Finite Elements Method in Structures

Structural Engineering Program

School of Civil and Water Resources Engineering
Bahir Dar university (BiT)

INTRODUCTION
(Lec-1-B)
Element Shapes, Nodes, Nodal Unknowns , Coordinate
Systems and strain displacement matrix
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Element Shapes

• Based on the shapes elements can be classified as

i. One dimensional elements
ii. Two dimensional elements
iii. Axi-symmetric elements and
iv. Three dimensional elements.

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 Element Shapes
i. One dimensional elements
• These elements are suitable for the analysis of one dimensional
problem and may be called as line elements also.

Different types of one dimensional elements.

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 Element Shapes

ii. Two dimensional elements

• Used to solve two dimensional problems and the common and the problems in stress
analysis are plane stress, plane strain and plate problems.

• Two dimensional elements often used is three

noded triangular element which are known as
Constant Strain Triangles (CST) or Linear
Displacement Triangles.

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 Element Shapes

• Six noded triangular element is known as

Linear Strain Triangle (LST) or as Quadratic
Displacement Triangle.

• Ten noded triangular elements are known as

Quadratic Strain Triangles (QST) or Cubic
Displacement Triangles

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 Element Shapes

• A simple but less used two dimensional

element is the four noded rectangular
element whose sides are parallel to the
global coordinate systems.

• This systems is easy to construct

automatically but it is not well suited to
approximate inclined boundaries.

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 Element Shapes
• Rectangular elements of higher order also can be used.
• Family of Lagrange rectangle (nodes are in the form of grid points)

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 Element Shapes
• Family of Serendipity rectangles which are having nodes only along
the external boundaries.

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 Element Shapes
• Quadrilateral Elements are also
used in finite element analysis.
• Initially quadrilateral elements were
developed by combining triangular
elements.
• But it has taken back stage after
isoparametric concept was
developed.
• Isoparametric concept is based on
using same functions for defining
geometries and nodal unknowns.
• Even higher order triangular
elements may be used to generate
quadrilateral elements.

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 Element Shapes

Using isoparametric concept

even curved elements are
developed to take care of
boundaries with curved shapes

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 Element Shapes
iii. Axi-symmetric Elements
• These are also known as ring type elements.
• These elements are useful for the analysis of
axi-symmetric problems such as analysis of
cylindrical storage tanks, shafts, rocket
nozzles.
• Axi-symmetric elements can be constructed
from one or two dimensional elements.
• One dimensional axi-symmetric element is a
conical frustum and a two dimensional axi-
symmetric element is a ring with a triangular
or quadrilateral cross section.

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 Element Shapes
iv. Three Dimensional Elements

• Similar to the triangle for two dimensional

problems tetrahedron is the basic element for
three dimensional problems.
Tetrahedron element Rectangular prism
• Tetrahedron is having four nodes, one at each (brick) element
corner.
• Three dimensional elements with eight nodes
are either in the form of a general hexahedron
or a rectangular prism, which is a particular
case of a hexahedron.
• The rectangular prism element is many times
called as a brick element also. Arbitrary Three dimensional
hexahedron element quadratic element
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 NODES

• Nodes are the selected finite points at which basic unknowns (displacements in elasticity
problems) are to be determined in the finite element analysis.

• The basic unknowns at any point inside the element are determined by using
approximating/interpolation/shape functions in terms of the nodal values of the element.

• There are two types of nodes viz. external nodes and internal nodes.

• External nodes are those which occur on the edges/ surface of the elements and they may be
common to two or more elements.

• These nodes may be further classified as (i) Primary nodes and (ii) Secondary nodes.

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NODES

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 NODAL UNKNOWNS

• Basic unknowns may be displacements for stress analysis, temperatures for

heat flow problems and the potentials for fluid flow or in the magneticfield
problems.
• In the problems like truss analysis, plane stress and plane strain, it is enough if
the continuity of only displacements are satisfied, since there is no change in
the slopes at any nodal point.
• Such problems are classified as ‘zeroth’ continuity problems and are indicated
as C0- continuity problem.
• In case of beams and plates, not only the continuity of displacements, but the
slope continuity also should be ensured.
• Since the slope is the first derivative of displacement, this type of problems are
classified as ‘First order continuity problems and are denoted as C1 –
continuity problems. In exact plate bending analysis even second order

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Coordinate Sysytem
• The following terms are commonly referred in FEM
• (i) Global coordinates
• (ii) Local coordinates and
• (iii) Natural coordinates.
• However there is another term ‘generalized coordinates’ used for
defining a polynomial form of interpolation function.
• This has nothing to do with the ‘coordinates’ term used here to define
the location of points in the element.

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 Global Coordinates

• The coordinate system

used to define the points in
the entire structure is
called global coordinate
system.

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 Local Coordinates
• For the convenience of deriving
element properties, in FEM many
times for each element a separate
coordinate system is used.
• For example, for typical elements
shown in Fig. 4.14, the local
coordinates may be as shown in Fig.
4.15.
• However the final equations are to be
formed in the common coordinate
system i.e. global coordinate system
only.

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 Natural Coordinates
• A natural coordinate system is a coordinate system which permits the specification of
a point within the element by a set of dimensionless numbers, whose magnitude
never exceeds unity.
• It is obtained by assigning weightages to the nodal coordinates in defining the
coordinate of any point inside the element.
• Hence such system has the property that ith coordinate has unit value at node i of the
element and zero value at all other nodes.
• The use of natural coordinate system is advantages in assembling element properties
(stiffness matrices), since closed form integrations formulae are available when the
expressions are in natural coordinate systems.
• Natural coordinate systems for one dimensional, two dimensional and three
dimensional elements are discussed below:

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 Natural Coordinates
• Consider the two noded line element shown in Fig. 4.16. let the natural
coordinate of point P be (L1, L2) and the
• Cartesian coordinate be x. Node 1 and node 2 have the Cartesian coordinates x1
and x2.
Since natural coordinates are nothing
but weightage to the nodal coordinates,
total weightage at any point is unity i.e.,

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Natural Coordinates
• In matrix form
Noting that x2 – x1 is the length of the
element say, l, we can write

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 Shape Functions
• The function which relates the field variable at any point within the element to the field
variables of nodal points is called shape function(interpolation function and
approximating function).
• In two dimensional stress analysis in which basic field variable is displacement,

• For example for three noded triangular element, displacement at P (x, y) is

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 Shape Functions
For three noded triangular element

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 Polynomial Shape Functions
• Polynomials are commonly used as shape functions. There are two reasons for using them:
• They are easy to handle mathematically i.e. differentiation and integration of
polynomials is easy.
• Using polynomial any function can be approximated reasonably well. If a function is
highly nonlinear we may have to approximate with higher order polynomial. Fig. shows
approximation of a nonlinear one dimensional function by polynomials of different
order.

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 Polynomial Shape Functions

One Dimensional Polynomial Shape Function

• A general one dimensional polynomial shape function of nth Order is given by,

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 Polynomial Shape Functions

Two Dimensional Polynomial Shape Function

• A general form of two dimensional polynomial model is

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 Polynomial Shape Functions

Two Dimensional Polynomial Shape Function

Another convenient way to remember complete

two dimensional polynomial is in the form of
Pascal Triangle

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 Polynomial Shape Functions
Three Dimensional Polynomial Shape Function
• A general three dimensional shape function of nth order complete polynomial is given by

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 Polynomial Shape Functions
Three Dimensional Polynomial Shape Function
• It may be observed that a complete nth order
polynomial in three dimensional case is having
number of terms m given by the expression

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 Convergence Requirements Of Shape Functions
• The displacements obtained by finite element analysis are lesser than the exact values.
• Science FEM gives lower bound values, it is desirable that the finite element analysis mesh
is refined to get the solution which approaches to the exact values.

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 Convergence Requirements Of Shape Functions
• In order to ensure this convergence criteria, the shape functions should satisfy the
following requirement:
1. The displacement models must be continuous within the elements and the displacements
must be compatible between the adjacent elements ‘compatibility requirement’
2. The displacement models must include the constant strain state of the element, there
should be a term which permit all points on the element to experience the same
displacement.
3. The displacement models must include the constant strain state of the element. This
means, there should exist combination of values of polynomial terms that cause all
points in the element to experience the same strain.

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 Convergence Requirements Of Shape Functions

• An additional consideration in the selection of polynomial shape function for the

displacement model is that the pattern should be independent of the orientation of the local
coordinate system.
• This property is known as Geometric Isotropy, Spatial Isotropy or Geometric
Invariance.
• There are two simple guidelines to construct polynomial series with the desired property of
isotropy:
1. Polynomial of order n that are complete, have geometric isotropy.
2. Polynomial of order n that are not complete, yet contain appropriate terms to preserve
‘symmetry’ have geometric isotropy.

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 Derivation Of Shape Functions Using Polynomials
Polynomial Functions In Terms of Cartesian Coordinates
• In this approach polynomials with number of constants exactly equal to nodal
degrees of freedom of the element are selected.
• Care is taken to see that geometric isotropy is not lost.
• Using nodal values number of equations equal to number of constants in the
polynomials are formed and then the constants found.
• Then the shape functions are identified.
• This procedure may also be called as generalized coordinate approach, since
the constants in the polynomial are called as generalized coordinates.

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 Derivation Of Shape Functions Using Polynomials
EXAMPLE ;Shape functions for two noded bar/truss element
since u = u1 at node 1 and equal to u2 at node 2, we have

For this element we have to select polynomial with

only two constants to represent displacement at any
point in the elements.

In the matrix form

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 Derivation Of Shape Functions Using Polynomials
Shape functions for two noded bar/truss element

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 Derivation Of Shape Functions Using Polynomials
Shape Functions In Terms of Natural Coordinate Systems
• Using polynomial functions and natural coordinate systems, shape functions can be
derived easily.
• This approach makes it possible to find shape functions for more elements.
• Example :For a two noded bar element, determine the shape functions

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Derivation Of Shape Functions Using Polynomials

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 Derivation Of Shape Functions Using Polynomials
• The expression for shape function for a two noded bar element taking natural coordinate
ξ as varying from -1 to 1.

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Derivation Of Shape Functions Using Polynomials

Variation of shape
functions

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 Derivation Of Shape Functions Using Polynomials

Shape Functions Using Lagrange Polynomials

• If only continuity of basic unknown (displacement) is to be satisfied, Lagrange polynomials
can be used to derive shape functions.
• Lagrange polynomial in one dimension is defined by

If n = 5 and k = 3

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 Derivation Of Shape Functions Using Polynomials
Shape Functions Using Lagrange Polynomials
Example : Using Lagrange polynomial find shape functions for Five noded bar element

n= 5

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 Derivation Of Shape Functions Using Polynomials
Example : Using Lagrange polynomial find shape functions for Five noded bar element
Variation of its shape functions

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 Strain Displacement Matrix
• The matrix which relate strain at any point in the element with nodal displacement is
called Strain Displacement Matrix.

• Where B = N

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 Strain Displacement Matrix
Strain-displacement Matrix For Bar Elements
• There Is Only One Strain Component In Such Element i.e. ε . Thus For Bar Elements

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 Strain Displacement Matrix
• The above relationship may be
derived using shape function in
terms of natural coordinate 'ξ ' also

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