Here’s the bottom line…FEA is predictive but not affirmative.  Therefore, those without years of experience in FEA should not be making core operational/process changes.

Don’t mistake our message, we strongly recommend employing an in-house FEA/FEM software. However, if the in-house expertise is not available to ensure computations and models have been contextualized for the particular variables of the business (machines, materials, regulations), a full-scale reorganization based on analysis missing one core variable, for example, could cost the organization millions of dollars.

In addition, FEA does not ascertain that a design will withstand the simulated stresses with sweeping certainty;  It merely gives engineers a view of how the particular design may behave with the imposed stresses by the variables input by the engineer.  This is crucial to understand, for the industry at large.  A computational analysis or modeling software is only as good as the engineer guiding the simulation.

The core distinction between an FEA engineer (day-go-day employee) and an FEA Consultant is in how they look at software, and approach the engineering problem at hand.

Consultants, primarily, look at these from the business side, with an emphasis on operational expenses, manufacturing or process logistics, and overall department ROI.

Conversely, engineers (day-go-day employees) tend to look at software from a scope of functionality and application.  This, of course, is essential to developing the product(s) efficiency, and applicability for a diverse array of industries, but can diverge from the financial business goals of a company.

FEA, and the supporting software in which it is employed, enables engineers to conduct the simulation of a designed model, in place of having to create a physical model for testing purposes.

• This of course, offers financial incentives in reducing operation expenses.

However, FEA offers more advantages.

• The FEM (finite element method) employed by our consulting engineers during analysis, permits modeling of a diverse number of material types.  In addition, the ability to monitor and ‘audit’ how confined effects impact a small area of design in particularly complicated geometry.

FEA’s expansive scope of application

Business’ in non-engineering sectors are often surprised how FEA & modeling can significantly enhance their day-to-day operations for a wide range of tasks.

The fields of healthcare and automotive are frequent clients, which are handed off from our fluid dynamics engineering segment.   One recent instance involves the deformation of a vehicle from collision and stress on human bones, a practical utilization of finite element modeling software by our consulting engineers.

FEA (finite element analysis) is recognized in the engineering industry as one of the most dynamic and robust features applied to CAD (Computer-aided design).

FEA is essential to CAD for measuring an object via application of finite elements that contain small rectangular and triangular shapes.

To analyze the whole object, our FEA engineering consultants will analyze each finite element in the entire object network, and map the corresponding outcomes which are combined to plot the overall behavior of a complex object.

Specific elements will be analyzed for certain property thresholds like stress-strain, thermal properties, dynamics, or any other characteristics required for a contextualized analysis, to ultimately enhance your business’ day-to-day operations.