10/9/21, 10:40 AM FEM: How Finite Element Method (FEM) Works?

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Sunday, February 28, 2021 About Me

Hayat
How Finite Element Method (FEM) Works?
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Blog Archive
Background June 2021 (4)
Over the period of time the Finite Element Method (FEM), also known as Finite Element
March 2021 (4)
Analysis (FEA) has become a default tool in the Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) design
February 2021 (3)
process of products and systems. Engineers, all over the world, are deploying this powerful tool
to analysis real life engineering problems. The applications of FEM are huge and diverse ranging
from structural, thermal and fluid flow problems, to electrostatics and magnetostatics and so and Labels
so on.
Approximate Solution

The significance this essential tool in today’s modern world cannot be emphasize more. However, CAE
it is ironic that the engineering students (the potential future users of this tool), are often taught to Coordinate Transformation
perform design and synthesis for simple problems with ideal applications only. They are taught to Degrees of Freedom
learn engineering principles, build mathematical models and solve these simple problems. On the Direct Method
contrary, after graduation they are expected to solve the real world problem which are complex in Discretization
nature and often expressed by scary-looking mathematical equations (so-called governing Discretization Error
differential equations) which may not be solved easily or its exact solution  (close-form Element Assembly
solution) may does not exist. Here comes a much need FEM tool in the arsenal of fresh
Element Assignment
engineers to rescue them… 
Element Connectivety Table
Element Geometry
In this article, I would explain how this amazing tool works to solve complicate engineering
problems using a typical structural problem. The target audience of this article are undergrad Element Mathematical Model
students and/or and new engineers who have a little or experience with FEM. The article may Element Model
also serve as a reminder of the basic concept behind the FEM for the experience users. element Response
Element Type

FEM is based on "Divide and Conquer" Philosophy Exact Solution

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10/9/21, 10:40 AM FEM: How Finite Element Method (FEM) Works?

The underlying idea of FEM is similar to “divide and conquer”. We treat a complex problem as a FEA
set of simple problems which can be solved easily. Let me explain it further with an example FEM
shown below in Figure 1. A prismatic cantilever beam is subjected to a tip load P at its free end, Formal Approach
and we want to compute its deflection. The term prismatic is a fancy terms dedicated for the
Load & BCs
structural components which have constant cross-section along its length. The general differential
Meshing
equation of beam that governs it is as following:
Minimization of Potential Energy
Modelling Error
Natural Coordinate System
Numerical Error
Even though above equations seems complicate, but, it can be solve it for the given square Postprocess
cross-sectional prismatic beam by applying the following boundary conditions. Preprocess
Shape Functions
Solution
Source of Errors

We were lucky to have solution for the above case. Such way of approaching the problem by
solving differential equations derived for a continuous domain is called analytical modeling. In Report Abuse
reality, the cross-section of beam may be not rectangle type or not even prismatic or may be it is
made of composite materials etc. There are unlimited possibilities for even a single structural
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beam which could not be coped with analytical models. That is why the exact solution of the real
world engineering problem generally do not exist. This is alarming for us being engineers. Search

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10/9/21, 10:40 AM FEM: How Finite Element Method (FEM) Works?

Figure 1. The defection of prismatic cantilever beam using analytical method (Differential
Equation) and numerical method (i.e. FEM)

In case of FEM, we decompose the continuous domain of the problem, which is the cantilever
beam in our case, into simple subdomains, called finite elements or shortly elements, hence is
the name of this approach the Finite Element Methods (FEM). Every finite element has nodes
through which it connects with other elements. In above example, each element consists of two
nodes. Every finite element represent an algebraic equation for a subdomain in the finite or
discretized domain. In other words, the whole finite domain is now expressed mathematically in
terms a set of simultaneous algebraic equations, generally, denoted in vector and matrix notation
as following:

Where vector {F} is called force vector, {U} is load vector and [K] is called stiffness matrix.
The size vectors and matrix (i.e. a set of simultaneous equations) depends on the number of
elements in the domain. 

The stiffness matrix represent the system properties of the domain, and displacement vector
represents the behavior of the domain subjected to force vector. The displacement vector is also
called nodal displacement vector, state vector or degree-of-freedom (dof) vector. The
solution of unknown displacement vector is obtained by solving for given the known load vector
and stiffness matrix as following.

It might be also interesting to you that the above notation used for representing a set of
simultaneous algebraic equation is only well understood in mechanical and civil engineering
disciplines, but also very popular in other disciplines where it represents other quantities as
depicted in this following Table 1.

Table 1. Use of FEM in other disciplines.

Application Displacement
vector Force
vector
Problem represents represents

Solid mechanics Displacement Mechanical force

Heat conduction Temperature Heat flux

Acoustics Displacement potential Particle velocity

Flow problems Pressure Particle velocity

Electrostatics Electric potential Charge density

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10/9/21, 10:40 AM FEM: How Finite Element Method (FEM) Works?
Magnetostatics Magnetic potential Magnetic intensity

Coming back to our discussion on the solution of simultaneous algebraic equations, let me
highlight that we have already learnt how to solve these equations manually in our elementary
mathematics class during school education. We were able to solve a set of 2 or 3 simultaneous
algebraic equations only, however, the solution of a big set is humanly impossible, at least to me.

Fortunately, the computers are very good at doing boring jobs. Computer do arithmetic operations
that are only needed to solve simultaneous equations involving the inversion of stiffness matrix.
Numerical algorithm are available to inverse a stiffness matrix considering time and memory
constraints. Modern computers have the capability of solving rapidly huge set of simultaneous
equations as all it require is the computational power and efficient algorithms. Consequently, with
the development of computer, we are feel empower to analysis the huge and complicated
engineering systems and their interactions with the power of FEM. 

Being users of FEM, it is very important for use to understand that such numerical solution is an
approximate solution. The accuracy of FEM solution depends on the number and the type of
elements. Here I will explain the role of the number of elements only as the type of elements is
beyond the scope of this article. The number of elements in domain increases as we enhance the
discretization of domain from course to fine. The accuracy of solution generally increase with
increase in the number of elements, however, a stage will come that an increase in the number of
elements will no longer increases the accuracy of the solution, such condition is said to be mesh
convergence. A further increase in number of elements will increase the size of the set of
simultaneous equations, which will become a computational intensive and time consuming task,
but, with no proportionate improvement in the solution. We, being users, should have to strive for
a reasonable approximate solution at optimal utilization of resources.

About the Author: Dr. Khazar Hayat is a professional engineer with almost 15+ year of
experience in research, design, analysis and development of products made of fiber reinforced
plastics composites (FRPCs). Currently, he is working as an Associate Professor at Mechanical
Engineering Department, The University of Lahore, Pakistan, can be reaching by emailing at
khazarhayat@gmail.com.

at
February 28, 2021

Labels:
Approximate Solution,
CAE,
Exact Solution,
FEM

4 comments:

Abdul Bari September 29, 2021 at 12:26 PM

Good explanation about finite element method (fem) for beginners

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10/9/21, 10:40 AM FEM: How Finite Element Method (FEM) Works?
Reply Delete

Muhammad Raza Lashari October 2, 2021 at 10:53 PM

Detailed and easy to understand

Reply Delete

Unknown October 2, 2021 at 11:04 PM

Very easy to understand for beginners

Reply Delete

Muhammad Nouman Khan October 6, 2021 at 1:06 PM

Very Well summerized. Easy to grasp the basics for Finite Element Analysis.

Muhammad Nouman Khan

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