Traveller, there is no path
Paths are made by walking.
Although the FEM can make a good
engineer better; it can make a poor
engineer more dangerous.
Introduction to
FEEE 2005
INTRODUCTION
To address the complexities associated with designing and
constructing buildings, bridges, and infrastructure to resist
the effects of earthquakes, the engineer must possess a
broad skill set that can integrate information from the
following disciplines:
• Architecture
• Engineering seismology
• Geotechnical earthquake engineering
• Structural analysis: Static and dynamic
• Structural design
• Earthquake engineering and structural dynamics
• Risk and reliability analysis
• Construction and cost estimating
Definition of Earthquake Terms
Example of attenuation
relationships in rock
Approximate relationships
between maximum acclns.
and Modified Mercalli
Intensity
Fundamental Relations for SA
1. Equilibrium relations
2. Compatibility conditions
/ Continuity conditions
3. Constitutive relations
The equilibrium equations, provide relationships
between the forces, whereas the compatibility
conditions involve only deformations.
The constitutive relations provide the link between
the equilibrium equations and compatibility
conditions that is necessary to establish the load-
deformation relationships for a structure or a
member.
Approximate Analysis
FEM – Computational Model
The finite element method is a numerical
analysis technique for obtaining
approximate solutions to a wide variety of
engineering problems.
Finite Element Method (FEM) is the
main instrument for an engineer to
model and assess the behaviour of
structural elements.
FEM – Computational Model
Field of Mechanics
• The purpose of mechanics is to study and describe the motion of
material systems.
• The language of mechanics is very similar to that of set theory
in mathematics.
Theoretical Mechanics deals with fundamental laws
and principles of mechanics studied for their intrinsic
value.
Applied Mechanics transfers this theoretical
knowledge to scientific and engineering applications,
especially as regards the construction of
mathematical models of physical phenomena.
Computational Mechanics solves specific problems
by combining mathematical models through
numerical methods implemented on digital
computers, a process called simulation.
Experimental Mechanics puts physical laws and
mathematical methods under the ultimate test of
observation. In this course we will be concerned with
the third branch.
Computational Mechanics
Computational particle mechanics, which tackles
phenomena at the molecular, atomic and
subatomic levels of matter, falls largely in the
realm of physics and chemistry.
Micromechanics, which falls in between particle
and continuum mechanics, looks primarily at the
molecular through crystallographic levels of
matter.
Computational solid mechanics and structural
mechanics are disciplines in engineering and
applied sciences. They are closely related
because structures, for obvious reasons, are
fabricated with solids.
Computational solid mechanics (CSM)
emphasizes the more general applied-sciences
approach and is based on continuum mechanics,
whereas structural mechanics emphasizes
applications to engineering design and analysis
of structures.
Statics vs. Dynamics
CSM and structural mechanics may be subdivided according to whether
inertial effects are taken into account or not:
Computational solid and structural mechanics:
Statics
Dynamics
In dynamics the time dependence is explicitly considered because the
calculation of inertial (and/or damping) forces requires derivatives respect to
actual time to be taken.
Problems in statics may also be time dependent but the inertial forces are
ignored or neglected.
Static problems may be classified into strictly static and quasi-static. For the
former time need not be considered explicitly; any historical time-like
parameter will do. In quasi-static problems such as creep deformation, rate-
dependent plasticity or fatigue cycling, a more realistic estimation of time is
required but inertial forces are still neglected.
Linear vs. Nonlinear
CSM static analysis:
Linear
Nonlinear
Linear static analysis deals with static problems in
which the structural response is linear in the
cause-and-effect sense.
For example: doubling the applied forces doubles
the displacements and internal stresses.
Problems outside this domain are classified as
nonlinear.
Linear Problem
[K ]{D} = {R}
[K ] ≠ [K ({D})]
{R} ≠ {R ({D})}
Stiffness and Forces are not
functions of displacements.
Types of Nonlinear Problems
1. Material nonlinearity
a. Plasticity
b. Nonlinear elasticity
2. Geometric nonlinearity
a. Large deflections
b. Large rotations
Nonlinear Problem
[K ]{D} = {R}
[K ] = [K ({D})]
{R} = {R ({D})}
Stiffness and Forces are
functions of displacements.
Difficulty!
Nonlinear problems can cost as
much as 10 to 100 times as
much to solve as corresponding
linear problems! We often try
to approximate nonlinear
solutions by linear solutions
What’s Ahead
The ability to solve a nonlinear structural dynamics problem
is still hampered today by limited knowledge of complex
material behavior.
For example, proper analysis of a reinforced concrete
structure should involve material models for bond
degradation between the reinforcing steel and concrete,
flexural and shear cracking, shear transfer across cracks,
and softening of concrete in compression as a function of
the amount of confining steel present.
These features all need further study, especially with
regard to cyclic loading. Many of the material models used
by modern computer programs are highly simplified
compared to actual structural behavior.
Components of the beam-column joint model
