Adams

The Multibody Dynamics Simulation Solution

Product manufacturers often struggle to understand true system performance until very late in the design process. Mechanical, electrical, and other subsystems are validated against their specific requirements within the systems engineering process, but full-system testing and validation comes late, leading to rework and design changes that are riskier and more costly than those made early on.

Simulate "Real World" Physics

As the world's most famous and widely used Multibody Dynamics (MBD) software, Adams improves engineering efficiency and reduces product development costs by enabling early system-level design validation. Engineers can evaluate and manage the complex interactions between disciplines including motion, structures, actuation, and controls to better optimize product designs for performance, safety, and comfort. Along with extensive analysis capabilities, Adams is optimized for large-scale problems, taking advantage of high performance computing environments.

Utilizing multibody dynamics solution technology, Adams runs nonlinear dynamics in a fraction of the time required by FEA solutions. Loads and forces computed by Adams simulations improve the accuracy of FEA by providing better assessment of how they vary throughout a full range of motion and operating environments.

Adams simulations permitted us to get different loading conditions to be studied through an FE analysis, putting to evidence the most critical loading combinations,” Bianchi F - AgustaWestland

Adams Multidiscipline Solutions

Optional modules available with Adams allow users to integrate mechanical components, pneumatics, hydraulics, electronics, and control systems technologies to build and test virtual prototypes that accurately account for the interactions between these subsystems.

Adams Machinery

A Powerful Simulation Suite for Mechanical Drive Systems

Evaluate and manage the complex interactions relating to motion, structures, actuation, and controls to better optimize product designs for performance, safety, and comfort.

Adams Car

Real Dynamics for Vehicle Design and Testing

With Adams Car vertical products, engineering teams can quickly build and test functional virtual prototypes of complete vehicles and vehicle subsystems. Working in the Adams vehicle vertical environment, automotive engineering teams can exercise their vehicle designs under various road conditions, performing the same tests they normally run in a test lab or on a test track, but in a fraction of time.

• Analysis of suspension, steering and full-vehicle maneuvers
• Easy integration of control systems into vehicle models
• Creation or import of component geometry in wireframe or 3D solids
• Extensive library of joints and constraints to define part connectivity
• Model refinement with part flexibility, automatic control systems, joint friction and slip, hydraulic and pneumatic actuators, and parametric design relationships
• Comprehensive linear and nonlinear results for complex, large-motion designs
• Comprehensive and easy to use contact capabilities supporting 2D and 3D contact between any combination of modal flexible bodies and rigid body geometry

Adams Car was instrumental to tune all subsystems at their best before any real prototype was available… Testing several configurations on the virtual prototype required a matter of hours; doing the same on the real prototype would have been impossible”
Dr. Peter Tutzer, Bugatti

Vertical Solutions:

Flexible Multibody Systems in Adams

What it does

Adams allows you to create flexible parts conveniently even in the presence of large overall motion and complex interaction with other modeling elements.

Engineers can incorporate a linear flexible body, as well as nonlinear flexible parts to solve problems involving large deformations and material nonlinearity.

Linear Flexible Parts:

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1. Adams Flex

Adams Flex allows importing finite element models from most major FEA software packages and is fully integrated with Adams package, providing access to convenient modeling and powerful post-processing capabilities. Replacing some key rigid components with flexible parts will increase the accuracy for load prediction.

2. ViewFlex

The ViewFlex module in Adams View enables users to transform a rigid part to an MNF-based flexible body within the Adams environment using embedded finite element analysis where a meshing step and linear modes analysis will be performed. It is powered by MSC Nastran, allowing one to create flexible bodies without leaving Adams View and without reliance on 3rd party Finite Element Analysis software. Also, it's a streamlined process with much higher efficiency than the way users have traditionally generated flexible bodies for Adams in the past.

Nonlinear Flexible Parts:

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3. FE Part - NEW

The FE Part is a wholly Adams-native modeling object which has mass and is accurate for very large deformation cases (that is, geometric nonlinearity) of beam-like structures. It provides a fast way to model geometrically nonlinear parts in system model.

4. Adams-Marc Co-simulation

The Adams-Marc Co-simulation enables users to perform real co-simulation between world-class Marc nonlinear FE technology with world-class Adams MBD code. With that, MBD engineer can increase model accuracy by including non-linear structural behavior. It's especially beneficial for applications involving high deformation of viscoelastic materials. Re-meshing can be required using this co-simulation.

5. Adams MaxFlex

Based on the implicit nonlinear finite element analysis, Adams MaxFlex allows for the representation of geometric nonlinearity (i.e., large deformations), material nonlinearity, and boundary condition nonlinearity in Adams models. While FEA technology is used to represent and solve the nonlinear flexible body, it is embedded wholly within Adams, so no additional FEA software is required to solve the model.

 

Here's a table showing the difference between each flexible body integration technique:

	Linear		Nonlinear
Adams Flexible Component Options	Adams Flex	ViewFlex	FE Part	Adams-Marc Co-simulation	MaxFlex
Nonlinearities
Geometric Nonlinearity	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Material Nonlinearity	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
FEA Dependency
Import Files from FEA Software Required	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
FEA Software Required for Adams Simulation	No	No	No	Yes	No
Modeling Options
Contact with Rigid Part	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Contact with Linear Flexible Part	Yes	Yes	No (forthcoming)	No	No
Contact with FE Part	No	No	Yes	No	No
Self-Contact	No	No	No (forthcoming)	Yes	Yes
Shape Type	General	General	Beam-Like	General	General
Geometry Creation	External	Adams Native or External	Adams Native or External	External	External
Distributed Mass	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Distributed Load	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Simulation
Pre-requisites	Adams Solver	Adams Solver +Adams Flex	Adams Solver	Adams Solver + Marc	Adams/Solver
Type	Adams Native	Adams Native	Adams Native	Co-simulation	Adams Native
Postprocessing
Adams Stress/Strain Recovery (XY plot)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (in Marc)	Yes
Adams Stress/Strain Recovery (animated contour plot)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes (in Marc)	Yes
Load Export for External FEA	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A	N/A
FEA Stress/Strain Recovery	No	No	No	Yes	Yes

Adams MaxFlex

Maximize Nonlinear Flexibility in Multibody Dynamics Simulations

The Need for Higher Fidelity Simulations
Greater emphasis has been placed in recent years on high-speed, lightweight, precise mechanical systems. Often, these systems will contain one or more structural components for which deformation effects are paramount for design analysis. In those cases, including the flexibility for those key components results in a more precise loading prediction and improved system performance prediction.

Traditional Approaches to Flexible Bodies in Adams:
Adams Flex has been used by Adams users for many years to include linear flexibility into multibody dynamics systems, and allows one to capture relatively small deformation of flexible components (up to roughly 10% of the characteristic length) during a simulation.

However, when it comes to components with geometric or material nonlinearity, like the twist beam in a suspension system or engine mounts, Adams Flex does not provide the capability to cope with nonlinearity in the simulation.

Hence, to incorporate the nonlinear flexibility into multibody dynamics systems, we have introduced a new methodology/tool for our users – MaxFlex.

MaxFlex allows for the representation of geometric nonlinearity (i.e., large deformations), material nonlinearity, and boundary condition nonlinearity. It is based on implicit nonlinear finite element analysis.

Model provided by Volvo Cars

Here're some of the highlights for MaxFlex:

• Using Adams MaxFlex, an MBD analyst can increase model accuracy by including nonlinear structural behavior
• It's a streamlined workflow, similar to Adams Flex
• Simulation is conducted entirely in Adams
• There is shared memory parallel (SMP) support to increase simulation efficiency
• Easy to set up models and run simulations
• No third-party tool is needed to generate animations with both rigid and nonlinear flexible parts, since it can be done in Adams/Postprocessor

MaxFlex workflow

We see potential use of MaxFlex in durability events, where permanent deformation of suspension components alters the load path and loads which we were not capturing using mnf bodies. Having this capability in MBD environment would help us in generating more realistic loads earlier in the program,” Chandra Tangella, Loads Analysis Engineer at FCA

Actran SEA

Efficient mid- and high- vibro-acoustic CAE module

Statistical Energy Analysis approach offers an efficient solution to study noise and vibration propagation inside large systems at mid- and high-frequencies. The global system is reduced to a set of coupled subsystems and energy balance between them is computed.

From FEA to SEA

Building a SEA model with classical approaches usually requires an access to experimental data or analytical expressions limiting the range of geometrical objects that could be handled. With Actran SEA module and its Virtual SEA approach, CAE engineers can use their existing Finite Elements vibro-acoustic models (mode shape and eigen values) to create a SEA model. Based on automatic or user-defined subsystems definition, SEA parameters are efficiently extracted from the Finite Elements model to perform sound and vibration analysis at mid- and high frequencies together with transfer path analysis regardless the availability of SEA expertise or experimental-based information. Combined with a unique frequency extrapolation method, the Actran SEA module offers the possibility to extend the frequency range validity of existing vibro-acoustic finite elements models to high frequency analysis.

Complete system vibro-acoustic performances can be predicted thanks to realistic physical excitation including spatially and frequency dependent distributed load and pressure as well as diffuse sound field and turbulent boundary layer.

Sample applications:

• Automotive: vibro-acoustic response and transfer path analysis of complete vehicle submitted to structural and acoustical loads.
• Aerospace: Vibration response and transfer path analysis of fuselage submitted to turbulent boundary layer or diffuse sound field excitations. Rocket payload integrity analysis at take-off.
• Shipbuilding: Onboard noise prediction due to machinery noise and flow induced vibrations.
• Railway: Interior acoustic comfort prediction of train coach.
• Off-road Vehicles: Cabin noise comfort prediction.

Learn more about Actran products and services at www.fft.be

Adams Real Time

Hardware-in-the-loop Solution

Real Time computational speed is a pre-requisite when combining software models with hardware components, such as a chassis stability controller, vision / range sensors or a driving simulator (e.g. DiM Driving Simulator by VI-grade). MSC Adams has long been the automotive industry's tool of choice for vehicle dynamics predictions.

Now, with Adams Real Time, analysts can reuse the same base model for high fidelity off-line simulations, through SIL (Software-in-the-loop) to HIL (Hardware-in-the-loop) and ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) applications. This one tool / one model approach has the potential to remove weeks from the typical vehicle development program and save tens of thousands of dollars by eliminating the error-prone model translations between different tools.

Adams Real Time Integrator
The Real Time Integrator in an Adams solver setting that will allow the user to meet the real time operating system requirements. This Integrator ensures that both the Adams simulation speed and the communication interval meet the real time platform/hardware requirements (e.g. driving simulator, or abs controller).

Real Time Analysis on SIMulation Workbench Platform
Engineers need Real Time Simulation to connect with a hardware controller or driving simulator. Adams Real Time users can stay inside of Adams for both high-fidelity (complex model with high accuracy) simulation and real time analysis for hardware-in-the-loop. In this release, Adams Solver supports Concurrent's SIMulation Workbench® (SimWB) real time modeling environment on the RedHawk™ Linux® operating system.

Actran DGM

Model Noise Propagation in Complex Flows

Actran DGM solves the linearized Euler equations using discontinuous finite elements and is used for predicting the noise propagation in complex physical conditions. It is particularly well suited to solving aero-acoustic problems at the exhaust of a double flux aero-engine, including effects such as propagation through strong shear layers, high temperature gradients and non-homentropic mean flows.

Actran DGM uses an unstructured mesh method, and is not constrained by standard limitations of Finite Difference Method. As the order of the elements is automatically adapted, the mesh can be non-homogeneous, with a combination of very small and large elements in the same mesh, without any performance degradation. 

Sample applications:

• Exhaust of turbomachines
• Inlet of large turbomachines
• All acoustic propagation problems with non-homogeneous mean flow conditions

Learn more about Actran products and services at www.fft.be

Actran VI

Dedicated pre and post-processor for the Actran CAE software family

Actran VI is the new graphical user interface specifically designed for pre- and post-processing vibro- and aero-acoustic analyses of all Actran modules.

Including an Actran input file reader to check or modify input files generated by other tools, Actran VI supports several mesh formats (Nastran BDF, ANSYS RST and CDB, Actran DAT and NFF, I-DEAS UNV, Patran Neutral Format) as input for creating Actran input files.

Its various integrated pre-processing tools ease the creation and editing of Actran models. It is easy to visualize specific Actran model features (such as modal basis, sources or infinite elements coordinate system), to specify the projection parameters between incompatible meshes, to insert additional entities (e.g. control points) or to visualize the specified boundary conditions. Additionally, it is also possible to define analysis templates (with or without mesh) to ease the creation of recurrent analyses.

The post-processing tool supports different results formats, such as OP2, UNV, NFF, RST, HDF and punch files. It contains different visualization modules, such as contour plots (maps), iso-surfaces, vectors or deformations, which can be freely combined and controlled using different filters. Synchronized viewports makes it easy to compare results at different frequencies, phases, times or related to different load case.

An animation module dedicated to complex harmonic results coupled with video export capabilities is also included.

Actran VI includes the PLTViewer and WaterfallViewer modules for easily displaying and handling frequency response functions, in single or multiple loadcases.

Sample applications:

• Validation, visualization and modification of existing Actran analyses.
• Creation of new Actran analyses.
• Display of all Actran results.

Learn more about Actran products and services at www.fft.be