Description:

Basic mathematical formulation of the Finite Element Method. Direct Stiffness Method used in structural mechanics. Evaluation of stiffness matrices for the basic elements using variational principles. Element formulation (bar and beam elements, CST, LST, quadrilateral, tetrahedral and brick elements). Natural coordinates, natural shape functions and isoparametric representation. Numerical integration. Introduction to dynamics. FEM programming.

Recommended literature:

O. C. Zienkiewicz and R. L. Taylor, The Finite Element Method: Volume 1 The Basis, 5th Edition, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. 2000.
K. J. Bathe, Finite Element Procedures, 2nd Edition, Prentice-Hall Inc., New Jersey. 1995.

Keywords:

Finite Element Method, structural mechanics, shape functions, variational principles, stiffness matrix, numerical integration, isoparametric formulation.

Abbreviations used:

Semester:

• W ... winter semester (usually October - February)
• S ... spring semester (usually March - June)
• W,S ... both semesters

Mode of completion of the course:

• A ... Assessment (no grade is given to this course but credits are awarded. You will receive only P (Passed) of F (Failed) and number of credits)
• GA ... Graded Assessment (a grade is awarded for this course)
• EX ... Examination (a grade is awarded for this course)
• A, EX ... Examination (the award of Assessment is a precondition for taking the Examination in the given subject, a grade is awarded for this course)

Weekly load (hours per week):

• P ... lecture
• C ... seminar
• L ... laboratory
• R ... proseminar
• S ... seminar