SOLIDWORKS Simulation Course (FEA) – Live Online

Course Overview

SOLIDWORKS Simulation — FEA & Engineering Analysis

Course Description

Learn how to perform practical engineering analysis using SOLIDWORKS Simulation, from setting up a simulation study to validating results using classical engineering calculations.

This beginner-to-intermediate course focuses on developing a strong understanding of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) rather than simply learning simulation commands. You will learn how to define materials, fixtures, loads, contacts, connectors, and meshes, then perform and interpret static, frequency, buckling, thermal, fatigue, and nonlinear analyses.

A key focus of the course is FEA validation. Before accepting a simulation result, you will compare it against hand calculations, classical engineering formulas, or closed-form solutions wherever applicable. You will also learn mesh convergence, stress concentration evaluation, contact troubleshooting, and how to judge whether an FEA result is physically meaningful.

The course concludes with a complete engineering simulation capstone project, where you will take a real component through geometry preparation, analytical calculations, simulation setup, mesh convergence, result interpretation, correlation, and professional reporting.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Understand the fundamentals of FEA and how the Finite Element Method works.
Navigate the SOLIDWORKS Simulation environment.
Select appropriate study types for different engineering problems.
Prepare and simplify CAD geometry for simulation.
Define appropriate material models and properties.
Apply realistic fixtures and boundary conditions.
Apply forces, pressures, gravity, bearing loads, centrifugal loads, and other loading conditions.
Understand fixtures in terms of their effect on degrees of freedom.
Select appropriate solid, shell, or beam elements.
Create and control simulation meshes.
Perform mesh convergence studies.
Perform static stress analysis.
Evaluate von Mises stress, principal stress, displacement, and factor of safety.
Analyze stress concentrations around holes, fillets, and notches.
Set up assembly contacts and connectors.
Analyze bolts, pins, springs, bearings, and rigid links.
Perform frequency and linear buckling analyses.
Perform thermal and thermal-stress analysis.
Perform fatigue analysis using S-N curves.
Understand the fundamentals of nonlinear analysis.
Compare FEA results against analytical calculations.
Identify unrealistic or questionable simulation results.
Prepare defensible engineering simulation reports.

Course Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, learners will be able to:

1. Understand FEA Fundamentals

Understand how geometry is discretized into finite elements and how stiffness, loads, constraints, and degrees of freedom are used to obtain numerical solutions.

2. Build Reliable Simulation Models

Prepare CAD geometry, materials, fixtures, loads, contacts, and meshes appropriate for the engineering problem being analyzed.

3. Perform Static Structural Analysis

Set up and interpret static studies and evaluate stress, strain, deformation, and factor of safety.

4. Validate FEA Results

Compare simulation results against hand calculations, classical formulas, and engineering expectations before accepting the results.

5. Develop Mesh Convergence Discipline

Perform mesh refinement studies and determine whether critical results have stabilized sufficiently.

6. Analyze Assemblies

Use contacts and connectors to simulate bolted, pinned, bearing, spring, and other assembly relationships.

7. Evaluate Dynamic & Stability Behavior

Perform frequency and linear buckling studies and understand the importance of boundary conditions in determining natural frequencies and buckling loads.

8. Perform Thermal & Fatigue Analysis

Analyze temperature distributions, thermal stresses, and fatigue life using appropriate material and loading information.

9. Understand Nonlinear Behavior

Recognize when linear assumptions are no longer appropriate and perform basic nonlinear static analysis where supported by the license.

10. Communicate Engineering Results

Create professional simulation reports containing assumptions, setup information, convergence evidence, analytical validation, results, and engineering conclusions.

Skills You Will Develop

FEA Fundamentals

Finite Element Method
Discretization
Nodes & Elements
Degrees of Freedom
Stiffness Concept
Boundary Conditions
FEA Workflow