Basics of Finite Element Analysis - I

The mathematics behind FEA

This NPTEL course, taught by Prof. Nachiketa Tiwari of IIT Kanpur, builds the theory that sits underneath finite element software. Its 48 lectures start with nodes, elements and shape functions, then move to error types, convergence and the overall FEA process.

Core theory

• Weighted residuals and element and assembly-level equations
• Integration by parts and the gradient and divergence theorems
• Functionals, the variational operator and weak formulation

Who it suits

Students who want to understand why FEA works, rather than only how to run it, will get the most from the course. The lecture titles are theory-heavy, so pair it with a software tutorial if you plan to model in practice.