2014 release of MSC Nastran and Patran

MSC improves embedded fatigue and adds additional support in Patran.

MSC Nastran 2014 and Patran 2014 have finally arrived. The Nastran release features improvements to the software’s usability and the award winning embedded fatigue capability, whereas Patran features additional support for fatigue analysis.

MSC Patran 2015 Improvements

The biggest improvement to Patran is the added compatibility between MSC Fatigue and MSC Patran. The Patran GUI was also updated to incorporate the embedded fatigue capabilities of MSC Nastran.

Over the past year Patran has focused on improving the speed with which users interact with large models. For instance, users might notice a 25% speed boost when importing and exporting CAD data. Additionally, model visualization speeds have improved, which should allow users to work with larger, more complex models.

MSC Nastran 2015 Improvements

As for MSC Nastran, users will be able to manipulate primary external superelements (SE) using mirror, move and rotate functions. This should make it easier for a user to model a design with duplicated assemblies, such as the landing gear or engines on an airplane.

Airlines and other industries held to strict safety regulations will also appreciate MSC Nastran’s ability to activate and deactivate a rigid element within a subcase. This can help users better define load combinations and load cases.

The embedded fatigue analysis capabilities have also been improved. The major improvements include:

  • Seam & spot weld fatigue analysis for critical weld determination
  • Multi-axial assessment to validate strain-life fatigue & standard stress life analysis
  • Remote parameter control (RPC) file support for measured based load history

MSC Nastran 2014 offers new tools for nonlinear analysis too, such as eigenvalue extraction on pre-stressed bodies. Additionally, the release makes it easier to join discontinuous meshes in an assembly. For example, friction and heat transfer assessments will no longer require the selection of master or slave bodies when joining meshes. This reduces the setup time and the dependence of mesh size.

Those looking to produce a simulation for fluid and solid interactions will be happy to see improvements to the explicit nonlinear solver in MSC Nastran 2015. These HPC hungry analyses have been sped up by a factor of two on multi-core configurations. Additional advances help to define the coupling surface between the solid and the fluid.

Other MSC Nastran 2014 improvements include:

  • Improved throughput and compatibility with the latest HPC
  • Model frequency response analysis 3x faster for non-symmetric systems
  • Parallel Krylov solver can solve acoustic simulations significantly faster; for example, frequency response analysis can reduce clock time by 95%
  • New composite shell elements outputs
  • Enhanced axisymmetric harmonic concentrated mass elements

With their recent release schedule (including the new MSC Apex and the latest MSC SimManager) it’s clear that there are a lot of busy bees over at MSC. For more information on MSC Nastran 2015 and Patran 2015 watch the webinar below:

Source MSC Software

Written by

Shawn Wasserman

For over 10 years, Shawn Wasserman has informed, inspired and engaged the engineering community through online content. As a senior writer at WTWH media, he produces branded content to help engineers streamline their operations via new tools, technologies and software. While a senior editor at Engineering.com, Shawn wrote stories about CAE, simulation, PLM, CAD, IoT, AI and more. During his time as the blog manager at Ansys, Shawn produced content featuring stories, tips, tricks and interesting use cases for CAE technologies. Shawn holds a master’s degree in Bioengineering from the University of Guelph and an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.