Explicit FEA software is a powerful tool to model dynamic structures and transient loading. They are, time-consuming and difficult to troubleshoot. Often, FEA engineers apply simplifications to reduce model size computational expense. It’s essential that these simplifications applied to produce accurate results. A common error is reducing the model […]
FEA Consulting
10 posts
Explosive hazards are prevalent in many industries. The source of these explosions can be accidental or malevolent. Regardless, site personnel need protection from these hazards. Blast-resistant buildings shield workers and critical assets from blast effects. In this post, we highlight Finite Element Analysis, and its application in the design of Blast Resistant Buildings. In this post we'll cover: Basic blast loading design concepts, differences between hand calculations and FEA, and blast analysis using FEA
Evaluating Tornado Missiles for RIS 2015-06? We’re going to help make it a little more intuitive. Tornado strikes might not be as bad as you once thought.
If you’re somewhat new to CFD, you might be asking yourself why there are so many turbulence models. The answer lies at the heart of what CFD software does. It solves the Navier-Stokes Equation as well as the energy and mass conservation. When solving these equations, Prandtl realized that no direct mathematical solution existed for turbulent flow. This has been coined as the turbulence closure problem because the equations can’t be closed for turbulent flow.
Most structures and their loads are symmetric. In these cases it's possible to take advantage of symmetry to simplify your Finite Element Analysis and reduce run time. In this blog we'll: Discuss benefits of using symmetry in FEA, provide a primer in symmetry theory, and Work through a FEA case study using symmetry.
Using structural shell elements in finite element analyses saves computational time when analyzing thin-walled parts and structures. But engineers and analysts require experience to best utilize the output. Unlike solid elements, where stresses are typically straightforward to understand, the analyst must be even more careful and be mindful of several questions when interpreting shell element stresses.
Pound on a bone with enough force and it’ll break. Just where, though, depends on whether or not bone behaves like other structural materials. Researchers have long guessed it did—but they didn’t really know. Bone is famously strong stuff, surpassing reinforced concrete when it comes to withstanding compression forces.
Modeling how products, buildings, and structures hold up under everyday use involves solving intractable partial differential equations that calculate stresses under myriad loads. Using FEA is sometimes the only solution, but as always, the tool is only as good as the craftsman.
FEA is a digital way to test designs against predictable forces, to determine whether a design will fail and, if so, when and how the material will deform, snap, or collapse. As a central part of engineering analysis, FEA also helps ensure against risky under-design and costly over-design. Finite element analysis has migrated over the years from a purely academic pursuit into everyday product development.
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a powerful tool for evaluating complex structural problems. Like all analytical software, bad results stem from bad input. We call it the "Garbage in, Garbage Out" principle of FEA. Sometimes, with perfect inputs, you can still get the wrong answer using FEA. There are a lot of ways that your finite element analysis can take a wrong turn. So how do you know if your results are correct? The answer is validation and verification (V&V). This week we'll apply V&V to a simple beam bending problem.
