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Trust & Tech: When Finite Element Analysis
Safeguards the Built Environment
Fri 05/16/2025 - 17:03
Predict a structure performance with FEA
As our built environment evolves, so too must our approach to understanding and protecting it. The structures we rely on every day are not static; they age, respond to environmental stressors, and must adapt to new performance expectations.
Meeting these challenges requires more than traditional engineering—it demands advanced analytical tools, precise data, and deep expertise. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has become one of the most powerful methods for predicting how a structure will behave under a wide range of real-world conditions, long before those conditions ever occur.
In the third episode of Trust & Tech, Evan Schickel, Director and expert in Finite Element Analysis (FEA) at SOCOTEC USA, unpacks how this advanced engineering method plays a critical role in ensuring the structural safety, integrity, and resilience of everything from high-rise buildings and bridges to nuclear power plants.
When Finite Element Analysis Safeguards the Built Environment
Trust & Tech
This episode is part of Trust & Tech, a SOCOTEC video series exploring how cutting-edge technologies are shaping the future of our buildings and infrastructure. Through the expertise of our specialists, each video highlights the ways innovation is driving improvements in safety, durability, and structural performance across the built environment.
The Power of Prediction
Why Finite Element Analysis Matters
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a computational technique used to predict how structures and materials respond to real-world conditions, allowing engineers to model stress, strain, and deformation with remarkable precision.
Why is this important? Because the buildings and systems we rely on every day must not only meet today’s performance requirements, but also be prepared for tomorrow’s uncertainties. With FEA, we can simulate the effects of natural forces like wind, seismic events, and temperature changes before a structure is built—or long after it's operational.
At SOCOTEC, FEA is used to:
- Diagnose existing issues in structures, often identifying hidden vulnerabilities
- Forecast the lifespan of a structure under current or changing loading
- Design retrofits to extend service life and improve performance
- Validate the safety of structures under extreme or unusual load scenarios
As Evan Schickel explains, it’s not just about understanding failure; it’s about preventing it.
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a computational technique used to predict how structures and materials respond to real-world conditions, allowing engineers to model stress, strain, and deformation with remarkable precision.
Why is this important? Because the buildings and systems we rely on every day must not only meet today’s performance requirements, but also be prepared for tomorrow’s uncertainties. With FEA, we can simulate the effects of natural forces like wind, seismic events, and temperature changes before a structure is built—or long after it's operational.
At SOCOTEC, FEA is used to:
- Diagnose existing issues in structures, often identifying hidden vulnerabilities
- Forecast the lifespan of a structure under current or changing loading
- Design retrofits to extend service life and improve performance
- Validate the safety of structures under extreme or unusual load scenarios
As Evan Schickel explains, it’s not just about understanding failure; it’s about preventing it.
SOCOTEC’S APPROACH TO FEA
Experience, Adaptability, and Results
SOCOTEC employs some of the most advanced tools available in the industry to perform detailed Finite Element Modeling and simulations. These analyses are rarely standard; instead, they are customized to solve specific engineering challenges and give clients clarity and confidence.
Our FEA services are supported by:
- Integrated Design Modeling: Combining multiple modeling techniques for a holistic analysis
- Complex Load Simulations: From static to dynamic, seismic, pressurization, and blast loadings
- Non-linear Analysis: Including crack formation, plastic deformation, and large-scale structural behavior
- Field Data Correlation, blending real-time sensor and performance data with digital models
- Multidisciplinary Inputs: Incorporating data from thermal hydraulics, fracture mechanics, stress analysis, field testing, and operational feedback
At SOCOTEC, each project is treated with rigor and adaptability. This methodology is especially valuable in industries where safety is paramount and design margins are tight—such as transportation, energy, and urban infrastructure. Whether we’re assessing a new design or analyzing a structure in operation for decades, our FEA experts tailor every model to reflect real-world behavior as accurately as possible.
SOCOTEC employs some of the most advanced tools available in the industry to perform detailed Finite Element Modeling and simulations. These analyses are rarely standard; instead, they are customized to solve specific engineering challenges and give clients clarity and confidence.
Our FEA services are supported by:
- Integrated Design Modeling: Combining multiple modeling techniques for a holistic analysis
- Complex Load Simulations: From static to dynamic, seismic, pressurization, and blast loadings
- Non-linear Analysis: Including crack formation, plastic deformation, and large-scale structural behavior
- Field Data Correlation, blending real-time sensor and performance data with digital models
- Multidisciplinary Inputs: Incorporating data from thermal hydraulics, fracture mechanics, stress analysis, field testing, and operational feedback
At SOCOTEC, each project is treated with rigor and adaptability. This methodology is especially valuable in industries where safety is paramount and design margins are tight—such as transportation, energy, and urban infrastructure. Whether we’re assessing a new design or analyzing a structure in operation for decades, our FEA experts tailor every model to reflect real-world behavior as accurately as possible.
Providing this expertise is something that's important to society because we ensure the safety and integrity of all assets of the built environment, making sure that they can function safely.
CASE STUDY
The World Trade Center – Engineering Under Pressure
One of the most emblematic examples of SOCOTEC’s application of FEA is our work on the reconstruction of the World Trade Center complex in New York City, including the Freedom Tower, the 9/11 Memorial Pools, the Oculus shopping center and the transportation hub underground. Given its historical significance, structural complexity, and urban location, the WTC demands exceptional precision in every engineering assessment.
Using advanced FEA techniques, SOCOTEC engineers have been able to simulate how these iconic structures respond to both current and future loading conditions—ranging from wind and seismic forces to localized stress scenarios. These simulations inform key decisions in structural performance evaluation, retrofit strategies, and long-term maintenance planning. Our involvement has included detailed modeling and consulting services to ensure that every element—from subgrade foundations to superstructure reinforcements—meets the highest standards of safety, reliability, and resilience.
This work is not just technical—it’s symbolic. It underscores SOCOTEC’s ability to ensure the safety of people.
One of the most emblematic examples of SOCOTEC’s application of FEA is our work on the reconstruction of the World Trade Center complex in New York City, including the Freedom Tower, the 9/11 Memorial Pools, the Oculus shopping center and the transportation hub underground. Given its historical significance, structural complexity, and urban location, the WTC demands exceptional precision in every engineering assessment.
Using advanced FEA techniques, SOCOTEC engineers have been able to simulate how these iconic structures respond to both current and future loading conditions—ranging from wind and seismic forces to localized stress scenarios. These simulations inform key decisions in structural performance evaluation, retrofit strategies, and long-term maintenance planning. Our involvement has included detailed modeling and consulting services to ensure that every element—from subgrade foundations to superstructure reinforcements—meets the highest standards of safety, reliability, and resilience.
This work is not just technical—it’s symbolic. It underscores SOCOTEC’s ability to ensure the safety of people.
Built for People, Powered by Technology
Trustworthy engineering doesn’t just happen in a lab or a software program—it’s rooted in people. At SOCOTEC, our FEA work reflects a balance of technical excellence and human-centered outcomes. Every simulation we run, every model we build, is ultimately about protecting lives, preserving value, and empowering decision-makers.
Our engineers don’t just analyze structures—they anticipate behavior, solve complex problems, and help clients navigate uncertainty with confidence.
With a legacy of performance in some of the nation’s most demanding environments, we bring precision, reliability, and deep engineering insight to every project. Whether you're facing a new construction challenge, retrofitting aging infrastructure, or investigating structural integrity, SOCOTEC is your trusted partner.
Want to learn more about our Finite Element Analysis services?
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