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COMPREHENSIVE
MULTIPHYSICS ENTERPRISE-WIDE
PAGE 4
CAE ROTATING MACHINERY
PAGE 8
SPOTLIGHT
PAGE 15
EDITORIAL
A Matter of Survival
Simulation and statistical methods help manufacturers achieve
high product quality now essential in competing on the world market.
Products designed using mostly by large companies with hefty resources. The
sound principles often fail once emergence of specialized technology such as ANSYS
they are built and in use. That’s DesignXplorer software changed all this with automated
one of the frustrating puzzles of features for quickly and easily performing many of these
engineering: defective products repetitive tasks, often completing projects involving
based on designs that passed 10,000 or more parametric analyses in a matter of hours.
quality checks, engineering These capabilities enable design engineers to apply the
analysis and prototype testing same Six Sigma quality principles that, for years, have
with flying colors. In many cases, been such an important focus in manufacturing opera-
such failures are caused by the tions and a topic of strong interest among the ranks of
unforeseen interaction of multiple corporate management.
variables in production, mater- Functionality for such processes is outlined in Pierre
ials, shipping and customer use — and manufacturers Thieffry’s article “Parametric Design Analysis for Evalu-
pay a steep price for these failures. ating a Range of Variables,” which describes tools for
The key to evaluating these kinds of interactions is an assessing the influence of all relative parameters on
approach called Design of Experiments (DOE), in which design objectives and system performance.
numerous random analyses are run on different combina- The ramifications are profound and potentially far-
tions of changing variables. Probabilistic and statistical reaching for a broad range of manufacturing companies,
methods compare all the different results and study the including mid-sized and even small job shops, where
sensitivity of product behavior to these variations. The tools engineers can use these methods to achieve high product
are at the heart of Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) methods quality — which is not a luxury anymore but increasingly a
in arriving at optimal near-defect-free “robust” designs matter of survival in the competitive world market. ■
that work properly — even in the face of wide variations of
product parameters.
For years, teams of statisticians, analysts, designers
and experts have had to spend months plowing through
thousands of simulations and mountains of data for such
studies. Consequently, the DOE approaches were used John Krouse, Senior Editor and Industry Analyst
Executive Editor Technical Editor Ad Sales Manager Production Assistant About the Cover
Chris Hardee Marty Mundy Shane Moeykens Joan Johnson Appliance manufacturers are
increasingly turning to simulation to
Managing Editor Art Director Editorial Contributor Circulation Managers gain a competitive edge. Whirlpool
Chris Reeves Susan Wheeler Dan Hart Elaine Travers Corporation describes how
Sharon Everts refrigerator cabinets can be
Senior Editor and Editors Editorial Advisor AdvantageAddressChange optimized on page 11.
Industry Analyst Erik Ferguson Kelly Wall @ansys.com Architectural rendering © iStockphoto.com/
John Krouse Fran Hensler koksharov dimitry. Simulation courtesy
Brad Hutchinson Designer Whirlpool Corporation SA.
Miller Creative Group
Email: ansys-advantage@ansys.com
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 editorial director nor Miller Creative Group guarantees or warrants accuracy or completeness of the material contained in this publication.
ANSYS, ANSYS Workbench, CFX, AUTODYN, FLUENT, DesignModeler, ANSYS Mechanical, DesignSpace, ANSYS Structural, TGrid, GAMBIT 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 trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
Table of Contents
FEATURES
4 MULTIPHYSICS
Multiphysics in Action
Powerful coupled-physics simulation tools solve demanding
applications in a wide range of industries.
8 THOUGHT LEADERS
CAE on the Offensive
4 A leading Australian aerospace and defense company, Tenix
Defence Pty Limited, reports on computer-aided engineering
software trends.
11 CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Keeping Cool While Cutting Costs
Simulation helps keep temperatures and costs down while
optimizing refrigerator design.
15
25 Runners Experience Longer Life
Fracture mechanics helps ensure longevity of propeller-
type runners in hydropower plants.
SIMULATION @ WORK
27 MATERIALS
Predicting Wear in Radial Seals
Finite element analysis is performed in a step-wise approach
in which seal geometry is re-meshed with each load cycle
to account for wear-off of material at the contact surface.
23
28 MATERIALS
Savings from Submerged
Combustion Melting
Simulation helps glass manufacturers understand
complex phenomena in next-generation melter technology.
30 HEALTHCARE
Breathing Easily
Simulation of airflow in human noses can become
a useful rhinosurgery planning tool.
3 HEALTHCARE
Ins and Outs of Inhalers
30
Simulation helps optimize the performance
of a dry powder inhaler for drug delivery.
36
DEPARTMENTS
38 PARTNER
Integrated Analysis Achieves
State-of-the-Art Workflow
A collaborative process and better tools help Modine engineers
leverage the virtual environment to meet emission standard
design changes.
40 PARTNER
From CAD to CAE
FLUENT software now offers support for Autodesk Inventor.
44 ANALYSIS TOOLS
Parametric Design Analysis for
Evaluating a Range of Variables
Tools help to study engineering trade-offs in
Simulation Driven Product Development.
41
Electric Potential
Diaphragm Deformation
Equivalent Stress
Multiphysics in Action
Powerful coupled-physics simulation tools solve
demanding applications in a wide range of industries.
By Stephen Scampoli, Multiphysics Product Manager, ANSYS, Inc.
In an expanding range of applications, engineers must stent grafts can be used to improve surgical procedures. In
be able to accurately predict how complex products will these and a growing number of other applications, multi-
behave in real-world environments in which multiple types physics simulation is rapidly becoming a competitive
of coupled physics interact. Multiphysics simulation is necessity by allowing engineers and designers to closely
becoming crucial in the development processes for a evaluate their designs under real-world operating conditions.
rapidly growing number of companies. It has the potential to
influence engineering simulation efforts in coming years, as Advanced Technology
more and more companies recognize the strategic value of Multiphysics simulation has been part of the core
the technology. technology from ANSYS for several decades. From the early
The increased demand for multiphysics simulation is versions of the software that included thermal–stress
occurring in many different industries as companies strive to calculations to the recent development of complex thermo-
maintain a competitive edge. In the electronics industry, high electric–fluidic calculations, ANSYS solver technology has
current densities in microchip circuits create large heat loads continued to advance the development of state-of-the-art
that need to be dissipated. In the automotive industry, multiphysics solution capabilities.
airflow over exterior components, such as side-view The functionality of multiphysics technology from
mirrors, can create unwanted noise and vibration. In the bio- ANSYS is unparalleled, with no other solution provider able
medical industry, understanding how blood flows through to match the long development history and the technical
Analysis of the harmonic response of micromachined silicon ring gyroscope, including the effects of thermoelastic damping
Photo courtesy Silicon Sensing Systems Ltd., www.siliconsensing.com
energy-loss characteristics to be evaluated in the develop- With sequential coupling, each physics discipline is
ment of the device is thermoelastic damping arising from solved sequentially, and results are passed as loads from
the irreversible heat flow across the temperature gradients one physics discipline to another with convergence
induced by the strain field. This effect is characterized by a between the individual physics disciplines obtained at
strong coupling between the structural and thermal fields, each point during the solution. This robust convergence
accurately represented using matrix coupling in ANSYS behavior of implicit coupling ensures accuracy and mini-
Multiphysics software. In this way, the software enabled mizes the engineering time needed to achieve valid
engineers to minimize energy loss in the gyroscope by simulation results.
evaluating complex mode shapes and the harmonic Since two or more single-physics models are used
response of the silicon ring gyroscope while accounting for within the ANSYS Multi-field solver, results can be passed
thermoelastic damping. across a dissimilar mesh interface between the physics
disciplines. This is a subtle but very important consider-
Multi-Field Solver ation, since a dissimilar mesh interface allows a user to
The ANSYS Multi-field solver solves a wide variety of optimize the mesh for each individual physics discipline.
coupled-physics problems by employing implicit sequential For example, in a fluid structure interaction problem, the
coupling. Examples include thermal–structural coupling, meshing requirements for the fluid are often different from
thermal–electric–magnetic coupling, electromagnetic– those for the structure. A dissimilar mesh interface also
structural coupling and fluid structure interaction (FSI). allows independent users to set up their specific physics
disciplines, which in turn allows for closer collaboration
between physics experts.
Using such an approach, the ANSYS Multi-field
solver was used to evaluate the switching speed of
a digital micromirror, a commercially successful
MEMs device used as the basis of Digital Light
Processing (DLP) technology. In a DLP projec-
tor, a projected image is created by an array
of several hundred thousand digital micro-
mirrors that each alternate rapidly between
on and off states, projecting light from the
projector into a lens that focuses the pixels on
the screen. Held in place by thin tethers, the tiny
aluminum mirrors are repositioned during each
cycle using electrostatic forces. By sequentially
coupling electrostatics and structural deformation in
this complex problem, ANSYS Multiphysics soft-
ware was instrumental in evaluating the positioning
of the digital micromirror as well as the switching
speed of the system.
Another common application of the ANSYS
Multi-field solver is fluid structure interaction,
which occurs when a fluid interacts with a
solid structure causing deformation in the
structure and thus altering the flow of the fluid
itself. An FSI solution is required for many
industrial applications, such as the aerody-
namic flutter of airplane wings, transient wind
loads on buildings, and biomedical flows
involving compliant blood vessels and valves.
For cases such as these, both the structural
and fluid solutions must be run concurrently
The switching speed and positioning of a MEMS digital micromirror was with loads transferred between the two solvers.
studied by sequentially coupling the analysis of models for structural
deformation (top) and electrostatics (bottom). ANSYS Multiphysics software provides a unique
Displacements
2.25e-3
Fluid Forces
Amplitude (m)
1.39e-3
2.02e-4
implicit coupling scheme between these two
1.25e-4
solutions, in which no third-party coupling soft- 31 40 50 60 70 80 90
ware is required, and each solution is able to Frequency (Hz)
run on a separate computer.
Another unique capability of the ANSYS
-0.849
Multi-field solver is the ability to include
coupled-field elements within an FSI solution. -25.
From a naval shipbuilding business in 1997, Tenix interests in engineering systems, such as traffic cameras
Defence Pty Limited has grown to service most areas of the and domestic utilities including waste water treatment and
defense industry; it also has established businesses working electricity generation.
in aviation, parking and traffic infringement management, The company emerged from the industrial construction
commercializing innovative technology and providing engi- company Transfield, which was formed in the 1950s. We
neering services for utilities including water, sewerage, gas see our core competence as the ability to be the smartest
and electricity. Based in Sydney, Australia, Tenix operates in defense integrators in our segment, and we seek
all mainland Australian states and territories, New Zealand, to understand our customers’ individual niche needs. We
the South Pacific and Southeast Asia. It is also an active then work with original equipment manufacturers to deliver
partner in high-technology ventures with United States and best-in-class flexible, customized designs fit for purpose.
European firms. ANSYS Advantage magazine interviewed Tenix works extensively for the Australian government
Peter Wilson, Engineering Manager of Tenix Defence, and other Southeast Asian and Australasian countries
Electronic Systems Division, and his colleagues about providing defense engineering solutions. We currently are
computer-aided engineering (CAE) software trends at Tenix. building and delivering seven vessels for the Royal New
Note: Tenix was sold in late January 2008 to BAE Zealand Navy tailored to their unique systems integration
Systems, which is Europe’s largest defense company. The needs. In addition, we work with major defense contractors,
acquisition makes BAE the biggest supplier of equipment to such as Lockheed Martin, L3 and Northrop-Grumman, to
Australia’s armed forces. customize their off-the-shelf defense equipment.
Q: Who is Tenix and what is its role in the defense industry? Q: What sort of technical systems integration do you typically
perform, and how do computer simulation and CAE feature in
A: Tenix is one of the largest independent defense
your processes?
contractors and integrators in both Australia and Southeast
Asia. There are four major defense businesses: Aerospace, A: This varies significantly among our defense divisions, and
Land, Marine and Electronic Systems. We have other it is best answered on a case-by-case basis, as follows.
Keeping Cool
While Cutting Costs
Simulation helps keep temperatures and
costs down while optimizing refrigerator design.
By Axel J. Ramm, Development Specialist - Black Belt, Whirlpool Corporation SA,
Latin American Region (LAR), Joinville, Brazil
Global competition in the appliance With worldwide industry revenue in In the past, cost-reduction projects at
industry is placing ever-increasing 2006 reported at $6.2 billion and a Whirlpool typically have required that
pressure on manufacturers to decrease sluggish market to contend with, the engineers build and test several
costs while maintaining high quality. stakes are high. prototypes, with results then compared
Refrigeration products are especially In an effort to find a competitive with current production cabinets. This
competitive, and as raw material costs edge, Whirlpool Corporation, one of the trial-and-error approach is costly and
for these appliances continue to rise, market leaders in the consumer and time-consuming, leading to only incre-
manufacturers are forced to take a commercial refrigeration market, has mental changes. Recently, Whirlpool
close look at their product designs. turned to software from ANSYS. has enjoyed more substantial benefits
Upper Hinge
Middle Hinge
Original design of the Whirlpool refrigerator model Finite element model of cabinet and door assembly
Lower Hinge
used in the cabinet optimization analysis with close-ups of critical hinges
sensitive factor affecting mass was the cabinet wrapper (or outer Six Sigma and the Importance
paneling), but that reducing the wrapper thickness resulted in an of Critical Thinking
increase in door drop. The most significant factor driving door drop was
the screw that connected the intermediary rail and cabinet front flange. In
In this case study from Whirlpool, Six Sigma tools, includ-
order to compensate for the increase in door drop that resulted from
ing Design of Experiments (DOE) product testing, were
reducing the wrapper thickness, designers added two screw connec-
used to assess manufacturing process and laboratory
tors, rather than one, between the wrapper front flanges and the
test sources of variation affecting cabinet structural
intermediary rail, resulting in a 12 percent improvement in door drop. This behavior. Eventually, engineers gained enough know-
design change also contributed to cabinet robustness and compensated ledge to act on variation reduction in order to accomplish
for polyurethane foam stiffness loss (manufacturing process variation). the finite element model (FEM) calibration.
In the end, this optimization and the associated design changes
resulted in the reduction of overall cabinet mass by 26 percent while With the FEM and calibration completed, the first
maintaining door drop and cabinet displacement at reasonable levels, optimization in ANSYS Mechanical software executed a
as defined by Whirlpool quality standards. On the bottom line, material sequential virtual DOE, with factors and levels selection
costs were reduced by 15 percent per product, resulting in a cost based on Six Sigma tools. The goal was to evaluate the
savings for the company of $1.2 million per year. design factors that most significantly affected door drop
By using ANSYS Mechanical software and Six Sigma tools, analysts and material costs.
at Whirlpool now have the ability to develop complex finite element
cabinet models calibrated with real data, enabling the optimization At Whirlpool, Six Sigma initiatives are used to investi-
of first-round physical prototypes. This procedure has resulted in a gate the impact of sources of variation on key critical
reduction of development time and manufacturing costs, helping outputs of product and process, such as quality or
Whirlpool meet increasingly competitive market requirements. ■ performance, and the initiatives are often lauded for
huge reductions in defects. A phrase often associated
with Six Sigma philosophy is “Y = f(X)” (Y is a function
of X.) This overly simplified equation reflects the obser-
vation that behavior in critical product or process
performance characteristics (Y) is due to certain
process factors or inputs (X). For example, the cabinet
wrapper thickness (X) can potentially affect cabinet
stiffness and door drop (Y). A crucial part of Six Sigma
work is to define and measure variation in Y with the
intent of discovering the cause and developing efficient,
operational means to control, mitigate or reduce
the variation.
Rotating Machinery
Turbomachinery, or more broadly speaking rotating rotating machines play a critical role in power generation
machinery, spans almost all industry sectors and in many and various forms of transportation — and, in some cases,
plays a vital role. Rotating machines change the state of are the limiting factor regarding cost, efficiency and emis-
working fluids (pumps or compressors), convey or transport sions — it is natural that they are in the spotlight and the
fluids (fans and pumps), extract energy (turbines) and create subject of intense analytical scrutiny.
propulsion (propellers). Performance, efficiency, reliability and In the energy industries, most of our power is produced
rapid delivery have always been important, but today’s world by gas, steam and water turbines. Steam turbines extract
conditions intensify the pressures designers face. power in nuclear and coal-fired power plants. Land-based
Currently, the price of oil hovers near $100 per barrel. gas turbines, similar to their aeroengine cousins, run on
Concern for climate change is widespread, not only by the natural gas and, in some cases, oil. Although still relatively
general public but also by legislators worldwide. Since small in volume, wind turbine production has increased
dramatically in recent years, with the largest machines aerodynamic and structural loads for stress and fatigue life
being 6 megawatts (MW) in size and having rotors predictions. However, excessive safety and strength
approaching 130 meters in diameter. The largest water features are likely to make the machine too expensive or
turbines, such as those used in the Three Gorges Dam in too heavy; these features also can preclude other competing
China, have 10-meter diameter runners. requirements such as efficiency.
In the transportation industry, turbomachinery plays an Operational cost and emission issues have recently
equally important role. For air travel, the rotating machinery intensified the pressure to produce efficient machines. Time-
used on commercial aircraft is well known — the gas to-market and cost pressures resulting from competition
turbine aircraft engine. Its key rotating components include have underscored the need to “get it right the first time.”
the fan, which can be seen when boarding the plane, as These factors, in turn, demand that simulation software
well as the compressor and the turbine. Since fuel is provides solutions of ever-increasing resolution and
a major and often volatile cost for airlines (significantly accuracy. Software, when employed in Simulation Driven
impacting their profitability) and noise and emissions regu- Product Development (SDPD), helps designers resolve these
lations are becoming increasingly stringent, there is a drive and other challenges and is a key enabler for reduced-cost,
for cleaner, quieter and more fuel-efficient engines. first-to-market rotating machinery development. ■
For transportation at sea and on the ground, diesel
engines in ships, trucks and an increasing number of cars References
use turbochargers to improve their performance and [1] Gerber, A.G.; Sigg, R.; Völker, L.; Casey, M.V.; Sürken, N., “Prediction
of Non-Equilibrium Phase Transition in a Model Low Pressure Steam
efficiency. These engines also use electric-driven fans and Turbine,” Journal of Engineering for Power and Energy, September
pumps, which must be optimized, since available electrical 2007, Vol. 221, No. A6, pp. 735–744.
power is limited. Efficiency of the automatic transmission
torque converter — another rotating machinery component
comprised of a pump, a stator and a turbine — is critical
to vehicle fuel efficiency.
Turbomachinery plays an important role in
other industries as well. Compressors and
pumps are important to the chemical,
process, and oil and gas industries, and are
even key components in large industrial air
conditioning systems. In the medical industry,
heart pumps must be designed to be compact
and to minimize blood damage.
Each rotating machine type has one or more key
design challenges. Cooling due to high temperatures
is problematic in gas turbines. Cavitation is an issue in
pumps. Non-ideal gas behavior in steam turbines
and refrigerant compressors must be considered.
In aeroengine fans, noise is a challenge. There
are space limitations when designing
automotive fans. For hydraulic turbines,
large-scale transient instabilities — also
known as vortex ropes — may occur at off-
design conditions. These examples indicate
the diverse physics requiring consideration for
accurate simulation of real machine behavior.
In reality, these physical processes
interact, and multiphysics analysis
increasingly is becoming a requirement
for high-fidelity simulations.
Several design, performance or
production factors are common among
turbomachine types. Reliability and
safety require accurate prediction Steam turbine simulation plays a key role in enabling
of steady and transient thermal, designers to improve performance and longevity.
Courtesy Siemens AG.[1]
Three-dimensional FLUENT computational fluid dynamics They then isolated the stresses caused by the circumfer-
(CFD) simulations provided thermal boundary conditions for ential temperature streak by subtracting the stress due to the
the FE analysis under part-load operating conditions. Thermal radial temperature change from the total outer diameter to
gradients were highest at the premixer exit of the liner’s inner diameter hoop stress data at the liner premixer axial
unsupported forward end, causing it to deform freely and location. The residual deformation due to the circumferential
assume a thermally distorted shape. temperature gradient was isolated in a similar fashion and
Next, the engineering team performed a linear elastic compared against post-operating inspection data after
analysis on a full 3-D ANSYS Mechanical model that was approximately 20 hours of operation. The linear elastic strains
constrained at the liner lugs to simulate the configuration of from the 3-D model were used to evaluate the creep strain
the installed engine. They mapped thermal profiles and due to the favorable comparison with experimental data.
pressure loads onto the model that were consistent with Using liner drop measurements separated by several
measured data for a two-stage part-load condition. days of operation, PSM engineers found radial ovalization to
be approximately 0.78 percent; this indicated creep relax-
ation. Furthermore, the creep data for the Haynes 230
example revealed that such creep deformations occurred
within the first few hours of part-load operation. The linear
elastic stresses were within the elastic yield limit of the liner
material. The linear elastic strains associated with these
stresses created a strain control environment in which the
liner thermal stresses creep relax to the Haynes 230 creep
strength capability. Since there are no constant stresses and
thermal stresses are within the elastic limit, engineers expect
the liners to achieve a permanent set based on the ovalized
This contour plot of temperatures for the liner thermal plot (results for having linear elastic shape and to maintain that thermal shape
two main stages on) shows a large circumferential metal temperature gradient without further deformation.
on the liner surface over the entire length of the combustor. Orange indicates
higher temperature, and blue indicates lower temperature.
Estimating the amount of creep relaxation under strain
control (permanent set) in a combustion liner required the
use of an FE analysis. Complexity was introduced by 3-D
variations in temperature, stresses, creep strain and strain
rate across the liner. Specimen lab testing for tensile
creep data revealed that the Haynes 230 example exhibited
negligible primary creep.
PSM engineers estimated the material constants in
Excel through best-fit coefficients to the experimental data.
They constructed a complete Flamesheet liner model using
3-D ANSYS SOLID186 element types to simulate the liner’s
secondary creep behavior. They mapped temperature and
The difference between the overall hoop stress (blue, left diagram) and the hoop external static pressure loads from the FLUENT results onto
stress due to radial temperature (red, left diagram) yields the stress caused by the
thermal asymmetry (right diagram). The values in the left diagram were calculated
the model. The implicit creep routine in ANSYS Mechanical
based on simulation results using technology from ANSYS. software was invoked by using the strain “rate = 1” option.
The ANSYS Mechanical model simulated 25 hours of run
time followed by a shutdown, then a restart and continuation
(max. radial deformation - min. radial deformation)
1.10
1.00 1,000 hrs ovalization after 25 hours of part-load operation. After
0.90
shutdown 1,000 hours of operation, the mixer exit accumulated
ovalization
0.80 25 hrs
approximately 0.73 percent of diametric ovalization, which
0.70
shutdown compares well with the 0.98 percent of diametric ovalization
ovalization
observed by coordinate measuring machine (CMM) inspec-
0.60
tion performed on the liner mixer exit after testing. This
0.50
result also confirmed that the liner creep strain rate
0.40 (x10*3)
0 800 1600 2400 3200 4000
decreased as the liner creep relaxed to the desired thermal
400 1200 2000 2800 3600 shape. Although the ANSYS Mechanical creep analysis
under-predicts the ovalization, over-firing during testing
Time (seconds)
Simulation results for creep deformation at shutdown after 25 hours of part-load operation (left); 1,000 hours of part-load operation (center) and deformation
as measured by CMM inspection after experimental testing (right). Deformed shape is exaggerated in FEA images.
may have caused the liner temperatures to be higher using ANSYS Mechanical solutions for investigating new
than those predicted by the thermal analysis, resulting in designs in order to mitigate such creep relaxations in
the mismatch. Flamesheet combustion liners. ■
Using the ANSYS Mechanical simulation to determine
the effects of part-load operating hot streaks on the PSM
Flamesheet combustor revealed creep relaxation of the liners References
under a strain-controlled environment. Numerical predictions Rizkalla, H.; Strohl, P.; Stuttaford, P., “Prediction and Mitigation of Thermally
of the residual ovalization compared well with inspection data Induced Creep Distortion in Gas Turbine Combustors,” Proceedings of ASME
on the liner mixer exit obtained from testing. PSM is currently TURBO EXPO 2007: Power for Land, Sea & Air, 2007, GT2007-27815.
The energy industry — particularly have examined the possibility that com- had undergone development testing a
the natural gas and hydrocarbon putational fluid dynamics (CFD) can be number of years prior. While testing at a
segments — depends on centrifugal used to study subsynchronous vibra- speed of 21,500 rpm and a discharge
compressors to produce, process, tions and rotordynamic instability for pressure of 2,300 psi using nitrogen as
liquefy and transport many different centrifugal compressors. the testing medium, the compressor
gases. As the pressures in a compres- A CFD analysis by Moore and encountered classical rotordynamic
sor increase, the dynamic behavior at Palazzolo[1] used a grid perturbation instability. The frequency corresponded
shaft and impeller seals, axial thrust method (GPM) approach with a 3-D to the first natural frequency of the rotor.
balance pistons and impellers structured computational mesh to A second instability was reached while
becomes more complex, with vibration demonstrate how cross-coupled stiff- operating at 23,000 rpm. Engineers at
ultimately becoming a concern. ness for liquid (incompressible) pump SwRI identified this particular compres-
There are two types of vibration of impellers could be determined. Gas sor as suitable for a case study because
concern in industrial compressors: forces in a compressible fluid tend to the impeller aerodynamic cross
synchronous vibration and subsynch- be smaller, more difficult to predict and coupling was the dominant effect
ronous vibration. Synchronous, or more difficult to model than the liquid on the machine’s stability.
running-speed vibrations, normally are forces that were predicted by Moore Because the exact
excited by residual unbalance resulting and Palazzolo. Furthermore, the energy conditions at which
from small imperfections in the manu- equation and an equation of state the compressor went Outlet
facturing and assembly processes. The are required to completely describe unstable were avail-
second and more troubling type of the fluid flow. A lack of accurately able from test
vibration, subsynchronous vibration, predicted operational specifications records, the CFD
occurs when non-conservative whirling for compressor designs can result in could be tested
forces (cross couplings) act to excite a unexpected, dangerous, and damaging under the same Sliding
lateral natural frequency, which occurs instabilities and subsynchronous vibra- conditions. Interface
in cases in which these fall below run- tions, making the identification of Whirling
ning speed. The excitation forces accurate analysis methodologies Passage
generated at seals and impellers have essential to the industry. Secondary
components that act at right angles to Passage Back
the displacement vector. Cross- Description of Computational Model Passage
To generate a complete CFD compressor against measured sub- The CFD results showed much-
model of this impeller — including both synchronous vibrations on the test improved agreement in overall
the primary and the secondary flow compressor. magnitude in comparison to the appli-
around the impeller/diffuser, shroud, Overall, SwRI engineers found the cation programming interface API and
back face and seals — the engineering CFD results to be in reasonable SwRI methods, which are empirically
team used ANSYS CFX technology. agreement with the performance based equations that have been used in
The shroud was displaced in the radial data. The flow field in the secondary the industry for many years. CFD pre-
direction. Although the physical prob- passage was highly recirculating. dicts similar levels of cross coupling for
lem appeared to be inherently time Using a second-order curve fit, the the two instability points, while the
dependent, a transient CFD solution of full set of force coefficients was empirically based methods do not.
this problem was not required if a sim- computed. Since the team performed The SwRI team then performed a
ple reference frame transformation a CFD analysis on only stages one parametric study to determine the vari-
was performed. Since the shroud and three, normalized parameters ous parameters known to affect the flow
region was solved in the whirling frame were used to calculate the coefficients field inside the impeller and their effect
of reference, while the primary impeller for stages two and four. These derived on rotordynamic forces. Based on this
passage was always solved in the force coefficients were close to the
rotating frame, a sliding interface was CFD values, validating the method
employed. Researchers chose the used. Researchers also performed a
frozen rotor sliding interface approach rotordynamic analysis to analytically
exclusively, so as not to artificially con- determine total dynamic behavior of
strain the circumferential pressure the rotor at high rotational speeds and
field. The rotordynamic influence of the the stability of the compressor rotor Larger
Gap
labyrinth seal was modeled in a rotor- — including the effects of rotor flexi-
dynamics model using a traditional bility, bearing stiffness and damping,
bulk flow seal code. eye seal stiffness and damping, bal-
Researchers evaluated the rotor- ance piston stiffness and damping,
dynamic force coefficients of the and aerodynamic excitation. Smaller
impeller by determining the impedance Engineers analyzed two com- Gap
at a minimum of three precessional pressor instability cases: instability
frequencies. For improved accuracy point one (21,500 rpm) and instability Shroud Moved
Electric Download
over a wide range of precessional fre- point two (23,000 rpm). Even though
quencies, more than three would need the speed increased for point two, the
to be calculated and a least-squares discharge pressure at the point of
Figure 2. Geometry of compressor under study. Since only
curve fit to the linear second-order instability was approximately the shroud forces are of interest in this study, only the shroud
model was performed. The coefficients same. Therefore, the predicted rotor- region is made eccentric.
of the curve fit would yield the dynamic stability varied only slightly
impeller’s stiffness, damping and mass between the two conditions. For
force coefficients. each case, the aerodynamic cross
coupling was varied from 0 to about
Validation of Results 25,000 lbf/in to define the slope of the
In this stage of the project, the stability curve. The point at which the
team validated the results from the lines intercepted the vertical axis
CFD and rotordynamic analyses using represented the system
real-world data. They used two sepa- stability without the
rate verification methods for the SwRI effects of aerodyn-
CFD model for impeller force work amic cross coupling.
performance. In the first test case, The point at which
researchers essentially reproduced the the lines crossed the
results of Moore and Palazzolo[1], horizontal axis was the
though they used an unstructured stability threshold, beyond
mesh. This case demonstrated good which the machine was
correlation to previous predictions and predicted to be unstable.
experiment, validating the use of These two lines provided
an unstructured grid. In the second insight into the sensitivity of the
verification, the team required a rotordynamic stability as a Figure 3. Streamlines through stage 1 at the instability
comparison of CFD-based stability function of aerodynamic cross point #1, 21,500 rpm
predictions for a centrifugal gas coupling (Figure 6).
References 0
[1] Moore, J.J., Palazzolo, A.B., “Rotordynamic
Force Prediction of Centrifugal Impeller Shroud -.02
Passages Using Computational Fluid Dynamic
Techniques with Combined Primary/Secondary 0.4
Flow Model,” Journal of Gas Turbines and 0.E+00 1.E+06 2.E+06 3.E+06 4.E+06 5.E+06
Power, Vol. 123, October 2002, pp. 910–918.
Aero Kxy (N/m)
[2] Moore, J.J.; Ransom, D.L.; and Viana, F. Instability Pt 1 SwRl Pt 1 API Pt 1 CFD Pt 1
“Rotordynamic Force Prediction of Centrifugal Instability Pt 2 SwRl Pt 2 API Pt 2 CFD Pt 2
Compressor Impellers Using Computational
Figure 6. Stability curves for the compressor under analysis and various predicted values for which the compressor
Fluid Dynamics,” GT2007-28181, ASME Turbo would become unstable (i.e., prediction values for where the curves would cross the x-axis of this plot; the CFD
Expo, May 14–17, 2007, Montreal, Canada. results provide the most accurate prediction).
High-Speed
Product Design
Integrated software facilitates design and Geometry of the impeller for an
expansion turbine
development of expansion turbines to avoid failure.
By Mike Stanko, Senior Engineering Associate and Michael Chamberlin, Mechanical Design
Engineer, Turbomachinery Group, Praxair, Inc., New York, U.S.A.
Jeffrey M. Steele, Manager, Software and Services, Impact Technologies, LLC, New York, U.S.A.
The air separation industry relies Praxair, Inc., of New York, U.S.A., a turbine impellers, which operate at
on efficient and reliable turbo- leading supplier of atmospheric, very high rotational speeds. Impeller
machinery to create the highest process and specialty gases, created an aerodynamic performance and relia-
performance air separation plants in-house turbomachinery group that bility depend in part upon the
possible. Key to this industry are specializes in cryogenic expansion tur- impeller blade shape and thickness.
expansion turbines — centrifugal or bines. For the last two decades, Praxair In addition to steady-state centrifugal
axial flow turbines that expand a high- turbine design engineers have been pressure and thermal loads, dynamic
pressure gas to reduce the gas tem- using the suite of finite element analysis stresses arising from upstream flow
perature and produce work. The (FEA) products from ANSYS as their nozzle pressure fields can cause
turbines are widely used for industrial mechanical simulation software pack- impeller fatigue failure. The ability to
applications that require fluid cooling ages of choice. accurately and quickly predict stress,
or low temperature processing. Some of the key components of deflection and the modal character-
More than 25 years ago, expansion turbines are radial inflow istics of an impeller allows Praxair’s
turbomachinery designers to develop
an impeller that provides maximum
aerodynamic performance without
sacrificing reliability.
Praxair engineers use the design
analysis package BladePro-CF™ from
Impact Technologies, together with
mechanical simulation software from
ANSYS, to perform steady-state
stress analysis, modal analysis (natural
frequency and mode shape), harmonic
forced response analyses and fatigue
life calculations. BladePro-CF is fully
integrated with some FEA products
from ANSYS (such as ANSYS
Image © iStockphoto.com/Olivier Lantzendörffer
Runners Experience
Longer Life
Fracture mechanics helps ensure longevity of
propeller-type runners in hydropower plants.
By M. Sabourin, Head of Department and Expert, Hydraulic Engineering, D-A. Bouffard, Hydraulic Design Engineer,
and F. Paquet, Proposal Team Leader, Hydraulic Engineering, Alstom Hydro, Sorel-Tracy, Canada
Meeting predicted life estimates regard to the reliability of the turbine shapes like those found in propeller-type
and avoiding component failure are as well as the economic viability of hydraulic turbine runners.
essential for hydropower generation the project. The goal of fracture mechanics analy-
projects. The New York Power Authority Because of this, technical specifi- sis is to determine the critical dimensions
is involved in the rehabilitation of large cations now require dynamic load of an initial defect at a given location for
hydropower units, such as those at analyses of turbine runners. A fracture the expected lifetime of the component.
the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project. mechanics analysis is used to evaluate Engineers evaluate crack propagation
Recent progress in numerical simula- crack growth rates for flaws and to and brittle failure of the runner by com-
tion software allows these units to predict the mechanical failure of the puting stress intensity factors and then
reach a high level of performance in component over a given lifespan. To applying a loading pattern representative
order to improve productivity and help ensure longevity, engineers at of the anticipated operating conditions.
reliability. For phase 2 of the rehabili- Alstom Hydro of Quebec, Canada, use The fracture mechanics approach is,
tation project, eight new replacement ANSYS Mechanical software to com- therefore, particularly suitable for the
propeller runners are to be supplied pute the stress intensity factor as a analysis of the partial-penetration welds
by Alstom Hydro — a company that function of the crack length for complex between runner hubs and blades.
develops power generation products
and systems — for the original Allis- 1
2
Chalmers turbines. 3
Comparison of stress intensity for the blade design used in the St. Lawrence runner with no defects (left) and with a partial penetration weld (right)
Garter Spring
Predicting Wear
in Radial Seals
Finite element analysis is performed in a
Stiff Ring
step-wise approach in which seal geometry is Shaft
Lip Seal
re-meshed with each load cycle to account for Radial lip seal geometry simulation model
wear-off of material at the contact surface.
By Zhichao Wang, Manager, Analytical Services, Emerson Climate Technology, Ohio, U.S.A.
Radial shaft seals (including lip tool to gain a more thorough under- The process accurately represents
seals) made of elastomers or low- standing of seal deformation and material removed from cycle to cycle as
friction polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) contact pressure. To perform a realistic a smooth function of contact pressure,
materials are used in a wide range of simulation and obtain accurate results, in which contact pressure gradually
products, including aircraft, vehicles and the analysis is performed in a step-wise evolves with the progress of material
industrial equipment for sealing rotating approach in which the seal geometry is worn off for the number of cycles.
shafts — primarily to keep out contami- remeshed with each loading cycle to Results clearly indicate that both the
nants and keep in lubricating oil. account for the effect of material wear distribution and contact pressure of the
A garter spring typically is used at the contact surface. The simulation seal change continuously due to the
to create an adequate initial force is performed using the single-frame loss of material. Since contact behavior
between the shaft and the seal before restart feature and a non-standard strongly impacts lip seal performance,
high working pressure is built up. The re-meshing procedure for each solution gaining this insight has been a key
seal contact pressure under the working cycle. to optimizing seal design and improving
pressure is a critical factor in seal The PTFE material is temperature- product quality and reliability at
performance and wear. This contact dependent, time-dependent and Emerson Climate Technology. ■
pressure is extremely difficult to meas- pressure-sensitive. Restart preserves Step 1, Installation (garter spring), room temperature
ure because of the complexity of seal the stress and strain history for each
configuration, the size of contact area, cycle, moving nodes using solutions of Get nodal contact pressure over wear surfaces
and continuous changes in the contact the previous step and saving the mod-
profile due to material being worn off ified geometry into a database file from Start rezoning
over the life of the seal. step to step. Hence, the mesh of the
Step i, pressure, temperature and displacement cycling
At Emerson Climate Technology in wear zone is modified continuously
Ohio, U.S.A., ANSYS Mechanical soft- as a function of contact pressure and
Compare contact pressure and
ware is used extensively as a powerful sliding velocity. wear, will material wear off?
Yes No
Single-frame restart
No
Stop
Evolution of seal wear from cycle to cycle: The change in the interface at the bottom of the seal area (lower grey edge) Simulation flow chart for single-frame restart
illustrates a change in shape; contact pressure is plotted across this lower edge, where the red areas indicate regions procedure used for FEA modeling of a continuously
of maximum pressures of 19, 9.5, 3.4 and 1.6 MPa, from left to right respectively. wearing seal geometry
Savings from
Submerged
Combustion
Melting
Simulation helps glass manufacturers understand complex phenomena
in next-generation melter technology.
By Bruno A. Purnode, Owens Corning Science & Technology Center, Ohio, U.S.A.
1 2 3
Submerged Bath Flow Product
Source Terms V, T Field
Combustion with Melting Quality
(Unsteady VOF) (Steady Single- (Transient
Phase) Particle-tracking)
Breathing Easily
Simulation of airflow in human noses can
become a useful rhinosurgery planning tool.
By Alexander Steinmann and Peter Bartsch, CFX Berlin Software GmbH[1] , Berlin, Germany
Stefan Zachow, Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB), Medical Planning[2], Berlin, Germany
Thomas Hildebrandt, Asklepios Clinic Birkenwerder[3], Birkenwerder, Germany
In recent years, there has been being carried out to develop methods aerodynamic diameter in the range
growing interest in dry powder inhalers for the delivery of antibiotics and 1 to 5 microns. Second, a dry powder
(DPIs) as a drug delivery system vaccines as dry powders. A U.S. Federal inhaler must be developed that will
that could significantly impact the Drug Administration report indicated efficiently deliver these microscopic
treatment of diseases. The clinical app- that, unlike other drug products, the drug particles to the patient. As a result
lications for DPIs now extend well dosing, performance and clinical of research in this area, a team at the
beyond the treatment of lung diseases, efficiency of DPIs may be directly University of Groningen in the Nether-
such as asthma, chronic obstructive dependent on the design of the device. lands has developed a disposable DPI,
pulmonary disease (COPD) — which In order to develop biopharmaceu- The Twincer™, for the delivery of high
includes chronic bronchitis and emphy- tical drugs, like peptides and proteins, drug doses. Tests have shown that
sema — and cystic fibrosis. Recently, for delivery as a dry powder, two signifi- the Twincer is capable of effectively
extensive media coverage has been cant hurdles need to be overcome. delivering in a single inhalation a
given to the introduction of inhaled First, the drug must be stabilized 60-milligram dose of pure micronised
diabetic insulin, and research is currently in a dry state as particles with an colistin sulfomethate, a drug used for
the treatment of cystic fibrosis.
Bypass Inflow
Drug Inflow
The Twincer holds the drug in a
Classifier Inflow blister in which the tiny particles have
likely joined together to form cohesive
agglomerates. In order to break up
these particle agglomerates, which are
too large to be effective, the Twincer
employs two parallel classifiers, circular
chambers that apply inertial and
Mouthpiece shear forces to the particles through a
Blister carefully controlled airflow.
To accomplish this, each classifier
Mouthpiece has three tangential ports that generate
Classifiers
rate of entrainment of the drug from The use of CFD in the develop- simulations to guide design modifi-
the blister or the rate of particle ment of the Twincer allowed detailed cations of both the classifier inlet
agglomerate breakup in the classifier. assessment of the flow behavior within channels and the bypass flow chan-
However, such a design change may the inhaler. The results from the CFD nel. Following redesign of the inhaler
reduce the particle exit velocity from analyses showed good agreement prototypes, researchers again plan
the inhaler’s mouthpiece, a condition with experimental results and obser- to use CFD simulation alongside an
that increases delivery of drug parti- vations. Researchers have used the experimental program to further
cles to the deep lung. information gained from the CFD optimize the Twincer DPI. ■
Using CFD analyses, the research
team also learned that the port from
15
the bypass channel to the classifier
did not carry any flow, or was a “dead Experiments Dead Flow Channel
CFD Predictions
flow channel.” Previously unexplained
Pressure Drop (kPa)
10
experimental observations had Classifier
Supporting the
Oil and Gas Industry
Longevity and safety of drilling derricks and
substructures are increased through stress analysis.
By Luis M. Peñalver, General Manager, Consultora de Ingeniería Peñalver, C.A. (CIPCA),
Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela
The oil and gas industry faces that has four legs secured to the
challenges associated with age-related corners of a metallic substructure.
equipment deterioration. In these Oil derrick design specifications
scenarios, companies must ask them- require that the structure is able to sup-
selves what to do with the equipment; port the load of vertical tubes used for
more specifically, should they maintain the drilling operation; the derrick also
the equipment as it ages, or retire it must resist wind loads that may have
and purchase new equipment? In velocities up to 160 kilometers per hour.
some cases, the most cost-effective In addition, during the extraction of the
solution involves repairing the equip- drill pipe, the pipe could get stuck in the
ment in order to extend its useful well due to irregularities or obstructions
lifespan. One specific challenge is the in the hole. In these cases, the derrick
repair and recertification of oil derricks must resist, within reasonable limits, the
used in the drilling process. force required to release the drill pipe
There are several types of derricks. from the hole.
The structure of each is suitable for the After years of service and perhaps
type of activity, which could be drilling, poor operating practices, derricks and
reconditioning or well cleaning. The substructures involved in drilling oper-
most common type is a rigid design ations may begin to exhibit damage
such as deformation, fatigue, break-
age or misalignment of their structural
elements. These problems can be
corrected through structural repairs,
but the equipment then needs to be
recertified for use.
New equipment can be repaired
and certified by the original manu-
facturer. However, much of the equip-
ment currently used in the oil industry
has been in operation for more than 10
years. The original derrick manufacturer
may no longer exist, therefore, these
derricks are considered unidentified
equipment. Evaluation made by manual
calculation is a long, slow process that
does not reach the accuracy level
required by industry standards for recer-
tification. In addition, physical variables
such as fatigue and remaining life calcu-
A drilling derrick raised for testing Von Mises stress simulation showing distributed stress lations for these large structures are
Courtesy AKERE ENERGY, C.A. along all elements of a derrick
Courtesy AKERE ENERGY, C.A. extremely complicated.
Derrick substructure at the yard for maintenance Von Mises stress contours on the substructure
Courtesy AKERE ENERGY, C.A. Courtesy AKERE ENERGY, C.A.
According to the American Petro- gives oil and gas companies the ability By using ANSYS contact technology
leum Institute standard API-4G to comply with international specifica- to deal with interactions between parts,
(Recommended Practice for Main- tions and to rescue equipment that mesh densities could be adjusted
tenance and Use of Drilling and Well would otherwise need to be retired. appropriately without the mesh of one
Servicing Structures), load rating for CIPCA applied this approach to part influencing the mesh density of the
a well servicing or drilling structure equipment owned by COMANPA, adjacent part. The FEA simulation, which
of unknown manufacture may be C.A., an oil and gas drilling company included fatigue effects, was performed
determined by a process including also located in Venezuela. The derrick using ANSYS Mechanical software within
inspection and engineering practices for the oil rig named COMANPA 27 the ANSYS Workbench environment.
such as simulation. This process may was built in 1971 and was designed From the results, CIPCA concluded
include structural analysis in accor- with a maximum lift capacity of that the derrick could not operate at its
dance with API-4F (Specification for 180,000 pounds. After years of original design specifications; however,
Drilling and Well Servicing Structures), service, the derrick showed general it was determined that the derrick
which states that the accuracy of stan- deformation in its primary and second- could operate safely with a modified lift
dard design ratings of each structure ary structural elements and was capacity of 100,000 pounds. Following
shall be tested by proof loading or by a tagged unusable for drilling service analysis, the derrick was able to
computer model, such as finite element after failing inspection. In order to complete scheduled drilling for an addi-
analysis (FEA), to verify the structure for evaluate the derrick under the API tional two years.
the design loads. specifications, CIPCA began by mod- Having a drill out of service can
In order to fulfill these international eling the geometry of the existing significantly impact costs and, therefore,
specifications and to maintain the derrick, including deformed parts, with the bottom line, according to AKERE
reliability and structural integrity of ANSYS DesignModeler software. Shell ENERGY, C.A., another company that
equipment during operation, Consultora elements were used to model the specializes in oil and gas exploration,
de Ingeniería Peñalver, C.A. (CIPCA) in major structural members. This saved drilling and operation based in
Venezuela uses FEA software from computational time in comparison Venezuela. It is very important for such
ANSYS to examine various clients’ to using solid elements to mesh these companies to meet their annual drilling
drilling structures. CIPCA employs sim- relatively thin parts. In addition, better schedule, as these companies maintain
ulation to determine maximum load accuracy could be obtained for the contracts to drill a specified number of
capacity, stress distribution on the same number of degrees of freedom holes in a region. Derricks that are out of
structure, regions prone to failure (criti- by utilizing shell theory for thin geom- service for certification can only be
cal regions), potential life cycle, fatigue etries. Also, joints were modeled with replaced by equipment that has been
effects and load rating. The ability to edge-to-edge contact elements that previously contracted and certified. If
determine stress in a structure with were automatically detected between equipment is not available, then produc-
more than 20 years’ service and for the structural members through tion goals are not met, resulting in loss
which the manufacturer no longer exists ANSYS Workbench simulation. of profit. ■
From CAD
to CAE
FLUENT software now offers
support for Autodesk Inventor.
By Shane Moeykens, Strategic Partnerships Manager, ANSYS, Inc.
A seamless flow from computer-aided design (CAD) to Autodesk Inventor geometry model of a tab mixer, a device typically used in
computer-aided engineering (CAE) has long been an impor- process industries such as power and petrochemical
tant goal for engineering design teams seeking to increase
productivity and reduce costs. Now, companies who use
Autodesk® InventorTM have streamlined access to selected
CAE software from ANSYS. The new Fluent Inventor
Connection provides users with the ability to automatically
launch FloWizard or GAMBIT software from the Inventor
environment. With a single click, users can load a geometry
model directly into FloWizard or GAMBIT to set up a compu-
tational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and solve for the flow
in or around the geometry. The Fluent Inventor Connection
provides seamless connectivity between design and analysis
processes.
As a consultant and longtime user of ANSYS software,
Brad Stevens of Kx Simulation Technologies sees benefits
customers can reap from the tight integration of design-
level analysis tools. “We are certain that the addition of even
tighter integration between the ANSYS design-level CFD
tool, FloWizard, to Autodesk Inventor will bring increased FloWizard simulation results showing contours of temperature distribution within
productivity and value to Inventor users,” Stevens said. Kx, the tab mixer
Analyzing Buckling
in ANSYS Workbench
Simulation
Simulation shows how parts catastrophically
deform under compressive loads that
exceed the structure’s material strength.
By Sheldon Imaoka, Technical Support Engineer, ANSYS, Inc.
analysis branch. Then the user must add a second analysis Simulation using a Commands object with the UPGEOM
branch, Linear Buckling. In this step, the Initial Conditions ANSYS command.
branch references the Static Structural branch, so that All result files are contained in the Simulation Files folder
loads, boundary conditions and the stress state of the under subdirectories, such as Linear Buckling. To use a
system can be obtained. buckled mode shape to perturb the geometry, first determine
Under the Analysis Settings branch, the user can the buckled mode shape as well as the maximum amplitude.
request any number of buckling modes. While the default is In the nonlinear static analysis branch, insert a Commands
to solve the first buckling mode, the author recommends object with the following Advanced Parametric Design
solving for three or more buckling modes in order to verify Language (APDL) commands:
/PREP7
whether or not there may be multiple buckling modes that
UPGEOM,factor,1,mode,’..\Linear
could be triggered.
Buckling\file’,rst
After solution, the buckling mode shapes and load
/SOLU
multipliers can be reviewed. The magnitude of all of the loads
defined in the Static Structural branch multiplied times the
load multiplier provides an estimate of the critical load. Note that in this command, factor will be multiplied to
the buckled shape mode and the nodes will be moved to
Including Initial Imperfections new locations. For example, a user may want to perturb the
If a user considers symmetric geometry, even a non- mesh using the first buckled mode shape, which may have
linear buckling analysis may predict too high a critical load. a maximum amplitude of 0.5. Using information such as
Consider a simple plate simply supported at one end (A) and manufacturing tolerances or a given percentage of the
guided on the other (B) with a compressive load (C), as thickness of the part, the user may wish to include an
shown in Figure 2. Although a user may assume that buckling imperfection with a maximum value of 0.002. The user
should occur in the out-of-plane direction, this may not occur then could use the following commands to include the first
if the geometry is modeled perfectly. buckled mode shape:
To correct for this, use a buckled mode shape calculated /PREP7
from a linear buckling analysis to create a small imperfection UPGEOM,0.004,1,1,’..\Linear
or perturbation in the mesh for use in nonlinear buckling Buckling\file’,rst
analyses. This can be accomplished in ANSYS Workbench /SOLU
3.00E+01
2.50E+01 No Imperfection
With Slight Imperfection
2.00E+01
Out-of-Plane Deflection
1.50E+01
1.00E+01
5.00E+00
0.00E+00
0.00E+00 2.00E-01 4.00E-01 6.00E-01 8.00E-01 1.00E+00 1.20E+00
Loading Percentage
Figure 2. Plate in this buckling example is simply supported at one end (A) and guided Figure 3. Plot of displacements in out-of-plane direction
on the other (B) with a compressive load (C).
When using commands in ANSYS Workbench Simula- Nonlinear stabilization can be specified either by
tion, note that the system of units should not be changed. entering a damping factor or energy dissipation ratio. The
The ANSYS result files will be based on the active units ratio typically ranges from zero to 1 and can be thought of
when the Linear Buckling analysis was performed. Also, as the ratio of work done by the damping forces to the
because the mesh is being modified directly by the ANSYS potential energy. When this method is used, the effective
mechanical solver, ANSYS Workbench Simulation will not damping factor is printed for reference purposes in the
display the updated nodal position; this should not pose a Solution Information solver output as follows:
STABILIZATION = 0.1840E-01
The aforementioned simply supported plate was loaded
in-plane with and without an imperfection, based on the
first buckled mode from the eigenvalue buckling analysis. Because of the easier interpretation of the energy
Figure 3 shows the plot of displacements in the out-of-plane dissipation ratio value, it is recommended that users first
direction. Note that without any imperfection, no buckling select values closer to 0, reflecting less damping. Other
occurs. With the small imperfection, buckling occurs at controls with nonlinear stabilization include using constant
approximately 85 percent of the applied load. values, or ramping the stabilization forces to zero at the
end of the load step, as well as selecting at which point
Capturing Post-Buckling Behavior nonlinear stabilization is activated.
In situations such as failure analysis, post-buckling To use nonlinear stabilization, a user simply needs to
behavior must be studied. Techniques such as solving the insert a Commands object under the Static Structural
system as a transient analysis or using the arc-length branch with the STABILIZE command and relevant argu-
method have been available in mechanical simulation ments. For example, to use 0.01 percent constant energy
solutions from ANSYS for a very long time. A relatively new dissipation ratio, one can use the following command:
STABILIZE,CONSTANT,ENERGY,1e-4
method introduced in ANSYS 11.0 technology is the
nonlinear stabilization technique. This method is controlled
with the STABILIZE command and is easy to implement Note that because nonlinear stabilization can be
through ANSYS Workbench Simulation. turned off or used only for certain load steps, a user may
Conceptually, nonlinear stabilization can be thought of wish to separate the load history in multiple steps via the
as adding artificial dampers to all of the nodes in the Analysis Settings branch; following that step, the user
system. Before the critical load is reached, the system then activates nonlinear stabilization only when needed
typically may have low displacements over a given time through the Details view of the Commands object.
step. This can be thought of as a low pseudo velocity that Figure 4 shows a tubular system loaded in compression
would not generate much resistive force from the artificial in which post-buckling behavior is captured using non-
dampers. On the other hand, when buckling occurs, larger linear stabilization. ■
displacements occur over a small time step; as a result, the
pseudo velocity becomes large and the artificial dampers Contact the author at sheldon.imaoka@ansys.com for the complete
generate a large resistive force. paper from which this column is excerpted.
Parametric Design
Analysis for Evaluating
a Range of Variables
Tools help to study engineering trade-offs in
Simulation Driven Product Development.
By Pierre Thieffry, Product Manager, ANSYS, Inc.
A major challenge in product decades, very few simulation tools Workbench platform, which enables
development is balancing competing allow them to be used effectively. Some parameters of the CAD model to be
engineering requirements. Components tools, such as the ANSYS Parametric driven directly from simulation. The
often must be lightweight yet strong Design Language (ADPL), allow users ANSYS interface for major CAD
enough for maximum durability, for to create parametric geometries, systems not only reads in the geom-
example. Users are thus faced with the though the time required to set up such etry data but also imports the
tedious and time-consuming task of a model increases significantly with the geometric parameters, along with
running multiple simulations to find a complexity of the geometry. attributes or material data in some
solution that satisfies most of the Typically, one of the most efficient cases. In this respect, the ANSYS
requirements. ways of dealing with geometric Workbench environment provides
Fortunately, tools are available to parameters is provided by the ANSYS an easy solution for defining and
help designers perform parametric
analyses in which simulation software
automatically solves for entire ranges of
specified variables and generates dis-
4.53E+2
plays that enable users to readily spot
trends and identify an optimal design.
By clearly showing the relationship of 4.49E+2
multiple variables and their effect
on performance, parametric analysis
Maximum Stresses
4.35E+2
1.9
+1
Design Variations
0E
E+1
2.1
+1
0E
2.2
+1
E+1
1.94
E+1
+1
us2
2.3
E+1
_R
+1
DS
2.4
E+1
0E
adius
1
+1
2.50
Geometry Mass
Parametric analysis is an excellent 1.00E+0
way to get accurate information about
the influence of all parameters on the 8.75E-1
design objectives, such as system per-
formance with respect to stress, heat 7.50E-1
Data Representation
Data representation is crucial in 0.7919 DS_Depth