In its 2021 release, Simcenter 3D continues to enhance its unified, shared engineering platform across all simulation disciplines to help users fully realize the benefits simulation provides in terms of cost, speed, and innovation impact. By introducing new AI-powered user experience enhancements, new simulation types, and improvements in accuracy and performance speed, Simcenter 3D 2021 can help companies understand the true performance of their designs in the early stages of their development process.
In many applications, product innovation includes the engineering necessary to produce the advanced materials used in these products, resulting in new materials being introduced to the market at an unprecedented rate. Faults or cracks are a critical consideration for advanced materials; however, modeling micro- and meso fractures in these materials using the finite element method is challenging. Simcenter 3D now includes full representative volume element (RVE) separation and automatic 2D and 3D insertion of cracks or bonded areas within materials. Macro- and microstructural models now allow for complete mesh separation, enabling crack propagation throughout the material.
"The Simcenter Multimech allows us to model microstructural cracks and determine how they would affect the entire part," says Neraj Jain, group leader of simulation and engineering at the Department of Ceramic Structures and Composites at the DLR. "Using this tool, we can actually see where a crack is developing, how it will change our material, and how it will affect the final microstructure of the material.".
Simcenter 3D's latest innovation is an auralization post-processing tool that allows users to listen to the results of simulated pressure to evaluate sound quality. This enables acoustic engineers to actually hear the noise produced by various vibrating components or products instead of having to assess it visually through charts or graphs.
Simulation-based design can reduce time to market. For this reason, Simcenter 3D's thermal analysis capabilities have been transformed into a vertical solution for mold designers and design engineers. The new NX Mold Cooling product utilizes Simcenter 3D technology, allowing designers to configure and simulate the thermal performance of an injection mold inserted into NX while designing the mold. This enables quick and easy thermal analysis of injection mold designs without having to wait for feedback from expert analysts.
