Visualization for nonlinear engineering FEM analysis in manufacturing

This case study describes how visualization tools were used in a nonlinear finite-element method (FEM) analysis of rivet deformation. After summarizing the problem at hand, it is concluded that three factors that aided the visualization process in this case can be extracted as general principles: first, focus the viewer on the area of interest; second, do not confuse the viewer with strange color scales; and finally, do not try to convey too much information in one image. Images should convey a maximum amount of information with a minimum of confusion. In this particular case the most useful techniques proved to be animations of color-shaded contours, where the viewer could zoom in on any area of particular interest. Animation was used for each of the seven different data types produced by the analysis package