Basic Principles of the Finite Element Method

Provides an introductory text which lays out the basic theory of the finite element method in a form that will be comprehensible to engineering and materials science students Although this book was written with materials scientists in mind, it will prove useful to all those interested in learning the fundamentals of the finite element method. The method is now widely used in research in materials science and technology. For example, it is the basis for the determination of the stress distribution in loaded specimens used in deformation and fracture studies. It is used to predict the mechanical behaviour of composite and of cellular solids and it is used to analyse materials processing of metals and polymers. Materials science researchers use one of the many available commercial finite element packages to model problems in these areas. These materials scientists and technologists are not always well informed about the principles of the analytical methods that these packages use. One reason for this is that they find the existing texts difficult to read. There is an extensive list of finite element books written mostly for engineers or mathematicians. In them the authors make assumptions that the reader has a facility with matrix algebra, has a grounding in applied mechanics and has an awareness of energy principles that do not feature prominently in undergraduate materials science courses and, in consequence, are rarely the stock in trade of materials science researchers or technologists. The objective of this book is to provide an introductory text which lays out the basic theory of the finite element method in a form that will be comprehensible to materials scientists. It presents the basic ideas in a sequential and measured fashion, avoiding the use of specialist vocabulary that is not clearly defined. The basic principles are illustrated by a diversity of examples which serve to reinforce the particular aspects of the theory, and there are three finite element analyses which are presented in extenso with the detailed mathematics exposed. By this means some of the mystery that can envelop commercial finite element packages is penetrated. Such is the extensive scale of finite element knowledge that any text of this introductory character must be selective in its choice of material. The criterion for the selection of topics has been guided by the wish to bring the readers to the point at the end of the book where they can develop their understanding further by reading the existing literature, in which there is a number of rigorous and scholarly texts with a wealth of detail on the move advanced aspects of the theory. No list of recommended texts is included. The choice of texts is a matter of personal choice. The most fruitful way forward is to browse the library shelves or the bookshop to seek a text that addresses the area in which enlightenment is sought in a way which accords with the readers current knowledge. The text deliberately used the second person plural in order to emphasise the intention that the treatment of the subject should constitute an (inevitably) one-sided tutorial with the reader. The cover diagram shows the stress contours round the hole of a loaded plate using quadrilateral elements. It is in fact a pictorial representation of the solution, part of which is quoted at the end of CH.1.