On the Use of Commercial Finite Element Packages for a Dimensionless Solution to a Class of Problems

Physical laws provide a mathematical description of a physical phenomenon. The mathematical description is generally in the form of differential equations with appropriate initial and boundary conditions, called initial boundary value problems. The dimensionless form of an initial boundary value problem is the first step for the solution to a class of problems. The approach is generally applied for closed-form (or analytical) solutions, whereas practical engineering problems can only be solved numerically. Commercial finite element packages are commonly used for the numerical solution of engineering problems with complexities caused by geometry, loading, and material properties. A numerical solution does not produce a formula; therefore, a completely new solution must be obtained even for minor changes in the data set. A single-dimensionless finite element analysis would solve a class of problems. Literature shows that user-developed finite element codes, not accessible for general use, are generally used for dimensionless finite element solutions. The availability of dimensionless analysis in a commercial finite element package would be very convenient. Commercial packages do not have built-in dimensionless formulations. However, all mainstream packages allow user-implemented formulation through different coding requirements. At least one researcher has used a commercial package for dimensionless analyses without coding. The work presents a guide on alternate implementation methods of dimensionless formulations in commercial packages. A sample case demonstrates the stepwise implementation of a dimensionless formulation without writing a customized finite element code.