In
continuum mechanics, and in particular in
finite element analysis, the Hu–Washizu principle is a
variational principle
In science and especially in mathematical studies, a variational principle is one that enables a problem to be solved using calculus of variations, which concerns finding functions that optimize the values of quantities that depend on those funct ...
which says that the action
:
is stationary, where
is the elastic
stiffness tensor
Stiffness is the extent to which an object resists deformation in response to an applied force.
The complementary concept is flexibility or pliability: the more flexible an object is, the less stiff it is.
Calculations
The stiffness, k, of a b ...
. The Hu–Washizu principle is used to develop mixed
finite element method
The finite element method (FEM) is a popular method for numerically solving differential equations arising in engineering and mathematical modeling. Typical problem areas of interest include the traditional fields of structural analysis, heat ...
s.
The principle is named after
Hu Haichang and
Kyūichirō Washizu.
References
Further reading
* K. Washizu: ''Variational Methods in Elasticity & Plasticity'', Pergamon Press, New York, 3rd edition (1982)
* O. C. Zienkiewicz, R. L. Taylor, J. Z. Zhu : ''The Finite Element Method: Its Basis and Fundamentals'', Butterworth–Heinemann, (2005).
Calculus of variations
Finite element method
Structural analysis
Principles
Continuum mechanics
{{Applied-math-stub