SOLUTION OF

FINITE ELEMENT
EQUILIBRIUM
EQUATIONS
IN STATIC ANALYSIS

LECTURE 9
60 MINUTES

91

Solution of IiDile e1eDleul equilihrilll equations iu slatic aaalysis

LECTURE 9

Solution of finite element equations in static

analysis
Basic Gauss elimination
Static condensation
Substructuring
Multi-level substructuring
Frontal solution

t l> t

- factorization (column reduction scheme)

T
as used in SAP and ADINA

Cholesky factorization
Out-of-core solution of large systems
Demonstration of basic techniques using simple
examples
Physical interpretation of the basic operations
used

TEXTBOOK: Sections: 8.1. 8.2.1. 8.2.2. 8.2.3. 8.2.4.

Examples: 8.1. 8.2. 8.3. 8.4. 8.5. 8.6. 8.7. 8.8. 8.9. 8.10

92

SoJutiOD of filile e1emenl equilihrillD equations in slatic analysis

SOLUTION OF
EQUILIBRIUM
EQUATIONS IN
STATIC ANALYSIS

- static condensation
- substructuring
- frontal solution
- .L Q. .bT factorization
- Cholesky decomposition
- Crout
- column reduction
(skyline) solver

Iterative methods,
e.g. Gauss-8eidel
Direet methods
these are basically
variations of
Gauss elimination

THE BASIC GAUSS ELIMINATION PROCEDURE

Consider the Gauss elimination
solution of

-4

-4

,
0

-4

,
-4

U,
U2

,
(8.2)

-4

U3

-4

U4

93

Solation of finite element eqailihriUl equations in static analysis

STEP 1: Subtract a multiple of

equation 1 from equations 2 and
3 to obtain zero elements in the
first column of K.

-4

olI l!
5

-5

16

29

-4

-4

r-----------I
I

o I_~
:

(8.3)

o:

-4

5-5

14

16

r-------~ _20

0:

0: _ 20
I
7

65
14

I
I

94

o
=

(8.4)

Solation of finite element eqailillriUl equations in static analysis

STEP 3:

-4

14

U1

-s

U2

15

20

U4

"6

16
7

.- 8 (8.5)
U3
"7

-T

r--I
I
I
I

"6

Now solve for the unknowns

U3 ' U2 and U, :

u4 ,

12

=5

1 - (- 156) U3 - (1) U4
U =--------:;-;;----2
14

_ 13
-S

(8.6)

5
19
36
7
(-4) 35 - (1)15 - ( 0 )"5 _ 8
U1 =----~---5
- "5

o-

95

Solution of finite element eqDilihriDlD equations in slatic analysis

STATIC CONDENSATION

Partition matrices into

~a
~-ac]
[!!a] [ Ba]
[
.!Sea ~-e c !!c = Be

(8.28)

Hence

and

-1)

---------
aa

~a - ~ilC

.!Sec.!Sea

!!a = Ba - ~c .!Sec-1 ~

Example

tee
I
I
I

r:~a

-4

U1

-4

-4

U2

-4

-4

U3

-4

U4

---+------------

'---y----'

~c

1
so that

14
5

16
-5

16
-5

29
5

-4

-4

~a

Hence (8.30) gives

~

-4

-a. a

,-

-4

[1/5]

[-4

0]
~

Kaa

= -4

-4

-4

'--

98

1
0
1....-

and we have obtained the 3x3

unreduced matrix in (8.3)

SoIltiOl of finite elemelt eqlilihrilDl equations in static aualysis

-4

-4

14

-!
5

6 -4
-4

-5

-4

U3
U4

:1
:1

U2

-!
29

VI

U2

6 -4

"5

-4

-4

U3

V4

Fig. 8.1
Physical systems
considered in the Gauss elimination
solution of the simply supported beam.

9-7

Solutiou of finite element eqDilihriom equations in static analysis

SUBSTRUCTUR ING

We use static condensation on the

internal degrees of freedom of a
substructure
the result is a new stiffness matrix
of the substructure involving
boundary degrees of freedom only

......--.-?-?

-~-o--o

-6

l
e--c>---n

50x50

32x32

Example

Fig. 8.3. Truss element with

linearly varying area.

We have for the element.

~~
6L

98

17

-20

-20

48

-28

SoIali. oIliDile e1emeal eqailihrilDl eqaaliODS ia stalic aaalysis

First rearrange the equations

EA, [ '7
3

6"L

-20

Static condensation of U2 gives

EA,
6L

Ir

3] -[-20] [lJ[-20

7
3

25

-28

48

or

ll.
9

EA, [ 1
L

-1

and

99

Solution of fiDile elemeul equilibrilll equati. in slatic aDalysis

Multi-level Substructuring

I' 'I'
L
2A

~I ,

L
4A,

,I.

.1

-\&-o=2:E~f'
'n-~
u.
\

Ur;,

U2

U6

Us

U7

Ug

Rs

U3

I 16A,
'~

SA,

Bar with linearly varying area

-I

U,

u2

---I

U,

1-

u3

.-u

(a) First-level substructure

---I

U,

1-

u3

_I

U,

Us
I

1-

Us

(b) Second-level substructure

_I

U,

-.

1-

1-

Us.Rr;,

U,

(c) Third-level substructure and

actual structure.

Fig. 8.5. Analysis of bar using

substructuring.

'-10

ug

ug

Solution of fiDile e1eDleul equilihrio equti. ill static analysis

Frontal Solution

Elementq

Element q + 1

Elementq + 2

Elementq + 3

-------

~I

m+3
Element 1

N:"

Element 4

4
Wave front
for node 1

Wave front
for node 2

Fig.8.6. Frontal solution of plane

stress finite element idealization.

The frontal solution consists of

successive static condensation of
nodal degrees of freedom.
Solution is performed in the
order of the element numbering .
Same number of operations are
performed in the frontal solution
as in the skyline solution, if the
element numbering in the wave
front solution corresponds to
the nodal point numbering in the
skyline solution.

911

Solution of finite element equilibrium equations in static analysis

L D LT FACTORIZATION
- is the basis of the skyline solution (column reduction scheme)
- Basic Step

L- 1
K
--1 -K = -1
Example:

-4

-4

a
-4

-5

-4

a a a

-4

-4

-4

~4

a _16
5

a
16

5
29

-4

5
-4

We note

L-1-1

1
5

912

-5

5
~1

a
a

S-

Solution of finite element equilibrium equations in static analysis

Proceeding in the same way

1.2-1 1.1-1

S :=

x x x x
x x x
x .......
x
x

K:= S

x
x
x
x

upper
triangular
matrix

Hence

or

Also, because

is symmetric

where
0:=

d i ago na1 rna t r i x

d .. := s ..
11

11

913

Solution of finite eleJDent equilihriDII equations in static analysis

I n the Cholesky factorization, we use

where

L D~

SOLUTION OF EQUATIONS
Using

T
K= L 0 L

(8.16)

we have

L V= R

o LT

(8.17)
V

(8.18)

where

V := L-I
-n-l

(8.19)

and

(8.20)

914

Solution of finite element equilibrimn equations in static analysis

COLUMN REDUCTION SCHEME

-4

-4

-4
5

4
5
14
5

14

-4
6

-5

-4

5
-4

-4

5
5

-5
14

1
5

8
7

15
T

-4
5

4
-5
14

1
5
8

-7

15
T

-4
5

915

Solation of finite element eqailihriam eqaati. in static analysis

X=NONZERO ELEMENT
0= ZERO ELEMENT
_~

COLUMN HEIGHTS

o 0
o 0
'-----,

SYMMETRIC

000
000
X 000 X
o 0 000
o 0 x 0 0
o X 000
X X X X 0
X X X X
X XX
X

X
ELEMENTS IN ORIGINAL STIFFNESS MATRIX
Typical element pattern in
a stiffness matrix

SKYLINE

o
o

L...-_

X
X
X
X

0
0
0
0
0
X

000
000
0 0 X
0 0 X
X 0 X
X 0 X

X X X X X

X X X X
X X X

X X
X
ELEMENTS IN DECOMPOSED STIFFNESS MATRIX
Typical element pattern in
a stiffness matrix

9-16

Solution of finite element equilibrium equations in static analysis

x = NONZERO

ELEMENT
0= ZERO ELEMENT
COLUMN HEIGHTS

-x
o

0 0
0 0

xix x
XlX 0

xIx

0
x 0

SYMMETRIC

I
0 10
0:0
010
010
0 x
X\O

0:0
010
0 x
0 0
0 0
0 0

x xix XIO
xix xix
Ix XlX
xIx
Ix

ELEMENTS IN ORIGINAL STIFFNESS MATRIX

Typical element pattern in
a stiffness matrix using block
storage.

917

MIT OpenCourseWare
http://ocw.mit.edu

Resource: Finite Element Procedures for Solids and Structures

Klaus-Jrgen Bathe

The following may not correspond to a particular course on MIT OpenCourseWare, but has been
provided by the author as an individual learning resource.

For information about citing these materials or our Terms of Use, visit: http://ocw.mit.edu/terms.