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, 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,” said Zol Cendes, chief technology officer and general manager at Ansoft. “The full integration of ANSYS mechanical/thermal/fluid tools with world-class 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,” continued 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. 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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About ANSYS, Inc.
ANSYS, Inc., founded in 1970, develops and globally markets engineering simulation software and technologies widely used by engineers and designers across a broad spectrum of industries. The Company focuses on the development of open and flexible solutions that enable users to analyze designs directly on the desktop, providing a common platform for fast, efficient and cost-conscious product development, from design concept to final-stage testing and validation. The Company and its global network of channel partners provide sales, support and training for customers. Headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., with more than 60 strategic sales locations throughout the world, ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries employ approximately 1,700 people and distribute ANSYS products through a network of channel partners in over 40 countries. Visit www.ansys.com for more information.
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