Eighty Years of the Finite Element Method: Birth, Evolution, and Future
Wing Kam Liu, Shaofan Li, Harold S. Park
Abstract
Abstract This document presents comprehensive historical accounts on the developments of finite element methods (FEM) since 1941, with a specific emphasis on developments related to solid mechanics. We present a historical overview beginning with the theoretical formulations and origins of the FEM, while discussing important developments that have enabled the FEM to become the numerical method of choice for so many problems rooted in solid mechanics.
Topics & Concepts
Finite element methodSmoothed finite element methodSolid mechanicsElement (criminal law)Computer scienceApplied mathematicsCalculus (dental)MathematicsEngineeringStructural engineeringBoundary knot methodPhysicsPolitical scienceBoundary element methodMedicineLawDentistryThermodynamicsAdvanced Numerical Methods in Computational MathematicsNumerical methods in engineeringComposite Material Mechanics