Finite Element Analysis

The finite element analysis is a numerical method for solving problems of engineering and mathematical physics. The course deals with problems from the area which includes structural analysis, heat transfer, fluid flow, mass transport, electromagnetic potential, topology optimization, modal analysis, transient analysis etc. after completion of this course student are able to perform static structural analysis, modal analysis and thermal analysis. Finite element analysis (FEA) is a computerised method for predicting how a product reacts to real-world forces, vibration, heat, fluid flow and other physical effects. Finite element analysis shows whether a product will break, wear out or work the way it was designed. It is called analysis, but in the product development process, it is used to predict what's going to happen when the product is used. To solve a problem, the FEM subdivides a large system into smaller, simpler parts that are called finite elements. This is achieved by a particular space discretization in the space dimensions, which is implemented by the construction of a mesh of the object: the numerical domain for the solution, which has a finite number of points. The finite element method formulation of a boundary value problem finally results in a system of algebraic equations. The method approximates the unknown function over the domain.[1] The simple equations that model these finite elements are then assembled into a larger system of equations that models the entire problem. The FEM then uses variational methods from the calculus of variations to approximate a solution by minimizing an associated error function.