Finite difference method advantages and disadvantages
Answers
Finite element Method applies to many structural and non-structural problems. FEM's advantages made it very popular. They include the ability to handle:
1) irregularly shaped bodies are very easy to model.
2) handle the general load condition without difficulty.
3) Model bodies consisting of several different materials due to the evaluation of the element equations.
4) Unlimited numbers and boundary conditions are handled.
5) Vary the size of the elements to allow, where necessary, the use of samll elements.
6) Alger relatively easily and cheaply model of finite elements.
7) Include dynamic effects.
8) Manage non-linear behavior with large deformations and non-liner material
In general, FEM's are great at problems with integrated variational principles. FEM's are still improving for some completely non-linearand non-divergent form problems. FEM's, on the other hand, relied heavily on numerical integration, where sometimes squaring rules cause headaches. From the point of view of programming, FEM's are usually more difficult to program. The handling of mesh and numerical integrations typically requires additional work.