Simulate Without Net And Double Bottom

2023 Author: Hannah Pearcy | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-06-05 00:21

In recent decades, the calculation of components has almost always been related to finite elements and the corresponding networks. Naturally, this has led to the establishment of networks - sometimes more, sometimes less time-consuming. And, of course, specialist knowledge was also required.

Can you do without? For a long time the question had to be answered with a clear "no". Today, however, the Simsolid solution makes it possible. The Belarusian professor Dr. Victor Apanovich laid. He taught at the Belarusian National Technical University, later emigrated to Canada and was a co-founder of Simsolid Corporation. The company has since been bought by Altair.

Simulation in the middle class

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Simulate with Simsolid

The actual calculation engine is based on groundbreaking extensions of the external approximation theory and thus represents a generalization of the finite element method. The system is a calculation software specially developed for designers. It makes geometry simplifications and networking unnecessary. That alone saves a lot of time. In addition, complex components and / or large assemblies can be calculated with Simsolid. A practical example shows that it works.

About Zehnder GmbH

One of Simsolid's first customers is Zehnder GmbH in Lahr (Black Forest). Zehnder has its roots in Switzerland. In 1895 Jakob Zehnder founded a workshop for bicycles, typewriters, washing machines and sewing machines in Gränichen. After about 25 years, the production of light motorcycles began in 1923. The company entered the heating business in 1930 when Robert Zehnder invented the first tubular steel radiator - still in the program as "Zehnder Charleston".

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With around 3,384 employees and production locations in Europe, Asia and North America, the Zehnder Group is one of the market leaders in the radiator industry. In addition, Zehnder has changed in the past 30 years with the new business areas for heated and chilled ceilings as well as radiant ceiling panels with associated air distribution systems and air filters for production and storage halls, the Clean Air Solutions, from a pure radiator manufacturer to a system provider for a comfortable room climate.

The task is not trivial

All of these products not only have to be designed, but also calculated. The calculation system included in the CAD system is sufficient for some things, but not for everything. "We are dealing with parts that are very thin, about half a millimeter thin sheet and at the same time very long, up to 6 meters," says Peter Klug from Zehnder. Calculating them for deflection, buckling and strength is not trivial.

If there is a problem that cannot be solved at the moment, the engineer starts searching. During one of these searches on the Internet, Klug found a reference to Simsolid. Since the description was promising, it was decided to try the system. The system was initially maintained by another user. A short time later Inneo, Ellwangen entered the business as a dealer. At Inneo as a supervisor, it has remained until today. Zehnder started in February 2018.

Step by step procedure for the implementation of the simulation solution

Meier initially calculated a simple bending beam, in which he already knew the results. He then recalculated various examples that were integrated in the software. Then he went step by step to the larger projects. On the one hand there was a radiant ceiling panel and on the other hand a panel for a heating-cooling ceiling.

"The radiant ceiling panel was about determining how much weight it can take until it begins to buckle. The heating and cooling ceiling was about calculating how much sag the gravitational pull creates. The ultimate goal is a straight ceiling It would not be very nice if all the elements made a 'gut', "explains Max Meier the problem.

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The calculation process is not rocket science

Like the entire handling of Simsolid, the actual process flow is not difficult for the user.

• The respective CAD model is imported to Simsolid.
• Check that everything is complete and check the materials. The ceiling elements considered here are steel, ST 42.
• Creation of the conditions (floating, fixed).
• Application of loads (forces, pressure, gravitation …)
• Start the calculation run
• Results and evaluation of results and z. B. Comparison with measurement results.

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How Simsolid did

"At first we were happy that it was possible at all! We would have accepted longer computing times, e.g. overnight, but that was not necessary at all," said Klug. "Defakto we needed one hour of computing time for one part, and about 20 to 30 minutes for the second," reports Max Meier. That is sensational if the starting point is "it doesn't work".

It should also be noted that the plate is made up of several layers:

• The steel cassette as such with
• Copper pipes, which are fixed by means of an aluminum heat-conducting sheet over an adhesive layer.

The results of the calculations

The main result is that the plate holds. It is fixed in one spatial direction, free (floating) in all others. "In addition to the strength calculation, we also carried out a contact area calculation, first the cassettes without copper and without water, then with copper and water, and in the end we also simulated with temperatures (+ 80 ° flow temperature)", says M. Meier.

As far as the precision of the results is concerned, there is a deviation of 15% compared to the experimentally determined values. However, since the experimental values also vary when the experiment is carried out several times, Zehnder is still satisfied. Peter Klug: "We couldn't do anything without Simsolid, so it doesn't matter whether we have certain deviations or not."

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* Karl Obermann, freelance author