Machining Process Simulation

Lecture Unit 7
Finite Element Method – Meshing, Element Stiffness Matrices

apl. Prof. PD Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Inform. Andreas Zabel

 Direct Stiffness Method

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 2
 Introduction – Meshing

 Simple beam or truss problems: meshing automatically provided by structure,

i.e. beams or trusses themselves
 More complicated geometries?
 E.g. Cutting simulation:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 3
 Fundamentals of Meshing – Breaking up into Finite Elements

 Complete body (the continuum) is subdivided by virtual lines or faces of preliminary arbitrary geometry
 Common geometries: triangles, rectangles (sometimes polygons)
 Straight or curved edges
 Assumptions for each finite elements
 Elements are defined by nodes
 Elements are connected at nodes (sharing edges)
 Example: triangular elements
with straight edges
 Finite: in contrast to (infinite) analytical
solution: “non-infinitesimal”
(not infinite -> finite)
 Only limited accuracy
 Calculation only at nodes
 Approximation of geometry

Zabel 4
 Meshes: Storage and Representation

 Element and nodes stored in lists

*Node *Element, type=CPE3
1, 1.57379353, 0.465310127 1, 49, 4, 5
2, 1.67439425, 0.482655078 2, 40, 58, 38
3, 1.77499521, 0.5 3, 43, 44, 42
4, 1.77499521, 1.64999998 4, 44, 15, 16
5, 0.899995744, 1.64999998 5, 4, 54, 3
6, 0.911344409, 1.5535351 6, 49, 5, 6
7, 0.922693133, 1.45707047 7, 26, 4, 52
8, 0.945390821, 1.26414073 8, 52, 4, 49
9, 0.956739545, 1.16767609 9, 54, 4, 26
10, 0.968088508, 1.07121122 10, 58, 40, 39
11, 0.979437292, 0.974746585 …
12, 1.00213468, 0.78181684
13, 1.01348364, 0.685352206
14, 1.02483237, 0.588887334
15, 1.03618109, 0.492422611
…

Zabel 5
 Element Representation

2 4

1 3
Node list:  Element list:
1 0,0 0,0 1 1 2 3
2 0,5 0,5
2 2 4 3
3 1,0 0,0
4 1,5 0,5
+ definition of a starting node (e.g. rightmost)
Zabel 6
 Element Types – Meshes

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 7
 Finite Element Approach

 Displacements of the element’s nodes are the unknown values in the system of equations!

 The displacements within a finite element are calculated by shape functions, depending on the
nodal displacements:

 If the displacements are known, the strains

(and the stresses via the constitutive models)
are known:
 Displacement-strain relations:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 8
 Shape Functions

 Displacement field of a finite element:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 9
 Shape Functions

 Often used polynomials:

(linear)

(quadratic)

(bilinear)

 Other types of functions possible

 Aim: complete description of the displacement field within a finite element by its nodal displacements:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 10
 Shape Functions

 At node 1 the following must apply:

 Therefore: the shape function owns the property to become 1 at node and to become 0 at all other nodes

2 points, linear 3 points, quadratic 4 points, cubic

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 11
 Example for Shape Function

 Example element with three nodes (coordinates are normalized in -coordinate system from -1 … 1)

2 (internal node)
1 3

 Function is parabolic, underlying these conditions: and

 So:

Zabel CADFEM 12
 Example for Shape Function

 by superposition of a linear and a parabolic function

 : disappears at and is 1 at

 To ensure that is 0 at -1 and that a parabolic function is provided, must be subtracted

 This yields:

 And:

Zabel CADFEM 13
 General Scheme for Shape Functions

 Middle nodes are added

1 2 (int.) 3 (int.) 4
for 3 nodes
for 4 nodes

 General scheme (additional information see literature, e.g. Bathe):

+ if 3rd node + if 3rd and 4th
present node present

Zabel CADFEM/Bathe 14
 Finite Element Approach

 Stresses inside an element calculated by the strains, using a material law, e.g. Hooke‘s law:

 All loads (line, surface, volume) only act on the nodes of the elements -> loads must be distributed to nodes

 A lot of scientific literature, specific lectures etc. on the finite element method is available

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 15
 Element Stiffness Matrices

 2D-Elements:

 3D-Elements:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 16
 Element Stiffness Matrices

 Displacement field within a finite element at an arbitrary position

is approximated by multiplying the nodal displacements with the shape functions :

 Here:

 Expressing the deformations by the displacements:

 With a differential operator:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 17
 Element Stiffness Matrices

 Now: element with 4 nodes

 Then, 4 shape functions (one for each node) exist:

 As a matrix:

 And complete:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 18
 Derivation of Element Stiffness Matrix by Principle of Virtual Work

 For deriving the element stiffness matrices, the principle of virtual work is used

 Virtual displacements:

 Virtual strains:

 Internal virtual work must equal the external virtual work:

 Here, the internal work is the stored potential energy

and the external work is generated by the acting external forces

 Increase of external work:

here are the volume forces and are the nodal loads (force times displacement)

 Increase of internal work: : specific strain energy

Zabek Rieg/Hackenschmidt 19
 Derivation of Element Stiffness Matrix by Principle of Virtual Work

 Specific strain energy of a simple bar:

 Work (energy) as the product of force and path (here: ) so: with:

Therefore: (Work per volume)

 This can be set up and be integrated for all three coordinate axis:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 20
 Derivation of Element Stiffness Matrix by Principle of Virtual Work

 Overall:

 Replace (with: ):

 And then:

 This must be true for arbitrary values of , therefore:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 21
 Derivation of Element Stiffness Matrix by Principle of Virtual Work

 Already known: (constitutive law -> material behavior)

 Then the left side of: transforms

 to: because:

 and with: we get for the left side:

 Overall expression (neglecting volume forces):

 This is Hooke‘s law, with element stiffness matrix:

 Displacements: and external forces: already known as:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 22
 Material Matrices (Constitutive Law)

Material matrix
Bar
Beam
 is the material matrix:
Plain
stress
with as Poisson‘s ratio and as Young’s modulus
for a plain stress situation
Plain
strain

Material matrix
Axial
Kirchhoff sym.
plate

Reissner
Mindlin
3D
stress
state

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 23
 Numerical Integration

 To evaluate the element stiffness matrices they have to be integrated

 That is only possible for very simple elements completely analytically (e. g. 1D bar: )

 In most cases numerical integration must be used

 One method is the Gauß-Legendre quadrature:

 That means, that the integral over the function is calculated by a sum over a product of weights and the
function values at discrete points

 Approximation of the area below a function’s graph by rectangle of height and width

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 24
 Numerical Integration

 Transformation of element into appropriate form to carry out the Legendre-integration:

 Numerical integration:

 Gauß weights:
 Supporting points:
 Values for specific elements taken
from tables

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 25
 Multiple Numerical Integration

 2-dimensional case:

 3-dimensional case:

 For triangles (example):

 For Tetrahedrons (example, tetrahedron coordinates):

 Values for and are pre-calculated and stored in tables

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 26
 Element Stiffness Matrices

 Element-stiffness matrix needs displacement-strain matrix

 Integration by Gauss-Legendre needs natural coordinates

 Displacements of the node:

 Coordinates of each point within an element can be interpolated also using the shape functions:
with as the index of a node

 are functions of:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 27
 Element Stiffness Matrices

 For the partial derivations are needed:

 Chain rule:

 As a matrix:

 Symbolic: with as Jacobian matrix

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 28
 Element Stiffness Matrices

 Here:

 But we need:

 Given:

 Therefore: , i.e. the Jacobian matrix has to be inverted!

 This inversion only works, if all elements are numbered in the right way and if they are not deformed to strong

 That is the reason that for e.g. FE-based chip formation simulations remeshing or other techniques such as
CEL or ALE are necessary

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 29
Invalid Elements
3 4
 Angle between two edges
has to be < 180o  Crossing edges
7 8 7
 Edge 1: 1-8-4 2
6  Edge 2: 4-7-3 1
5
4  Angle: 180o 6
8
3
2 6
1 2
5 3
5 Invalid node numbering
 Special connection elements necessary 7 
1 8 4

 Large deformation
Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 30
 Element Stiffness Matrices

 Remind: shall be determined

 Coefficients of are functions of

 Therefore: (without derivation) with as Jacobian determinant

 Then the element stiffness matrices are:

 2D:

 3D:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 31
 Load Application

 Element stiffness matrix:

 Mass matrix:

 Volume forces:

 Surface forces:

 Initial stresses:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 32
 Constant Line Load

 Line loads on surface: with:

 Example line load: coordinate systems and are congruent:

 And:
2 5 1

with:

6 8

4
3 7
Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 33
 Constant Line Load

 Therefore:

 Detailed (with: ):

 Shape functions for plane element with 8 nodes:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 34
Constant Line Load

 Both coordinate systems are congruent, so:

 Node 2:

with: it follows:

 Load component at node 2:

 Node 6: and :

 Load component at node 6:

35
 Constant Line Load

 Node 3:

 with: it follows:

 Load component at node 3:

 Summarized (the overall line load has the length of 2, so the values have to be divided by 2):
 Node 2:

 Node 6:

 Node 3:
 For plane elements with quadratic shape functions the load is distributed as:

Zabel Rieg/Hackenschmidt 36
 Summary

 Meshing

 Element stiffness matrices – derivation and calculation

 Application of loads

Zabel 37
 Literature

 Argyris, J.; Mlejnek, H. P.: Die Methode der finiten Elemente. Band 1. Vieweg Verlag. Braunschweig. 1986
 Bathe, K.-J.: Finite Elemente Methoden. 2. Auflage. Springer-Verlag. Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, Tokyo.
2002
 Rieg, F.; Hackenschmidt, R.: Finite Elemente Analyse für Ingenieure. 2. Aufl. Hanser Verlag, ISBN: 3-446-
22478-5, 2003
 Schwarz, H. R.: Methode der finiten Elemente. B. G. Teubner. 3. Auflage. Stuttgart. 1991
 Steinke, P.: Finite-Elemente-Methode – Rechnergestütze Einführung. 4. Auflage. Springer Verlag. Heidelberg,
Dordrecht, London, New York. 2012
 Zienkiewicz, O. C.: Methode der finiten Elemente. Carl Hanser Verlag. 2. Auflage. München, Wien. 1984
 Zienkiewicz, O. C.; Taylor R. L.: The Finite Element Method. Volume 1. The Basis. 5th Edition. Butterworth
Heinemann. Oxford 2002.
 N. N.

Zabel 38