Code No: 2766/CBCS

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
B.E VII Semester (CBCS) (M/P) (Main) Examination, December 2019
Subject: Finite Element Analysis
Key

PART – A (20 Marks)

1. Explain the principle of minimum potential energy.
Ans:
Potential energy is the capacity to do the work by the forces acting on deformable
bodies. The forces acting on a body may be classified as external forces and internal
forces. External forces are the applied loads while internal forces are the stresses
developed in the body. Hence the total potential energy is the sum of internal and
external potential energies.

Hence we have principle of minimum potential energy in solid mechanics, which may be
stated as “of all the possible displacement configurations a body can assume which
satisfy compatibility and boundary conditions, the configuration satisfying equilibrium
makes the potential energy assume a minimum value”.
 2. Distinguish between plane stress and plane strain condition.

Ans:
Plane stress exists when the elastic body is very thin and no load is applied in the
coordinate direction parallel to the thickness.
𝜎𝑧 = 𝜏𝑦𝑧 = 𝜏𝑧𝑥 = 0

Plane strain occurs in a members that are not free to expand in the direction
perpendicular to the plane of applied loads.
𝑒𝑧 = 𝛾𝑦𝑧 = 𝛾𝑧𝑥 = 0

3. Evaluate the integral of I = (+20x – 40x2 ) dx by using Gaussian quadrature

of two approximations.

Ans:
 4. Differentiate between lumped & Consistent mass matrix.

Ans:
Consistent mass matrix is obtained by using shape function of various elements used
for obtaining stiffness matrix while lumped mass matrix is obtained usually by total
element mass in each direction equally distributed over the nodes of each element and
masses are associated with translational degree of freedom.

Consistent Mass Matrix for 1D Element

Lumped Mass Matrix for 1D Element

5. Explain the properties of Eigen values and Eigen vectors

Ans:
The generalized problem in free vibration is that of evaluating and eigen value λ = ω2
which is a measure of the frequency of vibration together with the corresponding eigen
vector U indicating the mode shape KU = λMU. Where K and M are symmetric matices.

6. What are multipoint constraints?

Ans:
These types of conditions are mostly seen in inclined roller support and a rigid bar
connected to more than one elastic body. These conditions contribute to the relation
between nodal displacements at the supports, causing the nodal displacements to the
interdependent.
 7. Describe the strain displacement matrix for 3-noded triangular element.

Ans:
The strain displacement relationship matrix also called gradient matrix for three
dimensional simplex element (i.e. for tetrahedral element) is derived as: for tetrahedron
element the displacement at the four nodes along the three global X,Y and Z axes are
given by
 8. Write the stiffness matrix of a frame element.
Ans:

9. Write about natural coordinate systems used in FEM.

Ans:
Natural coordinate system is coordinate system which permits the specifications of a
point within element by a set of dimensionless numbers, whose magnitude never
exceeds unity. It is obtained by assigning weightages to the nodal coordinates in
defining the coordinate of any point inside the element. Hence such system has the
property that ith coordinate has unit vale at node I of the element and zero value at all
other nodes.
 10. What is thermal conductivity matrix for 2D heat transfer problems?

Ans:
For 2D heat transfer problem the heat flow in X and Y direction are given by

PART – B (50 Marks)

Answers are attached in PDF file.

13 (a). What is CST element? State its properties and applications.

Ans:
In linear triangular element the displacement is assumed to vary linearly and hence the
strain which is the change of displacement per unit length is constant throughout the
element and hence this linear triangular element is called as constant strain triangular.

Faculty
S. Irfan Sadaq,
Asst. Prof., MED, MJCET