Linear Elastic FEA in SolidWorks Simulation: Fast and Reliable Validation for Mechanical Design
- Les Griffin
- May 20
- 3 min read
When you're designing structural components—be it part of a subsea tool, a lifting frame, or a pressure-vessel—you need confidence that it will withstand the loads it's expected to see. Before investing time in fabrication or assembly, it's smart to validate that the design performs as intended. That’s where Linear Elastic Finite Element Analysis (FEA) comes in.
Linear elastic FEA is a go-to tool for early-stage validation. It's efficient, reliable, and provides insight into how a part responds under static loading—without the need to build and test physical prototypes.
What Is Linear Elastic FEA?
FEA is a computational approach for approximating the stress, strain, and deformation of a component or assembly under load. The model is discretized into finite elements governed by constitutive equations, which are solved to estimate the structural response. For early design and verification workflows, this enables engineers to assess stress concentrations, load paths, and displacement behavior—provided the setup and mesh are robust.
In a linear elastic analysis, two assumptions are made:
Linearity: Stress and strain are proportional.
Elasticity: Material returns to its original shape when the load is removed.
These assumptions simplify calculations. As long as stresses remain below yield and deformations are small, linear elastic FEA is highly effective for verifying structural integrity.
Application in Mechanical Design
Linear elastic FEA is used for:
Verifying stress and deflection limits
Evaluating alternative designs or materials
Ensuring compliance with ASME, API, DNV, or customer specifications
It’s valuable for fabricated structures, mounting frames, machined housings, pressure-retaining parts, and mechanical tools where early stress validation can prevent later-stage design issues.
Speed and Efficiency in SolidWorks Simulation
SolidWorks Simulation handles linear static studies efficiently, especially for single parts or assemblies with bonded contacts. These scenarios allow the solver to run in a single pass, avoiding contact nonlinearities and large-displacement iterations. For a well-meshed model, results are available quickly.
Introducing contact sets or enabling large displacement adds solver overhead—even in linear studies—since stiffness matrices must be updated iteratively. While still far less demanding than nonlinear plastic analysis, these settings increase complexity and solve time.
Efficiency still depends heavily on setup. Solver time is only part of the equation. Engineers must use judgment to define realistic boundary conditions, select proper material models, and simplify geometry without compromising accuracy.
Mesh quality is equally critical. While automatic meshing is useful, high-stress areas—like notches, transitions, or load transfer features—often require manual refinement. A coarse mesh might solve quickly, but results may not be reliable without a mesh sensitivity study to ensure stress values converge with refinement.
Singularities or high-stress zones at geometric discontinuities must be evaluated carefully to distinguish between numerical artifacts and genuine design concerns. An experienced analyst will know whether to dismiss, address, or further investigate such results.
Once defined properly, SolidWorks Simulation provides a fast, dependable platform for evaluating mechanical designs and iterating improvements.
Practical Example: Offshore Lifting Frame
Consider a custom fabricated frame used to lift and secure equipment on an offshore vessel. These frames must handle high static and dynamic loads, with design factors accounting for vessel motion and environmental forces.
Using linear elastic FEA in SolidWorks Simulation, stress and deflection can be evaluated under amplified static loads that account for offshore lifting dynamics. With a clean model—bonded contacts, accurate loads, and refined mesh at weldments and padeyes—the results can validate that no region exceeds allowable stress and that deflections remain within acceptable limits.
This approach supports design documentation, internal reviews, and client approvals without requiring more complex nonlinear or dynamic analyses.
When Is Linear FEA Enough?
Linear FEA is suitable when:
The design operates well below yield
Interactions are simple and well understood
The goal is verifying stress margins or deflection limits
It’s the right tool for many early- and mid-phase validations. However, if your design approaches yield, includes nonlinear material behavior, or requires contact realism, a nonlinear study may be warranted.
Wrapping It Up
Linear elastic FEA is one of the most valuable tools in mechanical design validation. It enables fast, code-compliant evaluation of components and structures before fabrication begins.
If you’re working on a mechanical system that needs to be validated—especially for offshore, subsea, or structural applications—reach out. I can help run the analysis, interpret the results, and ensure your design is backed by sound engineering.
Lateral Engineering Solutions offers FEA-driven validation, optimization, and documentation services for demanding projects. Let me know how I can support yours.
