Helen Chen, Ph.D., PE

This program is registered with the AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product. Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be addressed at the conclusion of this presentation. PDH Center 2410 Dakota Lakes Drive Herndon, VA 20171-2995 Phone: 703-478-6833 Fax: 703-481-9535 www.PDHcenter.com An AIA/CES Registered Continuing Education Provider (#J681)

Course Outline

Finite element method is a powerful engineering analysis tool, and has been widely used in engineering since it was introduced in the 1950s. This course presents the basic theory and simple application of the finite element method (FEM) along with the common FEM terminology. The emphasis of this course is on the fundamental concepts of finite element analysis. A list of major finite element software is also presented in the course along with their features and capabilities. This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will understand:

• the concept of Finite Element Method (FEM);
• the advantages of FEM;
• the disadvantages of FEM;
• the applications of FEM;
• the concept of matrix and vector;
• the important role played by FEM in today's engineering world;

• the element stiffness matrix;
• the matrix operations used in FEM;
• the different types of finite elements;
• the terminology used in FEM;
• the global stiffness matrix assembly;
• the step-by-step procedure of FEM.

Course Content

The course content is in a PDF file (16 pages): What Engineers and Architects Need to Know about Finite Element Methods?. You need to open or download this document for your study.

You may need to download Acrobat Reader to view and print the document.

Related Links

Once you finish studying the course material, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.