Publisher's Synopsis
Many engineering problems can be solved using a linear approximation. In the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) the set of equations, describing the structural behaviour is then linear K d = F (1.1) In this matrix equation, K is the stiffness matrix of the structure, d is the nodal displacements vector and F is the external nodal force vector. Characteristics of linear problems is that the displacements are proportional to the loads, the stiffness of the structure is independent on the value of the load level. Though behaviour of real structures is nonlinear, e.g. displacements are not proportional to the loads; nonlinearities are usually unimportant and may be neglected in most practical problems.
