We have developed the Structural Mechanics Module in order to provide the structural engineer with a familiar and efficient working environment. Its graphical user interface is based on the notations and conventions standard in the field. The module is suitable for the study of structural designs across an unusually broad range of applications: from large tanks in the process industry at one extreme to the development of MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) at the other.

This field´s proud history and tradition of finite element analysis means that we have a vast amount of knowledge from which to tap. We have used these resources to provide you with everything from basic beam and shell elements to enabling state-of-the-art material models such as piezoelectric material for MEMS applications and elastoplasic materials.

In addition to the ready-to-use interfaces for structural analysis you´ll find in this module, we´ve developed the Structural Mechanics Module so users can make full use of the unlimited multiphysics and equation-based formulations in FEMLAB. You can therefore freely couple a structural mechanics design to arbitrary phenomena such as electromagnetic fields, fluid flow and heat transfer, just to mention a few.

We hope that you choose the Structural Mechanics Module for your modeling work in structural design and multiphysics.

A transient increase in temperature of the combustion gases at a piston’s crown induces thermal stresses that are considerably higher than in a steady-state analysis. This study models Young’s modulus as a function of temperature.

All the features of FEMLAB, specifically...

	Simultaneous solution of an arbitrarynumber of coupled linear, nonlinear and time-dependent PDEs
	Orthotropic and anisotropic material models
	CAD import and geometry repair from DXF and IGES formats

Plus...

	An interactive graphical user interface adapted to the analysis of structures and solid mechanics
	Static, transient, quasistatic transient, parametric transient, eigenfrequency and frequency-response analysis
	Nonlinear analysis for large deformations and elastoplastic materials
	Plates and shells
	Solid modeling
	Beams in 2D and 3D, which can be coupled to solid elements
	Ready-to-use applications for all 2D simplifications in structural mechanics: plane stress, plane strain and axi-symmetry
	User-defined coordinate systems
	Ready-to-use coupling of thermal and structural analysis
	Extensible materials and cross-section library
	Unlimited multiphysics interaction with other FEMLAB applications
	Interactive visualization and postprocessing adapted for structural mechanics
	Model library with fully documented examples from different types of analyses in structural mechanics

The Structural Mechanics Module features the same power and user-friendliness found in FEMLAB, tailored for the field of structural and solid mechanics. It provides interfaces for all common analyses in structural engineering while providing easy coupling to all FEMLAB applications for acoustics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics and much more. The module is divided into the following areas of investigation:

Plane stress Plane strain Thick plates Axisymmetry Euler beams

Solids Euler beams Shells

In all of these applications, you can enter material properties or select them from a built-in material database. It’s also easy to define orthotropic and anisotropic materials. Material properties can be given as arbitrary functions of space, time or even as arbitrary functions of the dependent variables.

The applications listed above can be combined with the following capabilities:

	Static analysis
	Quasistatic transient analysis
	Dynamic analysis
	Eigenfrequency analysis
	Frequency-response analysis
	Linear buckling
	Elastoplastic behavior
	Large deformations
	Parametric studies

In addition, the Structural Mechanics Module’s integration with FEMLAB allows unlimited multiphysics couplings such as piezoelectric materials, thermal stresses and fluid-solid interactions. The module also enables modeling of prestresses and residual thermal stresses.