Finite Element Analysis Session 10 Truss Analysis

Mechanical design is the design of a component for optimum size, shape, etc., against failure under the application of operational loads. A good design should also minimize the cost of material and cost of production. FEM has been in development for over 50 years. Initially it was applied to the structural analysis of complex objects such as aircraft wings and calculations were performed by hand. In recent years with improvements in FEM technology and its automation by computers, larger and more complex models can be analyzed. In addition to structural analysis, this method has been extended to other disciplines such as heat transfer, fluid flow and electromagnetics. The Finite Element Method (FEM) is an analysis technique that is applicable to a broad range of problems. With this technique systems are described by mathematical equations. While these equations can be derived for simple objects, finding a solution that describes a complete complex structure is generally not practical. FEM addresses this difficulty by dividing a complex system into smaller objects so that the solution for each object can be represented by an equation much simpler than that required by the entire system.