ECSS-E-ST-32-03C, SPACE ENGINEERING: STRUCTURAL FINITE ELEMENT MODELS (FEM) (31-JUL-2008)

ECSS-E-ST-32-03C, SPACE ENGINEERING: STRUCTURAL FINITE ELEMENT MODELS (FEM) (31-JUL-2008)., The concept of model is of primary importance in all the fields of the science. In engineering disciplines ‐ and specifically in structure mechanics ‐ a model is a representation, able to describe and predict the behaviour of a structure in terms of quantifiable variables. A first step to build a model is to choose the variables which are relevant to the studied phenomenon (e.g. displacements, stress, or frequencies) and the types of relationships among them (e.g. the theories provided by elasticity, plasticity, stability, statics, or dynamics): this representation is called the physical model. The second step is to build a mathematical representation (e.g. using differential equations, integral equations, or probability methods): this representation is called the mathematical model. A third step is to build a numerical model, which is a formulation of the mathematical model by means of numerical algorithms, based on several approaches (e.g. the finite element method, the boundary method, or the finite difference method). A finite element model of a structure is such a type of numerical model of structure behaviours. This Standard is restricted only to the requirements for finite element models of space structures, to be fulfilled to ensure modelling quality, i.e. the correct use of this specific technology – the finite element method ‐ and the acceptance of the results.