Basic steps in FEM

In general, a finite element solution may be broken into the following three stages. This is a general guideline that can be used for setting up any finite element analysis.

1. Preprocessing: defining the problem; the major steps in preprocessing are given below:
* Define keypoints/lines/areas/volumes
* Define element type and material/geometric properties
* Mesh lines/areas/volumes as required
The amount of detail required will depend on the dimensionality of the analysis (i.e. 1D, 2D, axi-symmetric, 3D).

2. Solution: assigning loads, constraints and solving; here we specify the loads (point or pressure), contraints (translational and rotational) and finally solve the resulting set of equations.

3. Postprocessing: further processing and viewing of the results; in this stage one may wish to see:
* Lists of nodal displacements
* Element forces and moments
* Deflection plots
* Stress contour diagrams