Introduction to Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a computer-aided engineering (CAE) tool used to analyze how a design reacts under real-world conditions. Useful in structural, vibration, and thermal analysis, FEA has been widely implemented by automotive companies and is used by design engineers as a tool during the product development process. Design engineers analyze their own designs while they are still in the form of easily modifiable CAD models to allow for quick turnaround times and to ensure prompt implementation of analysis results in the design process. While FEA software is readily available, successful use of FEA as a design tool still requires an understanding of FEA basics.

This introduction to FEA will expose you to key concepts in FEA and give an overview of the FEA process, including the steps needed to conduct FEA, finite element types and orders, common assumptions that lead to serious errors in results, and areas you should be concerned with when discretizing a model. This SAE-produced course also includes an introduction to discretization error and convergence analysis and explains how they impact results in FEA projects.