Finite Element Modeling for Stress Analysis [Paperback]

Robert D. Cook (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471107743 | ISBN-13: 978-0471107743 | Publication Date: January 12, 1995 | Edition: 1st

Oriented toward those who will use finite elements (FE) rather than toward theoreticians and computer programmers. Emphasizes the behavior of FE and how to use the FE method successfully. Includes several examples of FE analysis--each one features a critique of the accuracy of the solutions. Contains end-of-chapter exercises and extensive advice about FE modeling.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Instructor's Manual available. -- The publisher, John Wiley & Sons

From the Publisher

Oriented toward those who will use finite elements (FE) rather than toward theoreticians and computer programmers. Emphasizes the behavior of FE and how to use the FE method successfully. Includes several examples of FE analysis--each one features a critique of the accuracy of the solutions. Contains end-of-chapter exercises and extensive advice about FE modeling.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition (January 12, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471107743
• ISBN-13: 978-0471107743
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,011,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic guide for structural FEA, October 1, 1998

By 

G. Kirkos (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Finite Element Modeling for Stress Analysis (Paperback)

This book is an absolutely fantastic guide to all aspects of structural finite element analysis, with short sections on thermal and other disciplines. It can be described as a book on how to REALLY use FEA - an appropriate level of theory is discussed, and then the author provides a very lucrative discussion of actually using FEA to model real-world systems. Pitfalls, how elements can or cannot actually model structures, and generally good FEA practise are discussed. If you want to know what you're doing using FEA and have an engineering background, you want this book.

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but Needs More Development, February 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Finite Element Modeling for Stress Analysis (Paperback)

Let me start out by saying that an excellent starter book on FEA has yet to be written. It's a frustrating situation, but we'll have to live with it for now. Cook has the foundation for a really good book here. He does a decent job of explaining element formulations and their limitations without bringing on endless pages of variational calculus that we're all sick of seeing in FEA books.

But the book needs more development. What engineers want is a book that will give the BASIC mathematical foundations, and then get on with showing how to DO finite element analysis. That was the attempt of Adams and Askenazi's book, "Building Better Products with Finite Element Analysis", but unfortunately it came across as overly-simplified and lacking in specifics (too much fluff, and not enough meat).

In contrast, Cook zeros in on the core material without wasting words. Problem is, the material comes across in a cursory manner without the development it deserves. The author frequently broaches complex topics, and then gives insufficient discussion to clarify them. I'm sure he understands them, but the rest of us need a little more explanation, in layman's terms, with examples.

In summary, the book needs more... more real world problems; more examples on how to avoid pitfalls in applying boundary conditions; more useful discussion on contact analysis; more quantitative information on how fine to make a mesh. Sure, we all know that hex elements are better than tets, but how much better? Roughly how many hex elements per 90 degrees of arc are required to get sufficient accuracy for hex-8s, tet-4s, and tet-10s? I realize there are no exact answers to these questions, but surely there are rules of thumb that practicing engineers use, because most practicing engineers don't have time to run 10 different mesh refinements and do a convergence analysis.

I apologize if I sound like I'm venting, which I am, but if you don't find any of this helpful, just remember what you paid for it.

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise summary of zillions of theoretical concepts, September 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Finite Element Modeling for Stress Analysis (Paperback)

Every FE analyst NEEDS to know the content in this book, because as the author points out, FE modeling is much more than mere meshing and pre-preprocessing. It's nothing fancy, just a numerical method for the solution and the rest of the process, knowing the problem theoretically and conceptually is much more important than pretty pictures. A MUST HAVE for every FE analyst.