Structural modelling and analysis is upgraded

LMS Virtual.Lab Rev 6 captures the complete modelling and analysis process, from general pre- and post-processing for structural analysis to multi-attribute performance simulation.

LMS has introduced Rev 6 of LMS Virtual.Lab Structures, its integrated solution for structural modelling and analysis.

Extended with full meshing capabilities, LMS Virtual.Lab Rev 6 captures the complete modelling and analysis process, from general pre- and post-processing for structural analysis to multi-attribute performance simulation.

Starting from a wireframe, surface or a solid geometry, LMS Virtual.Lab Structures Rev 6 is able to generate different structural mesh types using a full range of meshing methods.

LMS Virtual.Lab Structures is solver-neutral and offers a set of entirely integrated drivers to industry-standard structural analysis solvers for linear and nonlinear analysis such as MSC.Nastran, NX Nastran, Abaqus, Elfini and Ansys.

Furthermore, LMS Virtual.Lab Structures Rev 6 steps up simulation productivity through the introduction of an advanced, unified environment to model and assemble full-vehicle structures.

To accelerate the creation of Finite Element (FE) models, LMS Virtual.Lab Structures provides all the required tools for the creation of Catia V5 CAD models and for the manipulation of solid, surface or wireframe geometries.

LMS Virtual.Lab Structures includes a wide range of interfaces to other CAD systems such as to Catia V4, Step, Iges, UGS, Pro-E etc.

Next to extensive geometry healing capabilities, Virtual.Lab provides advanced meshing capabilities are for 1D, 2D and 3D meshing.

These include automatic geometry simplification tools for surface and beam meshing, solid meshing based on tetra filling and hexa meshing.

LMS Virtual.Lab Structures also offers automatic solid tetra or hexa dominant meshing with automatic compatible meshing at interfaces.

Rev 6 of LMS Virtual.Lab Structures delivers new methods for topological interpretation which strongly reduce model preparation time by reducing the number of mesh elements that must be manually edited.

In addition, the meshed parts always remain associated to their original geometries and automatically reflect all modifications implemented on the initial CAD model.

Altogether, LMS Virtual.Lab Structures combines meshing automation and the driving of multiple solvers solutions with a large scope of connection modelling tools for full-vehicle assembly.

"The powerful meshing solution in LMS Virtual.lab Structures is unique in its kind, as it combines basic meshing, advanced surface and beam meshing, advanced solid meshing, automatic solid tetra/hexa dominant meshing, and geometry healing into one single package", commented Willy Bakkers, Vice-President and General Manager of the LMS CAE Division.

"The extended LMS Virtual.Lab Structures solution definetly takes the hassle out of FEA pre- and post-processing and allows companies to fully leverage their investment in multiple FE solvers".

With Rev 6 of Virtual.Lab Structures, LMS also delivers a unified modelling environment, which integrates all the required model creation tools and multidisciplinary simulation capabilities to accurately assess system-level performance for a complete car, a full aircraft or any other complex mechanical assembly.

The new modelling and assembly solution offers extensive capabilities to flexibly build full-system simulation models starting from multiple component and subsystem models.

Using Virtual.Lab Structures, a rigidity analysis on the full-vehicle level can be executed just as easily as generating derivative models for strength, noise, vibration and durability related post-processing.

"This new capablity eliminates the tremendous effort to create individual models for separate disciplines, saving tremendous time and avoiding the accumulation of modelling errors and inaccuracies".

"In addition, the unified modelling solution allows easy and smooth cross-attribute analyses", concluded Willy Bakkers.

The new Wave Based Substructuring (WBS) tool assembles the structural model as a compilation of reduced FE models of individual parts and expresses the deformation of the coupling interface in the form of basic functions called waves.

This allows to considerably reduce the computational workload and to quickly analyse the impact of multiple design modifications.

For example in case of an NVH assessment of a vehicle body LMS Virtual.Lab Structures Rev 6 offers advanced mesh morphing tools that enable designers to quickly tune a full-vehicle FE model according to product performance and styling requirements.

Rev 6 adds a vehicle concept modelling module, which allows designers and engineers to create an incremental beam/joint model directly onto a morphed FE model.

This approach is primarily used to quickly evaluate the influence of concept modifications of beam-alike sections and joints on dynamic performance characteristics.

In Rev 6, the embedded solver support in LMS Virtual.Lab is expanded to cover linear as well as nonlinear modelling and analysis cases through the addition of Abaqus pre/postprocessing and associative driving from within the LMS Virtual.Lab software suite.

Through these new features, LMS Virtual.Lab Structures guides users through the complete process of setting up linear or nonlinear analysis cases.

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