We recently presented a webinar on Nonlinear Explicit Structural Analysis with OnScale Cloud Engineering Simulation. During the webinar we discussed the difference between implicit and explicit methods and the theory powering the nonlinear transient explicit core solvers of our software. We thought we would provide an overview of dynamic analysis and answer the most fundamental question here:

In our previous blog post, How to Assign Mechanical and Electrical BCs to Array Structures we showed you how to apply boundary conditions (BCs), calculate arrays, request outputs from the solver, calculate timestep by calling PRCS and set up the execution.

In a recent blog post, How to Build Arrays in OnScale we discussed how to build and control the size of the array structures using parameters. In this post we will look at how to assign mechanical and electrical boundary conditions (BCs) to this model and set up an execution loop to run the model on the cloud.

Ultrasonic phased array testing is a powerful non-destructive testing (NDT) technology which is growing rapidly.

In the previous two blog posts the physical basis of piezoelectricity and the main groups of materials were presented, focusing on the selection of a material for a specific purpose. In this blog post we discuss in what configuration piezoelectric materials can be used and illustrate some example device structures.

In the previous blog post a grouping of piezoelectric materials was given into three categories: crystalline structures, engineered perovskite-like ceramics, and polymers. In this blog post a comparison of these groups is provided to aid the reader choosing a suitable material for a specific application.

In this first blog post of the piezoelectrics series, a brief overview is provided on the fundamentals of the phenomenon. Piezoelectric materials allow conversion of energy from the mechanical domain to the electrical domain and vice versa. They can be used to create various sensors or actuators: applied periodic electrical signal can result in the generation of ultrasonic waves for imaging purposes; stresses, such as observed for a cantilever suspending a mass in an accelerometer can be translated to electrical signals.

When I joined OnScale I had just graduated from university. I’ve got to admit, straight out of university a lot about the world of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was still a mystery to me. FEA is a fascinating area -- but I think it’s fair to say that it can at times seem daunting to beginners!

One of the inherent problems with old legacy FEA software is the inability to run large problems – for example legacy simulation packages lack the capability to simulate large arrays in full 3D . This has stunted the development of devices such as PMUTs as the full systems couldn’t be properly simulated.

In this article, we will discuss scripting in OnScale and show you how to build the most basic model in OnScale using only 11 lines of code.