Education & Dissemination (E&D):

Barriers to the Effective Use of FEA in Industry

Workshop Description

This workshop represents the first step in a comprehensive and wideranging pan-European information gathering exercise on a topic that is at the heart of the FENET project. The following three categories of industrial organisation have been identified and all have a valuable input to the workshop.

1.Those that have invested in FEA technology and are using it as part of their on-going enterprise:
- there will always be opportunities to use the technology more effectively.

2.Those that have invested in the technology, but are no longer using it to any great extent:
- having for example let their software maintenance lapse.

3.Those that have not invested in the technology at all:
- typically not associated with NAFEMS or part of any software user group.

Thoughts on potential barriers

Presentations

Experiences from European project on distance learning
Martin Dutko, Rockfield Software Limited, Swansea, U.K. T.Kenny, NAFEMS, U.K.
Experiences gained within IST project MOPLE (Development of a Modular Open-Platform & Tools for Personalized Learning in Computational Engineering Methods)

Barriers to the Effective Use of Virtual Prototypes in Industry … the LMS View
P. Guisset, LMS – Belgium
User experiences, barriers for deployment of Virtual Prototyping methodologies

Industrial Experiences in Finite Element Analyses from the Defence Sector
Charles Kernthaler, AWE, U.K.
The use of FEA in a modern business environment is described. Attention is focused on integrating FEA within a model based engineering enterprise and applying FEA as part of model based assurance.

Do we have to know how an engine is working to be able to drive it ? ... barriers and expectations for FEA from several viewpoints
E. Lete, Samtech s.a., Belgium

Barriers depending on the category of users: designer, project engineer, analyst or other.

Barriers depending on the stage in the sales process: Marketing, sales and post sales.

Barriers depending on the type of companies: SME, Large group, consultancy company or Academics.

Barriers depending on the place we use it: Own office and own computer, remote computer or at customer site.

The Supply of Engineering Graduates - A UK Perspective
John Smart, University of Manchester, U.K.

Figures are given to show the reducing supply of engineering graduates from UK Universities. The implications are discussed.