Introduction to Finite Element Analysis

UOS

0408-410
Professor: Dr. Hussien Ali Hussien
hhussien@Sharjah.ac.ae
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Office M6-109-A Ph# 06 505 2631
1
0408-410

Office Hours:
Mon. and Wed.@ 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Tue. and Thu.@ 1:00 to 2:00 PM
Others times by appointment ONLY (No walk-in please)
No office hours on Sundays
 Tentative Lectures Schedule
Week# Topic Readin
g
1) 01/09 Review of Matrix Algebra & solution of simultaneous linear equs. Ch1
2) 08/09 Introduction to the Stiffness (Displacement) Method (Springs) Ch2
3) 15/09 Introduction to the Stiffness (Displacement) Method Quiz1 Ch2
4) 22/09 Uniaxial Bar and Truss Elements Ch3
5) 29/09 Uniaxial Bar and Truss Elements, Quiz2 Ch3
6) 06/10 Uniaxial Bar and Truss Elements Ch3
7) 13/10 Finite Element Analysis of Beams and Frames Ch4&C5
8) 20/10 Finite Element Analysis of Beams and Frames, MIDTERM (TBD) Ch4&C5
9) 27/10 Finite Element Analysis of Beams and Frames Ch4&C5
10) 03/11 Plane Stress and Plane Strain Stiffness Equations , Ch6
Quiz3
11) 10/11 Plane Stress and Plane Strain Stiffness Equations Ch6
12) 17/11 Practical Considerations in Modeling, Quiz4 Ch7
13) 24/11 Practical Considerations in Modeling Ch7
14) 01/12 Finite Element Analysis of Heat Transfer Problems, Quiz5 Ch13
15) 08/12 Finite Element Analysis of Fluid flow, Ch14
16)15/12 Final Exam
All Quizzes and Midterm will be on Thu class of the listed week 2
A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Chapter 14
Fluid Flow in
Porous Media and
through Hydraulic
Networks; and
Electrical Networks
and Electrostatics

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Learning Objectives
• To derive the basic differential equations for steady-state fluid flow
through porous media, including Darcy’s law
• To describe the equations used for steady-state, incompressible, and
in viscid fluid flow through and around pipes
• To formulate the one-dimensional finite element fluid flow through
porous media and through pipe’s stiffness matrix and equations
• To demonstrate longhand solutions to one-dimensional fluid flow
• To develop the two-dimensional finite element for fluid flow through
porous media and around solid objects or through pipes
• To derive the stiffness matrix for elements used in hydraulic networks
• To demonstrate longhand solution to the hydraulic network using the
finite element direct stiffness method
• To show a flowchart of the fluid flow process

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Learning Objectives
• To describe electrical network principles, including Ohm’s and
Kirchhoff’s laws, and to introduce the stiffness matrix used to solve
electrical network problems
• To demonstrate the solution of an electrical network by the finite
element direct stiffness method
• To introduce some basic concepts in electrostatics, including
Coulomb’s and Gauss’s laws and Poisson’s equation
• To present the two-dimensional finite element formulation of the
electrostatics problem
• To perform a longhand finite element solution to an electrostatics
problem
• To show examples of computer program solutions of electrostatics
problems

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Fluid Flow through a Porous Medium

• From the control volume we get:

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Fluid Flow through a Porous Medium

• We relate the velocity of fluid flow to the hydraulic gradient (the
change in fluid head with respect to x) using Darcy’s Law:

• The rest of the derivation follows the same steps as those for the heat
transfer basic differential equation with boundary conditions taking
similar forms.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Two-dimensional fluid flow through a

porous medium
• Now consider the two-dimensional fluid flow through a porous medium, as shown
in Figure 14 –2.
• As in the one-dimensional case, we can show that for material properties
coinciding with the global x and y directions,

• with boundary conditions

• and
• where Cx and Cy are direction cosines of the unit vector normal to the surface
S2, as previously shown in Figure 13–5.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Fluid Flow in Pipes and Around Solid

Bodies
• Now consider the steady-state irrotational flow of an incompressible
and in viscid fluid.
• The velocity v of the fluid is related to the velocity potential function Φ
by:
• In the absence of sources or sinks we obtain:

• The boundary conditions are: and

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Finite Element Formulation for the

Fluid Flow Problem
• The basic two-node element is again used as in the heat transfer
problem, shown below with nodal fluid heads, or potentials at the
points.
• The potential function is chosen similarly to the temperature function
with identical shape functions:

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Gradient/Potential and
Velocity/Gradient Relationships
• The hydraulic gradient matrix is given by:

• The velocity/gradient relationship is based on Darcy’s

Law:

• This is identical to the temperature gradient/temperature

and heat flux/temperature gradient relationships.

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Element Stiffness Matrix and

Equations
• The fluid flow-stiffness matrix is analogous to the conduction part of
the stiffness matrix in the heat transfer problem with no comparable
convection matrix.
• To obtain the stiffness matrix we will use a direct approach.
• Define the stiffness matrix to relate nodal volumetric fluid-flow rates
to nodal potentials of fluid heads as:
• From above equations, the volumetric flow rate f can be written as:

In explicit form g is given by:

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Element Stiffness Matrix and Equations

• Writing the equations for f1 and f2 and expressing in matrix form we get:

where the stiffness matrix [k] is the first term:

• The basic element may be subject to internal sinks or sources such as
pumps or surface-edge flow rates.
• From Figure 14-7 Q is a uniform internal source acting over the
element
• q* is a uniform flow rate source acting over the element surface

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Fluid Flow through Hydraulic

Networks
• The figure below shows a typical pipe network.
• q is the fluid flow source which forces fluid through the pipe network.
• At each branch, there is a resistance to flow which is a function of the
fluid viscosity, the length of the pipe branch, the diameter of the pipe,
the average velocity of flow, and the friction factor.
• The pressure drop is related to the flow rate and resistance by
Poiseuille’s law:

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Fluid Flow through Hydraulic

Networks
• We can consider the basic element as a branch of the network
analogous to a spring element

• We relate the volumetric flow rates to the pressures at each node

by:
where the stiffness matrix is:

• Example 14.4 illustrates the process to solve these types of

problems using the finite element method tools.

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A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Flowchart and Example of a Fluid-

Flow Program

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Electrical Networks
• Current flow in electrical circuits can be described by a system of linear
equations.
• In such a network as shown below, a voltage source forces a current of
electrons to flow through the network.
• When the current passes through a resistor there is a voltage drop
described by Ohm’s law as:
where R is the resistance, I is the current, ΔV is the voltage drop

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 A First Course in the Finite Element Method, 6 th Edition Logan

Electrical Networks
• The basic resistor element is analogous to a spring element

• We relate the voltage difference across the resistor to the current flow
by:

where the stiffness matrix is:

• The current flow in a loop is described by Kirchhoff’s law as: the

algebraic sum of the product of resistance time current voltage drops
in one direction around a loop equals the algebraic sum of the voltage
sources in the same direction around the loop.
• Example 14.7 solves for the currents in each loop of a circuit

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