A First Course in Finite Element Method By Daryl L . Logan (6th Ed)

PREFACE

Features and Approach
The purpose of this sixth edition is to provide an introductory approach to the finite element
method that can be understood by both undergraduate and graduate students without the usual
prerequisites (such as structural analysis and upper level calculus) required by many available
texts in this area.

The book is written primarily as a basic learning tool for the undergraduate
student in civil and mechanical engineering whose main interest is in stress analysis and heat
transfer, although material on fluid flow in porous media and through hydraulic networks
and
electrical networks and electrostatics is also included. The concepts are presented in sufficiently
simple form with numerous example problems logically placed throughout the book, so
that the book serves as a valuable learning aid for students with other backgrounds, as well as
for practicing engineers. The text is geared toward those who want to apply the finite element
method to solve practical physical problems.

General principles are presented for each topic, followed by traditional applications of
these principles, including longhand solutions, which are in turn followed by computer applications
where relevant. The approach is taken to illustrate concepts used for computer analysis
of large-scale problems.

The book proceeds from basic to advanced topics and can be suitably used in a twocourse
sequence. Topics include basic treatments of (1) simple springs and bars, leading to
two- and three-dimensional truss analysis; (2) beam bending, leading to plane frame, grid, and
space frame analysis; (3) elementary plane stress/strain elements, leading to more advanced
plane stress/strain elements and applications to more complex plane stress/strain analysis;
(4) axisymmetric stress analysis; (5) isoparametric formulation of the finite element method;
(6) three-dimensional stress analysis; (7) plate bending analysis; (8) heat transfer and fluid
mass transport; (9) basic fluid flow through porous media and around solid bodies, hydraulic
networks, electric networks, and electrostatics analysis; (10) thermal stress analysis; and
(11) time-dependent stress and heat transfer.

Additional features include how to handle inclined or skewed boundary conditions, beam
element with nodal hinge, the concept of substructure, the patch test, and practical considerations
in modeling and interpreting results.

The direct approach, the principle of minimum potential energy, and Galerkin’s residual
method are introduced at various stages, as required, to develop the equations needed for
analysis.