ALGOR V18

ALGOR V18

ALGOR V18 features expanded capabilities for fluid flow analysis (automatic modeling of the fluid medium and a new segregate steady solver for faster runtimes), Mechanical Event Simulation (new Arruda-Boyce and Blatz-Ko hyperelastic material models and Mooney-Rivlin, Ogden, Arruda-Boyce, Blatz-Ko and Hyperfoam finite-strain viscoelastic material models) and linear static stress analysis (optimized for 64-bit operating systems). V18 also includes:

the ability to read surfaces and materials directly from SolidWorks;
support for 3-D motion controllers from 3Dconnexion;
options for mouse customization;
part mesh matching;
ability to import 3-D DXF files;
isosurface display of results;
contour displays for plate and shell thickness;
colored, 3-D streamlines and particle tracking with size control;
export capability to VRML;
and much more.


Ability to read surfaces and materials directly from SolidWorks - V18's new capability to read surfaces and materials directly from SolidWorks makes meshing and defining material properties easier and faster. Users can directly generate a mesh with plate and shell elements for SolidWorks models with thin-walled surfaces. Additionally, material data are automatically brought into ALGOR from SolidWorks, eliminating the need for the user to enter the data. Shown here is a crank shaft and gear assembly with material properties for cast alloy steel that were defined in SolidWorks and then automatically brought into ALGOR.

Support for 3-D motion controllers from 3Dconnexion - New in V18, you can use 3Dconnexion's advanced motion controllers (including SpacePilot, SpaceBall, SpaceMouse and SpaceTraveler) with ALGOR. Designed to work with a traditional mouse, 3Dconnexion's motion controllers deliver a unique and powerful two-handed work style for both CAD and CAE. Users can pan, zoom and rotate with a motion controller in one hand while simultaneously creating, editing or annotating with a mouse in the other, which helps to improve productivity and reduce work-related fatigue. The photos here show the SpacePilot controller. Options for mouse customization - Additionally, V18 provides new options for mouse customization. You can choose a pre-defined template for your CAD package (Alibre Design, Autodesk Inventor, Inovate, IronCAD, KeyCreator, Mechanical Desktop, Pro/ENGINEER, Rhinoceros, Solid Edge and SolidWorks are available) or create a user-defined template for mouse actions. Thus, V18 allows you to continue working in ALGOR as you are accustomed to in your CAD package with the same controller and mouse functionality.

Part mesh matching - For CAD assemblies brought into ALGOR, V18 provides improved automatic meshing between parts, which makes meshing easier and faster for Mechanical Event Simulation or any analysis involving contact. Often, using the default mesh settings will create a mesh that is well matched between the parts with no need for the user to perform additional mesh refinement. Shown here is a heat fin assembly with contact between parts (left), the highlighted surface that was automatically created between them to facilitate meshing (center) and a zoomed in view of the resulting well-matched mesh (right).

Ability to import 3-D DXF files - 3-D models in Autodesk's AutoCAD DXF file format can be imported into ALGOR V18. This new capability allows many third-party applications that can export 3-D DXF files to transfer models to ALGOR for analysis.

Automatic modeling of the fluid medium - V18 provides a powerful new capability to automatically model the fluid medium based on a CAD solid model. The user simply specifies the surfaces that bound the region of the fluid medium using a built-in dialog and then ALGOR software automatically creates new parts where fluid flow analysis will be performed, which makes modeling fluid flow systems easier and faster. Shown here is a valve assembly that was modeled in SolidWorks (left); then the user specified the surfaces for modeling the fluid medium in FEMPRO (center); and a new part was automatically created where fluid flow analysis will be performed (right).

New hyperelastic and finite-strain viscoelastic material models - Expanded capabilities for MES in V18 include new material models that allow users to more accurately simulate a broader range of engineering scenarios involving large deformation and large strain: two new hyperelastic material models for simulating rate-independent, large-deformation, large-strain materials such as rubber and foam: Arruda-Boyce - well suited for rubbers such as silicon and neoprene with strain up to 300%. This model provides good curve-fitting even when test data are limited. Blatz-Ko - works specifically for compressible polyurethane foam rubbers. five new finite-strain viscoelastic material models: Mooney-Rivlin, Ogden, Arruda-Boyce, Blatz-Ko and Hyperfoam. These new finite-strain viscoelastic material models are designed to simulate rate-dependent materials with large deformation and large strain. ALGOR's graphically driven curve-fitting tool allows users to input stress-strain data (either manually or from a comma-separated-value file) from simple tension, equibiaxial, pure-shear or volumetric tests; calculate from two to nine constant values for the selected hyperelastic material model; view a graph of stress-strain test data and the fitted curve to confirm correlation; and input the constants directly into data entry fields. This curve-fitting tool for automating material property data entry helps ensure accurate material data and analysis results and makes simulating rubber and foam products faster, easier and more reliable. The images show the Ogden material model being selected (upper left) and the stress-strain curve calculated by ALGOR's curve-fitting tool (lower right).

Isosurface display of results - V18's new isosurface display capability expands FEMPRO's results evaluation and presentation options. In the Superview IV Results environment, users can display results on isosurfaces (surfaces where the result value is the same) throughout the model. Thus, isosurfaces let you see result patterns inside the model. The image shows isosurfaces of velocity magnitude for a steady fluid flow analysis of an electronics enclosure.

Contour displays for plate and shell thickness - New in V18, you can display contours of thickness for plate or shell elements in the Superview IV Results environment of FEMPRO. As shown in this image of thickness contours for a pole model with thin-walled gussets of varying thickness, this new display option allows users to examine a color-coded visualization of the relative thicknesses of the plate element parts for easy and quick verification.

Colored, 3-D streamlines and particle tracking with size control - In V18, you can specify the coloring and size of 3-D streamlines and particle tracking, which makes the display of fluid flow results clearer and more compelling. As shown in the image, options in FEMPRO's Superview IV Results environment were used to color-code streamlines by the result value and control their size to create a vivid visualization of the fluid flow results inside an electronics enclosure model.

Export capability to VRML - V18 provides expanded support for exporting a 3-D model with results to a VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) file, allowing users to import the 3-D results model to a web site, CAD package or 3-D printer. VRML is useful for a variety of applications, including data visualization, financial analysis, entertainment, education, distributed simulation, computer-aided design, product marketing, virtual malls, user interfaces to information and scientific visualization. The image shows how, in the Superview IV Results environment of FEMPRO, a 3-D bracket model with linear static stress results can be exported to a VRML file. (If your web browser has the capability to view VRML files, you can see an example by clicking here.)

Segregate steady solver - V18 provides a new segregate solver for steady fluid flow analysis, which allows for faster runtimes. The new solver's segregated solution method breaks the global matrix into smaller sub-matrices, which are then solved quickly and using less computer memory.

Optimized for 64-bit operating systems - V18 features linear static stress analysis capabilities that are optimized for 64-bit operating systems to allow larger models. The 64-bit optimization is part of a significant expansion of the hardware platforms supported by all ALGOR solvers, which, when complete in 2005, will include 32- and 64-bit support for Windows and Linux and the first platform in our support for UNIX workstations. This expanded hardware support will allow users to analyze larger, more complex models faster than ever.