CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
6 August 2007
Product News
Automated Surface Contact Generation (ASCG) Provides Major Improvement for FEA Users Modeling Assemblies
Noran Engineering, Inc. (NEi) announced a major improvement in the ability to create models that simulate true surface-to-surface contact. The enhancement entitled Automated Surface Contact Generation (ASCG) is included in the V9.1 release of NEi Nastran.
Engineers involved in computer modeling and analysis of structures containing discontinuous parts often find that getting realistic results can be very difficult, exceedingly time consuming, or simply not possible using traditional Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools. ASCG automatically finds and sets up the appropriate contact between different bodies within a specified proximity. This feature can be a major factor in productivity with the opportunity to cut run times from hours to minutes. It should also be noted that ASCG can be used on legacy models. Using ASCG a user can easily add surface contact to an existing Nastran model input file or replace gap contact with the more robust surface contact. The process is completely automated and only requires a single command. Unlike automated contact in other pre and post processors, NEi's ASCG works at the FEA level with an existing Nastran model allowing for true legacy model support.
Of equal importance, ASGC opens the way to achieving much higher levels of real world fidelity for virtual testing. In particular, a wide range of assembly scenarios can be addressed using NEi Nastran's extensive suite of contact capabilities which covers sliding, welded, and free movement between surfaces and includes modeling difficult features like dissimilar shell meshes from extracted mid plane models, shell face to shell edge with or without gaps, mid surface meshes, and offset welds. ASCG has been credited with productivity gains and better quality models in diverse applications ranging from large ship models to production fixtures.
More detailed information can be obtained by enrolling in the Knowledge Base Center at http://www.nenastran.com/KnowledgeBaseCenter and downloading either the White Paper or PowerPoint entitled "Automated Surface Contact Generation Usage in NEi Nastran" or registering for an upcoming webinar at http://www.nenastran.com/newnoran/webinar . In addition, a discussion of the full range of V9.1 additions which includes items such as Automated Impact and Drop Test and Hyperelastic materials can be found at http://www.nenastran.com/newnoran/announcingV91 . NEi provides internet demonstrations and evaluation software for qualified organizations.
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