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What is FEAFinite element analysis was first
developed for use in the aerospace and nuclear industries where the safety
of structures is critical.The computer model of the structure is
subdivided into a mesh of finite sized elements of simple shape as shown
below:
Within each element, the variation of
displacement is assumed to be determined by simple polynomial shape
functions (quadratic, for the mid-side node element shown) and nodal
displacements. Equations for the strains and stresses are developed in
terms of the unknown nodal displacements. From this, the equations of
equilibrium are assembled in a matrix form which can be easily be
programmed and solved on a computer. After applying the appropriate
boundary conditions, the nodal displacements are found by solving the
matrix stiffness equation. Once the nodal displacements are known, element
stresses and strains can be calculated
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