FEA Faculty of Mechanical and

Project Work - Systems Engineering

Documentation Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carsten Block

Documentation
A technical report must be self-explanatory and comprehensible. All input parameters and assumptions
for the calculation must be documented. Documents from which, for example, the material parameters
are taken must be included in the list of documents. Also indicate the software including the version
number used in the list of documents (e.g. [1] Ansys Student Workbench, Release 2021 R1, ANSYS, Inc.).
Typically the following elements are expected from a technical report / presentation of a FEA.
 Front page / Title slide
 Table of content
 Executive summary
An executive summary should summarize the key points of the report. It should restate the
purpose of the report, highlight the major points of the report, and describe any results,
conclusions, or recommendations from the report. It should include enough information so the
reader can understand what is discussed in the full report, without having to read it.
It should not exceed one slide.
 List of documents
 Problem description
Analysis goals, geometry overview, load cases, materials, evaluation criteria
 Description of FE Model
 Results and Evaluation
 Conclusion / Summary

This project shall be documented in a PowerPoint Presentation, taking into account the above
considerations.

1 of 3
 FEA Faculty of Mechanical and
Project Work - Systems Engineering
Documentation Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carsten Block

The following is an excerpt from www.heddermanconsulting.com with some modifications. The

explanations relate to a technical report, but can be transferred to a documentation in a presentation.
The amount of detail contained in an FEA Stress Report can vary depending on the project, consultant, and
contractual requirements. A comprehensive report allows the reader the ability to evaluate and critique
the analysis and assess the accuracy of the results to some degree.
The usual procedure for performing a finite element analysis is
 Define material properties
 Create or import geometry
 Create finite element mesh
 Apply loads and boundary conditions
 Define analysis type, options, and then solve
 Review and evaluate the results
Other than the most basic of reports, a typical FEA stress report will discuss all of the above topics in some
detail.

Material Properties
The material properties required to perform a stress analysis include a least density, modulus of elasticity,
and Poisson’s Ratio.

Geometry
The report should discuss which components of the structure have been included in the model, those that
have not, and any simplifications that have been made. The appropriateness of these inclusions,
exclusions, and simplifications should be considered in reviewing the report.

The Finite Element Model

A discussion of the finite element model will usually be presented. This may include a description of the
types of elements used in creating the model and should include some plots of the finite element mesh.
The details of the finite element mesh are important in accurately predicting stresses. A poor mesh can
under-predict the magnitude of the stresses giving erroneous results. Three-dimensional finite element
models will be meshed with either solid or shell elements. With solid elements, one or more of the
following types will be used: hexagonal (brick), tetrahedral, pyramidal, or prism elements. While some
analysts have a preference for or bias against certain element types, they are all capable of producing
accurate results if the quality of the mesh is good. Element shape and size are the greatest factors in getting
a good mesh and accurate results. The ideal element shape for solid elements is one where all of the faces
are regular polygons of the same size. As the faces become more warped and interior angles become
excessively large or small, the accuracy of the results will be affected. Tetrahedral and other non-hexagonal
elements have a greater tolerance for less than ideal shapes than hexagonal elements. These elements
are often used in areas of complex geometry where meshing with hexagonal elements can be difficult.
However, meshing with non-hexagonal element types often require a significantly larger number of
elements compared to hexagonal elements which results in longer computer run times. Another aspect of
meshing that can affect the accuracy of the results is how fast the size of elements changes from one
region of the finite element model to another. Stress gradients are more significant in areas of structural
discontinuities requiring a more refined mesh to accurately predict the results in these areas. If the model
transitions from a refined mesh to a coarser mesh too quickly in these areas, the magnitude of the stresses
may be under-predicted.
2 of 3
 FEA Faculty of Mechanical and
Project Work - Systems Engineering
Documentation Prof. Dr.-Ing. Carsten Block

Loads and Boundary Conditions

The FEA report should provide enough information to confirm the proper loading scenarios have been
analyzed and evaluated. A report will also typically provide information on the boundary conditions of the
finite element model. Boundary conditions are how the model is constrained against translation and
rotation at its extents. The behavior of components that may or may not come into contact with each
other, such as at flanged connections, may also be discussed if applicable.

Analysis Type and Options

In general, there are not a lot of options specific to stress analyses. Outside of options related to solution
convergence controls, the most common option that is sometimes used is including non-linear geometric
effects. This can be important when small displacement theory is not applicable due to large deformations.

Results and Evaluation

The most important part of the FEA report is the documentation of the results and their evaluation. Typical
results will be displacements and stresses. Assuming an elastic-stress analysis has been performed, the
stresses will be compared to allowable stress limits. In reviewing the results the following questions should
be asked:
 Do the results make sense? The displacements and stresses should seem reasonable.
 Do the reactions make sense based on the weight and loading?
 Are the areas of highest stress evaluated?
 Are there any areas that are discounted in the evaluation? Why?

3 of 3