Sheffield, UK - Safe Technology Limited announces the release of fe-safe v5.1, the latest version of the state-of-the-art durability analysis software suite for FE models. This new release of fe-safe incorporates all the enhancements from the past year as well as some important new features.

A major new capability in fe-safe v5.1 is modal superpositioning, enabling the user to analyse dynamic stresses. This means that fe-safe, as the leading durability analysis package amongst engine and engine component manufacturers, can now handle vibration fatigue of solid bodies and sheet metal components.

This capability was developed in conjunction with ArvinMeritor Commercial Exhaust Systems in the UK where it is being used successfully for the fatigue analysis of exhaust after-treatment systems, where vibration loads are combined with complex thermal cycles and welded joints.

For increased usability, improvements to the ABAQUS and ANSYS interfaces have ensured further reliability and reduction in analysis times. Also, there is now no limit to the size of FEA files imported into fe-safe, thereby enabling the analysis of large models. For example, 8 Gbyte FEA results files have been analysed by fe-safe in approximately 35 minutes.

fe-safe/Rotate analyses components quickly and reliably, by taking advantage of their axial symmetry - wheels, bearings and shafts, for example. Enhancements to this module in fe-safe v5.1 allow for an even greater range of use by supporting half models, with either an odd or even number of axisymmetric segments.

Other new features include:

* Virtual stress and strain gauge outputs - simulating the stresses/strains that would be measured by a gauge at a particular location on the component.

* Multiaxial fatigue analysis from strain gauges - this major development over the past two years brings new levels of accuracy to multiaxial fatigue analysis of strain gauges.

* Calculation of influence coefficients fe-safe features:

* Stress-based and strain-based fatigue analysis

* Advanced multiaxial fatigue analysis capabilities as standard

* Simulation of complex loading conditions

* Automatic selection of appropriate fatigue analysis algorithm

* Effects of residual stresses, assembly stresses, etc.

* High temperature fatigue analysis

* Fatigue of welds

* Comprehensive batch processing and macro capabilities

* safe4fatigue - full signal processing suite included as standard

* Interfaces to ABAQUS .odb and .fil files, ANSYS, I-DEAS, NASTRAN and NX-NASTRAN op2 files, Pro/Engineer and MTS RPCIII, Servotest and ADAMS load history files.

* 32-bit and 64-bit versions available

* fe-safe/Rotate for fast analysis of components with axial symmetry

* fe-safe/TMF for thermo-mechanical fatigue analysis

* fe-safe/TURBOlife for creep-fatigue interaction

Feedback from fe-safe customers consistently confirms that fe-safe is fast, accurate and easy-to-use.

fe-safe customers include: Caterpillar, Cummins, International Truck & Engine, Detroit Diesel, Rolls Royce, Land Rover, MAN, Mercury Marine, Eaton Automotive, Dana and Dresser Rand.