me309 - finite element analysis in mechanical design

ellen kuhl thu 1-2pm, durand 217 steve bachmeier mon 1-2pm, terman 104 mandy philippine tue 4-5pm, terman 104 noe esparza wed 4-5pm, terman 104 spring 2009 tue thu 9:30-10:45 530-127 syllabus

goals

the key goal of this class is the fundamental understanding of the finite element method and its application to classical and state-of-the-art design problems. in class, we discuss the basic equations for one-, two-, and three-dimensional scalar- and vector-valued problems, i.e., heat transfer, convection-diffusion, and elasticity. in the hands-on part of the course, we introduce commercial finite element programs and demonstrate how to use ansys in analysing design problems. individual final projects focus on the interplay of analysis and testing in product design and development. to take this course, basic knowledge and general interest in mathematics, strength of materials, structural and solid mechanics, and heat transfer is highly recommended.

grading

• 50 % homework - 4 homework assignments, 12.5% each
  
• 30 % midterm - closed book, closed notes, one single letter format page of notes
  
• 20 % project - final homework project

syllabus

chapters in the syllabus refer to the fish & belytschko textbook "a first course in finite elements".
example of a matlab finite element code for euler bernoulli beams download

textbooks

fish j, belytschko t a first course in finite elements, john wiley & sons, 2007 cook rd finite element modeling for stress analysis, john wiley & sons, 1995 buchanan gr schaum's outline of finite element analysis, mc graw hill, 1994 logan dl a first course in the finite element method, cengage engineering, 2006