Carrying A Torch For FEA: Simulating The Manufacturing Process For The 2012 Olympic Torch

The 2012 London Olympic Games were hailed as an almost universal success, not just in sporting terms, but also for the way that the activities to support the Games involved so many people around the host country. One of the major factors in engaging the British public was the Olympic Torch relay. Over the course of 70 days, starting from Land’s End in Cornwall on May 19th to its arrival at the Olympic Stadium in London in July, some 8,000 runners carried the flame on its 8,000 mile route throughout the UK. Each runner ran with their own torch meaning that a total of more than 8,000 torches had to be produced. The contract for manufacturing these was awarded to The Premier Group in Coventry, and this article discusses some of the detail of the manufacturing process and use of FEA.