Eliannah Hunderfund
Introduction to Finite Elements
Spring 2015
Term Project Proposal
I would like to do a project using Finite Element methods and software to approximate the stress and
strain distribution in a rotating disk of uniform thickness, uniform temperature, constant velocity and no
outside forces as an exercise in solid mechanics. The disk will be sufficiently thin to assume plane stress,
governed by the equation:
𝜕 2 𝑢 1 𝜕𝑢 𝑢
+
− =0
𝜕𝑟 2 𝑟 𝜕𝑟 𝑟 2
Where u is displacement and r is radius.
The material of the disk will be AISI 304 Stainless Steel with the following material properties:
Density: 0289 lb/in^3
Poisson’s Ratio: 0.29
Modulus of Elasticity: 12500 ksi
References
http://solidmechanics.org/text/Chapter4_1/Chapter4_1.htm
http://www.ewp.rpi.edu/hartford/~sarric/SMS/Readings/32669_04.pdf
http://asm.matweb.com/search/SpecificMaterial.asp?bassnum=MQ304A