The computer is an indispensible tool for engineering analysis and design with the finite element being a major computational method which is used in many applications, e.g. structural analysis, heat transfer, electro-magnetic fields. There are numerous packages available; NASTRAN, MARC, etc., which are analysis codes using finite element techniques. Although these packages are written in a modular form to accommodate program changes, extensive manual coding implementations are still necessary for the incorporation of new analysis features. Many of the manipulations encountered during code implementation can be handled by symbolic computation which can deal with mathematical functions as a whole aside from the arithmetic operations. The benefits are: reduced manual tedium, increased reliability, and shorter response time to changes or addition of new features for analysis. A group of researchers from civil and electrical engineering join with computer scientists will address the incorporation of symbolic computing into finite-element analysis. In particular, the following will be carried out: 1) automatic equation derivation and code generation for finite element analysis, 2) automatic finite element code generation for vector and parallel processors, 3) application of such algorithms for structures, heat transfer, electromagnetic field applications, 4) design and implementation of an advanced user interface for engineers utilizing high resolution graphics.
