Introduction to

Finite Element Analysis

Presented by

Dr. A. Kumaravel, M.Tech., Ph.D.,

Professor and Head / Mechanical, KSRCT

Finite Element Method

FEM was first developed in 1943 by
R. Courant
Use of FEM in structural analysis was
reported by Turner et al. (1956)
FEM was named by Clough (1960)
The finite element method has wide
application in the structural, thermal and
fluid analysis areas

FEA - Procedure
The finite element method is comprised of
the following steps:
(1) Pre-processing,
(2) Obtaining elemental equations,
(3) Assembly,
(4) Application of boundary conditions,
(5) Solution, and
(6) Post-processing

Element Characteristic Matrix

Structural mechanics: stiffness matrixnodal displacements to nodal forces
Heat conduction: conductivity matrixnodal temperatures to nodal fluxes
Direct method
Variational method
Weighted residual methods

Applications of Finite Element Analysis

Civil Engineering
Aircraft structures
Mechanical Design
Electrical Mechanics and electromagnetics
Biomechanical Engineering

Advantages of Finite Element Method

Complex problems can be easily solved

Natural load conditions can be easily handled
Higher order elements may be implemented
Non homogeneous materials can be handled
easily
Unlimited number of boundary conditions can be
handled
Accuracy level can be improved by vary the size
of the element
Dynamic effects are included

Disadvantages of Finite Element Method

It is time consuming process

We have to depend on computer package when
we go for more number of elements
If we divide the system into smaller number of
elements, we may get considerable variation from
exact solution
Results may not be closer with analytical results,
because it is an approximation method
Requires sound background in mathematics
otherwise solving problem is highly difficult