FEA SOFTWARE: TOP PICKS, REASONS FOR THEIR POPULARITY, AND REQUIRED COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES
Soji Ogunleye
Hardware Product Developer with Mechanical Engineering Background ||Expert in Solidworks for CAD Modelling || Product Documentation ||Solidworks simulation for Analysis ||Blender Photorealistic for Rendering.
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software plays a pivotal role in modern engineering and design, offering simulation capabilities to analyse the behaviour of structures and systems under various conditions. In this comprehensive overview, we'll explore the top FEA software packages, their reasons for popularity, and the computational resources they require.
ANSYS
MAIN STRENGTH ANSYS is renowned for its robustness, accuracy, and extensive capabilities across multiple domains such as structural, thermal, fluid dynamics, electromagnetic, and multi-physics analyses.
OTHER FEATURES Advanced meshing tools, comprehensive material libraries, coupled physics simulations, and optimization capabilities.
REQUIRED COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES ANSYS simulations typically demand significant computational resources, including high-performance computing (HPC) clusters or powerful workstation setups for complex analyses.
ABAQUS
MAIN STRENGTH: ABAQUS excels in advanced nonlinear analysis, including contact mechanics, material nonlinearities, and large deformations.
OTHER FEATURES: High-performance computing (HPC) support, robust solver algorithms, explicit dynamics simulations, and fatigue analysis tools.
REQUIRED COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES: ABAQUS simulations often require substantial computational resources, especially for large-scale models and complex nonlinear analyses. HPC clusters are commonly used to accelerate simulations.
COMSOL Multi-physics
MAIN STRENGTH: COMSOL offers versatility in multi-physics simulations, covering structural, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, electromagnetic, and chemical reactions.
OTHER FEATURES: Customizable modeling environment, application-specific modules, CAD import capabilities, and post-processing tools.
REQUIRED COMPUTATIONAL Resources Computational requirements vary based on the complexity of simulations and coupled physics phenomena. High-performance workstations or small-scale cluster setups are typically sufficient for most simulations.
MSC Nastran
MAIN STRENGTH: MSC Nastran is known for its accuracy in structural analysis, vibration analysis, and optimization tasks.
OTHER FEATURES: Linear and nonlinear transient analysis, thermal stress analysis, modal analysis, and integrated fatigue analysis.
REQUIRED COMPUTATIONAL: Resources MSC Nastran simulations typically require moderate computational resources. Workstations with multi-core processors or small-scale cluster configurations are adequate for most analyses.
Recommended by LinkedIn
LS-DYNA
MAIN STRENGTH: LS-DYNA excels in simulating complex nonlinear phenomena such as crash, impact, and blast simulations.
OTHER FEATURES: Explicit and implicit solvers, material modeling for composites, fluid-structure interaction, and parallel processing support.
REQUIRED COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES: LS-DYNA simulations often demand significant computational resources, particularly for large-scale dynamic simulations. High-performance computing (HPC) clusters are commonly utilized to expedite analyses.
SIMULIA Abaqus
MAIN STRENGTH: SIMULIA Abaqus offers a comprehensive suite of advanced FEA capabilities, including structural, thermal, and multi-physics simulations.
OTHER FEATURES: Cohesive elements for modeling crack propagation, submodeling techniques, implicit and explicit dynamics, and advanced contact algorithms.
REQUIRED COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES: Computational requirements for SIMULIA Abaqus simulations vary based on the complexity of analyses. Moderate to high-performance computing resources are often employed for efficient simulation runs.
SOLIDWORKS SIMULATION
MAIN STRENGTH: SolidWorks Simulation provides user-friendly FEA capabilities integrated within the SolidWorks CAD software.
OTHER FEATURES: Automatic contact detection, assembly analysis, parametric studies, and integrated design optimization tools.
REQUIRED COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES: SolidWorks Simulation typically requires moderate computational resources. Workstations with multi-core processors and sufficient memory are suitable for most simulations.
Altair HyperWorks
MAIN STRENGTH: Altair Hyper-Works is a comprehensive simulation platform with FEA solver OptiStruct, along with optimization, fatigue analysis, and multi-physics capabilities.
OTHER FEATURES: Topology optimization, composite analysis, nonlinear transient analysis, and integration with CAD and CAE software.
REQUIRED COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES: Computational requirements for Altair Hyper-Works depend on the specific analysis being performed. Moderate to high-performance computing resources are often utilized for efficient simulations, especially for optimization and multi-physics analyses.
In conclusion, while the choice of FEA software depends on various factors such as simulation requirements, industry standards, and user expertise, it's crucial to consider the computational resources needed to ensure efficient and timely simulation runs. Whether utilising high-performance computing clusters or powerful workstation setups, selecting the appropriate computational resources is essential for achieving accurate and reliable simulation results.