Fit for Purpose? The Effective Use of Numerical Simulation: a Review of Current Status and Future Needs, Quality Assurance, Education and Training

The use of various numerical simulation technologies is now well established within a wide range of industries. Computational mechanics such as finite element methods, computational fluid dynamics, multi-physics modelling, optimization and related methods are increasingly deployed, in China and worldwide. At the same time, new digital technologies are emerging which are changing the way that products are developed. As the trend of increasing reliance upon simulation continues, the difficulties associated with determining whether an analysis is fit for purpose are escalated. Requirements for benchmarking and quality assurance of methods, their appropriate application, and education and training, are apparent. This paper addresses the question of the value of verification and validation and how this may be quantified, and then moves on to discuss verification and validation methods and processes, including code and calculation verifications, validation experiments and their relationship to modelling, and quantification of accuracy and uncertainties. As well as discussing the difficulties in determining the fitness for purpose of a simulation procedure, the paper also presents a vision of the current status of the technology and future industrial needs. This will be based on information from the more than 700 corporations, research centres and academic institutes from around the world who are currently members of NAFEMS — the International Association for the Engineering Analysis Community — an independent, unbiassed, not-for-profit organisation whose primary function is to promote the effective use of simulation technologies. Over the past twenty years, NAFEMS has developed a wide range of documents encapsulating the best practice advice of many leading academic experts and industrial practitioners, in fulfilling its mission to facilitate international industry, academic and governmental collaboration, to improve product and process simulation and to assist all users of simulation technologies to raise quality assurance and safety as well as profitability and timely delivery. The role of NAFEMS as an independent, international focus for professional collaboration in the best use of simulation technologies will be presented.