simple explanation about meshless

Altair Forum User

From a critical client from the railway train sector, I got this question about the phenomenon “meshless analysis”. Every client who outsources strength calculations these days, knows that FEM is immovable related to “mesh”. So they are often quickly skeptical when they no longer see mesh and nodes in my calculations reports. Certainly clients who do also FEM calculations themselves. So this becomes more and more an issue over here.

I’ve seen the many equations in your white papers. I know quite a bit about mechanics of materials with all the old classical formulas etc. etc. But this explanation with formulas on the white papers are much too complicated for me. Certainly an average customer will not be able to understand this at all. Nevertheless I have to explain the customer why this “meshless method” is as good as the classic mesh method.

Now, the question is, can you make a short explanation in layman’s terms, or with help by figurative clarification? Without going into the depth, but showing the essence of the working of your method.

I can imagine that other Simsolid users sometimes get this question too. So maybe such a simple explanation of the “meshless method” – if possible – would also be a good addition to your quick-manual.

Ken Welch_20461

There are a number of resources to look at. There are 2 white papers – one more general, one more technical. There is also several pages of concepts in the Fast start training guide. Look at slides on pages 5 through 10.

Altair Forum User

I agree that the documents available either stay too abstract wrt the math behind it, or simplify matters too much. Can’t use these documents to convince clients or experienced analysts of the technology. The results are there, but we need to understand how it works.

What would be very helpful is if you would work out a particular simple example in detail, for example the infamous plate with hole.

For example show/explain analytically for this case which equations are being generated, how displacements and stresses are generated from this, and what one adaptive step does.

Mike_20941

This is a very important question. I would like to add that a better understanding of the method would also help the engineer with using SimSolid. I, for one, occasionally get spurious results and am clueless about how to fix this. Increasing solution iterations and connection resolutions does not help.

Chayan

Mike,

Here are a couple of resources that might be of help to you
NAFEMS Simsolid Benchmark: https://www.altair.com/resource/nafems-simsolid-benchmark

Simsolid Technology (whitepaper): https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/47251/Altair SimSolid Whitepaper- Technology Overview_2_14_2019.pdf?hsCtaTracking=801dea9d-a74e-4796-8c09-0ec238781542|456ab5e9-4ab0-4fa9-90bd-5d6a012c301b&utm_source=hs_automation&utm_medium=email&utm_content=78104680&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-85bYtIeyVJTqmOQUZ5r0YwJVqEXIfwLFDRQADg_DxdAD-Jv58pXNe0woAPp0jinM3EZprhelqGhE92k1Ce32__29iStg&_hsmi=78104680