Skip to content

code_aster and Salomé applied to mechanics

Discover the fundamentals of mechanical simulation with Salomé and code_aster through a step-by-step training course, illustrated with real-world industrial case studies.

Course summary

Do you recognize yourself?

  • You want to switch to open-source code for better technological control and a cost advantage, but you don't know where to start or how to structure your first simulations.
  • You run mechanical simulations that fail to converge or produce inconsistent results: poorly defined boundary conditions, incorrect material properties, contact or non-linearity issues… and you spend hours trying to figure out what's going wrong.
  • You struggle to interpret .mess files and solver messages: has the simulation actually converged? Are the Newton iterations acceptable? Are the results physically consistent?
  • You want to go beyond tutorials and fully master code_aster to adapt it to your industrial use cases: automating simulations, chaining multiple analyses, running parametric studies, or integrating the solver into a broader simulation workflow.

Why our training in particular?

Theory revisited, immediate practice

Two days of hands-on practice backed by a review of theoretical fundamentals. Each practical exercise is more demanding than the previous one: you progress in concrete steps, from discovery to industrial-level work — not through slides.

From installation to post-processing: the complete workflow

You learn to operate and master the tools (Salomé, code_aster and Paraview) together, as in your day-to-day work. Not just the solver: the entire simulation chain.

Practitioner trainers, in front of you

Our engineers and PhDs use code_aster daily on industrial projects at Simvia. In person, they share with you live the best practices, the pitfalls to avoid and the troubleshooting tips you won't find in any documentation.

Close-knit supervision

1 trainer for a maximum of 8 trainees during practical work. When you get stuck, an expert is right beside you.

A network, not just a training course

The inter-company format brings together engineers from different sectors and backgrounds around the same challenges. You exchange feedback, compare approaches and leave with a network of peers who share your technical day-to-day.

Audience

  • Corporate: engineers and technicians with a basic understanding of the physical and digital aspects covered by the course.
  • Academic: researchers, PhD students and students at higher education and research institutions.

Prerequisites

Fundamentals of continuum mechanics and finite elements.

Detailed programme

  1. Day 1 – Morning: Overview of code_aster capabilities for mechanics

    Theoretical part:

    • Presentation of the salome_meca ecosystem
    • General presentation of code_aster capabilities
    • Details of how code_aster works for 3D linear elastic calculations
    • Link with AsterStudy

  2. Day 1 – Afternoon: Implementing the Salomé / code_aster workflow for linear elastic calculation

    Theoretical part:

    • How Salomé's CAD and meshing modules work (Shaper & Mesh)
    • How Salomé works for visualization (ParaVis)

    Practical part:

    • Simple quasi-static calculation on 3D bent piping (from CAD to calculation)

  3. Day 2 – Morning: Structural elements and rigid connections

    Theoretical part:

    • Focus on structural elements: beams, plates, shells
    • Definition of the mechanical characteristics of slender elements
    • Connections between elements (beam/plate, plate/3D, etc.)

    Practical part:

    • Simple quasi-static calculation on bent piping with shell modeling
    • Same piping calculation with hybrid 3D + shell modeling

  4. Day 2 – Afternoon: Post-processing in code_aster

    Theoretical part:

    • Field manipulation
    • Mechanical post-processing

    Practical part:

    • Post-processing of piping calculations with different models

Practical details

  • Hours: 9:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 17:00.
  • On site: EDF Lab Paris-Saclay (Palaiseau), lunches and coffee breaks included. Remote: two days one week apart, to practise in between.
  • Language: spoken French with English material (remote sessions in English).
  • Each trainer supervises at most 8 trainees during hands-on work.
  • Help installing the latest version of the code and certificate of completion.

Dates, place, language, prices and registration are given on each session page.

Accessibility

We are committed to making our training accessible to people with disabilities. Every situation is unique, so please contact us before registering so that we can study together the educational, technical or organisational adaptations that can be put in place.

Upcoming sessions

Past sessions (2)