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3
 ME8692 FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

Department Mechanical Engineering

Batch/Year 2018 – 22/III
Created by Dr. G.Mahendran, ASP/Mech, RMKEC.
Mr. P.Duraimurugan, AP/Mech, RMKEC.
Mr. R. Ashok Kumar, AP/Mech, RMKCET.
Date 06.05.2021

4
 Table of Contents

S.NO CONTENTS PAGE NO

1 Course Objectives 06

2 Pre Requisites 06

3 Syllabus 07

4 Course outcomes 08

5 CO- PO/PSO Mapping 09

6 Lecture Plan 10

7 Activity based learning 11

8 Lecture Notes 13

9 Assignments 45

10 Part A Q & A 47

11 Part B Qs 49

12 Supportive online Certification courses 52

13 Real time Applications in day to day life and to 53

Industry
14 Contents beyond the Syllabus 54

15 Assessment Schedule 55

16 Prescribed Text Books & Reference Books 56

17 Mini Project suggestions 57

5
 I - Course Objectives
01 To introduce the concepts of Mathematical Modeling of
Engineering Problems.
02 To appreciate the use of FEM to a range of Engineering
Problems.

II - Pre Requisite Courses

GE8292 Engineering
Mechanics (Semester 2)
CE8395 Strength of
Materials for Mechanical
Engineers (Semester -4)

5
 III - Syllabus

ME8692 FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS L T PC

3 0 03

UNIT I INTRODUCTION 9
Historical Background – Mathematical Modeling of field problems in Engineering
– Governing Equations – Discrete and continuous models – Boundary, Initial and
Eigen Value problems– Weighted Residual Methods – Variational Formulation of
Boundary Value Problems – Ritz Technique – Basic concepts of the Finite Element
Method.

UNIT II ONE-DIMENSIONAL PROBLEMS 9

One Dimensional Second Order Equations – Discretization – Element types-
Linear and Higher order Elements – Derivation of Shape functions and Stiffness
matrices and force vectors- Assembly of Matrices - Solution of problems from
solid mechanics and heat transfer. Longitudinal vibration frequencies and mode
shapes. Fourth Order Beam Equation –Transverse deflections and Natural
frequencies of beams.

UNIT III TWO DIMENSIONAL SCALAR VARIABLE PROBLEMS 9

Second Order 2D Equations involving Scalar Variable Functions – Variational
formulation –Finite Element formulation – Triangular elements – Shape functions
and element matrices and vectors. Application to Field Problems - Thermal
problems – Torsion of Non circular shafts –Quadrilateral elements – Higher Order
Elements.

UNIT IV TWO DIMENSIONAL VECTOR VARIABLE PROBLEMS 9

Equations of elasticity – Plane stress, plane strain and axisymmetric problems –
Body forces and temperature effects – Stress calculations - Plate and shell
elements.

UNIT V ISOPARAMETRIC FORMULATION 9

Natural co-ordinate systems – Isoparametric elements – Shape functions for iso
parametric elements – One and two dimensions – Serendipity elements –
Numerical integration and application to plane stress problems - Matrix solution
techniques – Solutions Techniques to Dynamic problems – Introduction to
Analysis Software.

TOTAL PERIODS : 45

7
 IV - Course Outcomes
(COs)Course Outcome (CO) - Statement
CO. No. Knowledge
Level

CO1# Summarize the basics of finite element

K2
formulation.

CO2# Apply finite element formulations to solve one

K2
dimensional Problems

CO3# Apply finite element formulations to solve two

K2
dimensional scalar Problems..

CO4# Apply finite element method to solve two

K2
dimensional Vector problems.

CO5# Apply finite element method to solve problems on

K2
iso parametric element and dynamic Problems.

CO6# Apply finite element method to solve coupled field

K3
problems.

V - Over all Plan: 45

Hours
Units I II III IV V
No. of Proposed 9 9 9 9 9
Periods Actual

Course Augmentation
Units I II III IV V
Assignement 09.03.2021 23.03.2021 10.04.2021 20.04.2021 07.05.2021

Quiz

Tutorial 08.03.2021 22.03.2021 09.04.2021 19.04.2021 07.05.2021

Video lectures
(NPTEL/ EDUSAT/
Online)

8
 VI - COs-POs Matrices
POs CO PO1 PO 2 PO 3 PO 4 PO 5 PO 6 PO 7 PO 8 PO 9 PO 10 PO 11 PO 12
COs
C305
.1 CO1 3 3 3
C305
.2 CO2 3 3 2
C305
.3 CO3 3 3 3
C305
.4 CO4 3 3 3
C305
.5 CO5 3 3 2
C305
.6 CO6 3 3 3
1: Slight (Low) 2: Moderate (Medium) 3: Substantial (High)

VII - COs-PSOs Matrices

PSOs PSO PSO PSO

1 2 3
COs CO
C305
.1 CO1 3
C305
.2 CO2 3
C305
.3 CO3 3
C305
.4 CO4 3
C305
.5 CO5 3
C305
.6 CO6 3

1: Slight (Low) 2: Moderate (Medium) 3: Substantial (High)

9
 UNIT V: ISOPARAMETRIC FORMULATION
Natural co-ordinate systems – Isoperimetric elements – Shape functions for iso
parametric elements – One and two dimensions – Serendipity elements – Numerical
integration and application to plane stress problems - Matrix solution techniques –
Solutions Techniques to Dynamic problems – Introduction to Analysis Software.

LECTURE PLAN
Session Mode of
Topics to be covered Reference
No. Delivery*
1 Natural co-ordinate systems 1,2
2 Isoparametric elements 1,2
3 Shape functions for iso parametric elements 1,2
4 One and two dimensions 2,3
5 Serendipity elements Chalk and 2,3
6 Numerical integration and application to plane Talk/Online 1,2
stress problems Webinars
7 Matrix solution techniques 1,2
8 Solutions Techniques to Dynamic problems 1,2
9 Introduction to Analysis Software. 1,2

CONTENT BEYOND THE SYLLABUS : Role of CAE in Product Design and

Development.
NPTEL REFERENCES :
https://www.digimat.in/nptel/courses/video/112104193/L01.html
OTHER REFERENCES / WEBSITES :
1. Reddy. J.N., “An Introduction to the Finite Element Method”, 3rd Edition, Tata
McGraw- Hill, 2005.
2. P.Seshu, “Text Book of Finite Element Analysis”, Prentice- Hall of India Pvt. Ltd.,
New Delhi, 2007. ISBN-978-203-2315-5.

*Chalk and Talk, PPT / OHP, Quiz, Group Discussion, Student, Seminar,
Case Study, Field Study, Video (NPTEL/EDUSAT/ONLINE), Crossword
Puzzle, Tutorial Session

10
 ACTIVITY BASED LEARNING

Across Down
2. If the number of nodes used for defining the geometry is same 1. Derivative of Field Variable
as the number of nodes used for defining the displacements, then 3. Name the element whose extremity is -1 and +1

it is known as -----------element 4.Which type of numerical integration method is used to

8.Stiffness Matrix is always calculate the definite integrals?
9.Which coordinate system is used to defdine any point inside 5.The family of elements involving curved boundaries is known
the element by a set of dimensionless numbers? as _ Elements
11. Natural Coordinates are 6. Shape functions of the 2D elements can be developed by
12. If the number of nodes used for defining the geometry is less having nodes only on the boundaries for _ _ element
than number of nodes used for defining the displacements, then it 7. Higher order lagrangian elements contains ---------------nodes
is known as ----------element 10. Magnitudes of natural coordinates lies between

24-04-2021, 12:40
 ACTIVITY BASED LEARNING

Across Down
2. If the number of nodes used for defining the geometry is same 1. Derivative of Field Variable
as the number of nodes used for defining the displacements, then 3. Name the element whose extremity is -1 and +1
it is known as -----------element 4.Which type of numerical integration method is used to
8.Stiffness Matrix is always calculate the definite integrals?
9.Which coordinate system is used to defdine any point inside 5.The family of elements involving curved boundaries is known
the element by a set of dimensionless numbers? as _ Elements
11. Natural Coordinates are 6. Shape functions of the 2D elements can be developed by
12. If the number of nodes used for defining the geometry is less having nodes only on the boundaries for _ _ element
than number of nodes used for defining the displacements, then it 7. Higher order lagrangian elements contains ---------------nodes
is known as ----------element 10. Magnitudes of natural coordinates lies between

24-04-2021, 12:41
Natural Coordinates and Coordinate Transformation

We will designate the natural coordinate used for one-dimensional case by .

Consider a child line shown in Figure. with two end points defined by their
coordinates A (x1) and B (x2).

The parent line indicating  varying from A’ (−1) to B’’ (+1) is also shown in the
figure. An appropriate linear transformation between x and  is given by

𝑥(𝜉) = ( 𝑥 1 +𝑥 2) + ( 𝑥 2+𝑥 1) 𝜉
2 2
1−𝜉 1−𝜉 2
=( ) 𝑥1 + ( )𝑥
⏟ 2 ⏟ 2
𝑁1 𝑁

= 𝑁1 𝑥1 + 𝑁2 𝑥2

where Ni represent the interpolation functions used for coordinate transformation.

Here we interpolate the coordinates of an interior point (within the element) from
the coordinates of the nodal points in the same way as we interpolated the unknown
field variable. If, in fact, the same shape functions are used for interpolating the
unknown field variable and geometry transformation, we call them isoparametric
elements. If the shape functions used for coordinate transformation are of a lower
degree than those for the unknown field variable, then we call them sub-parametric
elements. If, on the other hand, the shape functions used for coordinate
transformation are of a higher degree than those for the unknown field variable,
then we call them Superparametric elements.

Rewriting the above equation in our standard notation, we may write

𝑥
𝑥 = [𝑁1 𝑁2 ] {𝑥1 }
2
 For a point P ’ = 0.5, correspondingly

𝑥 2 +𝑥 1
𝑥 = 𝑥1 +
4

which is the point P.For a point Q,

𝑥 = 𝑥 1+3𝑥
4
2

correspondingly, = −0.5 which is the point Q’ .

In order to fit a quadratic transformation between x and  we need one more

point C as shown in the above Figure. The corresponding parent line (A’ C’ B’) is
also shown in the figure. We observe that C’ is always located at  = 0 while the
corresponding point C can be located at any desired position on the line AB in the
Cartesian frame.

We can write the transformation as

𝑥(𝜉) = ∑𝑁𝑖 𝑥𝑖 = 𝑁1 𝑥1 + 𝑁2 𝑥2 + 𝑁3 𝑥3

We will now discuss different ways of deriving the shape functions Ni in

natural coordinates.

Alternate Methods of Deriving Shape Functions

Serendipity approach

An easy way of writing down the necessary shape or interpolation functions

by inspection is as follows: If we observe the characteristic of shape functions we
see that each Ni takes a value of unity at the point i and goes to zero at all other
points j  i. This has to be so in order to satisfy the relation x =  Nixi, …. We can use
this fact to write down the shape functions very easily. For example, we can now
write the shape function N1 in the above equationbased on the above observation
that N1 should be unity at point 1 and zero at points 2 and 3. Since the coordinates
of points 2 and 3 are  = 1 and 0, respectively, the functions which become zero at
the points 2 and 3 are simply ( − 0) and ( − 1). Thus we can write the required
shape function as:

N1 = (SF)( − 0)( − 1)

where the scale factor (SF) is determined from the requirement that N1 be unity at
point 1, i.e. ( = −1). We readily find that SF = 0.5. Thus the required shape
function is

N1 = 0.5( − 0) ( − 1)

On similar lines, we can directly write the other two shape functions as

N2 = 0.5( − 0)( + 1)

N3 = − ( + 1)( − 1)

In this way, we can also write down very easily the shape functions for any complex
finite element. Considering the example of quadratic coordinate transformation once
again, we get, the required transformation

x() = N1x1 + N2x2 + N3x3 = 0.5() (− 1) x1 + 0.5() ( + 1) x2 − ( + 1)( − 1) x3

If point 3 in the physical space x-y were at the middle of the line, i.e. x3 =
(0.5) (x1 + x2), then we observe from the above equation that the quadratic
transformation just obtained reduces to the simple linear transformation obtained
earlier. However, if point 3 is located away from the mid-point, say for example, x3
= x1 + (0.25)(x2 − x1), then we require that a quarter point in the real Cartesian
plane be transformed to the mid-point in the  plane.
x() = 0.5( )(  − 1)(0) + 0.5()( + 1)(4) − ( + 1)( − 1)(1) = (1 + )2

Thus we can fit a nonlinear transformation between x Such a

transformation can be used to formulate finite elements which possess curved edges
so that we can model curved structural geometry.

Lagrange's interpolation

If we observe our process of interpolation of either the coordinates or the

field variable from the nodal values, we notice that it is simply to find a polynomial
curve fit passing through the prescribed function values at specified points (nodes).
It is possible to achieve this through the classical Lagrange’s interpolation formula. If
we are given, in general, a set of data points

x1, x2, …, xn and the corresponding function values at these data points as ƒ1, ƒ2, …,
ƒn, we can then write

ƒ (x)  L1 ƒ1 + L2 ƒ2 + ⋯+ Ln ƒn

where Li are the Lagrange polynomials given by

(𝑥1 − 𝑥)(𝑥2 − 𝑥). . . (𝑥𝑖 −1 − 𝑥)(𝑥𝑖 +1 − 𝑥). . . (𝑥𝑛 − 𝑥)

𝐿𝑖 =
(𝑥1 − 𝑥𝑖 )(𝑥2 − 𝑥𝑖 ). . . (𝑥𝑖 −1 − 𝑥𝑖 )(𝑥𝑖 +1 − 𝑥𝑖 ). . . (𝑥𝑛 − 𝑥𝑖 )

We observe that the Li given above are simply the required shape functions Ni. Thus
we can write the shape functions for the quadratic coordinate transformation above
as follows: Given the data points (1 = −1), (2 = 1) and (3 = 0) and the
corresponding function values x1, x2, and x3, we can write the required Lagrange
interpolation polynomials as

(𝜉 2 −𝜉 )(𝜉 2 −𝜉 ) (1−𝜉 )(0−𝜉 ) 𝜉 (𝜉 −1

𝑁𝑖 = (𝜉 + (1+1)(0+1) =
2 −𝜉1 )(𝜉3 −𝜉1 ) )2

(𝜉 1 −𝜉 )(𝜉 3 −𝜉 ) (−1−𝜉 )(0−𝜉 ) 𝜉 (1+1)

𝑁2 = (𝜉 + (−1−1)(0−1) =
1 −𝜉1 )(𝜉3 −𝜉2 ) 2

(𝜉 1 −𝜉 )(𝜉 2 −𝜉 ) (−1−𝜉 )(0−𝜉

𝑁3 = (𝜉 + = 1 − 𝜉2
1 −𝜉3 )(𝜉2 −𝜉3 ) (−1(1)
)
We observe that, in general, the shape functions derived following either approach,
viz., Serendipity or Lagrange’s, will be different. Since the shape function is the most
fundamental property of the finite elements, elements formulated based on these
shape functions also exhibit different characteristics. Elements formulated based on
Serendipity (Lagrange) shape functions are popularly known as Serendipity
(Lagrange) elements. In general, Lagrange elements tend to have more internal
nodes and admit more, higher degree terms into the polynomial shape function.

Natural Coordinates—Quadrilateral Elements

We will designate the natural coordinates used for two-dimensional domains

by  and . Thus we are looking for transformation between ( x-y) and (-).
Consider the general quadrilateral ABCD shown in Figure 5.10. The parent square
A’B’C’D’ indicating ,  varying from −1 to +1 is also shown in the figure. If the
element in the (x-y) frame were rectangular (size ℓ × h),

it is easy to see that the coordinate transformation would be simply a scale factor
and is given by

𝜉 = 2𝑥ℓ

𝜂 = 2𝑦
ℎ
For a general quadrilateral element, we have to obtain the transformation

(x,yf(, )

This transformation, which yields the coordinates of a point P (x, y) within the
element in terms of the nodal coordinates (just as we interpolate the
displacement/temperature field), can be written as

xP =  Nixi, yP =  Ni yi

where i = 1, 2, …, NNOEL which stands for the number of nodes per element (= 4
here). Considering that Ni must be unity at node i and zero at all other nodes, the
shape functions Ni can be obtained as

N1 = (SF) (Equation of line 2−3) (Equation of line 3−4)

= (SF) (1 − )(1 − )

where the scale factor (SF) is to be chosen such that N1 is unity at node 1 and the
product of equation of lines 2 − 3 and 3 − 4 has been taken to ensure that N1 is
zero at nodes 2, 3 and 4.

At node 1,  =  = −1 and, therefore, SF = 0.25. Thus our shape function is

given by

1
𝑁1 = ( 4) (1 − 𝜉)(1 − 𝜂)

On similar lines, we can obtain the other shape functions as

1
𝑁2 = ( 4 ) (1 − 𝜉)(1 − 𝜂)

1
𝑁3 = ( 4 ) (1 − 𝜉)(1 − 𝜂)

1
𝑁4 = ( 4 ) (1 − 𝜉)(1 − 𝜂)

While we have derived the shape functions by the Serendipity approach, the reader
is advised to obtain the same using Lagrange’s approach. Figure shows a plot of
these shape functions.

Using this coordinate transformation, we will be able to map a parent square

element in (-) space into a general quadrilateral element in physical ( x-y)
coordinate space. Consider, for example, the general quadrilateral shown in Figure
below. Using the nodal coordinate data given, we can write

x = Σ Nixi = −N1 + N3

y = Σ Niyi = −5N2 + 5N4

Thus we have

1
𝑥= [(1 + 𝜉)(1 + 𝜂) − (1 − 𝜉)(1 − 𝜂)]
4
5
𝑦 = [(1 − 𝜉)(1 + 𝜂) − (1 + 𝜉)(1 − 𝜂)]
4

Using this transformation relation, we can make certain interesting

observations. If we consider the line  = 0 in the (-) space, its mapping onto the
(x-y) space is given by

x = (1/2), y = (5/2)

Therefore, the equation of the line in the ( x-y) space is y = 5x.

 If we consider the line  = 0 in the (-) space, its mapping onto the ( x-y)
space is given by

x = (1/2), y = −(5/2)

Thus the equation of the line in the (x-y) space is y = −5x. These two lines
are indicated in above Figure. We observe that the - axis lines, when transformed
into the physical (x-y) space, need not be parallel to the x and y axes. The
transformed lines need not even be orthogonal in the x-y space. We reiterate the
fact that our nodal d.o.f. (such as displacements) are along real, physical x-y axes,
and not along -.

For the four-noded element, with the above linear shape functions, we have
been able to transform a parent square element in (-) space into a general
quadrilateral child element in the physical ( x-y) space. If we need general curved
edge element, we require a higher order transformation and we will now discuss the
eight-noded element for this purpose.

Consider the general quadrilateral element shown in Figure below with eight
nodes.
The parent eight-noded element in (-) space has also been shown in the figure.
The attention of the reader is drawn to the convention followed in numbering the
nodes. The shape functions Ni can be obtained as

N5 = (SF)(Eq. of line 2−6−3)(Eq. of line 3−7−4)(Eq. of line 4−8−1)

= (SF)(1 −  )(1 − )(1 + )

where the scale factor (SF) is to be chosen such that N5 is unity at node 5 and the
product of equation of lines 2−6−3, 3−7−4 and 4−8−1 has been taken to ensure
that N5 is zero at all other nodes.

At node 5,  = −1 and  = 0 and, therefore, SF = 0.5. Thus our shape

function is given by

𝑁5 = ( 1 ) (1 − 𝜉 2 )(1 − 𝜂)
2

On similar lines, we can obtain the other shape functions as

𝑁6 = ( 1 ) (1 + 𝜉)(1 − 𝜂 2 )
2

𝑁7 = ( 1 ) (1 − 𝜉 2 )(1 + 𝜂)
2

𝑁8 = ( 1 ) (1 − 𝜉)(1 − 𝜂 2 )
2
 We observe, for example, that N5 is quadratic in  but linear in . Similarly, N8
is quadratic in  but linear in .

Referring to the plot of N1 for the four-noded element, we can infer that we
can readily modify that shape function to obtain the shape function N1 for the
present eight- noded element by m1aking it vanish at nodes 5 and 8 also. Thus,

1 1
𝑁1 |8𝑁𝑜𝑑𝑒 = 𝑁1 |4𝑁𝑜𝑑𝑒 − 𝑁5 − 𝑁8
2 2
1 1
= (1 − 𝜉)(1 − 𝜂) − (1 − 𝜉)(1 − 𝜂)(2 + 𝜉 + 𝜂)
4 4
1
= (1 − 𝜉)(1 − 𝜂)(1 − 𝜉 − 𝜂)
4

On similar lines we can obtain the shape functions for other nodes as

1 1
𝑁2 |8𝑁𝑜𝑑𝑒 = 𝑁2 |4𝑁𝑜𝑑𝑒 − 2 𝑁5 − 2 𝑁6
1
= (1 + 𝜉)(1 − 𝜂)(−1 + 𝜉 − 𝜂)
4

1 1
𝑁3 |8𝑁𝑜𝑑𝑒 = 𝑁3 |4𝑁𝑜𝑑𝑒 − 2 𝑁5 − 2 𝑁7
1
= (1 + 𝜉)(1 + 𝜂)(−1 + 𝜉 + 𝜂)
4

1 1
𝑁4 |8𝑁𝑜𝑑𝑒 = 𝑁4 |4𝑁𝑜𝑑𝑒 − 2 𝑁7 − 2 𝑁8
1
= (1 − 𝜉)(1 + 𝜂)(−1 − 𝜉 + 𝜂)
4
As an illustration, shape function N1 is plotted in the above Figure. Using these
shape functions, it is possible to map a straight line in the (−) space to a curve in
the physical (x−y) space. Consider edge 1−5−2 ( = −1). On this edge, we have N3

= N4 = N6 = N7 = N8 = 0. Thus we have, for this edge, the relations

x = N1x1 +N2x2 + N5x5

y = N1y1 + N2y2 + N5y5

Thus,

2
𝑥 = −𝜉 (1−𝜉
2
)
𝑥1 + 𝜉 (1+𝜉
2
)
2 + (1 − 𝜉 )𝑥 5
𝑥
−𝜉(1 − 𝜉) 𝜉(1 + 𝜉)
𝑦= 𝑦1 + 𝑦2 + (1 − 𝜉 2 )𝑦5
2 2

For the general values of nodal coordinates ( x1, y1), (x2, y2) and (x5, y5), this
would represent a nonlinear transformation. For example, if the nodal coordinates
are given by (0, 0), (3, 9) and (2, 4), then we have

𝑥 = 3 (1 + 𝜉) + 1 (1 − 𝜂 2 )
2 2
9 1
𝑦 = (1 + 𝜉) + (1 − 𝜂 2 )
2 2

Therefore, the equation representing the edge 1−5−2 in the Cartesian space
is

x2 + y2 + 2xy + 42x − 30y = 0

Thus it is possible, in general, to map a straight line in the (−) space to a

curve in the physical (x−y) space, and we can thus develop elements with curved
edges so as to be able to model curved domains. In the special case, when node 5 is
located at the mid-point of edge 1−2 in the physical space, i.e., if

𝑥 1 +𝑥 2
𝑥5 =
2

𝑦 1 +𝑦 2
𝑦5 =
2

then the transformation and reduces to the simple case of mapping a straight edge
1−5−2 in the (−) space to another straight edge in the physical ( x−y) space.
Thus, by making the nodes 5, 6, 7 or 8 move away from the middle of their edges in
the physical (x−y) space, we can achieve curved edge elements. It is observed that,
irrespective of their locations in the physical ( x−y) space, nodes, 5, 6, 7, 8 are at the
middle of their edges in the − frame.

Natural Coordinates—Triangular Elements

The natural coordinates for triangular elements are conveniently defined as

shown in Figure below The three natural coordinates are defined by the following
expressions:
 𝐿1 = 𝐴𝐴1 = 𝐴𝑟 𝑒 𝑎 𝑜 𝑓 𝛥𝑃
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑜𝑓𝛥123
23

𝐿2 = 𝐴𝐴2 = 𝐴𝑟 𝑒 𝑎 𝑜 𝑓 𝛥1𝑃
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑜𝑓𝛥123
3

𝐿3 = 𝐴𝐴3 = 𝐴𝑟 𝑒 𝑎 𝑜 𝑓 𝛥𝑃12
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑜𝑓𝛥123

It is observed that in the parent equilateral triangle, each of the natural

coordinates varies from 0 to 1. We observe that the three natural coordinates for a
point are not independent and should sum up to unity. Thus,

L1 + L2 + L3 = 1

For a simple three-noded triangle, the required linear transformation can

readily be written as

x = L1x1 + L2x2 + L3x3

y = L1y1 + L2y2 + L3y3

In our standard finite element notation, the coordinate mapping is written as

 𝑥1
𝑦1
𝑥 𝑁 0 𝑁2 0 𝑁3 ]
𝑁03 𝑦2 𝑥
{ 𝑦} = [ 01
𝑁1 0 𝑁2 0 𝑥3
{ 𝑦3 }

where the shape functions are simply obtained as

𝑁1 = 𝐿1 , 𝑁2 = 𝐿2 , 𝑁3 = 𝐿3

Comparing with the shape functions obtained for the three-noded triangular
element, it is observed that we can very easily write down the required shape
functions in terms of the natural coordinates just described. If we require a higher
order transformation, for example, to model curved domains, we can then use a six-
noded triangular element as shown in Figure. The natural coordinates of the nodes
are indicated in the figure. Following our earlier procedure, the shape functions can
be obtained as

N1 = (SF) (Equation of line 2−5−3) (Equation of line 4−6)

= (SF) (L1) (2L1 − 1)

where the scale factor (SF) is to be chosen such that N1 is unity at node 1 and the
product of the equations of lines 2−5−3 and 4−6 has been taken to ensure that N1
is zero at all these nodes. Equation of line 2−5−3 is L1 = 0 and that of line 4−6 is L1
= 1/2, i.e., 2L1 − 1 = 0. At node 1, L1 = 1 and, therefore, SF = 1. Thus the desired
shape function is readily obtained as

𝑁1 = (𝐿1 ) (2𝐿1 − 1)

Similarly, other shape functions can be obtained as

𝑁2 = (𝐿2 )(2𝐿2 − 1), 𝑁3 = 𝐿2 , 𝑁3 = (𝐿3 )(2𝐿3 − 1),

𝑁4 = 4𝐿1 𝐿2 , 𝑁5 = 4𝐿2 𝐿3 , 𝑁6 = 4𝐿3 𝐿1 ,

Using these shape functions, we can write

𝑥1
𝑦1
𝑥2
𝑦2
𝑥3
𝑥 𝑁 0 𝑁2 0 𝑁3 0 𝑁4 0 𝑁5 0 𝑁6 0 ]
𝑁6 𝑥 𝑦3
{ 𝑦} = [ 01 4
𝑁1 0 𝑁2 0 𝑁3 0 𝑁4 0 𝑁5 0 𝑦4
𝑥5
𝑦5
𝑥6
{ 𝑦6 }

Comparing with our discussion in section 5.2.3, we readily observe that the natural
coordinates as defined here for the triangular coordinates significantly simplify the
derivation of shape functions. We will now discuss the formulation of the element
level equations for these elements, viz., three- and six-noded triangles, four- and
eight-noded quadrilaterals, etc. for both structural mechanics problems and fluid
flow problems.

Four-node Quadrilateral Element

Consider the parent four-node square element in – frame as well as the
general quadrilateral element in the physical x-y space as shown in Figure. The
coordinates of any point P (x, y) are interpolated from nodal coordinates as follows:
 4

𝑥 = ∑ 𝑁𝑖 𝑥𝑖
𝑖 =1
4

𝑦 = ∑ 𝑁𝑖 𝑥𝑖
𝑖 =1

where Ni are as given in Eqs. (5.43)−(5.46).

The displacements of the interior point P are also interpolated from nodal
deflections using the same shape functions for this element, which is therefore called
an “isoparametric element”. The displacements can be written as

𝑢1
𝑣1
𝑢2
𝑢 𝑁 0 𝑁2 0 𝑁3 0 𝑁4 𝑁04 ] 𝑢𝑣32
{ 𝑣 } [ 01
𝑁1 0 𝑁2 0 𝑁3 0 𝑣3
𝑢4
{ 𝑣4 }

Let us now show that the displacements in this element are compatible across
inter-element boundaries. Along edge 2−3 ( = 1), for example, the shape functions
N1 = 0 = N4. Thus, irrespective of the shape of the element in the physical x-y space
(i.e. even for a general quadrilateral), the displacements of any point on edge 2−3
are given as

u = N2u2 + N3u3

v = N2v2 + N3v3

Therefore, we observe that even for a general quadrilateral shape, the

isoparametric element guarantees the continuity of displacements across inter-
element boundary edges.

Recall our observation that the nodal d.o.f. are in X-Y directions and not along
−. Also the −. axes, as transformed into real physical x− y space, may not be
orthogonal. Thus we write the strain displacement relations in an orthogonal,
Cartesian frame of reference, as

𝜕𝑢
𝜕𝑥
𝜀𝑥
𝜕𝑣
{𝜀} = { 𝜀𝑦 } =
𝛾𝑥 𝑦 𝜕𝑦
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑣
+
{ 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥}

We observe that u and v are given in terms of shape functions Ni which are
expressed in the −. coordinates rather than x−y. For a general function ƒ, using
the chain rule of differentiation, we obtain the equations

𝜕𝑓 𝜕𝑓 𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝑓 𝜕𝜂
= +
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝑥
𝜕𝑓 𝜕𝑓 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑓 𝜕𝑦
= +
𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝜂

However, it is easier to write down derivatives of ( x−y) in terms of (−.)

rather than the other way round. Thus we write

𝜕𝑓 𝜕𝑓 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑓 𝜕𝑦
= +
𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝜉
 𝜕𝑓 𝜕𝑓 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑓 𝜕𝑦
= +
𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝜂

Thus, in general, we can write

𝜕 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕
𝜕𝜉
𝜕 = 𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝑥
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥 𝜕
{ 𝜕𝜂}
[𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝜂] { 𝜕𝑦}

𝜕 𝜕
𝜕𝜉
i.e. { } = [𝐽] { 𝜕 𝑥 }
𝜕 𝜕
𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝑦

where

𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦
𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝜉
[𝐽] =
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦
[𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝜂]

From Eqs. (5.147)−(5.148),

𝜕𝑁 𝜕𝑁
∑𝑖 𝑥𝑖 ∑ 𝑖 𝑦𝑖
𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝜉
[𝐽] =
𝜕𝑁 𝜕𝑁
∑ 𝑖 𝑥𝑖 ∑ 𝑖 𝑥𝑖
[ 𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝜂 ]

Here, [J] is known as the Jacobian matrix relating the derivatives in two
coordinate frames. This generic expression for [ J] is true for all 2-d elements, but
the actual coefficients in the matrix will depend on the shape functions being
employed in a given element and the nodal coordinates.
 For this particular element, for example, the Jacobian is

(1 − 𝜂) (1 + 𝜂) (1 − 𝜂) (1 + 𝜂)
(𝑥2 − 𝑥1 ) + (𝑥3 − 𝑥4 ) (𝑦2 − 𝑦1 ) + (𝑦3 − 𝑦4 )
[𝐽] = [ 4 4 4 4
]
(1 − 𝜉) (1 + 𝜉) (1 − 𝜉) (1 + 𝜉)
(𝑥4 − 𝑥1 ) + (𝑥3 − 𝑥2 ) (𝑦4 − 𝑦1 ) + (𝑦3 − 𝑦2 )
4 4 4 4

From Eq. (5.155),

𝜕 𝜕 𝜕
𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝜉
𝜕𝑥 1 𝐽 −𝐽12
= [𝐽] −1 𝜕 = |𝐽| [ 22 𝐽11 ]
𝜕 −𝐽21 𝜕
{ 𝜕𝑦} { 𝜕𝜂} { 𝜕𝜂}

We can now obtain the required strain displacement relations.

𝜕𝑢
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑥
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑢
𝜕𝑣 1 0 0 0 𝜕𝑦
{𝜀} = = [0 0 0 1] 𝜕𝑣
𝜕𝑦 ⏟0 1 1 0
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑣 [𝐵1 ] 𝜕𝑥
+
{ 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑥} 𝜕𝑣
{ 𝜕𝑦}

However, from Eq. (5.159),

𝜕𝑢 𝐽22 𝐽12 𝜕𝑢
− |𝐽| 0 0
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝜉
𝜕𝑢 |𝐽| 𝐽21 𝐽11 𝜕𝑢
− |𝐽| |𝐽| 0 0
𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝜂
= 𝐽22
𝜕𝑣 𝐽12 𝜕𝑣
0 0 −
𝜕𝑥 |𝐽| |𝐽| 𝜕𝜉
𝜕𝑣 𝐽21 𝐽11 𝜕𝑣
0 0 −
{ 𝜕𝑦} [⏟ |𝐽| |𝐽| ] { 𝜕𝜂}
[𝐵2 ]

From Eq. (5.149),

 𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑁 𝜕𝑁 𝜕𝑁 𝜕𝑁4 𝑢1
1 0 2 0 3 0 0
𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝜉 𝑣1
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑁 𝜕𝑁 𝜕𝑁4 𝑢2
𝜕𝑁1 0 2 0 3 0 0
𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝜂 𝑣2
= = 𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝑁 4 𝑢3
𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑁1 𝜕𝑁2 𝜕𝑁3
0 𝜕𝜉 𝑣3
𝜕𝜉 0 𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝜉 𝜕𝜉 𝑢
𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑁 1 𝜕𝑁2 𝜕𝑁3 𝜕 4 4
0 0 { 𝑣4 }
{ 𝜕𝜂} [0 𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝜂 ]
= [𝐵3 ]{𝛿}𝑒

For this element, for example, the shape function derivatives in the - frame
are as follows:

𝜕𝑁 −1(1 − 𝜂) 𝜕𝑁1 −1(1 − 𝜂)

1 = , =
4 𝜕𝜉 4
𝜕𝜉
𝜕𝑁 1(1 − 𝜂) 𝜕𝑁2 −1(1 + 𝜉)
2 = , =
𝜕𝜉 4 𝜕𝜂 4
𝜕𝑁 1(1 + 𝜂) 𝜕𝑁 1(1 + 𝜉)
3 = , 3 =
𝜕𝜉 4 𝜕𝜂 4
𝜕𝑁 4 −1(1 + 𝜂) 𝜕𝑁 1(1 − 𝜉)
= , 4 =
𝜕𝜉 4 𝜕𝜂 4

Thus, finally, combining Eqs. (5.160)−(5.162), the strain-displacement

relations can be written as

𝜀𝑥
𝜀
{𝜀} = { 𝑦 } = [𝐵]{𝛿}𝑒
𝜀𝑥 𝑦

where [B] = [B1][B2][B3].

The stress-strain relation matrix [D] remains as given earlier (see, e.g. Eq. (5.91)).
Thus we have the element stiffness matrix

𝑇
[𝐾]𝑒8×8 = ∫ [𝐵] [𝐷][𝐵]𝑑𝑣 = ∬ [𝐵]𝑇 [𝐷][𝐵]𝑡𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑦
𝑣
1 1 𝑇
= ∫ ∫ [𝐵] [𝐷][𝐵]𝑡|𝐽|𝑑𝜉𝑑𝜂
−1 −1

where the coordinate transformation has been taken into account and the integrals
 need now be evaluated over the parent square element in natural coordinates. Since
[B] in general varies from point to point within the element, we look for ways of
evaluating these integrals numerically within a computer program rather than
attempting to derive them explicitly. We will discuss numerical integration schemes

Gauss Quadrature Formula

Let the function be approximated by a polynomial of degree p, which is also

to be found, i.e., let

ƒ(x)  g(x) = c0 + c1x + c2x2 + ⋯ + cp x p

The evaluation of the integral can be done as follows:

1 1
2 2 𝑐𝑝
𝐼 = ∫ 𝑓(𝑥)𝑑𝑥 ≈ ∫ 𝑔(𝑥) 𝑑𝑥 = 2𝑐0 + 2𝑐2 + 2𝑐4 +. . . + [1 − (−1)𝑝 +1 ]
−1 −1 3 5 𝑝+1

As per our generic formula, we attempt to express the integral in the following way:

I  W1 ƒ1 + W2 ƒ2 + ⋯ + Wn ƒn

Using Eq. (5.206), we can write

𝑝
𝐼 ≈ 𝑊1 (𝑐0 + 𝑐1 𝑥1 + 𝑐2 𝑥12+. . . +𝑐𝑝 𝑥1 )
𝑝
+𝑊2 (𝑐0 + 𝑐1 𝑥2 + 𝑐2 𝑥22+. . . +𝑐𝑝 𝑥2 )
+. . .
+. . .
𝑝
+𝑊𝑛 (𝑐0 + 𝑐1 𝑥2 + 𝑐2 𝑥𝑛2 +. . . +𝑐𝑝 𝑥𝑛 )

Comparing the coefficients of c0, c1, c2, … in Eqs. (5.207) and (5.209), we can
write

𝑊1 + 𝑊2 +. . . +𝑊𝑛 = 2
𝑊1 𝑥1 + 𝑊2 𝑥2 +. . . +𝑊𝑛 𝑥𝑛 = 0
2
𝑊1 𝑥12 + 𝑊2 𝑥 22 +. . . +𝑊𝑛 𝑥 2 =
𝑛 3
 ⋮
𝑝 𝑝 𝑝 1
𝑊1 𝑥1 + 𝑊2 𝑥2 +. . . +𝑊𝑛 𝑥𝑛 = [1 − (−1)𝑝 +1]
𝑝+1

These equations can be solved for the locations of the sampling points xi (i =
1, 2, …, n) and the corresponding weight factors Wi (i = 1, 2, …, n). It is easy to see
that our number of unknowns (viz., 2 n) and equations available ( p + 1) match
exactly when the polynomial degree p is such that

p + 1 = 2n

or 𝑝 = 2𝑛 − 1

In other words, using n Gauss sampling points as determined above, we can

evaluate an integral exactly if the integrand function ƒ (x) is a polynomial of degree
less than or equal to (2n − 1). Thus, with one-point rule, we can integrate a linear
polynomial exactly, while with two-point rule we can integrate up to cubic
polynomial exactly. In practical use, we observe the degree of the highest terms in
the integrand and then decide the order of Gauss quadrature rule. As compared to
the Newton−Cotes formula, we observe that, for a given number of sampling points,
the Gauss quadrature rule can exactly integrate much higher degree polynomial.

We now list the sampling points and the weight factors for Gauss quadrature
for one-dimensional case in Table .
 It is easy to observe that the exact numerical values of the sampling points
and the weight factors, obtained as a solution of Eq. depend on the integration
interval. Thus the formula is standardised for the interval −1 to 1, keeping in mind
the finite element computations using natural coordinates. If the interval is different,
we need to perform an appropriate change of coordinates such that the limits tally
with −1 and 1. We will now illustrate the use of the formula through the following
examples.

Example 5.2. Evaluate the integral

1
𝐼 = ∫ (2 + 𝑥 + 𝑥 2 )𝑑𝑥
−1

It is easy to verify that we need at least a two-point integration rule since the
integrand contains a quadratic term. We will obtain our approximation to the integral
with one and two-point Gauss quadrature rules and show that the two-point rule
result matches with the exact solution.

For a one-point rule, from Table 5.1, we have

x1  0, W1 = 2
Hence,

I  2(2 + 0 + 0) = 4

For a two-point rule, from Table 5.1 we have

1
𝑥1 = + √3 , 𝑊1 = 1

1
𝑥2 = + √3 , 𝑊2 = 1

Therefore,

1 1 1 1
𝐼 ≈ (1) (2 + + ) + (1) (2 − + ) = 4.6667
√3 3 √3 3

The exact solution is easily verified to be

1
1
𝐼 = ∫ (2 + 𝑥 + 𝑥 2 )𝑑𝑥 = (2𝑥 + 𝑥 2 + 𝑥 3 /3)−1 = 4.6667
−1

Example 5.3. Evaluate the integral

1
𝜋𝑥
𝐼 = ∫ 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝑑𝑥
−1
2

The exact solution can be readily obtained as follows:

𝜋𝑥 𝜋 1
𝐼 = (𝑠𝑖𝑛 / ) = 1.273239544
2 2 −1

For the one-point Gauss rule,

(𝜋)(0)
𝐼 ≈ 2 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( ) =2
2

For the two-point Gauss rule,

𝜋 1 𝜋 −1
𝐼 ≈ 1 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( ) + 1 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( )
2 √3 2 √3
 𝜋
= 2 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( ) = 1.232381
2√3

For the three-point Gauss rule,

5 𝜋 8 𝜋 5 𝜋
𝐼 ≈ 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( + √0.6) + 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( 0) + 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( − √0.6)
9 2 9 2 9 2
= 1.274123745

With a four-point Gauss rule, we get

𝜋
𝐼 ≈ (0.347854845)𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( (0.8611363))
2
𝜋
+(0.652145155) 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( (0.3399810))
2
𝜋
+(0.652145155) 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( (−0.3399810))
2
𝜋
+(0.347854845) 𝑐𝑜𝑠 ( (−0.8611363))
2
= 1.273229508

Since the integrand is not an exact polynomial, our numerical scheme can
never give the exact solution but approximates fairly well when sufficient number of
points are taken.
Problem:
For the four noded rectangular element shown if Fig. determine the following:
i) Jacobian matrix
ii) Strain-Displacement matrix
iii)Element stresses

Take E = 2 x 105 N/mm2; v = 0.25;

u =[0, 0, 0.003, 0.004, 0.006, 0.004, 0, 0]T
= 0 ;  = 0
Assume plane stress condition.

Cartesian co-ordinates of point 1,2,3 & 4

x1 = 0 ; y1 = 0
x2 = 2 ; y2 = 0
x3 = 2 ; y3 =1
x 4 = 0; y 4 =1

Young’s modulus, E = 2 x 105 N/mm2

Poisson’s ratio v = 0.25

38
  0 
 0 
 
0.003
 
0.004
Displacement , u =  
0 . 006 
0.004
 
 0 
 0 
 
Natural Co − ordinates,  = 0,  = 0
To Find: 1. Jacobian matrix, J.
2. Strain Displacement, [B]
3. Element stress, 

Solution:

 J 11 J 12 
J = 
 J 21 J 22 

1
J 11 = [−(1 −  ) x1 + (1 −  ) x 2 + (1 +  ) x3 − (1 +  ) x 4 ]
4
1
J 12 = [−(1 −  ) y1 + (1 −  ) y 2 + (1 +  ) y 3 − (1 +  ) y 4 ]
4
1
J 21 = [−(1 −  ) x1 − (1 +  ) x 2 + (1 +  ) x3 + (1 −  ) x 4 ]
4
1
J 22 = [−(1 −  ) y1 − (1 +  ) y 2 + (1 +  ) y 3 + (1 −  ) y 4 ]
4
 1 1
J 11 (0,0) = [0 + 2 + 2 − 0] ; J 12 (0,0) = [0 + 0 + 1 − 1]
4 4
=1 =0

1 1
J 21 (0,0) = [0 − 2 + 2 + 0] ; J 22 (0,0) = [−0 − 0 + 1 + ]
4 4
=0 = 0. 5

 J 11 J 12 
 J = 
 J 21 J 22 

1 0 
Jacobian matrix, [ J ] =  
 0 0.5
 J =1  0.5 − 0 = 0.5
Strain- Displacement matrix for quadrilateral element is,

 J 22 − J 12 0 0 
1 
J 11  
1
 [ B] =  0 0 − J 21
J 4
− J 21 J 11 J 22 − J 12 

− (1 −  ) 0 (1 −  ) 0 (1 +  ) 0 − (1 +  ) 0 
 − (1 −  ) 0 − (1 +  ) 0 (1 +  ) 0 (1 −  ) 0 

 0 − (1 −  ) 0 (1 −  ) 0 (1 +  ) 0 − (1 +  )
 
 0 − (1 −  ) 0 − (1 +  ) 0 (1 +  ) 0 (1 −  ) 

− 1 0 1 0 1 0 −1 0
0.5 0 0 0 
1   1 − 1 0 − 1 0 1 0 1 0 
 [B ] = 0 0 0 1 
0.5  4  0 −1 0 1 0 1 0 − 1
 0 1 0.5 0  
 0 −1 0 −1 0 1 0 1

− 0.5 0 0.5 0 0.5 0 − 0.5 0 

1  
= 0 − 1 0 − 1 0 1 0 1
0.5  4  
 − 1 − 0.5 − 1 0.5 1 0.5 1 − 0.5

−1 0 1 0 1 0 −1 0 
0.5  
= 0 − 2 0 − 2 0 2 0 2
0.5  4  
− 2 − 1 − 2 1 2 1 2 − 1
 −1 0 1 0 1 0 −1 0 
[B] = 0.25  0 − 2 0 − 2 0 2 0 2 
− 2 − 1 − 2 1 2 1 2 − 1

Element stress,  = [D] [B] {u}

Stress − strain relationship matrix ,

 
1 v 0
E  
[ D] = v 1 0 
1− v 
2
1− v
0 0 
 2 
 
1 0 . 25 0
2  10 5  
= 0.25 1 0 
1 − (0.25) 
2
1 − 0.25 
 0 0 
 2 

 1 0.25 0 
= 213.3310 3 0.25 1 0 
 0 0 0.375
4 1 0 
= 213.3310 3  0.25 1 4 0 
0 0 1.5
 4 1 0 
[ D] = 53.3310 3 1 4 0 
0 0 1.5

Substituting the values in Element stress equation

 = D B d 

4 1 0
   = 53.3310 3 1 4 0 

0 0 1.5
−1 0 1 0 1 0 −1 0
 0.25  0 −2 0 −2 0 2 0 2 
− 2 −1 −2 1 2 1 2 − 1
 0 
 0 
 
0.003
 
0 .004 
  
0 .006 
0.004
 
 0 
 0 
 
 − 4 − 2 4 − 2 4 2 − 4 2 
= 53.3310 3  0.25  − 1 − 8 1 − 8 1 8 − 1 8 
 − 3 − 1.5 − 3 1.5 3 1.5 3 − 1.5
 0 
 0 
 
0.003
 
0.004
  
0 .006
0.004
 
 0 
 0 
 
0.036
3  
 =13.33310 0.009
 0.021
 
480
 
 = 120  N / m 2
280
 

44
 ASSIGNMENT
S.No Question K Level CO
.

01 A four noded rectangular element is shown in figure. K2 CO5

Calculate the following: (i) Jacobian Matrix (ii) Strain
Displacement Matrix (iii) Element Stress. Take E =
20*105N/mm2, γ= 0.5.
u=[0 0 0.003 0.004 0.006 0.004
0 0]T
ε = 0, η = 0. Assume plane stress condition.

02 Compute the Jacobian matrix for the linear quadrilateral K2 CO5

element as shown in figure. ε = 1, η = 0.

03 Calculate the Cartesian coordinates of point P which has K2 CO5

local coordinates ξ = 0.5 and η = 0.5, for the iso-parametric
four noded quadrilateral element as shown in figure.
 ASSIGNMENT
S.No Question K Level CO
.
04 For the isoparametric quadrilateral element shown in Fig. K2 CO5
the Cartesian coordinates of point 'P' are (6, 4). The loads
10 kN and 12 kN are acting in x and y direction on that
point P. Evaluate the nodal forces.
 PART - A QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
UNIT – II INTRODUCTION
S.N O QUESTION AND ANSWER K CO
LEVEL
1 What are the classifications of coordinates? Global K1 CO5
coordinates

1. Local coordinates
2. Natural coordinates

2 What is Global coordinates? K1 CO5

The points in the entire structure are defined using

coordinates system is known as global coordinate system.

3 What is natural coordinates? K1 CO5

A natural coordinate system is used to define any point

inside the element by a set of dimensionless number
whose magnitude never exceeds unity. This system is very
useful in assembling of stiffness matrices.

4 What are the advantages of natural coordinates? K1 CO5

i)It is very convenient in constructing interpolation
functions.
ii) Integration involving Natural co-ordinate can be easily
performed as the limits of the Integration is always from –1
to +1. This is in contrast to global co-ordinates where the
limits of Integration may vary with the length of the
element.
iii) The nodal values of the co-ordinates are convenient
number or fractions.
iv) It is possible to have elements with curved sides.

5 What do you mean by uniqueness of mapping? K1 CO5

It is absolutely necessary that a point in parent element
represents only one point in the isoperimetric element.
Some times, due to violent distortion it is possible to obtain
undesirable situation of nonuniqueness. Some of such
situations are shown in Fig. If this requirement is violated
determinant of Jacobiam matrix (to be explained latter)
becomes negative. If this happens coordinate
transformation fails and hence the program is to be
terminated and mapping is corrected.

47
 PART - A QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
UNIT – I INTRODUCTION
S.N O QUESTION AND ANSWER K CO
LEVEL
06 What do you mean by sub parametric element? K1 CO5
The element in which less number of nodes are used to
define geometry compared to the number of nodes used
for defining the displacements. Such elements can be
used advantageously in case of geometry being simple
but stress gradient high.

07 What do you mean by super parametric element? K1 CO5

The element in which more number of nodes are used to
define geometry compared to the number of nodes used
for defining the displacements.
08 What do you mean by iso parametric K1 CO5
formulation?
The principal concept of isoperimetric finite element
formulation is to express the element coordinates and
element displacements in the form of interpolations
using the natural coordinate system of the element.
These isoparametric elements of simple shapes
expressed in natural coordinate system, known as
master elements, are the transformed shapes of some
arbitrary curves sided actual elements expressed in
Cartesian coordinate system
09 Explain Gauss quadrature rule. K1 CO5
The idea of Gauss Quadrature is to select “n” Gauss
points and “n” weight functions such that the integral
provides an exact answer for the polynomial f(x) as far
as possible, Suppose if it is necessary to evaluate the
following integral using end point approximation then

10 State the three phases of finite element method. K1 CO5

The three phases of FEM is given by,

(i) Preprocessing
(ii) Analysis
(iii) Post Processing

48
 PART - A QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
UNIT – I INTRODUCTION
S.N O QUESTION AND ANSWER K CO
LEVEL
11 List any three FEA software K1 CO5
The following list represents FEA software as,
(i) ANSYS
(ii) NASTRAN
(iii) COSMOS

12 Differentiate the serendipity and langrangian K1 CO5

elements
Serendipity elements langrangian elements
In discretized element In discretized element, if nodes
If nodes lies on corner, then the are present in both
centre of element element are known as serendipity
and corner are known as langrangian elements.
elements.
13 What do you mean by Iso parametric element? K1 CO5
The element in which less number of nodes are used to
define geometry are same as the number of nodes used
for defining the displacements.

14 Derive the Jacobian of transformation for a ID K1 CO5

linear element
dx d  (1 −  ) (1 +  ) 
=J=  x1 + x2 
d d  2 2 
1 1 (x − x ) l
= − x1 + x2 = 2 1 =
2 2 2 2
15 Derive the Jacobian of transformation for a ID K1 CO5
quadratic element
x = x1 N 1 ( ) + x 2 N 2 ( ) + x3 N 3 ( )
 x1 
dx  (−1 + 2 ) (1 + 2 )  
J = = − 2  x 2 
d  2 2  
 x3 

16 Write down the Jacobian of transformation for K1 CO5

four noded isoparametric element.
 x y 
 
J =  x y 
 
   
17 What is the purpose of isoparametric elements? K1 CO5
Integration involving Natural co-ordinate can be easily
performed as the limits of the Integration is always from
–1 to +1. This is in contrast to global co-ordinates
49
where the limits of Integration may vary with the length
of the element.
 Part B Questions
S.No Question K Level CO
.
01 Compute the shape functions of a serendipity Iso- K2 CO5
parametric element.

02 Compute the shape functions of a Non - serendipity K2 CO5

Iso-parametric element.

03 Compute the shape functions for 4-noded K2 CO5

rectangular element by using natural coordinate
system

04 Compute the element strain displacement matrix of K2 CO5

a four-node quadrilateral element in Gaussian space.
05 Numerically Compute the following integral and K2 CO5
compare with exact one.

1 1
∫−1 ∫−1(3 𝑥 2 + 4𝑦 2 ) 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑦

A four noded rectangular element is shown in figure. K2 CO5

Calculate the following: (i) Jacobian Matrix (ii)
Strain Displacement Matrix (iii) Element Stress.
Take E = 25*105N/mm2, μ = 0.5.

u = [0, 0, 0, 0.07, 0.08, 0.03, 0, 0] T ε = 0.5, η =

0.5. Assume plane strain condition.

40
S.No. Question K Level CO
05 For the isoparametric four noded quadrilateral K2 CO5
element shown in fig. Determine the Cartesian co-
ordinates of point P which has local co-ordinatesε=
0.5 , η =0.5

07 For the isoparametric quadrilateral element shown in K2 CO5

Fig. the Cartesian co-ordinate of point P are (6,4).
The loads 10KN and 12KN are acting in x and y
direction on the point P. Evaluate the nodal
equivalent forces.
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52
REAL TIME APPLICATION IN DAY TO DAY LIFE AND TO
INDUSTRY

❖ To calculate the deflection and stress distribution in fan rod using

isoperimetric element.

❖ To calculate the deflection and stress distribution in fan blades using

isoperimetric element.

❖ To calculate the deflection and stress distribution in wall bracket using

isoperimetric element Plane stress condition.

53
 CONTENT BEYOND SYLLABUS

Effect of Self Weight on a Cantilever Beam

using Isoperimetric Element.
This tutorial was completed using ANSYS 7.0 The purpose of the tutorial is to show the required steps
to
account for the weight of an object in ANSYS.
Loads will not be applied to the beam shown below in order to observe the deflection caused by the
weight of
the beam itself. The beam is to be made of steel with a modulus of elasticity of 200 GPa.

54
 ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE

Unit Test I : March 2021

Internal Assessment Test I : March 2021

Unit Test II : April 2021

Internal Assessment Test II : April 2021

Model Examination : May 2021

55
 PRESCRIBED TEXT BOOKS & REFERENCE BOOKS

TEXT BOOKS:

T1) Reddy. J.N., “An Introduction to the Finite Element Method”, 3rd Edition, Tata
McGraw Hill, 2005

T2) Seshu, P, “Text Book of Finite Element Analysis”, Prentice-Hall of India Pvt. Ltd.,
New Delhi, 2007.

REFERENCES:

R1) Rao, S.S., “The Finite Element Method in Engineering”, 3rd Edition, Butterworth
Heinemann, 2004

R2) Logan, D.L., “A first course in Finite Element Method”, Thomson Asia Pvt. Ltd.,
2002

R3) Robert D. Cook, David S. Malkus, Michael E. Plesha, Robert J. Witt, “Concepts
and Applications of Finite Element Analysis”, 4th Edition, Wiley Student Edition,
2002.

R4) Chandrupatla & Belagundu, “Introduction to Finite Elements in Engineering”, 3rd

Edition, Prentice Hall College Div, 1990

56
 MINI PROJECT SUGGESTIONS

Finite Element Analysis using Isoperimetric

elements using any Python Programming.

The purpose of this tutorial is to explain how to apply distributed loads and use
element tables to extract data. Please note that this material was also covered in the
'Bicycle Space Frame' tutorial under 'Basic Tutorials'.

A distributed load of 1000 N/m (1 N/mm) will be applied to a solid steel beam with a
rectangular cross section as shown in the figure below. The cross-section of the
beam is 10mm x 10mm while the modulus of elasticity of the steel is 200GPa.

57
 Thank you
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