Here is a quick introduction to FEA.
FEA is a crucial step that you can easily add to your development program. It will save you significant time and money by highlighting problems and finding solutions during your product design phase, before any material is ordered or before you even contemplate ‘cutting steel’!
Here are some key points to remember about FEA:
- Engineers use FEA to simulate how a product will respond to expected loading conditions in real world situations.i
- If you are designing a new product, you should consider how to embed FEA into your design cycle.
- With FEA, you can test your design for stress, vibration, buckling, fatigue, and heat BEFORE prototyping.
- There are many types of FEA. Which type to choose depends on your product, the materials involved, how it will be made, and how it will be used.
- If you have decided you want an FEA done on your design, make sure you approach an experienced analyst and be clear about what you want to achieve. A goal is essential.
- Rubbish in = Rubbish2 out. Don’t let the pretty pictures fool you. FEA results are easily misinterpreted and should be backed up with hand calculations and physical testing.
- The software may have got cheaper but the skill required to do an accurate and reliable FEA hasn’t changed. Career analysts are few and far between, but worth their weight in gold.