BAZE UNIVERSITY ABUJA

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

COURSE CODE: MCE883

COURSE TITLE: FINITE ELEMENT METHODS
UNITS: 3

LECTURE NOTES PREPARED BY: Dr. Musa Tanko Zarmai

COURSE CONTENT:

1. Finite Element Theory; The concept of an element; Various Element shapes (Beams,
Plates, Solid elements, Axisymmetric Elements).
2. Trial Functions, Shape Functions, Higher-Order Elements, Calculation of element
Matrix; Element Transformation; Assemblage of Element Matrices.
3. Boundary Conditions, Band width; Solution of Global Equations; Rayleigh-Ritz and
Weighted Residual Methods.
4. Application of Finite Element Methods; Plane Stress and Plane Strain Analysis;
Torsion of Prismatic Shafts. Finite Strain Tensors and Associated Stress Tensor.
5. Solution procedure for Static problems. Linear Modes, Iteration Schemes for
Transient Response, Mass Matrix (consistent and lumped). Heat Transfer.
6. Variational formulation; Element Boundary Matrices; Linear Triangular Element,
Linear Triangle Applications: Internal source, Free Convection; Linear Rectangles.
7. General Elements; Numerical Integrated arrays; Orthographic Conduction;
Axisymmetric formulation; Radiation effect.

TEXTBOOKS AND REFERENCES

1. Introduction to the Finite Element Method by G. P. Nikishkov
Textbooks 2. Introduction to Finite Element Analysis Authored at UniVictoria
3. FEM Textbook by Yijin Liu
Course notes and other instructional materials will be provided by the
Handouts
Lecturer.
References
1. FINITE ELEMENT METHOD THEORY
1.1 Basic introduction
 The Finite Element Method (FEM) or Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a
numerical method for solving problems of engineering and mathematical physics.
 It is based on the idea of dividing a complicated object into small and manageable
pieces.
 It is useful for problems with complicated geometries, loadings, and material
properties where analytical solutions cannot be obtained.

Why Finite Element Method?

 Design analysis: hand calculations, experiments and computer simulations.
 FEM is the most widely applied computer simulation method in engineering.
 Closely integrated with CAD/CAM applications.

Applications of FEM in Engineering

 Mechanical/Aerospace/Civil/Automobile Engineering
 Structural/Stress analysis (static/dynamic, linear/nonlinear)
 Thermal analysis
 Fluid flows
 Heat transfer
 Electromagnetics
 Geomechanics
 Biomechanics
 Soil Mechanics Acoustics, ETC.

The Purpose of FEM

Analytical Solution
 Stress analysis for trusses, beams, and other simple structures are carried out based
on dramatic simplification and idealization:

– mass concentrated at the centre of gravity

– beam simplified as a line segment (same cross-section)
 Design is based on the calculation results of the idealized structure & a large safety
factor (1.5 - 3) given by experience.

FEM
  Design geometry is a lot more complex; and the accuracy requirement is a lot
higher. We need:
– To understand the physical behaviors of a complex object (strength, heat transfer
capability, fluid flow, etc.)
– To predict the performance and behavior of the design; to calculate the safety
margin; and to identify the weakness of the design accurately; and
– To identify the optimal design with confidence.

FEM in Structural Analysis (The Procedure)

 Divide structure into pieces (elements with nodes).
 Describe the behavior of the physical quantities on each element.
 Connect (assemble) the elements at the nodes to form an approximate system
of equations for the whole structure.
 Solve the system of equations involving unknown quantities at the nodes (e.g.
displacements).
 Calculate desired quantities (e.g. strains and stresses) at selected elements.

Example:

FEM model for a gear tooth

Computer Implementations
 Preprocessing (build FE model, loads and constraints)
 FEA solver (assemble and solve the system of equations)
 Postprocessing (sort and display the results)

Available Commercial FEM Software Packages

 ANSYS (General purpose, PC and workstations)
  SDRC/I-DEAS (Complete CAD/CAM/CAE package)
 NASTRAN (General purpose FEA on mainframes)
 ABAQUS (Nonlinear and dynamic analysis)
 COSMOS (General purpose FEA)
 ALGOR (PC and workstations)
 PATRAN (Pre/Post Processor)
 HyperMesh (Pre/Post Processor)
 Dyna-3D (Crash/Impact Analysis)

Discretizations
Model body by dividing it into an equivalent system of many smaller bodies or units (finite
elements) interconnected at points common to two or more elements (nodes or nodal points)
and/or boundary lines and /or surfaces.

1.2 The concept of an element

 In FEM, a model is divided into small pieces. Those are called Finite Elements (FE).
Those Elements connect all characteristic points (called Nodes) that lie on their
circumference. This “connection” is a set of equations called shape functions.
Each FE has its own set of shape functions, that connect all of the Nodes of that Element).
Adjacent Elements share common Nodes (the ones on the shared edge). This means that
the shape functions of all the Elements in the model are “tied” due to those common
nodes.

Different types of elements used in Finite Element Methods

1.3 Various Element shapes (Beams, Plates, Solid elements, Axisymmetric Elements)
2. SHAPE FUCTIONS AND OTHER TOPICS
2.1 Shape Functions
The shape function is the function which interpolates the solution between the discrete values
obtained at the mesh nodes. Therefore, appropriate functions have to be used and low order
polynomials are typically chosen as shape functions.

Shape functions are the backbone of finite element method as they play a crucial part in
converting the weak form equation to set of computer solvable algebraic equations.

Mathematical Modeling

As we know, any physical problem can be expressed in terms of a mathematical governing equation.
These governing equations can be simple algebraic equations (heat conduction between two points) or
complex differential and functional descriptions (spring-mass system, Navier-Stokes). The exact
numerical solution to these governing equations cannot be always obtained using standard solution
methods like substitutions and separable equations. Finite element analysis (FEA) is a procedure to
obtain approximate numerical solution to governing equations. This is achieved by converting the
mathematical model to set of solvable algebraic equations and attaining the numerical solution at set
of discrete locations in the computational domain.

Deriving Weak Form

Once the governing differential equation (strong form) is obtained by considering the
physics, kinematics and dynamics of a physical problem, the weak form can be obtained
using different approaches like virtual work principle and Galerkin weighted residual method.
For example, the weak form of 1D elastic problem is given below,

The figure below summarized different techniques for obtaining weak form equations.

Properties of Shape Functions

1. At a node, the value of shape function is either 0 or 1.

2. Summation of all the shape functions at any point is equal to 1.

3. Continuity

Within the element boundary, the polynomial approximation for u is C∞ continuous. The
continuity across the element boundaries depends on the polynomial approximation for
the variable. For example, the variable has only C0 continuity across the linear and
quadratic element boundaries (i.e., its first derivative is piecewise continuous).
3 Completeness

This is an important requirement for shape functions to ensure the convergence of finite
element approximate solution to the exact solution of governing equation.

3. BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
3.1 Definition
Boundary conditions are constraints necessary for the solution of a boundary value problem.
A boundary value problem is a differential equation (or system of differential equations) to be
solved in a domain on whose boundary a set of conditions is known.

Types of Boundary Conditions

1. Dirichlet boundary condition (also known as Type II) – fixed concentration

Dirichlet boundary conditions specify the value of the solution at the boundary of the
problem domain.

2. Neumann boundary condition (also known as Type II) – fixed dispersive flux
Neumann boundary conditions specify the derivative of the solution at the boundary
of the problem domain.

3. Robin boundary condition (also known as Type III)

It consists of a linear combination of the values of the field and its derivatives on the
boundary.

4. Mixed boundary condition

This refer to a combination of different types of boundary conditions applied to a
problem, often involving both Dirichlet and Neumann conditions.
5. Cauchy boundary condition – fixed total mass flux
These are viewed as a combination of Dirichlet and Neumann conditions since they
involve both the value of the function and its derivatives. These conditions are
 particularly relevant in initial value problems where time-dependent behaviour needs
to be analyzed.

4. APPLICATION OF FINITE ELEMENT METHODS

4.1 Plane Stress and Plane Strain
5. VARIATIONAL FORMULATION OF PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
AND OTHERS

5.1 Variational Formulation of PDEs

The variational formulation also known as weak formulation allows to find in a fast and
simple way the solution to phenomena or problems modeled through partial differential
equations, these when analyzed with the techniques or classical theory of PDE, it is very
complex to find a solution that satifies said equations.

By having a simpler way to work through linear algebra, it is also easier to use
computational techniques (software) to find approximate solution, such is the case of the
finite element method.

5.2 Element Boundary Matrices

The finite element method (FEM) is a numerical technique for solving a wide range of
complex physical phenomena, particularly those exhibiting geometrical and material
nonlinearities (such as those that are often encountered in the physical and engineering
sciences). These problems can be structural in nature, thermal (or thermo-mechanical),
electrical, magnetic, acoustic etc. plus any combination of. It is used most frequently to
tackle problems that aren’t readily amenable to analytical treatments.
 Governing equations for various physical phenomena

The premise is very simple; continuous domains (geometries) are decomposed into
discrete, connected regions (or finite elements). An assembly of element-level equations is
subsequently solved, in order to establish the response of the complete domain to a
particular set of boundary conditions.

The Direct Stiffness Method and the Stiffness Matrix

There are several finite element methods. These are:

 The Direct Approach, which is the simplest method for solving discrete problems
in 1 and 2 dimensions;
 The Weighted Residuals method which uses the governing differential equations
directly (e.g. the Galerkin method), and
 The Variational Approach, which uses the calculus of variation and the
minimisation of potential energy (e.g. the Rayleigh-Ritz method).

Gauss Elimination

Gauss elimination is used for solving systems of linear equations with thousands of
unknowns.

Worked Example:
Determine the values of x, y and z in the following system of equations using Gaussian
elimination.

𝑥 − 3𝑦 + 𝑧 = 4
2𝑥 − 8𝑦 + 8𝑧 = −2
−6𝑥 + 3𝑦 − 15𝑧 = 9
Solution
Linear Triangular Elements

The most basic type of triangular element is the linear element, with three nodes at the
vertices, for which the shape functions vary linearly. The shape functions for this
element can be constructed as follows: consider a triangle with vertices
(x ¿ ¿ 1 , y 1 ),(x ¿ ¿ 2, y 2 ),(x ¿ ¿ 3 , y 3 )¿ ¿ ¿