The book introduces the basic concepts of the finite element method in the static and dynamic analysis of beam, plate, shell and solid structures, discussing how the method works, the characteristics of a finite element approximation and how to avoid the pitfalls of finite element modeling. Presenting the finite element theory as simply as possible, the book allows readers to gain the knowledge required when applying powerful FEA software tools. Further, it describes modeling procedures, especially for reinforced concrete structures, as well as structural dynamics methods, with a particular focus on the seismic analysis of buildings, and explores the modeling of dynamic systems. Featuring numerous illustrative examples, the book allows readers to easily grasp the fundamentals of the finite element theory and to apply the finite element method proficiently.

This book provides a solid introduction to the foundation and the application of the finite element method in structural analysis. It offers new theoretical insight and practical advice. This second edition contains additional sections on sensitivity analysis, on retrofitting structures, on the Generalized FEM (X-FEM) and on model adaptivity. An additional chapter treats the boundary element method, and related software is available at www.winfem.de.

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS WITH THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD Linear Statics Volume 1 : The Basis and Solids Eugenio Oñate The two volumes of this book cover most of the theoretical and computational aspects of the linear static analysis of structures with the Finite Element Method (FEM). The content of the book is based on the lecture notes of a basic course on Structural Analysis with the FEM taught by the author at the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) in Barcelona, Spain for the last 30 years. Volume1 presents the basis of the FEM for structural analysis and a detailed description of the finite element formulation for axially loaded bars, plane elasticity problems, axisymmetric solids and general three dimensional solids. Each chapter describes the background theory for each structural model considered, details of the finite element formulation and guidelines for the application to structural engineering problems. The book includes a chapter on miscellaneous topics such as treatment of inclined supports, elastic foundations, stress smoothing, error estimation and adaptive mesh refinement techniques, among others. The text concludes with a chapter on the mesh generation and visualization of FEM results. The book will be useful for students approaching the finite element analysis of structures for the first time, as well as for practising engineers interested in the details of the formulation and performance of the different finite elements for practical structural analysis. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS WITH THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD Linear Statics Volume 2: Beams, Plates and Shells Eugenio Oñate The two volumes of this book cover most of the theoretical and computational aspects of the linear static analysis of structures with the Finite Element Method (FEM).The content of the book is based on the lecture notes of a basic course on Structural Analysis with the FEM taught by the author at the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) in Barcelona, Spain for the last 30 years. Volume 2 presents a detailed description of the finite element formulation for analysis of slender and thick beams, thin and thick plates, folded plate structures, axisymmetric shells, general curved shells, prismatic structures and three dimensional beams. Each chapter describes the background theory for each structural model considered, details of the finite element formulation and guidelines for the application to structural engineering problems Emphasis is put on the treatment of structures with layered composite materials. The book will be useful for students approaching the finite element analysis of beam, plate and shell structures for the first time, as well as for practising engineers interested in the details of the formulation and performance of the different finite elements for practical structural analysis.

The finite element method (FEM) is a computational tool widely used to design and analyse complex structures. Currently, there are a number of different approaches to analysis using the FEM that vary according to the type of structure being analysed: beams and plates may use 1D or 2D approaches, shells and solids 2D or 3D approaches, and methods that work for one structure are typically not optimized to work for another. Finite Element Analysis of Structures Through Unified Formulation deals with the FEM used for the analysis of the mechanics of structures in the case of linear elasticity. The novelty of this book is that the finite elements (FEs) are formulated on the basis of a class of theories of structures known as the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF). It formulates 1D, 2D and 3D FEs on the basis of the same 'fundamental nucleus' that comes from geometrical relations and Hooke's law, and presents both 1D and 2D refined FEs that only have displacement variables as in 3D elements. It also covers 1D and 2D FEs that make use of 'real' physical surfaces rather than ’artificial’ mathematical surfaces which are difficult to interface in CAD/CAE software. Key features: Covers how the refined formulation can be easily and conveniently used to analyse laminated structures, such as sandwich and composite structures, and to deal with multifield problems Shows the performance of different FE models through the 'best theory diagram' which allows different models to be compared in terms of accuracy and computational cost Introduces an axiomatic/asymptotic approach that reduces the computational cost of the structural analysis without affecting the accuracy Introduces an innovative 'component-wise' approach to deal with complex structures Accompanied by a website hosting the dedicated software package MUL2 (www.mul2.com) Finite Element Analysis of Structures Through Unified Formulation is a valuable reference for researchers and practitioners, and is also a useful source of information for graduate students in civil, mechanical and aerospace engineering.

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS WITH THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD Linear Statics Volume 1 : The Basis and Solids Eugenio Oñate The two volumes of this book cover most of the theoretical and computational aspects of the linear static analysis of structures with the Finite Element Method (FEM). The content of the book is based on the lecture notes of a basic course on Structural Analysis with the FEM taught by the author at the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) in Barcelona, Spain for the last 30 years. Volume1 presents the basis of the FEM for structural analysis and a detailed description of the finite element formulation for axially loaded bars, plane elasticity problems, axisymmetric solids and general three dimensional solids. Each chapter describes the background theory for each structural model considered, details of the finite element formulation and guidelines for the application to structural engineering problems. The book includes a chapter on miscellaneous topics such as treatment of inclined supports, elastic foundations, stress smoothing, error estimation and adaptive mesh refinement techniques, among others. The text concludes with a chapter on the mesh generation and visualization of FEM results. The book will be useful for students approaching the finite element analysis of structures for the first time, as well as for practising engineers interested in the details of the formulation and performance of the different finite elements for practical structural analysis. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS WITH THE FINITE ELEMENT METHOD Linear Statics Volume 2: Beams, Plates and Shells Eugenio Oñate The two volumes of this book cover most of the theoretical and computational aspects of the linear static analysis of structures with the Finite Element Method (FEM).The content of the book is based on the lecture notes of a basic course on Structural Analysis with the FEM taught by the author at the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) in Barcelona, Spain for the last 30 years. Volume 2 presents a detailed description of the finite element formulation for analysis of slender and thick beams, thin and thick plates, folded plate structures, axisymmetric shells, general curved shells, prismatic structures and three dimensional beams. Each chapter describes the background theory for each structural model considered, details of the finite element formulation and guidelines for the application to structural engineering problems Emphasis is put on the treatment of structures with layered composite materials. The book will be useful for students approaching the finite element analysis of beam, plate and shell structures for the first time, as well as for practising engineers interested in the details of the formulation and performance of the different finite elements for practical structural analysis.

Designed for a one-semester course in Finite Element Method, this compact and well-organized text presents FEM as a tool to find approximate solutions to differential equations. This provides the student a better perspective on the technique and its wide range of applications. This approach reflects the current trend as the present-day applications range from structures to biomechanics to electromagnetics, unlike in conventional texts that view FEM primarily as an extension of matrix methods of structural analysis. After an introduction and a review of mathematical preliminaries, the book gives a detailed discussion on FEM as a technique for solving differential equations and variational formulation of FEM. This is followed by a lucid presentation of one-dimensional and two-dimensional finite elements and finite element formulation for dynamics. The book concludes with some case studies that focus on industrial problems and Appendices that include mini-project topics based on near-real-life problems. Postgraduate/Senior undergraduate students of civil, mechanical and aeronautical engineering will find this text extremely useful; it will also appeal to the practising engineers and the teaching community.