The Finite Element Method

The Finite Element Method: Fundamentals and Applications demonstrates the generality of the finite element method by providing a unified treatment of fundamentals and a broad coverage of applications. Topics covered include field problems and their approximate solutions; the variational method based on the Hilbert space; and the Ritz finite element method. Finite element applications in solid and structural mechanics are also discussed. Comprised of 16 chapters, this book begins with an introduction to the formulation and classification of physical problems, followed by a review of field or continuum problems and their approximate solutions by the method of trial functions. It is shown that the finite element method is a subclass of the method of trial functions and that a finite element formulation can, in principle, be developed for most trial function procedures. Variational and residual trial function methods are considered in some detail and their convergence is examined. After discussing the calculus of variations, both in classical and Hilbert space form, the fundamentals of the finite element method are analyzed. The variational approach is illustrated by outlining the Ritz finite element method. The application of the finite element method to solid and structural mechanics is also considered. This monograph will appeal to undergraduate and graduate students, engineers, scientists, and applied mathematicians.