Do you perform analyses of assemblies in SOLIDWORKS Simulation that incorporate off-the-shelf components? We can usually exclude such items in the analysis, since they are typically rated for a certain load limit. I love cycling, so I’ll use the design of a bicycle drive system to demonstrate the use of Simulation’s remote load feature. The system consists of a pedal and crank arm on either side of the bike frame’s bottom bracket and one or more chain rings on the […]
Are you aware that you can produce beam shear and bending moment diagrams in SOLIDWORKS Simulation? This useful plot type allows for quick visualization of these results along the entire length of a beam. I’ll show you the functionality using a classic example from any Civil Engineering text on strength of materials, the case of a simply supported beam of length “L” with a centered load “P” applied at the center of the span. In the analytical solution for shear […]
In Part 1 of this blog series, I covered the SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation computational domain symmetry condition setting to reduce the size of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) problem to be solved. The result is a decreased solution time and required computer memory. This blog will show how another computational domain condition, periodicity, can be used in those situations where you have a pattern of identical components in the flow field. I’ll continue to use the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth […]
As with any engineering analysis project, efficiency is very important. If you use SOLIDWORKS Simulation for your structural finite element analyses (FEA) studies, you are probably familiar with the symmetry boundary condition, which greatly reduces the size of the problem and the time to solve it. Flow Simulation has a similar capability, and it is just as important to leverage this functionality because the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method in use with Flow can take a while to solve for […]
Do you need to provide documentation about the accuracy of the Simulation program to support a Quality Assurance (QA) process in your company? Or have you ever asked yourself; “How do I know I’m getting accurate results?” No need to guess or worry, the SOLIDWORKS Simulation team has provided verification problems with comparison to theory to support this need. To access the full list of these problems and open the model files associated with each, navigate within SOLIDWORKS to the […]
Take a look at the screen shot below. What do you see? If you said “Nothing!” you’d be partially correct. There are no solid or surface geometry features in this SOLIDWORKS part file. The only thing in the feature manager tree is a single sketch. Now, take a closer look at the tabs along the lower edge. Notice that there is a Simulation study tab, so there’s more here than meets the eye! Although a bit confusing at first, the […]
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation is a powerful computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool. Two separately purchased add-on modules geared to the electronics and HVAC industries significantly enhance the program’s capabilities through functional and engineering database library additions. The focus of this blog is on one of the many tools added in the HVAC module – the effect of radiation absorption in transparent materials. To demonstrate, here is a room with 3 windows, an overhead HVAC vent and an open door. It is […]
If you are in the business of designing plastic parts, you are probably well aware of the multistep injection molding process. SOLIDWORKS Plastics can simulate this process. Three different offerings (Standard – Professional – Premium) allow increasing levels of functionality. All of them can simulate the plastic injection flow stage; Plastics Professional adds the pack stage, and other capabilities and Plastics Premium includes the calculations related to the cool and warp stages. One thing you might not know about this simulation […]
Simulation tools are meant to recreate reality but sometimes this is easier said than done! If you don’t accurately capture real world behavior in your setup, you will likely miss an important part of the solution or get results that are highly inaccurate. This can be the case for SOLIDWORKS Motion joint forces. In construction industry excavators, dual hydraulic actuators are sometimes used to support high loads and distribute them through the main structure, as for the main boom shown […]
For the SOLIDWORKS 2019 release, you’ll find changes in Flow Simulation related to pre- and post-processing functionality that should make analysis of your designs quicker and easier. Let’s see what’s new for Flow! Associate Goals with Boundary Conditions (BCs): We sometimes find it necessary to add a goal associated with a boundary condition to help with solution convergence and allow monitoring the solution progress. This has previously required a separate step but is now available during the boundary condition definition. […]