The purpose of the sixth edition, which is fully adapted to the International System of Units, is to present a clear and documented approach to the finite element method, suitable for both undergraduate and graduate students. The book is designed to be the primary "tool" for the undergraduate civil and mechanical engineering student, who will certainly engage primarily with stress analysis and heat transfer, but also presents topics related to fluid flow in porous media and through hydraulic networks, electrical networks, and electrostatics.

Concepts are presented in a simple form and are accompanied by many problem examples. The book presents the theoretical background and the most basic handling methods for the following topics: simple springs and rods, two-dimensional and three-dimensional mesh analysis, beam bending, plane frame analysis, grid analysis, and spatial frame analysis of simple plane stress/strain elements, leading to more complex plane stress/strain elements, and their applications such as axisymmetric stress analysis, isoparametric formulation of the finite element method, three-dimensional stress analysis, plate bending analysis, heat transfer and mass transfer, fluid flow through porous media and around solid bodies, hydraulic networks, electrical networks, and electrostatics, thermal stress analysis, time-dependent stress and heat transfer problems.

In addition, the book includes appendices with material on: matrix algebra, methods for solving systems of equations, elasticity theory, equivalent work point loads, and the principle of virtual work. The book contains over 100 solved examples for better understanding of the theory, while at the end of the chapters, more than 570 problems are provided for solution. At the end of the book, answers to many of these problems are also included.

Table of contents:

• Introduction
• Introduction to the stiffness method (displacement)
• Development of mesh equations
• Development of beam equations
• Frame and grid equations
• Development of flat stress and strain stiffness equations
• Practical issues of simulation, interpretation of results, and examples of flat stress/strain analysis
• Development of triangular linear strain equations
• Axisymmetric elements
• Isoparametric formulation
• Three-dimensional stress analysis
• Plate bending element
• Heat and mass transfer
• Fluid flow in porous media and through hydraulic networks; electrical networks and electrostatics
• Thermal stress
• Structural dynamics and time-dependent heat propagation
• Appendices

Scientific editing of the Greek edition: Georgios E. Stavroulakis, Technical University of Crete