Model Parameterization in Ansys
Hello everybody, my name is Samuel Lopez. I am an applications engineer at Ozen Engineering, Inc. Today, I'm going to talk about setting up parameterized models in Ansys Workbench and Ansys Mechanical.
Introduction to Parameterized Models
There are a few different ways to create parameterized models:
- Design Explorer: An inbuilt tool within Workbench that allows defining parameters in various ways, such as geometry or boundary condition parameters. These manifest in what we call "design of experiments," which is essentially a large table of values. It helps in optimizing different values, though it requires manual input parameter changes.
- OptiSlang: A separate tool add-on that can be combined with the design of experiments setup to set objectives and optimize models. We will cover this in a follow-up video.
- Space Claim Scripting: Another method outside the scope of this video, which will be covered in a subsequent video.
Focus on Ansys Design Explorer
Today, we will focus on using Ansys Design Explorer. We'll start with a basic model, specifically a coupled field static model, which involves multi-physics capabilities. Our example will use a basic heat exchanger model available from Ansys Discovery.
Steps to Set Up Parameterized Models
- Import the Model: Drag in a generic coupled field static model and link it to the Granta Selector, a large materials database add-on tool.
- Select Materials: Open Granta Selector, search for the desired material (e.g., graphite), and export it to the engineering data.
- Edit Geometry: Use Ansys Discovery to open and edit the CAD model. We will focus on geometrical input parameters such as shape, size, and patterns.
- Define Parameters: Use tools like the Move and Pull tools in Discovery to set parameters for features like fin height, length, and hole radius.
- Set Boundary Conditions: In Ansys Mechanical, assign materials and define both structural and thermal boundary conditions.
- Parameterize Boundary Conditions: Parameterize aspects such as temperature and convection coefficients.
- Run Design of Experiments: Set up design points and run simulations to analyze how input parameters affect output parameters.
Output Parameters
To determine how inputs affect results, set output parameters in Mechanical, such as:
- Total deformation
- Average equivalent stress
Conclusion
This demonstration covered the basics of setting up parameterized models using Ansys Design Explorer. For optimization, consider using OptiSlang, which will be discussed in a future video. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comments section of this video. Thank you for watching!
Title: Model Parameterization in Ansys Hello everybody, my name is Samuel Lopez. I am an applications engineer at Ozen Engineering, and today I'm going to be talking to you guys about how to set up parameterized models in ANSYS Workbench and in ANSYS Mechanical.
There are a few different ways we can go about this. The easiest way to create parameterized models is to use what we call Design Explorer, which is an inbuilt tool from within Workbench itself.
It allows us to define parameters in various ways, such as geometry parameters or boundary condition parameters.
These all manifest themselves in what we call design of experiments, which is essentially a large table of values that we can change to see how the input parameters affect our output parameters.
This is the simplest way to run a large design of experiment study or a large parameterized model to optimize different values. However, it is a manual process, as you have to manually change all of the input parameters. The second way to go about this is by using a different tool called OptiSlang.
OptiSlang is a separate tool add-on that we can combine with our design of experiments setup to help us set objectives and optimize our model. OptiSlang is a little different from what we'll be looking at today, so we'll make a video on it for a follow-up.
The third way is using space claim scripting, which is also outside the scope of this video. We'll make another follow-up video showing how to set up models using space claim scripting. Today, we'll be focusing on the main aspects of using ANSYS Design Explorer.
First, we'll take a basic model, a coupled field static model, which means we're running multi-physics capabilities for this specific case. We'll be using a heat exchanger model available from ANSYS Discovery.
In defining our parameterized model, we'll choose the materials we'd like to analyze for this specific design of experiments. We'll open GrantaSelector, a separate add-on tool, and search for the material we want.
We'll then export the material to the engineering data and update our Workbench materials list. Next, we'll edit our geometry using ANSYS Discovery. We'll import our CAD model and determine how to parameterize it.
From a CAD perspective, we'll change the geometrical input parameters, such as the size, shape, and patterns of the model. For example, we might want to analyze how much heat is released from the heat exchanger based on the size of the fins.
To do this, we'd need to run a series of analyses where the height of the fins is changed. We can create a parameter to manually change the height of the fins, making the process more efficient. We can use tools from the design tab of Discovery to facilitate this.
In this example, we'll use the Move tool to rotate the top surfaces of the fins and change the height. We'll then enter this as a parameter and name it "fin height." Another way to define parameters is by referencing the origin instead of a point on the CAD model.
We can use the pull tool and set the position of the ruler to the origin. This allows us to control the total length of the heat exchanger. We can also parameterize more complex features, such as the radius of a circle.
If we want to change the radius of these circles, we can use the pull tool and control the radius. Lastly, we can parameterize patterns. For instance, we can control the number of dies in the X and Y directions and the spacing between them.
Once we have all of our parameters set up, we can go back into Workbench and run our design of experiments. We can control how much heat we're adding, what temperature we're setting the dies to, and what the ambient temperature is.
We can also parameterize the film coefficient and the ambient temperature in our convection boundary condition. By setting output parameters, we can determine how these inputs affect our overall results.
We can measure the total deformation of our heat exchanger and the average equivalent stress on all of the bodies. These will be the values we're interested in seeing how they change when we alter our inputs. When running these cases, we have to think about how we want to post-process.
If we only care about the output values and not the contours, we can choose not to retain data for each design point. However, if we want to look at the contour values for each design point, we'll need to retain data for each point and rerun the analysis.
For optimization, we can use a secondary tool like OptiSlang. OptiSlang allows us to set an objective, such as minimizing stress, and automatically adjust the input parameters to help us meet that objective. Thank you for watching, and please leave any questions or comments in the comments section.
We'll be happy to address them as we see them.
