Customer Reviews

Finite Element Structural Analysis (Prentice-Hall International Series in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics)

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Over the years, it has been my own experience that most books about finite element analysis do not excel in their ability to teach without undo effort on the part of the reader. Perhaps the same can be said for engineering texts in general. In contrast to this regrettable norm, Dr. Yang's book is a pedagogically sound work that is perfectly suited for undergraduate engineering students, or for those interested in self study. Explanations are resoundingly clear and thorough, as are its many example problems.

From a purely techical point of view, the book really excels in its coverage of higher-order and special-purpose beam elements. These include nonuniform and curved elements, as well as special elements designed to address buckling and large deflection problems. The author skillfully uses several examples to quantify and compare these different elements with regard to accuracy and efficiency. This information is both interesting and useful. Finally, detailed mass-matrix formulations are provided that enable accurate solutions to free-vibration and other transient problems.

Other element types and formulations are also presented in some detail. These include membrane, plate, tetrahedral, hexahedral and axisymmetric solid, and finally several isoparametric variants. The book is then rounded out nicely with four computer programs:

1) Static analysis of plane truss and plane frame structures.
2) Free-vibration analysis of plane truss and plane frame structures.
3) Static analysis using six-degree-of-freedom triangular plane stress and plane strain finite elements.
4) Static analysis using sixteen-degree-of-freedom rectangular plate finite elements in bending.

Unfortunately, a CDROM was not issued with the book at the time of its publication in the late 1980's. Instead, fortran source code is printed at the end of the book, along with instructions to contact the author for a disk, if necessary. According to Purdue's website, Dr. Yang still teaches as an adjunct professor at its Aerospace Engineering Dept. The following contact number was listed: (765) 494-5117.

Despite the book's modest age (copyright 1986), all its material remains completely relevant. For this reason and those given above, I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Yang's commendable work to those looking for an introductory text - even in the year 2007.