Introduction to Finite Element Analysis

UOS

0408-410
Professor: Dr. Hussien Ali Hussien
[email protected]
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Office M6-109-A Ph# 06 505 2631
1
0408-410

Office Hours:
Mon. and Wed.@ 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Tue. and Thu.@ 1:00 to 2:00 PM
Others times by appointment ONLY (No walk-in please)
No office hours on Sundays
 Tentative Lectures Schedule
Week# Topic Readin
g
1) 01/09 Review of Matrix Algebra & solution of simultaneous linear equs. Ch1
2) 08/09 Introduction to the Stiffness (Displacement) Method (Springs) Ch2
3) 15/09 Introduction to the Stiffness (Displacement) Method Quiz1 Ch2
4) 22/09 Uniaxial Bar and Truss Elements Ch3
5) 29/09 Uniaxial Bar and Truss Elements, Quiz2 Ch3
6) 06/10 Uniaxial Bar and Truss Elements Ch3
7) 13/10 Finite Element Analysis of Beams and Frames Ch4&C5
8) 20/10 Finite Element Analysis of Beams and Frames, MIDTERM (TBD) Ch4&C5
9) 27/10 Finite Element Analysis of Beams and Frames Ch4&C5
10) 03/11 Plane Stress and Plane Strain Stiffness Equations , Ch6
Quiz3
11) 10/11 Plane Stress and Plane Strain Stiffness Equations Ch6
12) 17/11 Practical Considerations in Modeling, Quiz4 Ch7
13) 24/11 Practical Considerations in Modeling Ch7
14) 01/12 Finite Element Analysis of Heat Transfer Problems, Quiz5 Ch13
15) 08/12 Finite Element Analysis of Fluid flow, Ch14
16)15/12 Final Exam
All Quizzes and Midterm will be on Thu class of the listed week 2
A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Chapter 4
Development of
Beam Equations

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Learning Objectives
• To review the basic concepts of beam bending
• To derive the stiffness matrix for a beam element
• To demonstrate beam analysis using the direct
stiffness method
• To illustrate the effects of shear deformation in shorter
beams
• To introduce the work-equivalence method for
replacing distributed loading by a set of discrete loads
• To introduce the general formulation for solving beam
problems with distributed loading acting on them

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Learning Objectives (cont.)

• To analyze beams with distributed loading acting on
them
• To compare the finite element solution to an exact
solution for a beam
• To derive the stiffness matrix for the beam element
with nodal hinge
• To show how the potential energy method can be used
to derive the beam element equations
• To apply Galerkin’s residual method for deriving the
beam element equations

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Beams
• A beam is a long, slender structural member generally subjected to
transverse loading that produces significant bending effects as
opposed to twisting or axial effects.

• vi’s represent local transverse nodal displacements.

• Φi’s represent rotations.
• mi’s represent moments.
• fi’s represent local nodal forces.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Beam Theory Sign Conventions

1. Moments are positive in the counterclockwise direction.

2. Rotations are positive in the counterclockwise direction.
3. Forces are positive in the positive y direction.
4. Displacements are positive in the positive y direction.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Beam Stiffness Matrix: Euler-

Bernoulli Beam Theory
• The differential equation governing Euler-Bernoulli beam theory is
based on plane cross sections perpendicular to the longitudinal
centroidal axis and can be derived from the figures:

• Review the book derivation of the beam element differential

equation for a better understanding

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Select the Element Type and

Displacement Function
• Step 1 is to label the nodes as we did in Figure 4-1.

• Step 2 is to select a displacement function.

• The transverse displacement variation function takes the form:

• The cubic displacement function is appropriate because there are four

total degrees of freedom.
• Transverse displacement vi and a small rotation Φi for Node 1 and
Node 2

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Beam Element Shape Functions

• Expressing v as a function of the nodal degrees of freedom gives:

• Expressing in matrix from as where

• Yields the shape functions: N1, N2, N3, and N4
• These are known as the Hermite cubic spline functions

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Define the Strain/Displacement and

Stress/Strain Relationships
• Step 3 is to define the strain/displacement
and stress/strain relationships.
• Assume the axial strain/displacement
relationship to be valid:

• We can relate the axial displacement

to the transverse displacement by:

• Combing, we obtain:

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Deriving the Element Stiffness

Matrix and Equations
• Step 4 is to derive the stiffness matrix.
• The bending moment and shear force are related to the transverse
displacement function by:

• Combining these with the transverse displacement function we derive the

nodal forces and moments as:

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Beam Stiffness Matrix: Euler-Bernoulli

Beam Theory
• Putting the equations into matrix form yields:
[k] relates transverse forces and
bending moments to transverse
displacements and rotations.
Axial effects have been
neglected

• The beam element stiffness matrix that we derived, assumes

that the beam is long and slender: length to depth ratio is large.
• For short deep beams, transverse shear deformation can be
significant.
• A general rule for rectangular cross-section beams is that for a
length at least 8 times the depth, the transverse shear deflection
is less than 5 percent of the bending deflection.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Beam Stiffness Matrix:

Timoshenko Beam Theory

• Includes the shear deformation in beam theory with

application to vibrational problems

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Beam Stiffness Matrix:

Timoshenko Beam Theory
• The total deflection of the beam is affected by bending and shear force:

• Performing the derivation like was done previously, yields the stiffness
matrix with the nodal forces and nodal degrees of freedom:

• g represents the transverse shear term (g = EI/ksAG)

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Beam Stiffness Matrix:

Timoshenko Beam Theory
• we define the non-dimensional shear correction term as φ =
12EI/(ksAGL2) =12g / L2 and rewrite the stiffness matrix as

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Assemblage of Beam Stiffness

Matrices
• First discretize the beam into two elements with nodes 1-3.
• Include a node at mid-length because an applied force and
moment exist there.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Assemblage of Beam Stiffness

Matrices
• Assemble the total (global) stiffness matrix from the global stiffness
matrices of the two elements using the direct stiffness method.

• The boundary conditions, or constraints, of the fixed support at Node 1

and the hinge (pinned) support at node 3 gives:

• We can now reduce the equation and substitute to solve for the unknown
nodal displacement v2 and unknown nodal rotations φ2 and φ3.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Beam Analysis Using the Direct

Stiffness Method

• Examples 4.1 to 4.5 in the text are examples of

beam analysis using the direct stiffness method.

• Work through some of these problems for

practice.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Distributed Loading
• Beam members can support distributed loading as well as concentrated nodal
loading.
• Consider figure a, which illustrates a distributed loading on a beam.
• The fixed end reactions for the beam are shown in figure b.
• A uniformly distributed load can be replaced by concentrated nodal forces and
moments, as shown in figure c.
• These statistically have the same effect on the beam.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Equivalent Nodal Forces

• In general, account for distributed loads or concentrated loads acting on
beam elements by started with the formulation for a general structure:

Where {F} are the concentrated nodal forces and {F0} are the equivalent
nodal forces expressed in global-coordinate components.
• The same concept can be applied on a local basis as:

• Examples 4.6 – 4.9 illustrate the method of equivalent nodal forces

for solving beam problems subjected to distributed and
concentrated loadings.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Comparing the Finite Element Solution to

the Exact Solution for a Beam

• The exact classical beam theory solution for the cantilever beam shown
in Figure 4-30 subjected to a uniformly distributed load will be graphically
compared to the finite element solution.

• Review section 4.5 for the exact derivation of the solutions.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Comparing the Finite Element Solution to

the Exact Solution for a Beam

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Comparing the Finite Element Solution to

the Exact Solution for a Beam
• Displacement Variation
• The plot for displacement variation matches the beam theory solution at the
nodes but predicts smaller displacements at other locations
• Bending Moment Variation
• Derived by taking two derivatives of the displacement function
• Best approximation at midpoint, requires more elements
• Shear Force Variation
• Derived by taking three derivatives of the displacement function
• Best approximation at midpoint, requires more elements
• To improve the finite element solution, we need to use more elements or use
a higher-order element, such as a fifth-order approximation for the
displacement function

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Beam Element with Nodal Hinge

• An internal hinge causes a discontinuity in the slope or rotation of the
deflection curve at the hinge.
• To model the hinge, we consider the hinge to be placed on either the right
end of element 1 or on the left end of element 2, but not on both
elements.
• Examples 4.10 and 4.11 illustrate how to solve beam problems with nodal
hinges.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Potential Energy Approach to Derive

Beam Element Equations
• Total potential energy for a beam is:

• The general one-dimensional strain energy for a beam is given by:

• Potential energy of forces for a single beam element subjected to both

distributed and concentrated loads is:

• Body forces are neglected. The first term represents transverse surface
loading, second term nodal concentrated forces, and third moments

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Potential Energy Approach to Derive

Beam Element Equations
• With the differential volume and differential area given as:

• Where b is the constant width, we can write the total potential energy as:

• Express the strain in terms of nodal displacements and rotations as:

• ,
• Obtain the stress/strain relationship as:

Where [D] is the elastic modulus

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Potential Energy Approach to Derive

Beam Element Equations
• We can write the total potential energy as:

Where w is the line load.

• Differentiating the total potential energy with respect to V1, φ1, V2, and φ2
and equating each term to zero to minimize, we obtain four element
equations written in matrix form as:

• Representing the nodal force matrix as the sum of nodal forces, we

have:

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Potential Energy Approach to Derive

Beam Element Equations
• Because we get a form of the stiffness matrix:

• Substituting in and integrating, we can evaluate the stiffness matrix in

explicit form as:

• This equation represents the local stiffness matrix for a beam element
and as expected, is identical to the stiffness matrix we developed
previously.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Galerkin’s Residual Method for Deriving

Beam Element Equations
• Begin with the basic differential with transverse loading w included:

• We define the residual R, as the above equation and apply Galerkin’s

criterion:

• Applying integration by parts and substituting we obtain:

• Express the above equation in matrix form as:

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Galerkin’s Residual Method for Deriving

Beam Element Equations
• Observe that in the last equation, the integral term on the left side is identical to
the stiffness matrix previously derived using the potential energy approach.
• When we evaluate the shape factors and use them in the previous equation, the
following terms result:

• These nodal shear forces and moments are illustrated in Figure 4-37.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Summary
• Discussed beams and beam theory sign conventions
• Derived the Beam stiffness matrix for the Euler-Bernoulli Beam Theory
and Timoshenko Beam Theory
• Reviewed the method of assembling beam stiffness matrices
• Review examples 4.1 to 4.5 in the book on beam analysis using the direct
stiffness method
• Discussed distributed loadings
• Reviewed equivalent nodal forces in general: review examples 4.6 – 4.9
in the text
• Compared the finite element solution to the exact solution for a beam
• Discussed beam element with nodal hinge
• Derived the beam element equations using the potential energy approach
• Briefly covered the derivation of beam element equations using Galerkin’s
Residual Method

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