Statikk (BYVE 3300)

Lecture 1:
Introduction to the course

21 AUGUST 2017
The teacher - Who is he?
• Dr. Vagelis Plevris
• Associate Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering
and Energy Technology of HiOA
• Position title: “Finite Element Method (FEM)”
• 5-year Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering with
specialization in Structural Engineering.
• MSc in "Structural Design and Analysis of Structures“
• PhD in Computational Mechanics / FEM
• Many years of experience in the consulting and the
construction industry
• Loves working with computers and structures
• Coming from Greece, living in Oslo with family (two kids) since
April 2016
The “Statikk” course
• Every Monday and Thursday
• Teaching assistant: Simen Sørgaard Kongshaug
• Currently doing his PhD in HiOA
• Responsible for supporting the course with exercises,
clarifications to students and others
• Teaches in Norwegian
• Course language: English (Vagelis) and Norwegian Simen Sørgaard Kongshaug
(Simen) Teaching assistant

• Use of Fronter (course material to be uploaded soon)

• Course contents:
• Direct Stiffness Method (Matrix structural analysis)
• Grillage structures
• Arch structures
• Plastic analysis of frames
• 2nd order methods (buckling)
• Exam: Written exam, 3 hrs. Roughly 40-50% is on
Matrix structural analysis
Direct stiffness method
• Called also matrix stiffness method
• A numerical method based on the subdivision of a structure
• It is a matrix method that makes use of the members' stiffness relations for
computing member forces and displacements in structures.
• The direct stiffness method is the most common implementation of the
general Finite Element Method (FEM)
• It originated in the field of aerospace engineering
• The direct stiffness method was developed specifically to effectively and
easily implement into computer software to evaluate complicated structures
that contain a large number of elements
• In practice, it can be only used with a computer, it is a computer method

Typical linear elements used in the Direct Stiffness Method

Finite Element Method (FEM)
• Numerical method for solving problems of engineering
• It is also referred to as finite element analysis (FEA).
• Typical problem areas of interest include structural analysis, heat transfer,
fluid flow, mass transport, and electromagnetic potential. The analytical
solution of these problems generally require the solution to boundary value
problems for partial differential equations.
• The finite element method formulation of the problem results in a system of
algebraic equations.
• The method yields approximate values of the unknowns at discrete number of
points over the domain.
• To solve the problem, it subdivides a large problem into smaller, simpler parts
that are called finite elements.
• The simple equations that model these finite elements are then assembled
into a larger system of equations that models the entire problem.

Various elements used in the Finite Element Method

FEM applications
• All fields of engineering and the physical sciences
• Structural analysis (in civil engineering): Analysis of trusses, frames, walls,
bridges, towers, dams, buildings, skyscrapers and many others
• Solid Mechanics, mechanical engineering
• Dynamics: Structural response to earthquakes, vibrations, a bullet impact
• Thermal analysis: Heat radiation, thermal stress on brake discs
• Biomaterials: human organs, tissues
• … And countless others

FEM Analysis of a car crash test

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FAE_visualization.jpg
 A beam with FEM: Different types of modeling

“Real” model 2. With plane (shell) elements

3. With solid (8-Node hexahedral) elements

1. With linear (beam) elements

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283325775_CASE_STUDY_OF_NASTRAN_Comparative_analysis_of_various_element_types_by_finite_element_analysis
Why is FEM important?
• It gives a more accurate representation of complex geometries
• We can include dissimilar material properties
• Easier representation of the total solution
• Perfect for the computer
• Hand calculations cannot be enough
• The evolution of computers has made FEA a necessity today
• It is a computational method giving quick and detailed results
• Nearly 100% of today’s structural analysis in civil engineering are done with
FEA software
Example: A real-world structure
• Analyzed in Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis

Source: Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis software

Matrix-Vector Concepts
• Doing DSM/FEM requires a different way of thinking
• In DSM/FEM a structure is ‘discretized’ into a limited amount elements
• We think in terms of operations on the rows and columns of matrixes and
vectors
• Matrices are the backbone of the «divide and conquer» approach essential for
DSM/FEM
Working with matrices
• Vector [n×1]: n Rows, but only one
column
• Matrix [n×m]: n Rows, m Columns
• Square matrix: [n× n]: n Rows, n
Columns
• Unity matrix: [I]
• Basic matrix operations
• Matrix multiplication
• Inverse [A]-1 of a matrix [A]:
• [A]·[A]-1 = [A]-1·[A] = [I]
• Transpose of a matrix
• Matrix multiplication
• Solution of linear simultaneous
equations Matrix multiplication: “Inner” dimensions must agree
Matrices in MS Excel
• How to add / subtract
• MMULT
• MINVERSE
• TRANSPOSE
• “Ctrl” + “Shift” + “Enter” trick!
• Example:

• Right answer: {2, 0, -1}

Hooke’s law
• F=k·x
• Where F is the force, x is the length of
extension/compression and k is a constant of
proportionality known as the spring constant which
is usually given in kN/m (Spring stiffness)
• Elastic deformation. When the stress is removed the
material returns to the dimension it had before the
load was applied. The deformation is reversible,
non-permanent.
• For a truss (rod) element: k=EA/L
• E: Young’s modulus
• A: Section area
• L: Member length
• E=σ/ε=Stress/Strain
• ε=ΔL/L