Practical Aspects of Finite Element Computations in Solid Mechanics

The paper focuses on practical aspects of the prospective use of finite element methods in problems in solid mechanics. It looks briefly at the computer and computer language environment in which the methods are used, and at the computational aspects of the numerical method itself. The fundamental algorithmic problems (spatial and temporal discretization, and the modeling of realistic material behaviors) are reviewed from an applications viewpoint, and some areas where further work is needed are mentioned.