FEA Through the Years

Editor’s Note: Tony Abbey teaches live NAFEMS FEA classes in the US, Europe and Asia. He also teaches NAFEMS e-learning classes globally. Contact [email protected] for details.

This edition of the magazine sees the transition from the Desktop Engineering title to Digital Engineering, after 21 years. The changes I have seen in the finite element analysis (FEA) community reflect this change in emphasis. In 1995 the term “desktop engineering” was very topical; it was then possible to do serious analysis on an isolated computer sitting on the desk. We had progressed from mainframes, through minicomputers to microcomputers.

UNIX Dominance

Initially, most desktop FEA used UNIX-based machines. These had swept the board a few years earlier. Their performance enabled dramatic improvements in FEA modeling. The “computer center,” with its connected computer stations as the focus for all analysis work, became largely obsolete. However, the new “desktop” computers were big and heavy. This became a key factor for me when having to provide training at a hotel or remote client site. Transporting six computers was a demanding physical activity. A visiting U.S. colleague joked that we needed an SUV, or Support Utility Vehicle, as he defined it!

UNIX was (and is) a beast that needed taming. The user interface was demanding, but UNIX shell scripts allowed good process integration. Early on, there was no sense of the internet playing an important role. It was very useful for downloading software patches and primitive email. However, the power of the internet was steadily growing. On one early morning shift, I was startled to see a colleague’s ghostly commands on an adjacent screen, launching an analysis from 5,000 miles away.

The Emergence of PC Solutions

The term “desktop engineering” became more applicable with the Windows operating system and 64-bit based technology. However, the initial FEA-based solvers were not serious contenders. The general consensus was that desktop FEA meant UNIX.

The subsequent migration from UNIX to Windows-based FEA tools came very rapidly. It caught many by surprise as we moved into the 21st century and the large UNIX boxes became obsolete at breathtaking speed. The new PC machines were now powerful, lighter and physically fit much better into the desktop environment. They also fit into the expanding desktop software environment. This included traditional word processing, spreadsheets, databases, etc., but also new sophisticated calculation tools.

The FEA engineer could now operate autonomously for most work. Computer networks had remained vital for licensing, data transfer and remote launching of larger analysis jobs. Slowly, the evolving data transfer volume and speed of the internet enabled the next transition into a more ubiquitous digital world.

The Internet-Based Digital World

Today, my laptop is my main “virtual” desktop. It is powerful and very portable. I shuttle between two offices, each with workstations. My ambition is an integrated, non-redundant setup. I need to get rid of the workstations, but they have a large base of installed software. In a very simplistic way, digital engineering will allow me to transition out of my current desktop engineering stasis. I need to access software through the cloud. I store all my data there at present, so this should be a natural progression. I have had very good experiences with course material development and presentation tools that are subscription based and allow a virtual install. I hope to find the same with FEA software.

In a wider context, the promise of digital engineering includes global sharing of data and its management. The ability to harness unlimited computing power with high-end analysis solutions on a subscription or pay-as-you-go basis is very attractive. If used well, this will open up many productive areas of simulation to users that are cost prohibitive at present.

Even a dinosaur like me needs to keep up with evolution! The new digital technologies are becoming vital for every engineer and we should see many important changes over the next few years as digital engineering matures.