CHAPTER

MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 VECTORS

2.1.1 DEFINITION OF VECTOR

It is well known from elementary physics that physical quantities can be represented by scalars or
vectors. For a physical quantity described by a scalar, we just need a single value for its specification.
Unlike scalar quantities, many other quantities (e.g., force, displacement, area, etc.), have direction in
addition to magnitude. These quantities are called vectors and are represented graphically by directed
line segments (Figure 2.1).
!
Any vector a is correlated with a system of coordinates x, y, z through its components ax, ay, az and
can be expressed analytically by the following equation:
!

a ax i + ay j + az k

(2.1)

! !

where i , j , k are unit vectors directed along the x, y, z, axes, respectively.

Between vectors, there are two types of products; the scalar product and the vector product.

2.1.2 SCALAR PRODUCT

!

Let us consider the vectors

a and b (Figure 2.2). If we denote by a, b their magnitudes, respectively, the
! !
scalar product a  b is defined by the following equation:
!

a  b ab cos ab cos
!

(2.2)
!

Therefore, the scalar!product of the vectors a and b is the magnitude of a multiplied by the magnitude
!
of the projection of b on the direction of a .
Taking into account Equation (2.2), it is obvious that
!

a  b b  a

(2.3)

According to the definition of the scalar product, the following properties can be obtained:
!

i  i 11cos 0 1

i  j 11cos =2 0

Essentials of the Finite Element Method. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-802386-0.00002-5

Copyright 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

(2.4)
(2.5)

19

20

CHAPTER 2 MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND

ay

ax

az
z

FIGURE 2.1
!

Graphical representation of a vector quantity a .

b
j

FIGURE 2.2

b cosj

Scalar product of vectors a and b .

i  k 11cos =2 0

(2.6)

!
!
!
!
!
!
!
a  b ax i + ay j + az k  bx i + by j + bz k

(2.7)

and so on.
Therefore, the scalar product
!

yields
!

a  b ax bx i  i + ax by i  j + ax bz i  k
!

+ ay bx j  i + ay by j  j + ay bz j  k

(2.8)

+ az bx k  i + az by k  j + az bz k  k

or
8 9
< bx =
!
a  b ax bx + ay by + az bz ax ay az   by
: ;
bz
!

(2.9)

2.1 VECTORS

2.1.3 VECTOR PRODUCT

21

The vector product of two vectors a and b (Figure 2.3) is defined by the following equation:
3
! !
j
k
i
!
!
7
6
a  b det 4 ax ay az 5
bx by bz
2

(2.10)

Taking into account the above definition, the following properties can be obtained:
2! ! !3
i j k
i  i det 4 1 0 0 5 0
1 0 0
2! ! !3
i j k
!
!
!
i  j det 4 1 0 0 5 k
0 1 0
2! ! !3
i j k
!
!
!
j  i det 4 0 1 0 5  k
1 0 0
!

(2.11)

(2.12)

(2.13)

The !
resulting vector of the product a  b is directed perpendicular to the plane formed by the vectors a
and b , and its magnitude is


! !
 a  b  ab sin

(2.14)

Taking into account Figure 2.3, the area A of the triangle ABC is
1
A ab sin
2

(2.15)

Therefore, combining Equations (2.14) and (2.15), the following result can be obtained:
1 ! !
A a  b 
2

(2.16)

FIGURE 2.3
!

Vector product of vectors a and b .

b
j

b sinj

22

CHAPTER 2 MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND

2.1.4 ROTATION OF COORDINATE SYSTEM

!

A vector a can be expressed with respect to two different coordinate systems, namely x-y-z and --
(Figure 2.4). The vectors components with respect to two coordinate systems can be correlated. If we
!
define the same vector a in the rotated coordinates --, the following expression can be written:
!

!
0

!
0

a a i0 + a j0 + a k0

!
0

(2.17)

where i , j , k are the unit vectors along the -- directions.

!
If we denote by x, y, z the angles of the vector a with the axes x, y, z, respectively, the following
equations can be written:
!

i  a 1  a cos x ax


! !
j  a 1  a cos y ay
!

(2.18)
(2.19)

k  a 1  a cos z az

(2.20)

Using Equation (2.17), Equations (2.18)(2.20) can now be written in the following form:
!

ax i  a an i  i0 + a i  j0 + a i  k0

(2.21)

ay j  a an j  i0 + a j  j0 + a j  k0

(2.22)

az k  a an k  i0 + a k  j0 + a k  k0

(2.23)

jy

jz

jx

k
z

FIGURE 2.4
!

Representation of a vector a with respect to two different systems of coordinates x-y-z and --.

2.1 VECTORS

23

Taking into account Equations (2.4)(2.6), the above equations yield:

8 9 2
3 8 9
cos x, n cos x, cos x, < an =
< ax =
4 cos y, n cos y, cos y, 5  a
a
: y;
: ;
a
cos z, n cos z, cos z,
az

(2.24)

where
!

!
0

cos x, n i  i0

(2.25)

cos x, i  j

(2.26)

cos x, i  k0

(2.27)

and so on are called directional cosines.

2.1.5 THE VECTOR DIFFERENTIAL OPERATOR (GRADIENT)

!

The vector differential operator r is defined by the following equation:

!

r

@ ! @ ! @ !
i +
j + k
@x
@y
@z

(2.28)

This operator is used for defining the following Greens theorem.

2.1.6 GREENS THEOREM

Let us consider a scalar field function x, y. Its gradient in a two-dimensional (2D) domain is the
following vector:
!

r x, y

@x, y ! @x, y !
i +
j
@x
@y

(2.29)

If we denote by n the unit vector normal to the boundary S of the 2D domain (Figure 2.5), where
!

n nx i + ny j

(2.30)

y
h

FIGURE 2.5
A two-dimensional domain of a scalar function.

24

CHAPTER 2 MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND

and
! q
 n  n2 + n2 1
x

the following theorem can be used:

r x, ydxdy

(2.31)

x, y n dS

(2.32)

The above equation is known as Greens theorem and correlates an integral of a gradient of a function
x, y over an area with a contour integral over the boundary S.

2.2 COORDINATE SYSTEMS

In applied mechanics, the three common coordinate systems are rectangular (or Cartesian), cylindrical,
and spherical. The aim of the present section is to describe these coordinate systems and to derive the
formulae for the transformation of the vector components of each coordinate system with respect to the
others.

2.2.1 RECTANGULAR (OR CARTESIAN) COORDINATE SYSTEM

The rectangular coordinate system has already been presented in Figure 2.1.
The components of a vec! ! !
!
tor a are specified in terms of three mutually perpendicular unit vectors i , j , k . For convenience, we
! ! !
denote them as x, y, z , as shown in Figure 2.6.

az

ay

ax
x

FIGURE 2.6
Rectangular (or Cartesian) coordinate system.

2.2 COORDINATE SYSTEMS

25

j
r

a
y

j
r

FIGURE 2.7
Cylindrical coordinate system.

2.2.2 CYLINDRICAL COORDINATE SYSTEM

In the cylindrical coordinate system, the components of a vector a are specified in terms of three mu! ! !
tually perpendicular unit vectors r , , z , as shown in Figure 2.7. Therefore, its coordinates are r, , z.

2.2.3 SPHERICAL COORDINATE SYSTEM

In the spherical coordinate system, the coordinates are r, , . Therefore, the!components of any vector a
!
!
are specified in terms of the three mutually perpendicular unit vectors r , , , as shown in Figure 2.8.
z

J
y

FIGURE 2.8
Spherical coordinate system.

26

CHAPTER 2 MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND

2.2.4 COMPONENT TRANSFORMATION

The components of a vector with respect to a certain coordinate system must often be transformed
to another coordinate system. The equations correlating the components of a vector in the
three coordinate systems can be derived using the properties of vector analysis. Let us consider
!
the vector a to be expressed in rectangular and spherical coordinate system as shown in
Figure 2.9.
!
The vector a can be expressed with respect to the system x, y, z by the following equation:
!

a ax x + ay y + az z

(2.33)

! !

Since the scalar product e  u of two arbitrary vectors e, u expresses the product of the magnitude of
!
!
!
the vector u with the magnitude of the projection of e on the direction of u , the following properties for
! ! ! ! ! !
the products r  x, r  y, r  z can be used:
!

r  x sin cos

(2.34)

r  y sin sin
!

(2.35)

r  z cos

(2.36)

and so on.
!
Therefore, if we multiply Equation (2.33) with r , the following equation can be obtained:
!

r  a ax r  x + ay r  y + az r  z

(2.37)

az

J
y

x
ax

J
ay

FIGURE 2.9
Transformation of a vectors components from a rectangular coordinate system to a spherical one.

2.2 COORDINATE SYSTEMS

27

or
!

r  a ax sin cos + ay sin sin + az cos

(2.38)

Since
!

r  a ar

(2.39)

Equation (2.38) can now be written as:

8 9
< ax =
ar sin cos sin sin cos  ay
: ;
az

(2.40)

Following similar procedure (i.e., to multiply Equation (2.33) with and ), the following equations
can be derived:
8 9
< ax =
a cos cos cos sin sin  ay
: ;
az

and

8 9
< ax =
a sin cos 0  ay
: ;
az

(2.41)

(2.42)

Combination of Equations (2.40)(2.42) yields the following transformation of a vectors components

from a rectangular coordinate system to a spherical one:
8 9 2
38 9
sin cos sin sin cos < ax =
< ar =
a 4 cos cos cos sin sin 5 ay
: ;
: ;
a
sin
cos
0
az

(2.43)

Following the same concept, the transformation of a vectors components from a rectangular coordinate system to a cylindrical one can be performed by the following equation:
8 9 2
38 9
cos sin 0 < ax =
< ar =
4 sin cos 0 5 ay
a
: ;
: ;
0
0 1
az
az

(2.44)

Inversion of the above equations yields the transformation of the components from a spherical and
cylindrical coordinate system to a rectangular one, respectively:
8 9 2
38 9
sin cos cos cos sin < ar =
< ax =
4 sin sin cos sin cos 5 a
a
: y;
: ;
a
cos
sin
0
az

(2.45)

and
8 9 2
38 9
cos sin 0 < ar =
< ax =
4 sin cos 0 5 a
a
: y;
: ;
0
0
1
az
az

(2.46)

28

CHAPTER 2 MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND

Finally, transformation of the components from a cylindrical coordinate system to a spherical one, and
vice versa, can be performed from the following equations:

and

8 9 2
38 9
sin 0 cos < ar =
< ar =
a 4 cos 0 sin 5 a
: ;
: ;
a
0 1
0
az

(2.47)

8 9 2
38 9
sin cos 0 < ar =
< ar =
4 0
0
1 5 a
a
: ;
: ;
a
cos sin 0
az

(2.48)

2.2.5 THE VECTOR DIFFERENTIAL OPERATOR (GRADIENT) IN CYLINDRICAL

AND SPHERICAL COORDINATES
!

Taking into account the above results, the vector differential operator r presented in Equation (2.28)
for rectangular coordinates, can now be expressed in cylindrical and spherical coordinates:
!

@ ! 1 @ ! @ !
r +
+
z for cylindrical coordinates
@r
r @
@z

(2.49)

@ ! 1@ !
1 @ !
r +
+
for spherical coordinates
@r
r @
rsin @

(2.50)

r

and
!

r

2.3 ELEMENTS OF MATRIX ALGEBRA

2.3.1 BASIC DEFINITIONS

A matrix [Amn] is an array of scalars consisting of m rows and n columns:

3
a11 a12 a1n
6 a21 a22 a2n 7
7
Amn  6
4

5
am1 am2 amn
2

(2.51)

The location of any element within the matrix is defined by the subscripts i, j. Therefore, the symbol aij
means that this element is located at the i-th row and j-th column. A matrix {Bn} containing only one
column is called a vector:
8 9
b1 >
>
>
< >
=
b2
fBn g
>
>
>
: >
;
bn

(2.52)

2.3 ELEMENTS OF MATRIX ALGEBRA

29

In mechanical and structural engineering problems, we often encounter special cases of matrices such as:
1. Diagonal matrix, that is, square matrix containing non-zero elements only at the locations where
i 6 j, for example,
3
1 0 0 0
6 0 12 0 0 7
7
C4  6
40 0 7 05
0 0 0 3
2

(2.53)

2. Unit matrix, that is, a diagonal matrix containing unit elements at the locations where i j, for
example,
2

3
1 0 0
I3  4 0 1 0 5
0 0 1

(2.54)

3. Zero matrix, that is, a matrix containing elements with zero value for all locations i, j, for example,
2
3
0 0


O3, 2 4 0 0 5
0 0

(2.55)

4. Symmetric matrix, that is, a matrix where aij aji for all i, j, for example,
2

3
1 2 6
F 4 2 8 9 5
6 9 11

(2.56)

2.3.2 BASIC OPERATIONS

Determinant of a square matrix
The determinant det[Ann] of a square matrix [Ann] is a scalar quantity given by the following equation:
det Ann 

1 , 2 , , n

p1 , 2 , , n a1, 1  a2, 2   an, n

(2.57)

where p(1, 2, , n) is a permutation equal to 1. For example, for a 3  3 matrix, we have the
following permutations:
p1, 2, 3 1

(2.58)

p1, 3, 2 1

(2.59)

p3, 1, 2 1

(2.60)

p3, 2, 1 1

(2.61)

p2, 3, 1 1

(2.62)

p2, 1, 3 1

(2.63)

30

CHAPTER 2 MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND

According to the above definition, the determinant of a 3  3 matrix is

0

1
a11 a12 a13
det @ a21 a22 a23 A a11 a22 a33  a11 a23 a32 + a13 a21 a32  a13 a22 a31 + a12 a23 a31  a12 a21 a33
a31 a32 a33

(2.64)

EXAMPLE 2.1
Calculate the determinant of the following matrix:
0
1
1 5 4
A @2 3 1A
7 8 5
Solution
According to Equation (2.57), det[A] can be calculated as:
det A 1  3  5  1  1  8 + 4  2  8
 4  3  7 + 5  1  7  2  2  5 28

Minor Dij of an element aij

Minor Dij of an element aij is the determinant of the submatrix obtained from the matrix [A] by deleting
the i-th row and j-th column, for example, for a 3  3 matrix, the minor D12 is:
D12

or

a11 a12
det a21 a22

a13
a23

a31

a33

a32

det

a21 a23
a31 a33

D12 a21 a33  a31 a23

2:65
(2.66)

Cofactor Aij of an element ij

The cofactor Aij of an element aij is defined as:

Aij 1i + j Dij

(2.67)

For the above example of the 3  3 matrix, the cofactor A12 is

A12 11 + 2 a21 a33  a31 a23 a21 a33 + a31 a23

(2.68)

The inverse of a matrix

The inverse of a square matrix [A], denoted by [A]1 is defined by the following equation:
1
A11 A21 An1
C
1 B
B A12 A22 An2 C
A1
@

A
det A
A1n A2n Ann
0

where Aij are the cofactors of the elements aij.

(2.69)

2.3 ELEMENTS OF MATRIX ALGEBRA

EXAMPLE 2.2
Calculate the inverse of the following matrix:
0

1
1 5 4
A @2 3 1A
7 8 5

Solution
The minors of the above matrix are:


3 1
7
8 5


2 1
D12 det
3
7 5


2 3
5
D13 det
7 8


5 4
D21 det
7
8 5


1 4
D22 det
23
7 5


1 5
D23 det
27
7 8


5 4
D31 det
7
3 1


1 4
D32 det
7
2 1


1 5
D33 det
7
2 3
D11 det

Then, the cofactors of the matrix [A] are

A11 11 + 1 D11 7, A12 11 + 2 D12 3, A13 11 + 3 D13 5,
A21 12 + 1 D21 7, A22 12 + 2 D22 23, A23 12 + 3 D23 27,
A31 13 + 1 D31 7, A32 13 + 2 D32 7, A33 13 + 3 D33 7

31

32

CHAPTER 2 MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND

Taking into account (from the previous example) that

det A 28

then, according to Equation (2.69) the matrix A1 is

A

2
3
7
7 7
1 4

3 23 7 5
28
5 27 7

1

Transpose of a matrix
The transpose of a matrix [A], denoted by [A]T, is given by the following equation:
1T 0
1
a11 a12 a1n
a11 a21 an1
C
B
B
a21 a22 a2n C
a12 a22 an2 C
C
AT B
B
A
@
@

A
an1 an2 ann
a1n a2n ann
0

(2.70)

Addition/subtraction of two matrices

1
a11  b11 a12  b12 a1m  b1m
B a21  b21 a22  b22 a2m  b2m C
C
Anm   Bnm  B
A
@

an1  bn1 an2  bn2 anm  bnm

0

(2.71)

Multiplication of two matrices

If a matrix [Anm] is multiplied by a scalar e, the matrix e[A] is obtained by multiplying all elements of
[A] by the scalar e. For example,
0

1 0
1
e  a11 e  a12 e  a13
a11 a12 a13
e  @ a21 a22 a23 A @ e  a21 e  a22 e  a23 A
a31 a32 a33
e  a31 e  a32 e  a33

If a matrix [Anm] is multiplied by another matrix [Bmk], then the obtained matrix
Cnk  Anm   Bmk 

(2.72)

is composed by elements given by the following equation:

cij

m
X

ai bj

(2.73)

Application of the above formula into multiplication of a matrix

R r1 r2 r3 

with a vector

8 9
< c1 =
fCg c2
: ;
c3

(2.74)

(2.75)

2.3 ELEMENTS OF MATRIX ALGEBRA

33

yields
R  fCg r1 c1 + r2 c2 + r3 c3

(2.76)

An alternative procedure for multiplication of the following matrices

a11 a12 a13

a21 a22 a23
0
1
b11 b12
B32  @ b21 b22 A
b31 b32

A23 

is to express the above matrices as

A23 

R1 
R2 

(2.77)

(2.78)


(2.79)

B32  fC1 g fC2 g 

(2.80)

R1  a11 a12 a13 

(2.81)

R2  a21 a22 a23 

8 9
< b11 =
fC1 g b21
: ;
b31
8 9
< b12 =
fC2 g b22
: ;
b32

(2.82)

where

(2.83)

(2.84)

Then,

[A23] . [A32] =

{C1}

[R1]
[R2]

{C2 }

[R1]{C1} [R1]{C2}
[ R2]{C1} [R2 ]{C2}

2:85

Following the same procedure, multiplication of a matrix with a vector can be performed as follows:
1 8 9 0 b1
a11
a11 a12 a13
< b1 =
@ a21 a22 a23 A  b2 @ a21
: ;
a31 a32 a33
b3
a31
0

b2
a12
a22
a32

b3  1 8
9
a13
< a11 b1 + a12 b2 + a13 b3 =
a23 A a21 b1 + a22 b2 + a23 b3
;
:
a33
a31 b1 + a32 b2 + a33 b3

(2.86)

Properties of matrix operations

A + B B + A

(2.87)

A  B 6 B  A

(2.88)

34

CHAPTER 2 MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND

A  B + C A  B + A  C

(2.89)

A + B  C A  C + B  C

(2.90)

A + BT AT + BT

(2.91)

A  BT BT  AT

(2.92)

A + B

1

A

1

+ B

1

A  B1 B1  A1

(2.93)
(2.94)

2.4 VARIATIONAL FORMULATION OF ELASTICITY PROBLEMS

As it will be described in Chapters 7 and 9, the derivation of the finite element equation of elastic
solids can be based on the principle of minimum potential energy (MPE). This principle belongs to
a general category of energy methods that is known as the variational principle. The mathematical
background behind MPE assumes that some classes of boundary value problems can be solved by
the minimization of an integral functional (i.e., function of a function) whose necessary conditions
for a minimum implies that the differential equation and the associated boundary conditions
are satisfied. Therefore, the main task of the above procedure is the derivation of the integral
functional.
Since the derivation of an integral functional is based on concepts from calculus of variations, this
section explain the properties and the main concept of the variation of a function.

2.4.1 DEFINITION OF THE VARIATION OF A FUNCTION

Let us assume a continuous function u(x) (e.g., the axial displacement of a bar due to axial loads).
For simplicity, we have chosen a polynomial function
ux a0 + a1 x + a2 x2 + + an xn

(2.95)

For infinitesimal changes of the above coefficients, a0, a1, a2, , an, namely, a0, a1, a2, , an,
a closely related function is written as follows:
ux a0 + a0 + a1 + a1 x + a2 + a2 x2 + + an + an xn

(2.96)

The variation u(x) of u(x) is defined as the following difference

ux ux  ux a0 + a1 x + a2 x2 + + an xn

(2.97)

Very often, apart from the variation of a function we need to calculate the variation of a functional
(i.e., function of a function) U(u(x)):
U Uux  Uux

(2.98)

The calculation of the variation of a functional can be simplified by using the following properties
of variations.

2.4 VARIATIONAL FORMULATION OF ELASTICITY PROBLEMS

35

2.4.2 PROPERTIES OF VARIATIONS


dU
dU

dx
dx


Udx Udx

(2.100)

U + V U + V

(2.101)

UV UV + UV

(2.102)

U n nU n1 U

(2.103)

f xUx f xU x

(2.104)


1 
U xUx U2 x
2
"
 #
dU dU 1
dU 2


dx
dx
2
dx
F  minimum ) F 0

(2.99)

(2.105)
(2.106)
(2.107)

2.4.3 DERIVATION OF THE FUNCTIONAL FROM THE BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEM

Following mathematical manipulations, the functional to be minimized can be derived from the
differential equation and the boundary conditions. This procedure is illustrated through the following
example of a bar under axial loading.

Boundary value problem of a bar under axial loading

Let us consider a bar (Figure 2.10) with variable cross-sectional area A A(x). The bar is subjected to a
distributed axial load q(x) and a concentrated force F at its right end. The equilibrium equation of an
infinitesimal part of the bar yields
N+

@N
dx + qxdx  N 0
@x

(2.108)

or
@N
+ qx 0
@x

(2.109)

where N N(x) is the axial force acting on a cross-section located at x.

According to the Hookes law, the force N(x) can be expressed as a function of strain (x)
N x
Ex
Ax

where E is the modulus of elasticity.

(2.110)

36

CHAPTER 2 MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND

q ( x) dx
N

N
dx
x

dx

FIGURE 2.10
Bar under axial loads.

Since
x

@ux
@x

(2.111)

where u(x) is the axial displacement, Equation (2.110) can be written as:
N x EAx

@ux
@x

(2.112)

Using the above equation, Equation (2.109) yields



@
@ux
EAx
+ qx 0
@x
@x

0xL

(2.113)

Assuming that the bar is fixed at the left end and free at the right end, the following boundary conditions
may associate the governing Equation (2.113):
u0 0

(2.114)

u 0 0 0

(2.115)

u0 L L

F
E  AL

(2.116)

Total potential energy of a bar under axial loading

Total potential energy is defined by:
U+W

(2.117)

2.4 VARIATIONAL FORMULATION OF ELASTICITY PROBLEMS

37

where U is the strain energy of stresses or internal forces, and W is the energy possessed by the external
loads (e.g., concentrated forces and surface tractions).
According to the above definition, the strain energy U and the work W are given by the following
equations:
1
2

Adx

(2.118)

and
W FuL 

uxqxdx

(2.119)

It should be noted that the external loads F and q(x) are always acting at their full value (i.e., their work
is independent of the elastic behavior of the bar). Their movement through the corresponding displacements u(L) and u(x) is doing work in amount F  uL and ux  qxdx, losing potential of equal
amounts F  uL and ux  qxdx, respectively.
Since

@u
@x

(2.120)

and
E E

@u
@x

(2.121)

Equation (2.118) can be written as:

U

1
2

EAxu0 dx
2

(2.122)

Therefore, using Equations (2.119) and (2.122), Equation (2.117) yields

L 
1
2
FuL +
EAu0  q  u dx
2

(2.123)

Derivation of the total potential of a bar from the boundary value problem
The aim of this section is to explain the derivation of Equation (2.123) from Equation (2.113). To
achieve this target, we have to manipulate Equation (2.113) in order to derive an expression of the form
0. To achieve this, mathematical manipulation starts by multiplying the differential Equation (2.113) by the variation u and integrating over the solution domain (for simplicity, we assume
that the cross-sectional area A is constant):
L

EAu00  qudx 0,

0xL

(2.124)

Let us write the above equation as

I1 + I2 0

where
I1 

L
0

EAu00 udx

(2.125)

(2.126)

38

CHAPTER 2 MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND

and
I2 

qudx

(2.127)

Taking into account the following well-known formula

b
a

wdv wvjba 

vdw

(2.128)

and setting
a0

(2.129)

bL

(2.130)

w u

(2.131)

dv u00 dx or v u0

(2.132)

the integral I1 can be written as:

I1
L
u0 uj0 +
EA

u0 du

(2.133)

or
I1
u0 LuL + u0 0u0 +
EA

u0 du

(2.134)

Taking into account Equation (2.99), that is,


du
du

dx
dx

(2.135)

du u0 dx

(2.136)

the quantity d(u) is

Then, Equation (2.134) yields

I1
u0 LuL + u0 0u0 +
EA

u0 u0 dx

(2.137)

We recall from the boundary conditions (Equation 2.115) that u0 0 0. In contrast, u0 L L. Then,
I1
LuL +
EA

u0 u0 dx

(2.138)

Taking into account Equation (2.105), the product u0 u0 can be written as:
1
2
u0 u0 u0
2

(2.139)

Therefore, Equation (2.138) can now take the form:

L
1 0 2
I1 AELuL + AE
u dx
02

(2.140)

2.4 VARIATIONAL FORMULATION OF ELASTICITY PROBLEMS

39

Using the boundary condition given in Equation (2.116), the product, AE(L), is AEL F.
Then, Equation (2.140) yields
L
1 0 2
I1 F  uL + AE
u dx
02

(2.141)

Using Equation (2.104), Equation (2.141) can be written as:

I1 F  uL +

1
2
AE u0 dx
2
0

(2.142)

According to Equation (2.100), Equation (2.142) yields

L
1
2
I1 F  uL + AE u0 dx
2
0

(2.143)

Using Equation (2.101), Equation (2.143) can be formulated as:



L
1
2
I1 F  uL +
AEu0 dx
02

(2.144)

Combining Equation (2.144) with Equations (2.125) and (2.127), the following formula can be
obtained:

L
L
1
0 2
F  uL +
AEu dx  qudx 0
02
0

(2.145)

Using Equation (2.104), Equation (2.145) yields


L
L
1
2
F  uL +
AEu0 dx  qu  dx 0
02
0

(2.146)

According to Equation (2.100), Equation (2.146) can now be written as:


L
L
1
2
F  uL +
AEu0 dx  q  u  dx 0
02
0

(2.147)



L 
1
2
F  uL +
AEu0  q  u dx 0
0 2

(2.148)

or

Equation (2.148) expresses the principle of MPE:

0

(2.149)

L 
1
2
AEu0  q  u dx
0 2

(2.150)

Therefore,
F  uL +

Equation (2.150) is same as Equation (2.123).

40

CHAPTER 2 MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND

REFERENCES
[1] Deif AS. Advanced matrix theory for scientists and engineers. 2nd ed. London: Abacus press; 1991.
[2] Wunderlich W, Pilkey WD. Mechanics of structures: variational and computational methods. Boca Raton:
CRC press; 2003.
[3] Hartmann F. Greens functions and finite elements. Heidelberg: Springer; 2013.
[4] Bhatti MA. Fundamental finite element analysis and applications. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons; 2005.
[5] Logan DL. A first course in the finite element method. Boston, MA: Gengage Learning; 2012.
[6] Fish J, Belytschko T. A first course in finite elements. New York: Wiley; 2007.
[7] Boresi AP, Schmidt RJ. Advanced mechanics of materials. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 2003.