GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE FINITE-ELEMENT METHOD OF ANALYSIS IN ENGINEERING MECHANICS
The finite-element method is a numerical technique of analysis in engineering mechanics, and has been developed simultaneously with the increasing use of high-speed electronic digital computers. For many engineering problems in real life, it is not possible to obtain an analytical solution. An analytical solution is a mathematical expression that gives the values of an unknown desired quantity at any location in a body in relation to the material behavior and prescribed boundary and/or initial conditions. In general, analytical solutions can only be obtained for simplified problems, notably of the linear class. When a problem involves temperature- and/or stress-dependent material properties, nonlinear deformations and complex boundary conditions, one is forced to make use of a computerized solution scheme in order to obtain the proper values of the unknowns at given discrete points in the continuum or body. The primary advantage of employing the finite-element method to determine the stress and strain distributions in a continuum is that the method can be systematically programmed to accommodate such difficulties as nonhomogeneous materials, nonlinear stress-strain behavior, time and thermal effects, and complex boundary conditions. (ERA citation 03:010755)
-
Corporate Authors:
Union Carbide Corporation
Office of Waste Isolation
Oak Ridge, TN United StatesEnergy Research and Development Administration
20 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Authors:
- Hovland, H
- Russell, J E
- Publication Date: 1977-10-5
Media Info
- Pagination: 16 p.
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Finite element method; Information processing; Structural analysis
- Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Railroads;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00175419
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
- Contract Numbers: W-7405-ENG-26
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Jul 29 1978 12:00AM