COMSOL Multiphysics Version 4.3 Available

By DE Editors

COMSOL Multiphysics 4.3 has been released. Major new capabilities introduced in version 4.3 include three new discipline-specific add-on modules, fast and powerful meshing, a new “Double Dogleg” solver for mechanical contact and highly nonlinear simulations, and numerous user-inspired enhancements.

Enhancements and upgraded functionality span the entire COMSOL product suite. With the debut of three new discipline-specific add-on modules (the Nonlinear Structural Materials Module, the Pipe Flow Module, and the Corrosion Module) COMSOL now offers 30 products for the simulation of multiphysics phenomena. The newest modules expand the simulation platform with new user interfaces that help users solve the unique design challenges in each of these areas.

Core modeling capabilities in version 4.3 have been updated and expanded. Meshing is now both faster and more powerful, particularly when working with virtual geometry operations for shielding the automatic mesher from unnecessary geometric detail. Users working with imported meshes can now group existing mesh elements into new domains and boundaries, which makes it easy to assign boundary conditions and material properties wherever desired.

Users can now run multiple-parameter sweeps with easy specification of one, two, or more parameters. Visualizations of results from these parameter sweeps can be selected to include combinations of the swept parameters in a single presentation. New Cluster Sweep and Batch Sweep user interfaces facilitate defining massively parallel and independent parametric sweeps.

Version 4.3’s modules for electrical, mechanical, fluid flow, and chemical simulations have all been updated. Responding to multiple requests, COMSOL implemented a user interface within the AC/DC Module for modeling 3D rotating machinery. Users benefiting from this new functionality include those working on applications for generators,  brushless motors, radial and axial flux machinery along with brushed DC electric motors.

New tools for tagging load cases have also been included for easier setup of extensive structural mechanics studies. The CFD Module introduces new interfaces and added functionality for mass transport simulations influenced by turbulent mixing, while the Particle Tracing Module now incorporates particle-particle interaction and Brownian forces into its extensive list of supported functionalities.

The new Nonlinear Structural Materials Module augments the mechanical capabilities of the Structural Mechanics and MEMS Modules by adding nonlinear material models. The new module adds elastoplastic,  viscoplastic, creep, and hyperelastic material models. The Pipe Flow Module enables efficient simulations of 1D fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, hydraulic transients, and acoustics, and simulation results can be integrated into 2D and 3D models of network components, yielding the velocity, pressure variation, and temperature along the pipes and channels in the network.

The Corrosion Module offers specialized user interfaces to model the electrochemical processes that lead to corrosion. Engineers who want to mitigate these processes can gain insights into how structures might corrode under certain conditions and how structures can be protected. The module includes the physics required to model galvanic, pitting,  and crevice corrosion as well as cathodic and anodic protection.

For more information, visit COMSOl Multiphysics.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.