ABSTRACT
The one-dimensional bar and two-dimensional membrane elements can be used to model a wide range of engineering structures. Inevitably though, the analyst will soon encounter problems for which these elements are inappropriate. In conventional analysis, the bending theory is used to investigate structures that are long relative to their cross-sectional dimensions. The fundamental methodology used to develop this theory can be applied to develop plate and shell theories to study the behaviour of structures formed from thin sheet material. Finite elements can also be developed to model beam, plate and shell structures. Some of the more complex elements that will be found in the library of any commercial finite element programme are briefly described in this chapter.
