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Finite Element Method Overview

The document provides an introduction to the finite element method (FEM), a numerical procedure used to solve various physical problems such as solid mechanics and fluid flow. It outlines the modeling process, including the types of errors involved—modeling, discretization, and numerical errors—and the basic steps in FE modeling. The document emphasizes the importance of FEM in engineering, particularly in the civil and aeronautical industries, since its development in the 1950s.

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2 views11 pages

Finite Element Method Overview

The document provides an introduction to the finite element method (FEM), a numerical procedure used to solve various physical problems such as solid mechanics and fluid flow. It outlines the modeling process, including the types of errors involved—modeling, discretization, and numerical errors—and the basic steps in FE modeling. The document emphasizes the importance of FEM in engineering, particularly in the civil and aeronautical industries, since its development in the 1950s.

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Institute of Aeronautics and Applied Mechanics

Finite element method 2


(FEM2)
Introduction

10.2021
1
The finite element method (FEM) is an approximate method
which can be used as a numerical procedure to solve physical
problems including:

- solid body mechanics,


- heat transfer,
- fluid flow,
- electromagnetism,
- coupled field problems
- …

FEM was developed in 1950s to solve problems for the civil and
aeronautical industry. The method become the most powerful
analysis tool, mainly due to the development of computers.

2
Modelling

observation
Real object
geometry, physical laws, material
properties, PDEs, boundary conditions

Mathematical model EXACT SOLUTION OF A MATHEMATICAL MODEL

approximation, discretization

Discrete model SOLUTION OF A DISCRETE MODEL

numerical calculations

REAL RESULT NUMERICAL RESULT

3
Errors
total error = modelling error + discretization error + numerical error
modelling error  discretization error  numerical error  min

Real object

modelling error … …

Mathematical model EXACT SOLUTION OF A MATHEMATICAL MODEL

discretization error … …

Discrete model SOLUTION OF A DISCRETE MODEL

total error
numerical error … …
… …
REAL RESULT NUMERICAL RESULT
4
Modelling error

Available information about the real object:


- material data
- geometry Example. Wooden board loaded by gravity.
- work conditions

Simplifing assumptions
- dimensionality
- material model
- nonlinearities
- type of load

5
Discretization error

Discretization
- type (mapped, free, sweep)
- density

Finite element
- shape functions
- integration scheme

6
Example. Plate with notches Fig. 9
y
x
d
notch tip

Stress components at the notch tip versus element size d (numerical results)

QUAD 4-node QUAD 4-node

QUAD 8-node
QUAD 4-node
QUAD 8-node
QUAD 8-node

EXACT SOLUTION OF A MATHEMATICAL MODEL


7
Numerical error

- solver
- condition number

- rounding (number of significant digits)


Approximately, if the condition number = k, then up to k digits can
be lost during solution of the system of linear equations.

p – number of significant digits in the computer representation of numbers


r – number of significant digits of the result
In FE models the value of can reach 8

8
FE modeling – basic steps

Mathematical model

Preprocessor
geometry, element types, material properties, approximation, discretization

Discrete model

Solution
analysis type, boundary conditions, solver, contents of a result file

numerical calculations

NUMERICAL RESULT

Postprocessor
numbers, graphs, contour maps, animations, error estimation

9
Example. DOF solution ( , ) for 2D problem. FE model with 4-node
quadrilaterals
𝑞
𝑞 𝑞
𝑞
2×1 2×8 8×1

𝑞 𝑞

𝑞
𝑞

( , )

10
Example. Stress component ( , ) for 2D problem. FE model with
4-node quadrilateral elements

( , )

error estimation

11

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