ABSTRACT
A solution to a boundary value problem of elastostatics is shown in this chapter to be an array of functions at which a functional attains an extremum. The variational formulation includes the principle of minimum potential energy, the principle of minimum complementary energy, the Hu-Washizu principle, as well as the compatibility-related principle for a traction problem. The chapter contains a number of worked examples in which the Rayleigh-Ritz method is used for finding a minimum of a functional. Included are end-of-chapter problems with solutions provided in the Solutions Manual.
