The finite element method (FEM) is a numerical technique that can be applied to obtain solutions to a variety of problems in different engineering branch. Steady state, transient, linear, or nonlinear problems in stress analysis, vibrational, heat transfer, fluid flow, electrical and electromagnetism problems may be analyzed with finite element methods. The origin of the modern finite element method may be traced back to the early 1900s when some investigators approximated and modeled elastic continua using discrete equivalent elastic bars. However, Courant (1943) has been credited with being the first person to develop the finite element method.
In a paper published in the early 1940s, Courant used piecewise polynomial interpolation over triangular subregions to investigate torsion problems.
The next significant step in the utilization of finite element methods was taken by Boeing in the 1950s when Boeing, followed by others, used triangular stress elements to model airplane wings. Yet, it was not until 1960 that Clough made the term finite element popular. During the 1960s, investigators began to apply the finite element method to other areas of engineering, such as heat transfer and seepage flow problems. Zienkiewicz and Cheung (1967) wrote the first book entirely devoted to the finite element method in 1967.
In 1971, ANSYS was released for the first time. ANSYS is a comprehensive general-purpose finite element computer program that contains more than 100,000 lines of code. ANSYS is capable of performing static, dynamic, vibrational, heat transfer, fluid flow, and electromagnetism analyses. ANSYS has been a leading FEA program for well over 45 years. The current version of ANSYS 17.0 has a completely new look, with multiple windows incorporating a graphical user interface (GUI), pull-down menus, dialog boxes, and a tool bar. Today, you will find ANSYS in use in many engineering fields, including aerospace, automotive, electronics, and nuclear. In order to use ANSYS or any other "canned" FEA computer program intelligently, it is imperative that one first fully understands the underlying basic concepts and limitations of the finite element methods.
ANSYS is a very powerful and impressive engineering tool that may be used to solve a variety of problems. However; a user without a basic understanding of the finite element methods will find himself or herself in the same predicament as a computer technician with access to many impressive instruments and tools, but who cannot fix a computer because he or she does not understand the inner workings of a computer!
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