of FEM
General Steps of the
For simplicity, we will consider the structural problem for now
Engineers seeks to determine displacements and stresses

throughout a structure, which is in equilibrium and subjected to
applied loads
Two general approaches traditionally associated with FEM

Force or flexibility method: uses internal forces as unknowns, result is
a set of algebraic equations for determining unknown forces
Displacement or stiffness method: uses displacements of nodes as

unknowns
For computational purposes, displacement or stiffness method

is simpler to formulate for most of the problems and will be
discussed further
Another general method used to develop governing

equations for both structural and non-structural problems is
variational method
Variational method can be based on a number of principles
Theorem of minimum potential energy: applies to materials

behaving in a linear-elastic manner
Principle of virtual work: applies to materials behaving in linear-

elastic as well as in nonlinear manner
Step 1 Step 6 Step 7

Discretise and Solve for unknown Solve for element
select the element degree of freedom strains and stresses
types (displacements)

Select a Assemble to obtain Interpret the results
global equations and
displacement apply boundary
function conditions
Step 3 Step 4 Step 1 & 8 are generally

Define the strain / Derive the element decided by Analyst
displacement and stiffness matrix and Steps 2-7 are carried out
stress / strain equations automatically by
relationships computer program


function conditions
Step 3 Step 4
Define the strain / Derive the element
displacement and stiffness matrix and
stress / strain equations
relationships
Step 1: Discretise and Select the
Element Types
Dividing the body into an equivalent system of finite elements with

associated nodes
Choose most appropriate element type to model most closely the
actual physical behaviour
Primary Engineering Judgements
Total number of elements used
Variation in size and type of elements within a given body
Elements
Small enough to give useable results
Large enough to reduce computational effort
Small element (and possibly higher order elements) are generally
desirable where the results are changing rapidly such as where changes
in geometry occurs
Large elements can be used where results are relatively constant
Element Types
The discretised body or mesh is often created with mesh-

generation programs or preprocessors
Choice of Elements by Analyst
Physical makeup of the body under actual loading conditions
How close to actual behaviour the analyst wants the results to be?
Appropriateness of one, two or three dimensional idealisations is

necessary
Choice of most appropriate element for a particular problem

Element Types
Commonly Used Elements
Two node line element Higher order line element
Line Elements
Consists of bar and beam elements
Have a cross-sectional area but represented by a line segments
Cross-sectional area within an element may vary in some element types
Often used to model trusses and frame structures
Simplest line element has two nodes while higher order elements have
three or more nodes
Element Types
Simple two dimensional elements with corner nodes (typically used to

represent plane stress / strain) and higher order two dimensional elements
with intermediate nodes along the side
Element Types
Two Dimensional Elements

Basic two dimensional elements are loaded by forces in
their own plane (plane stress / plane strain conditions)
Triangular or quadrilateral
Simple two dimensional elements have corner nodes

only (linear elements) with straight sides
There are higher order elements with midside nodes

(called quadratic elements) and curved sides
Elements can have variable thickness or be constant
Often used in a wide range of engineering problems

Element Types
Simple three dimensional elements (typically used to represent three

dimensional stress state) and higher order three dimensional elements
with intermediate nodes along edges
Element Types
Simple axisymmetric triangular and quadrilateral elements used for

axisymmetric problems


function conditions
Step 3 Step 4
relationships
Step 2: Select a Displacement Function
Involves choosing a displacement function within each

element
Defined using nodal values of the element
Linear, quadratic and cubic polynomials are frequently

used functions as they are simple to use in FEM formulation
Trigonometric series can also be used
For a two dimensional element, displacement function is a

function of the coordinates in its plane (e.g. x-y plane)
Step 2: Select a Displacement Function
The functions are expressed in terms of nodal unknowns (in

two dimensional problem, in terms of x-y components)
Same general displacement function can be used

repeatedly for each element
Hence, in FEM a continuous quantity such as displacement

throughout the body is approximated by a discrete model
composed of a set of piece-wise continuous functions
defined within each finite domain or finite element


function conditions
Step 3 Step 4
relationships
Step 3: Define the Strain / Displacement
and Stress / Strain Relationships
Necessary for deriving the equations for each finite

element
In case of one dimensional deformation, say x-direction
Stresses must be related to strains by a constitutive law.

Simplest relationship is given by Hookes law
=


function conditions
Step 3 Step 4
relationships
Step 4: Derive the Element Stiffness
Matrix and Equations
Several methods are used for determining the

element stiffness matrix
Direct Equilibrium or Stiffness Method
Stiffness matrix and element equations relating nodal forces to

nodal displacements are obtained using force equilibrium
conditions
Most easily adaptable to line or one dimensional elements
Can be used to illustrate development for spring, bar, and

beam elements
Work or Energy Methods

For two and three dimensional problems, it is much easier to
use energy methods to develop stiffness matrix
Methods used
Principle of virtual work (using virtual displacements)
Applicable to any material behaviour
Can be used when a potential function does not exist
Principle of minimum potential energy (will be used later)

Applicable only to elastic materials
Castiglianos Theorem
Applicable only to elastic materials
All three methods yield identical element equations for linear-

elastic materials
For extending the FEM outside the stress analysis field, a functional
analogous to the one used with principle of minimum potential
energy is helpful in determining stiffness matrix
Functional
A function of another function
A function that takes functions as arguments
An integral expression that implicitly contains differential equations
that describe the problem
Let denote the functional and (, ) denote a function then
= ( , )
A more general form of a functional depending on two
independent variables (, ) and (, )
= , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Methods of Weighted Residuals

Particularly popular method is Galerkins Method
Yields the same results as the energy methods wherever

applicable
Especially useful when a functional such as potential energy is

not readily available
Allows FEM to be applied directly to any differential equation
Other methods include least squares, collocation, subdomain

weighted residual methods
Using any of the above methods, we get the equations to

describe the behaviour of an element
1 11 12 13 1 1
Vector of Vector of
2 21 22 23 2 2 unknown
element
nodal 3 = 31 32 33 3 3 element
forces nodal dofs
1
Element Stiffness
Matrix
Or in compact form
=
Generalised displacements may include such quantities as
actual displacements, slopes or even curvatures


function conditions
Step 3 Step 4
relationships
Step 5: Assemble to Obtain the Global
Equations and Introduce Boundary Conditions
The individual element nodal equilibrium equations generated in

Step 4 are assembled into the global nodal equilibrium
equations
The direct method of superposition (called the direct stiffness

method), based on nodal force equilibrium, can be used
Implicit in the direct stiffness method is the concept of continuity

or compatibility
Compatibility means that the structure remains together and no

tears occur anywhere inside the structure
The final assembled equation can be written as
=
Step 5: Assemble to Obtain the Global
Equations and Introduce Boundary Conditions
For most problems, global stiffness matrix is square and

symmetric
It can be shown that global stiffness matrix is singular i.e. its

determinant is equal to zero
To remove singularity, boundary conditions (constraints or

supports) are applied so structure remains in place and no
rigid body motion occurs
Applied known loads are accounted for in the global force

matrix


function conditions
Step 3 Step 4
relationships
Step 6: Solve for Unknown Degrees of
Freedom (or Generalised Displacements)
After modification to account for boundary conditions, a set of

simultaneous algebraic equations is obtained
1 11 12 13 1 1
2 21 22 23 2 2
3 = 31 32 33 3 3

1
Where is the structure total number of unknown nodal degrees

of freedom
Can be solved for s using elimination method (such as Gausss
method) or an iterative method (such as Gauss-Seidel method)


function conditions
Step 3 Step 4
relationships
Step 7: Solve for the Element Strains
and Stresses
For structural stress analysis, important secondary

quantities of strain and stress can be obtained from
displacements
Typical relationships between strain and displacements

and between stress and strain can be used


function conditions
Step 3 Step 4
relationships
Step 8: Interpret the Results
Final goal is to interpret and analyse the results for

use in the design / analysis process
Determination of locations in structures where large

deformations and large stresses occur is generally
important
Post processor computer programs help the user to

interpret the results by displaying them in graphical
form

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Finite Element Method (FEM)

PhD Mechanical Engineering

MSC Advanced Manufacturing Technology and Systems

Stiffness (Displacement) Method

Development of Truss Equations

Development of Beam Equations

Plane Stress and Plane Strain Stiffness Equations

Practical Considerations in Modelling

Projects / Assignments 15%

End Semester Exam 45%

Present an introduction to FEM

Provide brief history of FEM

Introduce matrix notation

Present general steps used in FEM

Illustrate various types of elements used in FEM

Show typical applications of FEM

Summarize advantages of FEM

Finite element formulation results in a system of

Numerical methods yield approximate values of the

Continuum or body is divided into an equivalent system

Finite elements are interconnected at points common to

This process of representing a body with finite elements is

Equations are formulated for each element and then

In 1943, Richard Courant proposed breaking a continuous system into

In 1950s, a team from Boeing demonstrated that complex surfaces could

The term finite element was coined by Dr Ray Clough in 1960s

In early 1960s, the MacNeal-Schwendle Corporation (MSC) developed a

After completion of NASA contract, MSC continued development of its

In 1980s, CAD progressed from 2D drafting tool to a 3D surfacing tool. The

In 2000s, the commercial FEA codes rapidly developed. User interfaces

The latest trends include multiphysics capabilities, damage and failure

Matrices used in FEM to

, and are nodal displacements in , and directions

Thus the nodal forces and nodal displacements can be represented in

In structural theory, elements and are often referred to as stiffness

Assume a structure to be forced in a displace configuration

For simplicity, we will consider the structural problem for now

Engineers seeks to determine displacements and stresses

Two general approaches traditionally associated with FEM

Displacement or stiffness method: uses displacements of nodes as

For computational purposes, displacement or stiffness method

Another general method used to develop governing

Variational method can be based on a number of principles

Theorem of minimum potential energy: applies to materials

Principle of virtual work: applies to materials behaving in linear-

Step 1 Step 6 Step 7

Step 2 Step 5 Step 8

Step 3 Step 4 Step 1 & 8 are generally

Step 1 Step 6 Step 7

Step 2 Step 5 Step 8

Dividing the body into an equivalent system of finite elements with

The discretised body or mesh is often created with mesh-

Choice of Elements by Analyst

Physical makeup of the body under actual loading conditions

Appropriateness of one, two or three dimensional idealisations is

Choice of most appropriate element for a particular problem

Commonly Used Elements

Two node line element Higher order line element

Commonly Used Elements

Simple two dimensional elements with corner nodes (typically used to

Two Dimensional Elements

Simple two dimensional elements have corner nodes

There are higher order elements with midside nodes