FEM

Session 9
Plane Problems

Prepared by zacoeb@ub.ac.id
Plane (2-D) Problems
In general, the stresses and strains in a structure
consist of 　 six components:
for stresses,
and
for strains.
Under contain conditions, the
state of stresses and strains can
be simplified. A general 3-D
structure analysis can,
therefore, be reduced to a 2-D
Plane (2-D) Problems (cont ’d)
Plane stress
A thin planar structure with constant thickness and loadi
ng within the plane of the structure (xy-plane). It is defin
ed to be a state of stress in which the normal stress an
d the shear stresses directed perpendicular to the plan
e are assumed to be zero.
(7.1)
Plane (2-D) Problems (cont ’d)
Plane strain
A long structure with a uniform cross section and transv
erse loading along its length (z-direction). It is defined t
o be a state of strain in which the strain normal to the x
y-plane and the shear strains are assumed to be zero.
(7.2)
Stress-Strain-Temperature (Con
stitutive) Relations
For elastic and isotropic materials, we have

(7.3)

or

where: 0 = the initial strain

E = the Young’s modulus
n = the Poisson’s ratio
G = the shear modulus
Stress-Strain-Temperature (Con
stitutive) Relations (cont ’d)
Note that,
(7.4)
which means that there are only two independent mater
ials constants for homogeneous and isotropic materials.
We can also express stresses in terms of strains by sol
ving the above equation,

(7.5)
Stress-Strain-Temperature (Con
stitutive) Relations (cont ’d)
or,

where  0   Eis 0the initial stress.

The above relations are valid for plane stress case. For
plane strain case, we need to replace the material cons
tants in the above equations in the following fashion,
(7.6)
Stress-Strain-Temperature (Con
stitutive) Relations (cont ’d)
For example, the stress is related to strain by

in the plane strain case.

Stress-Strain-Temperature (Con
stitutive) Relations (cont ’d)
Initial strains due to temperature change (thermal loadi
ng) is given by,

(7.7)

where a is the coefficient of thermal expansion, DT the

change of temperature. Note that if the structure is free
to deform under thermal loading, there will be no (elasti
c) stresses in the structure.
Strain and Displacement Relatio
ns
For small strains and small rotations, we have,

In matrix form,

(7.8)

or,

From this relation, we know that the strains (and thus

stresses) are one order lower than the displacements,
if the displacements are represented by polynomials.
Equilibrium Equations
In elasticity theory, the stresses in the structure must sa
tisfy the following equilibrium equations,

(7.9)

where fx and fy are body forces (such as gravity forces)

per unit volume. In FEM, these equilibrium conditions a
re satisfied in an approximate sense.
Boundary Conditions
The boundary S of the body can be divided into two
parts, Su and St. The boundary conditions (BC’s) are
described as,
on Su
on St (7.10)
in which tx and ty are traction forces (stresses on the
boundary) and the barred quantities are those with
known values.
Boundary Conditions (cont ’d)
In FEM, all types of loads (distributed surface loads,
body forces, concentrated forces and moments, etc.)
are converted to point forces acting at the nodes.
Exact Elasticity Solution
The exact solution (displacements, strains and stress
es) of a given problem must satisfy the equilibrium e
quations (7.9), the given boundary conditions (7.10)
and compatibility conditions (structures should defor
m in a continuous manner, no cracks and overlaps in
the obtained displacement fields).
Example
A plate is supported and loaded with distributed force
p as shown in the figure. The material constants are
E and n.
Example (cont ’d)
The exact solution for this simple problem can be fou
nd easily as follows,
Displacement:

Strain:

Stress:
Example (cont ’d)
Exact (or analytical) solutions for simple problems ar
e numbered (suppose there is a hole in the plate!). T
hat is why we need FEM!
General Formula
A general formula for the stiffness matrix of FE for 2D
problems, the displacements (u, v) in a plane element
are interpolated from nodal displacements (ui, vi) usin
g shape functions Ni as follows,

(7.11)

or
General Formula (cont ’d)
where N is the shape function matrix, u the displace
ment vector and d the nodal displacement vector. Her
e we have assumed that u depends on the nodal valu
es of u only, and v on nodal values of v only.

From strain-displacement relation (Eq.(7.8)), the strai

n vector is,
or (7.12)
where B = DN is the strain-displacement matrix.
General Formula (cont ’d)
Consider the strain energy stored in an element,
General Formula (cont ’d)
From this, we obtain the general formula for the elem
ent stiffness matrix,

(7.13)

Note that unlike the 1-D cases, E here is a matrix whi

ch is given by the stress-strain relation (e.g., Eq.(7.5)
for plane stress).
General Formula (cont ’d)
The stiffness matrix k defined by Eq.(7.13) is symmet
ric since E is symmetric. Also note that given the mat
erial property, the behavior of k depends on the B ma
trix only, which in turn on the shape functions. Thus, t
he quality of finite elements in representing the behav
ior of a structure is entirely determined by the choice
of shape functions. Most commonly employed 2D ele
ments are linear or quadratic triangles and quadrilate
rals.
Thanks for the attention!