Femap 10.2 Streamlines FEA Modeling

The latestrelease of the Femap finite element analysis (FEA)software from Siemens PLM Software ushers in an array of new featuresdesigned to extend interactive modeling and analysis capabilities whileincreasing program performance.

The productivityenhancements in Femap 10.2 are aimed at streamlining the processes required tocreate accurate models that can determine the structural, dynamic and thermalperformance of complex engineered parts, assemblies and systems.  Femap 10.2 includes new features to ensuremodel accuracy, facilitate the creation of model meshes and to help engineersvisually evaluate analysis results.

Part ofSiemens' PLM Software's Velocity Series, Femap 10.2 adds a wide variety ofcustomer-driven enhancements, including new features to improve the entirecomputer-aided engineering (CAE) process from pre-processing model creation, tosolver integration, to post-processing data handling, visualization andanalysis. The Interactive Meshing Toolbox introduced in the earlier Femapversion 10 now has additional functionality that enables faster, interactivecreation of the finite element mesh model. It also includes a new featureediting capability that allows the user to move features such as holes orsurfaces while the meshed model is automatically updated to reflect the change.

The software's newtopology optimization capability lets users apply loads and constraints tomaterial encompassing the entire available design envelope. This helps minimizeweight while maximizing stiffness by removing unnecessary material to create anoptimized shape, Siemens PLM officials say. In addition, the suggested shapecan serve as a starting point for successive iterations, significantly reducingthe time needed to arrive at a final design.

Finally, Femap 10.2contains several enhancements that improve the speed and accuracy of thepost-processing analysis process, including a new feature for working with beamelements. Users now have the ability to quickly and easily view the stresscontours in beam cross sections, eliminating the need for time-consumingiterative analysis and dramatically improving the ability to detect areas ofconcern. Faster data handling also enables Femap to process recovered outputdata in significantly less time, and a new post-processing toolbox consolidatesfunctional elements in the user interface for enhanced ease-of-use.

Femap workswith all of the industry's leading finite element analysis (FEA) solvers, andwith the 10.2 release, the software supports a new edge-to-face contact featurefor NX™Nastran software. Thislevel of solver integration and support helps ensure accurate analysis resultsand interoperability in a broad range of engineering environments, according toSiemens PLM officials.