Fluid Simulation

The latest version of STAR-Works, a CAD-embedded CFD tool for SolidWorks, has been created specifically to enable design and project engineers to undertake basic flow simulation, even if they are lacking experience in traditional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis.

STAR-Works is embedded within the user's SolidWorks environment. CFD functionality is presented as additional easy-to-use menus within SolidWorks. Because the CFD solution becomes an integral part of the SolidWorks CAD model, full associativity with the model is maintained throughout the simulation process, so that any design changes made in response to simulation results are reflected in the solution almost immediately. Solutions are updated at the click of a button, without additional user intervention.

This new version features numerous new capabilities, such as the addition of new boundary conditions and external thermal treatment. The reporting of engineering quantities has been improved with the addition of HTML-based reporting.

Maplesoft's DynaFlexPro

Maplesoft has introduced DynaFlexPro, a Maple-based design tool that uses symbolic computation methods to derive the system equations of complex mechanical multibody systems. Unlike other multibody design tools that use purely numeric solvers, DynaFlexPro generates solutions that are exact, compact and efficient for real-time implementation, at a fraction of the cost.

Designed by MotionPro Inc., and launched under the MapleConnect Premier programme, DynaFlexPro has applications in complex mechanisms, vehicle suspensions, stability control, trains, articulated vehicles, vibration analysis, robotics, biomedical prosthesis design and piano mechanisms. DynaFlexPro overcomes the shortcomings of existing mechanical analysis tools, which use inefficient numerical algorithms to evaluate rotations, displacements, forces and torques in a mechanism. Other tools introduce errors in analysis and the analysis is very slow – too slow for implementation in a real-time simulator, for example. In addition, models are difficult to parameterise, which means, if, for example, a link length is changed, the whole model must be recomputed for the new value.

DynaFlexPro solves these problems by using Maple to generate the equations of motion for the mechanism symbolically. This results in an exact-form representation of the mechanical system that is completely parameterised, error-free and very quick to evaluate when numeric data is introduced making the model ideal for real-time use.

Engineers with a dynamic mechanical system to design or analyze as well as instructors of courses in dynamics and design would benefit from this package. For further details, visit DynaFlexPro page of Maplesoft.