Introduction

FEMDS is an advanced software tool designed to help engineers perform structural validation quickly and accurately according to international standards. Fully integrated with both ANSYS and FEMAP, FEMDS enhances your finite element analysis workflow by adding automated checks and standardized report generation.

Technical Basis and Practical Background

FEMDS is built on recognized international standards to ensure reliable and consistent results:

• API-RP-2A: Recommended Practice for offshore structures.
• ISO 19902: Standard for fixed steel offshore structures.
• AISC 360-10: American steel construction code.
• ABS Buckling Guidelines: Rules for global and local buckling of structural elements.
• DNV-RP-C201: Guidelines for the Buckling Strength of Plated Structures, covering strength and stability of structural plates and members. For profiles up to class 3, the calculations are effectively equivalent to Eurocode 1993-1-5 (plate buckling) and 1993-1-8 (member stability and connections).

In practice, steel behaves consistently across these standards. Differences in results between codes are typically very small. Eurocode methods provide more detailed options for in-depth structural calculations, but these are generally not required to evaluate the global performance of a structure or to verify compliance with recognized standards. For this reason, FEMDS focuses on the most important and widely used standards, ensuring efficiency while maintaining accuracy and reliability in structural validation.

For engineers interested in practical application and understanding how FEMDS works, we provide dedicated background pages:

• Comparison of DNV and ABS for plate buckling
• Comparison of ABS, ISO, and API for frame checks
• How the software performs panel (plate) checks, including Von Mises, compressive and tensile stresses
• Using FEMDS for p-delta effects

These pages provide engineers with a deeper understanding of FEMDS functionality and guidance on interpreting the results correctly.

Integration with FEA Software

FEMDS works directly within your existing FEA environment. Whether you use ANSYS with its ACT extension or FEMAP as a native plug-in, FEMDS integrates seamlessly, enabling automated validation and reporting without manual data transfer.

Benefits for Engineers

• Save time through automated structural checks and report generation.
• Identify potential issues quickly and improve the quality of your designs.
• Ensure consistency across projects and teams with repeatable validation processes.
• Generate traceable, auditable documentation for certification or internal review.

Get Started

Discover the advantages of FEMDS for yourself. Request a trial license today and start improving your FEA workflow with automated post-processing and structural validation tools.