FEEG3001: 2D elements

• Derivation of 3-node triangular element also known

as constant strain triangle (CST)
• 4-node rectangular element
 Finite Element Formulation: Steps
• Step 1
 Derive shape functions for each element
 Write the element-level displacement vector in matrix notation

• Step 2
 Derive expressions for the element-level strain and stress in terms of the nodal
displacements

• Step 3
 Substitute element-level displacement, strain and stress approximations into the
expression for the total potential energy of each element

• Step 4
 Identify the element stiffness and force terms from the potential energy function using the
Rayleigh-Ritz method
 Finite Element Formulation
Simplest 2D finite element: Constant Strain Triangle (CST)
• Step 1
 Derive shape functions for each element
 Write the element-level displacement vector in matrix notation
v1
v3
The geometry of the 3-node 1 u1
triangle is specified by the (x1,y1) (x3,y3)
location of its three corner nodes v u3 •
on the {x, y} plane.
v2 u 3 3 nodes per element
• 3 shape functions
y • 2 dofs per node
u2
2
(x2,y2) (x,y)
x
y
u (x, y)  N1 x, y  u 1  N 2 x, y  u 2  N 3 x, y  u 3
(x,y) v(x, y)  N1 x, y  v1  N 2 x, y  v 2  N 3 x, y  v 3
x
 Step 1: Derivation of shape functions for each element

 To derive shape functions, start with a

linear element-level displacement v1
approximation. v3
1 u1
 Then, write the unknowns in terms of the
(x1,y1) (x3,y3)
physical DOF. v u3
v2 u 3
This procedure is similar to what we earlier did for
rod and beam elements. y
a1  b1 x  c1 y u2
N1  2
2A (x,y)
a  b2 x  c 2 y (x2,y2)
N2  2 x
2A
a  b3 x  c3 y
N3  3 Area of triangle
2A

a1  x 2 y 3  x3 y 2 b1  y 2  y 3 c1  x3  x 2 1 x1 y1 
1
a 2  x3 y1  x1 y 3 b2  y 3  y1 c 2  x1  x3 A  det 1 x 2 y 2 
2
a3  x1 y 2  x 2 y1 b3  y1  y 2 c3  x 2  x1 1 x3 y 3 
 • Step :1 Write the element-level displacement vector in matrix notation
v1
v3
u(x, y)  N1u 1  N 2 u 2  N 3 u 3 1 u1
(x1,y1) (x3,y3)
v u3
v( x, y)  N1 v1  N 2 v 2  N 3 v 3 v2 u 3
y
u2
2
(x2,y2) (x,y)
x
 u1 
v 
 1
u (x, y)  N1 0 N2 0 N3 0   u 2 

u    
 v(x, y)   0 N1 0 N2 0 N 3  v 2 
u 3 
u 21  N 26 d 61  

v3 
 Step 2: Derive expressions for the element-level strain and stress in terms of the nodal
displacements  u1 
v 
 1
u (x, y)  N1 0 N2 0 N3 0  u 2 

u N d   
 v(x, y)   0 N1 0 N2 0 N3  v
 2 
u 3 
 

v3 
Strain-displacement relations:
 u(x,y)     
   0  0
 xx   x   x   x 
   v(x,y)     u(x,y)  
ε   yy     0   0 Nd  Bd
   y   y  v(x,y)  y 
   u(x,y) v(x,y) 
xy    
     B is constant, hence
 y x   y x 
  y x  the term constant
strain triangle
 N1 (x, y) N 2 (x, y) N 3 (x, y) 
 0 0 0 
 x x x  b1 0 b2 0 b3 0 
N1 (x, y) N 2 (x, y) N 3 (x, y)  1 
B  0 0 0   0 c1 0 c 2 0 c3 
 y y y  2 A
 N (x, y) N (x, y) N (x, y) N 2 (x, y) N 3 (x, y) N 3 (x, y)  c1 b1 c2 b2 c3 b3 
 1 1 2 
 y x y x y x 
 Step 2: Derive expressions for the element-level strain and stress in terms of the nodal
displacements

Displacement approximation Strain approximation

u  Nd   Bd

Stress approximation
Stress field σ is related to strain field by the elastic constitutive equation:

 xx   D11 D12 D13   xx 
   
   yy   D 21 D 22 D 23   yy   D  DBd
   D D 32 D 33   xy 
 xy   31
D ij : Plane stress elastic moduli, assumed to be constant over the
element.

Stress is constant
 Step 3&4
 Substitute element-level displacement, strain and stress approximations into the
expression for the total potential energy of each element

Displacement approximation Strain & Stress approximation

u  Nd   Bd   DBd

Total Potential Energy for element e


     dV 
1 T
  u T f B dV
2V V

Internal Body Force Contribution

1 T  T 
  d  B DB dV d  d T  N T f B dV
2  V 
 V
Step 3&4
 Substitute element-level displacement, strain and stress approximations into the
expression for the total potential energy of each element

1 T  
  d  B DB dV d  d T  N T f B dV
T
2  e 
 V

Apply PMTPE to get…

Element stiffness matrix Element force vector

K e   B T DB dV fe  V   f  dV
N T B
V 
Internal Body force term
 SUMMARY

t
K e   B T DB dV
V

Since B is constant, we can write: Ae

t = thickness of the element

K  B DB dV  B DB A t
e T T e
Ae = Surface area of the element
V

Element nodal load vector

f e   N T f B dV
V    
Body force term
 Practical Aspects
• Use in areas where strain gradients are small

• Avoid CSTs in critical areas of structures such as regions

of stress concentrations, edges of holes, corners, etc.

• In general CSTs are not recommended for general analysis

purposes as a very large number of these elements are
required for reasonable accuracy.
 Key steps involved in FE formulations
• Construct shape functions for each element and write the
element-level displacement vector in matrix notation

• Derive expressions for the element-level strain and stress

in terms of the nodal displacements

• Substitute element-level displacement, strain and stress

approximations into the expression for the total potential
energy of each element

• Identify the element stiffness and force terms from the

potential energy function using the Rayleigh-Ritz method
Computational steps involved in Practical FEA
• Geometry modeling and mesh generation

– Connectivity matrix, coordinates of all nodes (ELIST, NLIST)

• Compute element stiffness matrix and force vectors for all elements

K e   e B T DB dV f e   N T f B dV
 V
• Assemble global stiffness matrix and force vectors
– Recall procedure covered in earlier lectures

• Solve for global displacements

• Postprocess for element-level strains and stresses

  Bd   DBd
 Properties of the shape functions for 3-node triangular element

1. The shape functions N1, N2 and N3 are linear functions of x & y

N2
N1 N3
1 1 1
1 3 1
y 3 2 3

2 1
2
x
1 at node ' i '
Ni   Kronecker delta property
0 at other nodes
 Properties of the shape functions for 3-node triangular element

2. At every point in the domain

3

N
i 1
i 1
This is a two-dimensional analog of the
3
conditions for completeness we covered
N x
i 1
i i x for the 1D rod element

N y
i 1
i i y

You can also check that compatibility will be guaranteed by these

shape functions.
 4-noded Rectangular Element
4-noded rectangular element with edges parallel to the coordinate axes

(x4,y4) 4 3 (x3,y3)

v u (x, y)  N1(x, y) u 1  N 2 (x, y) u 2  N 3 (x, y) u 3  N 4 (x, y) u 4

u 2b
(x,y)
v (x, y)  N1(x, y) v1  N 2 (x, y) v 2  N 3 (x, y) v 3  N 4 (x, y) v 4
y

1 2a 2 (x2,y2)
(x1,y1)

• 4 nodes per element

• 2 dofs per node (each node can move in x- and y- directions)
• 8 dofs per element
 Generation of the first shape function N1
x  x2
At node 1 l1 ( x) 
y x1  x 2
has the property
3 l1(y) l1 ( x1 )  1
4
l1 ( x 2 )  0

2b Similarly
y  y4
l1 ( y ) 
y1  y 4
N1 1 2 1 has the property
2a x l1 ( y1 )  1
l1(x) l1 ( y 4 )  0
1 Hence we can choose the shape function
at node 1 as
 x  x2  y  y 4  1
N 1  l1 ( x)l1 ( y )      x  x 2  y  y 4 
 x1  x 2  y1  y 4  4ab
As required this shape function takes the value 1 at node 1 and it is zero at the
other 3 nodes.
Using similar arguments, we can choose the other shape functions
1
N1  x  x 2 y  y 4  Note that the shape function
4ab
1 Ni takes the value 1 at the ith
N2   x  x1y  y 3 
4ab node and it is zero at the
1 other nodes.
N3  x  x 4 y  y 2 
4ab
1 u1 
N4   x  x 3 y  y1   
4ab v1 
u 2 
u (x,y) N1 0 N 2 0 N 3 0 N 4  
0 v 2 
u      
v (x,y) 0 N1 0 N 2 0 N 3 0 N 4 u 3 
v 3 
 
u 4 
u  Nd 
v 4 

 The strain-displacement relationship

 
 0
  x   x 
    u ( x, y )
   y    0    Bd, where
 y  v( x, y ) 
  
 xy   
 
 y x 

 N1(x, y) N 2 (x, y) N 3 (x, y) N 4 (x, y) 

 0 0 0 0 
  x  x  x  x 
N (x, y) N (x, y) N (x, y) N (x, y)
B 0 1
0 2
0 3
0 4 
 y y y y 
 N1(x, y) N1(x, y) N 2 (x, y) N 2 (x, y) N 3 (x, y) N 3 (x, y) N 4 (x, y) N 4 (x, y) 
 
y  x  y  x  y  x  y
                                         x
B
 Differentiating the 4 shape functions defined earlier, we have

 y  y4 0 y3  y 0 y  y2 0 y1  y 0 
1  
B 0 x  x 0 x  x 0 x  x 0 x  x
4ab  
2 1 4 3
 x  x2 y  y 4 x1  x y3  y x  x4 y  y 2 x3  x y1  y 

Note that unlike the CST, the B matrix is a function of x & y

Stress-strain relationship

  DBd
Note that the strains (and hence the stresses) are NOT constant
within an element but linear in x and y.
 Substitutingu  Nd ,  Bd and  DBd into the expression
for the total potential energy function for an element, we have

1
  
T T S T B
   dV  u f dS  u f dV
2 e   e
 2

1 T  
 d  B DB dV d  d T  N T f S dS  d T  N T f B dV
T
2  e 
 e e
2

From the Rayleigh-Ritz method, the element stiffness matrix

is hence given by
K e   e B T DBdV These are general
 formulae applicable
The element force vector is given by to all 2D and 3D
elements!
f e   e N T f S dS   e N T f B dV
T 2         
Traction term Body force term