What Do Engineers and Architects Need to Know about the Finite Element Method?

Helen Chen, Ph.D., PE

Course Outline

The Finite Element Method is a powerful engineering analysis tool, and has been widely used in engineering since it was introduced in the 1950s. This course presents the basic theory and simple application of the Finite Element Method (FEM) along with the common FEM terminology. The emphasis of this course is the fundamental concepts of finite element analysis. A list of major finite element software is also presented in this course along with their features and capabilities. This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will understand:

• the concept of the Finite Element Method (FEM);
• the advantages of the FEM;
• the disadvantages of the FEM;
• the applications of the FEM;
• the concept of matrix and vector;
• the important role played by the FEM in today's engineering world;

and will be familiar with:

• the element stiffness matrix;
• the matrix operations used in the FEM;
• the different types of finite elements;
• the terminology used in the FEM;
• the global stiffness matrix assembly;
• the step-by-step procedure of the FEM.

Course Content

The course content is contained in the following document:

What Do Engineers and Architects Need to Know about Finite Element Methods? (PDF, 17 pages, 0.4 MB).

You need to open or download this document for your study.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

Wikipedia.com: Finite Element Method
Aladdin - A Computational Toolkit for the Interactive Matrix and Finite Element Analysis
Finite Element Analysis Discussion Group at Eng-Tips
Introduction to Finite Element Analysis

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDHonline.com or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered professional engineer. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.