Mechanical simulation

The simulation process includes steps for model preparation, often called pre-processing, and results analysis, often called post-processing. Pre-processing steps include importing, defeaturing and cleaning up computer-aided design (CAD) geometry, creating the finite element (FE) mesh, defining loads and boundary conditions as well as solution parameters. Pre-processing is often the longest, most time-consuming step in the simulation process. 

Simcenter offers the tools you need to reduce the time you spend preparing analysis models and spend more time evaluating results. Quickly move from multi-CAD geometry data to a complete, run-ready analysis model using unique tools for computer-aided engineering (CAE) geometry editing, comprehensive meshing, FE assembly management, multi-CAE solver environments, and fast simulation results post-processing and reporting. Efficiently pre- and post-process your simulation models quickly for accurate and fast simulation solvers so you can spend more time engineering innovation.

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Understanding how a component or product assembly reacts under stress or vibration is critical in any industry. However, as products and materials become increasingly complex, engineers need tools that go beyond linear-statics analyses. Simcenter provides the structural analysis software you need to simulate a wide range of applications all within a single user environment. You no longer need one tool for linear statics, another to study fatigue and yet another for nonlinear analysis. As a result, engineering departments can consolidate structural analysis tools and you only need to know a single user interface.

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Most machines and vehicles experience vibrations and other excitations that can impact their structural performance. Historically, physical testing methods were used for understanding the structural dynamics of various products. However, testing is costly and time-consuming and perhaps not very feasible with large structures like aircraft or ships. Simulation has become a key technology in understanding the structural dynamics of automobiles, spacecraft, jet engines, ships, electronic devices and industrial machines.

Simcenter offers a comprehensive solution to understand, analyze and improve the response when a system is subjected to dynamic loading. Simcenter builds on over 50 years of dynamics analysis experience to offer you the ability to efficiently understand and avoid excessive vibrations and stresses. Dedicated capabilities are available for noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) engineering, rotor dynamics and correlation.

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Are your customers expecting quieter products? Are competitors gaining ground by using sound quality as a differentiator? Will tighter noise regulations impact your product sales? Would you like to decrease the time spent on predicting sound fields or shave off weeks on complex jobs like engine run-ups?

Acoustic software helps you conquer these challenges. Simcenter offers interior and exterior acoustic simulation within an integrated solution that helps you make informed decisions during the early design stages so you can optimize your product’s acoustic performance. A unified and scalable modeling environment combined with efficient solvers and easy-to-interpret visualization capabilities enables you to quickly gain insight into the acoustic performance of your product.

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Undoubtedly the most challenging task for durability engineers is designing fail-safe components and systems in the most efficient manner. System parts with insufficient fatigue strength may cause permanent structural damage and potentially life-threatening situations. Mistakes can cause product recalls which negatively influence not only the product but the overall brand image. Shorter development cycles and ever-increasing quality requirements have stretched test-based durability approaches to the limits. Evaluating and refining the durability performance by simulating, using durability software methods, is the only valid alternative.

Simcenter gives you access to state-of-the-art fatigue analysis methods that enable you to perform fatigue life prediction analyses quickly and accurately accounting for realistic loading conditions.

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Understanding the engineering performance is challenging for intricate mechanical systems, like wing flaps or landing gears, sliding sunroofs or suspensions, or photocopiers and other mechanisms. Motion simulation uses multibody dynamics to calculate the reaction forces, torques, velocities, acceleration and more for mechanical systems. You can directly convert CAD geometry and assembly constraints into an accurate motion model or create your own multibody model from scratch. The embedded motion solver and robust post-processing capabilities allow you to study of a broad range of mechanism behaviors.

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The tire is a complex and highly non-linear vehicle component that has a significant effect on the behavior of a vehicle. As the number of vehicle models on the market continues increasing, so does the number of possible use cases that need to be tested and validated. This fact, in combination with the need for reduced development times, calls for ever more simulation instead of physical vehicle testing.

Modeling tire performance requires a lot of expertise and specialization. For this purpose, Simcenter offers engineers scalable and customized solutions. The ultimate goal is simulation to accurately represent tire forces and moments, so they can be propagated to various vehicle performance simulations.

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Thermal management is a major consideration for a wide range of products, including industrial machinery, automobiles and consumer electronics. The objective of any thermal management solution is to maintain a product’s temperature within a range that is optimal for performance. Accomplishing this may require the removal or addition of heat, either passively or in an actively managed fashion and this can be evaluated using thermal simulation software.

Simcenter includes comprehensive, best-in-class thermal simulation capabilities that can help you understand the thermal characteristics of your product and subsequently tailor your thermal management solution for optimal performance.

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An uncomfortable truth about modern engineering is that there really are no easy problems left to solve. In order to meet the demands of industry, it’s no longer good enough to do a bit of CFD or some stress analysis. Complex industrial problems require solutions that span a multitude of physical phenomena, which often can only be solved using simulation techniques that cross several engineering disciplines.

Simcenter can help you streamline multiphysics simulation so that you can more accurately simulate real-world conditions.

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Additive manufacturing (AM) is changing the way products are made. New revolutionary machines and processes are rapidly pushing AM from the prototype environment onto the production floor. The additive manufacturing capabilities in Simcenter help you predict distortions and defects before parts are printed, thereby reducing the number of test prints and improving the quality of the final print.

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Occupant and pedestrian safety are critical design aspects. These aspects determine whether a vehicle can be homologated. Therefore, thorough prototype testing needs to be done before a vehicle can go to market. However, this testing is expensive and can cause significant delays, especially when problems are discovered. For this reason, vehicle manufacturers try to save prototyping time and cost by doing upfront research and analysis using simulation.

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To stay ahead in the innovation race, engineers need to be able to quickly predict the outcome of design changes on the real-world performance of their product. Engineering simulation provides an excellent way for you to cost-effectively evaluate how your products will perform under expected operating conditions.

Design exploration and optimization solutions take simulation to the next level yielding new, innovative product designs that result in exceptional performance.

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