Structural module in Simcenter FloEFD
Christoffer JohanssonSenior Application Specialist
Written in 2021. Menus and defaults may differ in newer releases.
In short
The Structural module in Simcenter FLOEFD runs linear static and modal FEM analyses and can take pressure and temperature from the CFD run as loads. It assumes small deformations, is not time-dependent and only allows glued contacts; for more, export to Simcenter Nastran and continue in Simcenter 3D.
One of the new modules in Simcenter FloEFD, the Structural module, allows you to perform FEM (finite element method) simulations. The solver is a linear stress solver which can solve both static structural analysis and modal frequency analysis. This week’s blog post is a video tutorial on how to set up a simple structural simulation in Simcenter FloEFD. The structural simulation may also be combined with a CFD simulation, where both pressure and temperature can be applied as loads to study the fluid-structure interaction.
The linear stress solver in Simcenter FloEFD uses the assumptions that deformations and temperature gradients are small, and is therefore not suitable for structural problems where large defections and deformations are expected. Some other limitations of the Structural module are that simulations cannot be time dependent and contact between parts can only be modelled as glued contacts.
FEM-simulations that need to use features that are not available in the Structural module can instead be simulated in Simcenter 3D – which is another Siemens simulation software dedicated for structural simulations. An useful feature available in Simcenter FloEFD is that the structural simulations made in Simcenter FloEFD simulations can be exported as a Simcenter Nastran project, which can be imported in Simcenter 3D, where more advanced simulations can be performed further.
We at Volupe hope that you found this new module for Simcenter FloEFD interesting. If you have any questions about this module or any other simulation software, please contact us at support@volupe.com.
