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2D Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

Instructions (/calculators/ nite-element-analysis/instructions)

The theory of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) essentially involves solving the spring equation, F = k , at a large scale.

There are several basic steps in the nite element method:

1. Discretize the structure into elements. These elements are connected to one another via nodes.
2. Determine a local sti ness matrix for each element.
3. Assemble a global sti ness matrix for the overall structure based on the combination of the local sti ness matrices.
4. Build the applied force vector.
5. Apply boundary conditions and solve for the nodal displacements.
6. Solve for the external reactions.
7. Solve for nodal forces.
8. Solve for stresses (https://mechanicalc.com/reference/strength-of-materials#stress-and-strain).

2D FEA Calculator (https://mechanicalc.com/calculators/ nite-element-analysis/)

Check out our 2D FEA calculator (https://mechanicalc.com/calculators/ nite-element-analysis/) based on the methodology described here.

In the rst step, a mathematical model of the structure is composed. This model is an approximation of the structure -- whereas the physical structure is
continuous, the model consists of discrete elements.

This analysis uses beam elements which are based on Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. The element has 2 nodes, each of which has 3 degrees of freedom:
translation in x, translation in y, and rotation. A gure illustrating this element is shown below:

The element sti ness matrix for an Euler-Bernoulli beam element is shown below. This matrix represents the sti ness of each node in the element in a speci c
degree of freedom (i.e. it determines the displacement of each node in each degree of freedom under a given load). Because each of the nodes in the beam
element have 3 degrees of freedom, a 6x6 matrix can completely describe the sti ness of the element.

AE AE
0 0 0 0
L L

12EI 6EI 12EI 6EI

0 3 2
0 3 2
L L L L
6EI 4EI 6EI 2EI

0 0
L
2
L L
2
L
kelem =
AE AE
0 0 0 0
L L

12EI 6EI 12EI 6EI
0 3 2
0 3 2
L L L L
6EI 2EI 6EI 4EI
0 0
2 2
L L L L

The global sti ness matrix for the overall structure is assembled based on the combination of the local sti ness matrices. At a high level, the global sti ness
matrix is created by summing the local sti ness matrices:

[K ] = [ki ]

where the matrix [ki ] is the local sti ness matrix of the i
th element.

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The global sti ness matrix will be a square nxn matrix, where n is 3 times the number of nodes in the mesh (since each node has 3 degrees of freedom).
When assembling the global sti ness matrix, the sti ness terms for each node in the elemental sti ness matrix are positioned in the corresponding location in
the global matrix. For any elements which share a node, the sti ness contributions of that node will be summed from each element.

The applied force vector will be an nx1 vector, where n is 3 times the number of nodes in the mesh. The force vector is assembled by including the applied
forces on each degree of freedom on each node in the mesh:

{F } = {f i }

Once the global sti ness matrix and the applied force vector are built, the nodal displacements can be solved for. The following equation relates the forces and
displacements in the overall structure:

{F } + {R} = [K ]{U }

where {F } is the applied force vector, {R} is the external reaction vector, [K ] is the global sti ness matrix, and {U } is the nodal displacement vector.

In the equation above, {R} and {U } are unknowns. To simplify the solution of this equation, it is desired to solve for the reactions and displacements
independently of one another. To do this, we can use the fact that for every constraint that was applied (either a constraint in x-translation, y-translation, or
rotation), the displacement associated with that constraint will be zero. Additionally, external reactions will only occur where constraints were applied.
Therefore, it is known that for every degree of freedom on every node:

If a constraint is applied, displacement at that constraint will be zero, and the external reaction may be non-zero.
If there is no constraint, the external reaction will be zero, and the displacement may be non-zero.

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We will initially solve the equation above for nodal displacements, {U } . Based on the reasoning above, it is possible to remove the {R} vector from the
equation. Boundary conditions are applied to the equation by "zeroing out" the rows in the matrices corresponding to applied constraints. By doing this, we
haven't lost any information about the nodal displacements since it is known that the displacements will be zero for each row that was zeroed out. Now the
equation has reduced to:

{F } = [K ]{U }

The equation above can be solved for {U } , after which all of the nodal displacements are known. The only unknown remaining in the original equation is {R} ,
and this can now be solved for:

{R} = [K ]{U } {F }

It is now possible to solve for the forces on each node. For any reaction force that was found, the nodal force is just equal to the reaction force. However, for any
nodes where there is no external reaction, the forces on the node are still unknown. These can be found by extracting the appropriate displacements from the
global {U } vector to build a local {u} vector for each element. Each of these local vectors will be a 6x1. The nodal forces on each element can be solved using:

{f } = [k]{u}

where {f } is the element (local) force vector, [k] is the element sti ness matrix, and {u} is the element displacement vector.

Once the forces are known on each node in the mesh, it is possible to solve for stresses (https://mechanicalc.com/reference/strength-of-materials#stress-and-
strain) at each node:

Axial Stress Shear Stress Bending Stress Von Mises Stress

Fax Fsh Mc 2 2
ax = sh = b = vm = (ax + b ) + 3
sh
A A I

Looking for Structural Calculators? (https://mechanicalc.com/calculators/)

We have a number of structural calculators (https://mechanicalc.com/calculators/) to choose from. Here are just a few:

Beam Calculator (https://mechanicalc.com/calculators/beam-analysis/)

Bolted Joint Calculator (https://mechanicalc.com/calculators/bolted-joint-analysis/)
Bolt Pattern Force Distribution (https://mechanicalc.com/calculators/bolt-pattern-force-distribution/)
Lug Calculator (https://mechanicalc.com/calculators/lifting-lug-analysis/)
Column Buckling Calculator (https://mechanicalc.com/calculators/column-buckling/)

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References
1. Moaveni, Saeed, "Finite Element Analysis Theory and Application with ANSYS," 2nd Ed. (https://www.amazon.com/Finite-Element-Analysis-Theory-
Application/dp/0133840808/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1467665104&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=mechanicalc-
20&linkId=88ae7b86c5e13bd2f35aa0e3b55dccaf)

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