Finite element analysis software
ADINA is the premier finite element program for nonlinear analysis, commonly used to solve challenging nonlinear problems involving geometric, material, and load nonlinearities; large deformations; and contact conditions.
State-of-the-Art Stress Capabilities: ADINA Structures
For the analysis of solids and structures, the analysis can be linear or highly nonlinear, static or dynamic. Take advantage of versatile and generally applicable finite elements for solids, shells, beams, trusses, pipes, and special purpose applications. Material models are provided for metals, soils and rocks, plastics, rubber, fabrics, wood, ceramics, and concrete.
Analyze Multiple Element Types
Conduct linear and nonlinear analysis of solid elements (2D and 3D solid elements), structural elements (truss, beam, pipe, shell, spring, optimal shell elements, MITC3+, and MITC4+), fluid elements (2D and 3D potential-based subsonic fluid elements), acoustic elements, special purpose elements (alignment, connector, general), or user-defined elements.
Minimize CPU Time and Memory Requirements
Deploy structural-only analyses or use with other modules in the product suite for multi-physics applications, such as thermo-mechanical coupling or fluid-structure interaction analyses. Powerful solvers and element formulations enable the analysis of extremely large models with minimal CPU time and memory requirements.
Fully Automatic Mesh Generation
Meshing for 3D elements includes mapped meshing that generates brick, wedge, or mixed free-form tetrahedral elements, and general 3D meshing for solids and fluids. Conduct 2D surface meshing for shells, plated, and 2D planar elements, as well as 1D elements, such as truss, beam, and pipe.
What is ADINA Advanced?
ADINA Advanced includes everything in ADINA, plus ADINA Thermal, and ADINA Thermo-Mechanical Coupling (TMC). It is used to solve the most challenging nonlinear structural and thermal problems involving:
- Heat transfer, including conduction, convection, and radiation
- Heat generation due to friction
- Time- and temperature-dependent material properties
- Residual stress from welding
- Latent heat effects (freezing and thawing)
What is ADINA Ultimate?
ADINA Ultimate includes everything in ADINA Advanced, plus ADINA CFD, ADINA FSI, ADINA EM, ADINA Multiphysics, and the ADINA User Interface. Choose this software suite to solve your most challenging nonlinear problems involving:
- Geometric, material, and load nonlinearities
- Large deformations
- Contact conditions
- Heat transfer
- Thermo-mechanical coupling
- Computational fluid dynamics
- Fluid structure interaction
- Electromagnetics
- Multiphysics
Create Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulations: ADINA CFD
Model incompressible and compressible flows in a wide array of fluid flows including laminar and turbulent regimes, thin-film Reynolds flow, two-phase flow, non-isothermal flow, conjugate heat transfer, and more. Benefit from material models for handling non-Newtonian fluids and real gasses. Solve general flow conditions in arbitrary geometries.
Multiphysics Solution for Complex Fluid-structure Interaction (FSI) Analyses: ADINA FSI
Use direct FSI coupling or iterative FSI coupling methods to solve the coupling effects of fluids and structures. Satisfy the conditions of displacement compatibility and traction equilibrium. FSI analysis can be performed with incompressible, slightly compressible, low-speed compressible, and high-speed compressible flow. It is ideal for large deformations of soft structures, or highly compressible flows abutting stiff structures. All available element types can be used, including shell, 2D and 3D solid, beam, iso-beam, and contact surfaces, as well as all available material models.
Solution Capabilities for Electromagnetic Analysis: ADINA Electromagnetics
Electromagnetic effects can be coupled to mechanical or fluid flow systems. Solve for general Maxwell’s equations with different loading and boundary conditions, electrostatic and magnetostatic fields, AC/DC conduction, time-harmonic, eddy current, EM fields with Lorentz forces, EM fields coupled with temperature, and wave guide.
Unique Breadth and Depth Multiphysics Capabilities: ADINA Multiphysics
Gain deeper insight into the performance of your designs to better understand the causes and consequences of natural phenomena. The software offers a full array of multiphysics capabilities, including FSI, thermo-mechanical coupling (TMC), structural-pore pressure coupling (porous media), thermal-fluid-structural coupling, electric field-structural coupling (piezoelectric), thermal-electrical coupling (Joule heating), acoustic fluid-structural coupling, fluid flow-mass transfer coupling, and fluid flow-electromagnetic coupling.
What is ADINA Parasolid Modeler?
Parasolid® is the leading solid modeling system that forms the kernel of the ADINA Parasolid Modeler (formerly ADINA-M/PS). By using this common geometry engine, the ADINA Parasolid Modeler provides a natural interface to all Parasolid-based CAD systems. The ADINA User Interface can communicate directly with the Parasolid data structure, including any pre-processing command that requires exact geometric information, such as meshing. Boundary conditions and loads can also be applied directly to the edges, faces, or entire Parasolid bodies.
Parasolid assemblies, which are collections of bodies, can be loaded into the ADINA Modeler. Matching faces of adjacent bodies can be linked so that compatible meshes are generated at the interfaces.
ADINA 2025 Released
A new major update for ADINA is available now.
This version has several new structural elements and materials, plus a modernized Ribbon Menu interface.
We are pleased to announce this new major release of ADINA. For a complete list of changes see ADINA 2025 Release Notes.
Bentley Structural WorkSuite users may now run ADINA. The ADINA SWS mode includes the ADINA User Interface (AUI) and ADINA Structures solver. Some non-standard structural materials are excluded as well as the Thermo-mechanical coupling features of ADINA Advanced and the Computational Fluid Dynamics features in ADINA Ultimate. For additional details see ADINA 2025 for Structural WorkSuite
Ribbon menu and updated icons
The AUI now includes larger ribbon menu icons in 32-bit color making it easier to see and understand the meaning of each tool.
- Icons and icon groups scale dynamically based on application window dimensions.
- Some icons include multiple options in a drop-down list.
- Command Search utility quickly locates any command.
- Windows can be docked to the edges of the user interface or they can be floating.
- Styles or color themes can be applied to the interface as a whole.
New Explicit Bathe Time Integration Solution
A new and effective explicit time integration method b1/b2 – Bathe is implemented. The method is a one parameter scheme (b1 or b2) that accurately solves analysis problems of structural vibrations and wave propagations.
Fiber-beam element
A fiber beam is a specialized type of beam element with cross-sections composed of multiple fibers. It originates from ADINA’s standard beam element, retaining most theoretical aspects except those related to handling cross-section forces and deformations. While a standard beam cross-section can be selected from the cross-section library (such as Rectangular, Pipe, Box-beam, U-beam, I-beam, L-beam, and General), the cross-section of a fiber beam is formed by combining numerous fibers. Unlike the standard beam, which has a uniform material throughout the cross-section, the fiber beam allows different materials to be assigned to different fibers, offering greater flexibility.
New and Improved Material Models
Steel Uniaxial model
The steel model is a uniaxial material model available for truss, link and fiber beam elements. The model described in this section is based on a bounding surface plasticity framework. This model captures key cyclic behaviors of structural and reinforcing steel, including: the sharp yield, yield plateau, and strain hardening behavior under monotonic loading; the Bauschinger effect, which results in a reduced yield stress when the loading direction reverses; cyclic hardening behavior, where maximum and minimum stresses increase upon cycling between constant strain levels; gradual stabilization to constant hysteretic loops during cycling; mean stress relaxation in cases of large inelastic cycles with non-zero mean strain.
The figure below illustrates the characteristics of the model. In this example, a bar is axially loaded according to a specified cyclic load pattern, and the material response is shown in terms of normalized axial stress and strain.
Plastic-Fracturing (PF) Concrete Material Model
The Plastic-fracturing-concrete (PF-concrete) material model is designed to accurately represent the limiting behavior of concrete using plastic-fracturing theory and strain-based finite element methods. It incorporates several aspects for modeling concrete, including formulations for cracking, crack opening and closure, and crushing, similar to the solution implemented for the DF-concrete model. For tensile stress-strain behavior and tension-softening, it follows classical concrete theory as implemented in the DF-concrete as well. A new approach for compressive nonlinear behavior is implemented to achieve better response predictions with limit loads for practical engineering problems.
Drucker-Prager Material and Mohr-Coulomb Material Model
Complete strain hardening behavior is added to the Drucker-Prager and the Mohr-Coulomb geotechnical material models.
New (green) and Improved (orange) material models in version 2025.