This user-friendly book provides the reader with a theoretical and practical knowledge of the finite element method (FEM) and with the skills required to analyze engineering problems with ANSYS®. A self-contained, introductory text, it minimizes the need for additional reference material, covering the fundamental topics in FEM as well as advanced topics concerning modeling and analysis with ANSYS®. Extensive examples from various engineering disciplines are presented in a step-by-step fashion, focusing on the use of ANSYS® through both the Graphics User Interface (GUI) and the ANSYS® Parametric Design Language (APDL). Additional materials for this book, including the "input" files for the example problems, as well as the colored figures and screen shots, allowing them to be regenerated on the reader?s own computer, may be downloaded from http://extras.springer.com.