Finite Element Analysis for Engineers

Book excerpt: The Finite Element Analysis today is the leading engineer's tool to analyze structures concerning engineering mechanics, i.e. statics, heat flows, eigenvalue problems and many more. Thus, this book wants to provide well-chosen aspects of this method for students of engineering sciences and engineers already established in the job in such a way, that they can apply this knowledge immediately to the solution of practical problems. Over 30 examples along with all input data files on DVD allow a comprehensive practical training of engineering mechanics. Two very powerful FEA programs are provided on DVD, too: Z88, the open source finite elements program for static calculations, as well as Z88Aurora, the very comfortable to use and much more powerful freeware finite elements program which can also be used for non-linear calculations, stationary heat flows and eigenproblems, i.e. natural frequencies. Both are full versions with which arbitrarily big structures can be computed – only limited by your computer memory and your imagination. For Z88 all sources are fully available, so that the reader can study the theoretical aspects in the program code and extend it if necessary. Z88 and Z88Aurora are ready-to-run for Windows and LINUX as well as for Mac OS X. For Android devices there also exists an app called Z88Tina which can be downloaded from Google Play Store.