What is Finite Element Analysis?

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is an exciting arm of engineering that breaks apart designs and uses computer systems to test the physics of each part to identify if the design as a whole will work in reality. It helps you understand if the design will be strong enough, flexible enough, light or heavy, and meet safety regulations. This saves money and time, since computers are doing the testing in the development stage, rather than you having to create full-size prototypes.

At E3K we offer the service of FEA to our clients. We have a track record of providing FEA to companies across Australia, and we pride ourselves on our ability to provide the many benefits of this fantastic simulation technique.

Types of Problems FEA Solves

FEA is highly versatile and can be applied to a wide range of engineering challenges. Industries like aerospace, automotive, construction, and energy rely on FEA to address issues related to structural integrity, performance, and efficiency, ensuring their products meet safety and quality standards.

One of its primary uses is stress analysis, which helps determine how materials will deform under loads or pressure. It can also be employed for thermal analysis, predicting how objects react to temperature changes, or fluid dynamics, which assesses how liquids or gases flow through systems. These simulations are also commonly used for fatigue analysis, simulating how materials will behave after repeated stress cycles.

Why Utilise FEA?

Saving Time and Money

Smaller scale testing such as FEA means you don’t need to find out the problems with a design after it’s built, but rather play with the physics while still in development. Time and money are saved because issues can be ironed out much more easily and earlier. With FEA, we identify potential design or structural issues during the early stages of development, significantly reducing the need for costly physical prototypes.

Engineers can quickly pinpoint problem areas before they manifest in real-world applications. This not only shortens the development cycle but also saves money by minimising waste and material use. Rather than relying on traditional trial-and-error methods, FEA offers a more streamlined and efficient approach to optimising designs, enabling companies to bring products to market faster with fewer revisions.

Increasing Safety

One of the greatest advantages of FEA is its ability to simulate real-world conditions in a safe, virtual environment. Whether it’s assessing how a bridge will handle heavy traffic or testing a truck’s load-bearing capacity, FEA allows engineers to predict potential points of failure without exposing workers or equipment to risk.

By simulating extreme conditions like high pressures, temperatures, or impact forces, FEA helps engineers understand the limits of a design long before it’s deployed in the field. This proactive approach enhances the safety of the final product and helps meet regulatory standards and compliance, ensuring safety is built into the design from the ground up.

Improved Streamlined Development

Having issues sorted out by computers means you can focus on streamlining the development of your creations.

With FEA, product development becomes more structured and organised, allowing teams to focus on refining their designs instead of troubleshooting unexpected issues. Because simulations can model a wide range of scenarios, design teams are better equipped to make informed decisions quickly, thus streamlining the entire development process.

FEA eliminates much of the guesswork involved in design by providing precise data that can be used to improve performance, efficiency, and durability. The ability to test multiple iterations in a fraction of the time means faster innovation cycles and fewer delays, all while maintaining product quality.

What’s the Process of FEA?

E3K works closely with clients to ensure the simulation of the proposed design is as effective as possible in creating accurate results and analysing those results for the most useful and clear guidance. This is how FEA typically works:

Step 1: Creating the Digital Model

The first step in the FEA process is building a detailed digital representation of the object or structure to be analysed. Engineers use Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software to create a 3D model that reflects the geometry and dimensions of the real-world design being tested. Creating this model as accurately as possible is critical. It serves as the foundation for the analysis. Our engineers ensure every curve, surface, and edge is modelled correctly so the simulation reflects actual physical behaviour.

Step 2: Meshing the Model

The digital model is divided into smaller, simpler parts called finite elements. This process is called meshing. The entire structure is broken down into tiny elements—usually triangles, tetrahedrons, or quadrilaterals in 2D and 3D models, respectively. These elements form a mesh, and each is assigned specific properties and conditions. The finer the mesh, the more accurate the simulation, (though this also increases the computational resources required). The size and density of the mesh can vary, with more refined elements used in critical areas like stress concentrations.

Step 3: Defining Material Properties

Engineers then input the material properties of the object into the meshing software. This includes factors such as elasticity, density, thermal conductivity, and any other relevant physical characteristics. These properties determine how the elements will behave under various conditions. Using accurate material data ensures the simulation reflects how the real-world material will respond to forces, heat, or other environmental factors.

Step 4: Applying Boundary Conditions

Now, specific boundary conditions are applied to the model. These include loads, forces, temperature gradients, pressure, or constraints that limit movement. For example, engineers might apply a fixed boundary where the object is attached to another structure, or impose forces that simulate the weight or stress the object may endure in actual use. Accurately applying boundary conditions is critical, as they simulate the real-world environment and determine how the object will perform under those conditions. This is why working with FEA specialists is important, to get the best results from engineers who have a strong understanding of physics and design.

Step 5: Running the Simulation

The simulation can now be run using specialised FEA software. Computer algorithms can calculate how each element within the mesh reacts to the applied conditions. Depending on the complexity of the model, the analysis can involve thousands or even millions of equations being solved simultaneously. This stage of the process requires significant computational power and time, particularly for large or intricate models.

Step 6: Interpreting the Results

After the simulation completes, engineers review the results. The software provides a visual output of how the object behaves under the applied conditions, typically in the form of stress contours, deformation shapes, or thermal gradients. These visuals help identify areas of high stress, deformation, or temperature, allowing engineers to pinpoint potential failure points or weaknesses in the design. Expert engineers understand how to analyse each result from the simulation, applying what they see to how the design will perform in reality.

Step 7: Making Adjustments and Optimising the Design

Based on the analysis results, engineers make informed decisions about how to modify the design. This might involve changing the material, adjusting dimensions, or adding reinforcements to improve the object’s performance. In some cases, multiple iterations of the simulation are run, refining the model each time to achieve the optimal design. The ultimate goal is to ensure the object can withstand real-world conditions while being as efficient and cost-effective as possible. Once the best design has been created using FEA, physical, full-size prototypes can be made.

Why Choose E3K for FEA?

At E3K, we have over 20 years’ experience delivering innovative engineering solutions to companies across Australia and the globe. We have worked on many projects, with a track record of providing great results in diverse applications – which has gained us an Australian Engineering Excellence Award.

Despite being an approximation, FEA is highly reliable for many engineering problems. We have vast experience with FEA and have helped many companies, organisations and inventors create better engineering designs, saving time, money, and streamlining business operations. We know results should always be corroborated with real-world tests, especially in critical applications where safety and performance are paramount. At E3K, with our vast experience across engineering sectors, we assist our clients with our engineers’ decades of knowledge to ensure designs are tested effectively at all stages.

Are you ready to work with us using FEA to streamline your engineering designs? Contact us now.