The Question of Credibility

Abstract

This article presents an overview of capabilities and applications of finite element analysis (FEA) in engineering analysis. FEA is useful wherever the risk of material failure or engineering error has serious consequences—any of the legal, regulatory, and bottom-line ramifications of product failure. They also point out that credibility lies at the heart of every simulation effort, FEA or otherwise. FEA software developers have made it easier to use their software via user-friendly graphical user interfaces. FEA is a uniquely powerful tool for prototyping, as well as reducing the traditional build-test-break cycle from months or even years of trial and error to weeks of digital calculations and validations. Digital prototyping also allows designers to quickly dig into more design options. Most complicated engineering analyses use nonlinear FEA for challenging problems. Nonlinear FEA includes elastic and plastic transformations; tension and compression; buckling; fixed and sliding contacts, fatigue, creep, large deflections and deformations; large strain; hyperelasticity, viscoelasticity, viscoplasticity, and many others. In the real world, each of the linear and nonlinear uses is problematical. Getting them right depends heavily on the analysts, so their skills should be also validated and verified.