 David Ellis
My first contact with numerical methods came whilst studying for a
HND in Mechanical Engineering at, the then, Lanchester Polytechnic,
in 1978, running a very basic 1D finite element analysis program
via punched card input and numerical print outs. At the time I
thought that it was fantastic to simulate something physical on a
computer. Although the experience of begging Computer Department
receptionists to submit my insignificant little program to their
wonderfully shining, but apparently very exclusive computer
somewhat coloured the whole experience. I find it incredible today
that we can run significantly large analysis models on a laptop
computer with coloured pictures on the screen thus bypassing these
power hungry jobsworths.
An MSc in Applied Mechanics followed at, the then, Cranfield
Institute of Technology using a FORTRAN boundary element analysis
program to study stress concentration factors in 2D. Once again the
computer department proving to be a major hindrance to get any
analysis work done. At least I could access the computer via a
terminal by this point, still numerical printed output though.
What followed was a 6 year start to my engineering career in South
Africa, firstly for an explosives company designing equipment to
produce emulsified explosives, which was fun. Thereafter 5 years of
FEA consultancy analyses for Matrix Computing Services using the
Pafec and PIGS packages. Tektronix storage tube graphics terminals
taking their toll on my eyesight. 1.5 Mb of RAM, 16Mb removable
hard disks, not Winchester drives. You could physically see a hard
disk crash. Results via pen plotter line contour plots. Lots of
reinforced concrete analysis, structural steel buildings,
non-linear analysis of drill strings, sheave wheels, synthetic
diamond production and ballistic shell stress analyses, etc.
My return to the UK involved 10 years with Structures &
Computers Ltd working with the ANSYS program. Selling, benchmarking
and presenting the software. This was my first contact with
acoustical, electro-magnetic, computational fluid dynamics and
coupled field solutions, also explicit dynamics. UNIX workstations,
but also PC’s and email.
In 1996, myself and Steve Varnam, a colleague from Strucom, started
IDAC Ltd to deliver consultancy analyses, training and in due
course to become a reseller for a range of analysis packages the
most significant of which being ANSYS. Steve now runs the ANSYS UK
Help Desk and myself and Luigi Cordani, also a colleague from
Strucom, run IDAC.
It is a great pleasure to be able to contribute something to the
simulation industry via the NAFEMS organisation. This industry has
provided me with a living since 1983 and I’ve had contact, in
one form or another, with NAFEMS throughout that period via
BENCHmark, interesting seminars and of course the World Congress.
As an analyst I’ve evaluated steels, aluminium, other metals,
reinforced concrete, composites, soils, plastics, rubbers, foams,
wood, glass, bone, fluids and magnetic materials. Most analysts
that have been in this industry for twenty years will have done the
same. I believe that although I started as a single discipline
Mechanical Engineer I have now become a multi-disciplined
Simulation Engineer. We have the opportunity, via NAFEMS to tell
the world that there now exists a new form of engineering –
Simulation Engineering. And here’s to it!
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