Finite element modeling of structures

The aim of this article is to provide a basic understanding of the finite element method, so as to be able to use existing software effectively for structural calculations in the linear domain. Readers wishing to deepen their theoretical knowledge on this subject can refer to the documents given as references.

Throughout this article, the main assumption is that the structure's behavior is linear: displacements at all points are proportional to external forces. This assumes that the material has linear behavior (elasticity) and that deformations are proportional to displacements (small displacements).