U NIVERSITY OF B OLOGNA

COURSE OF C OMPUTATIONAL M ECHANICS

Homework #1

Professor S. de Miranda

1 A SSIGNMENT
Consider the cantilever beam reported in Fig. 1.1 (a). The cross section is rectangular as shown in Fig. 1.1 (b). The
material is linear elastic with a Young’s modulus E = 50 GP a and a Poisson’s ratio ν = 0.3. The value of the load is
F = 6000 kN .

20
1
(a) (b)

Figure 1.1: Cantilever beam: geometry and load (a), cross section (b)

Using the FEM_2D code, the student is required to:

• mesh the domain and solve the problem with 4 - nodes finite elements;

• discuss the modeling of the restraint in A and the application of the load in B;

• compare results in terms of tip displacement with the Euler-Bernoulli solution and stresses with the de Saint
Venant solution ;

• discuss results by varying mesh refinement;

The student is required to write a brief report reporting the considerations above listed together with figures and
graphs obtained from the analyses performed.