The stress analysis of a shear wall with matrix displacement method using rectangular finite element

Abstract

The aim in this study is to numerically present some characteristic features of the rectangular finite element using the matrix displacement method and to show the utility of this element in plane stress problems compared to the finite element method. The paper consisted of three parts. In the first part, all of the finite element formulation steps from choosing the convenient coordinate system to creating element stiffness matrix are presented respectively. In the second part of the study, a static finite element analysis of the shear wall is also made by ANSYS Mechanical APDL. In the final part, the results (displacements, strains and stresses) obtained from the previous parts are compared with each other by the help of tables and graphics. The results show that this method is effective and preferable for the stress analysis of shell structures. Further studies should be conducted in order to indicate the efficiency of the matrix displacement method for the solution of different types of plane stress problems using different finite elements.