Finite Element Method

The method is based on discretization of a continuum

Differential element is replaced with finite element
Approximation of geometry approximate solution
Equations become algebraic
Characteristics of approximation of continuum
Area of interest is divided into finite number of elements
Elements are interconnected at finite number of nodes
EM fields and potentials in each element are described by
interpolation functions and finite number of parameters
Mesh, nodes, parameters and interpolation influence the
quality of approximation and speed of solution convergence
First order elements
1- 1-D (line): line, curve
2- 2-D (plane): a) triangles
b) quadrilateral
c) curvilinear
3 nodes 6 9
4 8 4 5
6
8
3- 3-D (space): a) tetrahedra
b) brick
c) curved
8
4
10
2 2
| V |
2
1
| E |
2
1
E . D
2
1
= = =
E
w
1
2
3
8
7
6
5
4
9
1 2
3
4
5
6
7
8
boundary
Approximate boundary
9 nodes & 8 elements
The field due to electric potential is E = - V
where the flux density is D = E and the
energy is given by:
V
1
V
2
V
3
(x
1
, y
1
)
(x
2
, y
2
)
(x
3
, y
3
)
1
2
3
The potential:
one element
x
y
V = a + bx + cy
V
1
= a + bx
1
+ cy
1
V
2
= a + bx
2
+ cy
2
V
3
= a + bx
3
+ cy
3
For single element (3-nodes) the potential ant each node:
Dividing the solution region into a number of finite elements:

c
b
a
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
V
V
V
3 3
2 2
1 1
3
2
1

3
2
1
1
3 3
2 2
1 1
V
V
V
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
c
b
a
a = a
1
V
1
+ a
2
V
2
+ a
3
V
3
b = b
1
V
1
+ b
2
V
2
+ b
3
V
3
c = c
1
V
1
+ c
2
V
2
+ c
3
V
3
Since V = a + bx + cy then: V is
= a
1
V
1
+ a
2
V
2
+ a
3
V
3
+ (b
1
V
1
+ b
2
V
2
+ b
3
V
3
) x + (c
1
V
1
+ c
2
V
2
+ c
3
V
3
) y
V =
1
V
1
+
2
V
2
+
3
V
3
= where:

=
3
1 i
i i
V
)y] x - (x )x y - (y ) y x - y [(x
2A
1

)y] x - (x )x y - (y ) y x - y [(x
2A
1

)y] x - (x )x y - (y ) y x - y [(x
2A
1

1 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 3
3 1 1 3 3 1 1 3 2
2 3 3 2 2 3 3 2 1
+ + =
+ + =
+ + =
3 3
2 2
1 1
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
2A =
y c x b a y, c x b a y, c x b a
3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
+ + = + + = + + =
3 3
2 2
1 1
2 2
1 1
3
3 3
2 2
1 1
3 3
1 1
2
3 3
2 2
1 1
3 3
2 2
1
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
,
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
,
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1
y x 1

: as s ' g Exepressin
= = =

Energy function in electrostatic (variational principle)

: where | V |
2
1
| E |
2
1
D.E
2
1
2 2
= = =
e
w
) V V V ( V
3 3 2 2 1 1
+ + =
D - 2 in
y
V
x
V
V

=
[ ]
2
3
2
3 3 2 3 2 2 3 3 1 3 3 3 1 1
3 2 3 3 2 2
2
2
2
2 2 1 2 1 1 2 2
3 1 3 3 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 1
2
1
2
1 1
2
3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1
2
2
3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1
V ) c (b V )V c )(b c (b V )V c )(b c (b
V )V c )(b c (b V ) c (b V )V c )(b c (b
V )V c )(b c (b V )V c )(b c (b V ) c (b
)V c (b )V c (b )V c (b
y
V
x
V
V
)V c (b )V c (b )V c (b
y
V
x
V
+ + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + =
+ + + + + =

=
+ + + + + =

[ ]

=
3
3
1
33 32 31
23 22 21
13 12 11
3 2 1
2
V
V
V
c c c
c c c
c c c
V V V V
[ ] [ ][ ] V c V
2
V
2
V
2
1
constant V for
T
2 2
e
2
= = = = w
[c] is element (or global or overall) coefficient matrix, where:
32 3 1 1 2 2 1 1 3 23
31 1 2 2 3 3 2 2 1 13
21 2 3 3 1 1 3 3 2 12
2
1 2
2
2 1 33
2
3 1
2
1 3 22
2
2 3
2
3 2 11
c )] x - )(x x - (x ) y - y ( ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
c )] x - )(x x - (x ) y - y ( ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
c )] x - )(x x - (x ) y - y ( ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
] ) x - (x ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
] ) x - (x ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
] ) x - (x ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
= + =
= + =
= + =
+ =
+ =
+ =
Assembling of elements
Consider 2 elements, Therefore: 1
3 2
6
5
2
4
3
1
6
[ ]

=
66 65 64
56 55 54
46 45 44
33 32 31
23 22 21
13 12 11
c c c
c c c
c c c
c c c
c c c
c c c
c
Coefficient matrix for 6-nodes,
Tends to global matrix for 4
nodes
[ ]

+ +
+ +
=
66 63 62
36 44 33 45 32 31
26 54 23 55 22 21
13 12 11
c c c
c c c c c c
c c c c c c
c c c
c
Solution for Laplace equation by variational principle
[ ] [ ][ ]
[ ][ ] [ ][ ] 0 V c V c 0
V V V V
: thus V c V
2
V
2
where 0 V
6 3 2 1
T
2
e
2
= = =

= = =

w w w w
w
0
V
V
V
V
c c c c
c c c c
c c c c
4
3
2
1
34 33 32 31
24 23 22 21
14 13 12 11
=

0 V
c
c
c
V
V
V
c c c
c c c
c c c
4
34
24
14
3
2
1
33 32 31
23 22 21
13 12 11
=

[ ][ ] [ ] [ ]
[ ] [ ] [ ] B c V
B V c' V c
1
4

=
= =
This principle minimizes the
energy. To solve for potential in
free nodes (say 3 nodes) in terms
of the fixed node (node 4) for
minimum energy, we have:
Example: Calculate the global coefficient matrix for two elements
with 4 nodes given for cartesian coordinates as follows: T
1
(2,4),
T
2
(1,2), T
3
(3,3), T
4
(4,1), when node 2 is linked with node 3.
Determine the potential at node 2 and 3 if the potential at node 1 is
zero and node 4 is 100 V.
T
4
T
3
T
1
T
2
x
y
For element 1 (T
1
, T
2
, T
3
) 3
3 3 1
2 1 1
4 2 1
2A
1
= =
For element 2 (T
2
, T
3
, T
4
) 5
1 4 1
3 3 1
2 1 1
2A
2
= =
834 . 0 ] 4 1 [
6
1
] ) x - (x ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
2
2 3
2
3 2
1
11
= + = + =
For element 1 (T
1
, T
2
, T
3
)
333 . 0 ] 1 1 [
6
1
] ) x - (x ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
2
3 1
2
1 3
1
22
= + = + =
834 . 0 ] 1 4 [
6
1
] ) x - (x ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
2
1 2
2
2 1
1
33
= + = + =
167 . 0 ] 2 1 [
6
1
c )] x - )(x x - (x ) y - y ( ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
21 2 3 3 1 1 3 3 2
1
12
= = = + =
667 . 0 ] 2 2 [
6
1
c )] x - )(x x - (x ) y - y ( ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
31 1 2 2 3 3 2 2 1
1
13
= = = + =
167 . 0 ] 1 2 [
6
1
c )] x - )(x x - (x ) y - y ( ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
32 3 1 1 2 2 1 1 3
1
23
= + = = + =
[ ]

=
834 . 0 167 . 0 667 . 0
167 . 0 333 . 0 167 . 0
667 . 0 167 . 0 834 . 0
c
1
Coefficient matrix
for element 1 is:
For element 2 (T
2
, T
3
, T
4
)
5 . 0 ] 1 4 [
10
1
] ) x - (x ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
2
3 4
2
4 3
2
22
= + = + =
0 . 1 ] 9 1 [
10
1
] ) x - (x ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
2
4 2
2
2 4
2
33
= + = + =
5 . 0 ] 4 1 [
10
1
] ) x - (x ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
2
2 3
2
3 2
2
44
= + = + =
5 . 0 ] 3 2 [
10
1
c )] x - )(x x - (x ) y - y ( ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
32 3 4 4 2 2 4 4 3
2
23
= = = + =
0 ] 2 2 [
10
1
c )] x - )(x x - (x ) y - y ( ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
42 2 3 3 4 4 3 3 2
2
24
= + = = + =
5 . 0 ] 6 1 [
10
1
c )] x - )(x x - (x ) y - y ( ) y - y [(
4A
1
c
43 4 2 2 3 3 2 2 4
2
34
= = = + =
[ ]

=
5 . 0 5 . 0 0
5 . 0 0 . 1 5 . 0
0 5 . 0 5 . 0
c
2
Coefficient matrix
for element 2 is:
The global coefficient matrix for the 2 elements is:
[ ]

+
+

=
5 . 0 5 . 0 0 0
5 . 0 0 . 1 834 . 0 5 . 0 167 . 0 667 . 0
0 5 . 0 167 . 0 5 . 0 333 . 0 167 . 0
0 667 . 0 167 . 0 834 . 0
c
[ ]

=
5 . 0 5 . 0 0 0
5 . 0 167 . 0 333 . 0 667 . 0
0 333 . 0 167 . 0 167 . 0
0 667 . 0 167 . 0 834 . 0
c
[ ][ ] therefore 0 V c From =
0
100
V
V
0
5 . 0 5 . 0 0 0
5 . 0 167 . 0 333 . 0 667 . 0
0 333 . 0 167 . 0 167 . 0
0 667 . 0 167 . 0 834 . 0
3
2
=

Gives: at node 2: -0.167 V
2
+ 0.333 V
3
= 0 and
at node 3: 0.333 V
2
0.167 V
3
+ 0.5 * 100 = 0
By solving these 2 equations, we get:
V
2
= -32 V and V
3
= -16 V