Webinar reflects on FEA usage

08 January 2008

NAFEMS is hosting a webinar entitled "The Interfacing of FEA with Pressure Vessel Design Codes". It will take place on Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 and will begin at 3pm (GMT).

FEA is now the predominant tool used in Design by Analysis (DBA). This webinar will review current DBA procedures in popular Codes of Practice and reflect on the use of FEA and any guidance given. Challenges brought about by the historical roots of DBA procedures will be highlighted, before an open discussion and debate is held. The relevance of CCOPPS activities to the issues raised in this Webinar will also be highlighted.

Topics for discussion will include:

- Should Codes of Practice reflect the popularity of FEA or remain independent of analysis method? For example, should Codes of Practice provide guidance on modelling techniques for fatigue assessment of welds, seals/gaskets and bolted joints? Should Codes of Practice provide modelling and validation advice for use of the Direct Route, including the effects of large deformation, buckling, strain hardening and shakedown?

- Does DBA by FEA pose any more of a validation challenge than other DBA methods - from an educational viewpoint, from a legal viewpoint or from a QA viewpoint?

- Should the procedures and philosophy inherent in Codes of Practice be modified to make them more amenable to FEA and to reflect the capabilities of modern FEA systems, and if so, how can they?

- Do Codes of Practice inhibit the use of FEA for optimisation, non-deterministic studies and advanced analysis methods in general?

- What are the economic drivers for change? What are the real safety concerns? What are the regulators' views on these matters?

- These issues are not unique to PV Codes - is there a “universal” way of recognising and embedding FEA into such regulatory frameworks?

For more information, and to register for the free webinar, visit www.nafems.org