May 4, 2009 -- ANSYS, Inc., a provider of simulation software and technologies designed to optimize product development processes, announced what it calls a milestone in coupling the ANSYS and the recently acquired Ansoft products, successfully performing multi-physics simulations that involve electromagnetic applications.
The company maintains that, as electronics become more embedded into automotive, aerospace, industrial and consumer products, engineers must consider factors such as circuitry's ability to withstand vibration shocks, heat generation and electromagnetic interference. The company says its simulation platform can be key to solving problems that involve these complex systems.
In performing several case studies, ANSYS reports that its engineers deployed the electromagnetic effects determined by the Ansoft software directly in ANSYS thermal and structural simulation. Work is ongoing to fully integrate Ansoft software directly into the ANSYS Workbench platform for future b-directional and seamless operation.
For example, a high-power electronic connector used in a military radar application to connect a transmitter to an antenna must be engineered from electromagnetic, thermal and structural perspectives to ensure success. The simulation was performed by coupling Ansoft's HFSS software with the ANSYS Workbench environment, using advanced thermal and structural capabilities.
Engineers used HFSS to ensure that the device was transmitting in the proper path, by calculating the high-frequency electromagnetic fields, power loss density distribution and S-parameters. In such high-power applications, the company notes that it is critical to determine the temperature distribution to ensure the device stays below temperatures that cause material failure, such as melting. The power loss density results from the HFSS simulation were used as the source for the thermal simulation performed within ANSYS Mechanical software, which simulated the temperature distribution of the device.
"Such coupling will allow engineers to integrate complex electronic designs at component, circuit and system levels, upfront in the design cycle, where changes can be incorporated quicker and more cost effectively. This is just the first step. We're now working to directly couple the Ansoft products with the rest of the ANSYS suite," says Zol Cendes, chief technology officer and general manager at Ansoft. "The full integration of ANSYS mechanical/thermal/fluid tools with the Ansoft electronic design automation software -- directly coupled for interactive use within the ANSYS Workbench environment -- will allow users to perform closely coupled multiphysics simulations. We believe this integration process is critical to enabling the transition to a mechatronic design methodology that allows customers to view design problems in a new and improved paradigm. This technology will allow organizations to develop leading-edge products that can withstand rigorous usage in the real world."
In another case, a valve-actuating solenoid application used a coupled ANSYS and Ansoft simulation to analyze temperature distribution. Solenoids are commonly found in automotive starter systems, home appliances, industrial air hammers and other devices that rely on a sudden burst of power to move a specific part. Maxwell software was used to calculate the power loss from the low-frequency electromagnetic fields within the solenoid. The power loss was used as an input for a thermal simulation performed with ANSYS Mechanical software to determine the temperature profile of the device.
Subsequently, the application predicted how the device deformed due to the rise in temperature. Such coupling delivers a powerful analysis framework needed to solve these complex, interrelated physics problems. Thus, engineers soon will be able to address electro-thermal-stress problems associated with optimizing state-of-the-art radio frequency (RF) and electromechanical components including antennas, actuators, power converters and printed circuit boards (PCBs).
The coupling of ANSYS and Ansoft tools also will provide users with a significantly broader simulation environment. "Take, for example, a wind power application," continues Cendes. "ANSYS has excelled in helping companies optimize blade design, in terms of structural integrity of the blade, with mechanical software. Our tools also help ensure that the design efficiently captures the kinetic energy from the wind, using ANSYS fluid flow products. With the addition of the Ansoft technology, we can expand our solution to help users design the electric generators that convert the wind's kinetic energy into electrical energy."
He continues, "We also can help design the power conversion, transmission and electronic control that transform the electrical energy into a usable form to deliver it to the electrical power grid. The ultimate benefit is that users can rely on ANSYS as a single source for world-class design software, technical support and services for the design of complete systems. The ANSYS breadth of engineering solutions and depth of multiphysics technologies gives customers the tools they need to succeed in today's ultra-competitive environment."
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