FEA and Wood

Fender performs FEA-finite element analysis to enhance the structural and acoustic stability of their guitar designs which is of primary importance to the professional musicians to whom their Fender guitar is a high precision tool. Unlike typical FEA applications, a guitar made of wood has a number of unusual forces acting on it that must be stabilized. "Wood can behave very strangely and exhibit lots of variables and odd quirks", says Mark Carlson, mechanical engineer in Fender's R & D department.