Introduction to Finite Element Analysis

Presented by

Dr. A. Kumaravel, M.Tech., Ph.D.,

Professor and ead ! Mechanical, K"#$T

Finite Element Method

FEM was first developed in 1943 by R. Courant Use of FEM in structural analysis was reported by Turner et al. (1956) FEM was named by Clough (1960) The finite element method has wide application in the structural, thermal and fluid analysis areas

FEA - Procedure
The finite element method is comprised of the following steps:
(1) Pre-processing, (2) Obtaining elemental equations, (3) Assembly, (4) Application of boundary conditions, (5) Solution, and (6) Post-processing

Element Characteristic Matrix

Structural mechanics: stiffness matrixnodal displacements to nodal forces Heat conduction: conductivity matrixnodal temperatures to nodal fluxes Direct method Variational method Weighted residual methods

Applications of Finite Element Analysis

Civil Engineering Aircraft structures Mechanical Design Electrical Mechanics and electromagnetics Biomechanical Engineering

Advantages of Finite Element Method

Complex problems can be easily solved Natural load conditions can be easily handled Higher order elements may be implemented Non homogeneous materials can be handled easily Unlimited number of boundary conditions can be handled Accuracy level can be improved by vary the size of the element Dynamic effects are included

Disadvantages of Finite Element Method

It is time consuming process We have to depend on computer package when we go for more number of elements If we divide the system into smaller number of elements, we may get considerable variation from exact solution Results may not be closer with analytical results, because it is an approximation method Requires sound background in mathematics otherwise solving problem is highly difficult