Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre’s Breakthrough Software Offers Cost-effective Finite Element Analysis Solutions
Bengaluru, NFAPost: In a significant stride towards self-reliance, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has introduced a groundbreaking Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software named FEAST. This innovative tool enables the structural analysis of diverse entities such as rockets, aircraft, satellites, and buildings, marking a departure from the dependency on expensive foreign software.
FEA is a computerized method crucial for predicting a structure’s response to real-world forces, encompassing various loads, thermal conditions, and other physical impacts during operation. Typically, users have relied on costly foreign software for this purpose, but ISRO’s FEAST seeks to cater to the Indian user base with a customizable and cost-effective solution.
Dr. S Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of VSSC, ISRO, emphasized the software’s origins, stating, “The FEAST software tool is the result of decades-long efforts by generations of scientists and engineers at ISRO’s lead centre VSCC, Thiruvananthapuram. We started building this tool for our internal use and developed considerable expertise in this field. That’s when we decided to ensure that our software be shared with the larger FEA user base within India.”
FEAST, available for a fraction of the cost compared to similar foreign offerings, now targets Indian academia, industries, and enterprises. A free trial is accessible on the ISRO/VSSC website, accommodating both Windows and Linux operating systems with minimal hardware requirements. The software offers three versions tailored to different user categories: academic, premium, and professional.
The success of FEAST within major ISRO centres across India has prompted efforts to disseminate knowledge through a comprehensive book titled ‘Introduction to Finite Element Analysis.’ Co-authored by structural analysis experts from VSSC and Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), and edited by Dr. S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO, the book aims to demystify FEA concepts for undergraduate and postgraduate students and practising engineers.
Dr. Nair elaborated on the book’s content, stating, “The first part of the book deals with the basics and introductions to the concepts of finite element method. The latter part encapsulates various features of the software, the use cases, how to model problems using FEAST, how to give various inputs and how the results of the analysis can be viewed and interpreted.”
To ensure the continuous improvement of FEAST, ISRO holds annual national-level user conferences, gathering feedback for enhancements. The recent release of the book at the ISRO headquarters, in Bengaluru, underscores the commitment to advancing indigenous capabilities. Springer India has published the book, further solidifying the significance of ISRO’s strides in the realm of structural analysis.
