Presenting introductory and some advanced topics of the finite element method (FEM), this text is intended for upper-level undergraduate and lower-level graduate courses; it contains more material than can be covered in a single semester, but some sections can be skipped for a one-semester introductory course. Includes an introduction to MATLAB for those new to the software, as well as analysis of shell structures as one of the most important structural applications of FEM. New to this edition is a chapter on special topics, including analysis of cracks, thermal analysis for multilayered structures, and buckling analysis, both static and dynamic. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)