The objective of this book is to provide an introductory text which lays out the basic theory of the finite element method in a form that will be comprehensible to materials scientists. Although this book was written with materials scientists in mind, it will prove useful to all those interested in learning the fundamentals of the finite element method. It presents the basic ideas in a sequential and measured fashion, avoiding the use of specialist vocabulary that is not clearly defined. The basic principles are illustrated by a diversity of examples which serve to reinforce the particular aspects of the theory, and there are three finite element analyses which are presented with the detailed mathematics exposed.

这本书的目的是提供一个介绍性的文本，其中列出了有限元法的形式，将理解为材料科学家的基本理论。虽然这本书是与材料科学家一起写的，但它将被证明对所有对学习有限元法基础感兴趣的人都有用。它以一种循序渐进的方式呈现基本思想，避免使用没有明确定义的专业词汇。通过各种各样的例子说明了基本原理，这些例子有助于加强理论的特定方面，并且有三种有限元分析，其中包括详细的数学知识。