Finite Element 1
Finite Element 1 : A geometrical subdivision, generally small, of a larger structure or medium. Finite elements are commonly used in numerical studies of the response of complex media or structures to earthquake excitation. Typical finite elements include triangles and rectangles for analysis of two-dimensional problems, and tetrahedrons for three-dimensional problems. In applications, a structure is divided into many finite elements and field quantities such as density and displacement, for example, are assumed to vary over each element in a prescribed manner (e.g., linearly varying displacement). Thus the displacements and associated stresses and strains within each element are determined by the displacements at its corners or nodes. The displacements of the nodes of the finite elements then become the unknown vector in a matrix equation that is solved numerically. See Hall (2003)
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