Code_Aster: scientific excellence at the service of engineering studies

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A research code that has become a benchmark tool for engineering

Developed by EDF R&D over the past 35 years, Code_Aster is a numerical simulation software package for mechanics and thermodynamics, designed to analyse the behaviour of structures and materials. Born out of EDF’s research and expertise needs, it has gradually evolved to become a benchmark industrial tool, used both for the development of new calculation methods and for carrying out engineering studies with high technical stakes. This dual purpose is one of code_aster’s key strengths: it enables researchers to develop and validate new modelling approaches whilst providing engineers with a robust and tried-and-tested environment for producing studies, analysing industrial components and supporting decision-making. Today, code_aster represents several decades of scientific and technical investment, over a million lines of code, several thousand test cases run daily, and some of the most comprehensive reference documentation in the field.

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A wide range of features for the most demanding analyses

Code_aster covers a wide range of applications in mechanics, thermodynamics, geomechanics and materials science. Its extensive functionality enables it to meet the needs of both research and engineering studies aimed at the design, operation, maintenance and life extension of installations. In particular, the software offers advanced capabilities for:

• linear and non-linear static analysis of structures and equipment;
• non-linear mechanical and thermo-mechanical calculations;
• thermal, thermo-hydration and thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling calculations;
• geomechanics and the study of soil-structure interactions;
• modal, spectral and linear dynamic analyses;
• non-linear dynamic calculations and vibrational analysis of structures;
• the analysis of rotating machinery;
• the assessment of the seismic performance of structures and equipment;
• the analysis of the ageing of structures, materials and engineering works;
• fatigue, fracture and limit state analysis of metallic components;
• the modelling of welding and additive manufacturing processes;
• the study of periodic structures and multi-scale phenomena.

This functional diversity enables code_aster to be used across a wide range of industrial sectors — energy, nuclear, civil engineering, transport, aerospace and academic research — whilst providing a consistent modelling and analysis framework recognised for its scientific robustness and industrial reliability. Find out more about code_aster’s features...

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Software quality rooted in nuclear industry requirements

Code_Aster is developed within EDF R&D to meet the needs of the most demanding energy facilities, particularly in the nuclear sector, where safety, availability and risk management considerations require a high level of confidence in calculation results. This requirement is reflected in a rigorous quality assurance policy covering the entire software lifecycle: code architecture, scientific validation, configuration management, qualification of updates and systematic regression testing. This approach enables users to benefit from software that is innovative, robust and sustainable, suited to the most complex structural mechanics and thermal analyses.