This week, MSC Software Corporation announced the release of its brand-new co-simulation platform, MSC CoSim.
MSC CoSim enables engineers to set up co-simulation models between existing MSC products, Adams (multibody dynamics), Marc (finite element analysis) and scFLOW (computerized fluid dynamics), providing them with an interface between the different solver domains.
The new solution covers a wide range of industrial scale applications, including washing machine drum vibration to fuel tank sloshing, moving diaphragm valves to nonstandard fans and pumps; dynamic windshield wiper blades to hydraulic actuators; and nonlinear rubber door seals to vehicle bushes.
"We are super excited about this product release, which is the culmination of many years of development of co-simulation technologies inside MSC Software,” said Paolo Guglielmini, CEO of MSC Software.
“I genuinely believe that this is pushing the boundaries of true multiphysics simulation and it raises the bar for the uptake of CAE co-simulation in the real world to the masses of engineers today who can benefit from it."
Co-simulation helps to avoid inaccurate assumptions by providing more complete and holistic performance insights, leading to a better correlation between CAE simulation and physical testing. As a result, engineers gain a more in-depth view into the performance of the actual product without the need for over design.
Co-simulation can provide a higher level of simulation accuracy with realistic engineering analysis demands inside real-world engineering design timescales.
For example, to simulate a full vehicle hitting a curb with the lower control arm undergoing plastic deformation (see Figure 2), it could take engineers weeks to complete one simulation if the entire system were simulated in a nonlinear FEA environment. However, with MBD-FEA co-simulation, engineers can capture the same level of fidelity in a matter of hours rather than days or weeks.
Co-simulation technologies that are already supported by MSC Software enable engineers to solve CAE problems that could never have been solved previously. Today, multibody dynamics (MBD) codes like Adams are being used extensively around the world for industrial grade co-simulations as a matter of course. Adams has open connections to a vast array of commercial and open-source CAE software, such as the market leading discrete element modeling software, EDEM, from DEM Solutions, VIRES Virtual Test Drive (VTD) for ADAS and autonomous vehicle drive simulation, and MATLAB and Simulink (from MathWorks) for 1D systems and controls modeling.
And MSC has already got some happy customers in the automotive industry, as is apparent from the testimonial that follows.
"[The] Adams-Marc co-simulation capability more than satisfies our guideline of 'reasonable results in a reasonable time,” said Dr. Steve Jia, chief engineer at Litens Automotive Group. “With up to a 90 percent reduction in computation time, optimization using advanced nonlinear FEA becomes practical. Such a development provides a great benefit and is crucial for our product development, and we are proud to work together with MSC in advancing the technology."
You can read more about MSC CoSim over at this MSC CoSim webpage. Scroll down to the lower part of the page for some sweet animations!