Simplifying the Creation of Simulation Applications

The 5.1 release of COMSOL Multiphysics has integrated the Application Builder into the ribbon of their standard Model Builder. This will help to improve an analyst’s workflow to design simulation applications to be used by their team and non-experts.

This added integration of the application builder and model builder means that updates are automatically implemented between both tools. Additionally, analysts can switch between the tools instantaneously via the ribbon.

With the Application Builder, “user[s] can create multiphysics apps not only within a single software environment, but within a single window using the same file format,” said Bjorn Sjodin, VP at COMSOL. “This innovation streamlines the app design process and allows simulation apps to … bring powerful design capabilities to non-experts.”

As the Model Builder and Application Builder are now integrated, a tool that is designed by the user in one environment can be used within the other seamlessly. This is key for custom made commands—of which COMSOL provides a series of templates.

Additional improvements to the application include:

• App design and layout options
• LiveLink for Excel for Apps
• Integration into COMSOL platform
• Save models and apps as .mph format

COMSOL Server Improves Simulation Application Share-ability

To improve the share-ability of simulation applications, the COMSOL server now allows applications to run on multiple computers at once.

Additionally, the Application library in the COMSOL server will be able to tell the app user and analyst the products that will be needed to create and run a certain application. This information will be shared in a grid or list to ensure proper access to the needed COMSOL product licenses.

However, COMSOL Server users will now be able to look at the results and post-process results from applications that would otherwise need additional licenses to re-solve the simulation. This will allow users to view the details of the application and work on the results previously solved by team members with all the proper licenses. This should prove to be an interesting improvement to productivity.

Finally, the COMSOL Server contains many demo applications to allow application users and designers to hit the ground running. “The demo applications include self-contained documentation and showcase many useful features,” said Svante Littmarck, CEO of COMSOL.

“You can run these applications to explore how to email simulation reports, create animations, perform optimizations and parameter estimation, as well as import experimental data and handle tables. All the demo apps are available for you to edit, and forms, form objects, and methods can be copied from these apps and used as a starting point for your own application designs.”

Other improvements to COMSOL 5.1

The latest release of COMSOL 5.1 also includes enhancements to COMSOL Multiphysics and add-ons. One such example is the simplification of parametric geometric components which can be used with any module.

Additionally, a library of parts has been made for the microfluidics, mixer, ray optics, and structural mechanics modules. Whereas users of the wave optics and ray optics modules will have access to an optical materials database.

Additional improvements to COMSOL 5.1 include:

• Geometry & Mesh
  
  • Face detection of imported meshes
  • Surface simplification of mesh geometry conversion
  • Domain and Boundary selection for NASTRAN property ID number tools
• Modeling & Visualization
  
  • Matrix-free domain-decomposition solver
  • Visualization of solution beyond the mesh (EM and acoustic waves)
  • Custom-size array of periodic solution in unit cell
• Electrical
  
  • Multi-turn coil computation of coils of varying cross-sections
  • Surface roughness on lossy conductive boundaries
  • Hexagonal periodic structure handling
  • Tools for ring resonators with beam envelope formulation
  • Thin film damping perforations feature
• Mechanical
  
  • Multiphysics interface for hygroscopic swelling
  • Nonlinear materials for membranes
  • Nonlinear springs and plasticity for trusses
  • Algebraic turbulence model for the Heat Transfer Module
  • Local thermal non-equilibrium simulations for heat transfer in porous media
  • Acoustics predefined impedance boundary conditions
  • Ray acoustics for fluid models & graded media with attenuation
• Fluid
  
  • Turbulence flow for Euler-Euler two-phases
  • Porous media flow combined with turbulent flow
  • Porous domains unbounded with the aid of infinite elements
  • Pressure loss options for T-junctions, Y-junctions, and n-way junctions
• Chemical
  
  • Coupling macro-scale to micro-scale film coefficient at pellet-fluid interface
  • Gas mixture viscosity calculated automatically
  • Dusty Gas model
  • Multi-scale tutorial model for 3D packed bed reactor with two levels of homogenization
• General
  • Inelastic collisions of particle interactions

COMSOL.