5 Use Cases for Abaqus CAE in Multiphysics Simulations

Simulations that show the effects of multiple environmental factors offer essential insights to product developers.

From the early days of simulation, incorporating multiphysics simulations has been a core need for engineers and designers alike. Real-world product performance is often dynamic and nonlinear in nature, with scenarios playing out in unexpected or hard-to-predict ways—at least without the aid of advanced simulation programs.

Static, dynamic, thermal, electrical, durability, and other stressors will have compounding effects that are more complex than 1 + 1 = 2. Modeling how a building might withstand the shocks of an earthquake and how an airplane might respond under turbulence both require sophisticated simulation analysis. While many software programs offer these tools separately, Abaqus’s multiphysics capabilities, both within Abaqus itself and in concert with other SIMULIA products, offer the advantage of being able to perform these simulations together from within one platform.

That means engineers can use the same CAD, FE model, load history, and element library for multiple loading scenarios, executed in sequence or simultaneously for analysis of cumulative effects.

1. Understand and defeat critical modes of failure in the battery cells of an electric vehicle.

With the increase in production of electric vehicles, we can expect to see not only more electric vehicles on the road, but more demand for batteries that meet full safety and performance parity with conventional vehicles. This makes it more urgent than ever to seek innovative solutions to all battery engineering issues.

Multiphysics simulations can not only analyze structural and impact loading in the battery assembly, but also tackle more complex scenarios like the mechanics of thermal runaway and the liquid cooling of battery packs.

2. Model the performance of implanted medical devices in the human body.

The human body is one of the most complex organisms on the planet. Over the years, life sciences simulations have become increasingly developed so that they can show how the human body functions in various conditions.

One of the most significant applications for this technology is in the development of biomedical devices, particularly implanted devices, which can have a huge impact on the health and quality of life for patients. Multiphysics simulations can show how these devices will affect the human body and how they will perform over time. They can also simulate the human body itself, as seen with Dassault Systèmes’s Living Heart Project, paving the way to new designs for pacemakers, stents, and the like. Multiphysics involving electromagnetics can also help with, for instance, analyzing heat generation from MRI in the body and implant devices.

3. Demonstrate structural integrity of a dam after an earthquake.

Large structures that are expected to last for decades must be able to withstand once-in-a-generation environmental catastrophes. (And the largest and most significant of these structures must be able to withstand even more than that.) Dams are an excellent example, both as large structures that are built to last, and structures where failures can have catastrophic consequences.

Building earthquake resistant dams is essential in many parts of the country that experience frequent geologic activity. For this, multiphysics simulations can show not only how the construction materials of the dam will respond, but the affect the earthquake will have on the waters behind the dam. Since the combination of these forces is likely to be severe, accurate modeling is crucial for public safety.

4. Simulate the effects of waves on offshore structures.

Another place where fluid and mechanical simulations coincide is on off-shore structures like pipelines or wind farms. Hydrodynamic wave loading can demonstrate how a structure will respond under a range of sea conditions, such as a large storm or a hurricane, in addition to all the mechanical, thermal, and other requirements that must be satisfied.

With more of these structures being built, and weather conditions growing more severe, multiphysics simulations will be ever more important to create resilient structures now, and to analyze the strength of structures that have already been built.

5. Model the behavior of enclosed fluids and their effects.

Enclosed gasses and liquids behave in a number of dynamic ways within an enclosed environment. Liquid inside a fuel tank under acceleration could cause significant shifts in center of gravity, resulting in highly dynamic structural effects on the attaching assembly. Likewise, in a crash scenario, an inflating airbag and a dummy could have a dynamic relationship upon collision, deviating from the expected behavior if modeled and analyzed separately.

Using multiphysics simulations, engineers can model how an airbag might behave after inflation, or how movement of liquid inside a fuel tank might affect the handling of a vehicle.

CATI can be your VAR for Abaqus multiphysics software.

When you choose to buy Abaqus software, you won’t be left trying to train your team on your own. As VARs of Dassault Systèmes software, which includes SIMULIA and Abaqus CAE, we are here to help you choose the right software solution for your engineering needs, assist in setting up an environment that will let you run the right simulations, and provide training for your engineering team.

At CATI we have spent years building a team of experts in fields ranging from FEA to CFD to life sciences to mechanical physics. Our engineers commonly hold PhDs in their field, and have published papers using results achieved from using Dassault Systèmes products such as CST Studio Suite and Abaqus CAE. Even better, our engineers work closely with each other, discussing projects and collaborating on discovering solutions to tricky problems.

This is the team that will be supporting your team as you begin to work with this multiphysics software. We can bring our knowledge and expertise to bear on your multiphysics simulation projects so that you can achieve the best results for your business and your clients. Contact us today to get started.