Sculptor Shapes Up for Advanced CFD

By DE Editors

Sculptor shape deformation and CFD optimization software, developed by Optimal Solutions Software LLC (Idaho Falls, ID) and distributed in the EU by Advantage CFD (Brackley, UK), makes it possible to run multiple variations of a CFD model without having to re-draw and re-mesh the model each time, saving time. The existing CFD mesh can be deformed simply and at will to allow analysis of any new design.

Conventionally, changing the geometry of a CFD model involves redrawing the relevant component in CAD, re-meshing and re-applying the rules and goals needed to run a CFD investigation. By contrast, Sculptor modifies the node coordinates of an existing CFD file (in formats such as Fluent, StarCD etc). This means the volume mesh can be changed repeatedly without any need for remeshing. Rob Lewis, Advantage CFD’s Chief Engineer, says Sculptor “vastly increases the number of design variations that can be considered and assessed in a given timeframe.”

Some recent examples of Sculptor’s abilities were highlighted in several case studies performed by Advantage CFD. The first studied a generic automotive intake port geometry for mass flow rate under a given pressure drop, identifying a design variation (among 124 that were assessed over three days) that produced an overall gain of 1.94 percent. In another, a total potential drag reduction of 17 percent was identified at the conceptual design stage on a high-performance road car. In a third, the anatomy of the human carotid artery bifurcation (CAB) was examined and it was found that changing the shape of the CAB could reduce stresses in blood flow of up to 36 percent.

The company says it hopes that Sculptor will now put CFD within the reach and budget of smaller companies who have, up to now, tended to make little or no use of CFD because of the high cost of lengthy CFD optimizations. For more information, visit optimalsolutions.us.

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