The finite element method is a widely accepted numerical procedure for solving
the differential equations of engineering and physics and is the computational
basis of many computer-aided design systems. The teaching of the fundamentals
of the finite element method is rapidly becoming a necessity in those curricula
which solve problems in the general areas of structural analysis, continuum
mechanics, heat transfer, and fluid flow.
This is an introductory textbook covering the basic concepts of the finite element
method and their application to the analysis of plane structures and two-
dimensional continuum problems in heat transfer, irrotational fluid flow, and
elasticity. The topics can be handled by advanced senior and beginning graduate
students and have been taught in a course at this level for 10 years. No prior
knowledge of structural analysis or the finite element method is assumed.
The major differences between this book and the first edition the