ME422 INTRODUCTION TO FINITE ELEMENT FUNDAMENTALS
Prof. Lorraine Olson
D104 Moench
Lorraine.Olson@Rose-Hulman.edu
x8324
http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~olson1/
Objectives
Students should:
1. Check their answers.
2. Be able to identify the modeling assumptions inherent in their analysis.
3. Perform a finite element analysis which is appropriate to the problem:
• Choose appropriate elements
– linear or quadratic?
– 2D continuum (plane stress, plane strain, axisymmetric), 3D continuum, specialized (beam/plate/shell/truss)
• Choose an appropriate level of geometric accuracy
• Choose an appropriate level of mesh refinement
• Choose an appropriate solution type
– linear or nonlinear
– static/transient/modal/eigenproblem
4. Know when not to use finite element analysis. Identify the range of problems for which
finite element analysis is appropriate.
5. Understand the basics of the finite element analysis process in sufficient detail to be
able to transfer that knowledge to a new finite element package.
6. Understand the theoretical basis of the finite element method in sufficient detail to be
able to read and understand online manuals, books, and simple literature in the field.
(Continue to learn in the field.)
Expectations:
This course will use examples from solid mechanics and heat transfer. You do not need to
have taken heat transfer. You will need to understand calculus and differential equations,
and be able to write simple computer programs (e.g. in Matlab). You will use your laptops
to run the finite element software and write the computer programs. This is a 4 credit hour
course which requires 4 hours of in-class work and 8 hours (on average) of out-of-class work
per week.
Homeworks:
Generally assigned weekly, due the following week IN CLASS. No late homeworks. Homeworks should represent your own work, rather than your classmates’. You will need to print
the homework from the web page.
Grading:
In addition to homework and a project, there will a midterm exam (in-class) and a final.
The grade for the course is:
Homeworks 25%
Project 25%
Exams 25% each.
For the project, you will do a finite element analysis of something and write up a report of
your findings. You can pick the “something”. You can work individually or you may pick
one partner. Because this is an introductory course, we will pick the topics partway through
the class and they will have to be relatively simple (i.e. linear, although you don’t know
what that means yet). I will provide a list of suggested topics for you to choose from if you
cannot think of anything on your own.
Book:
There is a set of class notes for the class available at the bookstore. You will probably want
to bring it to class each day.