FEA Finds its Place

This article focuses on engineers who are examining innovative ways to fold analyses into their design cycles. Although many engineering companies currently use finite element analysis (FEA) software programs, the practice of coupling analysis with everyday design is still relatively new. Engineers today are responsible for much of the analysis done on their own designs. Increasingly, engineers have to judge for themselves, based on their own analyses, which systems or components to include in a product and how best to tweak a part if analysis shows it does not meet specifications. For some engineers the fact that the newer FEA software packages are easy to use just plain trumps the worry that engineer-run computer analyses might not be as complete, or yield as many answers, as simulations carried out by a formally trained analyst. As FEA becomes more commonly available and more useful to mechanical engineers not specifically trained in the process, companies find new uses for the technology.