LS-DYNA is a general-purpose finite element program capable of simulating complex real world problems. It is used by the automobile, aerospace, construction, military, manufacturing, and bioengineering industries. LS-DYNA is optimized for shared and distributed memory Unix, Linux, and Windows based, platforms, and it is fully QA’d by LSTC. The code’s origins lie in highly nonlinear, transient dynamic finite element analysis using explicit time integration.
LS-DYNA’s potential applications are numerous and can be tailored to many fields. In a given simulation, any of LS-DYNA’s many features can be combined to model a wide range of physical events. An example of a simulation, which involves a unique combination of features, is the NASA JPL Mars Pathfinder landing simulation which simulated the space probe’s use of airbags to aid in its landing. LS-DYNA is one of the most flexible finite element analysis software packages available.
