Ansys Advantage Vol2 Iss4

ADVANTAGE
TM
EXCELLENCE IN ENGINEERING SIMULATION

VOLUME II ISSUE 4 2008
SPOTLIGHT
ON ANSOFT
PAGE 19
SIMULATION OPENING UP WITH DESIGNING CHEMICAL

RACE MULTIPHYSICS EQUIPMENT
PAGE 4 PAGE 8 PAGE 38
EDITORIAL
Image © istockphoto.com/IKonstantin Inozemetsu

A Big Step Forward
in Mechatronics
The acquisition of Ansoft expands the breadth of multiphysics capabilities
from ANSYS and gives engineers a powerful range of simulation tools
for systems, blending together mechanical and electronics designs.
Mechatronics-based products combine mechanical This entry of ANSYS into the electronic design software
assemblies with electronics, intelligent control systems, industry broadens the company’s range of simulation
electromagnetics and electromechanical components. They solutions. Furthermore, adding Ansoft electromagnetics
are all around us — and growing exponentially. Electronics- and electromechanical functionality to ANSYS technologies
based hand-held products, unheard of years ago, are now for structural and fluid dynamics simulations greatly
commonplace, and traditionally all-mechanical products expands the range of multiphysics simulations that can
such as cars, planes, toys and appliances now have be performed — especially those involving mechatronics.
increasing levels of electronic circuitry. With these comprehensive multiphysics solutions,
One formidable barrier in developing these mechatronics electronics engineers can readily evaluate stresses in
systems is that mechanical and electronics development semiconductor packages and printed circuit boards as
processes are usually not performed in an integrated manner. well as assess reliability of hand-held devices undergoing
Mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD) and electronic shock and vibration. They can study various cooling
design automation (EDA) systems typically are incompatible strategies for electronics and better understand heat flow
and do not exchange data smoothly. These different in high-density packages. All of this can be accomplished
disciplines often work independently — risking problems while also optimizing the design of radio-frequency and
downstream when subsystems are pieced together, resulting microwave components or studying signal and power
in missed opportunities to collaborate in optimizing the integrity of high-performance electronics. The various
system’s overall multiphysics performance. In development simulations can be tied together within the ANSYS
of a stealth fighter aircraft, for example, designing the exterior Workbench framework for a smooth exchange of data
shape of the plane to minimize reflection of electromagnetic between various field solvers and design tools; the infor-
waves from ground radar may not result in optimal aero- mation can be linked with ANSYS Engineering Knowledge
dynamics and might limit options for designing the landing gear Manager (EKM) software for managing simulation data.
or weapon delivery systems. Such a unified approach, breadth of engineering
A big step forward in bringing together these otherwise solutions and depth of multiphysics technologies gives
separate physics was taken recently with the ANSYS, Inc. development teams the tools they need in a competitive
acquisition of Ansoft Corporation — a provider of EDA environment, where the ability to design mechatronics-
software and simulation tools for electromagnetics, electro- based systems better and faster will likely be decisive for a
mechanical, circuit and electronic systems. For more on this growing number of companies in the coming years. ■
important development, see the industry spotlight section in
this issue for a history of Ansoft, a lineup of software
products, the synergy of the two companies’ solutions,
and case studies showing how companies put these John Krouse, Senior Editor and Industry Analyst
technologies to work.
www.ansys.com ANSYS Advantage • Volume II, Issue 4, 2008 1
CONTENTS
Table of Contents
FEATURES
4 AUTOMOTIVE
First to the Finish Line
In a sport where winning is often decided by split seconds,
the BMW Sauber F1 Team uses fluid dynamics solutions from
ANSYS to lower lap times through improved vehicle aerodynamics.
4 8 INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT
New Check Valves Swing into Action
ANSYS multiphysics simulation and design optimization
determine petrochemical check valve flow characteristics
overnight — a task that otherwise could take years to complete.
11 ANALYSIS TOOLS
Making an Impact
Modern explicit solutions enable the study of blast or
high-impact scenarios.
15 THOUGHT LEADER
Multiphysics Maestro
8
An industry visionary shares insights into the evolution of
multiphysics solutions and future challenges to overcome.
SPOTLIGHT ON ANSOFT
20 A History of Innovation
Ansoft has a long history of developing leading simulation
solutions for the electronics industry.
11
23 ANSYS and Ansoft:
The Power of Synergy
Integrating Ansoft tools with technologies from ANSYS
combines the best of both worlds for developing
electronic products.
26 Aligned with the ANSYS Vision

The Ansoft product suite will help deliver benefits to the
entire ANSYS engineering simulation community.
27 Electric Motors Advanced by

“Ultra” Power Storage
Electromechanical simulation tools aid in the design
flow of hybrid–electric systems.
20
29 Microwave Simulation, Macro Benefits
Electromagnetic simulation finds applications in
high-performance antenna systems and electronics.
31 Impeding Interference
Panasonic improves signal integrity design for a remote
surveillance camera using electronics design software
from Ansoft.
27
2 ANSYS Advantage • Volume II, Issue 4, 2008 www.ansys.com

CONTENTS
SIMULATION @ WORK DEPARTMENTS

33 AUTOMOTIVE 40 ANALYSIS TOOLS
Decreasing the Shock in Multibody Dynamics:
Shock Absorbers Rigid and Flexible Methods
Engineering simulation improves valve design for an Choosing the right simulation method for dynamic assemblies
automotive shock absorber. doesn’t have to be risky.
34 ENERGY 43 ANALYSIS TOOLS

Scheduling Replacements Smartly Extensive Multiphase Flow Capabilities
Simulation is used to effectively predict crack growth Fluid dynamics simulation provides a wide range of multiphase
that could lead to power plant valve failure. flow capabilities to meet challenging industrial needs.
36 TURBOMACHINERY 46 TIPS AND TRICKS

What’s Shakin’? Analyzing Viscoelastic Materials
The combination of 3-D structural dynamics, ANSYS Workbench Mechanical solutions from ANSYS have convenient tools
and classical rotordynamics modeling techniques helps solve for calculating deformation of materials in which stiffness
rotating machinery vibration problems. changes as a function of loading, time and temperature.
38 PROCESS INDUSTRIES 48 ACADEMIC

Designing Safe Crackers Small Bubbles, Large Benefit
Fluid and structural simulation combine to help researchers Air injection simulations show promise for reducing ship drag
analyze a variety of stresses on catalytic cracking equipment. by injecting air bubbles to reduce skin friction along the hull
of a vessel.
49 OUTSIDE THE BOX

Snowflake by Snowflake
Simulation provides insight about snow safety.
36 49
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Executive Editor Art Director Ad Sales Manager Designer About the Cover
Fran Hensler Susan Wheeler Helen Renshaw Miller Creative Group Ansoft is a leading developer
of high-performance electronic
Managing Editor Editors Graphics Contributor Circulation Manager design automation software.
Chris Reeves Erik Ferguson Gregg M. Webber Sharon Everts Learn about this expertise
Marty Mundy in the Spotlight on Ansoft
Senior Editor and Shane Moeykens Editorial Advisor beginning on page 19.
Industry Analyst Kelly Wall
John Krouse
ANSYS Advantage is published for ANSYS, Inc. customers, partners and others interested in the field of design and analysis applications.
Neither ANSYS, Inc. nor the senior editor nor Miller Creative Group guarantees or warrants accuracy or completeness of the material contained in this publication.
ANSYS, ANSYS Workbench, Ansoft Designer, CFX, AUTODYN, FLUENT, GAMBIT, POLYFLOW, Airpak, DesignSpace, FIDAP, Flotran, Iceboard, Icechip, Icemax, Icepak,
FloWizard, FLOWLAB, G/Turbo, MixSim, Nexxim, Q3D Extractor, Maxwell, Simplorer, Mechanical, Professional, Structural, DesignModeler, TGrid, AI*Environment, ASAS,
AQWA, AutoReaGas, Blademodeler, DesignXplorer, Drop Test, ED, Engineering Knowledge Manager, Emag, Fatigue, Icepro, Icewave, Mesh Morpher, ParaMesh, TAS,
TASSTRESS, TASFET, TurboGrid, Vista, VT Accelerator, CADOE, CoolSim, SIwave, Turbo Package Analyzer, RMxprt, PExprt, HFSS, Full-Wave SPICE, Simulation Driven
Product Development and any and all ANSYS, Inc. brand, product, service, and feature names, logos and slogans are registered trademarks or trademarks of ANSYS, Inc.
or its subsidiaries located in the United States or other countries. ICEM CFD is a trademark licensed by ANSYS, Inc. All other brand, product, service and feature names or
www.ansys.com
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ANSYS Advantage • Volume II, Issue 4, 2008 3
© 2008 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.
AUTOMOTIVE
First to
the Finish Line
In a sport where winning is often decided by split seconds,
the BMW Sauber F1 Team uses fluid dynamics solutions from
ANSYS to lower lap times through improved vehicle aerodynamics.
By John Krouse, Senior Editor and Industry Analyst, ANSYS Advantage
Formula 1 (F1) race cars are Nevertheless, within these evolving vehicle nose, side pods with cooling
strange-looking beasts, resembling restrictions, aerodynamics is a key per- inlets, wheels, brakes, suspension
Star Wars fighting machines more than formance driver for teams wanting to and exhaust system.
motor vehicles. The numerous odd- improve car lap times by the fractions of During cornering, braking, acceler-
shaped appendages, exposed tires a second needed to win races, according ating and high-speed maneuvering in
and open cockpit all contribute to con- to Willem Toet, head of aerodynamics the pack, the key is road-holding
siderable air resistance. Indeed, the for the BMW Sauber F1 Team. ability from downward forces pro-
aerodynamic drag of these cars is Given these demands, developing duced by airfoil surfaces on the
worse than that of a brick. optimal racecar aerodynamics is a vehicle. At speeds above 170 km/h
The reason for such low aero- huge engineering challenge involving a (106 mph), this force against the track
dynamics is that F1 rules mandate wide range of conflicting requirements. typically equals total vehicle weight so
these configurations — along with In straightaways, highest speeds at full that the car could drive upside down
standardized tires and restrictions on throttle are gained with aerodynamic across the ceiling — at least in theory.
engine development — to limit car “slippery” vehicles, in which compo- These high downward forces
speeds, thereby making for a slower, nents exposed to the air stream are inevitably increase air resistance and
safer and more exciting race in which integrated. These include the chassis, lower the vehicle’s top speed, however.
vehicles are more evenly matched. underbody, engine cover with air inlets, The aerodynamicist must balance

AUTOMOTIVE
these trade-offs so that the time gained to mid-1990s. In recent years, com-
on the bends is not lost on the straight- putational fluid dynamics (CFD)
aways. Every part of the bodywork simulation has experienced a real
must be designed to provide maximum boom period in racecar design
downward force with a minimum of because of the ability to quickly
drag. Moreover, downward force at the and cost-effectively study aero-
front and rear of the vehicle must be dynamic efficiency and investigate
carefully apportioned depending on the impact of design modification
characteristics of individual racetracks. and alternative what-if changes on
Also, aerodynamic parts such as fins, vehicle performance.
diffusers, wings and barge boards Fluid flow simulations are used
must provide optimal downward force extensively in these applications
without interfering with air inlets or and range from the stationary analysis
engine cooling. The aerodynamic of individual components (wing
design from the front of the car to the profiles, for example) up to investiga-
rear depends on the shape and place- tions of the entire vehicle as well as
ment of all these components, and the non-stationary simulations, such as
vehicle reacts extremely sensitively to interactions within the vehicle when
the slightest design alterations. overtaking another car. Also covered
Compounding these technical are fluid flow considerations that are
complexities, teams have only nine outside the field of aerodynamics,
months to develop a new car. Chassis, such as sloshing inside a fuel tank.
engine, transmission and, above all, Demonstrating a commitment to
aerodynamic concept must be right expanding its use of CFD, the BMW
at the very first attempt. There is no Sauber F1 Team recently upgraded
time for multiple prototype cycles, its high-performance supercomputer
and, when the first tests are held cluster specifically developed for
in January, it is generally too late efficiently processing these simu-
for wholesale changes. Furthermore, lations. Made by DALCO AG of Aerodynamicists tune the configuration of the rear diffuser
during the racing season the idea of Switzerland, the cluster has a peak to provide different downward force strength depending on
characteristics of individual tracks. Top to bottom shows
“standing still” with the same design is computing speed in excess of 50 designs used in the 2007 season for races at Montreal,
an alien concept. “At practically every teraflops (one trillion calculations Canada; Barcelona, Spain; and Monza, Italy.
one of the 18 races, teams make per second) with a compute section
some kind of improvement so that based on Intel® Xeon® 5160 dual-core
their cars at the end of the season and E5472 quad-core processors. engineers can process full-vehicle
have very little in common with the With this processing power and the simulations in a matter of a few hours,
original designs,” said Toet. “With a efficiency of fluid dynamics solutions instead of the weeks otherwise
race scheduled every two weeks, the from ANSYS, BMW Sauber F1 Team’s required on conventional machines.
clock is ticking to make performance-
enhancing modifications on their cars
before competitors do.”
Simulation is a Must-Have Tool

In contending with the above
technical challenges and demanding
timetables, today’s racing aero-
dynamicists simply cannot rely on
intuition or trial-and-error methods.
Rather, engineering simulation has
become a standard part of vehicle
development for most teams.
Finite element analysis became
universally used in the racing industry
as early as the 1980s, while simula-
tions of air flow appeared in the early

AUTOMOTIVE
“The big difference with CFD

compared to wind tunnels is that you
not only get results, but you also get
an understanding of what goes on.
Wind tunnel testing remains important
with experimental work and CFD
complementing each other,” said
Theissen. He noted that comparative
wind tunnel measurements are also
used for calibration and validation of
the fluid flow calculations to increase
the accuracy and reliability of simula-
tion results. The range and detail
of data collected, reproducibility of
the results, and a better understanding
of complex aerodynamic interactions
are all strong arguments in favor of
CFD simulations.
In an expanding range of studies,
simulation is used to overcome limita-
tions of wind tunnel testing. Because
Fluid Dynamics Complements Wind Tunnels He added that wind tunnel testing vehicles generally are stationary for
“The latest upgrade of our super- will continue as an important design wind tunnel tests, for example,
computer was a decisive reinforcement element of their Formula 1 racing car evidence concerning air-flow char-
of our CFD capacity. Unlike other teams, design. The BMW Sauber F1 Team’s acteristics can be rather vague in
we didn’t plan to build a second wind wind tunnel generates wind speeds up many regions. Also, wind tunnel tests
tunnel. Instead, we have used the key to 300 km/h (188 mph) and features are of little use in investigating heating
relationship commitment with our high- what is known as a “rolling road” that and cooling effects because the
performance computing (HPC) partners, can simulate the interaction between engine is not running and brakes are
including ANSYS, to continue to develop the vehicle and the road surface. Using not at operating temperature. In con-
and exploit the expanding potential for the wind tunnel, engineers can readily trast, fluid dynamics simulations take
CFD that high-performance computing see the effect, on the actual vehicle, of all these factors into account, and
gives us,” explained Mario Theissen, minor adjustments made on the spot calculations can be applied to all
BMW Motorsport director. to part geometries and orientations. physical parameters, including those
Top view of the current model BMW Sauber F1.08 shows the aerodynamic complexity of a Formula 1 racecar.

AUTOMOTIVE
involving variations in multiple inter-

related parameters. In the final
analysis, however, it is the testing on
the racetrack itself that is the actual
yardstick for evaluating the success
of the aerodynamic methods in use
and deciding to what extent they
have been effective.
Coping with New Regulations

Beginning with the 2009 racing
season, new regulations for the con-
figuration of Formula 1 cars will
drastically limit the use of aerodynamic
surfaces. Many components, such as
winglets to direct airflow, will become
history. These constraints will certainly
result in slower lap times, and perform- demands of the new motor sports rules for producing sufficient down force in
ance of all the racing teams will likely are pushing aerodynamic designs fur- critical situations. “Now more than ever,
become more closely matched. ther than ever and radically increasing CFD continues to be a major factor
“New regulatory changes do not the efforts of teams to maintain optimum influencing overall lap times and an
mean that CFD simulations will performance.” He noted that the front indispensable tool in the development of
become less important or that the wing will be completely re-engineered, Formula 1 racecars.” ■
work of aerodynamicists will diminish,” for example, to compensate for the The author thanks freelance writer Ulrich Feldhaus
Toet emphasized. “On the contrary, lack of winglets, which are responsible for contributing portions of the material in this article.

INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT
New Check Valves

Swing into Action
ANSYS multiphysics simulation and design optimization determine
petrochemical check valve flow characteristics overnight —
a task that otherwise could take years to complete.
By Christophe Avdjian, Design Development Manager, Engineered Valves, Cameron Inc., Vitrolles, France
For over 60 years, Cameron’s

Valves and Measurement group has
supplied full port check valves for oil,
gas and petrochemical applications.
Manufactured under the well-known
brand Tom WheatleyTM, these
robust and reliable valves con-
tain a disk-shaped clapper at
the end of a pivoted arm that is
forced shut by reverse flow of
the medium, such as natural
gas, crude oil or refined
petroleum products. Through
this action, the valve provides
instantaneous protection of
compressors and other
upstream equipment costing
hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Using such valves helps avoid
ANSYS CFX software results show areas of turbulence inside the valve body, indicating areas
operational downtime expenses that that could be modified to reduce pressure losses. The contours represent velocity.
can reach into the millions of dollars.
In one recent project, Cameron’s
engineers used a range of tech- conjunction with ANSYS DesignXplorer surfaces that guide the way to an
nologies from ANSYS to develop a software for design of experiments optimal design.
new line of check valves. Primary (DOEs) to optimize the shape of the In this iterative process, the use
design goals were to reduce pressure clapper disk for greater flow efficiency of ANSYS DesignModeler technology
losses in the valve and to increase the in fully open and partially closed posi- was critical in preparing the range of
time the valve would stay fully open tions. By efficiently performing many geometries for efficient part meshing
in low-flow conditions — particularly sequential fluid flow analyses, ANSYS with each iteration, as well as gener-
during system startup, when pipelines DesignXplorer software goes through ating the fluid portion of the model
are often not operating at full flow for multiple iterations and quickly con- for analysis. The tool readily imported
weeks, months or even years. verges on a target solution: in this case, CAD geometry from its native
the disk shape causing the least Autodesk ® Inventor ® format and
Reducing Pressure Losses amount of pressure loss. In this goal- created a parameterized model,
To reduce pressure losses, engi- driven approach, Cameron’s engineers enabling engineers to modify compo-
neers used ANSYS CFX fluid flow used on-screen slider bars to change nent geometries anywhere in the
software to locate areas of maximum the various input parameters and process simply by changing a few
turbulence inside the valve body. The immediately view output parameters key values. Through this process, the
ANSYS CFX product was used in displayed as color-coded 3-D response engineering team was able to achieve

Pressure Loss Even with ordinary simulation and

modeling processes, determining the
performance characteristics for every
1.59E+6 conceivable feed condition for all 50
valves would be a daunting task,
1.27E+6 taking years to complete. Cameron’s
goal was to develop an approach that
9.55E+5 leveraged the capabilities of tech-
ss
nologies from ANSYS for performing
Pressure Lo
6.37E+5 the needed calculations practically
overnight. Together, Cameron’s engi-
3.18e+5
neers and an ANSYS team in Lyon,
France developed a streamlined, auto-
5.60E+0
mated approach that achieved this
1.0
E+1
0E
2.3
goal by linking ANSYS CFX software
+1
1.00
E+2
0E
3.6
+1
1.08
E+2
with the ANSYS DesignXplorer tool

0E
4.9
2.06
+1
E+2
in such a way as to analyze virtually

0E
6.2
3.04
+1
E+2
gle
0E
Mas An thousands of inlet flow-rate and

s Flo
4.02
+1
7.5
E+2
w
0E
angular position combinations without

5.00
+1
user intervention, for the entire range

This response surface plot shows flow, arm angle and pressure loss data that can be used of feed conditions on each valve size.
by engineers to optimize the design of the check valve. During this automated process,
ANSYS DesignXplorer software
an almost three-fold improvement in portions of the valve body assembly explores a range of possible angular
pressure loss using the new design. as well as shock forces and deflec- positions of the arm and disk. Multiple
tions of the clapper in its emergency meshes are automatically generated
Longer Open Times “slam shut” mode of operation.
Similarly, Cameron’s engineers Cameron’s Tom Wheatley experience
used ANSYS DesignXplorer and combined with the latest tools from
ANSYS DesignModeler technologies in ANSYS has enabled the develop-
conjunction with ANSYS Mechanical ment of a new generation of check
software to optimize the weight of the valve that provides a higher level of
arm and clapper without overstressing performance than was previously
or deforming the parts. This simulation available. The valves are tentatively
reduced the mass and inertia of the scheduled to arrive on the market
assembly up to 50 percent, resulting in early in 2009.
less weight pulling down on the clapper
and, therefore, longer open time for the Evaluating Full Range of Characteristics
valve during low-flow conditions. Open Cameron’s engineers are also
time was further increased by a multi- using ANSYS CFX and ANSYS
physics optimization of the angle of the DesignXplorer tools to compile a
clapper and arm assembly, performed reference database of valve perform-
using the ANSYS DesignXplorer tool in ance under a wide range of flow
conjunction with both ANSYS CFX and rates and fluid types for each of
ANSYS Mechanical technology in the the 50 different sizes and pressure
same set of simulations. The end result classes of the new valve. The angu-
was a dramatic improvement in low- lar position of the arm and clapper
flow performance, with the valve assembly depends on the effects of
remaining open for flow rates nearly the inlet fluid, gravity and external
75 percent lower than nominal rates forces, so typically up to two weeks
of other comparable check valves. are required to perform the many
In addition, engineers used the detailed calculations for a limited
ANSYS Mechanical product by itself operational range of one valve size.
Pressure decreases in the valve assembly as the
in analyzing stresses and non- This can result in delays in getting arm and clapper move from full-close to full-open
linear contact in pressure-containing back to the customer with solutions. positions.

using the parametric-driven geometry torque, and torque from the weight of
from the ANSYS DesignModeler tool the arm and disk as a function of angle
and then imported into ANSYS CFX and center of gravity.
software to determine pressure loss A goal-driven optimization was then
in relation to valve input flow rate. performed to determine the clapper
ANSYS CFX software also computes angle for each inlet flow rate at which
the torque at the rotation axis of the total torque equals zero — the point at
arm generated by the fluid acting on which the valve is in equilibrium — for
the clapper. all valve feed conditions. From a
These ANSYS CFX outputs are generated sample of 5,000 points,
collected by ANSYS DesignXplorer the Cameron engineering team used
software for every successive simula- ANSYS DesignXplorer technology
tion representing up to 15 different to iterate through the multitude of
stages of valve closure positions from solutions and generate trade-off plots
fully open to fully closed and input flow as it converged to the ultimate objective
rate from minimum to maximum. To of a single curve showing pressure loss
verify the torque equilibrium conditions as a function of input flow rate for
of the arm and disk assembly, engi- valve equilibrium. This line of points
neers created a derived parameter in — essentially a flow performance curve
Analysis with ANSYS Mechanical software indicates
the ANSYS DesignXplorer tool to per- for a wide range of feed conditions — stress distribution in the optimized arm and clapper
mit summing three separate torques was generated for each of the 50 disk assembly.
acting on the assembly: fluid-induced valves, thus providing solutions in hours
torque, external forces–generated rather than weeks. ■
Trade-off plots show how ANSYS DesignXplorer software starts with more than 5,000 design-of-experiments calculation points (top left) and iteratively
converges, as the equilibrium condition of the clapper is narrowed, toward a single curve (bottom right). This indicates pressure loss as a function of
input flow rate for valve equilibrium — that is, when the arm and disk assembly is on the verge of closing.

ANALYSIS TOOLS
Image © istockphoto.com/Johncairns Simulation of a land mine exploding

under an armored vehicle
Making an Impact
Modern explicit solutions enable the study of
blast or high-impact scenarios.
By Bence Gerber, Regional Manager, Explicit Products, and Tham C. Yang, Software Engineer, ANSYS, Inc.
Simulation can provide insight into the complex physical engineers and analysts can produce accurate results that
phenomena that occur when severe loads are applied over a correctly model complex physical events.
short period of time. High-speed impacts, penetrations, Running simulations involves making trade-offs among
explosions, fluid structure interaction and other transient accuracy, ease of problem setup and computing time. ANSYS
physical phenomena with high stress–strain rates are best AUTODYN technology, developed over the past two decades,
solved with an explicit method using programs such as has consistently focused on ease of use and user productivity.
ANSYS LS-DYNA and ANSYS AUTODYN software. ANSYS AUTODYN software offers multiple solution
Explicit solvers discretize physical models, often created methods, such as Lagrange to model structural response, Euler
from CAD geometry, by creating a mesh of elements. The to model gas and fluid flows (including high pressure solid
conservation equations for mass momentum and energy are deformations in which metals behave as a liquid), and smooth
solved numerically using explicit time integration. Combining particle hydrodynamics to model hypervelocity impacts and
these equations with material models, initial conditions brittle material fracture and flow. These methods can be com-
and boundary conditions that are often nonlinear in nature, bined for various regions of a single problem to reach an

ANALYSIS TOOLS
optimal solution. Additional capabilities that reduce the The rapid increase in available computing power has
amount of effort and time to complete an analysis include: enabled the technology of explicit simulation to be used for
• The ability to set up, run and visualize analyses an expanding number of applications ranging from aero-
interactively space to mining, manufacturing to biomedical. The ANSYS
AUTODYN product is part of a comprehensive suite of soft-
• Mapping from one solution method to another
ware available through the ANSYS Workbench platform,
• Mapping in dimensions from 1-D to 2-D to 3-D which continues to grow to provide a complete simulation
• The ability to generate problem-specific output, environment. ■
such as a table of fragments produced
• An extensive material library that is easy to use
or modify
Predicting the Initial Stages of an Exploding Truck Bomb

Truck and car bombs have long (4,000 kg) of ammonium nitrate-fuel oil and fragments. The simulation illumi-
been weapons used by terrorists to (ANFO). The ANFO is modeled in an nates how the expanding detonation
promote their agendas. These stealthy, Euler domain, while the truck and cargo products coalesce and fracture
low-tech weapons are able to produce container are represented using the walls of the cargo container,
devastating and paralyzing effects. Lagrange shell elements. The inter- producing a cloud of debris and
Homeland security agencies around action between the expanding ANFO shrapnel. Just like airborne debris
the world are now investing millions of barrels and the cargo container is from a tornado, debris and shrapnel
dollars on a multilayered approach to defined using fully coupled Euler– from a truck blast result in injury and
counter such attacks. Some of the Lagrange fluid structure interaction. damage. The injury and devastation
strategies currently employed include The simulation characterizes the from the truck explosion in this
constructing barricades and masonry blast wave formed by the explosive sample case is exacerbated by the
walls that diffract the blast waves from and the fragments created from the vehicle’s rigid plate. Through the
a car/truck bomb to isolate the blast truck and containers. More significant simulation, one can see that the rigid
from the building by providing standoff is that ANSYS AUTODYN technology plate, which supports the eight barrels
distance between the exterior of a is able to predict the damage caused of ANFO, directs the expanding
building and vehicle access; exploiting to a building or other structure by the detonation product outward and
slopes and high ground in natural ter- combined loading of the blast wave upward, resulting in more damage.
rain when selecting sites for critical
facilities; and installing blast-resistant
windows to reduce the shards and
fragments produced from fractured
glass. Derivatives of these strategies
are tested with experiments prior to
implementation.
Experiments are expensive, risky
and often difficult to conduct. While it
is best to conduct them at a proving
ground miles away from urban devel-
opment, this can be difficult for nations
with limited land area. Furthermore, in
such a destructive environment, sensi-
tive pressure sensors and expensive
high-speed imaging devices are sus-
ceptible to damage and may not
survive the explosion.
Computer simulation can provide
helpful insight in these cases. As an
example, ANSYS AUTODYN software Eight detonated barrels of ANFO expanding in a truck Walls of a cargo container accelerate outward and
then fragment due to the explosion of a truck bomb.
is used to model a truck with a The rigid plate helps direct the debris up and out.
rigid plate bed carrying eight barrels

ANALYSIS TOOLS
Bullet Impact on a Ballistic Helmet

The head and neck of a soldier trauma to personnel wearing the helmet. the coupling of volumetric and
represents 12 percent of body area By simulating an FMJ bullet traveling at deviatoric response.
but receives up to 25 percent of all 360 meters per second (m/s), engineers Using this composite material
“hits” during combat. For this reason, have analyzed the side impact of a model, the team demonstrated that the
the use of helmets is critical and as bullet on a ballistic helmet, as well as composite helmet can defeat a 9 mm
old as warfare itself. Today, military the bullet’s own deformation to provide FMJ bullet impacting at 358 m/s from
forces are protecting their troops with clues on how to mitigate such threats. the side. The 9 mm FMJ suffers severe
helmets manufactured from light- The simulation is carried out using deformation on impact and later col-
weight composite fiber materials such ANSYS AUTODYN software, a com- lapses, reducing its effectiveness in
as para-aramid (KEVLAR®, Twaron®), puter program capable of computing perforating and penetrating the helmet.
strains, stresses, velocities and propa- Although the projectile does not perfo-
gation of shock waves as a function of rate the helmet, it possesses sufficient
space and time. The ballistic response momentum and kinetic energy to
of anisotropic material is more complex deform the inside of the helmet. The
and requires extensive material charac- results from the simulation also reveal
Failed Region
terization in comparison to isotropic that the impact region, both on the
materials. A composite material model outside and the inside of the helmet,
that couples the anisotropic constitutive is accelerated to a high velocity. This
behavior with nonlinear shock response high velocity along the thickness of
has been implemented in the ANSYS the helmet results in delamination,
AUTODYN product in cooperation indicating failure in the fibers. The
Closeup of bullet impacting the outer shell of a with Fraunhofer Ernst-Mach-Institut deformation and fiber failure, however,
composite helmet. The projectile suffers severe and funded by the European Space are not sufficient to compromise the
deformation after impact.
Agency (ESA). This material model standoff required for the safety of the
ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) takes into account anisotropic strength soldier using the helmet. A similar
polyethylene (Spectra®, Dyneema®) and degradation, material anisotropy, melting, approach could be followed to study
phenylenebenzobisoxazole, or PBO vaporization and decomposition, and other armor applications as well.
(Zylon ®), all of which can provide
improved comfort and protection.
The standards for the design and
development of the next generation of
combat helmets require that ballistic
tests be used to ensure adequate pro-
tection. Creating multiple prototype
helmets and testing them can be
expensive and time consuming, espe-
cially when exploring multiple material
and design variations. Simulation can
reduce the cost of development and
provide an understanding of the critical
physical phenomena that result in
failure when the helmet is subjected
to various threats.
A 9 millimeter full metal jacket
(FMJ) bullet weighs approximately
8 grams and consists of a brass
jacket with a lead core. While the
kinetic energy from the projectile may
not be sufficient to rupture the fibers in
Before Impact After Impact
a ballistic helmet, it is possible to
produce deformation and delamination Inner and outer views of a ballistic helmet after being impacted by an FMJ bullet
inside the helmet, resulting in brain

THOUGHT LEADER

THOUGHT LEADER
Multiphysics Maestro
An industry visionary shares insights into the evolution of
multiphysics solutions and future challenges to overcome.
EnginSoft S.p.A., headquartered in Italy and established in 1984, focuses on engineering technology and design process innovation.
Company founder and CEO Stefano Odorizzi was interviewed by Keith Hanna, ANSYS corporate marketing director in Europe,
about the role of multiphysics in engineering simulation.
How did you become focused on The concept behind PIDO is to refine designs quickly
engineering simulation, and specif- and effectively by blending simulation into product devel-
ically on multiphysics? opment processes, rather than performing these studies
I graduated in 1973 with a civil as a separate function. At ESTECO, we subsequently
engineering degree from the Uni- launched modeFRONTIER™ optimization software for
versity of Padua in Italy. I stayed companies to implement PIDO in their particular product
there to pursue an academic development activities. Essentially, the software controls
teaching career in construction the simulation of a wide range of design variables and
technologies and mechanics. quickly converges on a solution that best meets all
Dr. Stefano Odorizzi
Research in these fields included engineering requirements.
work in the fledgling technologies of finite element Today EnginSoft has a staff of over 200 and more than
analysis (FEA), computer-aided engineering (CAE) and 800 clients worldwide. We have been an ANSYS channel
intelligent digital prototyping (iDP). partner in Italy since 2003 and have had links to CFX
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, computer power software for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for over
increased dramatically and enabled more complex prob- 15 years. The long-standing relationship with ANSYS is
lems to be handled by engineering analysis codes, such one of EnginSoft’s major strengths.
as those available from ANSYS, Inc. A growing number
of simulation applications were directed at representing In the early years, was multiphysics less of an issue, since
the real-world loads and constraints engineers must individual engineering simulation disciplines such as FEA
always take into account — that is, multiple interacting and CFD were done separately for the most part?
physics such as structural, fluid dynamics, thermal and Yes and no. From the outset, EnginSoft applied an
electromagnetics. approach aimed at multiple disciplines in what we called
Capabilities for modeling and analyzing multiphysics CAE solutions for the design chain. We developed ancil-
problems unleashed a wave of engineering tools that have lary software for transferring models and data from one
transformed the way engineers design, develop, retrofit domain to another — for instance, from finite difference-
and enhance products in an expanding range of indus- based CFD to FEA-based structural analysis.
tries. The integration of multiphysics simulation into This was cumbersome, but it met customer require-
engineering processes was my vision from the start and ments for the physics to be coupled, even though
remains so today. indirectly. So to some extent, what is known today as
multiphysics is the approach we used for multiple disci-
You recognized the emerging trends in multiphysics plines two decades ago. Since then, the approach has
simulation quite early. How did you leverage this tech- widened to encompass a range of multiphysics and
nology into a commercial opportunity? multi-scale technologies as well as manufacturing
During the 1980s, industrial companies quickly saw process simulation.
the benefits of computer-aided engineering, so in 1984
I founded EnginSoft S.p.A. for technology transfer of How does technology from ANSYS fit into your
these solutions — mostly doing consulting in the Italian current range of activities?
market. As a complementary enterprise, in the 1990s we The multiphysics approach of software from
set up ESTECO, a research laboratory for engineering ANSYS goes hand in hand with our design process
optimization and IT technologies, which these days optimization concept for multiple disciplines, with
fall within the field of process integration and design ANSYS structural and mechanical modeling software
optimization (PIDO). as well as fluid dynamics and meshing technologies

THOUGHT LEADER
performing critical functions in the workflow. We have used Third, meaningful advances in simulation-based
this combination with considerable success at many engineering and sciences will require dramatic changes in
companies, including the auto supplier Mazzucconi and education. Interdisciplinary education in computational
the Piaggio motorcycle and motorbike company. (See science and computing technology must be greatly
accompanying sidebar stories.) improved. Interdisciplinary programs in computational
We are currently engaged in two European Union science must be encouraged, and the traditional bound-
collaborative projects with the aerospace and automotive aries between disciplines in higher education must be
industries that involve multiphysics and design optimization dissolved for information to be exchanged smoothly
for all levels of a design process, from component to system between scientists and engineers collaborating within
level right up to the early production concept phase. teams from multiple disciplines.
Fourth, because of the interdisciplinary character
What do you see as the major challenges currently facing and complexity of simulation, we must change the
the engineering community in making further progress manner in which research is funded. Incremental, short-
with multiphysics simulation? term research efforts are inadequate and instead should
As multiphysics and advanced modeling methods be replaced by long-term programs of high-risk research.
become more advanced, simulation-based engineering and Moreover, progress in such research will require the
science will be indispensable in meeting the technological creation of interdisciplinary teams that work together on
challenges of the 21st century. The process will leading-edge simulation problems.
not be “simulation as usual” for narrow studies of If applied mathematics and computer science
individual parts and assemblies, but it will be focused on methodologies are focused on computational science at
complex, interrelated engineering systems and on analysis this broad scale in overcoming the above barriers, there is
results that meet specified standards of precision and ample evidence that developments in multiphysics and
reliability. Hence, engineering simulation will develop new related new disciplines could significantly impact virtually
methods, technologies, procedures, processes and plan- every aspect of human experience.
ning strategies. All these will be key elements for achieving
progress in engineering and science. To reap these benefits, Where do you see engineering simulation going in the
however, four significant obstacles must be overcome. next 10 to 20 years?
First, we must revolutionize the way we conceive and From the perspective of EnginSoft, simulation-
perform simulation. In this respect, the mass success of based optimization will undoubtedly be used for more
computer-based engineering simulation may be its own realistic decision-making in support of engineering
worst enemy, because the knowledge base, methods and design, product manufacturing and field service
practices that enabled its achievements to date now activities. Tremendous strides are already being made
threaten to stifle its prospects for the future because of in technologies and approaches for managing the
organizational inertia and a reluctance to implement new huge amounts of simulation-based data.
approaches. Also, among the world’s leading engineering
Second, we must make significant advances in sup- simulation software suppliers, ANSYS, Inc. has the
porting technologies, including those for structuring the right long-term vision and is making significant invest-
way in which models are built and organized. These tech- ments both in the core disciplines of science and
nologies have a huge impact on the complexity, solution engineering and in the development of algorithms and
time and memory capacity required, and, even today, computational procedures for dynamic multiscale,
some of the most complex turbulent-flow problems can- multiphysics applications.
not currently be solved on the world’s largest and fastest Do I personally think we will get to a point where
computers. If progress continues at the rate of Moore’s science fiction becomes science fact within the next
law, such solutions may not become practical for decades decade or two, where design engineers focus most of
unless effective multiscale modeling technologies are their efforts on imagining product variants and product
developed to represent the entire range of complexities, innovations while computers churn away in the back-
from minute individual component details up to broad ground spitting out predictions in real time? I really do
system-level characteristics. think these dreams will become reality in my lifetime. ■

THOUGHT LEADER
Mazzucconi Uses Simulation

Throughout the Entire Process
In one recent project, EnginSoft used multi-
physics technologies in the study of a 1.3 liter diesel
engine cylinder head, made by the casting and pre-
machining supplier company Mazzucconi for Italian
automaker Fiat. In this study, ANSYS Structural
software was used in comparing residual stresses
due to casting process, pre-machining and heat
treatment. This set of simulations represented
leading-edge engineering simulation technology that This detailed finite element model contains more than 26,000 solid elements to
required a wide range of physical transient values accurately represent the intricacies of the Mazzucconi engine block casting.
(temperature and deformation, for example) to
be computed using control-volume meshing and
transferred to the ANSYS Structural model. “To my
knowledge, this is the first time that the overall
project and production process of such a complex
cast component was thoroughly simulated by
working in a single environment,” noted Luca Pirola,
technical manager of Mazzucconi. “It’s amazing how
powerful the tool is to analyze the logic of the
problem, as well as to optimize the entire process ANSYS Structural software was used to determine residual stresses in the engine
and synthesize and document the results for block to optimize casting, machining, heat treatment and other production processes.
decision-making.”
Piaggio Boosts Motorcycle Engine Performance

by 15 Percent
The Research and Development Center for
Piaggio group approached EnginSoft to perform
multiphysics optimization studies on one of their
motorcycle engines. The goal was to shorten product
development time and reduce costs by refining the
design with engineering simulation instead
of numerous prototype test cycles. The major
challenge was in developing an environmentally
friendly engine that conformed to stringent emissions
standards while maintaining high performance in
terms of low fuel consumption, reduced noise and
high reliability.
Piaggio engineers first created a 1-D functional
model representing the entire engine system, taking
into account the full set of structural and fluid
dynamics parameters for meeting all of the engine
power, torque and energy requirements. Pressure,
velocity and temperature output values from the 1-D
model served as an input for ANSYS Structural soft-
ware to calculate the structural behavior of engine This CAD model shows details of the Piaggio engine, for which the structural
materials. The 1-D results were also used as an input behavior of parts and materials was determined with ANSYS Structural software.
for ANSYS CFX software to calculate the complex
fluid mechanics and conjugate heat transfer of the
engine cooling system.

THOUGHT LEADER
The modeFRONTIER software

managed this multi-variable simu-
lation process providing input to the
1-D code (more than 20 parameters
were taken into account), along with
the physical and geometrical para-
meters of the gaskets and cylinder
heads for both ANSYS Structural and
ANSYS CFX simulation. This design
methodology met the project time and
cost goals and provided an added
benefit of improving engine perform-
ance by 15 percent. In this way,
ANSYS Multiphysics technology and
a collaborative optimization approach
helped Piaggio gain a significant
advantage in a fiercely competitive
global market.
Geometry of the engine cooling system was imported into ANSYS CFX software to study fluid mechanics and
heat transfer of the system.

In July 2008, ANSYS, Inc. acquired Ansoft Corporation. circuit elements and functional blocks, and optimize
As a leading developer of high-performance electronic system performance under actual operating conditions. To
design automation (EDA) software, Ansoft is world solve the underlying physics of the components, Ansoft
renowned for expertise in electromagnetic, circuit and tools use finite element and other simulation methods to
system simulation. The acquisition of Ansoft is the first accurately characterize the electromagnetic behavior. This
foray by ANSYS into the broader electronic design soft- part of the process is similar to many structural mechanics
ware industry and will enhance the breadth, depth, usability or fluid dynamics simulations from ANSYS, in that
and inter-operability of the expanded ANSYS portfolio of geometry is meshed and solved for a single component.
engineering simulation solutions. Ansoft also provides tools to allow this model of the
Ansoft software allows engineers to simulate component, or a reduced-order equivalent representation,
component-level behavior, combine this behavior with to be used as part of a full system-level simulation.

ANSOFT: HISTORY
A History of Innovation
Ansoft has a long history of developing leading simulation
solutions for the electronics industry.
By Mark Ravenstahl, Director, Marketing Communications, Ansoft LLC
Ansoft, a leading developer of high-performance elec-

tronic design automation software, is now a subsidiary of
ANSYS, Inc. We founded Ansoft to meet the design challenges
of modern high-performance electronic and electro-
mechanical systems by linking electromagnetic field
simulation with circuit and system-level design. Today’s
electronics products relentlessly become more dense, Ansoft grew out of research conducted at Carnegie
operate at higher speeds and grow in functionality. To be Mellon University by Zoltan J. Cendes, Ph.D., and
competitive in this dynamic market, engineers must be able his colleagues. Dr. Cendes’ early research focused on
to simulate the true behavior of these products by including low-frequency magnetic and electrostatic field compu-
the electromagnetic coupling. Additionally, the convergence tations. The original software developed by Dr. Cendes
of electronics and mechanics in many applications, such and his colleagues — Maxwell — was equipped with a
as hybrid electric vehicles, has driven the need to unite powerful Delaunay mesh-generation algorithm that
electromechanical system simulation with rigorous three- automated the meshing process and made the soft-
dimensional electromagnetic field modeling. Ansoft software ware very easy to use. In 1984, with the technology
allows engineers to simulate component-level behavior, developed to the point at which the principals believed
combine this behavior with circuit elements and functional it could be turned into a business and Dr. Cendes was
blocks, and optimize system performance under actual convinced that electromagnetics was being under-
operating conditions. The key to Ansoft’s success is solving utilized, Ansoft was formed.
the physics underlying electrical and electronics products In the 1980s, Ansoft started doing cutting-edge
using finite element and other simulation methods and research on high-frequency microwave fields. Ansoft
enabling these physics-based solutions to be used in system- developed new types of elements — called edge
level simulations. elements — that ultimately solved the “spurious
The Ansoft and ANSYS combination will address the modes” problem that had been plaguing researchers in
exploding global demand for more automated and functional finite element modeling of electromagnetic (EM)
products in a wide range of industries: alternative energy, devices. This development opened the door
wireless technology, high-speed digital devices, and auto- for the finite element method (FEM) to be
motive and aerospace applications. The combination of our employed in electrical engineering applica-
two world-class engineering organizations can already deliver tions. In 1990, Ansoft shipped the first version
many of the tools engineers require to meet these global of HFSS (High-Frequency Structure Simulator)
trends. We are very excited about our future together — technology, which has become the industry
working as one company, we will deliver an unprecedented standard for computing electromagnetic
range of simulation technology, from electromagnetics to properties of arbitrary 3-D components and
thermal, fluid flow to structural, physical to behavioral. Together structures. Following that, revenue from HFSS
we will deliver Simulation Driven Product Development across and other Ansoft-developed products for signal
the entire spectrum of engineered products. integrity analysis and electromechanical system
simulation grew at a 25 percent compound
average growth rate.
Propelled by the strength of HFSS, Ansoft
Zoltan Cendes grew to become a leading developer of high-
Chief Technology Officer and General Manager performance electronic design automation (EDA)
Ansoft LLC software. The unique ability of the products from

ANSOFT: HISTORY
Ansoft to leverage electromagnetics across Ansoft has expanded its research and
component, circuit and system design has development efforts beyond electromagnetics
allowed companies worldwide to design to include circuit and system simulation.
mobile communication, internet access, Today, the Ansoft product suite focuses on
broadband networking components and improving physical design by leveraging
systems, integrated circuits (ICs) and advanced electromagnetic-field simulators
printed circuit boards (PCBs), as well as dynamically linked to powerful circuit and
electromechanical systems such as system simulation. These capabilities
automotive components and power elec- allow engineers to eliminate physical
tronics systems. In April 1996, Ansoft prototypes, maximize product perform-
completed its initial public offering and ance and greatly reduce time to market.
began trading on the NASDAQ stock With the acquisition of Ansoft by
exchange under the symbol “ANST.” In 2008, ANSYS, two world-class engineering organi-
Dr. Cendes received the Institute of Electrical zations are brought together — including
and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Antennas and experienced professionals with depth of knowl-
Propagation Society (AP-S) Distinguished edge in both simulation and a variety of industries.
Achievement Award for contributions to the wide- Ansoft’s target applications are divided into
spread use of user-friendly software tools for two segments: high-performance electronics
electromagnetic analysis and design. and electromechanical systems. ■
High-Performance Electronics
RF and Microwave
Radio frequency (RF) and microwave applications are a prime segment of the high-performance electronics
market. These applications include high-frequency components and circuits found in the transmitter and receiver
portions of communication systems, radar systems, satellites and cellular telephones. Market demands for
reduced cost, size, weight and battery consumption force component and system developers to consider electro-
magnetic effects within the design process. Modern high-performance RF modules have continually increasing
design complexity, density, package parasitics and chip-to-chip interactions. The Ansoft high-performance RF and
microwave solution targets these challenges with full-system verification, multi-chip simulation and package
interconnect parasitic extraction, ensuring successful development of next-generation RF and microwave designs.
Signal and Power Integrity

Engineers designing servers, storage devices, multimedia personal computers, entertainment systems and tele-
com systems have driven the industry trend to replace legacy shared-parallel buses with high-speed,
point-to-point serial buses. Standard interfaces like XAUI, XFI, Serial ATA, PCI Express™, HDMI™ and FB-DIMM
have emerged to provide greater throughput using serial signaling rates of 3 to10 gigabytes per second. While this
trend has greatly reduced the number of traces and connections within the system, it creates electromagnetic inter-
ference between the multiple connectors, transmission lines and vias on PCBs. High package pin count and
gigahertz-speed data rates translate into extremely fast I/O switching and high transient power sinking. Simul-
taneously, the average PCB size is decreasing, power density is increasing, and power delivery requirements are
tightening. Engineers apply full-wave electromagnetic field simulation to precisely analyze power nets and planes
using layout geometry. The signal- and power-integrity solutions of Ansoft allow engineers to solve these gigahertz-
speed and power-integrity design challenges.

ANSOFT: HISTORY
High-Performance Electronics Products
HFSS is a 3-D full-wave FEA-based product that allows The SIwave product analyzes complex PCB and IC
users to extract parasitic parameters (S, Y, Z), visualize packages.
3-D electromagnetic fields (near- and far-field) and
generate Full-Wave SPICE models. HFSS utilizes a 3-D Q3D Extractor software efficiently performs the 3-D and
full-wave finite element method field solver to compute 2-D quasi-static electromagnetic field simulation
the electrical behavior of complex components of required for the extraction of resistance, inductance,
arbitrary shape and user-defined material properties. capacitance and conductance (RLCG) parameters from
an interconnect structure. It automatically generates an
The Nexxim product is an advanced circuit simulator equivalent SPICE subcircuit model.
that addresses the increasingly complex, nonlinear and
full-wave circuit behavior of gigabit-speed serial The Turbo Package Analyzer (TPA) tool automates the
interconnects, radio frequency complementary metal analysis of — and produces lumped or distributed
oxide semiconductor circuits and GaAs/SiGe radio fre- resistance, inductance and capacitance (RLC) models
quency integrated circuits. for — all complex semiconductor packages.
Ansoft Designer software is an integrated schematic

and design-management front end linking to Nexxim,
HFSS and other field simulators.
Electromechanical Systems
Electromechanical systems are another major segment for Ansoft products. The software is used in the automo-
tive, aerospace and industrial automation industries. The technologies integrate mechanical, electronic and control
technology to create synergistic physical systems: This convergence of electronics with mechanics has rendered
ineffective iterative design methodologies in which individual design groups are focused on a single aspect of a
system. From the initial design stage, modern electromechanical systems are designed with consideration of both
the system and the interoperability of components and circuits. The Ansoft electromechanical design solution cap-
tures the interactions between electromechanical components, electronic circuits and control logic. This powerful
multiple domain approach to design captures the underlying physics that governs all electrical behavior, allowing
engineers to accurately model, simulate and validate the component, circuit and system-level performance
required for electromechanical system design.
Electromechanical Systems Products
The Maxwell comprehensive electromagnetic field RMxprt software speeds the design and optimization
simulation software package assists engineers tasked process of rotating electric machines.
with designing and analyzing 3-D and 2-D structures,
such as motors, actuators, transformers and other The PExprt product speeds the design and optimization
electric and electromechanical devices. process of transformers and inductors for power
electronics.
The Simplorer multi-domain simulation software tool is
used for the design of complex power electronic and For more information on products from Ansoft, visit www.ansoft.com.
drive systems.

ANSOFT: SYNERGY
ANSYS and Ansoft:

The Power of Synergy
Integrating Ansoft tools with technologies from ANSYS combines
the best of both worlds for developing electronic products.
By Fadi Ben Achour, Director of Electronics Industry Marketing, ANSYS, Inc.
The electronics industry faces power generation and power delivery electronics packages, printed circuit
immense challenges in the global industries. Many of the companies in boards and complete systems.
arena in which engineers must these industries — large and small, OEMs Engineers can incorporate nonlinear
address conflicting requirements to as well as suppliers — have continued to phenomena — including solder joint
increase product functionality while rely on mechanical and fluid simulation fatigue, delamination and creep —
reducing size and weight, lowering solutions from ANSYS in their product into product design and can conduct
energy consumption and complying development initiatives. With the recent modal, shock and vibration analysis.
with stricter government regulations. acquisition of Ansoft, the range of They can also use ANSYS AUTODYN
Pressures from all sides are com- solutions for the electronics engineering software to conduct drop-test
pounded by shrinking design cycles community has expanded, comple- simulation for optimizing product
to meet narrowing windows of menting the comprehensive capabilities reliability and performance.
business opportunity. of ANSYS Multiphysics technology. ANSYS provides a variety of
Companies meeting these chal- The resulting breadth of solu- vertical electronics cooling simula-
lenges reap considerable benefits by tions from ANSYS is unparalleled, tion tools as well as powerful
leveraging growth opportunities in a wide providing electronics engineers with general-purpose computational
range of electronics segments, including a range of simulation tools across fluid dynamics solutions to meet
consumer, communications and compu- multiple domains. In assessing relia- the requirements of product minia-
tational sectors. Furthermore, there bility, design teams can use ANSYS turization and high-power densities.
is increasing penetration of electronics Mechanical software to study struc- ANSYS Icepak thermal management
systems and electromechanical appli- tural and thermomechanical stresses software simulates fluid flow, con-
cations in the aerospace, automotive, in semiconductor components, duction and radiation heat transfer
in various package, board and
system-level designs. For evaluating
advanced cooling systems, fluid
dynamics technology from ANSYS
can be used in fan and acoustic
design, micro-channel analysis,
emersion and phase-change cooling.
Fluid dynamics solutions also simu-
late semiconductor manufacturing
processes including etching, photo-
lithography and chemical vapor
deposition, as well as semiconductor
package manufacturing applications
such as encapsulation and curing.
The addition of Ansoft solutions
to the ANSYS suite of technolo-
Drop-test simulation of a graphics card performed in ANSYS AUTODYN software gies brings electronics engineers an

ANSOFT: SYNERGY
Thermomechanical stress analysis conducted with the ANSYS Mechanical product on a ball grid array IC package
expanded range of electromagnetic ANSYS product offerings with general and fluid dynamics simulation
simulation capabilities. In high- and vertical electromagnetic tools as capabilities from ANSYS.
frequency applications, engineers well as system level simulation tools. The combined simulation tech-
can use the Ansoft flagship HFSS Maxwell 3-D electromagnetic field nologies from ANSYS and Ansoft
software to conduct full-wave simulation software from Ansoft is provide the electronics community
3-D electromagnetic simulations used for the design and analysis of with extensive solver, meshing, pre-
essential in designing radio motors, transformers and other and post-processing, and system- and
frequency and microwave compo- electromechanical devices common circuit-level simulation capabilities.
nents and systems widely used in to automotive, aerospace and indus- ANSYS offers a range of mechanical
radar, antenna, medical device trial systems. Specialized vertical simulation technologies including
and various wireless applications. low-frequency software from Ansoft automatic contact detection, exten-
Furthermore, HFSS with Ansoft includes PExprt software for designing sive material models and element
2.5-D vertical simulation software transformers and inductors, and the types — such as direct coupled-field
(SIwave for full-wave and Turbo RMxprt tool for analyzing rotating elements — as well as rigid body and
Package Analyzer for quasistatic electric machines. These tools are explicit dynamics capabilities. Fluid
analysis) form a powerful toolset complemented by Simplorer software dynamics technologies include
useful in design and analysis — a multi-domain system simu- dynamic and moving mesh features,
for signal– and power-integrity lation software used for designing chemical species mixing and reacting
applications and electromagnetic high-performance electromechanical flows, specialized models for rotating
compliance. Such analysis is critical systems. These technologies comple- machinery, and extensive turbulence
in designing high-speed electronics ment the multiphysics, mechanical models. Physics-based meshing from
components and systems, such as
semiconductor packages, telecom-
munication equipment, servers,
PCs and hand-held devices. These
high-frequency electromagnetic
capabilities are dynamically linked
to Nexxim software, a state-of-the-
art time and frequency domain circuit
simulator that provides an integration
of high-frequency electromagnetic
simulation and advanced circuit
design and simulation.
For electromechanical and low-
frequency applications, Ansoft expands
Thermal management of a network server simulated with ANSYS Icepak technology

ANSOFT: SYNERGY
Signal and power integrity studied with Nexxim and SIwave software from Ansoft
ANSYS has various algorithms and providing the engineering community optimal balance between car per-
element types including hexahedral with an integrated and compre- formance, gas consumption, weight,
and tetrahedral meshes, and prism, hensive multiphysics solution. environmental impact and safety.
pyramid, quad, tri and bar elements. The benefits of this multi-domain Similarly, in the development
The acquisition of Ansoft further approach are highlighted in the of products as diverse as global
expands these technologies by development of hybrid vehicles, for positioning units, cell phones, MP3
adding capabilities such as example. Here, engineers not only players and other hand-held devices,
tangential vector finite element face the challenge of designing the engineers will be able to use multi-
formulations, trans-finite element electric motor and battery systems, physics analyses to optimize thermal
methods and adaptive finite but also the need to continually design and mechanical reliability, as
element meshing capabilities. improve aerodynamics, engine per- well as to conduct extensive electro-
To tie all this together and formance and stability, underhood magnetic analysis and design
improve efficiency and usability, thermal management, passenger antenna systems. Most important is
ANSYS has a variety of advanced comfort and crash-test rating. The that designers in a variety of indus-
infrastructure and data management high end of the automobile industry tries will have a unified design
capabilities that provide for auto- is seeing more electronics-based approach at their disposal, which
matic data exchange between features, such as accident avoidance enables simulation to drive the entire
various solvers. This data exchange and automatic parking systems as design process. ■
— along with two-way MCAD inte- well as navigation devices and enter-
gration and advanced Six Sigma tainment centers.
tools — is achieved through the In such automotive applications,
ANSYS Workbench framework. the combined ANSYS and Ansoft
Management of simulation data and technologies provide comprehensive
processes is handled by ANSYS mechanical, fluid dynamics and elec-
Engineering Knowledge Manager tromagnetics capabilities for all types
(EKM) software, which enables of multiphysics applications. Using
multiple levels of the enterprise to these tools, engineers can study the
address issues associated with inter-related effects of various road
data backup and archiving, trace- or weather conditions on vehicle
ability and audit trail, process behavior, for example, as well as
automation, collaboration, capture the complex interactions among
of engineering expertise and intel- various components. In the end, the
lectual property protection. multiphysics and multi-system
The Ansoft acquisition is a con- design approach will result in auto- Maxwell software from Ansoft performing 3-D
tinuation of the ANSYS strategy of motive designs that achieve an electromagnetic simulation of an electric motor

ANSOFT: INTEGRATION
Aligned with the

ANSYS Vision
The Ansoft product suite will help deliver benefits to the entire
ANSYS engineering simulation community.
By Barry Christenson, Director of Product Management, ANSYS, Inc.
The Ansoft product suite is not merely a strong addi- development efforts at ANSYS have the opportunity to link
tion to the considerable tool kit from ANSYS; it will also 1-D circuit and 3-D high-fidelity simulation applications
advance the vision for Simulation Driven Product Develop- through reduced-order models and co-simulation tech-
ment. For the combined community of Ansoft and ANSYS niques. Ultimately, this will provide a tightly integrated
users, some benefits of this depth of solution will be real- environment for simulating complete systems that include
ized immediately; even more value will be revealed in both control and hardware elements.
innovative ways throughout long-term product develop- Historically, Ansoft has shared the ANSYS vision for
ment. The Ansoft technology integration will allow users to multiphysics simulation by creating straightforward ways for
perform simulated tests that would otherwise not be possi- solvers to exchange data. For upcoming releases, the com-
ble, a process that is critical to customers exploring and bined development team will consider ways to harmonize
expanding operational boundaries in developing leading- that exchange mechanism and deliver true multiphysics
edge products and processes. integration between all of the core solver products.
Delivering world-class technologies has been part of Process compression is about delivering software
the ANSYS strategy for developing — and acquiring — solutions that remove significant time and effort from users’
new capabilities. Ansoft solver products HFSS and typical simulation methods. Maxwell and RMxprt products
Maxwell, for high-frequency electromagnetic and low- from Ansoft deliver superior performance for electric motor
frequency electromechanical simulations respectively, design and analysis. This solution enables users to define
add two world-class leaders in their physics areas. motor parameters in a tabular user interface, perform a 3-D
The ANSYS vision for virtual prototyping targets the simulation and examine the resulting motor performance
simulation of complete systems. To date, the company characteristics very quickly. Additionally, Ansoft’s high-
provides comprehensive multiphysics, meshing and high- performance electronic design products are very effective in
performance solvers for high-fidelity 3-D product shortening the design cycle of high-frequency and high-
simulation. Ansoft brings a new concept to the portfolio speed electronic components and systems.
with the Simplorer product for simulating 1-D systems Just as ANSYS has designed its core products to be
modeled through a schematic, or circuit, interface. Future CAD independent, Ansoft products have interfaces with all
major ECAD systems. Thus, over time, the fundamental
ANSYS alignment with MCAD systems will be expanded
to include a comprehensive list of major ECAD systems
available today.
Bringing these Ansoft and existing ANSYS technologies
together will create a dynamic engineering simulation
collaboration environment that defines and communicates
the process for electronics simulation. For example, in an
electric motor drive system application, this solution will
allow one engineer to model the power control system,
another to develop the motor hardware, and still another to
simulate the mechanism, and all three together can under-
stand the effects of the physics coupling.
As the Ansoft technologies are fully integrated into
The ANSYS vision involves a solid base of advanced technologies that enables virtual the product suite from ANSYS, customers will find that
prototyping. Process compression speeds up the simulation effort. And finally, dynamic
collaboration results in innovative products. The ANSYS Workbench platform provides they can simulate their products in ways they never
the framework for the process, combining the steps in a truly coupled fashion. imagined possible. ■

ANSOFT: ELECTROMECHANICAL
Electric Motors
Advanced by
Image © istockphoto.com/sethuphoto
“Ultra” Power Storage
Electromechanical simulation tools aid in the design flow
of hybrid–electric systems.
By John M. Miller, Vice President Advanced Transportation, Maxwell Technologies, Inc., California, U.S.A.
Marius Rosu, Group Leader Simplorer Modeling, Ansoft LLC
In the energy storage industry, increasing the overall system efficiency. To address the variable-speed
electric double-layer capacitors are These motors supplement the output of design requirements in a hybrid–
becoming widely accepted both in the internal combustion engine when electric system, engineers can employ
stand-alone applications and in com- extra power is needed. They are also a comprehensive design flow including
bination with batteries. Also known as used to start the engine, as opposed to several electronic design automation
ultracapacitors, these devices com- the conventional starter and solenoid tools from Ansoft. Their first step is to
bine a relatively vast electrode surface method. select a feasible design for the given
area with a molecular-scale charge When designing a variable-speed rated performance specifications of the
separation distance, providing capaci- drive for a BLDC motor, however, electrical machine — for example, cur-
tances that are several orders of designers face a variety of problems rent, torque or speed. RMxprt software,
magnitude higher than more common due to the combination of several a tool designated for the electrical
electrostatic or electrolytic capacitors. engineering domains interacting design of rotating machines, allows
As the technical and economic in the device. Some of the major designers to create a machine model
benefits of these power-dense challenges include magnetic design by entering rotor, stator and rating
components become more widely for linear and rotating electrical information in addition to cost functions
understood, there is increased interest machines; power electronics design into a parameterized input module.
in the active combination of ultra- for converters, inverters and DC links; To validate the initial design
capacitors as electrical storage mechanical design for the load profile produced by the RMxprt tool, the
elements with energy-optimized bat- and oscillations; control design for model is transferred to Maxwell electro-
teries, such as nickel metal-hydride digital and analog signal compo- magnetic field simulation software to
and lithium-ion, as the means to offer nents; and multiphysics interaction perform a finite element analysis.
reliable energy storage over wide design for electromagnetic compati- Maxwell technology provides the
temperature and operational limits. bility (EMC) and interference (EMI) designers with critical parameters,
Computer simulation of ultra- requirements. including flux linkage versus current for
capacitors and advanced batteries
is becoming more widespread as
the engineering community becomes Q3D
better attuned to global climate MAXWELL FEA

change and the subsequent demand
for more efficient energy storage Q3D
systems. Examples of ultracapacitors

working in combination with advanced
batteries continue to proliferate, primarily
Battery Ultracapacitor Modules at 175V-dc 3-phase 2-level Inverter Module with dc-link
in the electric and hybrid–electric Position Control Feedback
commercial transportation segments

such as transit buses and trains. In
such systems, brushless DC (BLDC)
motors and their component power Hysteresis Control Feedback
electronics play a significant role in Hybrid–electric system topology in Simplorer software from Ansoft

ANSOFT: ELECTROMECHANICAL
different angular positions of the rotor. The rotor position

information is then used in the controller to synchronize the
triggering of each phase of the stator coils with the position
of the rotor. To account for unwanted, or parasitic, effects on
the bus bar interconnects in the ultracapacitor design,
Q3D Extractor parasitic extraction software can be used
to compute resistance, inductance, capacitance and
conductance (RLCG) parameters and automatically
generate an equivalent subcircuit computed at nominal
frequency or S-parameters (signal scattering coefficients)
calculated for a large spectrum of frequencies.
Ultimately, the analyzed characteristics of different Maxwell interface showing brushless DC (BLDC) geometry
components within the entire power system topology are
then assembled within the Simplorer electomechanical
simulation software package to verify the complete drive
system. When the BLDC model is imported from Maxwell
software to the Simplorer tool, the analog-digital character-
istics of the circuitry can be modeled. Mixed-signal circuits
can then be simulated with both block diagram– and state
machine diagram–based representations of the controller,
allowing the performance of the system to be optimized.
The simulation of the complete drive system enables the
verification of the C-code that will be running on a digital
signal processor (DSP) or embedded controller, since such
code can be part of the system-level simulation. In Simplorer Profile of brushless DC electromagnetic torque response from simulation results
software, multi-domain components (power electronics,
mechanical, hydraulic and thermal) are available to enable
more complex study on existing power system design.
Engineers can use Simplorer software to create the entire
design analysis framework because of the variety of compo-
nents in the Simplorer tool’s signal characteristics library
dedicated to measuring the performance and design quality
of the power system.
The motor’s electronic controller contains three-phase
bi-directional drivers, which drive high-current DC power
and are independently controlled by a block diagram
scheme and a state machine diagram. The state machine–
based scheme compares the rotor position to determine
when the output phase should be advanced. The block Simulation profile of brushless DC phase currents during continuous operation
diagram uses a hysteresis, or history-dependent, control
scheme to chop the phase currents between upper and
lower admissible band values in order to allow the electrical
motor to develop a sufficient electromagnetic torque to
sustain the mechanical load. As an immediate consequence
of the hysteresis band control and power inverter switching
frequency, the ripples induced in the electromagnetic torque
and the harmonic content of the currents affect the overall
performance of the system.
At heavy system loads, the ultracapacitor experiences
high bursts of power, from both charging and discharging. This
eventually will lead to corresponding high carbon loading,
which, combined with high current cycling, eventually leads to
a reduction in component life. The construction must be
robust enough to tolerate high electrical, thermal and mech-
anical stresses. Hybrid–electric system designers benefit from
Ansoft software because the tools provide a comprehensive
design flow capable of addressing multi-domain and mixed-
Q3D Extractor interface showing the structure of the ultracapacitor bus
signal design by allowing a coupled analysis of the motor, bar interconnects
circuit, controller and drive systems. ■

ANSOFT: HIGH FREQUENCY
Microwave Simulation,
Macro Benefits
Electromagnetic simulation finds applications in high-performance
antenna systems and electronics.
By Lawrence Williams, Director, Business Development
Steve Rousselle, Technical Director, Ansoft LLC
Engineers have long relied on Platform

Maxwell’s equations to model the
high-frequency performance of wave- Antenna
guiding structures, such as stripline Active Channel Array
and microstrip transmission lines,

connectors and coaxial lines.
Analytical expressions for specific dis- RFN Amp Circulator
continuities, such as the impedance
step, open- and short-circuited lines,
coupled lines, bends, gaps and 16-element active phased array antenna placed on an unmanned aerial vehicle platform
junctions, are used by microwave engi-
neers to create matching networks, Today’s microwave and radio electronic feed network and then inte-
couplers, power distribution networks, frequency (RF) design challenges go grate the antenna subsystem into an
filters and antennas. In the final layout, far beyond the addition of a few unmanned aircraft.
these models may couple to one electromagnetics-based models to a Ideally, the ground-mapping
another through parasitic electro- circuit. The trend in RF, microwave and X-band antenna system would deliver
magnetics, thus creating circuit high-performance electronics product a flat, equal power versus distance
performance that is different than was design is toward accurate prediction of radiation pattern. Achieving the shaped
intended. Additionally, an engineer may comprehensive system-level behavior beam is highly dependent upon very
wish to create new components for with electromagnetic simulation at the precise control of the relative amplitude
which there are no available models in core. Engineers now simulate larger and phase at each element. This
the circuit library. and more sophisticated design prob- control is often limited by the perform-
For these and other reasons, lems. For phased array antenna ance of nonlinear, real-world power
electromagnetic field solvers were systems, for example, designers can amplifiers. To achieve the desired
created that allow the direct solution simulate the antenna elements as well radiation pattern, each antenna in the
of Maxwell’s equations to extract accu- as the supporting feed network array receives a different amplitude
rate models of distributed and parasitic and active circuits behind the array. and phase. As a result, amplifier gain
effects. The best electromagnetic sim- Other antenna system designers compression will vary among the
ulation tools are capable of full 3-D are focusing on the environment in transistor-based amplifiers in the array.
simulation, allowing engineers to which the antenna operates — the A typical power amplifier will produce
design, analyze and refine microwave performance of an antenna beneath a a fixed gain and flat phase as a function
components virtually, avoiding costly radome, for example, or the interaction of input power until a certain point
and time-intensive prototypes and of a mobile handset and the body of is reached. It cannot produce ever-
experimental work. Engineers use these an automobile. increasing output power as the input
tools for Simulation Driven Product A phased array antenna system, power is increased. Eventually, the
Development in order to visualize the like those on an unmanned aerial device exhibits nonlinear behavior, and
electromagnetic fields in their device, vehicle, presents an excellent case its output power compresses while
understand the device’s electrical study that illustrates the larger system- the gain decreases. Using the Nexxim
behavior to an unprecedented degree, level designs that are possible today. results from harmonic balance circuit
and build virtual products that work as The ultimate goals of the simulation simulation of a simple bipolar junction
predicted when manufactured. are to design the antenna and its transistor (BJT) power amplifier circuit,

ANSOFT: HIGH FREQUENCY
The effect of the nonlinearities of the

transmit power amplifiers was observed
to degrade the far-field radiation pattern
as the input power was increased. This
advanced simulation method allows
engineers to fully understand the effects
Cosecant-squared beam shape in the elevation plane provides equal power
illumination versus distance for ground mapping radar.
of electromagnetics and nonlinear
circuits so that specific design choices
can be made. ■
the resulting plot of the circuit gain components. These solvers continue
versus input power shows that the to transform and extend product
gain is nearly constant until roughly design, especially when linked with References
-8 dBm input. Beyond -8 dBm, the advanced circuit simulation. RF, [1] Rousselle S., Miller, M., Sligar, A.,
“Complex Antenna System Simulation
gain rolls off quickly. microwave and high-performance Uses EM Software,” Defense Electronics,
Transmit power is important to the electronics product design now December 2007.
design of an airborne radar system. demands accurate prediction of [2] Williams, L., Rousselle, S., “Electromagnetics
Greater power translates into a longer system-level behavior and can include at the Core of Complex Microwave System
range over which the aircraft can sense rigorous electromagnetic simulation at Design,” IEEE Microwave, to be published
in 2008.
aggressors and targets. However, the core. Simulations of an active-
increased power also may result in phased-array antenna system were [3] Elliott, R.S., Stern, G.J., “A New Technique
for Shaped Beam Synthesis of Equispaced
undesired degradation to the radiation performed using coupled harmonic Arrays,” IEEE Transactions on Antennas and
patterns caused by nonlinear behavior balance and finite element simulation. Propagation, Vol. AP–32, No. 10, October 1984.
of the power amplifiers.
Ideal elevation plane radiation pat-
tern exhibits a shaped-beam region to
provide equal power illumination on the
ground. Ripples in the main beam are
permitted to make the array excitation
more realizable. In this case, the
pattern’s first four side lobes were
suppressed to -30 dB to avoid radia- Output Power in dBm
tion along and above the horizon. To Gain in dB
achieve this pattern, a very specific
amplitude and phase distribution along
the array was required. Indeed, the
amplitude distribution has a dynamic
range of over 15 dB. As the input power -20.00 -18.00 -16.00 -14.00 -12.00 -10.00 -8.00 -6.00 -4.00 -2.00 0.00
Input Power (dBm)
to the feed is increased, some of the
power amplifiers will experience gain Plot of gain and output power as a function of input power, at 10 GHz, demonstrating gain compression
compression before others, thus
0.00
disrupting the prescribed distribution,
which in turn degrades the far-field
radiation pattern. When the input power -10.00
increases over 10 dBm, simulation

Far Field Radiation
within the Ansoft Designer environment -20.00

shows that the shaped main beam
region is mostly unaffected. However, -30.00
the first four side lobes begin to rise
above the -30 dB level. When the input -40.00
power reaches 14 dBm, the far-field
shows significant degradation due to
-50.00
the nonuniform gain compression -100.00 -50.00 0.00 50.00 100.00
Relative Gain (dBm)
across the array.
Powerful 3-D electromagnetic field Far-field radiation simulation using HFSS software (elevation cut) for 0 dBm (blue), +10 dBm (orange)
and +14 dBm (red) input. At 0 dBm, the pattern’s first four side lobes are suppressed to -30 dBm to
solvers have long been used by engi- avoid radiation along and above the horizon. At higher inputs, the far-field radiation rises above the
neers to design complex microwave -30 dBm level, increasing aircraft visibility and vulnerability.

ANSOFT: SIGNAL INTEGRITY
Impeding
Interference
Panasonic improves signal integrity design for
a remote surveillance camera using electronics
design software from Ansoft.
By Hiroshi Higashitani, Panasonic Electronic Devices Co. Ltd., Japan
Aki Nakatani, Ansoft LLC
Image © istockphoto/alienhelix
In a unique network camera device enabled engineers to simulate com- Vias are plated holes that connect copper tracks
that permits remote visual monitoring plex high-speed PCBs and meet or traces from one layer of a PCB to another.
for surveillance and security applica- challenging noise and performance
tions, Panasonic used a standard specifications. The team used a refer- Pads are surfaces on PCB boards to which
Ethernet connection to transmit video ence design board for a consumer components can be mounted.
and audio signals, allowing remote electronics device as an example to
monitoring from any location. The illustrate how to accurately predict Traces are the electronic pathways that trans-
camera was designed to rotate, pan and suppress board resonances and mit signals from one component to another.
and zoom by commands issued by the resulting radiated emissions.
user. Within the control electronics in Panasonic engineers modeled the Timing skew occurs when a clock signal travels
the camera body, three module printed full LVDS channel using a combination along traces and reaches its component
circuit boards (PCBs) were connected of HFSS, Nexxim and Ansoft Designer destinations at different times.
by a high-speed, low-voltage differen- software. The channel included three
tial signaling (LVDS) channel with PCBs (video, mechanical controller Today’s printed circuit board (PCB)
ribbon cables and associated connec- and central processing unit) and two designers face competing challenges of smaller,
tors. After building and testing the Molex® FFP/FPC surface mount con- higher-density applications coupled with high-
initial prototype, the designers of the nectors. Additionally, the team used frequency and high-speed signaling. A multitude
LVDS network camera realized that the HFSS tool to extract Full-Wave of standards now exist that utilize high-speed
SPICE and S-parameter models for serial signaling. The higher speeds give rise to
device performance would be subopti-
greater demands on PCB designs to meet signal
mal, causing them to face a difficult the PCBs. Similarly, they created
integrity (SI), power integrity (PI) and electro-
choice: They could either re-spin and W-element and 2.5-D planar models
magnetic interference (EMI) specifications. The
test or adopt a new design approach for the connectors using Nexxim and
challenge becomes especially acute for low-
that involved advanced simulation. Ansoft Designer software. The engi-
cost commercial devices in which traditional
With a critical deadline looming, man- neering team then inserted the
signal-integrity design rules may be ignored in
agement decided that simulation was individual models into a circuit simula-
exchange for a board with fewer power and
the best choice. tor to form the complete channel. With
ground planes or a higher-density design with
Working together with Panasonic, the full channel assembled, the circuit
less than optimum signal routing.
Ansoft created a methodology that simulator then provided a channel
SI, PI and EMI design once were consid-
ered separate disciplines, each with its own
design rules, analysis methods and measure-
LVDS LVDS
Tx Tx
LVDSLVDS
Rx Rx ment techniques. A more modern approach is
FPC
FPCand MolexConnectors
and Molex Connectors FFC
FFCand MolexConnectors
and Molex Connectors
to recognize that there is a strong interdepend-
U11
Port1 1 5 7 3
U2
LVDS FPC and Connector
Port1 Port3 1 5 7 3 Port1
FFC and Connector
Port3 1 5 7 3
Port3
ence among the three and that optimum board
Port2 2 6 8 4
Port2
FPC and Molex Connector
Port4
2 6
8 4 Port2
FFC and Molex Connector
Port4
2 6
8 4
Port4 design requires an integrated approach. A
VIDEOBoard TILT Board CPU Board
ref
0
ref
0 ref
0
signal-integrity problem, for example, may lead
VIDEOBoard
VIDEO Board TILTBoard
TILT Board CPU
CPUBoard
Board directly to an EMI problem. This article illus-
Slwave Analysis PlanarEM Slwave Analysis PlanarEM Slwave Analysis trates the new approach, and the important
HFSS Analysis
SiWave Analysis Nexxim W-element
PlanarEM HFSS Analysis
SiWave Analysis Nexxim W-element
PlanarEM HFSS Analysis
SiWave
HFSS Analysis Nexxim W-element HFSS Analysis Nexxim W-element HFSS Analysis design considerations, through an overview
Diagram of PCBs and connectors of an LVDS application.

ANSOFT: SIGNAL INTEGRITY
Ansoft Corporation Impedance

Impedance LVDS TDR Folded
LVDS TDR folded
150.00
Curve Info
V(Diff1)/I(Diff1)
Transient
140.00
130.00
-V(Diff1)/(Diff1)
120.00
110.00
overlapping the traces. They resolved the impedance
-V(Diff1) I(Diff1)
100.00
mismatch, on the other hand, by eliminating the width step

90.00
Ansoft Corporation
150.00 80.00
Impedance LVDS TDR folded with modified FPC and video board
change in the routing to the via and by optimizing the pad
Curve Info
70.00
-V(Diff1)/I(Diff1)
Transient and antipad radii. This was done by parameterizing the
140.00
60.00
pad and antipad geometries in HFSS software.
130.00 50.00
0 00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00
Time [ns]
6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00
Once they identified optimal routing and via geome-
120.00
tries, the engineers focused on the impedance peak of one
of the connectors. Polyamide strips were placed on the
-V(Diff1)/(Diff1)
110.00
-V(Diff1)/I(Diff1)
100.00 surface of the connector over certain sections. With their

90.00
higher permittivity, the polyamide strips caused the local
80.00
electric fields to be more tightly concentrated. Hence, the
capacitance of the transmission line increased, and the
70.00
characteristic impedance fell. Finally, Panasonic engineers

60.00
added a common mode noise filter to the circuit to reduce
50.00
0 00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00
Time [ns]
6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00 common mode signals while permitting differential signals.
Time [ns]
Having made these changes, they generated a second
A comparison of the impedance maps for the original and improved designs impedance map and found that the impedance variations
for a full LVDS channel; in the later map, impedance is greatly improved.
were significantly reduced.
By addressing the signal integrity problems in the PCBs
and the connectors, the team confirmed that they had
improved the channel’s electromagnetic interference per-
formance. In the initial design, the LVDS signal was
impedance map, similar to time domain reflectometer results. scattered whenever it encountered an impedance disconti-
The system’s initial design had a significant impedance nuity. The scattered energy had to go somewhere; some of
problem along the video board. it scattered back toward the transmitter, some of it coupled
Upon further examination of the video board’s layout, to other propagation modes, especially common mode,
the team found that a pad and via were the root cause of and still other energy coupled into parallel plate resonant
the impedance problems. The impedance mismatch was modes within the PCB. This energy could then radiate to
the result of a step change in the width of the trace produce unwanted EMI. Solving the SI problem, therefore,
located near the via. Beyond the impedance mismatch, had a direct effect on the radiated emissions of the system.
the team determined that the original trace routing would Experimental measurements of the camera’s radiated emis-
also lead to skew. sions before and after the modifications clearly showed a
Panasonic engineers addressed the skew and imped- reduction as well. By adopting a circuit and 3-D electro-
ance mismatch in two steps. First, they reconfigured the magnetic cosimulation approach, the design team saved
trace routing so that the total length of each trace in the about two months on a second prototype build and about
differential pair was equal; this was accomplished by one month on lab measurements. ■
a b
Traces before (a) and after (b) skew matching adjustments were made Pad and antipad designs after impedance matching adjustments were made

AUTOMOTIVE
Decreasing the
Shock in Shock Group of
Concentric Disks
Bleeds
Absorbers
Engineering simulation improves valve design
for an automotive shock absorber.
By Marcelo Kruger, Geraldo Severi, Martin Kessler and Regis Ataides, ESSS, Florianópolis, Brazil
Sergio Vanucci, Pedro Barau and Robson Iezzo, Magneti Marelli Cofap, Campinas, Brazil
Automotive design requires consid- bleeds. For high-velocity conditions, a

eration of a large number of factors different method is used.
including passenger comfort. Suspen- In order to improve the shock
Geometry of the shock absorber
sion design — more specifically, shock absorber design and obtain a better
absorbers — requires special attention understanding of hydraulic fluid flow,
from engineers in order to improve ride engineers from both Magneti Marelli flow software. The team considered three
quality. Without shock absorbers, a Cofap and Engineering Simulation and configurations of bleeds (two, eight and 16
vehicle would have an uncomfortable Scientific Software (ESSS), an ANSYS bleeds) under three velocity conditions for
jolting motion, as energy stored in the channel partner in South America, col- each configuration at the inlet. They
spring is released to the vehicle. Shock laborated on an engineering simulation obtained the pressure field on the regions
absorbers dampen spring vibrations by analysis. The team built a computational of interest at the valve using the CFX-Post
turning the kinetic energy from the model of the shock absorber for the low- post-processor and generated a plot of
springs into heat that is dissipated velocity condition in order to understand force (at the valve) versus velocity. The
through a hydraulic fluid. the flow physics that occur in the valve, results showed very good agreement with
Engineers at Magneti Marelli Cofap to evaluate dispersion of forces at the experimental data.
in São Paulo, Brazil — a division of the disks and to compare the results against The reliability of the results has given
international company that is com- experimental data. Magneti Marelli Cofap engineers increased
mitted to the design and production of To evaluate the flow pattern and confidence in the computational model
high-tech systems and components for measure the forces, the engineering and, by comparing the different configura-
the automotive sector — have been team used ANSYS ICEM CFD meshing tions, has provided them with a better
developing a shock absorber system software to generate a computational understanding of the complexity of the
that is controlled mainly by valves mesh consisting of tetrahedral and flow pattern. Simulation has imparted
employing circular disks. For low velo- prisms elements and containing 1 million useful insights that the engineers now
cities, the fluid passes through small nodes. Simulation of the steady-state rely upon to make important decisions
bleeds, or holes, on the disks, with the flow was performed using the k-epsilon concerning the improvement of shock
passage area defined by the number of turbulence model in ANSYS CFX fluid absorber efficiency. ■
Computational mesh Streamlines in the shock absorber for the eight-bleed configuration

ENERGY
Scheduling
Replacements Smartly
Simulation is used to effectively predict crack growth
that could lead to power plant valve failure.
By Dan Peters, Structural Integrity Associates, Inc., Ohio, U.S.A.
Crack Location
During a scheduled
outage in 2000, an
inspection was performed
on a check valve in use at
a fossil fuel power plant
in the United States.
Working with the utility,
Structural Integrity Asso-
ciates found that the
cracks circled the valve
seat on the inside of the
Crack Propagation Direction valve body. At that time, they
The valve model showing the location of the crack on the inner surface of the valve attributed the cracks to thermal
and the direction of propagation of the crack through the wall fatigue, although creep was always a concern for compo-
nents, such as this valve, that operate at temperatures of
The fleet of power generation equipment in the United 1,000 degrees F or higher. Structural Integrity worked
States is of an advanced age, particularly in the case of together with the utility to measure crack depths in order to
fossil fuel plants. Many facilities have boilers, piping allow for monitoring of damage progression during future
systems or other components that may be nearing the end shutdown inspections.
of their useful lives due to damage accumulated during Subsequently, the analysis team agreed to re-inspect the
operation. Components susceptible to service-related dam- valve body during an upcoming outage scheduled for 2007.
age typically are inspected to detect this damage during For this later shutdown, the inspection included examining
tightly controlled and scheduled shutdown periods, or out- the valve for further
ages. These outage schedules are often developed years cracking, incorporating
in advance by the utility and have little margin for change. those findings into a
Damaged components fall into two basic categories: simulation designed to
those that are damaged but still viable for continued use predict future deterior-
and those that are in danger of failure and need to be ation, and, in a short
replaced. Because part replacement is costly, it is most turnaround time, deter-
efficient to continue using parts as long as possible. Safety mining if the valve was
and the desire to avoid component failure that can lead to suitable for continued
Temperature distribution in the valve at
unplanned shutdowns, however, make it essential that service with or without 532 seconds into a transient analysis of
component viability be estimated correctly. repairs. the valve behavior during a shutdown event

ENERGY
The first steps involved creating a computer model of

the valve using SolidWorks®, which was completed in
expectation of the 2007 outage. The developers of the
model created and designated its features, based on a
drawing of the valve geometry, such that one could modify
them in the future to match the actual measurements found
during inspection.
Structural Integrity used Creep-FatiguePro® — software
developed for the Electric Power Research Institute — to Stress distribution in the valve at 532 seconds into a transient analysis of the valve
behavior during a shutdown event
perform a crack growth analysis. As part of this analysis, the
Structural Integrity team needed to understand both the
pressure stresses experienced by the valve during standard the crack growth software. The calculation of creep and
operation and the thermal stresses experienced during the fatigue crack growth is not a trivial concept. It was handled
shutdown process. without difficulty, however, with Creep-Fatigue PRO software
Due to the desire to keep shutdown time as short and the ANSYS Workbench environment, which was able to
as possible, the team set up static and transient stress export stress analysis results that could easily be used to
analyses prior to the actual outage using the ANSYS generate the input to the crack growth software.
Workbench framework and the SolidWorks model that had Structural Integrity used this methodology, beginning
been created. The ANSYS Workbench 11.0 environment with the measurements taken in 2000, to study the advance
was helpful in that it would later provide a seamless and fast of the crack propagation between 2000 and 2007. They
interface for updating the model and the analysis in the field compared these results to measurement data acquired
based on actual “as cast” dimensions. in 2007. There was good correlation between the
The team used the ANSYS Workbench platform to run simulation predictions and the measured data, validating the
the complete transient thermal stress analysis coupled with prediction process.
a multi-step static stress analysis. To obtain stresses along By using this methodology to then analyze the valve for
a path, the switch to the traditional ANSYS Mechanical further use, analysis results showed that an expensive
interface still had to be made, but it was easily automated, replacement of the valve was not immediately needed. The
with the file structure in the ANSYS Workbench environment crack growth rates in this valve were low, and the valve could
making this process much easier than in prior versions. be operated safely potentially for many more years with con-
The transient thermal stress analysis used a convective tinued monitoring of the valve at future outages. The crack
condition applied to the internal surface and a step temp- growth model will be updated with ongoing plant operational
erature change to model the shutdown event. A multi-step data to provide a continuing picture of the crack growth rates
static thermal stress analysis was then run to determine the for the future. The client was able to make decisions quickly
stresses based on the temperature distribution at various during the outage because the analysis was completed
points in time. within two days of the completion of the valve inspection,
The pressure and thermal stresses then were normalized thereby minimizing the length of the outage and avoiding an
using stress transfer functions and were used as inputs into extremely expensive replacement of the valve. ■
Outside of the valve Internal view of the valve

TURBOMACHINERY
What’s Shakin’?
The combination of 3-D structural dynamics, ANSYS Workbench
and classical rotordynamics modeling techniques helps solve
rotating machinery vibration problems.
By Josh Lorenz, Senior Principal Mechanical Engineer, Kato Engineering Inc., Minnesota, U.S.A.
complex 3-D structural details of a model for all of the frequencies

rotating machine cannot be cast considered. Using the time–history
into the form of an axisymmetric post-processor, the team at Kato took
beam element model with data from nodes in the model where
sufficient accuracy. For sensors would be installed during real-
critical applications and world vibration tests of the equipment
new designs in which and examined the predicted magni-
vibration prediction is tude of the vibration response versus
of the utmost impor- frequency. Later, the engineering team
tance, simulation using compared the simulation results with
software from ANSYS machine vibration Bode plots obtained
allows Kato Engineering to during vibration testing of the produc-
bridge the gap between rotor- tion equipment.
dynamics spreadsheet modeling An important portion of the rotor-
techniques and real-world vibration dynamic analyses focused on the
behavior. bearing connections between rotating
Recently, Kato engineers inherited and stationary structures. Through
A portion of the finite element mesh for the a relatively large common shaft the use of ANSYS Parametric Design
shaft of a motor–generator
motor–generator design with unfavor- Language (APDL) and MATRIX27
In the electric power generation able vibration performance. Their task elements in software from ANSYS, the
industry, the ability to design and pro- was to modify the design, making it engineering team allowed for the inclu-
duce reliable and long-lasting rotating more reliable and easier to produce. sion of complex bearing stiffness and
machines is, in part, dependent on the This included improving the vibration damping phenomena in the simulation
ability to control machinery vibration. characteristics of the machine. model. They were able to include the
Due to the dynamics of rotating In order to tackle this type of bearing stiffness and damping charac-
machinery parts, mechanical vibration problem using structural software teristics, as a function of rotational
can’t be eliminated completely, but tools from ANSYS, the engineers at speed as well as all of the cross-
designing machines that meet industry Kato performed frequency sweep coupled stiffness and damping terms
standards for acceptable vibration harmonic response analyses using that are important in the simulation of
levels is a crucial part of the product a mixed-element modeling tech- the bearing behavior. While these
design process. Kato Engineering has nique. This method combines the types of bearing behaviors have long
been in the business of designing such efficiency of beam element models been a part of spreadsheet-style rotor-
machines since the 1920s. — for the rotating portion of the dynamics programs, the Kato team
Kato Engineering uses 3-D struc- machine — with more structurally was now able to efficiently incorporate
tural modeling tools from ANSYS to complex 3-D shell and solid these behaviors into 3-D full-model
increase their ability to simulate and elements that represent the sur- vibration simulations using the flexible
predict machine vibration. Classic rounding stationary structures. These APDL structure and data input–output
rotordynamics modeling techniques surrounding structures include the options. Speed-dependent bearing
involving spreadsheet-style programs machine frame, mounting structure, stiffness and damping coefficients —
with axisymmetric beam element foundation and other components. calculated using dedicated bearing
solutions have been around for many The simulation results provided performance software — were curve-
years and are very useful tools. structural vibration displacements and fit and programmed into the structural
However, there are times when the phase angles at each node of the model using an APDL routine.

TURBOMACHINERY
The ANSYS Workbench framework has been a very

powerful tool for Kato Engineering with regard to simu-
lation model construction time. Using the ANSYS
Workbench environment, the team was able to make the
transition more quickly from CAD geometry to complex
finite element meshes. Where 3-D structural model
creation for a machine previously may have taken a week,
it was now taking only a day or two with the enhanced
Contour plot of vibration displacement for the whole assembly
geometry and meshing capabilities of ANSYS Workbench. at a particular forcing frequency
For this particular application, the Kato engineering team
was able to predict the steady-state vibration response of
the redesigned machine to a reasonable degree of accuracy MG Vibration Response:
Simulation and Test Data Comparison
using structural simulation tools. While the modeling tech- 0.140
nique relied on the placement of rotor imbalance forces, 0.120
which were somewhat nebulous in reality, the team was able
0.100
to get good correlation between simulation and test results 0 to PK (in/sec)
using reasonable assumptions for expected magnitudes and 0.080
locations of rotor imbalance. By iterating with the simulation 0.060
model during the design phase, Kato engineers were able to 0.040
determine that, if they control the imbalance of the rotor to a
0.020
certain degree and at certain locations, they can expect to
meet targets in terms of machine vibrations. The improved 0.000
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000
steady-state vibration performance of the redesigned RPM
machine provided a significant boost for customer Simulation Data Performance Target Test Data
confidence in Kato Engineering’s capability to produce a
Comparison of simulation and test data at one of the vibration
reliable product. ■
sensor locations, indicating trends

PROCESS INDUSTRIES
Designing Safe Crackers

Fluid and structural simulation combine to help researchers analyze a
variety of stresses on catalytic cracking equipment.
By Alexander Michailov, Igor Voinov and Alexey Borovkov,
Computational Mechanics Laboratory (CompMechLab),
St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University, St. Petersburg, Russia
In the petrochemical industry, cat-

alytic cracking is one of the major steps
in the process of splitting large hydro-
carbon molecules into smaller, more
useful components for gasoline and jet
fuel. The cracking system itself consists
of a reactor and a regenerator that are
interconnected by a catalyst pipeline
network. During the cracking process,
the system undergoes mechanical
loading — from wind, internal pressure
buildup and the weight of the catalyst
material — and experiences thermal
stresses caused by the repeated tem-
perature changes to the system’s walls.
At the request of chemical equip-
ment manufacturer JSC Neftehimproekt,
the Computational Mechanics Lab-
oratory (CompMechLab) at St. Peters-
burg State Polytechnical University
in Russia performed a 3-D structural
analysis of a catalytic cracker, taking into
account the effects of external fluid
flow as well as overall mechanical and
thermal stresses. In their evaluation of
how these effects would impact the
cracking system, the CompMechLab Pressure distribution on the catalytic cracking equipment surfaces
due to the external air flow (represented by the streamlines)
engineers chose software from ANSYS
for the selection of the cracker construc-
tion and materials.
A primary goal of the simulation consisted of two layers: an external the displacement variations caused by
was to choose wall thickness values for layer of steel and an internal concrete changing temperature loads on the cata-
the reactor, regenerator and pipeline lining. Applying these shell elements lyst pipelines and to reduce structural
connections, taking into consideration also led to a reduced number of loads on the nose pieces. These joints
the physical effects on the system degrees of freedom, which saved are deformable parts that independently
structure at all operating conditions. By computational resources. function in an elastic manner when
extension, this would allow creation of The weight of the catalyst pipeline undergoing axial, lateral or rotational
a list of requirements for third-party network is about half as much as movement. For the global model, the
suppliers of structural components. the reactor and regenerator vessels. CompMechLab team simulated these
Within ANSYS Mechanical soft- It was very important to take these components using MASS21 point mass
ware, CompMechLab used multi-layer components — including connecting elements in appropriate locations relative
shell elements, including SHELL131 nose pieces, bellows expansion joints to the reactor and regenerator vessels.
to perform thermal analysis and and spring bearings — into considera- CompMechLab’s simulation process
SHELL181 for structural analysis. tion. Bellows expansion joints are used focused on analyzing the stiffness of the
The reactor and regenerator walls in the construction to compensate for bellows expansion joints and also the

PROCESS INDUSTRIES
a b c d
Expansion Joint
5
f5
7
Support 7
p1
p2
p3
p4
Support
p5
t
1 p6 1
Join
p0
Orifice Chamber
ion
5 5
Expansion Joint
2
ans
Expansion Joint
3 3 f2 8
Exp
8 f4
4 1 f1
Exp
ans
2 2
3 f3
ion
6 6
F4+w4 w2 4
Join
Support 4 F1+w1
F2
t
9 9
F3
Regenerator w5 w3 7p0
w6
Reactor 1 9 Spring Bearings
1 5 Expansion Joints
(a) 3-D solid model of the cracking system, (b) location of the spring bearings and bellows expansion joints, and vector (c) and contour (d) representations of the mechanical loads
that are caused by internal and external pressures, gravity and catalyst density, and that are acting on the equipment
forces on the system’s spring bearings, The wind-induced pressure data from which case another analysis iteration
which are used to decrease the gravita- ANSYS CFX output was then inter- would be required using an increased
tional loads acting on the nose pieces. polated onto the elements of the thickness.
The forces on the spring bearings can be structural model in ANSYS Mechanical Following the global model analysis,
counteracted by varying seven thickness software, thus adding to the load CompMechLab created a more detailed
and dimensional parameters. Each of the contributions from internal pressure submodel for thermostructural and
five bellows expansion joints also has distributions, gravity, thermal stress and cyclic loading analysis of the upper part
three stiffness values to vary, giving 22 forces contributed from the catalyst of the reactor with consideration of the
independent parameters in total. For weight. welded joint between the reactor casing
each parameter variation, CompMech- The global structural analysis and plenum. The team carried out this
Lab engineers analyzed two sets model, which included computing step to obtain the reinforcement ring
of operating conditions: the normal stress distributions on the system thicknesses in the zones of the nose
working conditions (temperature range and their equivalent displacement piece connections to the reactor, which
521 degrees C to 740 degrees C, maxi- vectors, assumed linear behavior of are areas of high stress concentration.
mum pressure 0.3 MPa) and the design the concrete and steel material. Using Based on these detailed analysis results,
limit conditions (temperature range codes and standards of the Russian engineers selected the zone with the
555 degrees C to 790 degrees C, oil and gas industry, CompMechLab highest stress — known as the critical
maximum pressure 0.8 MPa). engineers determined the maximum zone — and perfomed cyclic strength
By varying the 22 parameters, allowable stresses for the different analysis on that zone.
researchers performed a series of com- parts of the cracking system at partic- Following the analysis process
putations that focused on decreasing the ular wall thickness values, taking using software from ANSYS, the design
load on the nose pieces. Included in this into consideration safety factors for team was able to select appropriate
process was a computational fluid different operating regimes including dimensions for all of the structural
dynamics (CFD) analysis of the wind’s startup, normal working conditions and component parameters. In summary,
impact on the system’s external pressure shutdown. Comparing the stresses the CompMechLab engineers utilized
distribution. Using ANSYS CFX software, calculated by ANSYS Mechanical soft- the simulation method developed here
the analysis team simulated the air flow ware to those allowed by industry for analyses of two different cracking
around the cracker with the built-in shear standards, the analysis team was able systems and, as a result, were able to
stress transport (SST) k-ω turbulence to validate whether a particular wall perform their analyses and issue their
model, which is a robust model reliable material thickness was acceptable or technical report for a greatly pleased
for a wide class of air flow situations. whether the stresses were too high, in client in a period of just six weeks. ■

ANALYSIS TOOLS
Multibody Dynamics:
Rigid and Flexible Methods
Choosing the right simulation method for dynamic assemblies
doesn’t have to be risky.
By Steve Pilz, Senior Product Manager, ANSYS, Inc.
Assuming that parts of a dynamic assembly act as On the other hand, flexible dynamics provides these
purely rigid bodies is like assuming that the earth is flat: The same part velocities and acceleration data, plus complete
truth won’t be known until the assumptions are challenged. deformation, stress and strain data. While this is the informa-
There is always an element of risk involved with challenging tion needed to really understand the design, total solution
the status quo, but, luckily, using ANSYS Flexible Dynamics time is longer. Because of this, relying on flexible dynamics in
technology is less risky than falling off the edge of the earth. the early stages of design development has never been
When challenged with prototyping a new mechanical commercially viable.
assembly, most engineering departments turn to a rigid Smart engineers have been trying to combine the bene-
dynamics software program, and for good reason. The fits of the fast solve times of rigid dynamics with the
advantages of simulating an assembly as a collection of rigid complete performance information that comes only from
parts connected by joints are undeniable: It is much faster, running a flexible FEA simulation. Several methods have
more design ideas can be investigated in the same amount been developed over the past 20 years with varying degrees
of time, and a product development team can be more of success.
productive. But this time savings comes at the expense of
insight, and, sometimes, what isn’t known about a new Rigid Dynamics Loads to Static Simulation Method
design can come back to haunt a well-meaning team. The most basic and most widely used method of com-
Unknowns can include: bining the benefits of rigid dynamics with those gained by
• Will our assembly survive the first cycle, or will one of using flexible system modeling is to transfer loads from
the parts buckle, break or deform so severely that the a rigid dynamics run and use those loads on a structurally
system locks up? static system. This marriage of dissimilar technologies has
some pros and cons.
• Will the assembly vibrate so much that nobody will
buy it?
• Will our warranty department have to deal with the big,
expensive problem of material fatigue?
• Is this a huge career-limiting mistake that our design
team can’t collectively afford to make?
To gain the insight required to answer the above

questions (and many others), part and joint flexibility needs
to be included in the simulation.
Rigid dynamics simulation can demonstrate how quickly
an assembly’s parts are moving, how fast the parts are
accelerating or decelerating, and what the forces are at the
joints between the parts at any time during the dynamic tran-
sient. The total solution time for many rigid dynamics
simulations is often measured in seconds, because the num-
ber of degrees of freedom is low and all parts are assumed Rigid flexible assembly of truck suspension
to be infinitely stiff. This fast solve time makes rigid dynamics

extremely attractive to those with looming deadlines.

ANALYSIS TOOLS
Craig–Bampton Method
A more sophisticated technique of combining rigid and
flexible benefits is the Craig–Bampton method. Using
this technique, the flexibility of a system is captured
via a model–dynamic solution. The mode shapes and
frequencies, or eigenvalues and eigenvectors, are then fed to
the rigid dynamics model so that part flexibility is accounted
for during a transient. While less of a forced marriage than
the previous technique, the Craig–Bampton method is also
blessed with pronounced strengths and weaknesses.
Pro
• A modal analysis is one of the most efficient of all
dynamic simulations.
• The rigid dynamics reduced-order model gains
flexibility at the lowest computational cost, and this
has made the method popular with those requiring
additional simulation fidelity.
Con
• The method is inherently limited to linear responses
due to its reliance on modal analysis results. This
means it is not capable of accurately modeling:
– Anything other than linear materials: no material plas-
ticity, hyperelasticity or viscoelasticity is possible
– Real-world nonlinear contact, with or without friction
and or changing contact status
– Large deflection
• The method is complicated and consumes much
engineering time. Little has been done to automate,
or at least streamline, the linking of the modal results
Load transfer from rigid dynamics simulation model (top) to static with the rigid reduced-order model, likely because
structural model (bottom)
of the inherent limitations of the Craig–Bampton
method itself.
Pro
• Design iterations are painful. Because there is signifi-
• Dynamic loading on parts is captured accurately,
cant manual interaction and data reading, writing and
so there is no need to estimate how far to scale up
translating, it is nearly impossible to keep up with
a static load to approximate a dynamic load.
changes to a 3-D CAD model.
This widely practiced approach is sometimes
conservative, and sometimes it is not.
• Static structural simulations are some of the most
efficient FEA-based solutions that accurately
model flexibility.
Con
• The process forces the engineer to choose the
transient time points at which to transfer to the
structural static simulation.
• Using this method, it is extremely easy to overlook
the worst-case loading combinations for all but
the simplest assemblies, so the wise engineer
using this method applies a very large margin of
safety when relying on results. Predominantly rigid assembly with selective flexibility added to presumed weak links

ANALYSIS TOOLS
• Financial cost is typically very high because two • Design iterations are easy. Change the CAD model,
expensive programs must be used, often from different click update, and resolve the rigid, rigid and flexible, or
software companies, and these programs are typically full-flexible model.
run by two different engineers who have been trained
• The limitations of the Craig–Bampton method do not
on one system but not both.
apply: that is, you are able to model nonlinear contact
as well as material nonlinearities at the same time,
Rigid and Flexible Dynamics Method if desired.
The most modern method of combining the benefits of
rigid and flexible dynamics is to create a general-purpose
software system that can be used to model full-rigid Con
dynamics with reduced-order models or a full-flexible • While creating a rigid and flexible model with contact
dynamics assembly, or any combination thereof. For this and material nonlinearities is easy to do, sometimes
method, an engineer uses reduced-order models in pure these nonlinearities cause conflicting convergence
rigid dynamics and is able to keep pace with rapidly evolving targets for the solver. Overcoming these conflicts
design proposals because of the fast solve times afforded by and getting a converged solution can require some
the explicit solver. To gain further insight, the rigid model is expertise in nonlinear simulations.
modified with the addition of flexible component(s), and a
• Solver requirements are higher than either of the
flexible or rigid and flexible system is analyzed.
previous two methods, which has always been the
While some software suppliers have pieces of the rigid
nature of a full-nonlinear transient dynamic simulation.
and flexible dynamics method, only ANSYS offers this type
However, new time integration schemes and parallel
of system — and it has been in commercial use for nearly
processing or high-performance computing can be
two years. To consummate the relationship between
very effective at reducing CPU demands.
rigid and flexible dynamics, the ANSYS Rigid Dynamics
product is used as an add-on to ANSYS Structural, ANSYS
Mechanical or ANSYS Multiphysics software. Because some brave soul challenged the assumption
that the earth was flat, falling off the edge of the world is less
Pro of a concern than it was centuries ago. As the state of the art
in engineering simulation software continues to improve, and
• A single geometry model is used for both rigid and
more engineers begin to use rigid and flexible dynamics
flexible dynamics. This model is typically an easy-to-
during product development, failed product designs will
visualize 3-D model from ANSYS DesignModeler
become less of a concern as well. ■
software or a CAD system.
• The same user interface is employed for both rigid References

and flexible dynamics, so users of one have very little Pilz, S., “Multibody Dynamics: Rigid, Flexible and Everything in Between,”
ANSYS Advantage, Volume 2, Issue 2, 2008, pp. 20–23.
to learn to be able to run the other.
• Models can be converted from rigid to flexible in

minutes in as few as four mouse clicks.
Combined rigid–flexible assembly with flexible member stresses

ANALYSIS TOOLS
Extensive
Multiphase
Flow Capabilities
Fluid dynamics simulation provides a wide
range of multiphase flow capabilities to meet
challenging industrial needs.
By André Bakker, Lead Product Manager, ANSYS, Inc.
Volume fraction of solid particles in a stirred tank as calculated

with the Eulerian-granular multiphase flow model in ANSYS FLUENT
software. These simulations can be used to determine the optimum
configuration of the mixing impellers.
Multiphase flow is the simultane- extensive experience and knowledge

ous flow of materials with different in the application of these capabilities.
states, such as gas, liquid or solid, or Understanding the different types of
with different chemical properties, for multiphase flow models will assist in the
example gas bubbles in a liquid or oil selection of the most appropriate model
droplets dispersed in water. Multiphase for a multiphase application.
flows are commonly encountered in
a wide variety of industrial applications, Free-Surface Multiphase Flows
Blow molding of a water
ranging from evaporation in distillation columns to sloshing One type of multiphase flow is free sur- fountain canister modeled
in fuel tanks, and from spray painting to cyclonic particle face. With free-surface flows, there are two with ANSYS POLYFLOW
software. The color indicates
separators. or more immiscible fluids, each of which is the thickness distribution.
Multiphase flows are much more difficult to model than described as being continuous in significant
flows of just a single fluid. A complete description of the parts of the flow domain. There are clearly
flow requires solving mass, momentum and energy equa- recognizable regions that contain either one or the other
tions for each of the phases. These equations are more fluid, although the shape and location of these regions may
complex than for single-phase flows because they contain vary with time. These regions are large enough that they can
additional terms that govern the exchange of mass, be covered by multiple grid cells in the fluid dynamics
momentum and energy between the phases. Because of model. The shape and location of the interface between the
the wide range of physical phenomena present and the fluids is usually of interest.
many possible different flow regimes, the exact form of ANSYS POLYFLOW software uses a deforming mesh
these interphase exchange terms is not always completely method to calculate the free-surface shape of viscous fluids
known. Multiphase flow models, therefore, often still include flowing into an open domain. In this case, as the fluid
empirically derived terms that continue to evolve as moves, the domain is remeshed so that the mesh follows
research progresses. the exact shape of the fluid interface. This allows for very
Leading fluid flow simulation products from ANSYS efficient and accurate predictions of blow molding and
offer a comprehensive suite of multiphase flow models that extrusion processes.
cover most relevant industrial situations. ANSYS sets the ANSYS FLUENT and ANSYS CFX software use the
standard for multiphase flow simulation not only by offering volume-of-fluid (VOF) method to describe free-surface
the widest range of multiphase capabilities but also through flows.

ANALYSIS TOOLS
With the VOF approach, the whole flow domain is meshed with
a fixed mesh. The motion and the local volume fraction of the
phases are calculated along with the shape of the interface
between the phases. At any point in space, there is only one or
the other of the two fluid phases, so there is only one velocity
field at every location. It is common, therefore, to solve only
one velocity field, although in cases in which the velocity differ-
ence along the interface is large, robustness and accuracy of
the calculations is improved if two separate velocity fields are
solved. The shape of the fluid interface does not have to match
the shape of the mesh. Different interface tracking methods are
available with different levels of accuracy, calculation speed
and numerical robustness.
Typical examples of the use of the VOF model are flows
such as ships moving through water, dam break scenarios,
fuel tank sloshing, stratified flows (distinct layers of different
fluids), slug flows (very large gas bubbles moving through a
liquid in a pipe) and droplet breakup at inkjet printer nozzles.
Dispersed Multiphase Flows

Gas and solids distribution in a three- In dispersed multiphase flows, there is one continuous
phase bubble column as calculated phase and one or more dispersed phases. The dispersed
using the Eulerian multiphase flow
model. The light-blue iso-surface phases consist of many discrete small droplets, bubbles or
shows the region with the highest particles that are distributed throughout the continuous phase.
gas fraction. The color on the column
wall indicates the concentration of Usually, the size of these is small compared with the flow
the solid catalyst particles. domain, and often they are smaller than the grid cell size.
Frequently, there are too many particles to calculate the motion
of each individually. The two most common methods used to
model these systems in a manageable fashion are the Eulerian
Wave formation around a seafaring vessel as modeled using the volume-of-fluid free surface model in ANSYS CFX software.
Simulation and image by Philippe Godin and Robin Steed. Cargo ship image © istockphoto/dan_prat.

ANALYSIS TOOLS
method and the Lagrangian method. Both methods are

available in ANSYS FLUENT and ANSYS CFX software.
The Eulerian method describes the system as mixed
continuous phases and solves the equations of mass,
momentum and energy for each phase. Droplets, bubbles
and particles are not tracked individually. The equations of
motion include the effects of the interphase drag force and
other relevant forces that occur in dispersed multiphase
systems. Typical results of the calculations are the local
velocities, temperature and volume fractions of each
phase. Interface shapes are not explicitly calculated. There
are several variations of the Eulerian multiphase model. In
cases in which the velocity difference between the phases
is relatively small, it is often possible to simplify the model Iso-surfaces of water vapor for a pump
operating with developing cavitation
by solving just one equation of motion for the mixture, Courtesy Vansan Makina Sanayi
instead of equations for each phase. Also, for bubbles or
droplets, the effects of breakup and coalescence can
be included in the model to calculate their size distribution.
For solid particles in a fluid or gas, special Eulerian-granular The Lagrangian particle tracking method (LTM) calcu-
models are available that can take into account the effects lates the trajectories of individual particles, drops or
of particle collision, friction and packing density. The bubbles in the continuous phase. It is also known as the
Eulerian method is commonly used for fluidized beds, discrete phase model (DPM). In practice, this method is
bubble columns, mixing tanks, sedimentation, slurry flows, most useful when the particles or droplets occupy a small
and pneumatic transport and hydrotransport systems. part of the total volume, usually less than 10 percent, and are
heavier than the continuous phase. In cases in which the
number of particles is too large to calculate, it is possible to
simplify the model just by calculating a statistically significant
number of particle streams. The effects of the particles on the
flow of the continuous phase can be taken into account and
vice versa. Mass transfer effects, such as evaporation
and condensation, and chemical reactions, such as combus-
tion, can be included. Examples of applications in which the
Lagrangian model is used are sprays of droplets in air, such
as paint, or solid particles in air, such as fine powders in
asthma medication inhalers.
Steady State or Time Dependent

Multiphase flow calculations can be either steady state
or time dependent. Steady-state calculations are most
suitable when the final solution is independent of the initial
conditions and there are distinct inflow boundaries for the
individual phases. Other situations are commonly modeled
as time dependent. Because of the additional equations
and the need to model many flows as time dependent,
multiphase flow modeling is computationally intensive.
Luckily, fluid dynamics software from ANSYS works
efficiently on parallel computing systems so that model
turnaround times remain reasonable.
Because of the large number of industrial multiphase
Particle trajectories in a cyclone separator are shown as calculated with applications, ANSYS continues to invest in research and
the discrete particle tracking model. The color indicates the particle development in this important area. The ongoing develop-
diameter. The larger particles (red and green) exit from the bottom as
intended. Some of the smaller particles (blue) exit from the top, reducing
ment effort will result in continuous improvement of the
the separation efficiency. Multiphase technology from ANSYS can be already comprehensive multiphase flow modeling capa-
used to optimize the separation efficiency for different particle properties bilities from ANSYS. ■
and size distributions.

TIPS AND TRICKS
Analyzing
Viscoelastic Materials
Mechanical solutions from ANSYS have convenient tools
for calculating deformation of materials in which stiffness changes
as a function of loading, time and temperature.
By Sheldon Imaoka, Technical Support Engineer, ANSYS, Inc.
Viscoelastic materials have an Viscoelastic behavior is similarly These equations imply that the
interesting mix of material properties found in other materials such as shear and bulk moduli are represented
that exhibit viscous behavior (like the wood, polymers, human tissue and by a decaying function of time t. Simply
gradual deformation of molasses) as solid rocket propellants, to name a stated, the user provides pairs of rela-
well as elasticity (like a rubber band few. Because of this complex behavior, tive moduli αi and relaxation time τi,
that stretches instantaneously and the use of linear material properties is which represent the amount of stiffness
quickly returns to its original state generally inadequate in accurately lost at a given rate.
once a load is removed). The clearest determining the final shape of a For simplicity, only the shear term
way to visualize the behavior of a viscoelastic material, the time taken G will be considered for subsequent
material containing both elastic and to arrive at that geometry, and the discussions. Start off at time t equal to
viscous components is to think of stresses on the part. In these cases, 0 with the full stiffness (instantaneous
a spring (exerting forces to return to its the material’s viscoelasticity must be shear moduli). Hence:
unstressed state) in series with a taken into account in the simulation.
dashpot (a damper that resists sudden
motion, similar to the pneumatic Viscoelastic Material Models
cylinder that prevents a storm door In mechanical solutions from
from slamming shut). With these prop- ANSYS, viscoelasticity is implemented This implies that the sum of the
erties, the stresses of a viscoelastic through the use of Prony series. The input relative moduli αi must be less
material gradually relax over time shear and volumetric responses are than or equal to 1.0. Consider the
when a constant displacement is separated, and the well-known rela- extreme case at infinite time, which
applied. Conversely, under a constant tionships between shear modulus G gives:
applied force, elastic strains continue and bulk modulus K are shown below:
to accumulate the more it is deformed.
Various materials exhibit viscoelas-
ticity, with deformation depending on This means that the infinite modu-
load, time and temperature. That is, lus α∞ represents the percentage of
given enough loading over a period of remaining stiffness. The user-input rela-
time, many materials will gradually tive moduli α i, on the other hand, is the
undergo some level of deformation — Instead of having constant values percentage of stiffness that is lost, with
and the process may speed up as the for G and K (and by extension, elastic τ i representing the time constant.
material gets hotter. For example, an modulus E and Poisson’s ratio ν), these
amorphous solid such as glass may are represented by Prony series in Example Problem
act more like a liquid at elevated tem- viscoelasticity: Figure 1 shows a rubber bumper
peratures, at which its time-dependent being compressed by two rigid bodies
response can be measured in seconds. in which the right body is fixed and the
On the other hand, at room tempera- left body is displaced to compress the
ture, its stiffness is much greater, so rubber part in the middle. The rubber
glass may still flow, but the time- bumper was defined with a neo-
dependent response is measured in Hookean hyperelastic material model
years or decades. in ANSYS Workbench Simulation.

TIPS AND TRICKS
Fluids Simulation for Viscoelastic Materials 516.38
Maximum Equivalent Stress [MPa]

465.75
Viscoelastic materials experience behavior 415.11
that may be characterized as both viscous and 364.48
solid. In addition to tools for addressing deforma- 313.85
tion (ANSYS Mechanical software), the ANSYS 263.22
212.59
portfolio also contains technology in ANSYS
161.95
POLYFLOW software that can be used to investi- 111.32
gate deformation as well as applications that 60.689
are more fluids related, such as rubber profile 10.057
1.e-2 1000
extrusion, blow molding or fiber spinning. Both Time [s]
modeling approaches reveal a great deal about
Figure 1. A rubber bumper (the gray Figure 2. Maximum equivalent stress in the
the uncommon behavior of the wide range of vis- part in the middle) is compressed by rubber part as a function of time
coelastic materials. a fixed and moveable body on its
right and left.
A Commands object was inserted Figure 3 displays the model at time In this way, the Prony series
under the rubber part with the equal to 10 seconds. Note the self- provides an effective tool in mechanical
following contents: contact that occurs due to the large solutions from ANSYS for calculating
tb,prony,MATID,1,1,shear imposed displacement. A comparison deformation of materials where stiffness
tbdata,1,0.5,100 with Figure 4 — displaying equivalent changes as a function of loading, time
stress at time equal to 1,000 seconds — and temperature. ■
For this example, a single Prony shows not only the reduction of stress
Contact the author at
pair was defined for the shear behavior. but also some redistribution that occurs sheldon.imaoka@ansys.com for the complete
The TB command activates the defini- due to stress relaxation. paper from which this column is excerpted.
tion of the Prony pair, and the TBDATA
command defines the Prony pair
values. In this case, a relative modulus
of 0.5 was assumed to have a relax-
ation time of 100 seconds. This means
that at infinite time, half of the shear
stiffness will be lost at a decay rate,
such that at 100 seconds 0.5(e-1), or
18 percent, of the stiffness is relaxed.
Figure 2 shows the maximum
equivalent stress in the rubber part
as a function of time. Note that the
decay is rapid in the beginning. This
is due to the exponential function in
the Prony series. The response
becomes asymptotic, showing that
the maximum stress at time equal to
1,000 seconds decreases to nearly
half of the maximum stress at the
beginning of the solution, as expected.
Note that relaxation starts to occur at
the beginning of the solution, and this
model experiences a multiaxial state of
stress, explaining why the long-term
maximum stress value is not exactly Figure 3. Model at 10 seconds, where self-contact Figure 4. Equivalent stress at 1,000 seconds showing
half of the peak value. occurs due to the large imposed displacement reduction in stress and some redistribution due to stress
relaxation

ACADEMIC
Small Bubbles,
Large Benefit
Air injection simulations show promise for
reducing ship drag by injecting air bubbles to
reduce skin friction along the hull of a vessel.
By Takafumi Kawamura and Asako Murakami, Department of Systems Innovation,
The University of Tokyo, Japan
Given the recent rise in energy Tokyo confirmed that fuel consumption The computational results also sug-
costs and the desire to reduce CO2 can be reduced by 5 percent by gested that energy savings are greater
emissions, demand for energy-efficient injecting air bubbles into the boundary in the ballast condition than in the fully
ships is growing. Fuel consumption for layer at the bottom of the hull near the loaded condition. These predictions
a ship can be reduced by lowering the bow. In this project, the research team were consistent with results obtained
resistance of the hull as it moves used fluid flow simulation to predict the from tests conducted with the cement
through the water. This resistance can distribution of air around the hull and carrier vessel.
be decomposed into skin friction, form estimate the reduction in skin friction. In the near future, it is possible
drag and wave drag. Although the They developed an original bubble that many ships will be equipped with
relative importance of these three flow model for modeling the air volume air bubble injection systems. For
components varies by vessel type, fraction and the velocity of the air designing such ships, computational
skin friction is generally the largest phase and implemented it in ANSYS flow simulation will be a powerful tool
constituent. For relatively slow-moving FLUENT software using a set of given the costs of full-scale testing
large vessels such as tankers, skin user-defined scalar (UDS) transport and the difficulties associated with
friction may represent as much as equations. This bubble model was scaling up bench test results to actual
70 percent of total drag. Therefore, tuned against data collected from vessel performance. ■
researchers in the marine hydro- bench-scale experiments
dynamics field have been making a The ANSYS FLUENT simulations References
concerted effort to reduce skin friction. revealed that 34 percent of the wetted Kawamura, T., Ito, A., Hinatsu, M., “Numerical
Simulation of Bubbly Flow Around a Marine
Among the methods that have been surface area of the hull is covered Propeller,” Proceedings of FEDSM2007,
proposed, covering the wetted surface with air bubbles and estimated a 10 5th Joint ASME/JSME Fluids Engineering
of a ship with air bubbles is considered percent reduction in total resistance. Conference, 2007, San Diego, California, U.S.A.
the most promising.
The concept of using air bubbles
to reduce skin friction is not new. This
effect has been confirmed in many
bench-scale studies, but there are sig-
nificant problems to overcome before
applying this method to actual vessels.
The energy required to pump air to the
bottom of the ship increases in propor-
tion to the flow rate and the draft of the Mesh on the hull surface generated by GAMBIT software. Air injection was modeled as a mass flux
vessel. Additionally, the efficiency of through the specified region near the bow.
the propeller decreases in the bubbly
flow regime. In order to achieve a net
energy savings, the position of the air
Image © istockphoto.com/PLAINVIEW
injectors, the mean bubble diameter

and the volumetric flow rate of air must
be optimized.
In a recently conducted full-scale
study using a 126-meter-long cement
carrier, researchers at the University of Air bubbles, shown here as a white sheet of bubbles, are injected along the ship’s hull, shown in red,
in order to reduce the ship’s drag.

OUTSIDE THE BOX
Snowflake by
Snowflake
Simulation provides insight about snow safety.
By ANSYS Advantage Editorial Staff with the assistance A cubic µSnow model sample from CRREL,
of Zoe Courville, CRREL, New Hampshire, U.S.A. 25 millimeters on edge with a 2-D cross-
sectional plane; the particle diameter is about
1 millimeter and the density is 30 percent
For many, the romantic dream of Snow, which is actually an aggre- velocities and locations; finds contacts;
winter weather is sitting beside a gate of ice grains, can be considered calculates contact forces and moments;
roaring fire with a hot drink while snow at three scales: the micro-scale (10-3 calculates conditions for contact bond
drifts gently to the ground outside. meters), the local scale (1 meter), formation, growth and rupture; and
However, the reality can be more of a and the landscape scale (104 meters). calculates movement for each particle
nightmare. According to the National Landscape-scale snow properties can within the aggregate. This explicit repre-
Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado, be derived from local-scale snow data sentation provides a way to identify the
U.S.A., seasonal snow affects up to using distributed or statistical models. important processes that control snow
33 percent of the earth’s total land Local-scale snow properties, however, deformation and directly compare phys-
surface, 98 percent of which occurs in depend strongly on heterogeneities and ical experiments to simulation.
the Northern Hemisphere. With snow layering at the micro-scale. Represen- Recently, CRREL began combining
accumulation come transportation tative elemental volumes (REVs) are able a fluid flow model with µSnow to
challenges, natural events such as to model local-scale snow; however, account for the flow and diffusion of air
avalanches, and increased demands they do not take into account micro- and water vapor in snow. Researchers
related to maintaining our human mechanical factors that are fundamental simulated pressure-driven air flow
support infrastructure, including elec- in explaining deformation. through 3-D models of snow samples
tricity and fuel supply. To better To account for the micro-scale and found that modeled results closely
address these challenges, researchers factors, researchers at the Cold Regions matched measured values.
are taking a closer look at snow defor- Research and Engineering Lab (CRREL) In the future, this methodology for
mation — a factor that is related to use a discrete element method (DEM) addressing the complexity of the prob-
each of these scenarios. to explicitly model the dynamics of lem by providing a way to incorporate
snow particle assemblies and the individual mechanisms into the larger
micro-mechanical interaction processes snow model can lead to better predic-
between the grains. DEM was selected tions and understanding for a whole
for its ability to model materials that range of snow-related scenarios. So as
undergo large-scale discontinuous you sit having happy thoughts while
deformations that depend on micro- snow gently falls outside your home,
scale contact processes, internal think of the science that lies behind the
breakage of contact bonds and com- safety of snow tires, avalanche best
paction of broken fragments. practices and making sure that your
CRREL’s DEM model, called home stays warm through those winter
Air flow patterns through a 3-D model of a snow sample µSnow, stores the particle shapes, months. ■
Image © istockphoto.com/left home

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ADVANTAGE

EXCELLENCE IN ENGINEERING SIMULATION

SIMULATION OPENING UP WITH DESIGNING CHEMICAL

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26 Aligned with the ANSYS Vision

27 Electric Motors Advanced by

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34 ENERGY 43 ANALYSIS TOOLS

36 TURBOMACHINERY 46 TIPS AND TRICKS

38 PROCESS INDUSTRIES 48 ACADEMIC

49 OUTSIDE THE BOX

For ANSYS, Inc. sales information, call 1.866.267.9724, or visit www.ansys.com.

4 ANSYS Advantage • Volume II, Issue 4, 2008 www.ansys.com

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Piaggio Boosts Motorcycle Engine Performance

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