Finite Element Analysis in Matlab with user-defined elements?

Dear Matlab-community,

I programmed a non-linear electromechanical material behavior in Matlab and would like to implement it into a Finite Element Process.

This gives rise to two questions:

1. Is there an additional FEM-package to solve boundary value problems in Matlab?

2. Is it possible in it to implement user-defined elements as Matlab functions (analogous to user-elements in Abaqus)?

I look forward to any help and answer

Best regards and many thanks in advance,

Reschad

[KSSV]

Always you can write your own code which works for anything. You can have a look on pde toolbox.

[Alan Stevens]

Get hold of the book: "The Finite Element Method using Matlab", by Young W. Kwon and Hyochoong Bang, CRC Press, 1997, which tells you everything you need to know about constructing finite elements in MATLAB! (There is probably a more recent edition these days).

Answer 1

[Reschad Wakili]

Thanks for your answers. The idea is to use something that already exists for Matlab, not to design something completely new.

Otherwise I could translate my code into Fortran and work with Abaqus.

Answer 2

[Ravi Kumar]

You can define user defined functions of space, time, and solution using PDE Toolbox generic workflow, check out the following links to get started:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/pde/pde-problem-setup.html?s_tid=CRUX_lftnav

https://www.mathworks.com/help/pde/ug/minimal-surface-problem.html

Check the example, and look at the function definition:

cCoef = @(region,state) 1./sqrt(1+state.ux.^2 + state.uy.^2);

You can also define it a regular function if its more complicated than one line.

Regards,

Ravi

[Reschad Wakili]

Hi Ravi,

thank you very much for your answer.

I have an approach for a nonlinear material behavior. Based on the weak form, I derived the appropriate FE-stiffness-matrix. Is it possible in the PDE Toolbox to adapt the associated stiffness matrix to user-specific requirements?

Reschad