Finite Element Model Generation

Model size
Element class

Element type, Number of dimensions, Size

Plane stress & Plane strain
Higher order elements
Aspect ratio, Vertex angles, Degeneration

Solution type
Static: Max Stress, Crack propagation, Yield, Thermal
Dynamic: Natural Frequencies, Harmonic, PSD, Transient
Nonlinear: Stress stiffening, Buckling, Mass softening, Inelastic
response, gaps, friction
Special Techniques: Super-elements, Cracks (1/4 points), Rubber

Model Sizing Strategy

Choose number of dimensions

Choose element type
Find element size
Estimate number of elements

Estimate Size
Computational time depends on development of
stiffness matrix and solution of equations
Development of stiffness matrix and load vector
is proportional to number of elements
Solution of simultaneous equations
Proportional to product of number of degrees of
freedom and bandwidth squared
Number of degrees of freedom is number of nodes
times number of displacements per node
Bandwidth is maximum node number difference times
number of degrees of freedom across an element

Estimate Size (continued-2)

In linear problems solution of simultaneous
equations dominates
In non-linear or transient problems the
number of iterations and the solution
algorithm can be proportional to number of
degrees of freedom and computational time
will be proportional to number of elements

Estimate Size (continued-3)

Find minimum dimension to be modeled
Element size is minimum dimension divided
by three
Find number of elements in each dimension
Multiply each of these together
Typical model sizes are:
Rough analysis 100s to 1000s of elements
Detailed 10s to 100s of thousands of elements

Choose Element Type

Frames should be 1-D elements
Use truss or beams
thickness each way should be < 1/20 of length

Thin structures
Maximum thickness should be < 1/10 of maximum
dimension
Use plate or shell elements

Two dimensional solids

Axisymmetric model
Long through thickness model(plane strain)
Thin in-plane displacements (plane stress)

Plane Stress & Plane Strain

1-D Element Examples

House or building frame

Bridge truss network
Equipment support frames
Cable structure

Thin Structure Examples

Airfoil
Submarine hull and bulkheads
Sheet metal structures
Aircraft skin
Automobile body

Building walls, windows, etc

Food cans, bottles

Axisymmetric Solid Examples

High pressure tanks

Ball bearings
Nozzles
Nose cones
Pipes

Axisymmetric Shell Examples

Soda cans and bottles

Missile skin
Low pressure tanks
Paper plates

Plane Strain Models

Loading only in one 2-D plane

Structure is cylindrical through the thickness
2-D plane is far from ends
Every 2-D section looks exactly the same
Structure does not deflect like a beam
Supports are the same along the length

Ends do not move axially, bend or twist

Generalized plane strain: each section can move
axially, bend and twist.

Plane Stress Models

Structure is a thin flat 2-D plate
Loading is only in the plane of the 2-D plate
Through thickness stresses are negligible

Higher Order Plane Elements

Four Node Quad

Eight Node Quad

Higher Order Brick Elements

8-Node Brick

20-Node Element

Higher Order Elements

Corner & mid-side nodes
Quadratic displacements along edges

Corner nodes only

Linear displacements along edges

Mid-side node elements are more accurate

Mid-side node elements require less elements
but have more degrees of freedom per element
Mid-side node elements can have more distortion
and remain accurate

Element Distortion
Aspect ratio
Greatest element length divided by smallest
Linear elements can go to 5:1 to 10:1
Quadratic elements can go to more than 20:1

Vertex angles
Should be as close to 90 degrees as possible
Error is about 1/sin(vertex angle)

Degeneration
Collapsed nodes (quads to triangles & bricks to
wedges and tetrahedrons)
Use special collapsed elements if possible

Making Circles Out of Quads

Solution Types

Static
Dynamic
Nonlinear
Special Types

Static Solution Examples

Maximum stresses
Stress concentrations
Fracture depends on maximum principal stress

Yielding
Thermal stresses
Specify coefficients of expansion
Specify strain free temperatures
thermal T Tref

Do not add boundary conditions that will

unnecessarily constrain thermal expansion

Dynamic Solution Examples

Natural frequencies
Harmonic response Response due to a
sinusoidal input force or displacement,
Power Spectral Density
Response over many frequencies
Usually a probabilistic response

Transient response
For example: wave propagation and explosions
Time step must be specified

Nonlinear Response Examples

Stress stiffening and buckling
Mass softening
Gaps and friction
Highly nonlinear
Load steps cannot be large as gaps close

Inelastic analysis
Steps through yield stress must be small

Inelastic Response
Plastic yielding
Depends on von Mises stress (isotropic material)
Return from a maximum stress (tension or
compression) is by Youngs modulus

Creep
Depends on von Mises stress (isotropic material)

Anisotropic materials are considerably more

complicated
Includes single crystal components

Special Considerations
Super-elements can be used to model complex
structures
Stiffness matrix from a detailed element grid is used
Interior nodes are eliminated

Cracks
Crack tips can be modeled by moving mid-side nodes
to the quarter points

Rubber materials
Pressure becomes an unknown in addition to
displacements