Best FE Practices

Typical Workflow:
Prepare a Checklist Study the geometry Discretize the model Submit the model for analysis Preliminary Hand-Calculations or experimental validation Verify the results and organize, re-analyze, if needed. Submit a report.

Make sure of all the requirements and conditions before initiation of the FE Analysis. Make a list all the inputs which are provided. Make a list of all the outputs which are required from the analysis. Try to match all the inputs provided with the outputs needed. If any data is missing or any additional data is required, enquire with the concerned authority. Avoid guessing too much, as each requirement is unique. Try to keep the analysis compliant with the various standards.

Arrange all the information starting from the description of the structure to the loading and boundary conditions in various worksheets such as: General description of the structure. What features are needed and which can be ignored for that type of analysis? Loading and Boundary conditions. Factor of safety, if applicable. How is the component supposed to work?

Include all relevant figures

Study and analyze the geometry keeping in mind the requirements of the client.

Import the model in the FE software. If the component is simple, it can be created in the software itself.

Repair the geometry if needed. Quite often the geometry needs to be cleaned up due to errors in tolerances between different softwares.

Identify symmetries and use them to your advantage. CAD models can be enormous because they often carry complete manufacturing information. Think first about what really needs to be simulated. What is essential to the analysis? Most likely it is not the entire product. For example, the CAD model of a circuit board may include a heat sink, screws with threads, wires, and other details. These parts could be meshed with thousands of elements, but are they necessary to the analysis? They may only complicate and slow down the required heat transfer simulation.

To handle large CAD models, FEA developers have added de-featuring tools to remove the unnecessary details. Just a little more time up front removing unnecessary details saves time later on.

Discretizing the model :

Decide the type of elements you are going to use. (For e.g., 4-noded shell elements or 8-noded hexa/brick elements) depending upon the type of analysis, proper reasoning and the geometry. Plan the appropriate target element size. Shell elements should be modeled at the mid-surface, one-dimensional elements at the centre of the cross-section and solid elements should be modeled so as to capture the entire geometrical shape. Element direction should be consistent and necessary to simplify load application and output evaluation. Shell element normal should point in a direction corresponding to nearest positive global coordinate direction. The top or bottom is not decided by how the FE model is oriented on the screen but as per the + Z axis orientation of the elements.

Best meshing Practices:

Allowed Mesh Transition techniques A mixed type of mesh should be used for crash analysis comprising of both tria and quad elements, whereas in a structural mesh should only contain quad elements. Above are the standard mesh transition techniques.