ANSYS, Inc. Release Notes Release 12.1 ANSYS, Inc. November 2009 Southpointe 275 Technology Drive 002825 Canonsburg, PA 15317 ANSYS, Inc. is certified to ISO 9001:2008. [email protected] http://www.ansys.com (T) 724-746-3304 (F) 724-514-9494
ANSYS, Inc. Release Notes
Release 12.1ANSYS, Inc.
November 2009Southpointe
275 Technology Drive 002825
Canonsburg, PA 15317 ANSYS, Inc. is
certified to ISO
9001:[email protected]
http://www.ansys.com
(T) 724-746-3304
(F) 724-514-9494
Copyright and Trademark Information
© 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use, distribution or duplication is prohib-
ited.
ANSYS, ANSYS Workbench, Ansoft, AUTODYN, EKM, Engineering Knowledge Manager, CFX,
FLUENT, HFSS and any and all ANSYS, Inc. brand, product, service and feature names, logos
and slogans are registered trademarks or trademarks of ANSYS, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the
United States or other countries. ICEM CFD is a trademark used by ANSYS, Inc. under license.
CFX is a trademark of Sony Corporation in Japan. All other brand, product, service and feature
names or trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Disclaimer Notice
THIS ANSYS SOFTWARE PRODUCT AND PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION INCLUDE TRADE SECRETS
AND ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY PRODUCTS OF ANSYS, INC., ITS SUBSIDIARIES,
OR LICENSORS. The software products and documentation are furnished by ANSYS, Inc., its
subsidiaries, or affiliates under a software license agreement that contains provisions concern-
ing non-disclosure, copying, length and nature of use, compliance with exporting laws, war-
ranties, disclaimers, limitations of liability, and remedies, and other provisions. The software
products and documentation may be used, disclosed, transferred, or copied only in accordance
with the terms and conditions of that software license agreement.
ANSYS, Inc. is certified to ISO 9001:2008.
U.S. Government Rights
For U.S. Government users, except as specifically granted by the ANSYS, Inc. software license
agreement, the use, duplication, or disclosure by the United States Government is subject to
restrictions stated in the ANSYS, Inc. software license agreement and FAR 12.212 (for non-
DOD licenses).
Third-Party Software
See the legal information in the product help files for the complete Legal Notice for ANSYS
proprietary software and third-party software. If you are unable to access the Legal Notice,
please contact ANSYS, Inc.
Published in the U.S.A.
Table of Contents
1. Global . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1. Installation .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2. Licensing .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2. ANSYS Mechanical APDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.1. Structural ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.1.1. Linear Dynamics .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.1.1.1. Modal Assurance Criterion Performance Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.1.1.2. Animated Sequence Support Enhancements ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.1.1.3. Simplorer Interface .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.1.1.4. CMOMEGA, CMDOMEGA, and CMACEL Maximum Component
Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2. Low-Frequency Electromagnetics ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.2.1. New Element for Modeling Planar and Axisymmetric Magnetic
Fields .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.3. Thermal ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.3.1. Convection Analysis ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.4. Solvers ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.4.1. High Performance Computing Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.4.2. Distributed ANSYS Supports Intel MPI ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.4.3. Distributed ANSYS Supports Prestressed Modal Cyclic Symmetry .... . . . . . . 6
2.4.4. PCG Lanczos (LANPCG) Solver Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.4.5. Distributed Sparse (DSPARSE) Solver Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.5. Commands .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.5.1. New Commands .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.5.2. Modified Commands .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.6. Elements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.6.1. New Elements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.6.2. Modified Elements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.7. Documentation .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.7.1. New Technology Demonstration Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.7.2. Spin Softening Documentation Updates .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.7.3. Documentation Updates for Programmers .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.7.3.1. Routines and Functions Updated .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.7.3.2. Creating a Dynamic-Link (DLL) Library .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.8. Known Incompatibilities ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.8.1. Argument List Changed for User Subroutine usrsurf116 .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.9. The ANSYS Customer Portal ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3. ANSYS Workbench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.1. Advisories .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
iiiRelease 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information of
ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
3.2. ANSYS Workbench 12.1 .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.2.1. ANSYS Workbench 12.1 Linux Support ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.2.1.1. Supported Platforms, Applications, and CAD Products .... . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.2.1.2. Linux Behavior ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.2.1.3. Linux Restrictions .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.2.2. Journaling and Scripting in ANSYS Workbench .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.2.3. Other ANSYS Workbench 12.1 Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.3. DesignModeler Release Notes .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.3.1. Advisories .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.3.2. Feature Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.3.3. Model Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.3.4. CAD Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.3.5. Incompatibilities and Changes in Product Behavior from Previous Re-
leases .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.4.TurboSystem Release Notes .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.4.1. BladeGen .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.4.1.1. BladeGen New Features and Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.4.1.2. Known Limitations Applicable to BladeGen .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.4.2. BladeEditor ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.4.2.1. BladeEditor New Features and Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.4.2.2. Known Limitations Applicable to BladeEditor ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.4.3. Vista TF .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.5. ANSYS Icepak Release Notes .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.5.1. New and Modified Features in ANSYS Icepak 12.1 .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.5.2. Known Limitations of ANSYS Icepak 12.1 .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.6. CFX-Mesh Release Notes .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.7. Meshing Application Release Notes .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.8. Mechanical Application Release Notes .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.9. FE Modeler Release Notes .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3.10. DesignXplorer Release Notes .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
3.11. Engineering Data Workspace Release Notes .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
3.12. EKM Desktop .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
3.13. ANSYS AQWA ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
4. ANSYS ASAS, ANSYS AQWA, FEMGV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
4.1. ANSYS ASAS .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
4.2. ANSYS ASAS BEAMCHECK .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4.3. ANSYS AQWA ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4.4. FEMGV ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
5. AUTODYN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
5.1. Introduction .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
5.2. ANSYS AUTODYN Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
5.2.1. Efficiency Improvements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information ofANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.iv
ANSYS, Inc. Release Notes
5.2.2. Bonded Connections With Line Bodies .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
5.2.3. Bonded Connections With DCR Contact Method .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.2.4. 2D Unstructured Volume Solvers ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.2.5. 2D Unstructured Interaction .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.2.6. 2D Rigid Materials ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.2.7. Parallel 3D Multi-Material Euler Coupled to Lagrange .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.2.8. HP-MPI Message Passing for Supported Windows Platforms .... . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.3. Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) System Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.3.1. Pre-Stress Initial Condition .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.3.2. Support for Cylindrical Coordinate Systems .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.3.3. Hydrostatic Pressure Load .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.3.4. Expressions for Pressure and Velocity Boundary Conditions .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
5.3.5. Bonded Connections with Line Bodies .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
5.3.6. Bonded Connections with DCR Contact Method .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
5.3.7. Analysis Settings .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
5.3.8. Post Processing .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
6. ANSYS CFX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6.1. New Features and Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6.1.1. ANSYS CFX in ANSYS Workbench .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
6.1.2. ANSYS CFX in General ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
6.1.3. ANSYS CFX Documentation .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
6.1.4. ANSYS CFX-Pre .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
6.1.5. ANSYS CFX-Solver ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
6.1.6. ANSYS CFD-Post ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
6.2. Incompatibilities ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
6.2.1. CFX-Pre .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
6.2.2. CFX-Solver Manager .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
6.2.2.1. Interpolation with Moving Mesh .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
6.2.3. ANSYS CFX-Solver ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
6.2.3.1. Multiphase .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
6.2.3.2. GGI Interfaces .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
6.2.3.3. Particle Transport ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
6.2.3.4. Combustion, Radiation and Material Properties ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
6.2.3.5. Turbulence .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
6.2.3.6. Boundary Conditions .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
6.2.3.7. Miscellaneous .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
6.2.4. CFD-Post ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
6.3. Known Limitations .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
7. ANSYS TurboGrid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
8. ANSYS ICEM CFD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
8.1. Highlights of ANSYS ICEM CFD 12.1 .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
8.2. Key New Features/Improvements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
vRelease 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information of
ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
ANSYS, Inc. Release Notes
8.2.1. Workbench Readers .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
8.2.2. Interface Improvements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
8.2.3. Linux Support ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
8.2.4. Tetra .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
8.2.5. Prism .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
8.2.6. Hexa .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
8.2.7. Multi-zone .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
8.2.8. BF-Cart ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
8.2.9. Mesh Editing .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
8.2.10. Output .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
8.2.11. General ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
8.3. Known Incompatibilities ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
8.4. Documentation .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
8.4.1. Tutorials ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
8.4.2. Demo Room ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
9. ANSYS CFD-Post . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
9.1. New Features and Enhancements .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
9.2. Incompatibilities ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
9.3. Known Limitations .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
10. ANSYS FLUENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
10.1. Introduction .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
10.1.1. Installation Procedures for FLUENT (Windows and UNIX/Linux Plat-
forms) ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
10.2. New Features .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
10.3. Supported Platforms .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
10.4. Known Limitations .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
10.5. Limitations That No Longer Apply in FLUENT 12.1 .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
10.6. Updates Affecting Code Behavior ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information ofANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.vi
ANSYS, Inc. Release Notes
Chapter 1: Global
The following installation and licensing changes apply to all ANSYS, Inc. products at
the 12.1 release. Be sure to read the Release Notes for your individual product(s) for
additional installation and licensing changes specific to your product(s).
If you would like to access a PDF file of the ANSYS Release 12.0 Release Notes, click
here.
1.1. Installation
• At Release 12.1, ANSYS Workbench is available on Linux 32 and Linux x64 plat-
forms. Please see ANSYS Workbench Linux Restrictions for information on restric-
tions for using ANSYS Workbench on Linux.
• The Install Required Prerequisites option of the installation launcher on Win-
dows now evaluates the software on your system and installs only those pre-
requisites that you do not already have installed. You should always choose this
option before choosing to install the products on Windows machines.
• The installation launcher on Windows has added options for Mechanical APDL
(ANSYS) to install HP MPI and Intel MPI for running Distributed Mechanical APDL
(ANSYS). See the ANSYS, Inc. Windows Installation Guide and the Distributed ANSYS
Guide for more information.
• You can now run both the installation and the uninstall processes silently. See
the ANSYS, Inc. Installation Guide for your platform for detailed instructions on
using the -silent option.
• Many ANSYS, Inc. products, including ANSYS Workbench, are available in English,
German, and French on Windows platforms at Release 12.1. Please see the ANSYS,
Inc. Windows Installation Guide and your products' help for information on using
a translated version.
1Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information of
ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
1.2. Licensing
• At ANSYS Release 12.1, the license manager daemons (lmgrd and ansyslmd)
have been upgraded to FLEXlm 10.8.8 (FLEXnet 10.8.8). You must use this version
of the license manager with ANSYS 12.1.
• At ANSYS Release 12.1, the ANSYS Licensing Interconnect (a component of the
ANSYS License Manager) was upgraded. You must upgrade to the 12.1 version
of the ANSYS License Manager for ANSYS 12.1 products to run.
• ANSYS, Inc. now offers physics-neutral HPC licenses that can be used across most
ANSYS, Inc. applications. Please see HPC Licensing in the ANSYS, Inc. Licensing
Guide for detailed information on using the new ANSYS HPC and ANSYS HPC
Pack licenses.
• ANSYS POLYFLOW and ANSYS Icepak work with the ANSYS, Inc. License Manager
at Release 12.1. You should be able to continue using your legacy licensing for
these products, but we recommend upgrading to the ANSYS, Inc. License Man-
ager.
• VT Accelerator technology is now enabled in Mechanical APDL, with a valid
Structural, Mechanical, Professional, or Multiphysics solver license. Beginning
with Release 12.1, you no longer need an ANSYS HPC license to enable VT Accel-
erator.
Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information ofANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.2
Chapter 1: Global
Chapter 2: ANSYS Mechanical APDL
This release of the Mechanical APDL application contains all of the capabilities from
previous releases plus several new features and enhancements. Areas where you will
find changes and new capabilities include the following:
2.1. Structural
2.2. Low-Frequency Electromagnetics
2.3.Thermal
2.4. Solvers
2.5. Commands
2.6. Elements
2.7. Documentation
2.8. Known Incompatibilities
2.9.The ANSYS Customer Portal
Also see The ANSYS Customer Portal (p. 14) for important information about this release.
For information about changes to the ANSYS Workbench Products, see the ANSYS
Workbench Products Release Notes.
2.1. Structural
Release 12.1 includes the following new features and enhancements for structural
analyses:
2.1.1. Linear Dynamics
This release offers the following improvements for structural analyses involving linear
dynamics:
2.1.1.1. Modal Assurance Criterion Performance Enhancements
The performance of Modal Assurance Criterion (MAC), which matches nodal solutions
from two results (RSTMAC), has been enhanced. The code segment that checks
nodal coordinate locations between the two .rst files has been redesigned to im-
prove performance.
3Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information of
ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
2.1.1.2. Animated Sequence Support Enhancements
The ANHARM command can now provide the time transient animated sequence of
time harmonic results from complex mode shapes for all complex eigensolvers. Sup-
ported eigensolvers include MODOPT, QRDAMP, DAMP, and UNSYM.
An option has been added to ANHARM to remove the amplitude decay or growth
component in the animations. The command argument NPERIOD specifies the second
period number for animating complex modes. If NPERIOD = -1, animation occurs
without the decay or growth component.
2.1.1.3. Simplorer Interface
The state-space matrices from a structural model can be exported to Simplorer to
simulate mechatronics systems. The reduced model is based on a modal analysis. The
inputs and outputs are defined through load vectors or table array parameters. The
state-space matrices file (file.spm) is generated in postprocessing using the new
SPMWRITE command. This file can be imported into Simporer to automatically create
a mechanical component.
For more information, see "State-Space Matrices Export" in the Advanced Analysis
Techniques Guide.
2.1.1.4. CMOMEGA, CMDOMEGA, and CMACEL Maximum Compon-
ent Enhancements
The upper limit of 100 components applicable for CMOMEGA, CMDOMEGA, and
CMACEL has been removed. An unlimited number of components can now be used
with these component based inertia load application commands.
2.2. Low-Frequency Electromagnetics
Release 12.1 includes the following enhancement for low-frequency electromagnetic
analyses:
2.2.1. New Element for Modeling Planar and Axisymmetric
Magnetic Fields
A new 2-D quadrilateral element, PLANE233, is now available for modeling planar
and axisymmetric magnetic fields. It is defined by eight or six nodes and has a
Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information ofANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.4
Chapter 2: ANSYS Mechanical APDL
thickness input with the planar geometry or a fraction of the 360 degree basis with
the axisymmetric geometry.
The element has up to two degrees of freedom per node: Z-component of the mag-
netic vector potential (AZ) and electric scalar potential (VOLT). It is applicable to
static, time-harmonic, and time-transient electromagnetic analyses.
In static and transient analyses, the element can be used to model nonlinear magnetic
materials and permanent magnets. Harmonic electromagnetic analyses include both
the eddy currents and the displacement current effects.
The true electric potential degree of freedom in electromagnetic analyses allows for
coupling with discrete circuit elements and solid low-frequency electric elements.
The element also has the legacy option to work with time-integrated electric potential.
In addition to in-plane magnetic and through-the-thickness electric fields, the element
calculates magnetic forces, Joule heat, and electromagnetic energy.
The element analysis options and magnetic force calculation methods are consistent
with those of SOLID236 and SOLID237.
2.3. Thermal
Release 12.1 includes the following enhancement for thermal analyses:
2.3.1. Convection Analysis
A two-extra-node option is now available for 3-D thermal surface effect element
SURF152 (KEYOPT(5) = 2). The new option offers greater accuracy than the one-extra-
node option.
For higher thermal accuracy in fluid flows, two new options have been added to
FLUID116 (KEYOPT(9) = 1 and 2): central difference and exponential schemes. Three
methods are available for mapping the FLUID116 nodes to the SURF152 elements:
minimum centroid distance method, projection method, and hybrid method (MSTOLE).
For more information, see Using the Surface-Effect Elements in the Thermal Analysis
Guide.
5Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information of
ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
2.3.1. Convection Analysis
2.4. Solvers
Release 12.1 includes the following new enhancements that improve solution proced-
ures and features.
2.4.1. High Performance Computing Enhancements
2.4.2. Distributed ANSYS Supports Intel MPI
2.4.3. Distributed ANSYS Supports Prestressed Modal Cyclic Symmetry
2.4.4. PCG Lanczos (LANPCG) Solver Enhancements
2.4.5. Distributed Sparse (DSPARSE) Solver Enhancements
2.4.1. High Performance Computing Enhancements
To take full advantage of multicore desktop systems, the default shared-memory
parallel capability (which uses two CPU processors by default) has been extended to
operations of element stiffness generation. For many applications (such as linear
static or stress expansions), a savings of up to 50 percent in elapsed time is realized
for element generation.
2.4.2. Distributed ANSYS Supports Intel MPI
In addition to the default HP-MPI, Distributed ANSYS now supports Intel MPI on Linux
and Windows platforms, including Windows 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
2.4.3. Distributed ANSYS Supports Prestressed Modal Cyclic
Symmetry
Distributed ANSYS now supports prestressed modal cyclic symmetry analysis. Previ-
ously, it supported modal cyclic symmetry analysis without prestress effects.
2.4.4. PCG Lanczos (LANPCG) Solver Enhancements
The PCG Lanzcos solver has been improved to significantly reduce the amount of I/O
performed.
2.4.5. Distributed Sparse (DSPARSE) Solver Enhancements
The parallel ordering option (DSPOPTION,PARORDER) for the distributed sparse
(DSPARSE) solver has been significantly improved in terms of both performance and
its ability to perform equation-ordering operations.
Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information ofANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.6
Chapter 2: ANSYS Mechanical APDL
2.5. Commands
This section describes changes to commands at Release 12.1.
Some commands are not accessible from menus. The documentation for each com-
mand indicates whether or not a menu path is available for that command operation.
For a list of commands not available from within the GUI, see Menu-Inaccessible
Commands in the Command Reference.
2.5.1. New Commands
2.5.2. Modified Commands
2.5.1. New Commands
The following new commands are available in this release:
MSTOLE -- Adds two extra nodes from FLUID116 elements to SURF152 elements for
convection analyses.
SPMWRITE -- Calculates the state-space matrices and writes them to the .spm file.
2.5.2. Modified Commands
The following commands have been enhanced in this release:
ANHARM -- Generates a time-transient animated sequence of time-harmonic results
or complex mode shapes. The command can now provide the time-transient animated
sequence of time-harmonic results from complex mode shapes for all complex eigen-
solvers. A new NPERIOD argument has also been added to remove the amplitude
decay or growth component in the animations.
CMOMEGA, CMDOMEGA, and CMACEL -- The upper limit of 100 components applic-
able for each of these component-based inertia-load-application commands has been
removed. An unlimited number of components can now be used.
2.6. Elements
This section describes changes to elements at Release 12.1.
Some elements are not available from within the GUI. For a list of those elements,
see GUI-Inaccessible Elements in the Element Reference.
2.6.1. New Elements
2.6.2. Modified Elements
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2.6. Elements
2.6.1. New Elements
The following new element is available in this release:
PLANE233 -- This 2-D quadrilateral element is available for modeling planar and
axisymmetric magnetic fields. It has up to two degrees of freedom per node: Z-com-
ponent of the magnetic vector potential (AZ), and electric scalar potential (VOLT).
The element is applicable to a static, time-harmonic, and time-transient electromag-
netic analyses.
2.6.2. Modified Elements
The following elements have been enhanced in this release:
SURF152 -- For improved accuracy in convection analyses, this 3-D surface effect
element has a new option for adding two extra nodes from FLUID116 elements.
FLUID116 -- For higher thermal accuracy in fluid flows, two new options have been
added to this thermal-flow element (KEYOPT(9) = 1 and 2): central difference and
exponential schemes.
2.7. Documentation
The 12.1 release includes the following product documentation enhancements and
improvements:
2.7.1. New Technology Demonstration Guide
2.7.2. Spin Softening Documentation Updates
2.7.3. Documentation Updates for Programmers
2.7.1. New Technology Demonstration Guide
The 12.1 release introduces the Technology Demonstration Guide.
The purpose of the new guide is to encourage you to take advantage of the extraordin-
arily broad simulation capabilities of ANSYS Mechanical APDL. The guide showcases
the features and effectiveness of Mechanical APDL by presenting a series of analysis
problems from a variety of engineering disciplines.
The problems are more substantive and complex than examples found in the standard
documentation set. The guide thoroughly examines the physics involved with each
problem and the considerations necessary for translating problems into numerical
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Chapter 2: ANSYS Mechanical APDL
models. Approximation issues, accuracy considerations, and recommended practices
are discussed.
How Problems Are Presented
Each problem description provides information about the nature and physical char-
acteristics of the problem, specific modeling techniques, material properties, boundary
conditions and loading, analysis details and solution controls.
A comprehensive results and discussion section carefully examines analysis results
(often comparing them to baseline or “known good” results using more traditional
analysis methods), and illustrates why specific strategies and methods were chosen.
Each problem concludes with valuable hints and recommendations for performing
a similar type of analysis. In many cases, references are provided for additional back-
ground information. Each example presented can therefore serve as a template for
setting up similar types of simulations.
Your Results May Vary
A 64-bit Linux system was used for the problems described in the guide. The results
shown for each problem may differ from those that you obtain depending upon the
computer hardware and operating system platforms in use at your site.
Problem Summary
The following analysis demonstration problems are available:
A nonlinear analysis of a 2-D hyperelastic seal as-
sembly using manual rezoning with remeshing via
Nonlinear Analysis of a 2-D
Hyperelastic Seal Using
Rezoning the element-splitting method.The problem shows
how multiple vertical rezoning steps can be used to
ensure convergence and completion of an analysis.
Shows how to easily set up and perform an analysis
involving both axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric
Nonlinear Transient Analysis
of a Camshaft Assembly
components.The problem demonstrates how model-
ing with general axisymmetric element technology
can reduce computational resources significantly
while maintaining the same degree of accuracy as a
simulation using a full 3-D model.
Uses coupled pore-pressure element technology to
study the creep response of a lumbar motion segment
Simulation of a Lumbar Mo-
tion Segment
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2.7.1. New Technology Demonstration Guide
under compression.The simulation reveals the inter-
action between the solid phase and the fluid phase
in soft tissues.
Studies fluid-pressure-penetration effects on a sealing
system.The use of seals is primarily to prevent the
Fluid-Pressure-Penetration
Analysis of a Sealing System
transfer of fluid (liquid, solid, or gas) between two or
more regions.
Uses solid-shell element technology to model a
layered-composite structure.The problem simulates
Delamination of a Stiffened
Composite Panel Under a
Compressive Load interface delamination through the debonding cap-
ability of contact elements.
Demonstrates current structural-shell element tech-
nology and illustrates how it can be used to accurately
Rocket Nozzle Extension
Simulation
model the orthotropic thermal expansion in curved-
shell structures. Section offsets are applied when
connecting shell-to-shell or to shell-to-other element
types.
Demonstrates the advantages of elbow element
technology over traditional shell and pipe element
Nuclear Piping System Under
Seismic Loading
technology for modeling pipe bends in a typical
nuclear piping system.
Shows how to solve a brake squeal problem. Three
analysis methods are highlighted: linear non-
Brake Squeal Analysis
prestressed modal, partial nonlinear prestressed
modal, and full nonlinear prestressed modal.The
problem demonstrates sliding frictional contact and
uses complex eigensolvers to predict unstable modes.
Demonstrates how hyperelastic curve-fitting is used
to select constitutive model parameters to fit experi-
Calibrating and Validating a
Hyperelastic Constitutive
Model mental data. Several issues influencing the accuracy
of the curve fit are discussed.Validation of the result-
ing constitutive model is demonstrated by comparis-
on with a tension-torsion experiment.
A reliability study of a composite overwrapped pres-
sure vessel (COPV).The model uses reinforcing fibers
Reliability Study of a Compos-
ite Overwrapped Pressure
Vessel in a layered composite. A finite-element simulation
of a COPV is performed first to gain insight into its
mechanical behaviors, then simulation results are
processed using failure analysis to determine the most
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Chapter 2: ANSYS Mechanical APDL
vulnerable layer.The problem generates linearized
stress output for pressure-vessel design optimization
and code compliance.
A problem that accounts for the missing-mass effect
and rigid-response effects in a spectrum analysis, and
Dynamic Simulation of a
Nuclear Piping System Using
RSA Methods how including those effects improves results accuracy
as compared to full-transient analysis results.The
problem uses a piping system model from an actual
nuclear power plant.
Demonstrates the efficiency and usefulness of
rezoning in a simulation of metal-forming processes.
Ring-Gear Forging Simulation
with Rezoning
Rezoning facilitates the convergence of a nonlinear
finite element simulation in which excessive element
distortion occurs.
Shows how to easily set up and perform a thermal-
stress analysis of a cooled turbine blade.The problem
Thermal Stress Analysis of a
Cooled Turbine Blade
uses surface-effect capabilities to simulate convection
loading on solid regions, and one-dimensional fluid-
flow capabilities to obtain a highly accurate thermal
solution for convection loading.
Demonstrates the linear elastic fracture mechanics of
3-D structures.The problem shows how fracture
Evaluation of Mixed-Mode
Stress-Intensity Factors for 3-
D Surface Flaws mechanics can be used to evaluate mixed-mode
stress-intensity factors and J-integrals. Analyses of a
simple semicircular surface flaw in a rectangular block
and a warped flaw along a tubular joint are discussed.
Uses a centrifugal impeller blade to show how to
perform cyclic symmetry modal and harmonic ana-
Cyclic Symmetry Analysis of
a Centrifugal Impeller Model
lyses.The problem illustrates cyclic modeling methods
and solution approaches.
A digger-arm assembly problem demonstrating a
transient dynamic analysis of a multibody system.The
Transient Dynamic Analysis
of a Digger-Arm Assembly
problem shows how to model joints and rigid/flexible
parts, mitigate overconstraints, and represent flexible
parts using component mode synthesis (CMS).
Uses residual vectors to improve the solution accuracy
in modal subspace based analysis methods, such as
Dynamic Simulation of a
Printed Circuit Board As-
modal superposition and power spectral density (PSD)sembly Using Modal Analysis
Methods analyses.The problem includes a study of the compu-
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
2.7.1. New Technology Demonstration Guide
tational efficiency of the results-expansion procedure
used to obtain the full model solution.
An impact simulation using a model of a 3-D metal
bar hitting a rigid wall. The problem shows the ad-
Impact of a Metal Bar on a Ri-
gid Wall
vantages of using impact constraints for modeling
contact in a nonlinear transient dynamic analysis.
Several combinations of available time-integration
methods and contact algorithms are also investig-
ated, using different material models to show how
various choices affect the performance and accuracy
of the finite-element solution of impact problems.
A nonlinear buckling and post-buckling analysis using
nonlinear stabilization.The problem uses a stiffened
Buckling and Post-Buckling
Analysis of a Ring-Stiffened
cylinder subjected to uniform external pressure toCylinder Using Nonlinear
Stabilization demonstrate how to find the nonlinear buckling loads,
achieve convergence at the post-buckling stage, and
interpret the results.
A rotordynamic analysis of a rotating structure. A 2-
D axisymmetric geometry is extracted from a 3-D
Rotordynamics of a Shaft As-
sembly Based Representative
solid model of the rotating structure. Modal, CampbellModel of a Nelson-Vaugh Ro-
tor diagram, and unbalance response analyses are per-
formed for the 2-D and 3-D models. Results for the 2-
D axisymmetric model are compared to the full 3-D
solid model results.
Demonstrates the fictive-temperature model using
the Tool-Narayanaswamy (TN) shift function to study
Viscoelastic Analysis of an All-
Ceramic Fixed Partial Denture
(FPD) residual stresses in an all-ceramic fixed partial denture
(FPD). A coupled-field solution process, including
transient thermal and nonlinear structural analyses,
is used in the problem simulation.
Effectively uses a current-technology beam element
to simulate a wind turbine blade, a slender composite
Modal Analysis of a Wind
Turbine Blade Using Beam
Elements structure. A simplified 1-D beam-based model of the
typically complex blade geometry is especially useful
in the early design stage, when small design variations
can lead to partial or even complete reconstruction
of a 3-D model, generally an impractical solution given
the difficulty of building the model.
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Chapter 2: ANSYS Mechanical APDL
2.7.2. Spin Softening Documentation Updates
Spin-softening documentation in the Structural Analysis Guide, the Command Reference,
and the Theory Reference for the Mechanical APDL and Mechanical Applications has
been enhanced to better present prestressed large-deflection analysis (NLGEOM,ON).
To incorporate the spin-softening effect of a rotating structure undergoing large de-
flections, the updated documentation describes the use of the OMEGA/CMOMEGA
commands with KSPIN = OFF (default setting) in a static analysis, and then the use
of OMEGA/CMOMEGA with KSPIN = ON in a subsequent prestressed modal analysis.
2.7.3. Documentation Updates for Programmers
Release 12.1 includes the following documentation updates for programmers:
2.7.3.1. Routines and Functions Updated
2.7.3.2. Creating a Dynamic-Link (DLL) Library
2.7.3.1. Routines and Functions Updated
Routines and functions documented in the Programmer's Manual for ANSYS have been
updated to reflect the current source code. To see specific changes in a file, ANSYS,
Inc. recommends opening both the old and current files (using a text editor that
displays line numbers), then comparing the two to determine which lines have
changed. You can copy the updated files to your system by performing a custom in-
stallation of the product.
2.7.3.2. Creating a Dynamic-Link (DLL) Library
Documentation has been added to describe the process for setting up user-program-
mable features in Windows systems using a DLL library, rather than by creating a
custom executable. See Creating a Dynamic-Link (DLL) Library in the Programmer's
Manual for ANSYS for details.
2.8. Known Incompatibilities
The following incompatibility with prior releases is known to exist at Release 12.1.
2.8.1. Argument List Changed for User Subroutine usrsurf116
The argument list for the user programmable subroutine usrsurf116 has changed
at this release. Subroutines written to follow the usrsurf116 format of previous
13Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information of
ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
2.8.1. Argument List Changed for User Subroutine usrsurf116
releases are not compatible when linked with v. 12.1. See Subroutines for Customizing
Loads in the Programmer's Manual for ANSYS for the revised usrsurf116 format.
2.9. The ANSYS Customer Portal
If you have a password to the ANSYS Customer Portal (http://www.ansys.com/custom-
erportal), you can view additional documentation information and late changes.
Navigate to Product Information> Product Documentation> Readme files and
late document changes.
The portal is also your source for ANSYS, Inc. software downloads, service packs,
product information (including example applications, current and archived document-
ation, undocumented commands, input files, and product previews), and online
support.
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Chapter 2: ANSYS Mechanical APDL
Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
3.1. Advisories
Virus Scanning Products
The ANSYS Workbench uses scripting languages to display information in the user
interface. These scripting languages when used in World Wide Web pages are sus-
ceptible to viruses. Many virus scanning products will install a proxy to verify that
scripts on a web page do not contain a virus. Some virus scanning products may leak
excessive amounts of memory when running the ANSYS Workbench product. Check
your specific product's support pages to see if a memory leak has been reported and
the solution for it.
3.2. ANSYS Workbench 12.1
Release 12.1 builds on the Release 12.0 framework, most notably adding support for
the Linux operating system and for journaling and scripting.
3.2.1. ANSYS Workbench 12.1 Linux Support
ANSYS Workbench now has limited support on Linux platforms at Release 12.1.
3.2.1.1. Supported Platforms, Applications, and CAD Products
The Linux platforms and the applications listed below are supported.
• Supported Linux Platforms
– Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 32-Bit
– SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 64-Bit
• Supported ANSYS Products, Applications, and Workspaces
– Workbench Framework
– CFD-Post
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
– CFX
– CFX-Mesh
– DesignModeler
– DesignXplorer
– FLUENT
– Icepak
– Mechanical APDL
– Meshing
– TurboGrid
– Vista TF
• Supported CAD Readers
– ACIS
– IGES
– Parasolid
– STEP
• Supported CAD Plugins
– Unigraphics NX5 on SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 64-Bit only
– Unigraphics NX6 on SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 64-Bit only
3.2.1.2. Linux Behavior
If an ANSYS Workbench project file that was saved using a Windows installation of
ANSYS Workbench contains data from an application that is not supported on the
Linux installation of ANSYS Workbench (for example, the Mechanical application or
the FE Modeler application), the project will be closed automatically when you open
it (File > Open from the ANSYS Workbench main menu) on Linux. The same behavior
may also occur for a project file involving users on two Windows installations, in cases
where the source installation includes applications that were not installed with the
target installation.
3.2.1.3. Linux Restrictions
Please be aware of the Linux restrictions listed below.
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
Features related to Compact Mode are not supported. These include multi-window
Minimize, Maximize, Restore, Close, and Tile functionality, as well as Keep on Top
mode for the Project Schematic and automatic collapse/restore of the Project
Schematic when not in use/in use.
3.2.2. Journaling and Scripting in ANSYS Workbench
With 12.1, ANSYS Workbench now supports journaling and scripting. Journaling
captures the operations that modify data in an ANSYS Workbench session and records
them in a journal file. A journal file can be replayed to return the state of your ANSYS
Workbench session, or a journal can be modified to change or incorporate additional
operations, which is referred to as scripting. ANSYS Workbench journaling and
scripting allows you to easily replay previously recorded journals or reconstruct pre-
viously created projects, automate repetitive tasks, or execute simulation projects in
batch mode.
Journaling fully supports all operations performed in the ANSYS Workbench framework
or native applications, including all operations performed in the Project Schematic,
Engineering Data, and Design Exploration workspaces. Project file and parameter
management is also fully supported by journaling. Although operations performed
in data-integrated applications like DesignModeler and the Mechanical and Meshing
applications are not journaled, commands native to these applications can be embed-
ded in an ANSYS Workbench script.
Python-Based ANSYS Workbench journaling and scripting is based on the Python
programming language. Python is a concise, yet highly readable programming lan-
guage, and its standard data types and comprehensive tools provide a powerful
scripting foundation for ANSYS Workbench.
Object-Based Scripting ANSYS Workbench takes an object-based approach to
scripting. The interaction with data and operations is defined by “objects”, or data
structures consisting of both properties and methods. The scripting interface provides
a set of query functions which return these objects. Once an object reference has
been obtained, its properties can be directly queried and modified, or its methods
can be called to invoke more complex operations and calculations.
Portable and Platform-Independent ANSYS Workbench journals and scripts are
platform-independent, meaning that a journal can be recorded on one computer
platform and executed on another. The ANSYS Workbench scripting interface also
provides several utilities to make them highly portable. For example, the locations
of project files, such as CAD files, are recorded using a path root preference that allows
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
3.2.2. Journaling and Scripting in ANSYS Workbench
the script to be replayed on a different machine or file system location without having
to modify absolute file paths.
Convenient Command Window In addition to replaying journals and executing
scripts, ANSYS Workbench provides a command window where individual commands
can be manually invoked. To avoid tedious typing, the command window supports
command completion and maintains a history of previously-issued commands for
easy recall.
Support for Other Scripting Languages ANSYS Workbench can interact with a
series of data-integrated applications, including Mechanical APDL, ANSYS FLUENT,
ANSYS CFX, DesignModeler, and the Mechanical and Meshing applications. These
applications have their own native scripting languages, and the ANSYS Workbench
scripting interface allows application-native scripts for data-integrated applications
to be embedded in an ANSYS Workbench script. This coordination of scripting lan-
guages allows existing investments in scripting to be re-used.
Complete Reference Documentation The public scripting interface for ANSYS
Workbench is fully documented in the Workbench Scripting Guide. In addition to de-
tailed descriptions of the methods and data structures, this guide provides several
examples to better understand the capability. Before attempting to use ANSYS
Workbench scripting, you should become familiar with the documentation and the
concepts described in it.
3.2.3. Other ANSYS Workbench 12.1 Enhancements
Data Integration
At Release 12.1, ANSYS Workbench has added data integration of the AQWA, POLY-
FLOW, and Icepak applications.
External Connection Add-in
A significant enhancement at Release 12.1 is the introduction of the External Connec-
tion add-in, which allows external applications (applications not integrated with ANSYS
Workbench) to participate in the ANSYS Workbench workflow by consuming and
producing parameters. This addin enables external applications to take advantage of
ANSYS Workbench capabilities such as the design point table, as well as DesignXplorer
capabilities such as Design of Experiments, sensitivity, and six sigma design studies.
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
Using the External Connection addin does not require writing compiled code. An
XML configuration file defines communication between the external process and
ANSYS Workbench, including:
• input and output parameters to be exposed in ANSYS Workbench
• the name of the external script or executable to be run when the system is up-
dated from ANSYS Workbench
• custom properties (which might affect how the external program executes)
• directory structure
• error handling
• custom menu entries (to be displayed in the cell context menu within ANSYS
Workbench)
In addition, it is also possible to add custom toolbar and/or menubar entries to enable
further customization, where Python scripts can be executed from these custom
entries.
For more information on using the External Connection add-in, see the External
Connection Add-in for Workbench Guide.
Other Enhancements
Other enhancements to the ANSYS Workbench framework at Release 12.1 include:
• Improved error handling during Update All Design Points operations: During
an update of multiple design points, any errors or warnings encountered will
result in messages being written to the Message view, allowing other design
point updates to continue without waiting for you to respond to message dialogs.
A summary dialog is presented after all design point updates are complete.
• Visual indication of failure to some state icons: If Refresh or Update operations
fail on a cell in the Project Schematic, a red X will be indicated in addition to the
appropriate state icon. Three failure states are possible:
– Refresh Failed, Refresh Required
– Update Failed, Update Required
– Update Failed, Attention Required
• Single selection for export all design points: An option was added that allows
you to mark all design points for export with a single selection.
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Other Enhancements
• Improved deleted files message handling: Messages have been improved
when you open a project for which files have been deleted. The new messages
provide direction on recovering and/or proceeding with the project.
• Recently used files: An option has been added that allows you to control the
number of files displayed in the recently used files lists.
3.3. DesignModeler Release Notes
Advisories (p. 20)
Feature Enhancements (p. 20)
Model Enhancements (p. 21)
CAD Enhancements (p. 22)
Incompatibilities and Changes in Product Behavior from Previous Releases (p. 23)
3.3.1. Advisories
Mechanical Desktop
Mechanical Desktop will not be supported in future releases of ANSYS.
3.3.2. Feature Enhancements
Mid-Surface Feature Improvements
The Mid-Surface feature has been modified in two ways:
1. The output bodies are grouped into parts based on the original bodies they
came from if the resultant mid-surface of a solid body produces multiple surface
bodies.
2. The automatic face pair detection logic has been enhanced to more intelligently
select face pairs in regions where holes and slots exist.
Non-uniform Enclosure Groups
Within the Enclosure feature, the Cushion option has been enhanced to allow values
for box or cylinder type enclosures to be either uniform or non-uniform. Available
for all enclosure shapes except User Defined, the non-uniform cushion values may
also be set as design parameters.
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
Load DesignModeler Database Option
New at ANSYS release 12.1, the Load DesignModeler Database option provides for
quickly loading a different AGDB file without first closing and then reopening
DesignModeler.
Auto-Save Now and Restore Auto-save File
After selecting Generate after a specified number of times, the DesignModeler applic-
ation now automatically saves backup files of a model. The Auto-save Now feature
is used to save immediately. The Restore Auto-save File feature enables stored files
to be accessed.
Surface From Faces Feature
Surface bodies can now be created in the DesignModeler application by using the
Surfaces From Faces feature. The feature can be used to produce multiple surface
bodies, depending on the connectivity of the selected faces.
Multiple Construction Points
The Point feature now has the ability to define multiple points when using Manual
Input as the point definition option. Any number of construction points may be created
from a single Point feature by adding additional point groups to the Details View
property list.
3.3.3. Model Enhancements
Hard Edge Repair Tool
The Repair feature now includes the Repair Hard Edges option. Used on solid and
surface bodies only, the tool is used to remove hard edges from a model.
Large Model Support
DesignModeler can now support models larger than 1 km in size. A large model
support checkbox option will be available when using either Meter or Foot as the
unit. When enabled, DesignModeler will permit models up to 1000 km in size.
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Large Model Support
Face Level Visibility
Three Hide/Show Faces options have been added to the Context Menu. Applicable
to bodies that are not suppressed and not marked as hidden, the options are:
• Hide Face(s): to hide selected faces.
• Hide All Other Faces: to hide all faces in the model, except selected faces.
• Show All Faces: to reset the visibility of all faces in the model to visible.
Solid-Surface Mixed Dimension Support
When sharing topology in the 3D modeling mode, the types of bodies in a multi-
body part often dictate how the part will share topology. ANSYS release 12.1 now
allows surface body and solid body parts to use the automatic, imprints, and none
method to share topology.
Solid-surface Mixed Part Support during Import
The Mixed Import Resolution option, which allows mixed dimensions to be imported
as components of assemblies, now includes a Solid and Surface option. Solid and
Surface means only solid(s) and surface(s) from a part are transferred to the ANSYS
Mechanical application or DesignModeler.
3.3.4. CAD Enhancements
Linux Reader Support
ANSYS Workbench now supports the Linux operating system. The readers and plugins
supported are:
• Reader for ACIS (SAT)
• Reader for Parasolid
• Reader for IGES
• Reader for STEP
• Reader for Pro/Engineer (32-bit only)
• Reader for Unigraphics NX (64-bit only)
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
Solid Edge ST1/V100 Support
ANSYS release 12.1 supports Solid Edge ST including synchronous document import
via the Solid Edge plugin. Solid Edge describes synchronous modeling as the enable-
ment of simultaneous, direct geometry creation and modification through precision
sketching, region selection, face selection, and handle selection.
CATIA V5 Layer Support
CATIA V5 Layers can now be imported into ANSYS Workbench via the Named Selection
option. When a CATIA V5 model is imported, the Named Selections created for each
CATIA V5 Layer is processed.
Autodesk Inventor 2010 Support
ANSYS Workbench now supports Autodesk Inventor 2010, this includes the ability to
comprehensively import Inventor parts which contain multiple solid bodies.
CAD Configuration Manager
This tool is now available on Linux, allowing users to conveniently add, change or
remove CAD sources.
3.3.5. Incompatibilities and Changes in Product Behavior
from Previous Releases
Import Line Bodies Behavior
At ANSYS release 12.0 the default option for Import Line Bodies was changed to co-
incide with the added support for line body import from a number of geometry in-
terfaces. This was necessary because the entities which are being imported as line
bodies from a number of CAD system were creating mixed dimension multibody
parts. To avoid the confusion on this matter the preference was turned off. You can
modify the value for a given session in the Project Schematic before editing or in the
details view for any import/attach feature in the DesignModeler application. You can
also revert to the old preference set by making a onetime change to the Project
Schematic's options panel using Tools> Options> Geometry Import and then checking
the Line Bodies option.
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Import Line Bodies Behavior
3.4. TurboSystem Release Notes
TurboSystem is a set of software applications and software features that help you to
perform turbomachinery analyses in ANSYS Workbench.
ANSYS TurboGrid is a meshing tool for turbomachinery blade rows. The release notes
for ANSYS TurboGrid are given at “ANSYS, Inc. Release Notes > Chapter 7, ANSYS Tur-
boGrid (p. 61)”.
CFX-Pre, a CFD preprocesor, and CFD-Post, a CFD postprocessor, are part of the ANSYS
CFX product. Both of these products have Turbomachinery-specific features. The re-
lease notes for CFX-Pre are given at “ANSYS, Inc. Release Notes > Chapter 6, ANSYS
CFX (p. 55)”. The release notes for CFD-Post are given at “ANSYS, Inc. Release Notes
> Chapter 9, ANSYS CFD-Post (p. 69)”.
Release notes for Release 12.1 of the remaining TurboSystem applications are provided
in the following sections:
BladeGen (p. 24)
BladeEditor (p. 25)
Vista TF (p. 27)
About the 12.0 Release of TurboSystem provides historical information about Release
12.0 of TurboSystem for the benefit of users who migrated directly from Release 11.0
to Release 12.1.
Note
After reviewing these release notes, you are encouraged to see Usage
Notes, which describes some known TurboSystem-related workflow issues
and recommended practices for overcoming these issues.
3.4.1. BladeGen
BladeGen is a geometry-creation tool for turbomachinery blade rows.
These release notes for BladeGen are divided into the following topics:
3.4.1.1. BladeGen New Features and Enhancements
3.4.1.2. Known Limitations Applicable to BladeGen
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
3.4.1.1. BladeGen New Features and Enhancements
There are no significant new features in BladeGen.
3.4.1.2. Known Limitations Applicable to BladeGen
• In Vista CCD, the semi-perfect gas option fails to work correctly and was therefore
disabled. If the ideal gas option is not sufficient for your case, the real gas option
is still available. The intention of the semi-perfect gas option was to provide a
more accurate solution than the ideal gas option provides for air and nitrogen,
by allowing the ratio of specific heats to vary with temperature. The semi-perfect
gas option is typically only useful when working with air compressors of very
high pressure ratio, for example 9:1.
• Be aware that when using real gas properties in Vista CCD, the RGP data is not
saved with the BladeGen model. Instead, the RGP data is in a separate file and
the Vista definition contains a reference to it. When you view the Vista CCD
definition for a model that uses real gas properties, you may be asked to locate
the RGP file if the file specified in the Vista definition cannot be found.
3.4.2. BladeEditor
ANSYS BladeEditor is a plugin for ANSYS DesignModeler for creating, importing, and
editing blade geometry.
These release notes for BladeEditor are divided into the following topics:
3.4.2.1. BladeEditor New Features and Enhancements
3.4.2.2. Known Limitations Applicable to BladeEditor
3.4.2.1. BladeEditor New Features and Enhancements
• Auxiliary view (Beta feature)
This feature includes a blade-to-blade view and a blade lean angle graph.
• Blade design parameterization (Beta feature)
This feature enables you to assign an input parameter to any numeric BladeEditor
feature property.
• If you use the VistaTFExport feature in Release 12.1, and the ThroatArea feature
is used for a selected Blade, the throat information for that blade will be written
to the .geo file. This information may improve the calculation of the choke mass
flow rate in the Vista TF solver. Without this information, Vista TF will make its
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3.4.2. BladeEditor
own estimate of the throat area. In Release 12.0, the throat widths are not added
to the Vista TF geometry file.
Note that the new features marked as “Beta” in the above list are not available until
you enable Beta options in ANSYS Workbench.
3.4.2.2. Known Limitations Applicable to BladeEditor
KNOWN DATA LOSS PROBLEM - You can very easily destroy your BladeEditor
models by simply updating a project or otherwise processing a Geometry cell, de-
pending on your license preference settings. This problem can affect you if you have
any ANSYS DesignModeler licenses. To learn how to avoid this problem, please read
the following section in the ANSYS BladeEditor documentation: Configuring the
BladeModeler License.
There is a known limitation with the ImportBGD feature when importing multiple
BladeGen files. If you have imported two or more BladeGen files using separate Im-
portBGD features, and have turned on shroud clearance for one of these features,
then the import process may fail. The workaround is to import the case(s) with shroud
clearance first, then import the others.
Furthermore, changing the Blade Design cell Shroud Clearance property from "Relative
Layer" or "Absolute Layer" to "None" will have no effect on the ImportBGD feature.
In this case, you must change the Shroud Clearance property directly in the ImportBGD
feature.
When you create a flow path contour sketch, you must be editing in a (global) ZX-
plane. The local X and Y axes on the sketch plane correspond to the global Z and X
axes, respectively. The local X axis corresponds to the machine axis and the local Y
axis corresponds to the radial coordinate axis. Consequently, all flow contours in the
sketch must have positive Y coordinates.
The following is a list of known limitations that apply to new BladeEditor features
(but not the ImportBGD feature):
• Model:
– Only the ‘Angle/Thickness’ mode is supported.
• Layers:
– Only specified span fraction layers are supported.
• Angle Definition:
– Only Theta and/or Beta definitions are supported.
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
– Only ‘General’ and ‘Ruled Element’ spanwise distributions are supported.
– At least one angle definition must exist on either the hub or shroud layer.
– The Angle View Data Location must be ‘Meanline’.
– Splitting and joining curve segments is not supported.
• Thickness Definition:
– Only the ‘Normal to Meanline on Layer Surface’ thickness data type is suppor-
ted.
– The ‘vs. Cam’ and ‘% Cam vs. % Cam’ thickness specifications are not suppor-
ted.
– Only the ‘General’ spanwise distribution is supported.
– At least one thickness definition must exist on either the hub or shroud layer.
– Splitting and joining curve segments is not supported.
3.4.3. Vista TF
Vista TF is a tool for performing rapid throughflow analyses of rotating machinery
for preliminary design purposes.
Enhancements to Vista TF:
• The leading and trailing edges for each blade row are now shown in the 2D plots
in CFD-Post.
Installation note: Vista TF is always installed, but CFD-Post is required to post-process
Vista TF results. Without CFD-Post, the Results cell of the Vista TF system will not be
visible.
Vista TF was developed by PCA Engineers Limited, Lincoln, England.
3.5. ANSYS Icepak Release Notes
Release 12.1 of ANSYS Icepak has new features and defect fixes.
3.5.1. New and Modified Features in ANSYS Icepak 12.1
• Graphical User Interface
– ANSYS Icepak can be run as a standalone product or within the ANSYS
Workbench framework. See Chapter 3 of the User's Guide.
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3.5.1. New and Modified Features in ANSYS Icepak 12.1
– The File menu and the file commands toolbar options are different in ANSYS
Workbench. See Section 2.1.2 of the User's Guide.
• ECAD import/export
– Export of Simplorer file in the Parameters and optimization panel. See
Section 29.7.1 of the User's Guide.
• Modeling and meshing
– Multi-level meshing can be enforced for all objects. See Section 7.3.8 of the
User's Guide.
• Postprocessing and reporting
– Electric current density, joule heating density and Wall YPlus variables
are available for postprocessing. See Section 36.2 of the User's Guide.
– ANSYS CFD Post files are automatically written out when running ANSYS
Icepak in Workbench. See Section 5.7.7 of the User's Guide.
• Miscellaneous
– ANSYS Icepak data transfer occurs in ANSYS Workbench 12.1 from Icepak to
Mechanical.
– Tetrahedral mesher has been discontinued and is no longer available in ANSYS
Icepak.
– ANSYS Icepak 12.1 supports both the Fluent FLEXlm and ANSYS FLEXlm license
managers.
– ANSYS Icepak workflow in ANSYS Workbench 12.1 allows the automatic export
of STEP files from Design Modeler to ANSYS Icepak.
3.5.2. Known Limitations of ANSYS Icepak 12.1
• MCM/BRD import is available only on the Windows and Linux platforms.
• Gerber import is available only on the Windows platform.
• ANSYS Icepak to Mechanical workflow in Workbench is available only on the
Windows platform.
• STEP export may not work on some objects, especially cylindrical objects.
• STEP export is not supported on the IBM and HP-Alpha UNIX (Tru64 UNIX) plat-
forms.
• Non-conformal assemblies cannot intersect each other.
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
• Non-conformal assemblies cannot touch objects (except the cabinet and hollow
objects.)
• Thin plates cannot intersect or touch non-conformal assemblies.
• CAD shaped objects cannot intersect or touch non-conformal assemblies.
• The biaxial conductivity option for objects other than thin plates is not allowed.
• Fast trials cannot be used when the properties of the default fluid are paramet-
erized.
• Batch queuing capability cannot be used to run trials/jobs across platforms.
• ANSYS (Classic) solution data file export is available only on the 32–bit Windows
platform.
• Cartesian Hex-Dominant mesh option cannot be used when 2D CAD shapes are
present.
• Microsoft Job Scheduler can only be used on the Windows platform.
3.6. CFX-Mesh Release Notes
Known Limitations
The known limitations of CFX-Mesh are:
• CFX-Mesh on 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Vista is unable to support 2D
regions for some imported geometry files, e.g. SAT files.
• The user interface for CFX-Mesh is always in English regardless of the language
setting.
3.7. Meshing Application Release Notes
Summary of Goals for the Meshing Application Release 12.1
Release 12.1 of the Meshing application addresses these goals:
• To provide Linux support
• To improve upon the robustness and usability of Release 12.0, especially as they
relate to GAMBIT and CFX-Mesh user migration
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Summary of Goals for the Meshing Application Release 12.1
Key Technology Areas for the Meshing Application in Release
12.1
Release 12.1 of the Meshing application offers new features and enhancements in
the following key technology areas, details of which are described below:
• Framework integration
– Linux support
– Journaling and scripting
– Meshing 0-thickness walls
– PolyFlow integration
– Exporting faceted geometry to TGrid
– FLUENT mesh export enhancement
• Mesh controls
– Mesh metric graph
– Mesh numbering controls
– Mixed order meshing
– Virtual Topology improvements
– Named Selection improvements
– Post inflation improvements
• Mesh methods
– MultiZone improvements
– Sweep improvements
– Patch Independent Tetra improvements
– Smoothing improvements
Framework Integration Enhancements
The following Framework integration enhancements have been made at release 12.1
of the Meshing application:
• Linux support. Refer to ANSYS Workbench 12.1 Linux Support (p. 15) for details.
• Journaling and scripting at the project level. Refer to Journaling and Scripting in
ANSYS Workbench (p. 17) for details.
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
• Using the Patch Conforming Tetra or Patch Independent Tetra mesh methods,
you can mesh 0-thickness walls, or baffles, as non-manifold faces of a solid body.
You do not have to adjust the mesh size to capture the thin regions. Inflation
layers can be grown off of the 0-thickness walls. As is true when meshing other
types of walls, if you select Program Controlled inflation, baffles are automatically
selected to be inflation boundaries unless they are in a Named Selection.
• PolyFlow is now data-integrated with ANSYS Workbench, allowing for a new
workflow: CAD/DesignModeler > Meshing > PolyFlow > CFD-Post.
In support of this integration, you can right-click a Mesh cell and choose Import
Mesh File to import a legacy PolyFlow mesh file (with extension .poly, .neu, or
.msh) into the Mesh cell. You can also transfer a mesh (.poly file) from the Mesh
cell of a Mesh system into the Setup cell of a downstream PolyFlow system.
In addition, a new Solver Preference for PolyFlow has been added to tailor the
mesh to your needs. The appropriate defaults are set based on this preference.
• You can export faceted geometry for subsequent import into TGrid, allowing for
a new workflow: CAD/DesignModeler > Meshing > TGrid > FLUENT. Part and
body names, as well as Named Selections, are preserved in the exported .tgf file.
The .tgf file has the same format as a .msh file and will be recognized as a "Mesh
File" when read into TGrid 5.2 (File/Read/Mesh... menu item).
• In support of FLUENT mesh export, in this release an orientation check/correction
will be performed for 3D geometry models exported as 2D mesh such that all
2D cells will have the same orientation. A manual correction of the orientation
of the geometry face(s) is no longer needed.
Mesh Control Enhancements
The following mesh control enhancements have been made at release 12.1 of the
Meshing application:
• A bar graph has been added to the Mesh Metric option. The graph contains
bars for each element shape represented in the model's mesh, and can be ma-
nipulated to view specific mesh statistics of interest. You can select an individual
bar or multiple bars on the graph, and the Geometry window displays only those
elements that meet the criteria corresponding to the selected bar(s). Using the
bar graph controls page, you can filter the information the graph presents by
setting characteristics such as: number of bars to display, element types to display,
minimum/maximum ranges for the X- and Y-axes, and content of the Y-axis
(either Number of Elements or Percent of Volume/Area). Depending on the
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Mesh Control Enhancements
metric of interest, you can adjust the minimum or maximum range of the X-axis
to locate and estimate the number of bad elements in a mesh.
• The new Mesh Numbering feature allows you to renumber the node and/or
element numbers of a generated meshed model consisting of flexible parts. The
feature is useful when exchanging or assembling models and could isolate the
impact of using special elements such as superelements.
• Mixed order meshing is supported across bodies for the following mesh methods:
Patch Conforming Tetra, General Sweep, Thin Sweep, Hex Dominant, Quad
Dominant, and Triangles. This means that when scoping one of these mesh
methods to bodies in a multibody part, you can set the Element Midside Nodes
option to Kept (resulting in higher order elements) for some bodies and to
Dropped (resulting in lower order elements) for others. Mixed order meshing
results in one layer of quadratic elements at the interface face. These elements
will be higher order at the interface face but with dropped midside nodes where
adjacent to the linear elements in the mesh. On a Mesh Metric bar graph, mixed
order elements are displayed as quadratic element types.
• This release includes improvements in Virtual Topologies (VTs), which are faceted
representations of the original geometry. By default, mesh projection is to the
facets. For improved projection, you can use the new Project to Underlying
Geometry option to project the nodes back to the underlying geometry instead.
In addition to this new option, other enhancements have been made to improve
the underlying representation of VTs, resulting in increased robustness and better
mapped meshes on VTs.
• Named Selection improvements include:
– A new option is available to make it easier to locate and resolve problems
when the same entity is a member of more than one Named Selection (that
is, when Named Selections are “overlapping”). If overlapping Named Selections
are detected during mesh export, the export fails with an error message. By
right-clicking on the Mesh object and selecting the Show Geometry in
Overlapping Named Selections option from the context menu, you can
display the geometry in the overlapping Named Selections in the Geometry
window.
– You can use the new Include in Program Controlled Inflation option to select
specific Named Selections for inclusion in Program Controlled inflation. (By
default, faces in Named Selections are not selected to be inflation boundaries
when Use Automatic Tet Inflation is set to Program Controlled.)
• Post inflation improvements include:
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
– When used with Post inflation, the Transition Ratio option now works sim-
ilarly to how it works with Pre inflation. (Transition Ratio controls the growth
transition from prism layers to tets.)
– Robustness is improved when using Post inflation with the Layer Compres-
sion option for the Collision Avoidance control.
Mesh Method Enhancements
The following mesh method enhancements have been made at release 12.1 of the
Meshing application:
• MultiZone mesh method improvements include:
– For revolved models, improved wedges at axis and increased robustness and
smoothness
– For projections, support for helix models and increased robustness for cases
having side faces with high curvature
– For multibody parts, increased robustness and better handling of side faces
– For inflation cases, increased robustness
• Sweep mesh method improvements include:
– For General Sweep, better support for sphere source faces and increased ro-
bustness
– For Thin Sweep, increased robustness for thicker models and variable thick-
ness
– Improved conflict error handling for scoped sizing controls with mapped
mesh, and improved highlighting of problem areas for both General and Thin
Sweep
• Patch Independent Tetra mesh method improvements include:
– Support for the Behavior option. You can specify a Behavior option of either
Soft or Hard, in order to give preference to either curvature refinement or
the size control respectively.
– Meshing is more robust due to the addition of out-of-memory errors and
improved handling of complicated geometries.
• In certain cases in which Smoothing is set to High, an additional smoothing at-
tempt will be performed automatically to improve element quality measured in
terms of Skewness.
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Mesh Method Enhancements
3.8. Mechanical Application Release Notes
This release of the Mechanical application contains all of the capabilities from previous
releases plus many new features and enhancements. Areas where you will find changes
and new capabilities include the following:
Incompatibilities and Changes in Product Behavior from
Previous Releases
Release 12.1 includes several new features and enhancements that result in product
behaviors that differ from previous releases. These behavior changes are presented
below.
• Force Reaction and Moment Reaction Probes support Cartesian coordinate
systems only. Prior to release 12.1, these probes allowed users to choose cylindric-
al coordinate systems for displaying results. The reported results however were
incorrect.
• When resuming a project created in release 12.0 that uses ANSYS FLUENT 1-way
FSI, you cannot import previously defined loads because the syntax for the file
path has changed. New loads will need to be added to import data.
Resuming Databases from Previous Releases
Note the following when resuming databases from previous releases:
• Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) System: When resuming an Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS)
system that was created prior to release 12.1, a Pre-Stress object will automatic-
ally be added to the object tree.
General Enhancements
The following general enhancements have been made at release 12.1:
• Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) System: Pre-Stress Implicit to Explicit Data
Transfer. For an Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) system, the Initial Conditions folder
now includes a Pre-Stress object to control the transfer of data from an implicit
static or transient structural analysis to the explicit dynamics analysis. Transferrable
data include the displacements, or the more complete Material State (displace-
ments, velocities, stresses, strains).
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
• Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) System: Additional Unit Systems. In
addition to "mm, mg, ms" the following unit systems are now also supported for
export to the LS-DYNA solver:
– m, kg, s
– mm, ton, s
– in, lbf, s
Geometry Enhancements
The following geometry enhancements have been made at release 12.1:
• Mesh Numbering. The Mesh Numbering feature allows users to renumber the
node and element numbers of a generated meshed model consisting of flexible
parts. The feature is useful when exchanging or assembling models and could
isolate the impact of using special elements such as superelements.
• Snap to Mesh Nodes. When defining a path with two points, a new context
menu option ensures that the path is contained within the finite element mesh.
• Thermal Point Mass. For transient thermal analyses, a Thermal Point Mass object
has been added as a medium to store or draw heat from surrounding objects.
• Surface Construction Geometry. Users can now precisely define a section plane
to be used for evaluating results.
• Show Mesh. When a Path (from Construction Geometry) is active, users can
choose to see the underlying mesh instead of the geometry.
Connection Enhancements
The following connection enhancements have been made at release 12.1:
• Explicit Entry for Configuring Joint Rotation. The Connections toolbar now
includes a field for typing a value for the joint rotation increment. This feature
is an alternative to dragging the mouse cursor to perform this function.
• Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) System:
– Bonded Connections with Line Bodies. Parts containing beam elements
can now be included in bonded connections with surface or volume bodies
using the Body Interaction object.
– Bonded Connections with DCR Contact Method. The discrete contact re-
sponse contact method can now be used in models containing bonded
connections.
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Connection Enhancements
• Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) System:
– Support for Line Body Contacts. Contacts that involve line bodies are now
accounted for by also exporting the *CONTACT_AUTOMATIC_GENERAL
keyword.
– Support of Keyword Snippets for Contacts. The Keyword Snippet facility
available with the LS-DYNA Export systems is now also supported under
Contact Regions. This facility allows for contacts definitions specific to the
LS-DYNA solver that are not available in the Details view of the contact region
to be defined and scoped to geometry.
Loads/Supports Enhancements
The following loads/supports enhancements have been made at release 12.1:
• Constraint Equations. The constraint equation feature allows sections of a
model to be bound together according to a user-defined equation.
• Line Pressure as a Function of Curvilinear Abscissa. For Line Pressure loads
in a 3-D analysis or Pressure loads in a 2–D analysis, pressure can be defined as
a function of the distance along a path as a tabular load or a function load.
• Rotational Velocities Applied to Bodies. For assemblies, rotational velocity can
be applied to all bodies or to selected bodies.
• Surface to Surface Radiation. Thermal Radiation can now be applied between
two surfaces, or between a body and the ambient temperature.
• Ansoft-Mechanical Data Transfer. You can import a thermal load generated
by the Ansoft HFSS, Maxwell, or Q3D Extractor application and perform an ana-
lysis using the load. In the case of HFSS and Maxwell, you can also export the
thermal results so that they can be imported back into Ansoft HFSS or Maxwell.
• Icepak-Mechanical Data Transfer. The Mechanical application allows you to
transfer nodal temperature data from Icepak into Mechanical and perform an
analysis using the imported loads.
• Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) System:
– Support for Cylindrical Coordinate Systems. Displacement and Velocity
boundary conditions now support cylindrical coordinate systems in the Explicit
Dynamics (ANSYS) system. The y-component of the cylindrical system defines
the angular rotation or velocity of the scoped nodes/rigid bodies.
– Hydrostatic Pressure Load. The hydrostatic pressure boundary condition is
now supported in the Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) system.
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
– Expressions for Pressure and Velocity Boundary Conditions. Pressure and
velocity boundary conditions can now be defined as continuous functions
of time in the Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) system environment. The value of
the load/constraint is extracted directly from the defined expression for each
time point during the simulation (no discretization or interpolation is used).
Solution Enhancements
The following solution enhancements have been made at release 12.1:
• Solve Remotely in Synchronous Mode. Synchronous solutions are now capable
of running “in process” or “out of process” (background) based on the new Solve
Remotely in Synchronous Mode feature. This new option enables the product
to leverage the computational power of solving on a remote machine, but in a
synchronous fashion, allowing linked analyses and/or analyses involving adaptive
refinement loops to be solved with a single action within the Mechanical applic-
ation. Refer to the table under Solve Process Capabilities for further details.
• More Efficient Joint Stop, Lock and Release Handling in Transient Structural
(MBD) Analyses. Solvers used in Transient Structural (MBD) Analyses now use
the Linear Complementarity Problem (LCP) algorithm to handle stop, lock and
release conditions more efficiently.
• Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) System: Double Precision Solver Option. You now
have the option to solve explicit dynamics analyses using either the single or
double precision executables using the Precision option of the Solver Controls
under Analysis Settings.
Results Enhancements
The following results enhancements have been made at release 12.1:
• Averaged and Unaveraged Result Enhancements. Various display options have
been added for viewing averaged and unaveraged result contours.
• Average Result on a Surface. Any result item (including User Defined results)
can be evaluated on a surface previously defined through Construction Geometry.
• Contact Based Force Reactions. For a Force Reaction probe applied to a contact
region, a new setting allows the reaction calculations to come directly from the
contact elements themselves. This results in accurate force reactions even when
the contact region overlaps with other boundary conditions, such as other contact
regions, supports, etc.
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Results Enhancements
• Coordinate Systems Results. Nodal and elemental coordinate system result
options are now available.
• Radiation Probe. A Thermal Radiation probe is now available.
• Trigonometric Functions Added to User Defined Result Expressions. Basic
trigonometric functions have been added to the mathematical operations sup-
ported for user defined results.
• User Defined Results for Transient Structural (MBD) Analyses. Full support
is available for User Defined Results in Transient Structural (MBD) Analyses.
• Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) System: Result Tracker Filtering. Explicit Dynamics
analyses typically involve a large number of time points, sometimes in the order
of hundreds of thousands. The tracker results data tends to include high frequency
noise that can obscure slow rate phenomena in low speed applications. A low-
pass filtering option is now available that allows you to distinguish real trends
in the data, by removing the high frequency noise. This feature can be controlled
from the Details view of a Result Tracker object.
Ease of Use Enhancements
The following ease of use enhancements have been made at release 12.1:
• Hide Faces. Selected faces on a model can now be hidden to enable viewing
inside the model. This feature is especially useful for viewing bodies with interior
cavities, such as engine blocks.
• Flip Periodic Low and Periodic High Settings. When using Periodic regions in
an electromagnetic analysis, the Periodic Low and Periodic High settings can
now be reversed by choosing a new context menu option.
• Worksheet Enhancements. The Worksheet tab in previous releases has been
replaced by a Worksheet window that displays alongside the Geometry window,
allowing simultaneous viewing of the model and the Worksheet information.
• Explicit Dynamics (LS-DYNA Export) System: Addition of Parameter Names
in Exported Keyword File. The parameter names for each card in the exported
keywords have been added as comments to aid the understanding of the file
when read.
Other Enhancements
The following additional enhancements have been made at release 12.1:
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
• Mechanical-Electronics Interaction (Mechatronics) Data Transfer . The
Mechanical application allows you to export a reduced model file to automatically
create a Mechanical Component in Simplorer.
3.9. FE Modeler Release Notes
Incompatibilities and Changes in Product Behavior from
Previous Releases
• If you open an R12.0 project in R12.1, the information will be migrated to the
12.1 environment if necessary and messages about the migration may be repor-
ted.
• If the Model cell of an FE Modeler system in an imported R12.0 project contains
an initial geometry generated over a mesh that contains 1D elements, you must
update your initial geometry. Everything that existed below the Initial Geometry
will be lost (for example: Target Configuration, Transformations, Parasolid Geo-
metry, etc.) when you update it.
• Body grouping only applies to meshes imported from NASTRAN, ABAQUS, and
Mechanical APDL files.
• If you change any of the properties on an imported mesh after you have imported
the meshes in FE Modeler, you will be prompted to destroy all of the work that
has been done on the meshes in the FE Modeler Editor and you will have to re-
analyze the meshes.
• The Read-Only mode has been added to FE Modeler: if the Editor cannot retrieve
an appropriate license, it will open in Read-Only mode. In this mode, no editing
can be done except for deleting objects.
The Following New Features Provide Extended FE Modeler
Capabilities in the Workbench Environment:
• The Coordinate Systems View has been added to give the user a list of all co-
ordinate systems used in the model and their locations and orientations.
• The Constraint Equations View provides the user with a list of all constraint
equations imported into the model and their locations.
• Multiple meshes can be added to a single FE Modeler analysis system and will
be combined into an Assembly Mesh.
• Multiple input meshes can be added to an FE Modeler system from files that are
in acceptable formats or from connections to upstream analysis systems. You
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The Following New Features Provide Extended FE Modeler Capabilities in the
Workbench Environment:
can set the properties of the meshes, delete meshes, and change the displayed
order of the messages from the Project Schematic.
• An FE Modeler system can accept input meshes from an upstream FE Modeler
system.
• Each input mesh has properties that depend on the source of the mesh (file type
or upstream connection).
• Body grouping specified for a file applies only to the entities from that file.
• You can specify the ID renumbering for Nodes and elements that are contained
in the input meshes. For any input mesh (file or upstream connection), you can
specify whether the IDs for Nodes and elements should be retained as they are
in the original mesh, or automatically renumbered as they are read into the FE
Modeler Editor. If no renumbering is specified, the mesh analysis will be termin-
ated if an ID overlap occurs. All other entity IDs (such as materials or thicknesses)
are automatically renumbered.
The Following New Behavior is Seen when Working in FE
Modeler Systems:
• An upstream Mechanical system can transfer the following data to the FE
Modeler system: Materials, Mesh, Geometry, Named Selections, and Thicknesses.
• Unit systems can be specified for meshes imported from files (however, not for
files from the Mechanical and Meshing applications). They cannot be specified
for upstream connections, except those that come from Mechanical APDL systems.
All meshes will be scaled to the unit system of the Assembly Mesh.
• The tables describing the possible upstream and downstream connections to an
FE Modeler system have been updated.
• Node or Face components can be used when generating the initial geometry to
create geometric entities on which you can apply loads, constraints, etc. Node
components can create faces, edges, and vertices on the geometry.
• Rotation and Translation transformations can be applied to whole parts in the
Geometry.
• Use the Write Solver File button to write the FE Modeler data to a solver file in
order to easily generate a customized Mechanical APDL, ABAQUS, STL, or NAS-
TRAN input deck.
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
3.10. DesignXplorer Release Notes
Incompatibilities and Changes in Product Behavior from
Previous Releases
• All DesignXplorer capabilities are now available on Linux.
• DesignXplorer is now localized in French and German.
• For any feature that submits generated Design Points to the analysis system for
solution (Design of Experiments, Parameters Correlation, etc.), Design Points are
solved simultaneously if the analysis system is set up to do so; sequentially, if
not.
The Following New Features Provide Extended Design Explor-
ation Capabilities in the Workbench Environment:
• A Min-Max Search is now an optional component of the Response Surface. The
Min-Max Search examines the entire output parameter space of a Response
Surface to approximate the minimum and maximum values of each output
parameter.
• Manual refinement is now available for all Response Surface types that allows
the user to enter specific points into the set of points used to calculate the Re-
sponse Surface.
• Any new Refinement Design Points that are generated by any of the refinement
methods will be retained by the Response Surface and used for any further
analysis of that Response Surface (using a different Response Surface Type, etc.).
• The Correlation Scatter Chart now displays the Quadratic Correlation trend line
in addition to the Linear trend line. In conjunction with this, a Determination
Matrix allows you to visualize how closely the various input and output paramet-
ers are coupled in a quadratic regression.
• Design of Experiments (DOE) capability has been enhanced:
– When switching DOE types, Design Points generated for the new DOE type
that were solved in a previous analysis will be shown as up to date. Only new
Design Points need to be submitted to the analysis system for solution.
– The Custom DOE Table can be in one of two modes: All Outputs Calculated,
or All Outputs Editable. The default mode for the table is All Outputs Calcu-
lated. All Outputs Editable allows you to enter values for any or all of the in-
puts and outputs in a row.
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The Following New Features Provide Extended Design Exploration Capabilities in
the Workbench Environment:
The Following New Behavior is Seen when Working in
DesignXplorer Systems:
• When you make any of the following changes to an input parameter in the first
cell of the system (DOE or Parameters Correlation cell):
– enable or disable an input parameter
– change the nature of an input parameter from continuous to usability or
discrete, etc.
– add or remove a level for a discrete or usability parameter
– change the range definition of an input parameter
All generated data associated with the system that contains the modified para-
meter will be cleared. Note that for all actions listed above except for "enable
or disable an input parameter": If you change the DOE type to Custom, you can
retain Design Points that fall within the new ranges.
• Design Points can be imported to a Custom DOE Table from the Parameter Set,
or exported from the Parameter Set to a specific Custom DOE cell.
3.11. Engineering Data Workspace Release Notes
Incompatibilities and Changes in Product Behavior from
Previous Releases
The Engineering Data workspace at release 12.1 exhibits product behaviors that differ
from previous releases. These behavior changes are presented below.
• The material property Coefficient of Thermal Expansion will be converted to
Isotropic Secant Coefficient of Thermal Expansion.
Material Property Enhancements
The following material property enhancements have been made at release 12.1:
• Coefficient of Thermal Expansion now supports being defined as Instantaneous
or Secant. Also the ability to specify Isotropic or Orthotropic behavior has been
added.
• Anisotropic Elasticity can be defined through a lower matrix input.
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
Ease of Use Enhancements
When a material model has more than one independent variable it will be displayed
in a split table to allow for easier selection and viewing of data. For example, tabular
material data like S-N curves based on mean stresses will now be displayed in a split
table for better selection and viewing of data.
3.12. EKM Desktop
Release 12.1 of ANSYS EKM Desktop contains defect fixes and an enhancement to
the Reporting feature.
Report Generation Changes
The data used to generate Simulation Details reports in EKM Desktop 12.1 is now
saved in the repository. The report data is saved in a permanent folder called Saved
Reports. The path for this folder is /Repository/Saved Reports.
You continue to generate Simulation Details Reports just like you did in version 12.0.
The only change to report generation is that the report name now contains the name
of the file used to generate the data for the report. For example, if you generate a
report from 2dmesh.cas, the report name will be 2dmesh.cas Simulation De-tails Report.
Once the report is generated, the data is saved in a folder under Saved Reports that
has the same path as that of the source file. For example, if you generate a report
from /Repository/FLUENT/2dmesh.cas, the report will be saved in /Repository/Saved
Reports/FLUENT/2dmesh.cas Simulation Details Report.
Rerunning Reports
Once a report has been saved, you can run the report again by opening it from the
Saved Reports folder. You do this by either double clicking the report, opening the
report from the context menu, or selecting the report and clicking the Open button.
Comparing Report Contents
In EKM Desktop 12.1, you can now compare the content of multiple Simulation Details
Reports. To do this, you simply select one or more saved reports and generate a
comparison report. In the Report wizard, you can choose to compare all the content
of the selected reports, or simply compare the content differences.
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Comparing Report Contents
3.13. ANSYS AQWA
Building on the introduction of the ANSYS Workbench type User Interface for ANSYS
AQWA in the previous release, the Hydrodynamic Diffraction analysis system has been
added to the Workbench Toolbox. The analysis system can be placed on the Project
Schematic, a geometry can be attached from another analysis system or through a
file, and the AQWA Editor can be started from the analysis system.
Incompatibilities and Changes in Product Behavior from
Previous Releases
The AQWAWB application is now only available as a system from the Workbench
toolbox and has been renamed “Hydrodynamic Diffraction (AQWA)”. If version
12.1 is installed on a machine that already has AQWA 12.0 installed, AQWAWB may
fail to import an external geometry. If access to AQWAWB is still required then version
12.0 should be re-installed after the 12.1 installation. AQWA databases (.aqdb files)
from the previous release can be imported into the Workbench environment.
The Following New Behavior is Seen in AQWA:
Hydrodynamic Diffraction (AQWA) [formerly named
AQWAWB]
New Hydrodynamic Diffraction System in Workbench – At the 12.0 release a
Workbench style interface was developed for AQWA called AQWAWB. This was a
standalone module that had the same look and feel of other Workbench products,
and could utilize geometries generated by DesignModeler. At 12.1 AQWAWB has
been fully incorporated as a system called Hydrodynamic Diffraction in ANSYS
Workbench, so is now available directly from the Project Schematic. This offers addi-
tional benefits, including direct linkage to ANSYS DesignModeler importing of external
CAD geometry, and facilitates the use of geometric parameterization. AQWAWB is
not available in this release and is replaced by the Hydrodynamic Diffraction system.
The following additional features have been incorporated into the Hydrodynamic
Diffraction system:
• Air gap visualization – Contour plotting of air gap values has been included as
an option in the Pressures and Motions results object.
• Additional stiffness matrix definition – An additional stiffness matrix may now
be defined for inclusion in the radiation/diffraction analysis.
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Chapter 3: ANSYS Workbench
• Frequency independent additional damping matrix definition – At release
12.0 only the diagonal terms for roll and pitch could be defined. This has now
been extended to allow the full 6x6 matrix to be input for frequency independent
additional damping.
• Frequency independent additional added mass matrix definition – The full
6x6 matrix for frequency independent added mass may now be defined.
• User specified metacentric heights – The hydrostatic stiffness in the hydro-
dynamic database can be modified to a user specified value creating additional
stiffness automatically. This is achieved by specifying the required GMX and GMY
(about the global X/Y axis).
• Automatic detection of submerged structures – If a structure has no elements
at or above the water line then this is now automatically detected and appropriate
action taken with the solution. This may be overridden if required.
• Optional program controlled frequency range – By default the program will
automatically generate equally spaced frequencies between a lower limit based
on the water depth and an upper limit based on the mesh density. The number
of frequencies can be specified by the user.
45Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information of
ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Hydrodynamic Diffraction (AQWA) [formerly named AQWAWB]
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Chapter 4: ANSYS ASAS, ANSYS AQWA, FEMGV
This release of the ASAS and AQWA related products contains all capabilities from
previous releases plus many new features and enhancements. The following enhance-
ments are available in release 12.1. Please refer to the product specific documentation
for full details of the new features
Incompatibilities and Changes in Product Behavior from
Previous Releases
Release 12.1 includes several new features and enhancements that result in product
behaviors that differ from previous releases. These behavior changes are described
below:
• The AQWAWB application is now only available from the Workbench toolbox
and has been renamed “Hydrodynamic Diffraction (AQWA)”. If release 12.1
is installed on a machine that already has AQWA 12.0 installed, AQWAWB may
fail to import an external geometry. If access to AQWAWB is still required then
version 12.0 should be re-installed after the 12.1 installation. AQWA Databases
(.aqdb files) from the previous release can be imported into the Workbench en-
vironment.
• The ANSTOASAS and ANSTOAQWA commands and macros that may be utilized
from within ANSYS Mechanical produce external files that are now, by default,
deleted. The files can be retained by setting the Delete Unneeded Files option
to No in the Analysis Settings details (Output Controls, Analysis Data Management,
Delete Unneeded Files).
4.1. ANSYS ASAS
The Following New Features Provide Extended Capabilities
in ANSYS ASAS:
The following new features are available in release 12.1 of ANSYS ASAS:
47Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information of
ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
• ISO19902 Code of Practice implemented – The code checking for structural
steel frames has been extended to include member, dented member, and joint
checking to ISO 19902.
• On line documentation – The documentation for the code checking module
BEAMST is now available from the ANSYS on-line help system.
• New GEN1 element – This element can be utilized to provide user defined
stiffness, damping and mass data, and enables fully coupled analyses with third
party solvers, such as FLEX5 for the modeling of wind turbine rotor blade dynam-
ics, via a shared memory dynamic link library.
4.2. ANSYS ASAS BEAMCHECK
The Following New Features are available in Release 12.1 of
ANSYS ASAS BEAMCHECK
ASAS Beamcheck is the version of the ASAS code checking module BEAMST that
permits processing of results from an ANSYS Mechanical or Mechanical APDL struc-
tural analysis. The following enhancements have been implemented at 12.1:
• ISO19902 Code of Practice implemented – The code checking for structural
steel frames has been extended to include member, dented member, and joint
checking to ISO 19902.
• On line documentation – The documentation for the code checking module
BEAMST is now available from the ANSYS on-line help system
4.3. ANSYS AQWA
The Following New Features Provide Extended Capabilities
in ANSYS AQWA:
The following new features are available in release 12.1 of ANSYS AQWA:
• Increased length of file path – The maximum total length of path + filename
has been increased to 256 characters. The maximum length of the individual file
name is still 32 characters (28 plus .DAT extension).
• Improvements in Cable Dynamics – The cable dynamics initial static solution
has been made significantly more accurate and robust and should no longer fail
with the message: CABDYN:STATIC SOLN FAILED TO CONVERGE LINE: nn.
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Chapter 4: ANSYS ASAS, ANSYS AQWA, FEMGV
• Multiple line breaks – It is now possible to use more than one LBRK card in an
AQWA-DRIFT/NAUT analysis. In addition you can specify a breaking tension as
well as a breaking time.
• Equilibrium position when un-converged – AQWA-LIBRIUM will now write the
structure positions and articulation reactions after the final iteration to the .EQP
file, even if the run did not converge. The same warning message as previously,
that the run has not converged, will be issued. This final position may then be
used as the starting position for a subsequent analysis.
• Increase in maximum number of elements – Recognizing that the amount of
memory in computers is increasing, the limits on the maximum number of ele-
ments and nodes have been raised by approximately 50%. The new limits are:
18000Overall maximum number of elements
12000Maximum number of diffracting elements
22000Maximum number of nodes
• AGS plot options now persistent – Selected plot options were often lost when
importing new models requiring them to be reset each time. Most plot options
are now persistent and will retain existing selections when a new model is im-
ported or updated.
• Change of node numbering in mesh generator – In previous versions of the
AGS, when the mesh generator was used to create an AQWA model the nodes
at each frame started with '01' at the keel. E.g. nodes on frame 7 would be
numbered from 701, nodes on frame 19 would be numbered from 1901. This
method limits the number of nodes around a frame to 100, which occasionally
caused a problem. Now that the limit on the number of elements has been raised
the numbering system has been changed, and now node numbering is continuous
for all frames.
Note that as of the 12.0 release, the Graphical Display Window in the AQWA GS can
now be re-sized using the conventional Windows buttons in the top right corner.
The Following New Behavior is Seen in AQWA:
Hydrodynamic Diffraction (AQWA) [formerly named
AQWAWB]
New Hydrodynamic Diffraction System in Workbench – At the 12.0 release a
Workbench style interface was developed for AQWA called AQWAWB. This was a
49Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information of
ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Hydrodynamic Diffraction (AQWA) [formerly named AQWAWB]
standalone module that had the same look and feel of other Workbench products,
and could utilize geometries generated by DesignModeler. At 12.1 AQWAWB has
been fully incorporated as a system in ANSYS Workbench called Hydrodynamic Dif-
fraction, so is now available directly from the Project Schematic. This offers additional
benefits, including direct linkage to ANSYS DesignModeler importing of external CAD
geometry, and facilitates the use of geometric parameterization. AQWAWB is not
available in this release and is replaced by the Hydrodynamic Diffraction system. The
following additional features have been incorporated into the Hydrodynamic Diffrac-
tion system:
• Air gap visualization – Contour plotting of air gap values has been included as
an option in the Pressures and Motions results object.
• Additional stiffness matrix definition – An additional stiffness matrix may now
be defined for inclusion in the radiation/diffraction analysis.
• Frequency independent additional damping matrix definition – At release
12.0 only the diagonal terms for roll and pitch could be defined. This has now
been extended to allow the full 6x6 matrix to be input for frequency independent
additional damping.
• Frequency independent additional added mass matrix definition – The full
6x6 matrix for frequency independent added mass may now be defined.
• User specified metacentric heights – The hydrostatic stiffness in the hydro-
dynamic database can be modified to a user specified value creating additional
stiffness automatically. This is achieved by specifying the required GMX and GMY
(about the global X/Y axis).
• Automatic detection of submerged structures – If a structure has no elements
at or above the water line then this is now automatically detected and appropriate
action taken with the solution. This may be overridden if required.
• Optional program controlled frequency range – By default the program will
automatically generate equally spaced frequencies between a lower limit based
on the water depth and an upper limit based on the mesh density. The number
of frequencies can be specified by the user.
4.4. FEMGV
No changes in the 12.1 release.
Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information ofANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.50
Chapter 4: ANSYS ASAS, ANSYS AQWA, FEMGV
Chapter 5: AUTODYN
5.1. Introduction
This section introduces the new features available in ANSYS AUTODYN release 12.1.
Please also refer to the ANSYS Workbench release notes for new features relating to
the Workbench systems:
• AUTODYN
• Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS)
Full details of the new features are described in the “What’s New in version 12.1”
section of the AUTODYN on-line help system.
5.2. ANSYS AUTODYN Enhancements
5.2.1. Efficiency Improvements
The overall efficiency of serial and parallel simulations involving 3D unstructured Parts
has been improved at release 12.1. Observed speed-ups, on a number of different
models, range from 1.2 to >3.0. These speed-ups are a result of several enhancements:
• Timestep calculation optimization
• Material processing optimization for selected material models
• Contact search optimization
5.2.2. Bonded Connections With Line Bodies
Parts containing beam elements can now be included in bonded connections with
surface or volume bodies using the body interaction object.
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
5.2.3. Bonded Connections With DCR Contact Method
The discrete contact response contact method can now be used in models containing
bonded connections.
5.2.4. 2D Unstructured Volume Solvers
A new generation of 2D mesh based Lagrangian volume solvers is now available in
the AUTODYN component system. This includes quadrilateral and triangular volume
elements.
Note that the 2D capabilities in the Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) system and the link
between the AUTODYN component system and Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) and
Meshing systems currently have Beta status. This link may not be as stable or robust
as expected in a general release version.
5.2.5. 2D Unstructured Interaction
The new 2D unstructured solvers can be used in combination with Lagrange/Lagrange
Interactions and Euler/Lagrange interactions with the structured multi-material and
ideal gas Euler solvers. Erosion can be used in all cases.
5.2.6. 2D Rigid Materials
2D unstructured solid elements now can be filled with a rigid material to generate
rigid bodies. 2D unstructured parts filled with rigid material behave similar to 3D
unstructured parts filled with rigid material.
5.2.7. Parallel 3D Multi-Material Euler Coupled to Lagrange
3D Multi-material Parts can now be decomposed over multiple slave processes (tasks)
in parallel coupled Euler/Lagrange simulations. This feature will allow coupled parallel
simulations to be decomposed more efficiently and thus reduce overall simulation
run times.
Note that a multi-material Euler Part must be decomposed manually and to enhance
the efficiency of a coupled calculation it is advised to place the sub-domains of the
structure on the same processor as the Euler multi-material sub-domains located in
the same geometric space.
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Chapter 5: AUTODYN
5.2.8. HP-MPI Message Passing for Supported Windows Plat-
forms
It is now possible to run models in parallel using the HP-MPI message passing software
on Windows platforms. This message passing tool is available to all AUTODYN cus-
tomers as part of the main installation of the ANSYS 12.1 software.
Note that the HP-MPI version of AUTODYN is currently only available in single precision.
It also cannot be used with user subroutines. In future releases HP-MPI is likely to be
the default/primary message passing tool for AUTODYN on Windows platforms.
5.3. Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) System Enhancements
The following features are enhancements to the Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) analysis
system in ANSYS Workbench.
5.3.1. Pre-Stress Initial Condition
For an Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) system, the Initial Conditions folder now includes
a Pre-Stress object to control the transfer of data from an implicit static or transient
structural analysis to the explicit dynamics analysis. Transferrable data include the
displacements, or the more complete Material State (displacements, velocities, stresses,
strains).
5.3.2. Support for Cylindrical Coordinate Systems
Displacement and Velocity boundary conditions now support cylindrical coordinate
systems in the Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) system. The y-component of the cylindrical
system defines the angular rotation or velocity of the scoped nodes/rigid bodies.
5.3.3. Hydrostatic Pressure Load
The hydrostatic pressure boundary condition is now supported in the Explicit Dynamics
(ANSYS) system.
5.3.4. Expressions for Pressure and Velocity Boundary Condi-
tions
Pressure and velocity boundary conditions can now be defined as continuous functions
of time in the Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) environment. The value of the load/constraint
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
5.3.4. Expressions for Pressure and Velocity Boundary Conditions
is extracted directly from the defined expression for each time point during the sim-
ulation (no discretization or interpolation is used).
5.3.5. Bonded Connections with Line Bodies
Parts containing beam elements can now be included in bonded connections with
surface or volume bodies using the body interaction object.
5.3.6. Bonded Connections with DCR Contact Method
The discrete contact response contact method can now be used in models containing
bonded connections.
5.3.7. Analysis Settings
Double precision solver option
You now have the option to Solve Explicit Dynamics simulations using either the
single or double precision executables using the Precision option of the Solver Con-
trols.
5.3.8. Post Processing
Tracker result filtering
Explicit Dynamics analyses typically involve a large number of time points, sometimes
on the order of hundreds of thousands. The tracker results data tends to include high
frequency noise that can obscure slow rate phenomena in low speed applications. A
low-pass filtering option is now available that allows you to distinguish real trends
in the data, by removing the high frequency noise. This feature can be controlled
from the Details view of a Result Tracker object.
Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information ofANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.54
Chapter 5: AUTODYN
Chapter 6: ANSYS CFX
This section summarizes the new features and incompatibilities in ANSYS CFX and
CFD-Post Release 12.1. Information about the beta features and known limitations of
ANSYS CFX Release 12.1 and CFD-Post Release 12.1 can be found in the ANSYS CFX
online help under ANSYS CFX, Release 12.1 > ANSYS CFX Introduction > ANSYS CFX Re-
lease Notes for 12.1.
The new features and enhancements in Release 12.0 of ANSYS CFX and CFD-Post are
described in ANSYS CFX, Release 12.1 > ANSYS CFX Introduction > ANSYS CFX Release
Notes for 12.0.
6.1. New Features and Enhancements
6.2. Incompatibilities
6.3. Known Limitations
6.1. New Features and Enhancements
New features and enhancements to ANSYS CFX and CFD-Post introduced in Release
12.1 are highlighted in this section.
6.1.1. ANSYS CFX in ANSYS Workbench
Journaling and Scripting
Journaling is the capturing of ANSYS Workbench actions (creating a project, opening
a system, and so on) to a file. For ANSYS CFX applications, CCL and command actions
are embedded within ANSYS Workbench actions. Scripting refers to the processes of
editing and running a journal file in ANSYS Workbench. With scripting, you could, for
example, implement a prescribed workflow.
Linux Support
ANSYS Workbench is supported on Linux 32 and Linux 64 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux
4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, and SUSE Linux Enterprise 10.
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
6.1.2. ANSYS CFX in General
Magnetohydrodynamics and Electromagnetics
Quasi-static MHD and E-MAG models (Beta features in Release 12.0) are now available.
The electric field can be either solved using the electric potential equation or specified
by the user. Similarly, the magnetic field can be either solved using the magnetic
vector potential equation (including an external magnetic field) or specified by the
user. Momentum and energy sources calculated by solving these equations are
automatically included in the hydrodynamics system through the Lorentz force and
Joule heating.
6.1.3. ANSYS CFX Documentation
You can find the documentation in PDF form directly from the Help menus of all
ANSYS CFX components on Microsoft Windows and on Linux systems.
6.1.4. ANSYS CFX-Pre
There are no new features in CFX-Pre for this release.
6.1.5. ANSYS CFX-Solver
There are no new features in CFX-Solver in this release.
6.1.6. ANSYS CFD-Post
There are no new features in CFD-Post in this release.
6.2. Incompatibilities
This sections highlights differences in the behavior between Release 12.0 and Release
12.1 of ANSYS CFX and CFD-Post.
6.2.1. CFX-Pre
Units of [s-1] have been accepted as valid by CFX-Pre, however this is in the process
of being deprecated. Occurrences of [s-1] units should be changed to [s^-1] units.
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Chapter 6: ANSYS CFX
6.2.2. CFX-Solver Manager
6.2.2.1. Interpolation with Moving Mesh
If the CFX-Interpolator is used to interpolate initial values for a case with moving
mesh, when Continue History From is disabled (New Run mode), then the behavior
has changed in Release 12.1. Prior to Release 12.1, the same mesh check compared
the initial mesh in the Initial Values File to the mesh in the Solver Input File. If these
were the same then the mesh coordinates and displacements from the Initial Values
File were copied onto the Solver Input File, and so the run would start with the mesh
in the position from the Initial Values File, not in the position from the Solver Input
File. This is generally appropriate when the CFX-Interpolator is run in Run Continuation
mode (that is, Continue History From is enabled) but not usually appropriate in New
Run mode. In Release 12.1 and later, if the CFX-Interpolator is run in New Run mode,
then the same mesh check is performed between the final mesh in the Initial Values
File and the mesh in the Solver Input File, and the mesh displacements and the co-
ordinates are never copied. The behavior in Run Continuation mode is unchanged.
This change can be reverted to the behavior prior to Release 12.1 by setting the expert
parameter meshdisp interp option = 3 (only by changing CCL) which forces
the CFX-Interpolator to always use the initial mesh from the Initial Values File for the
same mesh check independent of the run mode. Additionally, setting meshdispinterp option = 2 forces the CFX-Interpolator to always use the final mesh
from the Initial Values File for the same mesh check.
In ANSYS CFX Release 12.0, when there was a large number of unmapped nodes,
some of the unmapped nodes were extrapolated from incorrect mapped nodes, res-
ulting in unphysical pressure/temperature fields. The interpolator now modifies the
tree-search algorithm in order to make it more robust (but less efficient). It is also
possible to supply the parameter 'Bounding Box Tolerance' for the interpolator
to attempt to remap the unmapped nodes onto nearest source elements.
6.2.3. ANSYS CFX-Solver
The changes highlighted in this section are numerics improvements made for ANSYS
CFX that are believed to be generally helpful.
6.2.3.1. Multiphase
CFX-Solver now uses the user-specified contact area fraction for diffusion term as-
sembly on non-overlap GGI boundaries, rather than the local volume fractions.
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
6.2.3. ANSYS CFX-Solver
An issue that could result in unphysical temperature fluctuations for Eulerian mul-
tiphase, multicomponent flow with heat transfer and Kinematic Diffusivity specified
for one or more components has been fixed.
The CFX-Solver no longer gives incorrect results when using the wall boiling model
with 1-1 CHT boundaries and thermal energy for vapor phase.
The CFX-Solver now converges when using the wall boiling model with GGI CHT, and
it gives the comparable results to 1-1 CHT when thermal energy is used for the vapor
phase.
The solver enforces a hard stop when using wall boiling model with CHT and an iso-
thermal vapor phase. See the previous two items.
6.2.3.2. GGI Interfaces
The logic for re-intersecting stationary interfaces in moving mesh cases has been re-
verted to CFX Release 11.0. Those interfaces are now always intersected if they are
attached to a moving domain. The necessary re-intersection was missing if there was
a subdomain mesh movement specified.
6.2.3.3. Particle Transport
A slightly wrong exponent in the Grace model has been corrected.
The Reynolds number limit in the Schiller-Naumann model has been adjusted in order
to guarantee a smooth transition of the drag coefficient between the viscous and
inertial regimes.
A check has been added that prevents coupling of particles with 'real gas' fluid
components.
6.2.3.4. Combustion, Radiation and Material Properties
The accuracy of the Residual Material Model has been improved for the case in which
residual material is mixing with fresh fuel. Under these conditions the improved
model avoids unphysical low temperatures.
In Release 12.0, if you did not specify a tabulation temperature range when using
the Redlich Kwong or Peng Robinson real gas models, the solver used an inconsistent
temperature range for Cp and Cv. This has now been fixed.
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Chapter 6: ANSYS CFX
6.2.3.5. Turbulence
An issue with the scaling coefficient of the curvature correction of two equation tur-
bulence models has been fixed (note that EARSM was not affected). In the user inter-
face, you can specify a curvature correction coefficient (Cscale) that should allow
scaling of the built-in curvature correction function used for two equation models. If
there is zero physical curvature, then the curvature correction function is 1. However,
the Release 12.0 implementation would produce a curvature effect for values of
Cscale not equal to 1. This has been fixed by using a new formulation.
6.2.3.6. Boundary Conditions
At inlet or outlet boundaries with artificial walls, the hybrid velocity values are now
calculated as for free-slip walls (in contrast to no-slip walls). This significantly improves
accuracy when the flow direction is not normal to the boundary (for example, in a
rotating domain).
6.2.3.7. Miscellaneous
The face ordering of the mesh in the CFX Solver Input file or the Initial Values file
generated prior to Release 12.1 may not be the same as the face ordering in Release
12.1. The Interpolator is not able to detect any such differences in the face ordering.
If there is any change in the face ordering, you will see ERROR #001100279 hasoccurred in subroutine ErrAction. when running the Partitioner. As a
workaround, select Use Mesh From Initial Values to continue the simulation and
avoid potential failure in the Partitioner or the CFX-Solver.
Issues with the Algebraic Slip Model (ASM) that could lead to unphysical temperature
fluctuations have been fixed.
The minVal and maxVal callbacks on boundaries now use conservative values,
which resolves an inconsistency with areaAve and massFlowAve.
Some imposed solid motion velocity fields might not be conservative, causing over-
shoots and undershoots in the temperature field. This fix turns on the mass imbalance
correction by default for solid motion problems. The side effect is that the CFX-Solver
is now more sensitive to timestep size and sometimes a smaller timestep is required.
To revert to the Release 12.0 behavior, set the logical expert parameter 'solid mo-tion aprmas = FALSE'
In Release 12.0, integration point mass flows written to the CFX-Solver Results file
(for CFD-Post) and used internally for call-back functions (such as massflow) could
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6.2.3. ANSYS CFX-Solver
be slightly wrong when solved in parallel. This has been corrected by increasing the
overlap of parallel partitions.
6.2.4. CFD-Post
This section describes procedural changes (actions that have to be done differently
in this release to get an outcome available in previous releases) as well as support
changes (functionality that is no longer supported) in Release 12.1 of CFD-Post.
File Path Syntax
When resuming a project that uses ANSYS FLUENT One-Way FSI, you cannot import
previously defined loads as the syntax for the file path has changed. The Release 12.0
syntax is:
/DATA READER/CASE:Case FFF 1 00010.dat/BOUNDARY:wallfluid
while the Release 12.1 syntax is:
/DATA READER/CASE:Case FFF 1 00010/BOUNDARY:wallfluid
Command Syntax for Objects
In Release 11.0 the syntax for commands that return results file objects was direct.
For example:
getChildren("", "BOUNDARY");
CCL changes in Release 12.0 and Release 12.1 to support multi-file operations place
file-dependent objects (such as BOUNDARY) in a /DATA READER/CASE:<casename> parent. Thus, the new syntax is:
getChildren("/DATA READER/CASE:<case name>", "BOUNDARY");
6.3. Known Limitations
For a list of known limitations in Release 12.1 of ANSYS CFX and CFD-Post, see ANSYS
CFX, Release 12.1 > ANSYS CFX Introduction > ANSYS CFX Release Notes for 12.1 > Known
Limitations.
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Chapter 6: ANSYS CFX
Chapter 7: ANSYS TurboGrid
This section summarizes the incompatibilities in ANSYS TurboGrid Release 12.1. In-
formation about the beta features and known limitations of ANSYS TurboGrid Release
12.1 can be found in the ANSYS TurboGrid online help under ANSYS TurboGrid, Release
12.1 > ANSYS TurboGrid Introduction > ANSYS TurboGrid Release Notes for 12.1.
The release notes for the remainder of TurboSystem are given at “ANSYS, Inc. Release
Notes > ANSYS Workbench > TurboSystem Release Notes (p. 24)”.
Incompatibilities
This section highlights differences in behavior between Release 12.0 and Release 12.1.
• The Enable Hub Tip and Enable Shroud Tip settings were removed from the
graphical user interface (the object editor for a given blade of a blade set). These
settings controlled the application of the hub tip and shroud tip to a given blade
of a blade set. If you require independent control of the application of a hub tip
or shroud tip to a given blade of a blade set, you may still edit the CCL for that
blade (for example, by using the Command Editor dialog box), but doing so
may produce an invalid mesh near the tip of any blade that does not have tip
clearance.
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Chapter 8: ANSYS ICEM CFD
8.1. Highlights of ANSYS ICEM CFD 12.1
Release 12.1 comprises improved implementation of ANSYS ICEM CFD meshing
technology as a standalone application and within the ANSYS Workbench based
Meshing application. The improvements in the ANSYS Meshing application are de-
scribed in the ANSYS Workbench Meshing Application release notes.
8.2. Key New Features/Improvements
ANSYS ICEM CFD 12.1 includes the following new features and improvements:
8.2.1.Workbench Readers
8.2.2. Interface Improvements
8.2.3. Linux Support
8.2.4.Tetra
8.2.5. Prism
8.2.6. Hexa
8.2.7. Multi-zone
8.2.8. BF-Cart
8.2.9. Mesh Editing
8.2.10. Output
8.2.11. General
8.2.1. Workbench Readers
• Added ability to open ANSYS ICEM CFD project files from the Workbench project
file.
– Includes scripting command.
• Added ability to import Workbench mesh or geometry files by selecting the
Workbench project file.
• Improved handling of named selections, subsets, etc.
• Improved handling of multi-dimension parts.
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
– Important for baffle surfaces, etc.
• Improved file transfer from ANSYS ICEM CFD to FE Modeler as a way to get the
mesh into ANSYS Workbench.
• Updated ACIS reader to ACIS 20.
• Updated Parasolid reader to Parasolid 21.0.
8.2.2. Interface Improvements
• Ability to save views to the Project file.
• Improved “Auto Simplify” display settings.
• Improved “Color by Quality” display contrast for volume elements.
• Improved drag and drop for parts and assemblies in the model tree.
• Improved selection for deletion.
– Faster selection for “all entities”.
– Improved part by part selection.
– Solved selection related defects.
• Added “Gravity” force to the tree widget.
8.2.3. Linux Support
• Added Workbench Readers for Linux.
• Added Rhino3D support (import/export) for Linux.
• Support for Exodus II mesh output on Linux 64.
• Fixes for Linux-only defects.
– Including the occasional segmentation error with pre-mesh on Linux 64.
8.2.4. Tetra
• Optimized in-process memory requirements.
– Same mesh with less memory.
• Increased maximum number of supported nodes to 231
.
• Tetra with “part by part” option to store mesh with incremental file names.
• Improved TGrid hookup.
– AF (advancing front) option for Delaunay mesh method.
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Chapter 8: ANSYS ICEM CFD
– Latest TGrid Library (TGlib).
– Works with all Delaunay controls (density, etc.).
8.2.5. Prism
• Improved stability.
• More consistent shell orientation.
– Important for bocos in some solvers (CFX).
– Including for prism quads on internal baffles.
• Added wb-exponential growth law.
• Ability to combine floating prism heights with set prism heights.
– Also improved algorithm, added “transition ratio” control and improved de-
faults for smoother transitions.
• “Auto Reduction” now auto-redistributes.
• Stair-step option can be disabled.
• Restored use of 2D Prism (Blayer2D).
• Fixed surface orientation error defect.
8.2.6. Hexa
• Improved support for very large Hexa domain files on Win64.
• Added “Visible” option for Reset associations.
• Ability to copy edge bunching from the selected reference edge to specific edges.
– When used with scripting, the option lists the from_edge and the to_edge.
• Added option to convert unstructured Hexas with collapsed edges into pairs of
pyramids (more blocking flexibility).
• Added display option to toggle between all faces and just boundary faces (easier
selection).
• Inherited distribution for new Hexa splits.
• Ability to link spacing during the “Match Edges” command.
• Improved re-scaling O-grid.
• Improved Query Edge/Info (most import info is last).
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
8.2.6. Hexa
8.2.7. Multi-zone
• Improved Sweep functionality.
– Including 2D to 3D rotate with axis elements
• Continued improvements to block type conversion.
• Better selection handling and display.
• Improved integration of TGrid Tetra fill.
• Improved parameter settings and defaults.
• Improved block/face/mesh type conversion.
• Prism quality now included in pre-mesh histogram.
• Added parallel smoothing for Multi-zone Hexa.
8.2.8. BF-Cart
• Added Key Point Blocking.
– Creates Cartesian planes based on key points in the model.
– Tolerance specifies the minimum distance between adjacent grid lines.
• Added progress bar.
• Added body by body inflation
8.2.9. Mesh Editing
• Improved Redistribute Prism.
– Works with imported mesh.
– Works with Hexas.
• Increased maximum importable/editable model size to 231
.
• Added Mesh Expansion criterion for CFX.
– Node centered CFX formulation.
• Improved histogram min/max range defaults.
• Edit Mesh > Refine selected.
– Select by parts.
• Smoothing to increase min edge length.
– Laplace-based scheme tries to equalize edge lengths locally.
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Chapter 8: ANSYS ICEM CFD
• Laplace Volume Smoothing.
• Notification when the smoother is no longer effective (residuals).
8.2.10. Output
• Added output to:
CGNS 3.0 (ADF and HDF5)
KIVA-4 (unstructured)
• Improved/updated output to:
FLUENT
ANSYS
Popinda
Precise
Fire V8
USM3d
WindMaster
FlowCart
• Restored functionality to select specific domains for export to multi-block solvers.
• Licensing issues sorted out for Exodus, IDEAS, Radioss, AUTODYN.
8.2.11. General
• Tetin files are cleaned on save.
– Improved Edit > Shrink tetin file option.
• The define_family parameters are saved/read with the Tetin file
• Fixed Undo for several commands including after split internal walls.
• Improved the Help content and browser.
• Improved licensing checks to be faster through the interconnect.
• Improved licensing checks for FEA output formats.
• Support for import of 2D Plot3D files.
8.3. Known Incompatibilities
The following incompatibilities with prior releases of ANSYS ICEM CFD are known to
exist at Release 12.1:
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
8.3. Known Incompatibilities
Tetin File Format Change
There are some differences in the Tetin file format at Release 12.1, particularly with
respect to some of the mesh parameter settings.
ANSYS ICEM CFD 12.1 can read all older native file formats.
To make sure an R12.1 Tetin file can be read back into an older version of ANSYS
ICEM CFD, use the File > Save Geometry As Version... > Version 10 File option.
The Version 10 file can be read into any later ANSYS ICEM CFD version, including 11.0
and 12.0.
If you do not have version 12.1 available, the changes can also be made by removing
certain lines using a text editor. Please contact technical support for assistance.
8.4. Documentation
All documentation for ANSYS ICEM CFD 12.1 is accessible using the Help menu.
Please contact us if you would like to attend training. Please visit the ANSYS ICEM
CFD website for more information.
8.4.1.Tutorials
8.4.2. Demo Room
8.4.1. Tutorials
The tutorials, input files, as well as the solved tutorials are available at http://www.an-
sys.com/tutorials.
8.4.2. Demo Room
Additional demos can be found at the ANSYS Demo Room.
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Chapter 8: ANSYS ICEM CFD
Chapter 9: ANSYS CFD-Post
This chapter summarizes the new features and incompatibilities in CFD-Post Release
12.1. Information about the beta features and known limitations of CFD-Post Release
12.1 can be found in the ANSYS CFX online help under ANSYS CFX, Release 12.1 >
ANSYS CFX Introduction > ANSYS CFX Release Notes for 12.1.
9.1. New Features and Enhancements
There are no new features in CFD-Post in this release.
9.2. Incompatibilities
This section describes procedural changes (actions that have to be done differently
in this release to get an outcome available in previous releases) as well as support
changes (functionality that is no longer supported) in Release 12.1 of CFD-Post.
File Path Syntax
When resuming a project that uses ANSYS FLUENT One-Way FSI, you cannot import
previously defined loads as the syntax for the file path has changed. The Release 12.0
syntax is:
/DATA READER/CASE:Case FFF 1 00010.dat/BOUNDARY:wallfluid
while the Release 12.1 syntax is:
/DATA READER/CASE:Case FFF 1 00010/BOUNDARY:wallfluid
Command Syntax for Objects
In Release 11.0 the syntax for commands that return results file objects was direct.
For example:
getChildren("", "BOUNDARY");
CCL changes in Release 12.0 and Release 12.1 to support multi-file operations place
file-dependent objects (such as BOUNDARY) in a /DATA READER/CASE:<casename> parent. Thus, the new syntax is:
69Release 12.1 - © 2009 SAS IP, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information of
ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
getChildren("/DATA READER/CASE:<case name>", "BOUNDARY");
9.3. Known Limitations
For a list of known limitations in Release 12.1 of CFD-Post, see ANSYS CFX, Release
12.1 > ANSYS CFX Introduction > ANSYS CFX Release Notes for 12.1 > Known Limitations.
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Chapter 9: ANSYS CFD-Post
Chapter 10: ANSYS FLUENT
10.1. Introduction
ANSYS FLUENT 12.1 contains primarily bug fixes and a limited number of new features.
The sections that follow provide information on new features, supported platforms,
limitations that no longer apply, and updates that affect code behavior. Information
about the known limitations of FLUENT 12.1 can be found in the online documentation.
The documentation can be found by selecting the More Documentation... item from
the FLUENT Help menu.
If you would like to access a PDF file of the ANSYS Release 12.0 Release Notes, click
here.
Note
FLUENT 12.1 will now be installed under ANSYS Inc/v121/fluent on
Windows and ansys_inc/v121/fluent on Linux and Unix platforms.
10.1.1. Installation Procedures for FLUENT (Windows and
UNIX/Linux Platforms)
Instructions for installing FLUENT are included in the ANSYS Installation documentation.
This documentation is included in the ANSYS Documentation package. Please view
the FLUENT Product Page on the User Services Center (www.fluentusers.com) for
more information.
If you have used FLUENT Launcher for FLUENT 6.3 or FLUENT 12, you will need to
reset the default values in FLUENT Launcher as described in the documentation for
using FLUENT in Workbench, available from the ANSYS FLUENT 12.0 Documentation
page.
10.2. New Features
New features available in FLUENT 12.1 are listed below.
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ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
• Licensing
– Support for ANSYS HPC “pack” licensing
– Support for ANSYS physics-neutral licensing
• Mesh
– Ability to append large meshes in serial with low memory overhead to create
a single mesh for the parallel solver
• Graphical User Interface
– Ability to launch ANSYS FLUENT 12.1 on Linux from Windows
10.3. Supported Platforms
Platform/OS levels that are supported in the current release are posted on the User
Services Center (www.fluentusers.com).
10.4. Known Limitations
Information about the known limitations of FLUENT 12.1 can be found in the online
documentation. The documentation can be found by selecting the More Document-
ation... item from the FLUENT Help menu.
10.5. Limitations That No Longer Apply in FLUENT 12.1
• The NOx pollutant models are no longer separately license managed
10.6. Updates Affecting Code Behavior
• PLOT3D results file import is no longer supported. This feature has been removed
from the interface.
• The scaling of the wave number in the spectral synthesizer algorithm has been
changed for both the inlet LES boundary condition and in the algorithm for
patching a RANS solution.
• The Help menu items User Services Center... and Online Technical Support...
have been removed and replaced with the Online Technical Resources... menu
item, pointing to the ANSYS Customer Portal.
• The 2-D frictional viscosity law using the Schaeffer formulation has changed, af-
fecting wall shear stress values in Eulerian granular cases with the frictional vis-
cosity option enabled.
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Chapter 10: ANSYS FLUENT
• Node values are now used in computing custom field function reports on surfaces
and will yield improved results.
• Changes in the symmetric drag law give different results for mass flow rates. This
will primarily affect multi-fluid VOF cases.
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10.6. Updates Affecting Code Behavior
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