KTH HLLFASTHETSLRA

SE1025 FEM for engineering applications, Fall of 2012

SE1025 FEM: Homework assignment 1, Per. 1, 2012/13

Information
The homework assignments are together with the computer workshops a compulsory part of
the course. The assignments should be solved in groups of two or three students. The deadline
of HW1 is Friday, Sept. 16, 6pm. A total of 10 points can be obtained on HW1.
Note! If programs like Maple and Matlab are used to solve the homework assignments,
printout from these program must only be added as an appendix to the solution. Solutions only
consisting of printout from Maple/Matlab will be graded with zero points.
Problem 1. (4 points) A frame is composed of two beams, each of length L. The bending
stiffness of beam no. 1 is EI, whereas the bending stiffness of beam no. 2 is given by Table 1.
In this table mm denotes the month of the person number used on the front endpaper
appended below. The frame is loaded by a point force P, see Figure 1 below. Calculate the
rotation, , of the corner, by use of Castigatings 2nd theorem.
Hint: the rotation is work conjugate to a bending moment and the problem contains one
statically indeterminate internal force.
1
L2

L2
L

Figure 1.

mm

stiffness

01 04

EI

05 08

2EI

09 12

3EI

Table 1. Bending
stiffness for beam no. 2

Problem 2. (6 points) A plane structure is constructed by six spring elements, which are
connected in four joints (nodes), as shown in Figure 2. The coordinates of the joints are listed
in Table 2 and the element spring constants are listed in Table 3 (dd refer to the day in the
personal number used on the front endpaper included below). The parameters l and k in
Table 2 and 3, respectively, have the units: length and force/length, respectively. The structure
is loaded by a point force, 2P , acting on node 2 as shown in Figure 2. Analyse the structure,
i.e. calculate the displacements of the nodes and the reaction forces. The normal force in a
spring element (positive in tension) can be evaluated according to the local/global coordinate
transformation scheme outlined below in Eqs. (1) to (3).

SE1025 FEM: Homework assignment 1, Per. 1, 2012/13 Information

KTH HLLFASTHETSLRA

SE1025 FEM for engineering applications, Fall of 2012

D 1x
d e = TD e ; d e =

u1
u2

D 1y

; De =

D 2x

; T =

cos x cos y
0

cos x cos y

(1)

D 2y
fe = ke de ; fe =

f1

k k ,
k k

; ke =

f2

(2)

Eq. (1) inserted into Eq. (2) gives

f e = k e TD e

(3)

The normal force in an element is then obtained as one of the two components in the local load
vector fe, but which one?
y
4

k3 3

k4
5
1
1

k6

k5

k2

x
k1

Figure 2.

x/l

y/l

0.0

0.0

1.0

0.0

1.0

1.0

0.0

1.0

Table 2. Node coordinates

45o

Node

2P

dd

k1/k

k2/k

k3/k

k4/k

k5/k

k6/k

0110

1.0

2.0

1.0

2.0

1.0

1.0

1120

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

2.0

2.0

2131

2.0

2.0

2.0

2.0

1.0

1.0

Table 3. Spring constants

Note that the answer to problem 2 can be checked by running the Matlab program
spring2D.m. In-put data to the program is written to an ordinary text file, which must have
the name spring2D.inp. The program and an example in-put file can by down loaded from
the course home page.

SE1025 FEM: Homework assignment 1, Per. 1, 2012/13 Information

KTH HLLFASTHETSLRA

SE1025 FEM for engineering applications, Fall of 2012

Front endpaper - HW 1: FEM for engineering applications

Name and personal number (1):
Name and personal number (2):
Name and personal number (3):
yy

Use one of the personal numbers

to determine problem parameters:

mm

dd

Summarize the answers below:

Answer problem 1 (give complete solutions on separate pages):
Rotation =
Answer problem 2 (give complete solutions on separate pages):
Node dislpacement vector D =

Reaction forces, Load vector F =

Normal forces in elements, Ne1 / P =

Ne2 / P =
Ne3 / P =
Ne4 / P =
Ne5 / P =
Ne6 / P =

Front endpaper - HW 1: FEM for engineering applications