It’s no mistake that a New York Times headline from last September read "Space Tourism is Here". While the human race has already reached the final frontier, the majority of people have probably never ventured into space, let alone traveled beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. With the recent upspring of private companies focused on building crafts for human space flight and new developments in technologies and composite materials, SolidWorks has been able to lend a hand towards helping companies like Copenhagen Suborbitals.
Designing an open-source manned space rocket and capsule for suborbital space flight, Copenhagen Suborbitals believes that the sky is the limit, quite literally. Eager to share his story, Kristian von Bengtson, founder of Copenhagen Suborbitals, blogs regularly for Wired magazine. Some of you SolidWorks fans may even notice that his models and simulations are pulled from our software.
Using SolidWorks Professional, SolidWorks Premium, and SolidWorks Flow Simulation, Copenhagen Suborbitals has built the capsule geometry, exported the drawings for laser cutting, and conducted FEM analysis of structures to see if they meet flight requirements. SolidWorks, combined with sketching capabilities, is one of the most important tools in the early research and development phase and the production phases of von Bengtson’s project.
Copenhagen Suborbitals has used eDrawings to share new designs and get ideas from others. To see the latest capsule design, you can download it here: Download Copenhagen Suborbitals capsule in eDrawings. Feel free to offer your own suggestions, if you would like via the eDrawings file.
SolidWorks Simulation 2013, like in previous releases, has been loaded with enhancements. Two things I particularly like in this release include Sub-Modeling, a huge time savings in solving large scale problems, and Parametric Optimization inside Flow, a DOE scheme for fluid flow optimization. Let’s talk about them one at a time.
Sub-Modeling
Most users of Simulation are concerned about one or two components in an assembly. However, the load transfer occurs through a bunch of other nearby components. Thus, the user is left with no choice but to run simulations on the entire assembly – until 2013.
In Simulation 2013, the user can now start off with a simple coarse analysis on the entire assembly. This sets up a baseline estimate of the deflections that happen on each component. Deflections converge fast, and so a coarse mesh should generally be sufficient. The user can then launch a sub-model study where they are prompted to select only the components they care about. All the deflections up to the component of interest are then transferred as boundary conditions onto the new study, thus mapping the behavior at the assembly level down to the component level analysis. Once that is done, the user can easily perform many iterations – design changes, material changes etc. on the component in a fraction of the time that it would have taken if the work were to be done at the assembly level. It is a great tool, and one that will come in handy to the majority of Simulation users. This functionality is available in Simulation Professional and Simulation Premium.
Parametric Optimization in Flow
For those who have used Flow, you might be familiar with a hidden gem called Parametric Study. This tool allows for a single dimension/parameter optimization based on specifying a certain goal. For instance, the user can ask Flow to determine the optimal bore diameter to achieve a certain pressure drop. Because it is integrated within SolidWorks, Flow Simulation can vary the dimension until goal convergence is reached. However, it was limited in that it could only vary one dimension or parameter at a time.
In 2013, the user can now start a parametric study mode to run multiple variables, which could be a combination of flow parameters and dimensions. This, in effect, is Design Study for Flow. With this power, Flow reaches new heights in terms of optimization. The user can start with a baseline run (I would recommend a coarse mesh, just enough to satisfy global flow convergence) and then set up multiple variables to determine the best configuration. It appears from my initial testing that it is going to run each and every combination of parameters and dimensions, rather than cherry picking the critical ones using intelligent DOE (like Design Study in FEA does). It remains to be seen if that will be an enhancement downstream or a "hidden" option that I haven't found yet. However, there are many positives, such as easy workflow, great post-processing when coupled with Compare Configuration Mode (another nice enhancement in 2013) and so forth.
All in all, another good release of SolidWorks Simulation. There are other tools that have received an upgrade. Be sure to check out What's New from the help file.
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Vikram Vedantham is the Simulation Product Manager at 3DVision Technologies, a SolidWorks Value Added Reseller with locations across Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. He is a regular contributor to 3DVision Technologies' Blog where you will find new ideas to improve your productivity with SolidWorks Simulation.
The answer to both questions is actually the same--by contacting a SolidWorks Value-Added Reseller. Unlike many companies selling software for the consumer market, SolidWorks does not sell directly, or offer trial versions for download from our website. And there's a reason for this.
Despite being easy to learn and use, SolidWorks is a sophisticated piece of software with multiple package options and add-ons, with functionality for building everything from simple sprockets to complex cars and airplanes. When you express an interest in SolidWorks, we want to make sure that you talk with someone who can discuss your business with you personally and recommend the ideal solution.
That's where your local reseller comes in, meeting with you and putting together a personalized quote to meet the needs you have today and help you be more productive in the future. The same goes for product trials. We want to ensure that you have the
best possible experience when you're evaluating our products, which is
why trials are only available through your local reseller. Once your reseller has discussed the right options for your business, he or she can provide you with the corresponding trial software, and will be available to answer questions during the trial period.
SolidWorks resellers are also the first line for product support, and when you buy SolidWorks, you can be sure that you have a local team available to help you out with the initial set-up process, as well as walk you through any support issues you may have in the future. They are committed to working with you and helping you be successful.
When you contact SolidWorks
directly, we will pair you with the best reseller in your area to speak with. They will contact you directly to schedule a consultation and demonstration, and when you're ready, provide a
comprehensive quote. And if you like, they can provide a trial version of SolidWorks and any of our other software solutions.
Similar to Felix Baumgarnter’s contribution to the future of
space travel, SE Corp., an analysis consulting firm, has enabled the use of the
Kennedy Space Station for at least another 50 years. Using SolidWorks Flow
Simulation, SE Corp. analyzed the impact of an inadvertent rocket fuel ignition
inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
To perform advanced simulations in CAD and computational
fluid dynamics, SE Corp. enlisted the help of SolidWorks Simulation Premium and
SolidWorks Flow Simulation. The software allowed the firm to analyze the
facility safety and emergency escape procedures of the VAB at the Kennedy Space
Center to measure the effects of a rocket fuel ignition accident to test the
durability of the VAB.
Using SolidWorks solutions, SE Corp. created a CFD model to
simulate the behavior of exhaust gases and ground-level thermal radiation. The
turnaround was around 24 hours even though there were roughly 200,000 elements.
Flow Simulation allowed the firm to produce grid-independent solutions and
report multiple flow gradients in a single day.
SE Corp. earned the NASA Space Awareness Team
Award as a result of their throrough analysis in SolidWorks. To learn more
about SE Corp.’s contribution to Kennedy Space Center research, read their case
study.
SolidWorks 2013 brings some great new enhancements to SolidWorks Flow Simulation. You can now visualize fluid flow around complex geometries so you can optimize your design.
Quickly access computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results as you design
Observe flows for specific areas in detail
Compare analysis results between multiple design configurations and studies
You can learn more about SolidWorks Flow Simulation in the video below, and visit our new SolidWorks 2013 website to learn about the other new features, as well as find a reseller seminar near you.
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