Better analysis of mixed fluid-particle interactions

Cradle Software, part of Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division, announced advanced co-simulation and post-processing capabilities that make it easier for engineers to analyze multi-physics problems and mixed fluid-particle interactions.

The Cradle CFD v2020 suite comprises scSTREAM (structured mesh) and scFLOW (next-generation unstructured mesh) Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technology. Cradle combines open cosimulation with the scPOST postprocessor.

New aero-acoustics simulation in Cradle CFD v2020 analyzes flow-induced noise in scFLOW by seamlessly connecting to the Actran acoustics simulation software through a dedicated plugin. It enables users to simulate aeroacoustics such as the noise from a car door mirror in a single software environment without learning to use acoustics software or spend time coupling systems.

Another development adds Discrete Element Method (DEM) to CFD and thermal dynamics within the scFLOW environment, reducing the complexity and manual work required to simulate fluids with particles. For example, optimizing the energy and water usage of a washing machine. Using the DEM feature, it is possible to evaluate heat transfer and filtering in isolation, or combine it with CFD analysis and other physics types.

Integration with system modeling software is also enhanced. Building on the open Functional Mockup Interface (FMI) integration already provided, Cradle now connects directly with more 1-D simulation tools. This enables customers to model complete products including electrical and mechanical subsystems in conjunction with the software’s built-in thermodynamics. Customers can easily map the heat transfer between electrical components using Cradle’s HeatPathView tool to visualize these multi-physics interactions. For example, providing optimization of heat routes in consumer electrical goods to enable system-level decision making with Maplesim or other 1-D simulation tools.

Noise from Door Mirror calculated by scFLOW2Actran.

Cosimulation with MSC Software simulation solutions including MSC Nastran, Marc and Adams have also been enhanced to rapidly generate high quality static and dynamic visualizations in scPOST. Cradle, and all MSC Software products including Actran can be accessed through the MSC One token-based licensing system so it is easy for anyone to access and use any tool to produce more realistic multi-physics simulations.

scPOST also makes product and engineering design reviews more accessible for designers, customers or business management. Any simulation through video export, virtual reality or interactive 3D models.

Cradle v2020 is available from today.

Hexagon | Cradle Software
www.mscsoftware.com/product/software-cradle
www.cradle-cfd.com