ANSYS has coupled its ANSYS and Ansoft products, successfully performing multiphysics simulations that involve electromagnetic applications. As electronics become more embedded into automotive, aerospace, industrial and consumer products, engineers must consider factors such as circuitry's ability to withstand vibration shocks, heat generation and electromagnetic interference.
For example, a high-power electronic connector used in a military radar application to connect a transmitter to an antenna must be engineered from electromagnetic, thermal and structural perspectives to ensure success. The simulation was performed by coupling Ansoft's HFSS software with the ANSYS Workbench environment, using advanced thermal and structural capabilities. Engineers used HFSS to ensure that the device was transmitting in the proper path, by calculating the high-frequency electromagnetic fields, power loss density distribution and S-parameters. In such high-power applications, it is critical to determine the temperature distribution to ensure the device stays below temperatures that cause material failure, such as melting.
In another case, a valve-actuating solenoid application used a coupled ANSYS and Ansoft simulation to analyze temperature distribution. Solenoids are commonly found in automotive starter systems, home appliances, industrial air hammers and other devices that rely on a sudden burst of power to move a specific part. Maxwell software was used to calculate the power loss from the low-frequency electromagnetic fields within the solenoid. The power loss was used as an input for a thermal simulation performed with ANSYS Mechanical software to determine the temperature profile of the device.
Subsequently, the application predicted how the device deformed due to the rise in temperature. Such coupling delivers a powerful analysis framework needed to solve these complex, interrelated physics problems. Thus, engineers soon will be able to address electro-thermal-stress problems associated with optimizing state-of-the-art radio frequency (RF) and electromechanical components including antennas, actuators, power converters and printed circuit boards (PCBs).
The coupling of ANSYS and Ansoft tools also will provide users with a significantly broader simulation environment.