What is Finite Element Analysis?

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a computer simulation technique that uses the finite element method (FEM), which is a numerical technique for engineering analysis. FEM is used for analyzing stress points that can and will breaks down a physical structure into FEA substructures. These finite elements and their interrelationships are converted into mathematical equation.

By using graphics-based FEA software, a model can be displayed on a screen and analyzed as it is being built.

In 1943,Richard Courant used the Ritz method of numerical analysis and minimization of variation calculus to achieve approximate solutions to vibration systems. Then in 1956, M. J. Turner, R. W. Clough, H. C. Martin, and L. J. Topp published a paper establishing a wider definition of numerical analysis. The finite element method in structural mechanics was developed based on an energy principle like the minimum total potential energy principle.

FEA is generally used in the determination of stresses and displacements in mechanical objects and systems and is also routinely used in the analysis of countless other problems, including those involving heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and electromagnetism. FEA has the ability to manage complex systems, which challenge closed-form analytical solutions.

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