Finite Element Analysis

(ME-467)
Week # 14
Course Instructor:
MUHAMMAD SHAKEEL AFZAL
AP, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME)
Office # G-13
 RECAP

• Sources of Error in FEA?

• Types of elements?
• Why aspect ratio of elements is important ?
• What is significance of BCs in FEA?

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 Plane stress
➢ Plane stress is defined to be a state of stress in which the normal stress and the shear
stresses directed perpendicular to the plane are assumed to be zero.

➢ For instance, the plates in the x – y plane shown subjected to surface tractions T
(pressure acting on the surface edge or face of a member in units of force/area) in the
plane are under a state of plane stress; that is, the normal stress σz and the shear
stresses τxz and τzx are zero

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 Plane strain
➢ Plane strain is defined to be a state of strain in which the strain normal to the x – y
plane ϵz and the shear strains γxz and γyz are assumed to be zero

➢ The assumptions of plane strain are realistic for long bodies (say, in the z direction)
with constant cross-sectional area subjected to loads that act only in the x and/or y
directions and do not vary in the z direction

➢ Some plane strain examples are shown

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 Two-dimensional stress and strain
➢ The concept of a two-dimensional state of stress and strain and the stress/strain
relationships for plane stress and plane strain are necessary to understand fully the
development and applicability of the stiffness matrix for the plane stress/plane strain
triangular element

➢ Therefore, we briefly outline the essential concepts of two-dimensional stress and strain
(Refer Appendix C for more details) using figure

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 Two-dimensional stress and strain
➢ The stresses given in the matrix can be expressed in terms of the nodal
displacement degrees of freedom. Hence, if the nodal displacements are
determined, these stresses can be evaluated directly

➢ Recall from strength of materials [2] that the principal stresses, which are the maximum and
minimum normal stresses in the two-dimensional plane, can be obtained from the following
expressions:

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 Two-dimensional stress and strain
➢ Also, the principal angle θp, which defines the normal whose direction is perpendicular to
the plane on which the maximum or minimum principal stress acts, is defined by

➢ The principal stresses σ1 and σ2 and the angle θp are

shown on figure

➢ Recall that the shear stress is zero on the planes having

principal (maximum and minimum) normal stresses

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 Two-dimensional stress and strain
➢ In figure an infinitesimal element is used to represent the general two-dimensional state
of strain at some point in a structure

➢ The element is shown to be displaced by amounts u and v in the x and y directions at

point A, and to displace or extend an additional (incremental) amount (∂u/∂x) dx along
line AB, and (∂v/∂y) dy along line AC in the x and y directions, respectively
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 Two-dimensional stress and strain
➢ Furthermore, observing lines AB
and AC, we see that point B moves
upward an amount (∂v/∂x) dx with
respect to A, and point C moves to
the right an amount (∂u/∂y) dy with
respect to A

➢ From the general definitions of

normal and shear strains, we obtain

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 Two-dimensional stress and strain
➢ For plane stress, we assume the following stresses to be zero:

➢ Applying above eqn to the three-dimensional stress/strain relationship, the shear strains
γxz = γyz = 0, but ϵz is not 0. For plane stress conditions, we then have

➢ [D] is called the stress/strain matrix (or constitutive matrix), E is the modulus of elasticity,
and v is Poisson’s ratio 10
 Constant Strain Triangle (CST)
Stiffness Matrix
➢ To illustrate the steps and introduce the basic equations necessary for the plane
triangular element, consider the thin plate subjected to tensile surface traction loads TS
in Figure

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 Recap-General Steps of FEM

Step 2
Step 3
Step 1 Displacement Step 4
Function Strain/Displace
Discretization Element
ment and Stress
and Element Selection Stiffness Matrix
Strain
Type Selection (Shape function and Equations
Relationships
evaluation)

Step 5 Step 6
Step 7
Solve for Step 8
Assembly and Solve for
Unknown Result
Boundary Stresses and
Displacements Interpretation
Conditions Strains
(DOFs)

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 1 Select Element Type

➢ To analyze the plate, we consider the basic triangular element in Figure 6–7 taken
from the discretized plate, as shown in Figure 6–6 (b)

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 1 Select Element Type

➢ Here (xi , yi ), (xj , yj ), and (xm , ym) are the known nodal
coordinates of nodes i, j, and m, respectively

➢ The nodal displacement matrix is given by

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 2 Select Displacement Functions

➢ We select a linear displacement function for each element as

where u(x,y) and v(x,y) describe displacements at any interior point (xi , yi ) of the element

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 2 Select Displacement Functions

➢ Using the eqn, the general displacement function {ψ },

can be expressed as

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 2 Select Displacement Functions

➢ To obtain the coefficients (a) in eqn we begin by substituting the

coordinates of the nodal points into eqn to yield

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 2 Select Displacement Functions

➢ The first three expressions can be expressed in the matrix form

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 2 Select Displacement Functions

➢ The method of cofactors is used for finding the inverse of [x]. Thus,

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 2 Select Displacement Functions

➢ Having determined [x]-1, we can now express coefficients in expanded matrix form as

➢ Similarly

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 2 Select Displacement Functions

➢ We will derive displacement function u(x, y) of {ψ} in terms of

the coordinate variables x and y, known coordinate variables αi,
αj …, γm, and unknown nodal displacements ui, uj, and um. In
matrix form we can write u as

➢ Substituting a1, a2, and a3 into u, we obtain

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 2 Select Displacement Functions

➢ In the expanded form, we have

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 2 Select Displacement Functions

➢ The displacements can be written in a more convenience form as:

➢ where

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 2 Select Displacement Functions

➢ The displacement function can be expressed in the matrix form as

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 2 Select Displacement Functions

➢ In short, we can write {ψ} as

➢ Where

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 3 Define the strain/displacement and stress/strain relationship

➢ We will express the element strains and stresses in terms of the unknown nodal
displacements

Element strains: The strains associated with the two-dimensional element are given by

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 3 Define the strain/displacement and stress/strain displacement

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 3 Define the strain/displacement and stress/strain displacement

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 3 Define the strain/displacement and stress/strain displacement

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 3 Define the strain/displacement and stress/strain displacement

➢ The [B] matrix (sometimes called a gradient matrix) is independent of the x and y
coordinates (variables)

➢ It depends solely on the element nodal coordinates

➢ The strains in above expressions are constant 30

 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 3 Define the strain/displacement and stress/strain displacement

Stress/strain relationship

➢ In general, the in-plane stress/strain relationship is given by

Plain stress Plain strain

➢ In-plane, stresses can be expressed in terms of the unknown nodal degrees of freedom as

where the stresses {σ} are also constant everywhere within the element
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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 4 Derive the Element Stiffness Matrix and Equations

➢ Using the principle of minimum potential energy, we can generate the equations for a
typical constant-strain triangular element

➢ Keep in mind that for the basic plane stress element, the total potential energy is now a
function of the nodal displacements ui , vi , uj, …, vm (that is, {d}) such that

➢ Here the total potential energy is given by

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 4 Derive the Element Stiffness Matrix and Equations

where the strain energy is given by

or, we can write

➢ The potential energy of the body forces is given by

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 4 Derive the Element Stiffness Matrix and Equations

where {ψ} is again the general displacement function, and {X} is the body weight/unit volume or
weight density matrix (typically, in units of pounds per cubic inch or kilonewtons per cubic
meter)

➢ The potential energy of concentrated loads is given by

where {d} represents the usual nodal displacements, and {P} now represents the concentrated
external loads

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 4 Derive the Element Stiffness Matrix and Equations

➢ The potential energy of distributed loads (or surface tractions) moving through respective
surface displacements is given by

where {TS} represents the surface tractions (typically in units of pounds per square inch or
kilonewtons per square meter), {ψs} represents the field of surface displacements through
which the surface tractions act, and S represents the surfaces over which the tractions {TS} act

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 4 Derive the Element Stiffness Matrix and Equations

➢ Using the equations

we get

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 4 Derive the Element Stiffness Matrix and Equations

➢ The nodal displacements {d} are independent of the general x – y coordinates, so {d} can be
taken out of the integrals. Therefore

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 4 Derive the Element Stiffness Matrix and Equations

➢ The last three terms represent the total load system {f} on an element; that is

➢ Therefore, the potential energy expression can be written as

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 4 Derive the Element Stiffness Matrix and Equations

➢ Taking the first variation, or equivalently, the partial derivative of πp with respect to the nodal
displacements since πp = πp ({d}), we obtain

➢ Therefore, the potential energy expression can be written as

➢ Rewriting, we have

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 4 Derive the Element Stiffness Matrix and Equations

➢ From above eqn, we have

➢ For element with constant thickness, t

➢ The integrand is not a function of x or y for the constant-strain triangular element and thus
can be taken out of the integral to yield

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 4 Derive the Element Stiffness Matrix and Equations

where A, [D] and [B] are given by

Plane stress Plane strain

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 4 Derive the Element Stiffness Matrix and Equations

➢ [k] is a function of the nodal coordinates (because [B] and A are defined in terms of them)
and of the mechanical properties E and v (of which [D] is a function)

➢ The expansion of [k] for an element is

Order of [k]
is 6x6

where the 2 x 2 submatrices are given by

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Explicit expression for CST stiffness matrix

where [D] and [B] are given by

Plane strain

On substituting the [D] and [B] in [k], we get

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Explicit expression for CST stiffness matrix

➢ By multiplying the matrices, we get

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Explicit expression for CST stiffness matrix

➢ The explicit constant-strain triangle stiffness matrix for the plane strain case

➢ Note that [k] is a function of the difference in the x and y nodal coordinates, the material properties E and v, and
of the thickness t and surface area A of the element 45
 CST Stiffness Matrix
Explicit expression for CST stiffness matrix

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
➢ Using [k], element stiffness equation can be written as

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 5 Assemble the Element Equations to Obtain the Global Equations and Introduce
Boundary Conditions

➢ We obtain the global structure stiffness matrix and equations by using the direct stiffness
method as

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 CST Stiffness Matrix
Step 5 Assemble the Element Equations to Obtain the Global Equations and Introduce
Boundary Conditions

➢ The transformation of matrices from local to global coordinates is given as

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 CST Stiffness Matrix

Step 6 Solve for nodal displacements

Step 7 Solve for the Element Forces (Stresses)

The transformation of matrices from local to global coordinates is given as

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 Thank you…

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct

result of self-satisfaction in knowing you
did your best to become the best you are
capable of becoming...." (John Wooden)
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