FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS IN

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
Overview
Displacement method
Primary unknown quantity
Displacement
Varies over problem domain
Characterised by 3 global displacements
u, v, w
Secondary unknown quantities
Stresses and strains
Derived from displacement
Approximation
Main approximation
Variation of displacement over domain
Should satisfy compatibility conditions
Polynomials or trigonometric functions
Polynomials preferred
Easy for manipulations
Order depends on number of element nodes
Displacement components expressed in terms of their
values at nodes
u
i
, v
i
, w
i
i node number
Displacement models
Displacement functions
Displacement fields
Displacement patterns
Displacement equations
Displacement models
Simple functions to represent
displacement for each element




1D model
n
n
x a
x a x a a u
1
2
3 2 1
......... ..........
+
+
+ + + =
(1)
Displacement models
Coefficients of the
polynomial
a terms
Generalised coordinates
Generalised displacement
amplitudes
1D Displacement
models in matrix form
{ } | |{ }
{ } { }
| | { } { }
{ } { }
1 4 3 2 1
3 2
1
+
=
= =
=
=
n
T
n
T
a a a a a a
x x x x
u u
a u

| |
|
(2)
2D Displacement models
n
m
y a
y a xy a x a
y a x a a u
+
+ + +
+ + + =
......... ..........
2
6 5
2
4
3 2 1
(3a)
2D Displacement models
n
m
m m m
m m m
y a
y a xy a x a
y a x a a v
2
2
6 5
2
4
3 2 1
......... .......... +
+ + +
+ + + =
+ + +
+ + +
(3b)
2D Displacement models

+
=
=
1
1
n
i
i m
2D Displacement
models in matrix form
{ } | |{ }
{ }
| |
{ } { }
{ } { }
(

=
)
`

=
=
T T
T T
v
u
u
a u
1
1
0
0
|
|
|
|
(4)
Home work
Write linear, quadratic
and cubic forms of 1D
and 2D displacement
models
Three noded
triangular element
Nodal
coordinates
1 x
1
, y
1

2 x
2
, y
2

3 x
3
, y
3


2
1
3
Three noded
triangular element
Nodal
displacements
(degrees of
freedom)
1 u
1
, v
1

2 u
2
, v
2

3 u
3
, v
3


2
1
3
Linear Displacement models
(5)
Nodal coordinates are
substituted into eqn (5)
To get nodal
displacements
Nodal Displacement equations
(6)
Nodal Displacement equations
in matrix form
(7)

(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

6
5
4
3
2
1
3 3
2 2
1 1
3 3
2 2
1 1
3
2
1
3
2
1
1
1
1
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
1
1
1
a
a
a
a
a
a
y x
y x
y x
y x
y x
y x
v
v
v
u
u
u
Nodal Displacement
equations in matrix form
{d} = [A] {a}
{d} = Nodal displacement vector
{a} = Generalised coordinate
vector
{a} = [A]
-1
{d}
(8)
(9)
{ } | |{ } a u | =
(2)
{ } | || | { }
{ } | |{ } d N u
d A u
=
=
1
|
(10)
{u} = displacement vector (displacement at
any point within the element)
{d} = nodal displacement vector
(displacement at nodes)
[N] = interpolation functions / shape functions
(11)
Nodal Displacement equations
in matrix form
(12)
Variation of displacement
in triangular element
Variation of displacement
in quadrilateral element
Compatibility conditions
Compatibility conditions
Compatibility conditions
Compatibility
conditions
Simple polynomial
Eqn (1)
Satisfies compatibility
conditions