Early Finite Element Research at University of California at Berkeley ...

摘要

Significant finite element research was conducted at the University of California at Berkeley during the period 1957 to 1970. The initial research was a direct extension of classical methods of structural analysis which previously had been restricted to one-dimensional elements. The majority of the research conducted was motivated by the need to solve practical problems in Aerospace, Mechanical and Civil Engineering. During this short period the finite element method was extended to the solution of linear and nonlinear problems associated with creep, incremental construction or excavation, crack closing, heat transfer, flow of water in porous media, soil consolidation, dynamic response analysis and computer assisted learning of structural analysis. During the last six years of this period the fields of structural analysis and continuum mechanics were unified. The computer programs developed during this early period at Berkeley were freely distributed worldwide allowing practicing engineers to solve many new problems in structural mechanics. Hence, the research was rapidly transferred to the engineering profession. In many cases the research was used professionally prior to the publication of a formal paper... ... Next couple of decades or so witnessed a great variety of research domains that were developed and a large number of talented young people who were "processed through" the UC Berkeley research machine. A personal account of one of those lucky ones is given in the closure of this lecture.