Finite Elements 1 2 3

This text is intended for the student who is being introduced for the first time to the Finite Element Method (FEM). Written in a simple, easy to follow manner, the book is a practical guide for learning the basics of the method and applying them to a wide variety of problems. The book focuses on the practical applications of fundamental concepts, with special emphasis on fluid mechanics. Computational experiments are integrated throughout the text via example problems and exercises. A comprehensive finite element instructional computer code, written for the PC using standard FORTRAN 77, is used to support every basic step and solve the set of example problems. The coverage of numerical linear algebra presents a unique numerical scheme based on continuing finite element/finite difference methodologies.

This book is the third volume of a three-part textbook suitable for graduate coursework, professional engineering and academic research. It is also appropriate for graduate flipped classes. Each volume is divided into short chapters. Each chapter can be covered in one teaching unit and includes exercises as well as solutions available from a dedicated website. The salient ideas can be addressed during lecture, with the rest of the content assigned as reading material. To engage the reader, the text combines examples, basic ideas, rigorous proofs, and pointers to the literature to enhance scientific literacy. Volume III is divided into 28 chapters. The first eight chapters focus on the symmetric positive systems of first-order PDEs called Friedrichs' systems. This part of the book presents a comprehensive and unified treatment of various stabilization techniques from the existing literature. It discusses applications to advection and advection-diffusion equations and various PDEs written in mixed form such as Darcy and Stokes flows and Maxwell's equations. The remainder of Volume III addresses time-dependent problems: parabolic equations (such as the heat equation), evolution equations without coercivity (Stokes flows, Friedrichs' systems), and nonlinear hyperbolic equations (scalar conservation equations, hyperbolic systems). It offers a fresh perspective on the analysis of well-known time-stepping methods. The last five chapters discuss the approximation of hyperbolic equations with finite elements. Here again a new perspective is proposed. These chapters should convince the reader that finite elements offer a good alternative to finite volumes to solve nonlinear conservation equations.

This textbook presents finite element methods using exclusively one-dimensional elements. It presents the complex methodology in an easily understandable but mathematically correct fashion. The approach of one-dimensional elements enables the reader to focus on the understanding of the principles of basic and advanced mechanical problems. The reader will easily understand the assumptions and limitations of mechanical modeling as well as the underlying physics without struggling with complex mathematics. Although the description is easy, it remains scientifically correct. The approach using only one-dimensional elements covers not only standard problems but allows also for advanced topics such as plasticity or the mechanics of composite materials. Many examples illustrate the concepts and problems at the end of every chapter help to familiarize with the topics. Each chapter also includes a few exercise problems, with short answers provided at the end of the book. The second edition appears with a complete revision of all figures. It also presents a complete new chapter special elements and added the thermal conduction into the analysis of rod elements. The principle of virtual work has also been introduced for the derivation of the finite-element principal equation.

Designed for a one-semester course in Finite Element Method, this compact and well-organized text presents FEM as a tool to find approximate solutions to differential equations. This provides the student a better perspective on the technique and its wide range of applications. This approach reflects the current trend as the present-day applications range from structures to biomechanics to electromagnetics, unlike in conventional texts that view FEM primarily as an extension of matrix methods of structural analysis. After an introduction and a review of mathematical preliminaries, the book gives a detailed discussion on FEM as a technique for solving differential equations and variational formulation of FEM. This is followed by a lucid presentation of one-dimensional and two-dimensional finite elements and finite element formulation for dynamics. The book concludes with some case studies that focus on industrial problems and Appendices that include mini-project topics based on near-real-life problems. Postgraduate/Senior undergraduate students of civil, mechanical and aeronautical engineering will find this text extremely useful; it will also appeal to the practising engineers and the teaching community.

Highlights of the book: Discussion about all the fields of Computer Aided Engineering, Finite Element Analysis Sharing of worldwide experience by more than 10 working professionals Emphasis on Practical usuage and minimum mathematics Simple language, more than 1000 colour images International quality printing on specially imported paper Why this book has been written ... FEA is gaining popularity day by day & is a sought after dream career for mechanical engineers. Enthusiastic engineers and managers who want to refresh or update the knowledge on FEA are encountered with volume of published books. Often professionals realize that they are not in touch with theoretical concepts as being pre-requisite and find it too mathematical and Hi-Fi. Many a times these books just end up being decoration in their book shelves ... All the authors of this book are from IIT€™s & IISc and after joining the industry realized gap between university education and the practical FEA. Over the years they learned it via interaction with experts from international community, sharing experience with each other and hard route of trial & error method. The basic aim of this book is to share the knowledge & practices used in the industry with experienced and in particular beginners so as to reduce the learning curve & avoid reinvention of the cycle. Emphasis is on simple language, practical usage, minimum mathematics & no pre-requisites. All basic concepts of engineering are included as & where it is required. It is hoped that this book would be helpful to beginners, experienced users, managers, group leaders and as additional reading material for university courses.

This book is the first volume of a three-part textbook suitable for graduate coursework, professional engineering and academic research. It is also appropriate for graduate flipped classes. Each volume is divided into short chapters. Each chapter can be covered in one teaching unit and includes exercises as well as solutions available from a dedicated website. The salient ideas can be addressed during lecture, with the rest of the content assigned as reading material. To engage the reader, the text combines examples, basic ideas, rigorous proofs, and pointers to the literature to enhance scientific literacy. Volume I is divided into 23 chapters plus two appendices on Banach and Hilbert spaces and on differential calculus. This volume focuses on the fundamental ideas regarding the construction of finite elements and their approximation properties. It addresses the all-purpose Lagrange finite elements, but also vector-valued finite elements that are crucial to approximate the divergence and the curl operators. In addition, it also presents and analyzes quasi-interpolation operators and local commuting projections. The volume starts with four chapters on functional analysis, which are packed with examples and counterexamples to familiarize the reader with the basic facts on Lebesgue integration and weak derivatives. Volume I also reviews important implementation aspects when either developing or using a finite element toolbox, including the orientation of meshes and the enumeration of the degrees of freedom.

This text provides the reader with a unique insight into the finite element method, along with symbolic programing that fundamentally changes the way applications can be developed. It is an essential tool for undergraduate or early postgraduate courses as well as an excellent reference book for engineers and scientists who want to quickly develop finite-element programs. The use of symbolic computation in Maple system delivers new benefits in the analysis and understanding of the finite element method.

The finite element method is popular among engineers and scientists as a numerical technique for solving practical problems. At the same time, the links with classical variational methods make the technique of interest to mathematicians. This book introduces the main concepts of the finite element method in a simple and carefully paced manner, using numerical examples wherever possible. Both the theoretical and practical aspects are described and explained. A basic knowledge of engineering mathematics is all that is required, and the style is not formal. The approach and treatment are intended to appeal to the advanced undergraduate or postgraduate, or to the practising engineer who wishes to acquire a deeper understanding of the finite element software that he is using.