Mish, K.D. and Mello, J. “Computer-Aided Engineering”
Mechanical Engineering Handbook
Ed. Frank Kreith
Boca Raton: CRC Press LLC, 1999
c©1999 by CRC Press LLC
Computer-Aided
Engineering
15.1 Introduction ....................................................................15-1
Definition of Terms (CAD/CAM/CAE) • Overview of
Computer-Aided Engineering • Goals of Computer-Aided
Engineering Chapter
15.2 Computer Programming and Computer
Architecture ....................................................................15-3
Software Engineering Overview • Computer Languages • Data
Base Systems • Operating System Characteristics • Parallel
Computation • Computer Graphics and Visualization
15.3 Computational Mechanics............................................15-35
Computational Solid, Fluid, and Thermal Problems •
Mathematical Characteristics of Field Problems • Finite-
Element Approximations in Mechanical Engineering • Finite-
Difference Approximations in Mechanics • Alternative
Numerical Schemes for Mechanics Problems • Time-
Dependent and Nonlinear Computational Mechanics •
Standard Packages Criteria • Selection of Software —
Benchmarking
15.4 Computer Intelligence..................................................15-78
Artificial Intelligence • Expert Systems in Mechanical
Engineering Design • Neural Network Simulations • Fuzzy
Logic and Other Statistical Methods
15.5 Computer-Aided Design (CAD) ..................................15-85
Introduction • Entity-Based CAD Systems • Solid or Feature-
Based CAD Systems • Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM)
15.1 Introduction
The revolution in computer technology that has taken place over the last few decades has changed the
face of all engineering disciplines. Fortunately, computers appropriate for solving complex mechanical
engineering problems have evolved from complicated, rare, and expensive mainframes or supercomputers
of yesterday to simple, common, and inexpensive desktop microcomputers widely available today. During
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