ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how the finite element method is applied to the analysis of linear elastic structures and how to handle more than one degree of freedom per node. It shows how thermal conduction analysis is utilized in structural analysis, making finite element analysis of heat transfer directly applicable in the area of structural analysis. Two-dimensional elasticity is generally categorized into two modes: plane strain and plane stress. When the thickness of a solid object is large, a state of plane strain is considered to exist. Differences in temperature are an important source of stresses and deformations in solid bodies. The finite element method was originally developed to solve problems of elasticity based on the principle of minimum potential energy.
