MATLAB Guide to Finite Elements
Peter I. Kattan
MATLAB Guide
to Finite Elements
An Interactive Approach
Second Edition
With 108 Figures and 25 Tables
Peter I. Kattan, PhD
P.O. BOX 1392
Amman 11118
Jordan
pkattan@tedata.net.jo
pkattan@lsu.edu
Library of Congress Control Number: 2007920902
ISBN-13
978-3-540-70697-7 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York
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Dedicated to My Professor, George Z. Voyiadjis
Preface to the Second Edition
Soon after the first edition of this book was published at the end of 2002, it was
realized that a new edition of the book was needed. I received positive feedback
from my readers who requested that I provide additional finite elements in other
areas like fluid flow and heat transfer. However, I did not want to lengthen the book
considerably. Therefore, I decided to add two new chapters thus adding new material
while keeping the size of the book reasonable.
The second edition of the book continues with the same successful format that
characterized the first edition – which was sold out in less than four years. I continue
to emphasize the important features of interactivity of using MATLAB1 coupled with
the simplicity and consistency of presentation of finite elements. One of the most
important features also is bypassing the use of numerical integration in favor of exact
analytical integration with the use of the MATLAB Symbolic Math Toolbox2. The
use of this toolbox is emphasized in Chaps. 12, 13, 14, and 16.
In the new edition, two important changes are immediately noted. First, I corrected
the handful of typing errors that appeared in the first edition. Second, I added two
new chapters. Chap. 16 includes another solid three-dimensional element (the eight-
noded brick element) in great detail. The final chapter (Chap. 17) provides a review
of the applications of finite elements in other areas like fluid flow, heat transfer,
geotechnical engineering, electro-magnetics, structural dynamics, plasticity, etc. In
this chapter, I show how the same consistent strategy that was followed in the first
sixteen chapters can be used to write MATLAB functions in these areas by providing
the MATLAB code for a one-dimensional fluid flow element.
One minor drawback of the first edition as I see it is the absence of a concluding
chapter. Therefore, I decided to remedy the situation by adding Chap. 17 as a real
concluding chapter to the book. It is clear that this chapter is different from the first
sixteen chapters and thus may well provide a well written conclusion to the book.
The second edition still comes with an accompanying CD-ROM that contains the
full set of M-files written specifically to be used with this book. These MATLAB
functions have been tested with version 7 of MATLAB and should work with any
1 MATLAB is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc.
2 The MATLAB Symbolic Math Toolbox is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc.
VIII
Preface to the Second Edition
later versions. In addition, the CD-ROM contains a complete solutions manual that
includes detailed solutions to all the problems in the book. If the reader does not wish
to consult these solutions, then a brief list of answers is provided in printed form at
the end of the book.
I would like to thank my family members for their help and continued support with-
out which this book would not have been possible. I would also like to acknowledge
the help of the editior at Springer-Verlag (Dr. Thomas Ditzinger) for his assistance in
bringing this book out in its present form. Finally, I would like to thank my brother,
Nicola, for preparing most of the line drawings in both editions. In this edition, I am
providing two email addresses for my readers to contact me (pkattan@tedata.net.jo
and pkattan@lsu.edu). The old email address that appeared in the first edition was
cancelled in 2004.
December 2006
Peter I. Kattan
Preface to the First Edition
This is a book for people who love finite elements and MATLAB3. We will use the
popular computer package MATLAB as a matrix calculator for doing finite element
analysis. Problems will be solved mainly using MATLAB to carry out the tedious
and lengthy matrix calculations in addition to some manual manipulations especially
when applying the boundary conditions. In particular the steps of the finite element
method are emphasized in this book. The reader will not find ready-made MATLAB
programs for use as black boxes. Instead step-by-step solutions of finite element prob-
lems are examined in detail using MATLAB. Problems from linear elastic structural
mechanics are used throughout the book. The emphasis is not on mass computation
or programming, but rather on learning the finite element method computations and
understanding of the underlying concepts. In addition to MATLAB, the MATLAB
Symbolic Math Toolbox4 is used in Chaps. 12, 13, and 14.
Many types of finite elements are studied in this book including the spring element,
the bar element, two-dimensional and three-dimensional truss elements, plane and
space beam and frame elements, two-dimensional elasticity elements for plane stress
and plane strain problems, and one three-dimensional solid element. Each chapter
deals with only one type of element. Also each chapter starts with a summary of the
basic equations for the element followed by a number of examples demonstrating
the use of the element using the provided MATLAB functions. Special MATLAB
functions for finite elements are provided as M-files on the accompanying CD-ROM to
be used in the examples. These functions have been tested successfully with MATLAB
versions 5.0, 5.3, and 6.1. They should work with other later versions. Each chapter
also ends with a number of problems to be used as practice for students.
This book is written primarily for students studying finite element analysis for the
first time. It is intended as a supplementary text to be used with a main textbook for
an introductory course on the finite element method. Since the computations of finite
elements usually involve matrices and matrix manipulations, it is only natural that
students use a matrix-based software package like MATLAB to do the calculations.
3 MATLAB is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc.
4 The MATLAB Symbolic Math Toolbox is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc.