Assignment - I

Finite Element Methods

DE ZG513
Due Date 23/02/2020 Maximum Marks: 20
Instructions to Students:
1. You must submit one MATLAB (*.m) file for each question with file name as your “Q1_idnumber.m”
2. You must also submit the solutions for these problems obtained using MATLAB code as a pdf file.
3. Submitted files will be checked for plagiarism. Zero marks will be awarded for plagiarized work.

1. Consider a tapered bar as shown in Figure 1. The bar has a uniform thickness of 2
cm, Young’s Modulus E = 200 GPa. It is fixed at point A and is subjected to a point
load of 2 KN at point B along with it’s self-weight (Density, ρ = 8050 kg/m3 ; g = 10
m/s2). Write a MATLAB code to determine deflection at point B and reaction at
point A using:

a) 4 elements
b) 10 elements
c) 50 elements

Figure 1. [2 + 5 + 3 = 10 Marks]
2. A small railroad bridge is constructed of steel (E = 200 GPa) members, all of which
have a cross-sectional area of 3250 mm2. A train stops on the bridge, and the loads
applied to the truss on one side of the bridge are as shown in Figure 2. Write a
MATLAB script file and:
a) Estimate how much the point R moves horizontally because of this loading.
b) Reaction Force at point R [7 + 3 = 10 Marks]

Figure 2.