The Finite Element Method in Solid Mechanics

This book is a tutorial written by researchers and developers behind the FEniCS Project and explores an advanced, expressive approach to the development of mathematical software. The presentation spans mathematical background, software design and the use of FEniCS in applications. Theoretical aspects are complemented with computer code which is available as free/open source software. The book begins with a special introductory tutorial for beginners. Following are chapters in Part I addressing fundamental aspects of the approach to automating the creation of finite element solvers. Chapters in Part II address the design and implementation of the FEnicS software. Chapters in Part III present the application of FEniCS to a wide range of applications, including fluid flow, solid mechanics, electromagnetics and geophysics.

This book serves as a practical guide to simulation of 3D deformable solids using the Finite Element Method (FEM). It reviews a number of topics related to the theory and implementation of FEM approaches: measures of deformation, constitutive laws of nonlinear materials, tetrahedral discretizations, and model reduction techniques for real-time simulation.

This book gives an introduction to the finite element method as a general computational method for solving partial differential equations approximately. Our approach is mathematical in nature with a strong focus on the underlying mathematical principles, such as approximation properties of piecewise polynomial spaces, and variational formulations of partial differential equations, but with a minimum level of advanced mathematical machinery from functional analysis and partial differential equations.

As Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Computational Heat Transfer (CHT) evolve and become increasingly important in standard engineering design and analysis practice, users require a solid understanding of mechanics and numerical methods to make optimal use of available software.

Finite element methods have become ever more important to engineers as tools for design and optimization, now even for solving non-linear technological problems. However, several aspects must be considered for finite-element simulations which are specific for non-linear problems: These problems require the knowledge and the understanding of theoretical foundations and their finite-element discretization as well as algorithms for solving the non-linear equations.

This book provides several applications of the finite element method (FEM) for solving real-world problems. This book describes the development of FEM and discusses and illustrates its specific applications.