ANSYS and LS-DYNA used for structural analysis

Abstract

This paper discusses the different features of ANSYS and LS-DYNA in solving structural analysis using finite element approach. ANSYS and LS-DYNA are two popular engineering software tools that are used for finite element analysis. The difference between ANSYS and LS-DYNA lies in different solution procedures and time integration methods they use. ANSYS is an implicit analysis program while LS-DYNA is an explicit analysis program. This paper compares the general properties of the two programs through an impact problem and explains the reason. A simple two degrees of freedom system is solved to show how the implicit and explicit methods are implemented. Conclusively, advantages and limitations of both programs are discussed as well as their applicable areas.