Recent content by ThurmanMurman

So that's the most difficult part of FEM, right?

So for my 6 node example, the stiffness would be sized (number of nodes = 6) x (DOFs per node = 2) = 12 x 12?

So is there a (nodes,DOFs) equation that states the size of a stiffness matrix for a system?

Just to check my understanding, I think that my arrangement of nodes (4 total) with 2 DOFs each (8 total) leaves me with a 4X8 stiffness matrix. Is that correct?

So is the (number of nodes) = (number of rows) and the (DOFs per node) = (number of columns)?

Alright my attempt at formatting got messed up once I posted. Nodes 2-4-6 are equally spaced across the top, and nodes 1-3-5 sit below 2-4-6 on the bottom. 2-4-6 are respectively connected to 1-3-5 vertically, and 2 is connected to 3 diagonally, and 3 is connected to 6 diagonally.

Howdy, If I have the following configuration of nodes: 2---4--6 | \ | /| | \ | / | | \| / | | \/ | 1---3--5 What should the dimensions of my FEM stiffness be? Thanks

Thanks again SteamKing... Do you have any idea how the "tedious" algebra would flow to solve for "a","b", and "c"? I have taken quite a few paths, and I quickly end up in "trivial solution land"...

Thanks a lot for the response SteamKing! The link you posted was very helpful. I just want to make sure that I understand the notation of the functions correctly: Does "[N(x,y)] = [Ni(x,y) Nj(x,y) Nk(x,y)]" translate to "Triangle N" with vertices at "Ni(x,y), Nj(x,y) and Nk(x,y)? Is the...

That's how the question was posed to me. I wish I knew more about FEM so that I could provide more insightful detail. The way I understand things, [N(x,y)] = [Ni(x,y) Nj(x,y) Nk(x,y)] is the shape function, and the other three functions are the basis functions. These shape/basis functions...

Howdy, I am trying to formulate a proof to show that the shape function [N(x,y)] = [Ni(x,y) Nj(x,y) Nk(x,y)] and the the basis functions Ni(x,y) = (1/2A)(ai + bix + ciz) Nj(x,y) = (1/2A)(aj + bjx + cjy) Nk(x,y) = (1/2A)(ak + bkx + cky) are valid for triangular, 2 dimensional...