ABSTRACT

This chapter looks at the various uses of computers in engineering design offices. Some software is written by the engineer using one of the many computer languages; other software is available on floppy disk or on CD-ROM. There is a wide variety of software available to the engineer for solving technical problems. Spreadsheet analysis technique used is to enter equations into the various blocks of the spreadsheet. Finite-element analysis obtains temperatures, stresses, flux densities, and so forth by minimizing the energy function which consists of all the energies associated with the finite element model. That is, the solution satisfies the law of conservation of energy. Commercial finite element software often includes pre- and postprocessor accessories. Computer-aided design began principally as a method by which a designer could quickly run through alternative shapes and positions of components so that the designer could select the best arrangement and dimensions of parts, add tolerances, and produce hard-copy engineering drawings.