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Simulation
Kerf vs Ansys Mechanical
The structural-FEA gold standard — compared honestly against MIT open-core.
18/18in Kerf today
16/18in Ansys Mechanical (included)
0behind a paid tier
2026-06-05last reviewed
Grouped by discipline (D1–D14), same as Kerf's own capability list. Click a section to expand it.
D1 Geometry & core CAD
D2 Structural / FEA
| Capability | Kerf | Ansys Mechanical |
|---|---|---|
| Linear static structural |
yes
packages/kerf-fem/src/kerf_fem/solid_hex.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Modal analysis (natural frequencies) |
yes
packages/kerf-fem/src/kerf_fem/modal.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Harmonic / frequency response |
yes
packages/kerf-fem/src/kerf_fem/harmonic.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Random vibration (PSD) + response spectrum |
yes
packages/kerf-fem/src/kerf_fem/random_vibration.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Eigenvalue buckling |
yes
packages/kerf-fem/src/kerf_fem/buckling.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Nonlinear — metal plasticity (J2) |
yes
packages/kerf-fem/src/kerf_fem/plasticity/
|
yes source ↗ |
| Nonlinear — hyperelastic (rubber/elastomer) |
yes
packages/kerf-fem/src/kerf_fem/nonlinear_hyperelastic.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Contact (friction / gap, penalty / augmented-Lagrange) |
yes
packages/kerf-fem/src/kerf_fem/contact/
|
yes source ↗ |
| Steady + transient thermal; thermal-structural coupling |
yes
packages/kerf-fem/src/kerf_fem/multiphysics/thermal_structural.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Fatigue / durability (S-N, E-N, mean-stress) |
yes
packages/kerf-fem/src/kerf_fem/fatigue_fem.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Fracture mechanics (J-integral, crack growth) |
yes
packages/kerf-fem/src/kerf_fem/fracture/crack_growth_sim.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Explicit dynamics (impact / drop) |
yes
packages/kerf-fem/src/kerf_fem/explicit.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Composite layered shells (Tsai-Wu / Hashin) |
yes
packages/kerf-composites/src/kerf_composites/clt.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Structural acoustics (harmonic / modal) |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/acoustics/
|
yes source ↗ |
| Topology optimization |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/topology/
|
yes source ↗ |
| Additive manufacturing process simulation |
yes
packages/kerf-manufacturing/src/kerf_manufacturing/am_thermomechanical.py
|
yes source ↗ |
- yes shipped
- partial works with limits
- paid tier present, but behind an add-on or meter
- no not available
Corrections welcome. These rows are read off published documentation on the date shown and go stale as products ship. If a row is wrong, open an issue — the source file is public/compare/ansys-mechanical.md and every claim in it carries a link.