Finite Element Methods (GENG 5514)

Ali Karrech (Associate Professor)

Department of Civil Environmental, and Mining
Engineering
Announcements

•  Lecturer and unit coordinator: Ali Karrech (ali.karrech@uwa.edu.au)

–  Consultations: room ENCM 1.40, Thursday 12 pm - 1 pm

•  4 lab demonstrators (TBA)
•  Lab sessions commence next week (No Lab sessions this week)

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Important Announcements
•  Read the unit outline: http://www.unitoutlines.uwa.edu.au

•  Three lectures + One two-hours lab sessions per week

–  Lab sessions on problem solving using
•  a commercial finite element software package (Abaqus and related)
•  and/or hand calculations

•  The lectures will be recorded, but the lab sessions will not be
systematically recorded
•  Read the description of the Major Assignment
–  You need to select a group within the first week.

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Learning outcomes

•  Understand the basic theory behind the finite element (FE) and finite
volume (FV) method;
•  Identify whether a problem can be solved using a FE/FV analysis;
•  Identify the benefits and limitations of the FE/FV methods;
•  Use commercial software to generate mesh for a range of applications
and debug a solution;
•  Interpret and evaluate results for a FE/FV analysis;
•  Follow the latest advances in finite FE/FV analysis and its applications,
benefits and limitations;
•  Work effectively in a diverse team to achieve professional outcomes;
•  Communicate effectively through concise written technical reports, using
discourse conventions relevant to the discipline.

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How the unit will be delivered?

•  Lectures •  Attendance
•  Integrated tutorials •  Interactions
•  Laboratory •  Questions
sessions •  Feedback

Lessons’
Expectations
Structure

Course
Assessment
Materials

•  Teamwork •  * Lecture notes

•  Assiduity will be •  Solved problems
recompensed •  Recordings
•  References

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 Assessment (1): GENG5514

Examination 50%
Group assignment 25%
(open book)

Online quizzes 25%.

(The best 5 marks will be taken into account)

To Pass the Unit Students Must Achieve

a Minimum Overall Mark of 50% AND
a Minimum Mark of 50% for the Exam.

Component marks, or pieces of marked work, from previous

attempts at a unit cannot be (and will not be) carried over to 6
a current sitting of a unit. You must redo the assessment.
 Assessment (2): GENG5514
TO PASS THE UNIT STUDENTS MUST ACHIEVE
a minimum overall mark of 50% AND
a minimum mark of 50% for the exam

LATE SUBMISSION PENALTY:

A penalty of 5 per cent of the total mark allocated for the assessment
item is deducted per day for the first 7 days (including weekends
and public holidays) after which the assigned work will attract a zero
mark.

Group Assignment includes a peer assessment component

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 Announcements: For GENG5514
Things to do this week

•  Read the unit outline

•  Read book section by Bathe, K.-J. (1996) “An

introduction to use of finite element procedures” in
Finite Element Procedures (available at CMO for
GENG5514)

•  Start forming the groups for Major Project

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Recommended texts
•  Logan, D. L. "A First Course in the Finite Element Method",
Thomson-Cengage.

•  Versteeg, H.,Malalasekera, W. "An Introduction to Computational Fluid

Dynamics: The Finite Volume", Pearson.

Mandatory reading (available through CMO)

•  Bathe, K.-J. (1996) “An introduction to use of finite element procedures” in
Finite Element Procedures, Prentice Hall, pp. 1-16.
•  Oden, J. T., Belytscho, T., Babuska, I., Hughes, T.J.R. (2003)
"Research directions in computational mechanics", Computer
Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, vol. 192, pp. 913-922.
•  Babuska, I. and Oden, J. T. (2004) "Verification and validation in
computational engineering and science: basic concept",
Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, vol. 193,
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pp. 4057-4066.
Other (selected) useful references
•  Abaqus online manuals and Abaqus web resources,
for instance:
http://129.97.46.200:2080/v6.13/
•  Bathe K.-J. (1996) Finite Element Procedures, Prentice Hall
•  Cook, R. D. et al. (2002) “Concepts and Applications of Finite
Element Analysis”, 4th Ed., Wiley
•  Young, W., Budynas, R. and Sadegh, A “Roark’s Formulas for
Stress and Strain” McGrawHill (online access through UWA
library)
•  Khennane, A. 2013. Introduction to finite element analysis using
Matlab and Abaqus, Hoboken, Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.

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 The unit resources (1)
•  The lectures are recorded and lecture materials are available on LMS

•  Computer lab. Sessions are not recorded. We do not have capture systems to ensure
reliable recordings.

•  The text books should be available at the CO-OP bookstore. They are also available
through UWA Library High Demand Collection.

•  Course Material Online for GENG5514 has digital copies of the selected book
chapters from texts and other useful references (online access to books and journal
articles)

•  The tutorials are in ENCM2.07 or in the MATH123ABC computer labs. The labs has
limitations but lab upgrades are beyond the unit coordinator capabilities.

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 The unit resources (2)
•  Course Material Online for GENG5514 has digital copies of the
selected book chapters from texts and other useful references
(online access to books and journal articles)

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The unit resources (3)

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 The unit resources (4)
•  Course Material Online for GENG5514

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Student Feedback (SURF)

1.  It was clear what I was expected to learn in this unit

2.  The assessment requirement were clearly stated
3.  The assessment tasks were clearly linked to the unit
objectives
4.  The unit was well organised
5.  The unit resources were adequate for my study in the unit
6.  Overall the unit was good educational experience

Please let me know if you feel that one of the above

points is not addressed
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