Finite element method introduction references [closed]
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Could you recommend some good articles/notes/tutorials on finite element method (FEM)? I don't deal with advanced math every day, so a tutorial that introduces me to math needed to understand FEM will be great.

My goal is to write my own simulation of deformable bodies (+plasticity). I must use FEM, but it will be good if I will know BEM (Boundary element method) and FDM (Finite difference method) too.

Curriery answered 24/4, 2011 at 17:9 Comment(0)
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Really understanding Finite Element Methods requires quite a bit of fairly advanced mathematics; unless you have a few years to devote to the cause, let's leave that aside for now.

That said, the basic ideas underlying FEM are fairly simple if you have some experience with ODE solvers. Can you tell us some more about your background and what you really want to learn so that we can suggest some appropriate resources? Do you want to learn the underlying mathematics, or do you just want to learn some cookbook recipes for applying FEM to a certain class of problem?

Quieten answered 24/4, 2011 at 19:47 Comment(1)
Most FEA solutions have to do with partial differential equations. ODEs certainly apply for the time dimension, but "fairly simple" isn't the phrase I'd use to describe it.Watt
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Your question is unclear. I don't know what you want to know, because it's impossible to tell what you're ignorant of here.

You don't deal with advanced math every day. What do you know about the finite element method? Here are topics you'll need to know:

  1. Statics and dynamics; how to draw free body diagrams
  2. Solid mechanics - strength of materials, elasticity,
  3. Continuum mechanics for large strain models: Lagrangian and Eulerian formulations
  4. Material models - elasticity and plasticity
  5. Partial differential equations
  6. Method of weighted residuals and integral equations
  7. Linear algebra
  8. Numerical methods
  9. Geometric modeling - CAD for geometry and meshing for FEA models
  10. Commercial or open source packages

You don't say whether you want to use a commercial package (ANSYS, NASTRAN, ABAQUS) or something that you'll write.

As far as references go, there are lots of books available now, but they aren't easy to read or absorb. I'd recommend T.J.R. Hughes' Dover book on the subject. It's cheap and good.

But it's not easy.

I just skimmed through the paper. It looks like a survey article, with nothing new to contribute to the state of the art. It covers a lot more than just small strain plasticity of metals. I see fabric models, large strain problems, etc.

It also mentions boundary element methods and finite difference methods. Do you want to know about those, too? Boundary element methods are completely different from finite elements. The former are based on Green's function formulations; the latter use method of weighted residuals.

The paper doesn't have a great deal of depth to it, but it's very broad. What do you want to know?

I don't think it's possible for someone with so little background to write their own. A better place to start would be FENICS.

Watt answered 24/4, 2011 at 22:52 Comment(1)
I want to write my own simulation of deformable bodies ( + plasticity ). I must you FEM, but it will be good if I will know BEM and FDE too. Sorry for another nick, but I write question from another computerCurriery
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I can recommend Introduction to Finite Element Methods by Carlos A. Felippa. It is relativly easy to read.

You can find it here, the Chapters are linked on the main page.

Only the direct stiffness method is covered, think of deformations of trusses without time considerations.

It follows a very nice 'hands-on' approach with examples in Mathematica which are well suited for developer folks.

Binnings answered 21/3, 2013 at 21:37 Comment(0)
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A really good introduction to FEA for beginners is "Practical Stress Analysis with Finite Elements" by Bryan J Mac Donald. This concentrates on stress analysis but shows you how the method works from both a practical and a theoretical point of view. Unlike a lot of other books it is not specific to any particular software and it is written in plain, easy-to-understand language.

Gobbledegook answered 17/6, 2013 at 13:7 Comment(0)

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