Criteria for “Classical” FEA

Pre/Post Processor

  • “Bottom up” Pre-processor

    Create nodes and elements directly

  • 1D and 2D Elements are the priority “bread and butter” elements

    Loads extraction, detail analysis, semi-empirical analysis, efficient

    Solid elements only used when necessary (element of last resort)

    In contrast to the approach to a “top down” approach (3D CAD model meshes)

  • Not built from CAD frameworks (Parasolid, ACIS, OpenCascade)

    Excellent for solid element meshes, but very limited for 1D elements and challenging for 2D elements

Solver

  • Uses a traditional input deck (input file)

    This is a simple ASCII file that defines the solution type, loads and boundary conditions, nodes, elements, output requests, etc.

  • Full suite of traditional 0D, 1D, 2D, 3D elements

  • Use with or without a pre/post-processor

    A model can be created in a text editor for simple problems

  • Command line run

    No pre/post-processor required

  • Detail control

    Inspect and modify the deck

  • Output format has an ASCII option to view raw data

  • Detailed manual (typically hundreds of pages)

Classical approach to finite element analysis with a focus on 1D and 2D elements