| Abstract: | Procedures are developed that improve the applicability of the finite difference method to problems in solid mechanics. This is accomplished by formulating the coefficients of the Taylor series expansion used to approximate derivative quantities in terms of physically interpretable strain gradients. Improvements realized include modeling of boundary conditions that has intuitive appeal and the use of irregular grids in a natural manner. These developments are demonstrated for the analysis of plane stress problems with traction boundary conditions. The results compare well with finite element solutions. The approach suggests further generalization of the finite difference method. |
