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Basic Concepts: Analysis (FEA)

The finite element method (FEM) is a numerical method used to solve engineering and mathematical models. It subdivides a complex problem into smaller, simpler parts called finite elements. This allows for approximating the solution of partial differential equations over complicated domains. The method works by constructing a mesh made up of finite elements, then assembling the element equations into a global system of equations that can be solved numerically. Finite element analysis (FEA) refers to using FEM to analyze phenomena computationally. It is useful for problems with complex geometries or moving boundaries.

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70 views2 pages

Basic Concepts: Analysis (FEA)

The finite element method (FEM) is a numerical method used to solve engineering and mathematical models. It subdivides a complex problem into smaller, simpler parts called finite elements. This allows for approximating the solution of partial differential equations over complicated domains. The method works by constructing a mesh made up of finite elements, then assembling the element equations into a global system of equations that can be solved numerically. Finite element analysis (FEA) refers to using FEM to analyze phenomena computationally. It is useful for problems with complex geometries or moving boundaries.

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The finite element method (FEM) is the most largely used method for solving problems of

engineering and mathematical models. Typical problem areas of interest include the traditional
fields of structural analysis, heat transfer, fluid flow, mass transport, and electromagnetic
potential. It is in fact a particular numerical method for solving partial differential equations in
two or three space variables (i.e. some boundary value problems). To solve the problem, it
subdivides a large system into smaller, simpler parts that are called finite elements. This is
obtained by a particular space discretisation in the space dimensions, which brings to the
construction of a mesh of the object: the numerical domain for the solution, which has a finite
number of points. The finite element method formulation of a boundary value problem finally
brings to a system of algebraic equations. The method approximates the unknown function
over the domain.[1] The simple equations that model these finite elements are then assembled
into a larger system of equations that models the entire problem. FEM then uses variational
methods from the calculus of variations to approximate a solution by minimizing an associated
error function.
Studying or analyzing a phenomenon with FEM is often referred to as finite element
analysis (FEA).

Basic concepts[edit]
The subdivision of a whole domain into simpler parts has several advantages:[2]

 Accurate representation of complex geometry


 Inclusion of dissimilar material properties
 Easy representation of the total solution
 Capture of local effects.
A typical work out of the method involves (1) dividing the domain of the problem into a
collection of subdomains, with each subdomain represented by a set of element equations to
the original problem, followed by (2) systematically recombining all sets of element equations
into a global system of equations for the final calculation. The global system of equations has
known solution techniques, and can be calculated from the initial values of the original problem
to obtain a numerical answer.
In the first step above, the element equations are simple equations that locally approximate the
original complex equations to be studied, where the original equations are often partial
differential equations (PDE). To explain the approximation in this process, FEM is commonly
introduced as a special case of Galerkin method. The process, in mathematical language, is to
construct an integral of the inner product of the residual and the weight functions and set the
integral to zero. In simple terms, it is a procedure that minimizes the error of approximation by
fitting trial functions into the PDE. The residual is the error caused by the trial functions, and
the weight functions are polynomial approximation functions that project the residual. The
process eliminates all the spatial derivatives from the PDE, thus approximating the PDE locally
with

 a set of algebraic equations for steady state problems,


 a set of ordinary differential equations for transient problems.
These equation sets are the element equations. They are linear if the underlying PDE is linear,
and vice versa. Algebraic equation sets that arise in the steady state problems are solved
using numerical linear algebra methods, while ordinary differential equation sets that arise in
the transient problems are solved by numerical integration using standard techniques such
as Euler's method or the Runge-Kutta method.
In step (2) above, a global system of equations is generated from the element equations
through a transformation of coordinates from the subdomains' local nodes to the domain's
global nodes. This spatial transformation includes appropriate orientation adjustments as
applied in relation to the reference coordinate system. The process is often carried out by FEM
software using coordinate data generated from the subdomains.
FEM is best understood from its practical application, known as finite element analysis
(FEA). FEA as applied in engineering is a computational tool for performing engineering
analysis. It includes the use of mesh generation techniques for dividing a complex problem into
small elements, as well as the use of software program coded with FEM algorithm. In applying
FEA, the complex problem is usually a physical system with the underlying physics such as
the Euler-Bernoulli beam equation, the heat equation, or the Navier-Stokes
equations expressed in either PDE or integral equations, while the divided small elements of
the complex problem represent different areas in the physical system.
FEA is a good choice for analyzing problems over complicated domains (like cars and oil
pipelines), when the domain changes (as during a solid state reaction with a moving
boundary), when the desired precision varies over the entire domain, or when the solution
lacks smoothness. FEA simulations provide a valuable resource as they remove multiple
instances of creation and testing of hard prototypes for various high fidelity situations.[3] For
instance, in a frontal crash simulation it is possible to increase prediction accuracy in
"important" areas like the front of the car and reduce it in its rear (thus reducing cost of the
simulation). Another example would be in numerical weather prediction, where it is more
important to have accurate predictions over developing highly nonlinear phenomena (such
as tropical cyclones in the atmosphere, or eddies in the ocean) rather than relatively calm
areas.

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