30.9: Summary
( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)
- You should now understand the basics of the finite element method
- You should be able to build a global stiffness matrix for a combination of 1-dimensional springs
- You should understand the importance of boundary conditions (including types of boundary conditions)
- You should be familiar with first and second order shape functions and you should be able to use these functions to calculate the value of a solution between nodes.
- You should understand and appreciate that the finite element method provides approximate solutions only, and that the accuracy of your solution will depend on element type and mesh density.