MEMA/CSES 648 Spring 2002

Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis

Date: January 24, 2000 Due: February 8, 2002

PROGRAMMING ASSIGNMENT No. 1

Modify FEMPRG1D* for the nonlinear analysis capability to analyze problems gov-
erned by a single–variable, second–order equation. Your program should have the direct
iteration as well as the Newton–Raphson iteration options. You are required to validate
your program using the problem listed below.

Problem: Analyze the nonlinear equation

" #
d du
− a(x, u) + c(x)u = f (x), 0 < x < 1 (1.1)
dx dx

du √
(0) = 0 , u(1) = 2 (1.2)
dx
For computational purpose, use a(x, u) = u, c(x) = 0, and f (x) = −1 (see Chapter 3 of
the notes and Assignment No. 1). Investigate convergence of the finite element solution
with different number of linear and quadratic elements (say, 2, 4, and 8 linear elements; 1,
2, and 4 quadratic elements). Use a converegnce tolerance of ε = 10−3 and IT M AX = 10.
Then, analyze Problem 3 of Assignment 1 using the program.

You must submit: (1) a hard copy of the part of the main computer program that
pertains to nonlinear analysis and the subroutine for element calculations, (2) input for
the problems you have used to validate the program, and (3) plots/tables of the numerical
results obtained with the two iterative methods for the problem.

* FEMPRG1D is a simplified, incomplete version of the program FEM1DV2 listed in

Appendix 1 of the textbook, An Introduction to the Finite Element Method by J. N.
Reddy, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1993. You may down load this program from the website
(http://ceprofs.tamu.edu/jreddy).