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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2013/2014 -
- ARCHIVE as at 1 September 2013 for reference only
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Engineering : Postgrad (School of Engineering)

Postgraduate Course: Finite Element Analysis for Solids (MSc) (PGEE10006)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Engineering CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Course typeStandard AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Postgraduate) Credits10
Home subject areaPostgrad (School of Engineering) Other subject areaNone
Course website None Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionThe finite element method (FEM) (also called finite element analysis or FEA) originated from the need to solve complex problems in solid mechanics. FEM is used to obtain approximate numerical solutions to a variety of equations of calculus. Today it is used in a wide range of disciplines for solution of problems in solid/fluid mechanics, heat transfer, electromagnetism and acoustics. This course is an introduction to FEA as applied to elasticity problems in solid mechanics. The mathematical equations are developed using the virtual work basis of FEM and this is used to develop equations for one, two and three dimensional elements. As FEA is a computational tool this course includes practical exercises using the commercial package ABAQUS. A number of tutorials involving hand calculations are provided to aid understanding of the technique.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs None
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 1, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Learn enabled:  Yes Quota:  None
Web Timetable Web Timetable
Course Start Date 16/09/2013
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 20, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 5, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 10, Summative Assessment Hours 1.5, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 62 )
Additional Notes
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) Written Exam 60 %, Coursework 40 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours:Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)1:30
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, the student should be able to:
¿ describe the analytical methods and procedures which the finite element programs use to analyse elastic solid structures;
¿ be able to use the computer based finite element methods to solve simple problems by hand calculations;
¿ identify and understand all the various matrix operations involved in the process;
¿ use computer programs to analyse elastic structures, present results in appropriate graphical formats, carry out checks to assess the correctness of the output, and interpret results properly.
Assessment Information
Coursework (40%) Exam (60%)
Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus ¿ Introduction to FE terminology; steps of the analysis using an assumed displacement field approach for linear elastic analysis of structures.
¿ Feeding a finite element program (ABAQUS) with geometric, physical and loading information; understanding and interpreting results from a FE program.
¿ Introduction to plane stress, plane strain, axisymmetric, and 3D problems; degrees of freedom; stress-strain and strain-displacement relations.
¿ Derivation of FE equilibrium equations using the virtual work principle; examples of derivation of stiffness and equivalent load vector for a two node truss element.
¿ Beam, Triangular and quadrilateral elements; normalised coordinates; shape functions.
¿ Isoparametric concept of mapping; derivation of element matrices; the need to use a Jacobian matrix; numerical integration for computing FE matrices.
¿ Factors influencing the choice of a model, element and order of Gauss integration; concept of reduced integration and zero energy modes; acceptable distortion of elements; choice of mesh; convergence requirements; adaptive meshing.
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list Recommended texts:
1. Cook, RD; Malkus, DS; Plesha, ME; Witt, RJ. Concepts and Applications of Finite Element Analysis, Wiley, 2002.
2. Zienkiewicz, OC; Taylor, RL. The Finite Element Method for Solid and Structural Mechanics, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005.
3. Bathe, KJ. Finite Element Procedures, Prentice Hall, 1996.
4. Kim, NH; Sankar, BV. Introduction to Finite Element Analysis and Design, Wiley, 2009.
5. Smith, IM; Griffiths, DV. Programming the Finite Element Method, Wiley, 2004.
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Lectures: 18 hrs; Tutorials: 5 hrs; Computer labs: 10 hrs
KeywordsNumerical methods, solid mechanics, elasticity
Contacts
Course organiserDr Pankaj
Tel: (0131 6)50 5800
Email: Pankaj@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Craig Hovell
Tel: (0131 6)51 7080
Email: c.hovell@ed.ac.uk
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