How to - Manage Finite Element Analysis in the Design Process

by Vince Adams

It is now widely understood that product simulation, and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in particular, is a tool for use during the design process, rather than a tool for use in checking the suitability of a near-final design. There is, however, a growing concern that users with sub-par skills and/or engineering know-how now are armed with a tool that could either lengthen the design process by facilitating erroneous design decisions or, what is worse, lead a manufacturer to commit to products that are less optimized or less safe than anticipated. Software vendors are doing their jobs by adding more functionality in increasingly user-friendly interfaces with better, albeit varied, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) integration.In the face of this dramatic rise in functionality, managers at many companies are finding themselves with the opportunity to use simulation for advanced analysis, but with less and less grasp of its capabilities and limitations. The engineering contentthe purpose of the simulation task in the first placeis often overshadowed by the glut of information pouring out of these faster, more intuitive systems. The NAFEMS book Management of Guidelines to Best Practice reminds us that impressive FE models buy a user very little if the meaning of the data is unclear or the task does not lead to improved design.Oftentimes, very simple models, bearing little resemblance to the final CAD model, can provide more insight in a shorter period of time than can a more complex and highly detailed solution. Less qualified users performing more complex analyses may cause a regression, rather than an improvement, in effectiveness.

59 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2006