© 2011 ANSYS, Inc. May 10, 2012 1

An Introduction to Application Customization Toolkit (ACT) and Examples

Presented at the 2012 Confidence by Design Workshop

May 8, 2012

© 2011 ANSYS, Inc. May 10, 2012 2

• Positioning:

– ACT is an easy-to-use and comprehensive toolkit for performing customization within ANSYS Mechanical

• Key point: Usability

– User skill required for effectively using ACT is somewhere between an application engineer and a programmer, and no need for a compiler

• Targeted-beta at R14 (select customers and partners)

– ACT is scheduled to be released commercially in R14.5

• Components: ACT Module (free for beta) and derived ACT-based extensions (not licensed)

– Both require presence of an ANSYS Mechanical license to run

• Supported & Documented

Snapshot at R14

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• Encapsulate APDL macros: Allows re-use of legacy APDL-scripts and encourages migration from MAPDL to Mechanical via “encapsulated macros”

• MAPDL exposure: Fills the gap between MAPDL solver capabilities and their exposure in ANSYS Mechanical

• New pre-processing features (custom loads and boundary conditions)

• New post-processing features (custom results)

• 3rd party/in-house solver integration (Mechanical GUI)

Scope

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Examples

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FEInfo extension

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• Apply a convective boundary condition to the blade surface in a 2D axi-symmetric analysis

• Instead, expose the same functionality via ACT

2D Convection Load extension

Need to apply a convective boundary condition to this surface

Since the model is 2D, convective boundary condition is allowed only on edges! Using a command snippet we can apply the convection load to the surface!

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! APDL_script_for_convection.inp /prep7 thickness = 0.001 film_coefficient = 200. temperature = 120 cmsel,s,component *GET,n_el,ELEM,0,num,max *GET,mat1, ELEM,n_el,ATTR,MAT et,100,152 keyop,100,8,2. et,1001,131 keyo,1001,3,2 sectype,1001,shell secdata,thickness,mat1 secoff,mid emodif,all,type,1001 emodif,all,secnum,1001 type,100 esurf fini alls /solu esel,s,type,,100 nsle sf,all,conv,film_coefficient,temperature allsel, all APDL WB Mechanical

2D Convection Load extension

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Convective surface boundary condition in 2D axi-symmetric analysis

The thickness is mandatory to create the shell elements

Dedicated toolbar and button for object creation One additional convection is created as a new user defined load This convection enables the scope of surfaces or Named Selections Both the transformation from a 2D axi to a 3D shell formulation AND the convection itself are generated

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Clamp and Displace extension

Load Step-1: Apply the pressure Allow the body to bend Load Step-2: Clamp the top surface in its deformed state Load Step-3: Apply a deformation to the clamped surface

LS-1

LS-3

LS-2

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Solution using Command Snippet

Definition based on named selection previously defined

LS 2

LS 3

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Solution using ACT

User inputs in the APDL command snippets are translated to ACT properties related to the newly integrated ACT load: • The location provided by the named selection is now defined based on a scoping method compatible with both named selection and direct geometry selection • The load step number for clamping is available from a drop-down menu initialized with the number of steps already defined in the Analysis Settings object • The X Displacement value for the next load step is defined by a new property declared as a length. This makes this property always consistent with the current unit system activated in Mechanical

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Contact Force Vectors extension

• Contact Force is not available for visualization in Mechanical • In MAPDL, we have access to the contact force components • Using APDL commands, we can get all the force components • Using ACT, we can access the values and visualize the vectors

The Minimum and Maximum values of the result can be defined as “parameter” to perform DP and DX analysis

!

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Animation of Contact Force Vectors

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The ability to deal with maximum admissible criteria represents a common and general request for many customers

Temperature dependent properties are made available in order to compute « relative results » that provide admissible ratios in addition to the other standard results in Mechanical

The scenario as exposed in this example can be enhanced to address any type of mechanical result (strain, stress, displacement…)

“Stress Limit Damage” - Overview

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Post-process the maximum admissible criteria based on temperature dependent properties in Mechanical

The relevant material property are retrieved directly from Engineering Data

The material property can also be defined by the user directly in Mechanical (user defined property)

Stress Limit Damage extension

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Results definition

• Result definition: The user has to select one result that will be divided by the material property in order to get the ratio • Any other result can be added very easily in this result definition.

Two types of results have been integrated: • “Ratio” defines the real final result. It is directly the selected result divided by the material property • “Material property” enables the visualization of the material property itself

Interpolated material property based on the thermal condition

The ratio result has been defined as a result with no associated unit. The current active unit system in Mechanical has no impact on the display

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Integration of a new type of connection between edges

Desired type of connection:

• Apply node to node constraints along edges with respect to the curvilinear relationship

• Assumption: The source / target edges have an equal number of nodes

The new connection shall integrate:

• Scoping method for the source region

• Scoping method for the target region

• Reverse flag to inverse the node to node connection

=> The new BC fully integrated in Mechanical and having the same behavior as a

“native” BC (status, visualization…)

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New extension for specific load creation

New object under the environment

Specific details view panel related to the new load

Direct visualization of the load insertion

S1 S2

Integration of a new type of connection between edges

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Sub-modeling extension

Sub-modeling in Mechanical between 2 structural analysis

– Interpolation of displacement (CBDOF) and temperature (BFINT).

– Choose 2D-2D, 3D-3D or 2D axi-3D sub-modeling

– Choose Solid-solid & Shell-shell key or Solid-shell key

– Tabular data for multi-stepping

The sub-modeling extension was developed as an example just to show the possibility. Since, sub-modeling is scheduled to be released natively in Mechanical at R14.5, the extension is not being developed further or distributed.

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Acoustics extension

Expose Acoustics features in Mechanical via ACT

– Define acoustics elements, real constants & material properties

– Apply acoustics boundary conditions & loads

– Plot Far/Near field & Time/Frequency results

– Post process Pressure & SPL

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Example acoustics simulations

Speaker

Underwater

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Integration of Tosca structure application in Mechanical

Tosca structure: non parametric optimization (topological optimization)

Application fully integrated in Mechanical Pre- and Post-

To complete ANSYS offering in this optimization area

Third party tool integration

Initial design Optimal result Optimal design Verification

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Tosca integration in Workbench

Tosca structure is an Non-parametric optimization solver (topological optimization)

Initial design

Optimal result

Optimal design

Verification

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Using ACT extensions

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Using the ACT extension for a Project

The “Extensions” option is available in the menu bar of the project page

View log file to review messages generated from the extensions

Extension Manager to Load / Unload available extensions

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Using ACT in Mechanical

Command line editor

Output window

Functions list

Refresh to reload the extensions

Info window

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ACT Extension Basics

• An ACT extension consists of – XML file • Configures the UI content

• Defines the extensions properties

• Configures behaviors for custom loads and results.

• Binds application events to IronPython script functions.

– IronPython script file • Implements the extensions functionality

• Event driven

– Functions are invoked by application generated events

• Supports access to external libraries

• The script file is typically placed in a folder in the same name as the XML file

• One may have additional files/folders to organize the content better

– E.g. a separate folder for images, other resources etc.

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Extension structure

Pre-Processing object

Post-Processing object

Customization Toolkit

WB Project/Mechanical

Geometry

Mesh

Simulation data

Results

Materials

XML definition

Python scripts

UI

Mechanical toolbar

Events

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Summary

• ACT enables to customize Mechanical application (adding new Pre & Post features) and even allow to integrate third party solver

• ACT is a method to migrate MAPDL automations to Mechanical

– Offers a unified and consistent workflow taking into account legacy automations

• Replacing the command snippets with interactive objects avoids errors and facilitate ease of use

– Take full advantage of the ANSYS Workbench environment and the full portfolio (parametric environment, DX, coupled physics …)

• The ACT based customizations have the same behavior as a standard workbench feature (native object)

• Solutions developed using ACT will work on future WB versions w/o modification

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Discussion and Q/A