Learn how to show your FEA skills and experience in engineering design interviews or proposals. Follow these tips to impress with your FEA process, projects, learning, value, and questions.

The projects I worked on are from the Oil and Gas industry where I need to perform FEA on pressure vessels for which ASME VIII Div.1 doesn't have rules or formulae. I performed FEA using ANSYS workbench on pressure vessels & it's non pressure parts ex., supports. Purpose: 1) Aim is to ensure the supports are strong enough to withstand loadings. 2) Also to ensure provided bolts for the pressure vessels are enough to withstand internal design pressure. 3) Bolted nozzles are checked for nozzle loads since WRC bulletins are only applicable for welded nozzles. 4) Wind & Seismic load analysis on pressure vessels. Validation of the results are done against appendix 5 of ASME VIII Div.2

You’re asked about your experience with FEA. How do you demonstrate your expertise?

Finite element analysis (FEA) is a powerful tool for engineering design, but it also requires skill and experience to use it effectively. If you’re asked about your FEA experience in an interview or a project proposal, how do you show your expertise and confidence? Here are some tips to help you demonstrate your FEA skills and impress your potential employers or clients.

1 Explain your FEA process

One of the best ways to show your FEA experience is to explain how you approach a problem using FEA. What are the steps you follow, from defining the geometry and boundary conditions, to selecting the appropriate elements and mesh, to setting up the solver and analyzing the results? How do you validate your assumptions and verify your solutions? How do you communicate your findings and recommendations? By explaining your FEA process, you can show your knowledge of the principles and methods of FEA, as well as your ability to apply them to real-world scenarios.

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Sankara Narayanan Jeeva T

CAE Simulation Engineer | FEA | Implicit | Structural | lean six sigma green belt | Python
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The FEA process involves defining geometry, material and boundary conditions, selecting elements and mesh, connections , setting up the solver, running analysis, and interpreting results. Validate assumptions by comparing with analytical or experimental data, verify solutions via sensitivity analyses and convergence studies, and communicate findings in clear reports, including insights on structural behavior and design improvements.

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2 Showcase your FEA projects

Another way to demonstrate your FEA skills is to showcase some of the projects you have worked on using FEA. What were the objectives, challenges, and outcomes of these projects? How did you use FEA to achieve them? What software and tools did you use? How did you collaborate with other engineers or stakeholders? How did you document and present your FEA work? By showcasing your FEA projects, you can show your experience and achievements using FEA, as well as your creativity and problem-solving skills.

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3 Discuss your FEA learning

A third way to demonstrate your FEA expertise is to discuss how you keep learning and improving your FEA skills. What are the sources and resources you use to learn new FEA concepts and techniques? How do you stay updated on the latest developments and trends in FEA? How do you measure and evaluate your FEA performance and progress? How do you seek feedback and advice from other FEA experts? By discussing your FEA learning, you can show your passion and curiosity for FEA, as well as your willingness to grow and adapt your FEA skills.

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4 Highlight your FEA value

A fourth way to demonstrate your FEA proficiency is to highlight the value and impact of your FEA work. How do you use FEA to support the design goals and requirements of your projects? How do you use FEA to optimize the performance, efficiency, and safety of your products or systems? How do you use FEA to reduce the cost, time, and risk of your engineering processes? How do you use FEA to enhance the quality and reliability of your engineering solutions? By highlighting your FEA value, you can show your relevance and contribution to the engineering design field, as well as your professionalism and competence.

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5 Answer FEA questions

A fifth way to demonstrate your FEA knowledge is to answer FEA questions that may arise during your interview or proposal. These questions may test your understanding of the basic or advanced concepts and theories of FEA, such as stress, strain, stiffness, displacement, convergence, error, etc. They may also test your familiarity with the specific features and functions of the FEA software and tools you use, such as mesh generation, solver settings, post-processing, etc. They may also test your ability to handle FEA scenarios and challenges, such as dealing with complex geometries, nonlinear materials, dynamic loads, etc. By answering FEA questions, you can show your confidence and clarity in FEA, as well as your readiness and flexibility to handle FEA tasks.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Amar Giri

Pressure Vessel & Heat Exchanger | Piping and Structure Stress Analyst | FEA | Mechanical & Project Engineering
(edited)
Report contribution
The projects I worked on are from the Oil and Gas industry where I need to perform FEA on pressure vessels for which ASME VIII Div.1 doesn't have rules or formulae. I performed FEA using ANSYS workbench on pressure vessels & it's non pressure parts ex., supports. Purpose: 1) Aim is to ensure the supports are strong enough to withstand loadings. 2) Also to ensure provided bolts for the pressure vessels are enough to withstand internal design pressure. 3) Bolted nozzles are checked for nozzle loads since WRC bulletins are only applicable for welded nozzles. 4) Wind & Seismic load analysis on pressure vessels. Validation of the results are done against appendix 5 of ASME VIII Div.2

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You’re asked about your experience with FEA. How do you demonstrate your expertise?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Explain your FEA process

2 Showcase your FEA projects

3 Discuss your FEA learning

4 Highlight your FEA value

5 Answer FEA questions

6 Here’s what else to consider

Engineering Design

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You’re asked about your experience with FEA. How do you demonstrate your expertise?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Explain your FEA process

2 Showcase your FEA projects

3 Discuss your FEA learning

4 Highlight your FEA value

5 Answer FEA questions

6 Here’s what else to consider

Engineering Design

Rate this article

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