FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS
Direct stiffness and finite element analysis methods that leverage programming as a tool for structural analysis
PREMIUM COURSES
The Direct Stiffness Method for Truss Analysis with Python
Build your own finite element truss analysis software using Python and tackle large scale structures.
After completing this course…
- You’ll understand how to use the Direct Stiffness Method to build complete structural models that can be solved using Python.
- You’ll have your own analysis programme to identify displacements, reactions and internal member forces for any truss.
- You’ll understand how common models of elastic behaviour such as plane stress and plane strain apply to real-world structures.
Beam & Frame Analysis using the Direct Stiffness Method in Python
Build a sophisticated structural analysis software tool that models beams and frames using Python.
After completing this course…
- You’ll understand how to model beam elements that resist axial force, shear forces and bending moments within the Direct Stiffness Method.
- You’ll have your own analysis software that can generate shear force diagrams, bending moment diagrams, deflected shapes and more.
- You’ll understand how to model rotational pins within your structures, inter-nodal distributed loading and realistic flexible supports.
3D Space Frame Analysis using Python and Blender
Develop tools to model and analyse complex 3D space frame structures using Python.
After completing this course…
- You’ll understand how to apply the Direct Stiffness Method to solve 3D space frame structures.
- You’ll have your own analysis programme to identify displacements, reactions and internal member forces for any 3D space frame.
- You’ll be able to use Blender, a powerful open source 3D modelling software to build, visualise and export your structural models.
Finite Element Analysis of 3D Structures using Python
Build your own complete 3D structural analysis software in Python using the Direct Stiffness Method
After completing this course…
- You’ll understand how to expand the direct stiffness method to full 12 degree of freedom beam elements in 3D space.
- You’ll have developed a complete 3D finite element analysis solver to simulate structures consisting of beam and axially loaded bar elements.
- You’ll have the skills to efficiently build detailed structural models in Blender and export these for analysis in your own Python solver.
Finite Element Analysis of Continuum Structures in Python
Use the Isoparametric Finite Element Method to build an analysis tool for 2D structures in Python.
After completing this course…
- You will have the tools to analyse continuum structures using your own Isoparameteric Finite element Python code, developed from the ground up.
- You will understand how the plane stress and plane strain approximations allow us to analyse 3D structures accurately with 2D planar models.
- You will be able to use open source tools to generate structural models and mesh data that can be analysed with your FE code.
Non-linear finite element analysis of 2D catenary & cable structures using Python
Build an iterative solution toolbox to analyse structures that exhibit geometric non-linearity due to large deflections.
- You will understand the concept of geometric non-linearity and when it should be considered.
- You will understand how to modify the axially loaded element stiffness matrix to account for large deflections and changes in geometry.
- You will have implemented a Newton-Raphson iterative solution algorithm that seeks to converge on the deformed state of the structure.
- You will have a workflow that leverages open-source modelling tools in Blender to quickly generate the initial structural geometry.
TUTORIALS
3D Truss Calculator – Quick Start Guide
Welcome to this quick start guide on how to use the 3D truss analysis toolbox. In this tutorial, we’ll work through the solution of a sample 3D space frame (pin-jointed) structure. We’ll determine reaction forces, axial forces and nodal displacements. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll be comfortable using the toolbox to analyse your own structures. In the video accompanying this tutorial, we’ll also use the Blender modelling template file provided to model and analyse a structure from scratch. Like the 2D toolbox, students in particular, should find it helpful as a quick and easy tool for generating structural response data.
Free Truss Calculator – Quick Start Guide
This is a quick start guide for our free online truss calculator. Follow this short text tutorial or watch the Getting Started video to quickly orientate yourself with this handy free tool. We’ll walk through the process of analysing a simple truss structure. By the end, you’ll be comfortable using the truss calculator to quickly analyse your own truss structures. Students, in particular, should find it helpful as a quick and easy tool to test manual solutions against.
Finite Element Analysis and Structural Behaviour Modelling Case Study
In this post we will use the Tintagel footbridge as a case study to explore structural behaviour and show how we can build up an understanding of the structure through analysis of increasingly refined finite element models models. We’ll apply this iterative approach by starting with a simple beam model and incrementally working towards a full 3D finite element model. Throughout this post we’ll make use of finite element analysis codes developed in DegreeTutors courses.
Truss Analysis using the Direct Stiffness Method
In this tutorial we examine the Direct Stiffness Method and work our way through a detailed truss analysis. By the end of this complete introduction, you should understand the basic ideas behind why the method works, how to implement it for truss analysis and you should understand the power and scalability of the technique. Once understood, the direct stiffness method opens the door to structural analysis of large scale complex structures.
