T2LTutorial1:SolidMechanicsandFundamentalsofFiniteElementAnalysis

Question1
Considerasystemofrigidcarts(18),connectedbysprings,givenasfollows:

k5

k5

k5

k4

k4

k3

k2

k3

k3

k2

k2

k2

k1

k1

k1

k1

k1

k1

k1

UsingtheDirectStiffnessMethod,writethestiffnessmatrixKforthesystem,ifallcartsarefreetomove
horizontally.Assumethatthecartsmoveonlyinthehorizontaldirection,andwillnottopple.
Ifcarts1,3and6arefixed,andstaticforceF4isappliedtotheleftoncart4,andF8isappliedtothe
rightoncart8,writeamatrixequationtosolvefordisplacementsonthemovablecarts(u2,u4,u5,u7,u8),
intheform:Ku=F,whereKisthestiffnessmatrix,uisthedisplacementvectorandFistheforcevector.
Clearlydefinethedirectionofpositivedisplacement.
Considerthefollowingalternativearrangement:

k4

k4

k5

k5

k5

k4

k4

k2

k2

k3

k3

k3

k2

k2

k1

k1

k1

k1

k1

k1

k1

RewritethematrixequationKu=F,assumingthesameboundaryandloadingconditionsasabove.
Explainwhichsystemislesscomputationallyintensivetosolve.

Question2
Considerauniformbar,withYoungsmodulusEandcrosssectionareaA,fixedononeend,andfreeon
theother,loadedasfollows:

Wall

F1

F2

F3

x0

x L1

x L2

xL

(a) Usestaticequilibriumtoderivedifferentialequationsthatgovernthedisplacementfieldalong
thebar.AssumeF1,F2andF3arestaticloads.
(b) Writethetotalenergyfunction(Lagrangian)Lforthebar.
(c) Using the Variational Principle, derive the differential equations that govern the displacement
fieldu(x)alongthebar.
(d) Whatistheminimumnumberoffiniteelementsneededtodescribethedisplacementfield?
(e) Solvethedifferentialequationsandsketchaplotofdisplacementalongthebar.Furthersketch
thestrainalongthebar.

Question3
Considera2DOFsystemwithtworigidblocksthatcanmoveonlyinthehorizontaldirection,asshown
inthefigurebelow:

Assumestaticequilibrium:
(a) Writeexpressionsforthestrainpotentialenergy,workdonebytheexternalforcesandthetotal
energyofthesystem.
(b) DerivetheequilibriumequationsusingtheVariationalPrinciple(Principleofminimumenergy).

Assumedynamicequilibrium:
(c) Writeanexpressionforthetotalenergyofthesystem.
(d) DerivetheequilibriumequationsusingtheVariationalPrinciple.

Explainhowdampingmaybeintroducedintothesystemequations.

Question4
Consideracantileverbeamasshownbelow:

Thebeamisclampedattheleftendisoflengthl=1m,andwithasquaresectionalareaofA=0.001m2.
It is subject to a uniform body force fb, and a concentrated force Fs at the right end. The Youngs
modulus of the material is E = 200 x 109 N/m2. Using the analytical (exact) method, consider the
followingcases:
(a) fb=0,Fs=1000N
(b) fb=1000N/m,Fs=1000N
For both cases, obtain the distribution of deflection, moment and shear force along the beam, and
locatethemaximaofallquantities.Plotalso,themaximumnormalstressesalongthebeam.

Question5
Discussthefollowing:
(a) Whatisthedifferencebetweenthestrongandweakformsofsystemequations?
(b) BeforeapplyingHamiltonsPrinciple(VariationalPrinciple),whatarethebasicconditionsthat
theassumeddisplacementtimehistoryhastosatisfy?Whathappensiftheseconditionsarenot
satisfied?
(c) Forafunctiondefinedin[0, l]as:

f ( x) a0 a1 x a2 x 2
wherelisagivenconstant,xisanindependentvariable,andai(i=0,1,2)arevariableconstants
(butindependentofx),showthat:

f ( x)dx
l

f ( x)dx

and

df ( x) d
f ( x)
dx
dx

Computea0,a1anda2iff(x)istobeusedasadisplacementshapefunctionforthefollowing3
nodedfiniteelement:

Doesf(x)satisfythethreebasicpropertiesofshapefunctions?