Truss vs. Beam

Table illustrating the differences between truss and beam elements.

See also

Types of elements in the element library

Types of Elements in FEA

One of the requirements to become a good finite element analyst is to be aware of a range of standard elements that are best for specific applications. Whilst commercial FEA programs all offer a library of elements for users to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which to use due to the large amount of elements available. Luckily, these elements can be categorised into three classes by their shape:

FEA vs. FEM

Today when we hear about finite element method (FEM), the first thing that comes across our mind would be a beautiful picture like this:

Simulation result adapted from DTE Desktop Engineering

which is not entirely true.