Appendix A:

The Finite jkjkk) Method

September
Introduction to A-1
 Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

Finite Element Analysis is the simulation of a physical

system (geometry and loading environment) by a
mathematical approximation of the real system. Using
Definition
simple, interrelated building blocks called elements, a
real system with infinite unknowns is approximated
with a finite number of unknowns.

Historical Note
The finite element method of structural analysis was created by academic
and industrial researchers during the 1950s and 1960s.
The underlying theory is over 100 years old, and was the basis for pen-and-
paper calculations in the evaluation of suspension bridges and steam
boilers.

September
Introduction to A-2
 Examples of Physical Systems
Geometry Load Physical System

Structural

Thermal

Electromagnetic
September
Introduction to A-3
 The FEA Model

An FEA Model is the mathematical idealization of the

real system.
Definition

The Real System The FEA Model

September
Introduction to A-4
 Degrees of Freedom

Degrees of freedom (DOFs) characterize the

response of a field.

UY
ROTY Discipline DOF
Structural Displacement
UX Thermal Temperature
ROTZ ROTX Electrical Voltage
UZ Fluid Pressure
Structural DOFs Magnetic Magnetic Potential

September
Introduction to A-5
 Nodes and Elements

Load Node: Coordinate location in space where

degrees of freedom and actions of the
physical system exist.

Element: Mathematical, matrix representation

(called stiffness or coefficient matrix)
of the interaction among the degrees
of freedom of a set of nodes.
Elements may be line, area, or
solid, and two or three dimensional.

The FEA model consists of a number of simply shaped

Load elements, connected to nodes, subjected to loads.
September
Introduction to A-6
 Nodes and Elements (contd)
The behavior of each element is represented by several
linear equations.
As a group, the elements form a mathematical model of the
total structure.
Although the ladder illustration suggests a finite element
model having fewer than 100 equations (degrees of
freedom), even a small ANSYS simulation of today can
have 5,000 unknowns. The matrix can have 25,000,000
stiffness coefficients.

Historical Note
Early ANSYS development followed hardware progress. ANSYS was first released in
1970, running on $1,000,000 CDC, Univac, and IBM mainframe computers which were
much less powerful than todays PCs. A Pentium PC could solve that 5,000 x 5,000
matrix system in a few minutes, instead of days as in the past.

September
Introduction to A-7
 Nodes and Elements (contd)
Information is passed from element to element only at
common nodes.

.
2 nodes
. 1 node

. . . . . .
A B A B

. . . . . .
Separate, but coincident nodes- Shared nodes-
element A does not talk to elements A and B
element B (merge required) talk to each other
September
Introduction to A-8
 Nodes and Elements (contd)
The DOFs at a node are a function of the element type
connected to the node.
J J
3-D Beam
3-D Spar (Pin Joints)
UX, UY, UZ,
UX, UY, UZ
ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ
I I
L K
2-D or Axisymmetric Solid L K
UX, UY
3-D Quadrilateral Shell
I J
UX, UY, UZ,
I J ROTX, ROTY, ROTZ
P O P O
3-D Structural Solid
M M 3-D Thermal Solid
N UX, UY, UZ N
L L TEMP
K K
I J I J

September
Introduction to A-9
 The Element Shape Function
FEA solves for DOF values only at nodes.

An element shape function is a mathematical function that

allows values of a DOF from the nodes to be mapped to
points within the element.

Thus, an element shape function gives the shape of the

results within the element.

An element shape function represents assumed behavior

for a given element.

How well each assumed element shape function matches

the true behavior directly affects the accuracy of the
solution.

September
Introduction to A-10
 The Element Shape Function (contd)
Linear approximation to quadratic curve
Quadratic distribution (Poor Results)
of DOF values
Actual quadratic curve

. . . .
Node Element Node Element
1 2

Quadratic approximation (actual and

Linear approximations approximate curves match)
(Better Results) (Best Results)
Actual quadratic

.. . . . . .
curve

Nodes Elements Node Element

3 4
September
Introduction to A-11
 The Element Shape Function (contd)

Observations:
DOF values may or may not accurately match the true
solution at the nodes, but typically match it in an
average sense across an element.

Typical solution data are usually derived from the

DOFs (e.g., structural stresses, thermal gradients).

Element shape functions that do not accurately

capture DOFs within an element may not be adequate
for these derived data because derived data is
calculated from derivatives of the element shape
function.

September
Introduction to A-12
 The Element Shape Function (contd)

The Bottom Line:

When you choose an element type, you are
implicitly choosing and accepting the
element shape function assumed for that
element type.
Make sure you have a sufficient number of
nodes and elements to adequately capture
the behavior of your problem given the
assumed element shape function of the
element type you have chosen.

September
Introduction to A-13