The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”
- Albert Einstein

Finite element analysis (FEA) is the wonder tool of mechanical and civil engineering. Heavily used by mechanical engineers world wide, FEA allows engineers to simulate real life structure behaviour in the computer.

The above images shows a brake squel analysis. Engineers use FE to understand how much heat is generated when using different brake pads with different friction coefficient and see how much ablation happens. All these can be done seamlessly using simulation without having doing numerous physical tests.

Civil engineers use FEA to analyze beams and buildings, using 1-dimensional elements. Mechanical engineers are the ones who make full use of FEA, analyzing 1-D, 2D and 3D structures extensively.

As long as you can understand the physics behind an application, FE allows the engineer to understand and then predict the behaviour of their structures.

FE allows the study of temperature generation within the engine block. Different fuel mixture results in different combustion temperature which affects the expansion of the engine. This expansion results in stress build up at the engine mounting points. Too much expansion results in cracked mounting points or gasses escaping from the gap between the engine block and pistons.

FEA Tutorials

In these pages, I will attempt to teach some basic and advance FE analyses.

Linear Static Analysis

Dynamic Analysis

Nonlinear Analysis

Heat Transfer Analysis

Thermal-Stress Analysis

All tutorials are performed using MSC.Patran and MSC.Nastran.

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