Advanced Finite Element Simulation With Msc Marc

This book offers an in-depth insight into the general-purpose finite element program MSC Marc, which is distributed by MSC Software Corporation. It is a specialized program for nonlinear problems (implicit solver) which is common in academia and industry. The primary goal of this book is to provide a comprehensive introduction to a special feature of this software: the user can write user-subroutines in the programming language Fortran, which is the language of all classical finite element packages. This subroutine feature allows the user to replace certain modules of the core code and to implement new features such as constitutive laws or new elements. Thus, the functionality of commercial codes (‘black box’) can easily be extended by linking user written code to the main core of the program. This feature allows to take advantage of a commercial software package with the flexibility of a ‘semi-open’ code.

Based on simple examples, this book offers a short introduction to the general-purpose finite element program MSC Marc, a specialized program for non-linear problems (implicit solver) distributed by the MSC Software Corporation, which is commonly used in academia and industry. Today the documentation of all finite element programs includes a variety of step-by-step examples of differing complexity, and in addition, all software companies offer professional workshops on different topics. As such, rather than competing with these, the book focuses on providing simple examples, often single-element problems, which can easily be related to the theory that is discussed in finite element lectures. This makes it an ideal companion book to classical introductory courses on the finite element method.

This book offers a brief introduction to the general-purpose finite element program MSC Marc, focusing on providing simple examples, often single-element problems, which can easily be related to the theory that is discussed in finite element lectures. As such, it is an ideal companion book to classical introductory courses on the finite element method. MSC Marc is a specialized program for non-linear problems (implicit solver), which is distributed by the MSC Software Corporation and commonly used in academia and industry. The documentation of all finite element programs now includes a variety of step-by-step examples of differing complexity, and all software companies offer professional workshops on different topics. Since the first edition of the book, there have been several new releases of Marc/Mentat and numerous changes. This new edition incorporates the latest Marc/Mentat software developments and new examples.

This volume on some recent aspects of finite element methods and their applications is dedicated to Ulrich Langer and Arnd Meyer on the occasion of their 60th birthdays in 2012. Their work combines the numerical analysis of finite element algorithms, their efficient implementation on state of the art hardware architectures, and the collaboration with engineers and practitioners. In this spirit, this volume contains contributions of former students and collaborators indicating the broad range of their interests in the theory and application of finite element methods. Topics cover the analysis of domain decomposition and multilevel methods, including hp finite elements, hybrid discontinuous Galerkin methods, and the coupling of finite and boundary element methods; the efficient solution of eigenvalue problems related to partial differential equations with applications in electrical engineering and optics; and the solution of direct and inverse field problems in solid mechanics.

This volume demonstrates the use of FORTRAN for numerical computing in the context of the finite element method. FORTRAN is still an important programming language for computational mechanics and all classical finite element codes are written in this language, some of them even offer an interface to link user-code to the main program. This feature is especially important for the development and investigation of new engineering structures or materials. Thus, this volume gives a simple introduction to programming of elasto-plastic material behavior, which is, for example, the prerequisite for implementing new constitutive laws into a commercial finite element program.

This book is written for beginners who want to use MSC Nastran while learning the finite element method. It shows how to use Patran/MSC Nastran software to analyze different classes of solid mechanics problems, step-by-step, so that readers can follow and understand them easily. The book is suitable for designers and engineers to analyze solid mechanics problems by Nastran, apart from students and faculties.

This book provides a study aid on the finite element method. Based on the free computer algebra system “Maxima”, it presents routines to symbolically or numerically solve problems in the context of plane truss and frame structures. This allows readers to not only check classical “hand calculations” but also understand the computer implementation of the method. The mechanical theories focus on the classical one-dimensional structural elements, i.e. bars, Euler–Bernoulli and Timoshenko beams as well as their combination to generalized beam elements. Focusing on one-dimensional elements reduces the complexity of the mathematical framework and the resulting matrix equations can still be displayed with all components, and not only in a symbolic representation. The use of a computer algebra system and the incorporated functions, e.g. for equation solving, highlights the methodology of the finite element method rather than standard procedures. The book is based on the Springer Brief “Finite Elements for Truss and Frame Structures” (978-3-319-94940-6) by the same authors.

This book is intended as a study aid for the finite element method. Based on the free computer algebra system Maxima, we offer routines to symbolically or numerically solve problems from the context of two-dimensional problems. For this rather advanced topic, classical ‘hand calculations’ are difficult to perform and the incorporation of a computer algebra system is a convenient approach to handle, for example, larger matrix operations. The mechanical theories focus on the classical two-dimensional structural elements, i.e., plane elements, thin or classical plates, and thick or shear deformable plate elements. The use of a computer algebra system and the incorporated functions, e.g., for matrix operations, allows to focus more on the methodology of the finite element method and not on standard procedures. Furthermore, we offer a graphical user interface (GUI) to facilitate the model definition. Thus, the user may enter the required definitions in a source code manner directly in wxMaxima or use the GUI which is able to execute wxMaxime to perform the calculations.