QUESTION
I’ve been tasked with analyzing some flanges after holes have been drilled into them. The client needs evidence that the flanges will be OK after the drilling of the new holes into the the flanges. What software can I use to do this?
REPLIES
Brad805
Why do you need FEA for what sounds to be a case of a few simple holes in a beam flange? Hand calcs should be fine to prove this unless the client has deemed something beyond this. If you absolutely need FEA it will likely be more cost effective to hire someone that owns the software. Most FEA analysis packages start in the $7k range and go up from there depending on the detail and material types you need to consider.
[In either case, you still need to do the hand calcs to verify your newly acquired software is giving you the correct answer.]
SOURCE
https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=373273
Above is a snippet.