Blog

The NAFEMS blog features contributions from our working groups, tutors, steering committees, as well as outside experts, all focussed on engineering analysis and simulation. We'll be covering industry news, a raft of technical topics, thought leadership, and all the latest from the analysis community.

You can subscribe to weekly updates here. If you have any feedback or suggestions, or you want to contribute, please contact us at marketing@nafems.org

Is your modelling and simulation capability up to scratch?

2-minute read Sinothile Baloyi - January 12th 2023 Is there a shared, aligned goal across your whole organisation when it comes to modelling and simulation? In a recent webinar, Andy Richardson, a chartered engineer with 30 years’ experience and a fellow of the Institution of Mechanical

How Much Can We Really Trust Artificial Intelligence?

4-minute read Sinothile Baloyi - November 10th 2022 In August 2021 Wired magazine published an article about a study that discovered that a neural network trained to read x-ray scans was also predicting subject patients’ racial identity, a non-biological category. The most interesting —and

Developing Efficient Structural Concepts for the Future of Mobility

5-minute read Sinothile Baloyi - October 20th 2022 The automotive and aerospace industries are undergoing huge changes brought on by the urgent demand for action towards reducing humanity’s carbon footprint. For the automotive industry in particular, there is an additional pressure to evolve

5 Reasons to Present at NWC23

2-minute read NAFEMS - September 1st 2022 The NAFEMS World Congress 2023 will take place in Tampa, Florida, USA, in May 2023 (15th-18th, to be exact). We're gearing up to make this Congress the most memorable yet, as we finally bring the global engineering simulation community back together.

How do you get ready for 2030? You've got to start now: How simulation is changing and what you need to do to keep up

You've got to start now: How simulation is changing and what you need to do to keep up 5-minute read Monica Schnitger - August 29th 2022 In the webinar ‘The Changing World of Simulation’ Monica Schnitger, founder, president, and principal analyst at Schnitger Corporation gives us the lay of

The Big Book Sale 2022

The Big NAFEMS Book Sales has now finished. For a limited time, we've slashed prices on a number of our best-selling printed publications, as well as discounting shipping costs. There are a whole host of books on offer at exclusive prices to both members and non-members, but orders need to be

Modelling Structural Failure - What does it Mean to You?

What does it mean to you? 1-minute read NAFEMS Computational Structural Mechanics Working Group - August 8th 2022 NAFEMS' Computational Structural Mechanics Working Group (CSMWG) are excited to see “Modelling Structural Failure” as one of the topics being covered at the NAFEMS World Congress

Industry 4.0, 5.0, and Beyond: Are You Ready for the Revolution?

Are You Ready for the Revolution? 5-minute read Sinothile Baloyi - July 19th 2022 If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the past two years it’s that even though we can never fully predict the future, we must plan for it anyway. It was this sort of thinking that led the communities at

Uncertain Knowledge: A Challenge Problem

7-minute read NAFEMS Stochastics Working Group - June 16th 2022 The NAFEMS Stochastics Working Group (SWG) has developed a guide entitled "What is Uncertainty Quantification (UQ)?" [1] describing the basic steps and definitions of Uncertainty Quantification, it has also hosted several

Verification - How Much Should I Do?

A Discussion with the NAFEMS SGMWG 4-minute read NAFEMS SGMWG - May 4th 2022 In the next part of this series, the NAFEMS Simulation Governance & Management Working Group discussed how much verification you need to do, and when to do it. As well as reading the conversation here, you can

Define and Deliver Credible Results - Your Questions, Answered

Your Questions, Answered. 2-minute read April 28th 2022 NAFEMS Americas recently presented a webinar with Linda Knudsen from Syncroness on the importance of simulation result credibility, titled ‘Define and Deliver Credible Results.’ We summarised some of the key points in this article,

Code Verification v Solution Verification

A Discussion with the NAFEMS SGMWG 9-minute read NAFEMS SGMWG - April 7th 2022 In the next part of this series, the NAFEMS Simulation Governance & Management Working Group hosted a discussion looking at code verification v solution verification. As well as reading the conversation here, you

Credibility is Everything

(Or How to Get the Most from Verification and Validation…) 5-minute read Sinothile Baloyi - March 31st 2022 “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” - Thomas Edison Sure, and well done for persisting Edison, but how much did that cost in time and materials? Yikes!

Simulation and Analysis in the Medical Device Industry - the Six Million Dollar Inspiration

6-minute read David Quinn - February 22nd 2022 Mark Palmer is a distinguished scientist in the Core Technologies Group within corporate strategic scientific operations at Medtronic, plc. There he leads a team of advanced modeling and simulation consultants, manages external collaborations,

Dubravka Mijuca: NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee Member

Judith Oldal, NAFEMS - March 9th 2022 As part of our series on the NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee members, we would like to introduce you to Dubravka Mijuca. Tell us briefly about yourself I am a university professor, scientific researcher, and industrial project leader who provides

Attila Papp: NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee Member

Judith Oldal, NAFEMS - February 11th 2022 As part of our series on the NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee members, we would like to introduce you to Attila Papp. Tell us briefly about yourself I graduated in the field of electrical engineering and computer science and for more than 15

9 Key Technical Takeaways from the NAFEMS World Congress 2021

8-minute read Ian Symington, NAFEMS - January 26th 2022 While there is no doubt that we all missed meeting up in person at the 2021 NAFEMS World congress, one of the big positives of a virtual event is that we have hundreds and hundreds of hours of content available on demand. I know you

The 12 Resources of Christmas

Introducing the 12 Resources of Christmas! 2-minute read The NAFEMS Team - December 23rd 2021 If you're looking for some festive simulation entertainment (aren't we all!) , we've selected 12 pieces of exclusive content for you to get stuck in to. There are thousands of resources available

Bogdan-Emilian Badescu: NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee Member

Judith Oldal, NAFEMS - November 29th 2021 As part of our series on the NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee members, we would like to introduce you to Bogdan-Emilian Badescu. Tell us briefly about yourself I currently hold the position of Integrated CAE&PLM Senior Manager at Renault

Franjo Juretic: NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee Member

Judith Oldal, NAFEMS - October 20th 2021 As part of our series on the NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee members, we would like to introduce you to Franjo Juretic. Tell us briefly about yourself After getting my PhD at Imperial College in London I worked for AVL-AST in their Zagreb

Why should you attend the NAFEMS World Congress 2021?

2-minute read The NWC21 Team - October 13th 2021 NWC21 is almost here and there is still time to register for this landmark event in the simulation and analysis community. For the first time, the Congress is genuinely globally accessible no matter where you are located. Now it's time to

Is Multiphysics the key to bringing everything together?

11-minute read David Quinn - September 30th 2021 Gernot Boiger is a professor of Modeling Multiphysics Applications and head of Multiphysics Modeling and Imaging at Zurich University of Applied Sciences -ZHAW. He teaches and develops Multiphysics simulations for applied R&D and leads a team

20 years of SPDM in Production

5-minute read David Quinn - September 20th 2021 What lessons can we learn from the past 20 years of SPDM? How do you get started with an SDM system if you're not on board already? What about the next 20 years of SPDM? I caught up with Mark Norris, of the SDM Consultancy, to talk about these

Marek Linhart: NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee Member

Judith Oldal, NAFEMS - September 20th 2021 As part of our series on the NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee members, we would like to introduce you to Marek Linhart. Tell us briefly about yourself I'm Head of R&D at SVS FEM s.r.o. (ANSYS provider for Czech and Slovak Rep.). I'm

Start Your Engines! Talking Hypercar Simulation

Talking Hypercar Simulation with Ivan Krajinović of Rimac Automobili 5-minute read David Quinn - September 9th 2021 Dr. Ivan Krajinović is Simulations Manager at Rimac, the electric hypercar manufacturer based in Croatia. He leads the Simulation department, which is responsible for

Verification & Validation – An Introduction

7-minute read NAFEMS SGMWG - August 26th 2021 In the first of a series, the NAFEMS Simulation Governance & Management Working Group hosted a discussion introducing the concept of Verification and Validation. As well as reading the conversation here, you can watch the video on YouTube, as well

Petr Konas: NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee Member

Judith Oldal, NAFEMS - August 18th 2021 As part of our series on the NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee members, we would like to introduce you to Petr Konas. Tell us briefly about yourself I'm Head of R&D at SVS FEM s.r.o. (ANSYS provider for Czech and Slovak Rep.). I'm responsible

Women in Engineering: Real Experiences

6-minute read Natasha Bougourd, SMD - August 17th 2021 Currently, women represent only eight percent of employees in engineering in the UK. This is in stark contrast to the UK workforce as a whole, of which women make up 47%. For many women, entering a sector that’s perceived as a “boy’s

Kimon Afsaridis: NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee Member

Judith Oldal, NAFEMS - August 6th 2021 As part of our series on the NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee members, we would like to introduce you to Kimon Afsaridis. Tell us briefly about yourself I am the Vice President of Altair’s Indirect Business for the EMEA region. For more than 10

Designing for Sustainability with CAE Simulation

8-minute read Keith Hanna, Hexagon | MSC Software - July 30th 2021 Nearly 30 years ago some 1,700 scientists signed a slim document entitled “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity” with the opening sentence including this eye-catching statement: “Human beings and the natural world are on a

Ms. Ioana Tircomnicu-Unga: NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee Member

Judith Oldal, NAFEMS - July 27th 2021 We are pleased to bring you a series of posts about the NAFEMS Eastern Europe Steering Committee members so you can learn more about them. First up is Ms. Ioana Tircomnicu-Unga. Tell us briefly about yourself Passionate about how digital technologies can

Why are we setting up a Diversity and Inclusion Committee?

Olivia Bugaj, NAFEMS - July 8th 2021 Why is Diversity and Inclusion important to us? At a personal level At NAFEMS, we are fully committed to building an increasingly diverse community and we want everyone to be treated fairly and with respect. By valuing individuality and identity, we

Giulia Creed - UK Student Award Winner

UK Student Award Winner In this series, we've asked some of the winners from the 2020 NAFEMS Student Awards to give us their thoughts on what winning the award means to them, and what they are looking forward to as they launch their careers in engineering analysis and simulation I really

Vasilios Halkias - Americas Student Award Winner

Americas Student Award In this series, we've asked some of the winners from the 2020 NAFEMS Student Awards to give us their thoughts on what winning the award means to them, and what they are looking forward to as they launch their careers in engineering analysis and simulation I was so

Gian Hauenstein - DACH Student Award Winner

DACH Student Award Winner In this series, we've asked some of the winners from the 2020 NAFEMS Student Awards to give us their thoughts on what winning the award means to them, and what they are looking forward to as they launch their careers in engineering analysis and simulation Numerical

Jonathan Jamison - UK Student Winner 2nd Prize winner

UK Student Winner 2nd Prize winner In this series, we've asked some of the winners from the 2020 NAFEMS Student Awards to give us their thoughts on what winning the award means to them, and what they are looking forward to as they launch their careers in engineering analysis and simulation

True Diversity and Inclusion Needs Engagement from Everyone.

We have had eight diversity and inclusion meetings so far, and we hope you will be attending the next one on March 19th. These open-to-all meetings are a way for us to listen to our community and receive feedback. The discussions also provide an opportunity to gather tips and recommendations from

What Next for Diversity in Engineering Simulation?

According to Dr Nelson Ogunshakin OBE, Chair of the Diversity Leadership Group subgroup of the Royal Academy of Engineering: ‘creating inclusive cultures across engineering companies is critical in not only engaging, attracting and retaining engineers of all ages, but also as regards driving

Analysis Origins - OptiStruct

The origins and legacy of the renowned structural analysis code and early pioneer of simulation-driven design. from the analysis origins series In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the engineering research community began to buzz about a new concept called topology optimization. The

Analysis Origins - Fluent

from the analysis origins series This article chronicles the origins of Fluent, a pioneering Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code in the 1980s that became the dominant market leader by the late 90s and is today part of ANSYS Inc., one of the leading simulation software providers for

Focus on: Joints & Connections

As most structures involve some sort of jointing or connection, often running into many thousands, or even millions of connections in one individual body, the analyses involved can be among the most difficult an engineer can face. As you can imagine, there has been a significant amount of activity

Analysis Origins - MSC and NASTRAN

from the analysis origins series by Dennis Nagy Principal, BeyondCAE Birth, Growth, Success, Stagnation, and Re-Birth MSC’s 55-year history has been fascinating, exciting, and disappointing, all at the same time. This article attempts to highlight all those facets from the personal viewpoint

Focus on: Composites

NAFEMS has been engaged in activities related to the application of numerical methods to the analysis and assessment of composite materials for many years. We have produced a significant number of resources in the field, and we've collected some of these together here. Many of the resources below

Analysis Origins - KFX and FLACS

Modelling Explosions and Combustion and the Impact of Piper Alpha from the analysis origins series Introduction by Steve Howell The catastrophic loss of the Piper Alpha platform claimed the lives of 167 people. On 6 July 1988, a small explosion caused secondary damage that resulted in a second

Focus on: Simulation Data Management

The effective management of simulation data and process information is increasingly important as simulation becomes a core business practice and organizations rely on simulation results as the basis for business decisions. “Simulation Data Management (SDM)” is a technology which uses database

Analysis Origins - ABAQUS

from the analysis origins series by Lynn Manning In the first of this new regular series on the roots of some of the major players in the analysis world, we take a look at the origins of HKS and ABAQUS, from its beginnings in the 1970’s, to the present day. An Englishman, a Swede and an

Focus on: Computational Fluid Dynamics

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is now used for a huge range of applications across all industrial areas. Its use can provide insight that is difficult, dangerous or impossible to obtain from other methods, yet the complexity of the physics of interest and numerical methods used can prevent or

Focus on: Structural Dynamics

As you would expect, NAFEMS has produced a significant number of papers, articles, presentations and much more on the subject of structural dynamics. We've collected some of the more interesting pieces together here in this email. Many of the resources below are available free for you to download,

Focus on: Manufacturing Simulation

Manufacturing Simulation covers a multitude of processes, materials, techniques, and methods. Almost every engineered object in use in industry or in our homes has undergone a transforming process taking it from a raw material to a finished product. These processes change the shape and, in many

Focus on: Optimisation

Optimisation (or optimiZation, depending on where you're from..) is everywhere. If you're involved in a design, you're involved in the optimisation process. And if you think you're not, then you're probably mistaken... NAFEMS has long had a significant focus on optimisation in engineering analysis

From Wind Tunnels to High Performance Computing

by The CAE Guy Back in the 1930s, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was created by congressional charter in May 1933 as a federally owned corporation in the United States and ultimately declared constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1936 [1, 2].The TVA was, in part, established as a way

Wind tunnels winding test engineers up

by The CAE Guy I confess to be continually surprised at the lack of understanding of Computational Fluid Dynamics by some (repeat, some) test engineers and managers. Not that they are not good at their jobs, but it comes up often enough that I have had to issue and edict that background

Hendrix, Van Halen, Newton and Einstein

by The CAE Guy Back in the 1980s, when I was 16 or 17, I was arguing/discussing the “best” rock and roll guitarist off all time with a high school classmate of mine. While I remember it was a heated “debate” where we agreed to disagree: Long story short [1], I was advocating for Eddie Van Halen

I want (CAE) candy!

by The CAE Guy Springtime is in the air here in the Midwestern US, which means there is a transfer happening from indoor to outdoor activities. For me, that means the end of coaching volleyball to attempting to find time to ride my bicycle more (one of my New Year’s resolutions …), and playing

The CFD interview

The CFD interview by The CAE Guy Now that I have a few months to further settle in to the aero-thermal department manager role, I have had the chance to think more about expanding the role of Computational Fluid Dynamics within the department and potentially within the rest of the company as

Recent live NAFEMS on-site classes and other updates

by Tony Abbey, FE Training March was a hectic month - with three customized training classes in England and Scotland. First stop was Atkins Ground Engineering Group in Epsom, with a tailored Dynamics Analysis Course for some of the Geotechnical Engineering Staff.. Next up , Jaguar Land Rover

Big Time Manager

by The CAE Guy This is now what our two teenage daughters call me occasionally.Mostly in the context of when they think I am trying to get away with something. Such as: Oh, Dad thinks that since he’s a Big Time Manager now, he can do what he wants and not follow the rules. For teenagers, this

They've Found it! Beagle 2 Lander Found on Mars after 12 Years

They've Found it! Beagle 2 Lander Found on Mars after 12 Years Well time makes fools of us all. It didn't return calls, we didn't see it around - it was as if it had disappeared off the face of the planet (well, it had technically...), but the UK led Beagle 2 lander, which touched down on Mars on

Boyhood

by The CAE Guy Usually, when a movie is trying to convey the passage of time, say by a flashback to a character’s childhood, a young actor is used that someone, perhaps the casting director, has determined bears some resemblance to the adult actor. “Boyhood” is the story of growing up as seen

Simulation Driven Design: Just How Far Have We Come?

by Chad Jackson, President and Principal Analyst of Lifecycle Insights It's time for a litmus test, isn't it? We've been talking about this issue for well over a decade now. Simulation has traditionally been used for verification and validation right before testing begins. Its a great way to avoid

Shot-Peening Over Coffee and Pie

Shot-Peening Over Coffee and Pie by Tony Abbey, FE Training Firstly, I must make an apology for yet another aviation related blog intro. On Saturday I was offered, out of the blue, a ride in an open cockpit Stearman biplane from 1942. It has a 220 hp engine, but is quite a heavy plane at just

Unwind With A Little Post-Crash Mozart

Unwind With A Little Post-Crash Mozart by Tony Abbey, FE Training I had the privilege of attending the NAFEMS World Congress in Salzburg in June. It was a busy time for myself and my e-learning colleague Kamran Fouladi as we gave a series of short classes to act as tasters for the full courses

Clyde Cessna's Famous Photo

Clyde Cessna's Famous Photo by Tony Abbey, FE Training Every Saturday when I am in town I work as a part time volunteer at Yank’s Air Museum in Chino, California. If you are in the area please come and check it out, it is rather special. If I am there don’t forget to say hello. One of the museum

Interview with Ralph Sundermeier

Dr Ralph Sundermeier works in the Technical Design Department of Volkswagen, where he is responsible for the interior calculation within car projects and mainly for the development of calculation methods. Dr Sundermeier was Keynote speaker at NAFEMS recent World Congress in Salzburg, Austria . His

Continuous Systems Validation- Implications for Software Solutions

by Chad Jackson, President and Principal Analyst of Lifecycle Insights Continuous systems validation brings a whole new level of complication to simulation. In my first post in this series, we looked at how designs progress in various engineering disciplines. In the second one, we looked at how

Continuous Systems Validation- Progressive Design Representations

by Chad Jackson, President and Principal Analyst of Lifecycle Insights I now have no doubt left in my mind: system simulation is now all the rage. A few weeks ago, I hopped on the bandwagon to write on the topic. I published a post titled Systems Simulation: Far-off Future or Feasible Now? here

The Implications of the Cloud for Simulation

by Chad Jackson, President and Principal Analyst of Lifecycle Insights Is the cloud that big a deal for simulation anymore? I mean, we basically know what it means. Run simulation sin the cloud. Leverage all that compute horsepower up there. Get lots of results way faster. Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

Anecdotal Evidence

by Tony Abbey, FE Training My Uncle started as a River Pilot on the English Humber River; a treacherous place with strong currents and constantly changing sandbanks. He then served in the Merchant Navy and was torpedoed twice. Post war he captained a survey and salvage ship for the Royal Air

The “Usual Suspects”

by Tony Abbey, FE Training I have been living in the US now for 13 years and occasionally I get a little nostalgic for the TV shows I grew up with in the UK. I found a DVD catalogue which included what in the US we call Cop Shows. The English vernacular I remember is Police Dramas. I ordered some

Systems Simulation: Far-off Future or Feasible Now?

by Chad Jackson, President and Principal Analyst of Lifecycle Insights Move over multi-physics. There's now a different field that qualifies as the bleeding edge of technology in simulation: system simulation. Many organizations are just starting to broach this field in an effort to better

Growing Pains

by Kamran Fouladi, President of InfoMec Commercial marketplace for CAE software is undoubtedly similar to any other marketplace where competitors vie for increased market share. Add to this landscape, organizations and individuals who believe in open source environments and the landscape becomes

Pre-CAD Simulation: Where True Engineering Occurs?

by Chad Jackson, President and Principal Analyst of Lifecycle Insights This last week, I attended the Council on the Future of Engineering Software (COFES) in Phoenix AZ. It's a great event that brings together many of the leaders of the industry from the ranks of software providers, journalists,

A Train of Thought

by Tony Abbey, FE Training Earlier this year I travelled from London to Glasgow for a meeting. That gave me the opportunity to ride on a railway train for the first time in Britain since the era of British Rail. My memories are of a system that was starved for funds with much neglect and decay.

The Four ROIs of Simulation

by Chad Jackson, President and Principal Analyst of Lifecycle Insights A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post titled The Key to Championing Simulation here on the NAFEMS blog that looked at the best way to move the simulation capabilities of an organization forward. The key, I said, was to befriend

The Best Simulation Toolbox: Integrated Suite or Granular Apps

by Chad Jackson, President and Principal Analyst of Lifecycle Insight Everyone likes a good debate, right? Well, as a co-host for the web show Tech4PD , I have to admit that I am a little biased. The idea behind the web show is that Jim Brown, another Industry Analyst, and I debate various topics

Excuse me, how do I switch it on?

by Tony Abbey, FE Training One of the most enjoyable aspects of the training that I carry out is the travelling involved. I have been very fortunate to teach in many countries around the world and to visit many interesting places. Often this involves flying into an airport, picking up a rental

Does Multiphysics Make Fools of Us All?

by Chad Jackson, President and Principal Analyst of Lifecycle Insights Quite a long time ago, I remember the first time I visited a hard-core simulation analyst's group. It was at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and I, fresh out of college, was showing them some new simulation technology. There

FEA for Managers & Reviewers - Q&A

by Tony Abbey, FE Training This week I presented a very short free webinar to a mainly US based audience on the topic ‘FEA for Managers and Reviewers’. This was a collaborative effort between NAFEMS and Desktop Engineering (DE). DE is a US based magazine focussing on CAD, CAM and CAE and I write

Stick Forward, Full Opposite Rudder

by Tony Abbey, FE Training As you may have guessed from the title, this week’s blog has an aviation theme. Many years ago I used to be a flying instructor and I spent most weekends, when the weather was good, teaching people to fly. I was reminded of all this a few days ago when browsing through

Key to Championing Simulation

by Chad Jackson, President and Principal Analyst of Lifecycle Insights Quick poll: do you know the most requested presentation topic for NAFEMS events? Anyone. Think quick. I guess the title of this post might be giving it away, but when I talked with Michelle Ringrose about my presentation for

Exploding Dough And Fun With Carrots

by Tony Abbey, FE Training Welcome to my first blog for NAFEMS and an unusual title. It has been a very busy two weeks travelling and teaching the NAFEMS “Introduction to FEA” class in the UK and Holland. As usual each class was very different - depending on the background of the client company

Hello NAFEMS Folks

by Chad Jackson, President and Principal Analyst of Lifecycle Insights Let me first say welcome the new NAFEMS blog. I'm excited that we'll now have a blog focused on simulation issues. I think many of us will get a lot of value from it. As you might have guessed, I'll be one of the contributors

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