Fifty years of finite elements — a solid mechanics perspective

The finite element method has been considered as one of the most significant engineering advances of the twentieth century. This computational methodology has made substantial impact on many fields in science and also has profoundly changed engineering design procedures and practice. This paper, mainly from a solid mechanics perspective, and the Swansea viewpoint in particular, describes very briefly the origin of the methodology, then summaries selected milestones of the technical developments that have taken place over the last fifty years and illustrates their application to some practical engineering problems.