Computer Aided Engineering – Finite Element Analysis
Course Overview
Finite element analysis (FEA) enables engineers to evaluate and refine designs early in the development process, reducing reliance on costly physical prototypes. By supporting informed decisions related to mass, cost, performance, and safety, FEA helps reduce late-stage design changes and increases confidence from initial concept through validation. This virtual predictive approach has fundamentally changed how products are engineered in every industry.
This course provides learners with hands-on exposure to the FEA workflow using ANSYS Workbench and LS-DYNA. Participants will develop practical skills in geometry preparation, mesh generation, common analysis procedures, and effective interpretation of results. By connecting foundational concepts with applied engineering use cases, the course supports the development of reliable modeling practices, a clear understanding of analysis assumptions, and the ability to use FEA techniques to address practical design problems.
What You’ll Learn
By the end of this course, learners will have developed a stronger foundation in FEA and will be prepared to apply simulation methods more effectively in engineering practice.
- Overview of the finite element analysis process, including explicit and implicit solution methods.
- Review of essential engineering basics, including units of measurement, material properties, and governing equations used to evaluate and compare simulation results.
- Methods for representing material-property data within finite element models.
- Modeling practices related to meshing strategy, element selection, mesh quality, and analysis readiness.
- Integration of existing correlated LS-DYNA models into broader product assessment and simulation workflows.
- Introduction to ANSYS Workbench, including basic model setup and applied analysis procedures.
Foundation for continuous learning in computational engineering
Course Format
- Format: 100% Online via Blackboard
- Total Hours: 34 hours over 6 weeks
- Enrollment: Maximum of 20 students
- Structure: The course combines instructional units that introduce the fundamentals of FEA with applied projects that require students to create models, run analyses, and interpret results using the required software.
- Materials: Students will be required to download and install student versions of Ansys Workbench and LS-DYNA (at no cost)
Who Should Enroll
This course is designed for practicing engineers, engineering students, managers, and technical team members who want to build practical FEA skills. It is particularly relevant for engineering students seeking applied, résumé-building experience that may support internship opportunities and future career development. It also supports managers and technical team members who want to better understand how FEA can inform design decisions earlier in the product design and development cycle. The course helps participants build computational expertise that supports long-term career growth and departmental capability.