Latest Posts
Simulating Heating of Brake Discs in a Car
Cars need brakes for obvious reasons, and you don’t want these to fail. Brake failure can be caused by many things, one of which is the overheating of the brake’s disc. As I’ve said before, no engineer wants to design a product that fails, which is also true in the case of brake-disc design. Let’s study a scenario of a car in panic brake mode, and find out how hot the brake discs and pads get as well as how […]
Metamaterials Make Physics Seem Like Magic
Metamaterials are a new and emerging technology with vast potential to reshape our views on what is and isn’t possible in this physical world of ours. Unlocking the mysteries and overcoming the obstacles associated with metamaterials would lead to a host of technological advances once thought impossible by even the most imaginative of individuals. From making computer chips smaller and faster than the most advanced current ones, to protecting structures from earthquakes, to developing imaging technology that doesn’t harm tissue […]
When Marshmallows Become Rock-hard
A while back, I bought a bag of marshmallows, indulged a bit, and then forgot about the opened bag for a few weeks. To my surprise, and disappointment, when my marshmallows cravings returned the top ones were rock-hard while the bottom ones were almost as soft as when I bought them. Why was this the case? By leaving the bag open, water had migrated from the marshmallows into the air.
Electrical: The Bumblebee Electrifies Anyway
“The Bumblebee Flies Anyway” was a book by Robert Cormier that I read as a young teenager. In it, Cormier describes how bumblebees are natural anomalies as they seemingly do not have the aerodynamic capability to actually fly. Their wing span and flapping speed should not provide enough lift to allow flying, and this is a fact that I have always associated with bumblebees since. Yet, this has been proven not to be true, as a closer investigation of the […]
Long-time Multiphysics User on COMSOL for Heat Transfer
Having used COMSOL Multiphysics for over six years now, we are pleased to have Dr. Jon Ebert, Director at SC Solutions, join us in the next Mechanical Engineering Magazine Webinar Series titled “Heat Transfer in Solid and Fluids”. On March 7th, he will co-host an instructional webinar together with COMSOL’s John Dunec. Dr. Ebert will discuss SC Solution’s simulation activities within a wide span of heat transfer-related applications, particularly with respect to semiconductor manufacturing. As a long-time user of COMSOL […]
Upgrading the Nuts and Bolts of the Electrical Grid
The electrical grid describes the network created for producing electricity, transmitting it and delivering it to the consumers. A “smart grid” is an electrical grid that gathers information on the suppliers and consumers automatically to improve efficiency and sustainability in the system. As the automated technology improves, the hardware that physically connects the electrical grid together must improve as well. This hardware, the “nuts and bolts” of the grid, is comprised of transformers, cable joints, terminations, bushings, and fault current […]
Boosting COMSOL’s Cooperation with Siemens PLM Software
In April last year, we entered into a partnership with Siemens PLM Software and started developing the functionality that would connect COMSOL Multiphysics® simulations to Solid Edge® CAD modeling. Siemens gave us access to their tool, and we were quick in developing LiveLink™ for Solid Edge® as part of the version 4.3a release. This project led to boosting our cooperation with Simens PLM Software, as we had already implemented Parasolid® to be an integral part of the CAD Import Module […]
Inductive Heating of a Billet Simulation Tutorial
Induction occurs when a metal object moves in the presence of a magnetic field inducing a current in that object. The induced current causes it to heat up (called inductive heating), as all current does. Yet, simulating these two coupled physics together can be difficult to do as they are intrinsically based on different time scales. COMSOL Multiphysics is able to cleverly simulate them through combining the frequency domain modeling of the magnetic field with a stationary simulation of the […]
Multiphysics versus FEA
In a popular post from last year, I discussed accessing and manipulating the underlying equations in COMSOL. This blog post instigated reader comments, and most of the respondents appreciated, or even required, the ability to look at the mathematical model (i.e., equations) behind the physics. While considering this, I realized that there is more to the story, and with a little perspective, the community could benefit from further discussion.
On Solvers: The V-Cycle Multigrid
As discussed previously on the blog, iterative methods efficiently eliminate oscillatory error components while leaving the smooth ones almost untouched (smoothing property). Multigrid methods, in particular, use the smoothing property, nested iteration, and residual correction to optimize convergence. Before putting all of the pieces of this proverbial puzzle together, we need to introduce residual correction and dive a bit deeper into nested iteration. Let’s begin with the latter of these elements.
Fluid Flow: Smooth Optical Surface in Minutes
Ultra-precise optical components require blemish-free surfaces that often cannot be achieved by the machining processes that grind these components. Fluid jet polishing (FJP) is a new technology being developed by Zeeko Ltd to replace the hand polishing that was often required. With the help of COMSOL, Zeeko was able to create a product that polishes the optical components in only ten minutes instead of an entire day, and without waveforms.
On Solvers: Multigrid Methods
Solution methods are a valuable tool for ensuring the efficiency of a design as well as reducing the overall number of prototypes that are needed. In today’s blog post, we introduce you to a particular type of method known as multigrid methods and explore the ideas behind their use in COMSOL Multiphysics.
Infamous Failures of Fatigue
If you’ve studied structural mechanics you’re probably familiar with stories of planes falling out of the sky due to fatigue (no one wants to be the engineer who designed an airplane that crashed…). Jimmy Stewart made a famous movie about that, but different from the usual horror stories of fatigue is the accident in 1919 of a storage tank that burst in Boston, spilling molasses onto the streets at 35 mph (56 km/h). The Boston Molasses Disaster, as it’s referred […]
Corona Discharge
In its natural state, air is a good insulator. However, if it’s adequately ionized, it can ultimately lead to “corona discharge”. What does that mean and why is it important? Let’s find out.
Electroplating Simulations Cut Down on Wasted Metal
Electrodeposition is the process of making a substance adhere to an object through electrochemical reactions. Sometimes the substance is available in the solution form and other times it is a solid object too, and needs to undergo electrochemical reactions in order to dissolve into solution; often as part of the electrodeposition process. Electrodeposition can be an important part of the refining process of certain metals, such as copper, silver, and gold and is often referred to as electrorefining or electrowinning. […]
Injectable Microbubbles in Hydrology and Healthcare
Microbubbles filled with oxygen can be injected into contaminated lakes to restore the water quality. Typically, water is purified via water-treatment plants, but this microbubble technique is both inexpensive and more environmentally-friendly in comparison. As seen in a COMSOL News 2011 article, oxygen microbubbles are a researcher’s way of copying nature’s own self-restoration mechanism for cleaning contaminated lakes.
Joule Heating Simulations Tutorial
One of the classic multiphysics couplings in engineering and science is Joule heating, also called resistive heating or ohmic heating. Some Joule heating examples include heating of conductors in electronics, fuses, electric heaters, and power lines. When a structure is heated by electric currents, the device can reach high temperatures and either structurally degenerate or even melt. The design challenge is to remove this heat as effectively as possible. COMSOL eases these challenges by providing a specialized multiphysics interface for […]
What is Efficiency?
When I first heard about Carnot’s theorem, I was impressed with its simplicity. Yet, no matter the amount of hard thinking we put into the design of everyday heat engines, we will never reach the efficiency of a Carnot engine. Still, modern-day heat engines are still effective as they get us from point A to point B by car or truck.
SolidWorks World: Human Space Flight and Autonomous Flying Robots
SolidWorks always puts on a great show. I just got back from SolidWorks World where I was able to go to a number of technical sessions, and understand how CAD design can better complement finite-element analysis. We had a booth there, and it was great to meet a few COMSOL users, who like to use SolidWorks® and COMSOL Multiphysics together via LiveLink™ for SolidWorks®. I also got to meet potential customers-to-be. In typical SolidWorks World fashion, I and the other […]
Non-Newtonian Fluids, Between Solids and Fluids
One of my favorite sitcoms is “The Big Bang Theory”, thanks to its focus on physics. From time to time they run funny experiments that can be easily arranged at home, causing me to wonder if I know the physics that are at work. One of my favorite episodes is when they fill the cone of a speaker with a suspension of starch in water. Instead of spattering around, the suspension starts to dance because it behaves more like a […]
Modeling Lithium-Ion Battery Cooling
Get a brief introduction to creating a lithium-ion battery model using the COMSOL Multiphysics® software in three sequential studies. At the end of the blog post, there is a link to download the tutorial model.
The Science of Cooking, Multiphysics meets Food
It’s that time of year again for all the foodies out there; on January 29th the 2013 Bocuse d’Or will be in full swing with 24 chefs each representing their country, vying for the Gold Medal in the Olympic Games of the culinary world. In this biennial event, the chefs will have to combine classical and innovative cooking techniques to come out on top. At the last Bocuse d’Or in 2011, Gunnar Hvarnes propelled past the competition with the aid […]
Industry: Continuum Blue Simulates Structural Mechanics
On January 10th, hundreds of people tuned in to hear COMSOL and Continuum Blue discuss Structural Mechanics simulations in certain industry applications. As promised in my previous blog post on multiphysics modeling webinars happening in 2013, here is a round-up of the event — including a video excerpt detailing three structural analysis examples presented by Continuum Blue.
Video: Modeling Mechanical Applications
How do you avoid product failure down the line? By ensuring you manufacture accurate parts and assemble them correctly, of course. Manufacturing success stems from good design ideas. “Good ideas” are not conjured up at random; good ideas are those that are based on real-world physical principles. This video will show you how your company can infuse sound concepts into the early product development stages by modeling mechanical applications in COMSOL Multiphysics.