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Essence of the Finite Element Method

The Finite Element Method (FEM) is

arguably the most powerful method known for the numerical solution of boundary- and initialvalue problems characterized by partial differential equations. onse!uently" it has had a monumental impact on virtually all areas of engineering and applied science. #here are two fundamental attributes of the method that are at the heart of its great utility and success. Firstly" it is based on the idea of partitioning bounded domains in Rn into a number N of small" non-overlapping subdomains" the finite elements" over which functions are appro$imated by local functions" generally polynomials. %econdly" the boundary- and initialvalue problems" to which the method is applied" are formulated in a so-called weak" or integral form" so that the contributions of each
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subdomain to the global integrals sum up to produce an integral characterizing the problem over the whole domain.

| Finite Element Method

%ome point to the first attribute of FEMs as its most important& the systemic representation of appro$imations of function spaces. From the viewpoint of appro$imation theory" the method provides a systematic approach to piecewise appro$imation over subdomains that produces se!uences of functions that can appro$imate arbitrary members of" say" %obolev spaces" arbitrarily closely in appropriate norms (e.g. %obolev norms). #his attribute is referred to as a property of 'interpolation' for FEMs. (t basically lifts the idea of appro$imate function representation from the classical notion of interpolation across values of functions or values of derivatives to a general approach for appro$imating functions with generalized derivatives in spaces such as Lp()) or Wm"p()) " (*+p+," m-.) . /ut" were it only its ability to represent functions on !uite general domains in 0n " the FEM would not have attained its popularity in science and engineering. (t is the powerful notion of weak formulations of boundary- and initialvalue problems that enables the summation of element contributions to integrals over the whole

| Finite Element Method

domain" a property that allows one to conceptualize a formulation of the problem at hand over a simple domain" the finite element" so as to appro$imate it locally. #hen" these local subdomain approximations, as noted earlier, are summed up to determine the contributions from the full domain This is the essence of the FEM

!atch test

1 patch is the set of all elements attached to a given node& 1 finite element patch trial function is the union of shape functions activated by setting a degree of freedom at that node to unity" while all other freedoms are zero. 1 patch trial function 'propagates' only over the patch" and is zero beyond it. (#his definition is strictly applicable to displacement-assumed elements only)
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| Finite Element Method

2eterogeneous 3atches in 45

Fi" # $ $ !atch without mesh


| Finite Element Method

&teps in %alerkin's method


%tep *. hoose trial function %tep 6. #he 7weight functions8 are the same as the basis functions %tep 4. %ubstitute the trial function %tep 9 %olve this linear e!uation %alerkin methods are a class of methods for converting a continuous operator problem (such as a differential e!uation) to a discrete problem. (n principle" it is the e!uivalent of applying the method of variation of parameters to a function space" by converting the e!uation to a weak formulation.

$ dimensional and ( dimensional

| Finite Element Method

$ # ) elements coordinate transformation *-5 elements linear basis functions !uadratic basis functions cubic basis functions (-) elements oordinate transformation #riangular elements linear basis functions :uadratic basis functions 0ectangular elements linear basis functions :uadratic basis functions

*uadtree method
1 !uadtree is a hierarchical data structure used in many computer graphics" image processing" and computational geometry applications. :uadtree is a hierarchical data structure that is based on the recursive decomposition of a s!uare into four e!ual sub-elements.

| Finite Element Method

Fi" # ( $+ ,uadtree mesh and its representative tree.

Mappin"
3rovides the re!uired mapping from the local coordinate system. #o the global coordinate system and is known as mappin" -s,t./

isoparametric coordinates0 -x,y./ "lobal coordinates

| Finite Element Method

Fi" 1 $ 2soparametric mappin" #his hapter provides unified information on convergence re!uirements. #hese re!uirements can be grouped into three& 3ompleteness. #he elements must have enough approximation power to capture the analytical solution in the limit of a mesh refinement process. #his intuitive statement is rendered more precise below. 3ompatibility. #he shape functions should provide displacement continuity between elements. 3hysically these insure that no material gaps appear as the elements deform. 1s the mesh is refined" such gaps would multiply and may absorb or release spurious energy. &tability. #he system of finite element e!uations must satify certain well posedness conditions that preclude nonphysical zero-energy modes in elements" as well as the absence of e$cessive element distortion.
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| Finite Element Method

ompleteness and compatibility are two aspects of the so-called consistency condition between the discrete and mathematical models. 1 finite element model that passes both
The weak f ormulation is also called variational f orm ulation. As usual in mathematics, weak means that something holds f or all appropriately chosen test f unctions. Formally, one obtains the weak f ormulation by multiplying the strong f orm of the equation !."# with the test f unction, by integrating the equation on , and applying integration by parts. $ecause of the %irichlet boundary condition, on can use as test space &' ( # and theref ore the integral on the boundary vanishes. The ansat) space f or the solution and the test space are def ined such that the arising integrals are well def ined. The weak f ormulation reduces the necessary regularity assumptions f or the solution by the integration and the transf er of derivatives to the test f unction. *hereas the solution of !."# has to be in +, #, the solution of !.'(# has to be only in &' ( #. The latter assum ption is much more realistic f or problems coming f rom applications. The regularity assumption on the right hand side can | Finite Element Method be rela-ed to f , &. ' #.

completeness and continuity re!uirements is called consistent.

| Finite Element Method

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