Practical Stress Analysis & Finite Element Methods

An opportunity to ensure that your organisation gets maximum benefit from using FEA

FEA has become widely used and universally accepted in many industry sectors. In order to derive maximum benefit from the available technology, engineers should learn about the many strengths of numerical techniques. At the same time, recommendations on how to avoid the inevitable pitfalls will prove invaluable at a later date.

NAFEMS, the only independent not-for-profit organisation with the aim of promoting the effective and reliable use of FEA, addresses this requirement by providing this three day example-driven, practical course. The course offers excellent guidance on how to judge which approximations are acceptable and appropriate for solving a wide range of practical problems. Of equal importance is the manner in which the results are interpreted. Advice is provided which allows the correct decisions to be taken, based on results which are known to be reliable. Interaction is encouraged throughout the course, with the planning and design of a complete FEA project and examples of simple hand calculations, mesh designs and solution designs being set for the class to complete. The course is completely code independent.

Who Should Attend?

This course is aimed at practising engineers who wish to learn more about how to apply finite element techniques to their particular problems in the most effective manner. The material that is presented is independent of any particular software package, making it ideally suited to current and potential users of all commercial finite element software systems. This course is a must for all engineers aiming to use FEA as a reliable predictive tool for thermal, stiffness and stress analysis.

The course is open to both members and non-members of
NAFEMS.

Course Programme

Day 1

• Basic Theory of FEA
• Direct Stress and Strain
• Shear Stress and Torsion
• Bending Stress
• Thermal Stress Effects
• Stress Concentration Effects
• Fatigue and Impact
• Properties of Materials
• Stiffness Calculations
• Units and Unity Bracket

Day 2

• Introduction to 1D FEA
• Introduction to 2D Methods
• 2D Plane Stress/Plane Strain
• 2D Axi-Symmetric Problems
• Introduction to the Real World in 3D
• Example of Simple 3D Analysis
• Processing of 3D CAD Data
• Preparing CAD Data for Analysis
• Fast and Accurate Meshing Methods

Day 3

• Design of Loading and Constraints
• Representative Material Properties
• Results Interpretation/Verification
• Balanced Loads/Minimal Constraint
• Non-Linear Considerations
• Introduction to Plasticity in FEA
• Introduction to Contact in FEA
• Best Practice in Industry
• Getting Help When Things Go Wrong

Course Tutor

Bob Johnson has presented courses on behalf of NAFEMS for over 10 years, and is recognised as one of the leading figures in the engineering analysis community in the UK. Bob is a well-respected consultant with a wealth of industrial experience.

His lively presentation style puts over the key concepts in a manner which involves participants fully in the course material.

He is also a qualified NAFEMS Registered Analyst at Advanced Level. In addition to being a regular contributor at international conferences, Bob is also a member of the NAFEMS Education & Training Working Group and Technical Editor of the BENCHmark magazine .

The course will initially be held in Coventry, UK, but can be offered as an "in-house" course. The course will be held in different locations within the UK over the coming months.

To book your place, please select the suitable date from the list below. If you wish to enquire about in-house courses, please contact Jo Davenport at NAFEMS to discuss your needs.