Included in your Congress registration |
Every course at NWC27 is a condensed version (approx. 90 minutes) of a NAFEMS training course, taught by the tutors who write or deliver the full version. They are an integral part of the Congress and are included in your registration fee. So, in one trip, you attend a global conference and add to your professional development.
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS & FEA Tony Abbey Tony Abbey Tony Abbey Fatigue and Fracture Mechanics Tony Abbey 10 Steps to Successful Explicit Dynamic Analysis Gino Duffett Practical Introduction to Non-Linear Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Gino Duffett Introduction to Understanding Solid Mechanics Gino Duffett | OPTIMISATION All You Need to Know about Design Optimisation (almost) Gino Duffett CFD & FLUID DYNAMICS CFD for Structural Designers and Analysts Kamran Fouladi Elements of Turbulence Modelling Kamran Fouladi MANAGEMENT & STRATEGY Why Do Engineering Simulation (for Managers) Gino Duffett How to Implement a Simulation Strategy Andy Richardson |
Select a course to read the full description.
Dynamics in FEA, part 1 Drawing on Tony Abbey's NAFEMS dynamics e-learning courses, this course explains two ideas central to modal analysis: modal coordinates and modal effective mass. Starting with familiar mode shapes, it shows how a structural response can be expressed as a combination of modes, each with a contribution that changes over time, and how modal coordinates are used in response analysis and as a powerful debugging tool. It then examines what modal effective mass tells us about the modes that take part under excitation in a given direction, and how that helps gauge whether enough modes have been included. Interactive engineering apps demonstrate both concepts live, so you can see how changes to a model or its excitation affect the results. |
Dynamics in FEA, part 2 Three topics selected from NAFEMS' dynamics e-learning courses, studied utilising interactive engineering apps: First, the A-set: the degrees of freedom retained during Guyan, or static, reduction. A well-chosen A-set suppresses local modes that are irrelevant to the study while preserving the motion of interest, and the same choice of locations can help plan sensor placement for a modal test. Second, substructuring: dividing a large assembly into components so you can study how they interact, revise one without rebuilding the whole model, and trace how local behaviour influences the modes of the full structure, illustrated with a practical superelement example. Third, choosing frequencies for accurate response analysis: why a sweep that is too coarse can miss a narrow resonance, underestimate the peak response, and inflate the area under a PSD curve and the resulting RMS prediction. |
Joints and Connections Joints govern how loads transfer between components, yet a simplified connection between mesh nodes may represent a load path that is very different from that of the real structure. In this abbreviated version of the course, you will compare ways of connecting beam, shell, and solid models, and consider when a joint only needs a global stiffness representation and when its local behaviour must be examined. Examples include bolts, rivets, spot welds, lugs, and bonded or welded connections. The course also covers bolted joints: bolt and clamped-part stiffness, preload, and how load is shared between bolt and joint as an external force is applied. Interactive apps are used to demonstrate these effects. Based on the Practical Modelling of Joints and Connections e-learning course. |
Fatigue and Fracture Mechanics Drawn from Tony Abbey's NAFEMS Fatigue and Fracture Mechanics e-learning course, this short version introduces fatigue as a problem of repeated loading and discusses how test evidence becomes the basis for a life assessment. Topics covered include the stress-life approach used in high cycle fatigue, the effects of mean stress and stress concentrations, and how closely a test coupon can represent the real component. It then looks at how local plastic strain calls for a strain-life, or low-cycle fatigue, approach, and how a variable loading history is translated into cycles. Interactive apps let you change loading and material assumptions and see why a small change at a critical location can matter. |
10 Steps to Successful Explicit Dynamic Analysis This is an overview of the full explicit dynamics course that is structured around a simulation set-up and guides you through the 10 solution steps and decisions involved in an explicit dynamic analysis. It covers the basic theory of the explicit method along with its software implementation, so you can make the right analysis choices, avoid the typical pitfalls, and produce accurate, reliable solutions. |
Practical Introduction to Non-Linear Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Many engineering problems are non-linear: a structure may undergo large or permanent deformation, loads and constraints may change, and components may come into contact. Like the full course, this short version describes how material, geometric and boundary non-linearities are simulated, and compares linear and non-linear analysis to help you decide when a non-linear analysis is needed and what extra computing resources are required. |
Introduction to Understanding Solid Mechanics This is an introduction to the Understanding Solid Mechanics series, 30 short courses covering all aspects that are essential for designers and engineers to gain a good understanding of the main theories underlying solid mechanics. The courses are concise and practical, avoiding lengthy mathematical derivations in favour of examples that show how the theory is applied in modelling and analysis. From the full list, companies can select courses and personalise their training, allowing them to group courses based on their chosen focus area. |
All You Need to Know about Design Optimisation (almost) An overview of the full course, this short-form version looks at simulation process integration and the optimisation methods engineers can use to improve their designs and ways of working. It gives guidance on multi-objective and multi-disciplinary optimisation in component and process design and across many variable types, including the important question of design restrictions. Different algorithms, including AI and statistical methods, are discussed in a practical way to help you build efficient optimisation strategies. |
CFD for Structural Designers and Analysts Structural engineers often need thermal-fluid simulation to obtain boundary conditions, loads, performance data and other inputs for their designs and analyses. Condensed from the NAFEMS e-learning course of the same name, this course introduces the essential principles of fluid dynamics, key flow phenomena, turbulence, heat transfer and the basics of CFD. Examples and case studies used are straightforward and relevant to structural work. |
Elements of Turbulence Modelling Applying a turbulence model well takes engineering judgement, balancing flow physics, accuracy, project requirements, turnaround time, and computing resources. Condensed from the NAFEMS e-learning course of the same name, this course covers the core principles of turbulence modelling, including turbulent flow characteristics, eddies, turbulence production, how to choose a model, and more. |
Why Do Engineering Simulation (for Managers) Using the 5 'Whats' and 1 'How' process and aimed at managers and team leaders, this abbreviated course, like the full version, sets out the reasons for using engineering simulation. Using real-world case studies and examples, it describes the engineering resources required, and outlines some of the most used methods. It also covers the issues to be aware of and proposes best practice for managing engineering knowledge. |
How to Implement a Simulation Strategy This is a short-form version of the 5-session masterclass How to Implement a Modelling & Simulation Strategy, which aims to provide you with a practical route from your goals for modelling and simulation (M&S) to a strategy you can implement and govern. Starting with your goals for M&S, and the leadership questions behind them, the course looks at how to go about assessing where you are now, introduces a strategy framework, and discusses how to build and maintain that strategy, including implementation and governance. |
The short courses sit alongside the full technical programme, workshops, the exhibition and the Congress Dinner, all covered by a single registration. The Congress opens on Sunday 25 April 2027. Registration opens at 12:00 and the first short courses and workshops begin at 13:15. Timings for each course will be published with the Congress agenda. Places on some courses may be limited, so booking ahead of time is advised.
More courses may be added as the programme is confirmed.
Short Training Courses · NWC27 · 25-28 April 2027 · Vancouver Included in your Congress registration. Questions? Contact nwc@nafems.org |
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