Most problems in engineering are of nonlinear nature. The nonlinearities are caused basically due to the nonlinear material behavior, contact conditions and instability of structures. The principles of the nonlinear Finite-Element-Method (FEM) will be introduced for treating such problems. The finite element program ABAQUS is introduced to investigate real engineering problems.

The course teaches the basics of nonlinear optimization and concepts of machine learning. An introduction to the finite element method allows an extension of the application area to real engineering problems such as structural optimization and modeling of material behavior on different length scales.