The finite element method is a powerful tool for engineers, but although much has been written on the theoretical side, far less attention has been paid to the practical aspects of implementation. This book is intended to fill that gap. After a brief theoretical introduction, attention is given to: presenting the detailed formulation of a number of commonly used displacement type elements; explaining the advanced techniques of computation to reduce computational efforts and increase efficiency; showing the practical problems associated with automatic mesh generation and node renumbering; and, providing a well-documented, user friendly software package for use with a variety of problems. This book will be welcomed by practicing engineers with some basic knowledge in computer programming and computational mechanics, and by final year project students and post-graduate students.
