Serving the Numerical Simulation community since 1989 
Meshless methods, also known as mesh-free methods, are computational techniques used for the approximation of the solutions of partial differential equations in the engineering and applied sciences. The advertised advantage of the method is that users do not have to worry about meshing. However, eliminating the meshing problem has introduced other, more complex issues. Oftentimes, advocates of meshless methods fail to mention their numerous disadvantages.
The World-Wide Failure Exercise (WWFE) was an international research project with the goal of assessing the predictive performance of competing failure models for composite materials. Part I (WWFE-I) focused on failure in fiber-reinforced polymer composites under two-dimensional (2D) stresses and ran from 1996 until 2004. Part II was concerned with failure criteria under both 2D and 3D stresses, and ran between 2007 and 2013. Part III, also launched in 2007, was concerned with damage development in multi-directional composite laminates.
Engineering students first learn statics, then strength of materials, and progress to the theories of plates and shells, continuum mechanics, and so on. As the course material advances from simple to complex, students often think that each theory (model) stands on its own, overlooking the fact that simpler models are special cases of the more complex ones. This view guided the development of the finite element (FE) method in the 1960s and 70s, and ultimately led to legacy FE codes adopting an “element-centric” approach.
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