This course is designed to give civil engineering students the ability to apply finite element methods to the analysis of civil engineering design problems. Energy methods of structural analysis. Stiffness methods of structural analysis. Students write or use existing in-house finite element method programs for plane strain, plane stress and potential problems. They also use grid generation programs for data preparation.
Students also do oral presentation of technical papers selected by students from the library.
Using this experience students are asked to apply this technique for real problems to check for failure and to suggest alternative arrangements. The course contains limited discussion of the safety and economic aspect in finite element analysis and design.