4.4.2. FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS (FEA)

Step A) Specify the surrounding temperature profile:

· T-Iso: isothermal

· T-Step: stepwise



· T-Shock: rapid temperature increase (temperature shock, e.g. 20°C +10°C every 24 hours)



· T-Modulated: modulated or periodic temperature variations (e.g. 20°C +/-10°C every 24 hours)



· T-World: real atmospheric temperature profiles (yearly temperature profiles with daily minimal and maximal fluctuations for different climates such as Zürich, Miami, etc. - important for the analysis of the migration from packaging material all over the world)



Step B) Set the calculation precision of the simulation
In low precision mode the program calculates more quickly but at the cost of a certain inaccuracy. It is advised first to run the simulation in low precision mode to optimise the modelling parameters.

Step C) Enter the contact time and start the calculation by clicking on the button: ‘Run FE  Analysis’. Time units can be selected ([min], [h], [days], [weeks] and [years]).

The simulation stops at the given contact time tc. It is also possible to stop the simulation when the concentration of the migrant in food reaches a given value. The simulation stops when one of these two termination criterion is reached.

Step D) Start the Finite Element Analysis (FEA)