The finite element method (FEM) is the dominant tool for numerical analysis in engineering, yet many engineers apply it without fully understanding all the principles. Learning the method can be challenging, but Mike Gosz has condensed the basic mathematics, concepts, and applications into a simple and easy-to-understand reference.

Finite Element Method: Applications in Solids, Structures, and Heat Transfer navigates through linear, linear dynamic, and nonlinear finite elements with an emphasis on building confidence and familiarity with the method, not just the procedures. This book demystifies the assumptions made, the boundary conditions chosen, and whether or not proper failure criteria are used. It reviews the basic math underlying FEM, including matrix algebra, the Taylor series expansion and divergence theorem, vectors, tensors, and mechanics of continuous media.

The author discusses applications to problems in solid mechanics, the steady-state heat equation, continuum and structural finite elements, linear transient analysis, small-strain plasticity, and geometrically nonlinear problems. He illustrates the material with 10 case studies, which define the problem, consider appropriate solution strategies, and warn against common pitfalls. Additionally, 35 interactive virtual reality modeling language files are available for download from the CRC Web site.

For anyone first studying FEM or for those who simply wish to deepen their understanding, Finite Element Method: Applications in Solids, Structures, and Heat Transfer is the perfect resource.