Thermal-structural multiphysics analysis

Use the Coupled Fields Thermal-Structural solution type to perform coupled thermal-structural analyses in the ANSYS structural environment. This software currently supports coupled-field analysis using the direct method. The direct method typically involves one analysis that uses a coupled-field type of element that contains all necessary degrees-of-freedom. ANSYS handles the coupling by calculating element matrices or element load vectors that contain all necessary terms.

For more information, see the ANSYS Coupled-Field Analysis Guide.

Supported elements and properties

Currently, the Coupled Fields Thermal-Structural solution offers more complete element support for the structural portion of the solve than for the coupled portion of the solve and more limited support for the thermal portion of the solve. Currently, you can use all structural elements (0D, 1D, 2D, 3D) available for the structural solve. However, you can only use SOLID226 (20-node hexadedral) or SOLID227 (10-node tetrahedral) elements to perform coupled fields analysis. These are the only types of elements that can, for example, accept both thermal and structural types of loads and boundary conditions and compute heat transfer.

Supported loads and constraints

The following thermal loads, constraints, and simulation objects have been added to the ANSYS structural environment to facilitate Coupled Fields Thermal-Structural analyses:

• Thermal Constraints and Convection

• Heat Flux, Radiation and Heat Generation

• Automatic Thermal Coupling and Manual Thermal Coupling

Note:

ANSYS issues a warning message in the diagnostic file if your input file contains loads or constraints that are applied to the wrong element types. You cannot define thermal loads, constraints, and simulation objects on structural elements. You can apply thermal loads only to SOLID 226 and SOLID227 elements.

In a Coupled Fields Thermal-Structural solution, you use the Structural Contact dialog box to define both structural and thermal contact. You use the CONTA174 Real Constants modeling object to define the appropriate options for both structural and thermal contact in a Coupled Fields Thermal-Structural solution.

Specifying options for the solution and steps

When you define a Coupled Fields Thermal-Structural solution, use the options on the new Multi-Fields Parameters tab in the Solution dialog box to specify the following:

• Options to control the stagger iterations that the software performs. A stagger iteration is an iteration in which the implicit coupling of the individual physics solutions takes place. These options correspond to the ANSYS MFITER command.

• Options to control the relaxation values for the load transfer variables at a surface or volume interface. These options control how much of the change in a load is transferred in each stagger iteration and correspond to the ANSYS MFRELAX command.

Where do I find it?

Application	Pre/Post
Prerequisite	A Simulation file as the displayed part and the work partANSYS as the specified solverStructural as the specified Analysis Type****Coupled Thermal Fields-Structural as the specified Solution Type

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