The NAFEMS Benchmark Challenge initiative was instigated in the late summer of 2014 with the motivation being to provide an opportunity for increased interaction between NAFEMS and the readership of the Benchmark Magazine. The concept was to offer a challenge printed in one edition of Benchmark with the official solution or response being printed in the next edition of the magazine. In addition, a blog was added to the NAFEMS website to allow readers the opportunity to collaborate and to ask questions of NAFEMS. The challenges require the reader to think around the problem and carry out some detective work in seeking the solution. They are not trivial and whilst aimed at the young engineer, it is likely that more experienced engineering analysts will find something of value in them.

This book records the four NAFEMS Benchmark Challenges that were published in 2016 together with their solutions and some additional supplementary information in the form of two related articles.

Contents

1. Introduction............................................................................................................... 1
2. Benchmark Challenge Number 5 .......................................................................... 3
3. Benchmark Challenge Number 6 ......................................................................... 15
4. Benchmark Challenge Number 7 ......................................................................... 35
5. Benchmark Challenge Number 8 ......................................................................... 47
6. Concluding Remarks .............................................................................................. 65
7. Appendix 1 - Simulation Governance .................................................................. 67
8. Appendix 2 - Stress Linearisation ........................................................................ 87