Simulation Setup

The SimScale Workbench is designed as a single interface for the application of multiple simulation types. Following the upload and preparation of your CAD model, the next step in the simulation workflow is the setup of a simulation.

As a next step you’ll be asked to choose one of the pre-defined analysis types.

Select the analysis type that fits the intended use case. Once created, a new Simulation Tree will be created.

Simulation Tree

The Simulation Tree can, depending on the chosen analysis type, contain the following elements:

Geometry

In the Geometry panel, the geometrical domain (CAD model) that the simulation will be based on, can be selected. The entire down-stream simulation setup will be defined on the geometrical domain chosen here. It is also possible to upload and assign custom meshes here.

Mesh

In order to use a numerical solution method the geometry first needs to be discretized (approximation of the continuous geometry by a discrete number of elements/cells). This process is called meshing. Besides others, the mesh settings allow you to define the meshing algorithm, fineness, and refinements.

For one geometry multiple meshes can be created and easily exchanged if required.

Geometry primitives

Geometry primitives are basic geometrical entities, which can be used to define additional areas or points of the domain that are not represented as part of the original CAD model.

Contacts & Physical contacts

In case the geometry domain doesn’t only consist of a single solid body, but multiple parts, contacts need to be define between those bodies. A valid simulation setup requires all relations between parts to be fully defined. SimScale automatically detects contacts between all parts.

Element technology

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Model

In the Model section some of the parameters that define the physics of the simulation are specified, e.g. Gravitation.

Materials

In the Materials section you can define multiple materials and assign volumes to them. Each volume of the simulation domain requires a material to be assigned to it.

Initial conditions

In the Initial conditions section, the initial field values for some of the solution fields can be defined across the entire simulation domain. Defining initial values can help with reaching faster convergence as well as increasing simulation stability. Initial conditions can be defined both globally and via sub-domains.

Boundary conditions

Boundary conditions define how a system (for example, a structure or a fluid) interacts with its environment. Fixations, loads, pressures, flow rates or velocities are examples of typical boundary conditions.

Advanced concepts

In the Advanced concepts find additional features, like the controls for rotating zones, porous media, and more.

Numerics

In the Numerics section you can set the equation solver for your simulation, change the convergence settings or choose the time integration scheme for transient dynamic simulations. These settings mainly influence the stability and efficiency of your simulation run, but also the quality of the results may depend on these settings.

Simulation control

The Simulation controls define some of the global properties and parameters regarding the simulation process, like maximum run time, maximum number of iterations, simulation time,…

Result control

In the Result control section additional simulation result outputs can be defined. In case you are interested in specific solution fields or calculations as for example average values on a certain entity you can specify those as separate result outputs here.

Simulation runs

The Simulation Runs folder in the tree contains a list of all computation runs that have been started for the specific simulation. A simulation run represents a snapshot of the setup from the time of creation for which a computation has been started.