EXCELLENCE IN ENGINEERING SIMULATION ISSUE 2 | 202 2

Simulation:
Teaching Students
and Launching
Startups

6 10 36
How Halodi Robotics Simulation helps UCLA shakes up
engineers robots with a researchers seek seismic research
human touch and destroy cancer with finite elements

© 2021 ANSYS, INC. Ansys Advantage 1

 Table of
Contents
32

17 52
Focus on Startups and Academics

4 10 20
EDITORIAL ELECTROMAGNETICS AND CFD ELECTRIC VEHICLES
ENABLING THE NEXT TARGETING CANCER IN A HITTING THE TRAIL:
GENERATION OF FLASH WITH SIMULATION HOW ELECTRIC
INNOVATION See how TibaRay uses simulation VEHICLE SOFTWARE IS
Discover how the Ansys to develop a groundbreaking DEMOCRATIZING OFF-ROAD
Academic and Ansys Startup radiation therapy system that ADVENTURE
programs are educating could irradiate tumors 400 times See how Potential Motors is
the simulation engineers of faster than current methods. adding a layer of software to
tomorrow and helping startups co-pilot their electric off-road
access simulation software at
15
vehicles in extreme conditions
a discount when they need it with features like proactive
most. suspension control.
FLUID SIMULATION
CAPTURING CANCER
STARTUPS WITH SMARTCATCH
Discover how researchers at 24
SmartCatch used fluid simulation COMPUTATIONAL

6 to make non-invasive liquid

biopsies possible by filtering
FLUID DYNAMICS
SPACE FORGE EMBARKS ON
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: tumor cells from the blood.
ROBOTICS IN-ORBIT MANUFACTURING
Learn how the startup Space

17
ENGINEERING A ‘SOFT Forge is sending robotics into
COLLISION’ BETWEEN orbit to assemble ordinary
HUMANS AND HUMANOID ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING material in extraordinary ways on
ROBOTS returnable satellites.
Listen in on our Q&A with Bernt CEA AIMS TO DEMOCRATIZE
Øivind Børnich, CEO of Halodi SPACE BY 3D-PRINTING
Robotics, as he shares his ROCKET ENGINES
fascinating insights into how Learn how Connect Everything
to design robots that can safely Aerospace has 3D-printed a
interact with humans. rocket engine to make space
launches much less expensive.

2 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 ACADEMICS
44
MULTIPHYSICS SIMULATION
W elcome to Ansys Advantage!
We hope you enjoy this

28
issue containing articles by Ansys
CATCHING SOME RAYS: customers, staff and partners.
OPTICAL SIMULATION STUDENTS DESIGN SOLAR
A GLIMPSE INTO DEEP SPACE RACE CAR WITH SIMULATION The Editorial Staff,
WITH EXTREME OPTICAL AND THE SUN Ansys Advantage
See how the Blue Sky Solar
ENGINEERING ansys-advantage@[Link]
Racing Team from the University
Discover how researchers at the
of Toronto uses simulation Editorial Advisers
University of Arizona are using
to enhance their vehicle’s
simulation to create the ground- Lynn Ledwith, Mary Beth Clay
aerodynamics, energy storage,
based Giant Magellan Telescope,
and driver safety.
which will be 10 times more Executive Editor
powerful than the Hubble Space Jamie J. Gooch
Telescope.
48 Managing Editor
32 COLLABORATION
HELPING STUDENTS’
Tim Palucka
COMPUTATIONAL Copy Editor
FLUID DYNAMICS DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT
Learn how the student team Abby Humphreys
BIRD’S-EYE VIEW: USING CFD at Universidad Nacional
TO UNDERSTAND CHANGING Autónoma de México (UNAM) Editors
WIND BEHAVIORS uses simulation to analyze Erik Ferguson
See how researchers at the the mechanical strength and
University of Pretoria modeled aerodynamics of aircraft for Editorial Contributor
an entire deserted island to student competitions. Ansys Customer Excellence
better understand wind flow
North America
52
patterns to predict plant seed
dispersal and investigate bird Art Director
flight and nesting behaviors. COMPUTATIONAL Ron Santillo
FLUID DYNAMICS

36 SOMETHING IN THE AIR

Learn how a professor taught
Designer
Dan Hart Design
FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS
students at the Indian Institute
FINITE ELEMENTS SHAKE UP of Technology Bombay how ANSYS, Inc.,
SEISMIC RESEARCH AT UCLA to use CFD to minimize Southpointe, 2600 Ansys Drive,
See how researchers at UCLA are virus spreading through the Canonsburg, PA 15317
using simulation to investigate ventilation of campus buildings
the risk of seismic activity during the coronavirus Subscribe at [Link]/subscribe
to natural gas pipelines that lockdown.
intersect with geological faults.
Take a Leap of Certainty … with Ansys
56 When visionary companies need to know how their

40 DIGITAL MISSION ENGINEERING

world-changing ideas will perform, they close the gap
between design and reality with Ansys simulation. For more
than 50 years, Ansys software has enabled innovators across
CRASH TEST SIMULATION industries to push boundaries by using the predictive
PENN STATE STUDENTS power of simulation. From sustainable transportation to
STEERING CAR SEAT TAKE ON DIGITAL MISSIONS advanced semiconductors, from satellite systems to
DEVELOPMENT Discover how Penn State life-saving medical devices, the next great leaps in human
advancement will be powered by Ansys.
IN A SAFER DIRECTION students are using Ansys HFSS
Ansys is the global leader in engineering simulation. We
Discover how researchers and the Ansys Systems Tool Kit help the world’s most innovative companies deliver radically
at the Children’s Hospital of (STK) digital mission engineering better products to their customers. By offering the best and
Philadelphia are using simulated platform to optimize emerging broadest portfolio of engineering simulation software, we
help them solve the most complex design challenges and
crash testing to develop safer car research in electronics and engineer products limited only by imagination.
seats for children. aerospace.
Neither ANSYS, Inc. nor Dan Hart Design guarantees or
warrants accuracy or completeness of the material
contained in this publication.
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© 2022
2021 ANSYS,
ANSYS, INC.
INC. Ansys Advantage 33
 EDITOR IA L

Enabling the Next

Generation of Innovation
By Susan Coleman, Director of Academic and Startup Programs, Ansys

At Ansys, we have always had a goal of lowering the

barrier of entry to learning simulation. Nowhere are
our efforts to attain this goal more evident than in
our Ansys Academic and Startup Programs. Both
are devoted to making Ansys simulation software
accessible to those who need it in order to achieve
a better tomorrow: engineering students in
university programs, and startup companies
whose existence depends on demonstrating
success rapidly while raising funding.
To be accessible to these groups, engineering
simulation software must be easily learned and
financially affordable. Ansys provides free student software through the
Academic Program, along with reduced rates for universities that want
to use Ansys software as a teaching or research tool. We also
work with qualified early-stage startups to make our software
affordable through our Startup Program.

LEARN WITH THE ANSYS ACADEMIC PROGRAM

Today, more than 3,300 universities across 92 countries use
software through our Academic Program for teaching and
research on campus. We see Ansys software being used to
empower some of the most groundbreaking research coming
from academia while also playing a key role in undergraduate-
and graduate-level curriculums.
August 2015 marked the start of free student software
downloads with the advent of Ansys Student, our Ansys
Workbench–based product that made Ansys Mechanical and
Ansys computational fluid dynamics (CFD) products available to
students at no cost. Since then, we have added Ansys Discovery
Student, Ansys Electronics Desktop Student, Ansys SCADE
student, and Ansys LS-DYNA Student software to the mix. We are proud to note that more than 2.23
million free student software products have been downloaded, with the numbers climbing rapidly.
Getting our simulation software into the hands of students is one achievement but getting it into
their brains is another. In July 2020, we introduced the first of our Ansys Innovation Courses, which
are freely available to university students and self-learners at all levels. We now offer more than 230
courses in physics and engineering disciplines, with more courses added every month. They are
taught by Ansys professionals and professors from various universities. We also find that early career
engineers often take our courses to develop a new skill set or make themselves eligible for promotion
or new roles. Course topics range from using simulation to introduce and reinforce basic engineering
concepts to more specific Ansys simulation application areas. Courses include video lectures,
handouts, starting files, and quizzes to reinforce what was taught. Many educators have found value
in assigning these as supplemental learning to their in-classroom curriculum.
Rounding out the offerings of the Academic Program, the Ansys Learning Forum is an online
gathering place where students and professionals alike can interact to ask questions about simulation
and physics, and get answers from their fellow engineers or our Ansys Customer Excellence (ACE)
staff. The Learning Forum brings students and self-learners full circle in their learning journey because
now they can access our free student software, learn using our free Innovation Courses, and ask
questions and get clarifications or support via our forum.

4 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE STARTUPS
STARTUPS AND ACADEMICS BY Following a successful pilot program, we
THE NUMBERS formally launched the Startup Program in
September 2016, offering affordable simulation
3,300+
universities across 92 countries
use software via the Ansys
software to eligible startup companies. To date,
more than 1,500 startups in 53 countries have
Academic Program joined. Participants are spread across many
industries, with high tech representing 20%,
2.23+
million free student software
products have been downloaded
energy 15% (many focused on alternative clean
energy solutions and sustainability), aerospace
and defense 14%, healthcare 10%, automotive
230+
free Ansys Innovation
Courses available
7%, and a variety of others. Companies
involved are working on autonomous driving,
commercial space flight, the internet of things
1,500+

members of the Ansys Startup
Program
(IoT), 5G communications, electrification of cars
and airplanes, robotics, cancer treatments, and
many more challenges.
With limited funding, often borrowed from
family and friends and supplemented by venture capitalists,
they must spend their money wisely and stretch it as far as they
can. We never want a startup to miss the opportunity to propel
their innovation forward during the most critical stages of their
development. The Startup Program has created an easy entry point
for engagement and growth. Later, once they are well-established,
they often tell us, “We couldn’t have done it without the Ansys Startup
Program.” That’s a win–win that warms our hearts every time we hear it
because we see firsthand how these startups are changing our world.

ONE PROGRAM HELPING THE OTHER

We know that students learning our software in schools makes a difference
because we see them joining the companies using our software and
contributing on day one. In some cases, newly hired graduates even become
advocates at companies that may not be benefiting from simulation yet. But what
is truly amazing is when the journey goes full circle for an engineer and we see the
programs work hand-in-hand.
For instance, a team of undergraduate students working on a race car for a
competition develops ideas that help them compete and, in some cases, win. They
use the Ansys software and learning
resources available to them on campus INDUSTRY SECTORS OF STARTUP
via our Academic Program. Then PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
sometimes they realize that they can take
their ideas a step further and bring a new 20%
solution to market, so they found a startup High Tech
company once they graduate. They join our
Startup Program as they build a business 15%
around their idea, growing to become a more
Energy
established Ansys customer. It’s one of the most
inspiring use cases to witness, and the power of
simulation is behind them all along the way. 14%
This issue of Ansys Advantage tells just a few of Aerospace & Defense
the many success stories that came out of the Ansys
Academic Program and the Ansys Startup Program. 10%
Many more stories have already been told in earlier
Healthcare
issues of the magazine and in the Ansys blog. We
hope they inspire you to include Ansys in your
lifelong learning experience, no matter where you are 7%
in your journey. Auto

© 2021 ANSYS, INC. Ansys Advantage 5

 FO CU S ON STA RTU P S / R O B OT I CS

Engineering a
‘Soft Collision’
Between Humans
and Humanoid
Robots
By Ansys Advantage Staff

6
6 Ansys
Ansys Advantage
Advantage Issue21 |/ 2022
Issue 2021
 Halodi Robotics was founded in 2015 by CEO Bernt
Øivind Børnich and COO/CFO Stein Erik Maurice
to innovate humanoid robot helpers that they couldn’t
believe were not already in existence. What was the
roadblock? After a lot of deep thought about what they
wanted from such a robot, they used simulation and their
considerable ingenuity to create Eve, “the world’s first
robot to operate with human strength, in near silence,
to safely work among (and interact with) people.” After
talking with Børnich, we wanted to share his fascinating
insights into the intersection of the human and robotic Bernt Øivind Børnich
worlds with you.

Ansys Advantage: What inspired you and your something, there’s a pattern — they move
colleagues to start Halodi Robotics? quickly and precisely, and then they almost
Bernt Øivind Børnich: The goal from the start stop, and then they move again. And this is
has been to get robots out of factories, among because, when moving, the energy in the
people. It’s been a lifelong dream for me and system is so high that if the robot touches
everyone else in the company. We’re all waiting anything, either the robot breaks or whatever
for robot helpers around us, and it didn’t seem they’re touching breaks. They’re inherently not
to be happening by itself. So, we really started safe. They can be made safe in a controlled
by sitting down and looking at why it is not factory environment, around trained personnel,
happening. What are the major barriers to enter but there are still safety barriers to enter the
this market? What’s actually lacking to make it market for general interactions with humans.
happen? Because it’s one of those rare things
where everyone’s asking for it, everyone wants AA: What are you doing at Halodi to make
it, but it doesn’t exist. robots that are safe to work with humans?
Børnich: We are getting rid of all this energy so
AA: And what did you conclude from these that the robot can just collide with the world
discussions? without breaking the world or itself. That’s
Børnich: We figured out that there are some what we humans do. When you go down the
fundamental principles about how we build hallway in your office space, you’re not afraid
robots that don’t align with how you would get of bumping into your colleague. It might be
robots to be useful in human environments. awkward, but it’s not dangerous.
In brief, we need to make robots that are safe, Our design for our first robot, Eve, is very
capable, and affordable. There have been a lot much inspired by biology. And it just comes
of products through the years that have had down to that: We humans are masters of
two of these, but none that have had all three. minimizing impacts and we’re inherently
“over damped.” So, whenever we do anything,
AA: Can you give us some examples? we have so little energy in our motions that
collisions are very low energy. We don’t care
Børnich: Yes. There are some human-like
about the impacts. When I pick up something, I
products that can wave and talk, things like
do that by colliding with it. Even when I pick up
that. But in my opinion, they are not real robots
my coffee cup, I collide with the cup.
because a robot is an automator — it automates
Eve can interact with things, including
work. And if you can’t automate physical labor,
humans, in a compliant, soft, natural manner.
you’re not really a robot. They are relatively safe,
It’s able to exert a lot of force, but it’s moving
relatively affordable, but they are not capable.
with minimal energy. And this is really where
And then you have the capable robots, which
our system sets itself apart. When you interact
I would say are the industrial robots. They’re
with our robot, you’ll feel it; it’s just like
capable, they’re starting to get affordable, but
interfacing with a human, everything is just soft
they’re not safe. Whenever they’re picking up

© 2021 ANSYS, INC. Ansys Advantage 7

 FO CU S ON STA RTU P S / R O B OT I CS

“we’ve
The other simulation tools aren’t the same quality, and
evaluated all of them. So, the Startup Program has
been very empowering, and we’re very grateful for it.”

and compliant and everything gives way, but it AA: How did you decide on Ansys software?
can still exert a lot of force because those two Børnich: Originally, Ansys software was
things aren’t necessarily related. So, Eve can be prohibitively expensive for us as a startup. We
very strong, but still very low energy. And that’s would not have been able to use it without the
something that’s been missing in robotics. It’s Ansys Startup Program. That’s been hugely
really what opens up the market to us because beneficial to us because the other simulation
it enables us to be safe. tools aren’t the same quality, and we’ve evaluated
all of them. So, the Startup Program has been
AA: Getting to more practical details, these very empowering, and we’re very grateful for it.
features are all a function of gears and motors
and connecting cables between the joints AA: Which Ansys products do you use most?
of the robot. How did you engineer these
Børnich: If you look at hours spent, it’s Ansys
capabilities into Eve?
Mechanical, because everyone in the engineering
Børnich: We use very similar systems to human team working on the product is doing so much
muscle fiber — synthetic fiber threads that simulation on the component side. But the big
are shared between a lot of our actuators to work we’re doing is on the motor side, which I’m
move the robot. And we do that together super hyped about. My key contribution early in
with very-low-speed motors that have very, the company was doing all the motor designs. I
very high torque and very low weight. Eve has still do most of it — that’s where I keep my hands
about three times more power-to-weight than dirty. For that we use a mix of some in-house
anything you can buy commercially off the tools and Ansys Motor-CAD.
shelf in that size, so it’s really a game changer. Motor-CAD has a very efficient way of
solving simulations for motors, so that you can
actually iterate on large-parameter models
and do optimization. We do a lot of analysis
of frequency-dependent losses. Which of our
frequency-dependent losses actually matter
at the speed that we’re running the motors,
and how can we use that to either improve
performance or simplify the system and then
verify that it works in the real world? We’re
utilizing Ansys solutions among others
to figure out what’s the best way to design
electric motors.
And now we’re spending a lot of time
on “design for manufacturing” for motors,
especially for a new generation where we’re
setting up proper assembly lines for high-
volume production.
At the core of this problem is: How do you
get force or torque density so that you can AA: So you’re planning on mass production?
have a lot of power with very little speed and
Børnich: Exactly. And having really good
still very little weight? Because then all of your
simulation models there is invaluable, because
other problems become not simple, but a lot
you always have your production engineers
simpler. And it’s a very hard problem to begin
asking: “Can we do this? This will make
with. So, we’ve been spending a lot of time
manufacturing a lot simpler.” And we need to
doing large optimization models, utilizing
decide how this proposed procedure would
Ansys simulations among others to figure out
actually affect performance. Sometimes we
the best way to design electric motors.
run a design for manufacturing simulation

8 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 and discover that it would completely wreck
performance. And other times we learn that it
wouldn’t affect the performance much, so we
say, “Let’s do that.”
Being able to answer such questions within
a couple of hours using simulation is super
important. For the company, now, it’s a really
big thing to go deep on the manufacturing
side and make sure that what we have is not
only very high performance, but that it satisfies
the original three criteria: safety, capability,
and affordability. If you do a really good job on
automating your manufacturing, you can also
make your product at a disruptively low cost.

AA: What are your target markets? to be anyone there, and he opens a door and
Børnich: We want to get into security, retail sees a person in the room, he alerts the operator.
(such as warehouse work), logistics, and The operator talks to the person through the
healthcare, for starters. We’re seeing a lot of robot, including mapping his body language
traction right now in physical security. We through the robot, to resolve the situation.
just closed the largest deal ever for humanoid
robotics, with 140 robots scheduled to ship late AA: You also mentioned healthcare
this year to a security firm. applications. How do you envision that?
Because our robots are powerful, in addition Børnich: As the human population ages,
to being able to patrol around and observe and assistive robots can help people to live better,
report, our robot can open doors, including more independent lives without leaving their
heavy doors. In secure facilities, you have heavy homes through use of technology. They can
doors with heavy door pumps. You need to also help with care in hospitals, like moving
exert a lot of force to be able to open them. patients around in wheelchairs or helping them
We are also able to map humans really well to get dressed. Simple things like getting out of
to the robot. So, we have a very powerful avatar bed in the morning when you want to get up,
mode where we map all of the kinematics not when the nurse has time. Or bringing you
of the human to the kinematics of the robot. food when you’re actually hungry, or helping
The robot actually has exactly the same joints you dress when you want to go out. Helping
and ranges of motion on joints as a human, people — that’s really what gets me up in the
including the leg, except that it has one leg morning. That’s where we want to take Halodi
with wheels instead of two legs. Robotics in the long term.
This enables us to do remote labor very
efficiently. Our robot can do fine manipulation,

E
like closing a window, removing a bag ngineers at Halodi Robotics have
that someone put in a door, etc. So, in this designed Eve as a platform that is
application, we have a fleet of robots covering
available for other roboticists to develop
a building with a central human operator
and test their own control algorithms
overseeing the fleet. When a robot finds a
without having to create all the new
bag blocking a door that should be closed,
hardware. In this way, they hope to help
it asks for help. The operator takes control of
researchers advance the field of robotics
the robot, removes the bag, and the robot
faster than they could otherwise. This
continues automatically. And this enables us to
cover all the edge cases. Every time the robot selfless approach is part of their effort
doesn’t know how to handle a situation and to realize the human helper robots that
a human steps in and does it through avatar they thought would be ubiquitous by
mode, the robot learns how to do it. now. It’s all summed up in their motto:
This also delivers better service for the OUT OF THE LAB. BEYOND THE
customer because there’s a lot of things robots FACTORY FLOOR. HALODI ROBOTS
are really good at and things that humans are ARE READY TO WORK IN HUMAN
really good at, and we want to use them both SPACES. WITH HUMAN STRENGTH.
for whatever they do best. If a robot is doing AT YOUR SERVICE.
after-hours patrolling and there’s not supposed

© 2021 ANSYS, INC. Ansys Advantage 9

 FO CU S ON STA RTU P S / E L ECT R O M AG N E TICS & CF D

Targeting Cancer in a FLASH with

Simulation, Radio
Frequency, and
Electromagnetics
By Jennifer Procario, Staff Writer, Ansys Advantage

10 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 The PHASER has 16 accelerators that electronically target tumors with unprecedented speed for
revolutionary radiation therapy treatment.

W
hile every cancer case is individual, Dr. Bill Loo, a radiation oncologist at the
there is one shared truth: Time is Stanford Cancer Institute who has substantial
critical. We often hear how time is experience using radiation to treat lung
crucial in diagnosis or early detection, but it is tumors, recognized a recurring issue between
just as imperative to treatment. the breathing-induced movement of tumors
Engineers and radio frequency (RF) experts and the challenge to deliver radiation more
at medical technology manufacturer TibaRay accurately, quickly, and efficiently without
are developing a groundbreaking radiation irradiating surrounding healthy tissue.
therapy (RT) system that will irradiate tumors He was searching for a solution when he
400 times faster than today’s conventional reached out to Sami Tantawi, a microwave
RT. As a result, the accelerated treatment RF expert and electrical engineer from the
is expected to solve problems that prevent SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, a U.S.
curative treatments for individual patients and Department of Energy National Laboratory
benefit a greater number of patients in the operated by Stanford University.
same amount of time as current methods. Tantawi and his team had just made a
As a member of the Ansys Startup Program, breakthrough discovery in developing state-
the California-based company is developing of-the-art particle accelerators — machines
the next-generation RT technology by applying that use EM fields to propel charged particles
Ansys’ electromagnetic (EM) solvers and at very high speeds and energies through
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation carefully formed beams — which far exceed
software for faster, more accurate, and cost- the capabilities of existing technology. In other
efficient solutions. More importantly, TibaRay is words, they were developing linear particle
employing simulation in the hopes of ultimately accelerators, also
providing an essential contribution to curing referred to as linacs,
cancer and bringing this treatment — which that could solve Loo’s
they describe as the “holy grail” of cancer primary challenge.
therapy — to market before the end of Loo and Tantawi
the decade. immediately teamed
to transform current
PIONEERING SOLUTIONS WITH ANSYS RT systems by
TibaRay was founded in 2014 when a group integrating the latest Simulation of linear
of experts in radiation oncology, RF, and developments in accelerator designs in
engineering with deep roots in the Stanford particle physics with Ansys HFSS
University community pooled their knowledge cancer treatment. To
and resources to create a revolutionary solution equip themselves with the latest simulation
for cancer treatment. tools, the pair learned about the Ansys

© 2021 ANSYS, INC. Ansys Advantage 11

 FO CU S ON STA RTU P S / E L ECT R O M AG NE TICS & CF D

just a couple of years and then you have your

product ready and one year or so of the Startup
Program helps. We need the startup help for
quite a bit of time, and the help we receive
from the Ansys Startup Program is very
much appreciated.”
In addition to HFSS 3D high-frequency
The PHASER produces radiation so rapidly that EM simulation software, TibaRay uses Ansys
the treatment is finished before the tumor target
Maxwell for low-frequency EM machine
moves, unlike current radiation therapy methods
modeling, Ansys Fluent for CFD analyses, and
that must monitor breathing-induced tumor
Ansys Mechanical for stress analyses.
motion, as illustrated in the animation above, to
To understand the breadth of the PHASER,
deliver treatment while the tumor is in motion.
think of an octopus and multiply that by two.
The PHASER is equipped with 16 accelerators —
or limbs — that attack the tumor from different
Startup Program through Ansys’ Elite Channel sides and angles. But because everything is
Partner, Ozen Engineering, Inc., and became electronic, there is no need to move any of the
a member in 2016. The program encourages 16 parts.
early-stage startups by providing affordable But let’s back up. First, to power the
access to Ansys’ simulation solutions coupled PHASER, TibaRay designed an efficient klystron
with technical support to help advance their — a linear-beam electron vacuum tube — that
businesses. uses periodic permanent magnet focusing
Today, TibaRay has roughly 15 full-time and requires a much lower high-voltage power
employees and a handful of part-timers supply for operation than typical klystrons.
who rely on Ansys’ simulation and predictive By pairing this high-efficiency klystron with
accuracy to develop a first-of-its-kind RT RF combining technology, TibaRay engineers
system they call the PHASER, an acronym for are able to generate peak power that can be
pluridirectional, high-energy, agile scanning scaled almost without limit. This creates more
electronic radiotherapy. compact and efficient RF sources for the
The PHASER combines linear accelerators accelerators, which are fueled by the klystron
with RF sources and components to create a source — the microwave generator.
nonlinear, fully electronic approach to radiation Electrons are injected into the particle
treatment that offers motion-freezing accelerators and interact with the microwaves
precision at record-breaking speeds from to produce X-rays, which are then used in the
various angles to better destroy the tumor radiation treatment. It is important to note
— without moving heavy mechanical parts that X-rays used for treatment purposes are
around the patient. at much higher radiation dosages than X-rays
“What we’re trying to do is a very heavy lift. used for diagnostic imaging.
It’s very intensive in terms of the design and And because the PHASER is designed
the many components that we’re modeling with simulation to operate electronically,
with Ansys HFSS,” says Arun Ganguly, Chief the accelerators are not required to move.
Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer Instead, the microwave power is electronically
at TibaRay. “It’s not a typical startup where it’s toggled between each accelerator, which

Design of periodic permanent magnet stack in Ansys Maxwell

12 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 The PHASER operates
electronically, using 16
different accelerators to
target tumors from 16
different angles without
having to move heavy
equipment around the
patient.

“intensive
What we’re trying to do is a very heavy lift. It’s very
in terms of the design and the many components
that we’re modeling with Ansys HFSS.”

allows the team to shift the focus of the distribution within each, while stress analyses
beam at unprecedented speed without any are performed in Ansys Mechanical. Based
interference. on these results, the team modifies and
Radiation sessions that normally take several manipulates the cavity shapes to achieve the
minutes — whether three, 10, or 20, depending ideal direction for the charged energy and
on the treatment regimen — are reduced to subsequent radiation.
under a second. Different devices are designed for varying
resonant frequencies — the PHASER is
ELECTRIC RESULTS WITH SIMULATION equipped for an X-band frequency of 9.3 GHz.
Simulation is an integral part of operations A few popular devices that operate at similar
at TibaRay, so much so that Ganguly refers X-band frequencies include machines used in
to HFSS as the “bread and butter” of the air traffic control, police radars, and military air
PHASER’s design. traffic control.
Each particle accelerator is injected with By tweaking parameters in HFSS, TibaRay
low-voltage electrons. In addition, each is able to design and influence the flow of the
accelerator has a series of resonant cavities that microwaves through the beam. The ultimate
are powered by the microwaves coming from goal is for the microwaves to flow from the
the klystron. As the electrons pass through klystron source toward the accelerator, through
these cavities they interact with the microwave the beam, without any power rolling or flowing
power inside them, gaining momentum and back in the opposite direction, which could
increasing in energy with each cavity. How damage the klystron. HFSS also helped the
much momentum? Within 2 feet, the electron team design a monitoring diagnostic tool to
power progresses from approximately 10,000 measure the beam itself.
electron volts of energy to 10 mega electron While the EM simulation prowess of HFSS
volts of energy. plays an integral role in the PHASER’s system
During this energy buildup, Ganguly and design, Fluent allows the team to monitor and
her team study where the resonant cavities adjust thermal activity within the accelerator.
are located along the path of the beam. With such a high amount of power pumping
This data, which comprises accurate and through the beam, it is imperative to ensure
precise positions, is then entered into HFSS that the temperature in the accelerator
to determine the resonant frequency of each maintains thermal stability and that it is being
cavity, including the phase angle and field cooled by circulating water. Thermal simulation

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 FO CU S ON STA RTU P S / E L ECT R O M AG N E TICS & CF D

“world,
There are other tools available to the high-energy physics
but I would say Ansys’ simulation is the friendliest and
most reasonably accurate way of being able to simulate all
of our systems before going and cutting metal. ”
also influences how the cavities are aligned PHASER uses electrons that produce high-
during design to keep the most consistent flow energy X-rays, and its equipment costs run in
in relation to its direction and temperature. line with traditional costs for RT machines, which
As the team sees HFSS as the bread and are significantly more affordable at one-tenth
butter of the PHASER’s design, Maxwell of the price of a proton FLASH machine. Most
could be considered its well-stocked pantry. importantly, it can deliver the same FLASH effect
TibaRay uses its low-frequency EM simulation with the same motion management, speed,
to design the klystron — the PHASER’s main and precision.
source of power — which requires a specific The PHASER is also an all-in-one machine
and strong magnetic field. With automatic with a built-in CT scanner, whereas typical RT
adaptive meshing and advanced magnetic systems only have a flat panel detector capable
modeling, Maxwell enables the team to achieve of 2D projections. With a CT scanner integrated
the desired EM power within the klystron and directly into the system, the PHASER produces
understand its performance. real-time high-quality images during treatment
“There are other tools available to the high- for up-to-the-instant accuracy. Once the location
energy physics world, but I would say Ansys’ of the tumor is identified with imaging, the
simulation is the friendliest and most reasonably treatment is finished before it moves.
accurate way of being able to simulate all of our
systems before going and cutting metal,” says HIGH-POWERED PERFECTION TAKES TIME
Ganguly. “You visualize what you want to do Developing the first engineering prototype of
before you actually go ahead and do it.” the PHASER takes time, but not as long as you
might think.
ON-THE-MARK TREATMENT IN A SNAP As on-premises computing can only handle a
A distinctive feature of the PHASER is its fully certain amount of data and calculations, Ganguly
electronic operation, which removes the need plans to leverage Ansys’ cloud computing
for mechanical movement and significantly capability
increases its precision and speed. to expedite
But a recent scientific discovery has increased development.
the PHASER’s relevance even further. It is a While the team
common occurrence in conventional RT that will continue
surrounding healthy tissue inadvertently to determine
becomes damaged when targeting tumors. individual
However, scientists recently identified a parameters
biological effect, commonly referred to as the locally, Ganguly Accelerator model mesh used
“FLASH effect,” that eliminates this problem intends to for Ansys Fluent computational
by delivering the same amount of radiation optimize and fluid dynamics analysis
in much shorter times. FLASH targeting has accelerate larger,
demonstrated that surrounding healthy tissue full-system calculations in the cloud.
touched by radiation recovers without scarring At this rate, TibaRay expects to have the
or damage, due to this surprising effect. PHASER prototype completed in four years
While this breakthrough came to light to request a 510(k) clearance f rom the FDA,
separately, Ganguly explains that it is essentially which will allow it to be marketed as safe and
what the PHASER was already being designed effective for radiation therapy. Once this is
to achieve. However, the FLASH effect is being secured, TibaRay will coordinate with leading
studied in a totally different regime using radiation oncology centers to place PHASER
protons, requiring machines and equipment machines on-site to treat patients in clinical
with costs around $100 million. trials and collect enough data to support the
Alternatively, and more advantageously, the technology.

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 FOCU S ON STA RTU P S / F LU ID S IM U L ATI O N

Capturing Cancer with

SMARTCATCH
By Aliyah Mallak, Staff Writer, Ansys Advantage

Almost everyone knows at least one person who has or has had cancer. With over 1.9 million new
cases of cancer every year in the United States alone, it’s hard not to know someone affected by this
terrible disease.
Biopsies, which involve removal of tissue to examine
under a microscope, are the most common way to
diagnose cancer. The type of biopsy a patient receives is
based on where the tumor is located. While some biopsy
techniques are noninvasive, others require surgery that can
be expensive, uncomfortable for the patient, and require
longer healing times. Another downside of traditional
biopsies is that a diagnosis based on the analysis of a
single‐tumor biopsy only reflects a single point in time of
the whole disease. Representation of the CTC-Pheresis concept
But there is an alternative: liquid biopsies.

CATCHING CIRCULATING CTCs provide crucial information like number,

TUMOR CELLS WITH LIQUID BIOPSIES genetics, molecular pathways, and mechanisms
A liquid biopsy is a minimally invasive procedure of immune evasion. Their detection, counting,
that tests blood for circulating tumor cells and analysis could help doctors refine cancer
(CTCs) that travel in every patient’s bloodstream. diagnosis and prognosis, adapt therapies at the
CTCs are cancer cells that escape from a tumor individual level, and closely monitor the evolution
and migrate through the body. Some of these of the disease over time and the effectiveness of
tumor cells travel through the bloodstream until the treatments.
they potentially develop a secondary tumor or The challenge is that these cells are incredibly
metastasis. rare, with only one CTC per billion normal blood
Because they are pieces of the original tumor, cells. They are also difficult to capture while
they carry information about the presence, maintaining their physiological integrity. Because
nature, and aggressiveness of the solid tumor. they are difficult to detect, they are not used in

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 FO CU S ON STA RTU P S / F LU I D S I M U L ATION

clinical routines as biomarkers, missing a great hydrodynamic phenomena at the scale and the
opportunity for early detection of cancer. meshing we needed to study them,” explains Cerf.
But CTCs are relatively larger and less Blood, which is a complex viscous and
deformable than other blood cellular multiphase fluid, is a very complicated liquid to
components. Using a micro mesh capture device simulate. All the cells within blood have different
developed with cutting-edge technologies and stiffnesses and deformability sizes. Part of the
advanced computational simulations, SmartCatch problem when SmartCatch began the project
is working toward liquid biopsies that enable a was that the technology just hadn’t caught up to
one-step, selective isolation of CTCs from blood in where they were yet.
physiological conditions. “For several years we had known the technical
bottlenecks liquid biopsies were facing,” says
LIQUID BIOPSY TRADITIONAL BIOPSY Cerf. “We have reached a point where biology at
Sample derived from body fluid Sample derived from surgical the cellular level and the outstanding progress of
(usually blood) biopsy or needle biopsy micro/nanotechnologies now meet, and we can
Noninvasive Invasive
finally solve these bottlenecks.”
Less risk and pain Some risk and pain Fluent has enabled SmartCatch to isolate
CTCs directly from fresh, whole blood with no
Easily and repeatedly Often not easily or
obtained repeatedly obtained pre-processing steps to provide unaltered, high-
quality capture material.
Real-time detection of Spatially and temporally
comprehensive tissue profile limited tissue profile
OVERCOMING REGULATORY
Liquid biopsy vs. traditional biopsy1 HURDLES WITH SIMULATION
Every country has its own governing body that
HOW SMARTCATCH CASTS ITS NET regulates pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
Based in Toulouse, France, SmartCatch was Each agency has different rules, but the same
founded in 2016 as a spinoff of the French basic principle applies to all of them: You must
National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). prove safety and efficacy before going to market.
It was jointly founded by an academic team
specializing in micro and nanotechnologies from
the Laboratory of Architecture and Analysis of
Systems (LAAS-CNRS) and urology surgeons
of the University Institute of Cancer (IUCT) and
Montauban Uropole.
“Our goal is to develop highly normative
Numerical CFD simulations in the development
technologies that are affordable, easy to use,
of medical devices designed to isolate cancer
patient friendly, and do not require particular
biomarkers from circulating blood
training so that everybody can use them,” says
Aline Cerf, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder “For us, most importantly, we need to
of SmartCatch. “We just want to detect cancer demonstrate that we’re not altering the rest
better, earlier.” of the cells, that our technology is completely
Cerf explains that the idea occurred to the inert,” says Cerf.
founders in 2012. Because SmartCatch is in silico — using
“We came up with this crazy idea of computer modeling and simulation — Ansys
developing 3D fishnets at the microscale to products are helping them prove to regulatory
isolate these tumor cells that everybody was really authorities that their products do in fact work
looking to be able to capture,” she says. “Because efficiently and are safe for human use.
if you’re removing the most aggressive elements, “Simulation is a very powerful argument to
the ones that are responsible for metastasis, then back up our experiments,” says Cerf. “We’re not
you can prevent metastasis altogether.” replacing physical experiments (in vitro) with
simulated ones (in silico), but it’s complementary
FILTERING CELLS WITH ANSYS FLUENT information that in the end explains why we’re
The SmartCatch team uses Ansys Fluent to making these choices.”
simulate many filter design ideas.
“It would take us a full day to fabricate just Reference
one design and it was a lot of work as we had [1] Qi ZH, Xu HX, Zhang SR, Xu JZ, Li S, Gao HL, Jin W, Wang
WQ, Wu CT, Ni QX, Yu XJ, Liu L. The Significance of Liquid
thousands of ideas per minute! So, we were
Biopsy in Pancreatic Cancer. J Cancer 2018; 9(18):3417-3426.
wasting a lot of time. Ansys was the only tool doi:10.7150/jca.24591. Available from [Link]
that gave us the possibility to resolve the org/[Link]

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 FOCU S ON STA RTU P S / A D D I T IVE M A NUFACTURIN G

CEA Aims to
Democratize Space by
3D Printing Rocket
Engines
By Curt Chan, Senior
Product Marketing
Manager, Ansys

CEA’s single-piece rocket

engine design will be
manufacturable in less
than six hours via 3D
printing, with Velo3D as a
partner. It will be capable
of producing kilonewtons
of thrust while weighing
less than 2 kilograms.

© 2021
© 2022 ANSYS,
ANSYS,INC.
INC. Ansys
Ansys Advantage
Advantage 17
17
 FO CU S ON STA RTU P S / A D D I T IVE M A NUFACTURIN G

A
mong the more surprising business trends of the last
decade has been the dramatic privatization of space
launches and exploration. According to a recent article
in The Guardian, private businesses now account for
approximately 80% of the $424-billion worldwide space industry.
While a handful of mega-wealthy individuals — including Richard
Branson, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos ― have received plenty of media
attention for their efforts to establish space tourism, the potential
of space for a range of business applications is enormous. From
launching satellites to transporting goods, the worldwide space
industry represents untapped opportunities for product and service
commercialization. It may well be the “final frontier” for a new
generation of ambitious entrepreneurs.
One such entrepreneur, (and a self-confessed space evangelist)
is Ewan Craig, who founded Connect Everything Aerospace (CEA)
in the UK in 2020, based on a novel idea he developed during the early months of the COVID-19
lockdown. While many of us were taking long walks, assembling puzzles, or baking bread, Craig
was imagining an unexpected way to make space more accessible, more affordable, and more
democratic by 3D-printing rocket engines.
Less than 18 months later, with support from the Ansys Startup Program, Craig is preparing for
his first test launch. Recently I talked with Craig about his unique vision — and how he’s managed
to realize it so quickly.

Ansys Advantage: When I hear the words lockdown, I did an online open course, an
“additive manufacturing,” rocket engines introduction to basic rocket science, created by
don’t seem like a natural fit. After all, we use the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
“rocket science” to express the most extreme I just loved it. I started doing some research, and
example of product complexity. So how I learned about an aerospike engine design that
exactly did the concept for CEA originate? was conceived in the 1960s but never really got
off the ground, pun intended. And there was a
Ewan Craig: I’ve always thought aerospace moment when I thought, “Hold on a second.
engineering is just the coolest thing we do as Should I try and redesign this for today?”
human beings. The moon landing, sending The engine has an unique design that
rovers to other planets, having men and allows it to deliver maximum thrust as it
women living in orbit around our planet ― it’s climbs through the atmosphere, self-adapting
so incredible. So during the initial COVID-19 to the changes in ambient pressure to support
optimum exhaust expansion. But that unique
design makes it heavy, hard to manufacture,
and expensive to produce using conventional
materials and fabrication processes. Additive
manufacturing, or 3D printing, is really the
only way to produce it at scale.
With 3D printing, complexity is not really
an issue. As long as you optimize the design,
it’s just a matter of pressing a button. By
combining the really modern technology of
3D printing with this rather old invention of
the aerospike rocket engine, you can actually
CEA relied on Ansys Discovery (pictured) and make something that’s viable today, both
Ansys Fluent in creating and verifying the financially and practically. And that was the
design. genesis of CEA.

18 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 AA: Once you have the ability to mass- have proven my concept, founded a company,
produce rocket engines, quickly and applied for patents, and identified a 3D
affordably, what does that make possible? printing partner without the credibility Ansys
provided me.
Craig: The opportunities for a printable rocket I’ve been hugely supported by Ansys
engine are huge. I like to think of it as similar throughout the engineering phase, and now
to the Ford Model T moment in cars. If you’re it’s time to start thinking about commercial
able to start making these things at a fraction viability and making a profit ― whether that
of the price and with far less labor ― and means manufacturing rocket engines in-house
skilled labor, especially — then it means you or licensing the technology to others. I like
don’t need a massive, government-funded to describe CEA as being in the pre-revenue
operation like NASA to put things into space. phase, but it’s brilliant to imagine where this
It can become a cheaper, more accessible company could go. And I wouldn’t be at this
enterprise. stage without Ansys.
You can have much smaller rockets
powered by cheaply built rocket engines. You
can have small companies offer services like
satellite launches. You could have loads of little
startups popping up in the UK or in America
or all over the world, especially in developing
nations where space exploration is something
that’s just not happened. Right now it’s a game
for the richest men on the planet, and that
should change. A company like CEA actually
can start instigating that change.

AA: What are the business challenges you’ve

faced as a young entrepreneur with a big,
ambitious idea?

Craig: From the get-go, this was never really CEA has designed an innovative rocket engine
a business enterprise for me. I was doing this in one part, 3D-printed to contain an injection
work out of a scientific curiosity. I was just manifold, regenerative cooling channels, a
trying to solve the technical problems. But, in combustion chamber, and an entirely unique
aerospike nozzle. CEA relied on Ansys Discovery
doing that, I was challenged because I didn’t
and Ansys Fluent in creating and verifying
have access to the best tools for my design
the design.
exploration and simulation needs, specifically
Ansys Discovery and Ansys Fluent. Being able
to access Ansys software through the Startup AA: Where are you in the development cycle
Program was incredibly important. — and what’s next for CEA?
If you imagine the internal structure of
this rocket engine, it’s a labyrinth of channels, Craig: On October 11, we officially produced
passages, coolant the world’s first single-piece rocket engine,
flows, and all 3D-printed by our partner Velo3D. In the
manner of world of rocket engines, once you’ve built the
different areas first one, you do what’s called a static test fire.
and surfaces. So you strap the thing to the ground and you
You can’t make a fire it. You pump your oxidizer and your fuel
million prototypes through it, and you see how well it keeps itself
and destroy cool, as combustion releases an incredible
them. You have amount of energy and heat. We’re planning a
to be absolutely test flight soon and, if it works, that will be the
confident in first time one of these engine designs from
your designs the 1960s actually ever got off the ground.
before you start I’m excited and I’m also confident. My Ansys
printing them, simulations say it’s going to work, and so I
and Ansys delivers expect it to work.
that confidence
quickly. I couldn’t

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Hitting the Trail

How electric vehicle software is
democratizing off-road adventure
By Laura Carter, Staff Writer, Ansys Advantage

Electric vehicles (EVs) are already reshaping everything we know about driving,
and it’s anyone’s guess how much change we can expect to see in the near
future. Biometric identification, personal voice assistants, and an autonomous
parking feature that can help you find a good parking spot are all on the
table, but what’s ahead for those of us who just love to drive? Despite
these trends, there’s still significant interest in
recreational cruising, which is why Sam Poirier,
Co-founder and CEO for Potential Motors, is
taking electrification off-road and enhancing the
driving experience through software.
Lower control arm mesh in Ansys Mechanical

20 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 “it did
We came up with an initial design before realizing that
not meet the requirements for the loading that it
was going to undergo. Using Ansys simulation software
helped us do a redesign that was more appropriate to our
overall design strategy. ”

I
t was Poirier’s initial interest in EV
conversions that would set him on a path
to something much bigger. Through this
work, Poirier saw a big shift happening
in the general mobility space toward
electrification that extended beyond hardware,
and he decided to capitalize on that to take the
technology off-road.
Poirier now wants to enhance, rather than
diminish, the interaction off-road between the
driver and the environment. The trick to this
is adding a layer of software to co-pilot the
vehicle in extreme conditions. The software
should respond based on the skill level of
the driver without diminishing the feeling of
Off-road suspension: simulated displacement
control that comes from navigating through field result
mud bogs and over rocky terrain. Gathering
data through Ansys simulation software was
an important part of interpreting what this Program, Potential Motors is developing
connected experience should be. advanced vehicle control software for electric
“One of the things we’re working on is off-road vehicles that improves driving in
proactive control over the suspension, for adverse conditions while centralizing and
example, and changing the dampening in each simplifying EV architecture through holistic
corner of the vehicle as you pass over different control of the drivetrain.
types of terrain,” says Poirier. “Today, you can Poirier describes the software as the “brain”
either do that with a button or you have to get of off-road vehicles and believes it is the key
out and manually change your suspension, to electrifying off-road experiences. As with
which requires a certain level of skill. There will on-road applications, he believes that his
be extremes in either direction, depending
on the driver, so having software that enables
driving options of varying degrees based on
the user is important.”

EV SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
FOR CLEANER, QUIETER RECREATION
EVs require greater levels of software control
over different components, such as suspension
actuation, steering, and torque vectoring
(differential technology for varying torque
within an electronics system), which requires
control over different motors in the vehicle.
At the same time, automotive manufacturers
are focused on improving performance in
adverse conditions while reducing hardware Potential Motors’ simulation expert integrates
complexity. With help from the Ansys Startup various simulation tools.

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simple, scalable software program will lead

to more efficient enablement of new off-road
features and performance enhancements
supporting cleaner, quieter outdoor adventures.
“What’s really driving vehicle innovation in
electrification is software,” says Poirier. “And
what’s really interesting about that is the
demand for experience in this realm — and
that we had already started to build a team
with a ton of experience there. We take it a
step further using software to improve driving
in the most extreme conditions that will open
up opportunities for recreational off-roading
for more people. It’s also a great test bench for
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in
the development of more traditional on-road
EV applications.”

SIMULATING UP AND OVER BIG ROCKS

AND THROUGH MUD BOGS
Confident testing of load cases before release
was central to overall software development.
Off-road vehicles need to be able to withstand Preparing off-road suspension assembly in
some pretty significant loads while driving — Ansys SpaceClaim for simulations
they’ll be used to go up and over rocks and
back down again, putting a lot of stress on the
suspension and frame. Potential Motors has • Ansys Mechanical finite element analysis
been able to model all of that with the tools (FEA) software to help identify thermal
that are available through the Ansys Startup elements available in the user interface
Program and ensure that the structure of the without having to use commands
vehicle will hold up under different loading • Ansys Fluent fluid simulation software
conditions. designed to help them solve large,
Access to Ansys software was extremely complex problems
valuable in testing load cases and other
areas fundamental to advancing the overall • Successful data sharing with SolidWorks
vehicle design. It gave Potential Motors’
engineers an understanding of how the MECHANICAL PUTS EV BATTERY
vehicle would survive the rugged off-road TECHNOLOGY TO THE TEST
environment. Without simulation, making Potential Motors has mostly benefited from
such determinations would involve hours of Mechanical so far, given the focus of their
hand calculations to check and validate that a work to date to assess loading on the vehicle,
design was appropriate for off-road use. Actual including the impacts of loading on the
validation touched on multiple critical vehicle battery pack. As part of their off-road vehicle
aspects, including the chassis, suspension design, the vehicle battery modules were
components, battery pack design, and steering
system, and extended to other aspects, such as
wire harnessing and occupant layout.
Potential Motors used many Ansys tools
to achieve their objectives during validation,
including:
• Ansys SpaceClaim, a user-friendly 3D
computer-aided design (CAD) modeling
software to enable easy geometry
preparation for simulation of the suspension,
chassis, and related components
• Ansys Workbench, a simulation integration Exploded view of the Potential Motors platform
platform to help the team keep all design with components highlighted
iterations in one place.

22 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 mounted to the actual battery enclosure.
The battery pack enclosure contains all
the electronics and battery modules. Each
of the battery modules within this box is
separate and needs to be mounted down, then
connected to the busbars — solid bars used
for electrical current distribution between the
incoming source and outgoing terminals of the
vehicle’s electrical distribution system. In this
scenario, the surrounding wiring and electrical
components also need to be considered. It’s
important that the battery pack and its related
components remain still while the vehicle is Potential Motors’ P0 test platform
in motion to prevent shorting that leads to
thermal runaway, which in turn can create
smoke, fire, and possibly vehicle explosions. To do this, Lima first ran a full vehicle
“Basically, we were able to do a lot of the dynamics model in a CarSim environment to
analysis up front and actually went through a get the maximum suspension displacement
couple of iterations of the design around how at the wheel center. Data coming from this
the battery packs were going to be mounted,” model was then fed to a detailed subsystem
says Poirier. “We came up with an initial model in Mechanical, where displacement
design before realizing that it did not meet the or acceleration could then be applied,
requirements for the loading that it was going depending on inertial effects, as boundary
to undergo. Using Ansys simulation software conditions to an FEA of the full suspension
helped us do a redesign that was more system (arms, steering, and ARB or torsion-
appropriate to our overall design strategy.” spring modeled).
“The ARB is integral to the suspension
ANSYS MECHANICAL SORTS OUT LOAD geometry — it connects all suspension
DISPLACEMENT IN ANTI-ROLL BAR DESIGN elements shared between wheels on the
Vincius de Almeida Lima, vehicle simulation same axle,” says Lima. “Most articulations
engineer at Potential Motors, is intimately in our model use Mechanical’s rigid body
familiar with Ansys simulation software and dynamics solver during the first iteration. If I
used it to understand the maximum deflection notice any stress concentration, I can easily
of their anti-roll bar (ARB) design. Essentially, remodel the contact region to arrive at a more
he wanted to find out the degree an element feasible design.”
of the suspension system could be displaced
under a load, which can happen in certain
dynamic off-road conditions.

Riding the Second Wave of Electrification with Ansys

Potential Motors is excited to join the second wave of electrification in powersports as
an innovator and major force in off-road electric vehicle (EV) technology, with support
from the Ansys Startup Program. One of the team’s biggest challenges is modeling
off-road environments. To overcome it involves a mix of simulation and real-world data:
collecting data using an off-road EV prototype through real-world testing, then using that
information to validate their simulations.
“I would say that overall, our experience with Ansys has been quite good so far,” says
Poirier. “Using the simulation tools in the Startup Program has helped us speed up our
design process. We certainly wouldn’t be where we’re at without simulation, and Ansys’
support in this area has definitely filled that void for us.”

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SPACE FORGE
Embarks on In-Orbit Manufacturing
By Jennifer Procario, Imagine building a product from scratch without gravity,
Staff Writer, buoyancy, or other earthly hindrances. Think about
Ansys Advantage constructing the most sensitive inner workings of a
superconducting device without worry of contamination.
Dream of manufacturing in an environment where
nothing can compromise the integrity of your product.
These suggestions may seem a bit out there — because they are. In fact, they
start about 500 kilometers — or roughly 300 miles — above the Earth’s surface
in the beginning of the exosphere.
Engineers at Space Forge, a manufacturing company based in the United
Kingdom, are sending robotics into orbit to assemble ordinary material in
extraordinary ways on returnable satellites.
As a member of the Ansys Startup Program, the small-yet-mighty team is
employing Ansys simulation solutions to facilitate these two-way trips to space
as safely and efficiently as possible.

A rendering of one of Space Forge’s

returnable satellites from their
signature ForgeStar fleet

24
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 “ The vast majority of
software we just didn’t
Early concepts for Space Forge began in
2018 when Andrew Bacon, an aerospace
engineer, and Joshua Western, a satellite
sales executive, recognized the potential of
even consider because in-orbit manufacturing followed by return to
Earth. But they knew they would need to create
it couldn’t do the job, safer and lower-cost reentry technology to make
but our experience with it happen.
With an official company launch slated for March
Ansys is that it’s doing 2020 and having just quit their day jobs, it was less

the job. ” than ideal when the coronavirus pandemic sent most
of the world into lockdown.
Still, as its name suggests, Space Forge was prepared
to forge ahead. The dynamic duo used the time in
isolation — largely spent connecting virtually from a
garage — to strategize business plans and get things off
the ground, literally.
Space Forge became a member of the Ansys Startup
Program in early 2021 via Ansys’ UK Elite Channel Partner,
EDRMedeso. The program encourages early-stage startups
by offering affordable access to Ansys simulation solutions,
including technical support for additional assistance.
By April 2021, the co-founders secured their first office space in
Cardiff, Wales, ready to grow their business and team. Today, Space
Forge has more than 30 employees and expects to reach 45 by the
end of the year.
The driving force behind Space Forge is its innovative ForgeStar
Platform, which operates a fleet of uncrewed returnable satellites.
Space Forge is unique in that everything they send up comes back
down during a safe reentry and landing, while similar launch vehicles
tend to leave material behind to burn up in space.
The main reasons that the satellites are human-free are safety and
cleanliness. To remove potential contamination, all products are manufac-
tured by robotics. Additionally, Space Forge adheres to all regulations from
the Civil Aviation Authority, which monitors aviation safety in the UK and
determines policy for the use of airspace, including which materials are
allowed to make the trip.
With cleanliness and safety in place, Space Forge can embrace the other core
benefits of manufacturing in space, including microgravity, ultra-high vacuum
pressure, and near-absolute-zero temperatures — a trio of benefits that Bacon calls
the “triple advantage of space.”
For example, quantum devices such as optical sensors are incredibly delicate
mechanisms that greatly benefit from cryogenic conditions.
As Wien’s displacement
law states, an increase in
temperature causes a decrease
in wavelength at which the peak
amount of energy is radiated.
This can disturb the sensor’s
precision, so low temperatures
are optimal and near-absolute-
zero temperatures are ideal for
manufacturing these sensors.
Other instruments that benefit
from space conditions include medical

Co-founders Joshua Western (left)

and Andrew Bacon speaking
at the Space Forge grand opening

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 FO CU S ON STA RTU P S / CO M PUTAT I O NAL F LU ID DYN AMICS

implant sensors that detect heartbeats and ANSYS VALIDATES SAFER REENTRY
ultrasensitive compasses that let you know One of the most important factors in designing
exactly where you are in the world instead a reentry vehicle, or returnable satellite, is
of just indicating due north. In materials accounting for the contrasting levels of speed
manufacturing, superalloys benefit from and altitude within a short amount of time to
space too. Here on Earth, buoyancy prevents maintain stability.
perfect alloying in metals of different densities. Within an hour, the vehicle drops from an
In microgravity conditions, buoyancy is altitude of approximately 400 kilometers, or
eliminated. about 250 miles, at a speed of Mach 25 — more
than 19,000 miles per hour — to sea level at
MANUFACTURING IN SPACE around 20 miles per hour.
So, how does space manufacturing work for “You’re transitioning through a whole range
a huge piece of equipment? For now, Space of different speeds and altitudes, and it’s really
Forge will avoid huge components and important that your vehicle is stable,” Bacon
focus on the nuts and bolts that hold large says. “We looked at which software could
components together. model anything from sea level up to hypersonic
Let’s look at a wind turbine blade. speeds, and Ansys won that trade-off with its
Sending entire blades to space one by one computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and the
to manufacture could be quite cumbersome. Ansys Fluent module in terms of what range it
However, the bolts that connect the parts of can simulate and what kind of geometry it can
the blade actually undergo the most stress handle.”
and are much smaller and easier to ship
to space. By perfecting the bolts, you can
increase the size of the blade.
Likewise, for aircraft turbine blades, the
superalloys that fasten the blade to the engine
are equally important to the overall endurance
of the blade.
The same “less-is-more” concept is true
for semiconductors in mobile connectivity.
While it would be too expensive and
time-consuming to manufacture the
semiconductors of every cell phone in
space, it’s more feasible to manufacture a
smaller selection of semiconductors that are
used in cell phone towers. Most instances
that Space Forge is considering right now
do not require a lot of product or material
to make a signif icant impact. Of course, the A close-up of return technology at Space Forge
company envisions large-scale production
in the future when space manufacturing is Combined with the engineering confidence
more routine. that Ansys simulation supplies, Bacon and his
Trip time varies depending on the team embrace additional benefits of the Startup
project, which is an uncommon luxury. The Program, including cost-efficiency and technical
International Space Station, for example, assistance, which Space Forge received from
typically requires years to get experiments to Ansys experts at EDRMedeso.
and from space. But through the ForgeStar “There are other packages out there, but
Platform, trips can range anywhere from their support is not great,” Bacon adds. “We
two weeks to six months. Biological research knew we were going to be doing something
or pharmaceutical manufacturing typically quite advanced, so support is really necessary.
require shorter trips, whereas semiconductor Comprehensive knowledge coupled with the
manufacturing or projects that involve vaccine ability of the EDRMedeso technical team to
research take longer periods of time. embrace our particular approach to simulation
As Bacon explains it, Space Forge is have been key factors to our success. And the
all about embracing the trifecta of ideal Ansys Startup Program pricing is pretty fantastic,
conditions in space to create the “perfect along with the fact you get access to all the other
manufacturing environment” while enabling modules as well.”
lower-cost precision in return, which they Naturally, reentry was the first challenge
make possible using the predictive accuracy Space Forge explored and validated using Ansys
of Ansys software. simulation.

26 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 “Ansys is a great balance between performance, accuracy,
capability, and usability, which you don’t get with a lot of
packages — you usually get two out of four.
”
To test the satellite’s return, the team built a Another advantage and selling point for
simplified, cone-shaped version of the satellite Bacon and his team was the ability to implement
and modeled it in Ansys Fluent to analyze Ansys simulation on Amazon Web Services’
its dynamic stability, particularly when spun (AWS) cloud platform to run simulations with
around as if caught in a gust of wind. The team even more computing power — a capability
took the cone to Pembrey West Wales Airport made possible through a long-standing
and dropped it from a drone about 400 feet relationship between Ansys and AWS.
overhead. While it worked the first few times, as In addition to CFD, the Space Forge team uses
the wind intensified, the cone flipped over and Ansys Mechanical for its thermal analysis and
rolled out of control. In reviewing their simulation ray tracing capabilities — another requirement
results, the team confirmed that although the that Bacon and his team had in order to advance
center of mass was in the correct location in the structural, thermal, and optical performance.
simulation and demonstrated dynamic stability, “When we’re doing a thermal model, it’s really
they didn’t implement the correct center of mass important to be able to do ray-traced thermal
for the actual drop test. modeling so we can see because we have
Out of curiosity, they ran the simulations deployable solar panels that shade part of the
again, inputting the incorrect center of mass platform, so we need to be able to understand
from the failed attempt, and the simulation that and then overlay the thermal input from
showed the cone spinning out of control. reentry,” says Bacon. “So being able to input lots
At that moment, the team knew they had of interfaces and handle our geometry — a very
verifiable, trustworthy solutions and wouldn’t detailed model with quite thin elements in the
again stray from the simulation data or “cut solar arrays — and have a good meshing tool
corners,” as Bacon says. with Mechanical were very important as well.”
“Satellite reentry is probably one of the The team most recently used Mechanical to
hardest problems you can try to do in space, and model stresses when developing a sea vehicle
to do it you need the best software,” says Bacon. that serves as a water-based net. The team
“The vast majority of software we just didn’t even playfully refers to it as “the fielder” because its
consider because it couldn’t do the job, but our concept bears a similarity to the catcher position
experience with Ansys is that it’s doing the job.” in the game of cricket.
To improve satellite reentry further, Space Saltwater is damaging to the satellite, but
Forge engineers developed Aether, a predictive the fielder serves as a buffer, “catching” the
analytic tool that they use in conjunction with vehicle as it lands in the sea. The sea vehicle is
Fluent, to better determine reentry landing lightweight and highly maneuverable but must
locations. be durable enough to withstand impact, even if
Engineers analyze the static and dynamic the satellite lands at 20 miles per hour.
stability of the satellite using Fluent and
consider varying regions throughout its flight, FUTURE MISSIONS FOR SPACE FORGE
including a range of speed from Mach 25 down As Space Forge continues to grow their business,
to Mach 0. After collecting an aerodynamic Bacon and his team expect to manufacture at
database of coefficients, the team inputs the scale in another five years. They also plan to keep
data into Aether to calculate landing locations Ansys simulation on board as an integral part of
while applying the direction and wind speed as operations.
input values for potential drag. “A lot of advanced simulation software has
As a bonus, Space Forge can automate been written by scientists, who are fantastic at
their calculations and simulations within many things, but user interface development is
the software, which streamlines the team’s not usually one of them,” says Bacon. “Ansys is a
workflow and allows for more consistency and great balance between performance, accuracy,
longer run times. Automation is particularly capability, and usability, which you don’t get
helpful as many of the team’s simulations run with a lot of packages — you usually get two
for weeks at a time. out of four.”

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A Glimpse into Deep Space with

Extreme Optical
Engineering

By Daewook Kim, In the past few decades, optical science has

Associate Professor of pushed far beyond the foundations originally
Optical Sciences and
laid by Galileo and Newton 400 years ago. The
Astronomy, University of
Arizona, Tucson, and planned deployment of new ground- and space-
Erik Ferguson, Staff Writer, based telescopes dedicated to seeing farther into
Ansys Advantage deep space in more detail than ever before will
provide astronomers with increased opportunities
to find Earth-like exoplanets and answer
questions about how galaxies formed and evolved billions of years ago. To
help make those plans a reality, researchers at the University of Arizona
are using Ansys structural and optical simulation software in the design,
fabrication, and testing of the next generation of telescope optics that will
enable another giant leap for our knowledge of the cosmos.

Artist's concept of the completed Giant Magellan Telescope, which will be situated in the
Atacama Desert some 115 km (71 mi) north-northeast of La Serena, Chile.
Courtesy of Giant Magellan Telescope – GMTO Corporation

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he University of Arizona is at the center of several major telescope
research and development projects. With its world-leading large optics
laboratories and the Wyant College of Optical Sciences, researchers
are at the forefront of creating the optical components that will power
ground-based systems like the Giant Magellan Telescope and future space-based
concepts like the proposed OASIS space observatory.

THE LARGEST MIRRORS analysis complete, they then used Ansy Zemax’s
EVER BUILT, TIMES SEVEN! Structural, Thermal, Analysis and Results (STAR)
Upon its expected completion in the late 2020s, module to load the finite element results from
the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) will be Mechanical into Zemax OpticStudio, where they
among the largest ground-based telescopes could simulate the optical performance of each
ever constructed. GMT is the product of an mirror segment due to the surface deformation.
international consortium of 13 universities and Following the full optomechanical analysis,
scientific institutes across five continents. The the team designed the mirror’s central structure
structure itself will reside on Las Campanas as a lightweight honeycomb, consisting of
Peak in Chile’s Atacama Desert at an elevation several 0.5 -inch-thick ribs in a hexagonal pattern
of about 2,500 m (8,200 feet) above sea level. holding together the 1-inch-thick glass facesheet
The location was chosen for its dry climate and backsheet.1 To cast the rough mirror, chunks
and remoteness that will reduce optical of borosilicate glass are loaded over a mold inside
interference from light, air, and humidity. a furnace spinning at 5 rpm, which forces the
To capture enough photons to see billions glass up the sides of the mold as it melts into the
of light years across the universe with enough concave parabolic shape that is required to focus
clarity, the GMT project requires the creation light from a distant celestial object. Over the next
of seven enormous mirror segments — a three months, the furnace slowly stops rotating
center segment and six off-axis segments that and the glass cools to room temperature.
surround it — that will comprise the primary
optics. Due to the size of the light collection
area, the image resolution will be about 10
times greater than the Hubble Space Telescope
launched in 1990, and about four times greater
than the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
that was successfully launched in 2021.
Each GMT mirror segment is 8.4 m (28
feet) in diameter, weighs about 16 tons and
takes about six years to complete, including
the casting, polishing, and testing processes.
These are the largest mirrors in the world and
are produced at the Richard F. Caris Mirror
Lab at the University of Arizona. The first
two segments have been completed, while
segments 3, 4, 5, and 6 have all been cast and
are in various stages of surface polishing and
measurement.
A major challenge of using such a large
mirror is bending caused by its own weight
and by wind forces. The mirror can only bend
by about 100 nanometers (nm) before the
images become too blurry, so balancing the
stiffness with the weight was of paramount
importance. Using Ansys Mechanical software, Computer-generated hologram (CGH)-based
the researchers modeled the mirror structure interferometry configuration for the 8.4-m
to predict the expected deformation of the diameter Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT)
optical surface. With the initial structural off-axis segment surface shape metrology

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 FO CU S ON ACA D E M I CS / O PT I CA L S I MUL ATION

Simulation results showing the two bending mode shapes of the 8.4m GMT off-axis primary
mirror segment (in different views)

Once cooled, the next step is the long tools, they then modeled the gravitational and
process of polishing the mirror to the requisite thermal deformation of the surface during
optical quality and surface figuring to achieve the measurement and compensated for that
the desired shape, which requires an accuracy predicted deformation in the measurement
of a small fraction of the wavelength of light surface errors. Thus, the team focused the next
being received. The surface has to match an rounds of continuing optical figuring runs on
ideal off-axis (or on-axis for the center segment) meaningful optical surface error correction
parabolic surface to within 25 nm, which is without being confused with optomechanical
smaller than one-thousandth the width of a surface bending effects.
human hair. Because the surface is aspherical, Before any surface figuring and polishing
the team needed to have very fine local control begins, the surface is only accurate to within
over the shape. Using two different types of about 30 µm (30,000 nm), which is three orders
polishing tools at different locations on the of magnitude away from the target accuracy of
mirror surface, they selectively target high spots 25 nm. Improvements to the polishing process,
of different scales while the abrasive material aided greatly by simulation, helped the team
slowly removes the glass, molecule
by molecule.
Being deterministic is the essential
component of this precision optical figuring
exercise. If the researchers could not model,
simulate, optimize, and predict the glass
material removal prior to a typical week-long
polishing and figuring session, they would not
know whether they were removing the right
amount of material from the right locations.
The duration to manufacture each mirror
segment would then be much longer than six
years and delay the program by many more
years, or even decades.
To avoid such a trial-and-error scenario,
the team measured the mirror's surface
shape using laser interferometry and visible 3D rendering image of the OASIS Space Terahertz
deflectometry after each polishing session. Telescope observing in the submillimeter to
Using Mechanical and other structural analysis far-infrared

30 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 reduce the calendar time required to achieve Because the primary mirror is an inflatable
a specific surface accuracy measurement by material, its shape is a function of pressure,
a factor of four. For segment 1, it took about which is a unique challenge for the optical
300 days of polishing to improve the accuracy design. Using an in-house analytical model,
from 2400 nm to 320 nm. For segment 2, the the Arizona researchers evaluated a parametric
research team achieved that same result in just solution space to determine the location
70 days, and they expect it to be even faster for and size of the telescope optics such as the
the next segments.2 secondary mirror that will be needed to correct
for the changing surface profile of the antenna.
OASIS SPACE OBSERVATORY: In parallel, the team performed ray tracing
IS THERE WATER OUT THERE? analysis using Zemax OpticStudio to predict
One of the practical limits for space-based the photon collecting area of the antenna. The
telescopes has been the size and weight of OpticStudio results verified that both analytical
the optics. Issues like wind and light pollution and numerical membrane models are suitable
are removed, but you must be able to fit the to accurately predict the optical design
components inside a rocket and lift them into parameters of the inflatable optical surface.3
orbit. The full mirror diameter of the James If the project is selected by NASA, the
Webb Space Telescope is 6.5 m— smaller than envisioned launch date will be in 2028, whereby
a single GMT primary mirror — and it still had OASIS will operate in an orbit around the L2
Lagrange point. This is one of the locations
where a satellite can be positioned so that
the gravity from the Sun and Earth balances
the satellite’s motion. The L2 point is almost a
million miles farther out than Earth from the
Sun, and also the celestial neighborhood of the
JWST. Other orbits are also being considered
as more science cases are being discussed and
technology developments are actively achieved.

COUNTDOWN TO DEPLOYMENT
Many of the Arizona team working on GMT
Inflatable optical design solution space contour
and the OASIS concept were inspired by
plots of as-designed models for the OASIS
observation band 1. Effective photon collection the success of the Hubble program over the
area and diameters of M2 and M3 mirrors are past thirty years and the famous deep space
plotted as a function of A1 radius of curvature images it revealed to humanity. The gifts
and entrance pupil diameter (EPD). from Hubble were only possible due to the
decades of optical science and engineering
to launch with its 18 hexagonal segments that came before to enable its successful
folded up. To launch anything with much larger launch and operation. Indeed, the team shares
optics would require using radically different a dream of passing along a similar gift to future
materials. generations as both projects get closer to
In response to a recent NASA Medium- realization at the end of this decade.
Class Explorers opportunity, the Orbiting
Astronomical Satellite for Investigating Stellar
Systems (OASIS) telescope is a concept for REFERENCES:
[1] B. Martin and D. Kim, “How do you build a mirror
a space-based observatory with a primary for one of the world’s biggest telescopes?,” The
mirror (or antenna) made of a metallized Conversation, 15 Jan. 2016, [Link]/how-
polymer membrane — effectively a gigantic do-you-build-a-mirror-for-one-of-the-worlds-biggest-
mylar balloon. When fully deployed from its telescopes-49927. Accessed 15 April 2022.
spacecraft, the reflector would be inflated [2] H. Martin et al., “Manufacture of primary mirror
to a diameter of up to 20 meters (66 feet). segments for the Giant Magellan Telescope,” Proc. SPIE
Together with active and/or adaptive optics 10706, Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies
for Telescopes and Instrumentation III, 107060V (2018).
techniques, OASIS will be designed to provide
high-resolution observations at terahertz [3] S. Sirsi et al., “Parametric design study of the
frequencies in the far infrared spectrum Orbiting Astronomical Satellite for Investigating Stellar
(around 660 µm to 63 µm). This will allow it to Systems (OASIS) space telescope,” Proc. SPIE 11820,
Astronomical Optics: Design, Manufacture, and Test of
search for water both in local asteroids and on Space and Ground Systems III, 118200Q (2021).
planets or moons in other star systems.

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Getting a
Bird’s-Eye
View
Using CFD to understand
changing wind behaviors
By Ansys Advantage Staff

Marion Island, off South Africa’s coast, is a pristine natural laboratory and a
protected bird sanctuary. But the island’s harsh environment, including high
winds, is becoming even harsher due to climate change. A team at the University
of Pretoria leveraged Ansys Fluent to develop a computational fluid dynamics
(CFD)–based wind map of the entire 115-square-mile island. This model is providing
critical insights about changing wind patterns — and their likely impact on wildlife
and native plants.
Google Earth map of Marion Island
and Prince Edward Island

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ocated 1,340 miles south of Cape Town, Marion Island is a South African territory
renowned for its natural beauty. This subantarctic island is home to a research base, a
meteorological station, and over 2 million seabirds that represent at least 28 known,
unique species, with many classified as endangered. It was designated a Special Nature
Reserve by the South African government in 1995, and access is strictly limited to
scientists and researchers.
With a latitude of 46° 54’ 45”, Marion Island sits in the region of the southern hemisphere called
the “Roaring Forties” because of its constant and often high-velocity winds. As the effects of climate
change increase, these harsh, windy conditions are beginning to affect not only the island’s wildlife
but also its vegetation. Soil erosion and higher levels of salt spray are destroying nesting habitats, as
well as killing grasses, mosses, and other plants.
The South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) was looking for a way to understand
and mitigate the impacts of climate change on Marion Island, particularly regarding wind damage.
While SANAP’s scientists had access to general meteorological information about wind, such as
its direction and speed, they needed to understand exactly what was happening at ground level
across the island’s rugged terrain.

Simulated turbulent wind intensity plot across Marion Island

In 2017, SANAP researchers called on Professor Ken Craig at the University of Pretoria for help.
As a senior member of the Clean Energy Research Group in the Department of Mechanical and
Aeronautical Engineering, Craig heads the CFD research in this group.
Since 1999, Craig had been applying Ansys Fluent to develop models of solar receivers and
generators; metallurgy and manufacturing processes; and other CFD-based problems in his
research. He also uses Fluent in his undergraduate and graduate courses on fluid dynamics, CFD,
and simulation-based design. But could Fluent accurately model an entire 115-square-mile island,
characterized by cliffs, mountains, valleys, and wetlands?
“I strongly believe that Fluent provides a very accurate solution for CFD modeling — and that
when you have as good a piece of software, you should stick with it,” says Craig. “But I don’t think
Fluent has ever been applied on such a large scale to an isolated land mass. Not only was the scale
intimidating, but so was the sheer amount of friction, turbulence, velocity, and other physics-based
problems Fluent would need to solve.”
Always up for a challenge, Craig agreed to join forces with an existing SANAP program to gain a
better understanding of changing wind behaviors on Marion Island. He enlisted master’s student Kyle
Goddard to lead the island-wide wind modeling effort, which would become the basis for Goddard’s
thesis, as well as of a recent paper published in the scientific journal Ecological Modelling.

MODELING AIRFLOWS AND TERRAIN: A COMPLEX PROBLEM

The University of Pretoria team set up Fluent simulations that reflected 16 different wind flows
approaching Marion Island from different directions. To map the island’s terrain, team members
relied on digital elevation models from airborne drone studies.

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Craig and Goddard experimented with different approaches for generating a mesh that was
finely detailed enough to reflect the island’s terrain, but still large enough to encompass the entire
landmass. They settled on a mesh with polyhedral cells and devised a novel strategy for reusing a
single mesh system to simulate multiple climatic conditions and wind directions around Marion
Island. This strategy basically entailed using a common region to all the models, and extending the
upstream and downstream sea regions in the respective wind direction.
While the final generated mesh was very large, ranging between 87 and 214 million cells, the
team was able to solve it by relying on the national South African high-performance computing
(HPC) cluster, which distributed complex physics problems such as turbulence across hundreds of
cores. Post-processing made the final wind models more manageable and user-friendly.
All of the wind direction simulations were then combined into a single wind velocity map,
generated by weighting each of the simulations by the frequency of wind prevalence measured in
the corresponding wind sector. This island-wide map, believed
to be the first of its kind, will have many applications in
future scientific studies of Marion Island.
In conjunction with the computational
simulations, the team installed 17 wind data
logging stations at key locations on the
island. Raw outputs from these stations
were cleaned and converted into an
easily accessible database — the Wind on
Marion Island (WMI) dataset — that now
reflects all physical wind measurements
gathered since 2018.
Mesh around Marion Island and Prince Edward Island
To validate the accuracy of its wind
models, the team compared its simulation results against actual collected wind data from the WMI
database. Team members focused on three directions that account for over 74% of the island’s
wind patterns: north westerly, westerly, and south westerly. The Ansys Fluent simulation results
predicted the wind direction to within 5% and velocity and turbulence levels within 30%. It should be
mentioned that the wind measurements were constrained because of environmental regulations
and anchoring limitations that only allowed for measurements up to a one meter height.
“When supporting scientific research in the field, it’s critical to have an accurate tool that
replicates real-world conditions in high fidelity,” notes Craig, “and Fluent provided us with that
tool. It’s extremely powerful — and one of only a few solutions I can think of to create this kind of
morphology at such a large physical scale.
“We were very pleased with the relative ease of setting up the mesh in Fluent once we
became proficient and with the accuracy of the results. I wouldn’t know how to solve such a
large, complex problem using any other tool.”

ONE RELIABLE MODEL

WITH DIVERSE APPLICATIONS
Thanks to the efforts of Craig and his student
researchers at the University of Pretoria,
SANAP and other environmental protection
groups have a reliable means of estimating
wind properties near ground level on Marion
Island. Average wind speeds, turbulence,
gusting, and other fine-scale wind behaviors
can be recreated at any location on the island
without using environmentally intrusive
physical surveillance methods.
Climate change scientists can use the
model to assess how wind patterns are
evolving over time and how those changes
will impact the island’s bird and plant
species. Already, the Fluent wind model is
being applied to predict plant seed dispersal, One of 17 wind data logging stations on
investigate bird flight and nesting behaviors, and Marion Island

34 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 “critical
When supporting scientific research in the field, it’s
to have an accurate tool that replicates real-world
conditions in high fidelity, and Fluent provided us with that
tool. It’s extremely powerful — and one of only a few
solutions I can think of to create this kind of morphology
at such a large physical scale. ”

Wind velocity vectors across the island simulated by Ansys Fluent

study the wind’s impact on mortality rates

for both animal and plant species.
In 2024, conservationists plan to
eradicate house mice from Marion
Island, as these rodents are killing the
chicks of endangered species such as
the wandering albatross. Introduced by
seal hunters in the early 19th century,
today these rodents are overrunning the
island. An effort called Mouse-Free Marion
plans to use helicopters to strategically
spread rodenticide across the island. The
wind models produced by Craig and his
team will help in creating flight maps,
assessing landing and take-off conditions, Meshing Marion Island
and predicting the most effective means of
dispersing bait during the campaign.
“The Marion Island wind modeling project is a great example of the value delivered by
simulation,” Craig says. “Given the extreme weather conditions and the pristine state of
Marion Island, it would be impossible to create physical stations to measure and study
changing wind patterns. Everyone invested in protecting this island is grateful that Fluent
was able to produce such a compelling approximation of the real atmospheric phenomena
occurring on Marion Island without the need for permanent wind measurement systems or
other environmental impacts.”

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Finite Elements
Shake Up Seismic
Research at UCLA
By Jennifer Procario, Staff Writer, Ansys Advantage

Researchers at UCLA are conducting groundbreaking research funded by the

California Energy Commission (CEC) to analyze the seismic risk posed to natural gas
pipelines when they intersect with earthquake fault lines — and even when they
don’t. The study affects nearly 40 million residents of the state, and that’s just one
element of the project.
Historically, civil engineers have used computer-aided design (CAD) or finite
element analysis (FEA) modeling in similar research, but Professor Yousef
Bozorgnia of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is leading a team of graduate
students and post-doctoral fellows to optimize seismic simulation using
Ansys’ multiphysics FEA simulation.
In multiphysics simulations, FEA possibilities expand by giving
researchers the ability to simulate across engineering disciplines when
needed, such as when studying the interaction between structural
mechanics and fluid flow, all within a single, unified simulation
environment.

36 Ansys Advantage Issue21 |/ 2022

Issue 2021
 “The feedback of thousands of miles of pipelines embedded
in soil. Added complexity to this, pipeline size
that we received varies significantly, with measurements ranging
from 8 to 44 inches in diameter and from 0.2 to
from researchers 1.2 inches in thickness.
Plenty of geometrical and geological
and practitioners variables also contribute to the complexity
of the analyses. For starters, if an earthquake
was that Ansys is causes a rupture along a fault line, what
happens to an intersecting gas pipeline?
much easier to use Next, depending on the size and physical
characteristics of the specific gas pipeline, how
than comparable much of it is embedded in soil? Also, at what
angle does the pipeline cross the fault — and
counterparts ... what kind of fault line is it? It could be a strike-

It has proven split fault (like the well-known San Andreas

Fault, where two blocks of rock or land slip past
to be the right each other horizontally). But it could also be

”
a reverse, thrust, or normal fault; each involve
choice. vertical shifting, yet in different directions and
at distinct angles.
In addition to variables surrounding fault
displacement, other scenarios to consider
involve landslides and soil liquefication. During
a landslide, with a mass of soil headed straight
toward a pipeline, what happens to that
pipeline? Also, depending on the soil’s physical
characteristics, such as texture, structure,
and porosity, an earthquake can cause soil to
“liquefy,” creating a flow that could also disturb
Through the Ansys Academic Program, which the pipeline.
provides universities with affordable software for With all the variables combined, there
use in the classroom and in research, Bozorgnia are more than a million analyses to consider,
and his team are integrating Ansys Mechanical which requires millions of iterations. To handle
for structural analyses while benefiting from this complexity, Bozorgnia and his team use
the simulation software’s built-in tools for Mechanical to model the gas pipelines and
customization and generated scripting. soil with finite elements while using the high-
Further, Ansys introduced the group to the performance computing (HPC) capabilities
Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at
the University of Texas at Austin, which designs
and operates some of the world’s most powerful
computing resources.
With the support of Ansys and TACC,
Bozorgnia and his team are able to perform next-
level seismic simulations that require millions
of iterations and affect millions of people in a
fraction of the time and cost of previous seismic
analysis methods.

FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

FOR NEARLY INFINITE ELEMENTS
While Bozorgnia heads the project for the
university’s Samueli School of Engineering, the
team’s research is part of a larger operation. The Ansys Mechanical model of the deformation of
project is funded by the CEC to quantify the a 3-km natural gas pipeline subjected to multi-
seismic risk of natural gas pipelines throughout support excitation, simulating the effect of an
the state — a massive infrastructure consisting earthquake for 10 seconds

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 FO CU S ON ACA D E M I CS / F I N I T E E L E ME N T AN ALYSIS

of TACC to run a significant number of

simulations for every scenario. Fortunately,
due to the nature of the research, the extra
compute power is free. The National Science
Foundation supports TACC with any research
project related to natural hazards, which
enables UCLA to access their computing
resources at no cost. Simulation results in Ansys Mechanical of a
“Research funding is always limited,” says 55-inch water transmission pipeline under 6-feet
Bozorgnia. “We couldn’t do this project if it was fault displacement with a section-cut view of the
not for Ansys and their cooperation, access deformation at the pipe cross-section
to the software through the Ansys Academic
Program, and interacting with TACC.” Mechanical — particularly elbow elements — to
Support and funding are crucial for the be effective in modeling the nonlinear shape
project, which stretches beyond pipeline and of a pipeline in its entirety. In contrast, some
fault line crossing points to include further researchers may prepare similar models using
examination of how pipelines respond during shell elements, but that option would only
an earthquake, regardless of whether they capture the pipeline’s exterior.
intersect with the fault line. With a variety of elements to choose from,
the team can model pipelines spanning
SOFTWARE FOR SEISMIC SIMULATION different lengths and sizes, including thickness.
Before embarking on the project, Bozorgnia The nonlinear capabilities of Mechanical
carefully considered which software to use by also enable them to examine the interaction
polling respected members of the research between the pipeline and surrounding soil by
community. placing nonlinear springs along the pipeline in
“More than two years ago, we asked which the model.
software we should use and the feedback that After creating several pipeline models, the
we received from researchers and practitioners team analyzes and considers all the variables
was that Ansys is much easier to use than for each by applying a multitude of stresses
comparable counterparts,” says Bozorgnia. and strains. Based on the simulation results,
“Obviously, Ansys’ accuracy and productivity they can accurately predict which conditions
also are important, but for us, to begin with, the may cause the pipe to break and when,
short time to learn and use it was the key point while observing any other potential damage
that led us to go with Ansys, and we are really scenarios likely to happen.
happy about it. It has proven to be the right In the traditional way, it would take the team
choice.” between one to two weeks to script language
Some newer doctoral students on the from scratch to prepare and complete just one
team had limited prior experience using FEA model. Today, the team completes a model
software. Still, they were able to quickly learn within 10 to 30 minutes using Mechanical
Mechanical with guidance from other team integrated with MATLAB code generation.
members and additional assistance provided Likewise, TACC’s supercomputing contributions
by the Ansys Academic Program, including the greatly accelerate the timeline further.
Ansys Learning Forum as well as a repository of Also, with the software’s remote solve
learning resources online. management capabilities, the team is able
Along with its ease of use, Bozorgnia’s to perform large-volume calculations and
team finds the solid element selection in simulations from the UCLA campus, which

38 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 is nearly 1,400 miles away from TACC’s HPC Similarly, in the water transmission database,
resources in Austin, Texas. entering a location will show nearby major
Bozorgnia says this allows the team to transmission pipelines that intersect with fault
conduct research on-site while benefiting lines, colored in red, yellow, or green depending
from multiple computers, which together on closeness and risk.
provide thousands of central processing unit Both databases are expected to have a
(CPU) cores. substantial reach. The team anticipates that
both platforms will be used by individuals and
HIGH-POWERED, FAR-REACHING PROJECTS state agencies such as the CEC as well as utility
By the end of 2023, Bozorgnia expects to companies that use natural gas or water.
have the final stage of the project completed, “The agencies and companies can
which is an interactive database of natural gas enhance their facilities for seismic issues and,
pipeline and earthquake fault line locations. consequently, the residents of California will
With all of the team’s findings and pipeline have less risk in relation to water and natural
combinations cataloged, interested parties gas,” says Bozorgnia. “The beneficiaries of the
will be able to enter a pipeline location and whole project are going to be the millions of
discover the nearest fault line and risk. people living in California, especially in southern
As the team compiles their natural gas California, with about 13 million residents.”
pipeline research, they’re also working on
another massive undertaking — examining POSITIVE AFTERSHOCKS
the seismic risk to water transmission pipelines Bozorgnia’s team will share the team’s research
that run in southern California. Akin to the first and results in journal papers within the industry.
project, Bozorgnia leads the group to analyze However, neither milestone will mark the end of
water transmission pipelines and crossing the team’s exploration with pipelines, fault lines,
earthquake faults. Though the properties or simulation.
and contents of water transmission pipelines “That’s a part of academic research: If there
differ from natural gas pipelines, the team is a feature we haven’t used and we want
employs the same technology, simulation, and to solve a complicated, complex problem,
finite elements to model and analyze all the we always have to try new things,” says
variables. The group is also creating a separate Bozorgnia. “The problem we are solving is a
interactive database for this research, which is very real problem, so we will always try new
slated for completion by mid-to-late 2023. simulation software and technology, finding
When entering a pipeline location in the new ways to analyze our data. Ansys has
natural gas pipeline database, the software will helped us significantly to solve complex real-
present a probability of failure based on the world infrastructure problems.”
variable cases within the database, including
proximity to fault lines.

Simulation results in Ansys Mechanical of a

55-inch water transmission pipeline under 6-feet
fault displacement illustrating the deformation
of the pipe cross-section (left) and the strain
distribution along the pipeline near the
earthquake fault zone (above).

© 2021 ANSYS, INC. Ansys Advantage 39

 FO CU S ON ACAD E M I CS / C R A S H T E ST SIMUL ATION

STEERING
CAR SEAT
DEVELOPMENT
IN A SAFER
DIRECTION

By Laura Carter, Staff Writer, Ansys Advantage

K
ids require a lot of special gear, and parents’ confusion over
what to buy often begins even before a newborn baby leaves the
hospital. Child safety is a huge focus for most parents-to-be,
and car seats are at the top of the list. That’s not surprising
because the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) identifies motor
vehicle crashes in the United States as
a leading cause of death for children
ages 12 and younger.1
With the baby car seat market projected
to grow by $1.68 billion between 2021 and
2022,2 vehicle and car seat manufacturers are
closely following consumer preferences to stay
ahead of their demands for safety, convenience,
and affordability. Child seats are evolving all the time.
Today’s car seat designs are very different from what Simulation of child in car
they were 15 years ago. Overwhelmingly, parents seat before deceleration
want seats that are safer, lighter, easier to use, and more begins
portable, which requires additional testing of materials
and new seat design.

40 Ansys Advantage Issue21 |/ 2022

Issue 2021
 “analyze
Using simulation and human body models, we can
occupant protection for children across a wide
range of scenarios to ensure our most valuable
passengers are protected on the roads. ”
CAR SEAT RESEARCH GETS ITS CHOPS Traditionally, children’s car seats have
To address these challenges, researchers at the been evaluated using physical crash tests
Center for Injury Research and Prevention at by securing a child-sized crash test dummy
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) are onto a properly installed car seat. The test
using Ansys LS-DYNA simulation software for bench, or sled, is then accelerated and
collision simulations to better understand how decelerated at various pulses that mimic
to optimally protect children in car seats. different crash scenarios to test occupant
“The mission of our center primarily is to movement and injury potential. During
pursue innovative solutions to prevent injuries testing, all the elements, from the dummy
in children, youth, and young adults through positioning, harness and chest clip positioning
rigorous research and collaboration with to harness tightness, must be in accordance
industry, policymakers, and governmental with federal testing standards. Testing helps
agencies to improve ensure that the
product design child seat provides
policies and educate adequate protection
parents and caregivers by ensuring the
about correct child occupant surrogate
seat use,” says or crash test dummy
Jalaj Maheshwari, complies with the
MSE, Research injury thresholds,
Project Engineer or the protocols
and a Lead Project identified by the
Investigator at CHOP. National Highway
“Ansys simulation Traffic Safety
helps support the Administration
computational (NHTSA), Consumer
modeling efforts in the Reports, and
safety research we’re other regulatory
Physical testing using a crash dummy to verify
conducting.” or consumer
simulation results
Maheshwari and information
his team are tasked bodies.
with assessing car seat safety systems These physical tests are expensive,
designed for children across a wide range which makes investigating multiple
of ages, which increases the complexity of crash scenarios economically
testing. Pediatric occupants are a particularly challenging for all involved. While
challenging population to model. There physical testing is an essential
isn’t a set anthropometry, or human body aspect of safety assessment
measurement, that you can use for all cases. and cannot be eliminated,
The algorithm inputs of an 18-month-old child manufacturers have discovered
are completely different from that of a 3-year- that combining it with
old, which are completely different from that simulation can speed up
of a 6-year-old, and so on. Restraint systems restraint assessment and
change dramatically during the birth-to-11- enhance development of
year trajectory as a child grows, moving from car seats that perform
a rear-facing to a forward-facing seat, and well in all types of
finally a belt-positioning booster seat. crashes.

©
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2021 ANSYS, INC.
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 FO CU S ON ACA D E M I CS / C R A S H T E ST SIMUL ATION

Simulation of a child passenger in a car seat before a side impact collision (left) and during collision

YOU CAN’T ALWAYS PREDICT … OR CAN YOU? child seat and the vehicle seat/test bench from
More often than not, children are fidgety, specific dimensions according to engineering
and don’t necessarily sit straight up and data. After that, the finite element (FE) model
look forward all the time. Further, research is generated by meshing each component and
by CHOP and others indicates that a large assigning it appropriate material properties. The
percentage of child restraint systems are individual FE models of the child, child seat, and
installed with at least a minor user error3,4, like vehicle seat/test bench are brought into one
loose belts, unused or out of position chest environment, positioned as necessary, restrained
clips, and so on. Using LS-DYNA enables the with seatbelt FE models, assigned boundary
simulation of real-world, in-vehicle scenarios, conditions, and then loaded into a processor to
such as different seating postures where the run the crash scenario being investigated.
occupant is leaning forward or leaning inward5, Using a virtual human body model during
and installation errors. Other test-worthy simulation requires a variety of mesh sizes
scenarios — including pre-crash maneuvers within different boundary conditions.
such as swerving or sudden braking enabled Researchers evaluate their meshes and assign
by advanced driver assistance system them to each body part. This activity often
technologies — can also dramatically change involves finer meshing in certain areas of
the child’s position in the car seat. the body to maintain the features and the
For researchers at CHOP, it’s important complexities of the geometry they are using.
to assess what happens when a child is in Human body models are a key component
as many positions as possible when a crash of Maheshwari’s simulations to help evaluate
occurs. Will the seat belt slip off, and if it does, how safety aspects of the child restraint could
is there a way to prevent it from happening? change across a wide range of child age and size.
Or is an advanced restraint system mechanism The resulting data enable vehicle safety system
needed that pulls the seat belt in such a way and child restraint design for children of all sizes
that it provides a better fit on the child in the and ages, and also help policymakers shape
event of a crash? policy and testing standards that effect positive
change on child safety.
MOVE OVER, DUMMY
Anthropomorphic test devices or crash test ANSYS LS-DYNA SUPPORTS INDUSTRY
dummies are essential tools to assess injury AND ACADEMIC RESEARCH
and restraint performance in physical crash CHOP uses Ansys LS-PrePost within LS-DYNA
tests. While crash test dummies are human- to pre-process, submit simulations, and post-
like, they’re not exactly human. To advance process their results. Maheshwari starts by
safety, it’s important to understand how an bringing in individual models he has created
actual human body behaves. Using LS-DYNA meshes for with specific material properties.
with validated virtual human body models, The seating environment is defined, and
CHOP can simulate different crash conditions LS-PrePost is then used to position the occupant
with child models of varying anthropometries.6 in the seating environment, which could be a
To do this, the team must first develop a 3D full vehicle or a test sled with the child in an
computer-aided design (CAD) model of the age-appropriate child seat.

42 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 Different types of pre-simulations run in 100+ full-impact simulations and counting using
LS-DYNA help position the occupant and a virtual human body model — an achievement
deform or compress the seat to reflect the that would be economically prohibitive and time
physical world. The child seat and human consuming with a physical sled test.
body model are positioned in the vehicle
environment and adjusted in accordance REFERENCES:
with gravity. Once those models are settled, 1. “Child Passenger Safety: Get the Facts”, Centers for Disease
the team restrains the child seat and child Control and Prevention (CDC), April 14, 2022.

to the vehicle, applies the desired boundary 2. “Baby Car Seat Market Forecast and Growth Through COVID-19
conditions of the crashes, and runs the Competitive Landscape, Segments, Key Regions Overview by 2022
to 2025”, MarketWatch Press Release, March 16, 2022.
simulations.
In the physical world, says Maheshwari, 3. Arbogast, Kristy B., Morris, Shannon D., Durbin, Dennis R., and
Winston, Flaura K., The influence of harness type on child restraint
vehicle crashes are over in an instant, lasting
system misuse - PubMed ([Link]), Annu Proc Assoc Adv Automot
120 milliseconds; however, simulation times Med. 2002;46:261-9. PMID: 12361512.
can take anywhere from two hours to seven
4. Microsoft Word - Final Report DOT HS 809 [Link], [Link].,
days depending on the complexity of the January 5, 2004.
model they are using. Once the simulation is
5. Maheshwari, Jalaj, Shreyas Sarfare, Clayton Falciani, and Aditya
complete, the data can be exported for further Belwadi. “Pediatric occupant human body model kinematic and
analysis. kinetic response variation to changes in seating posture in simulated
frontal impacts–with and without automatic emergency braking.”
CURBING RESEARCH COSTS, NOT TESTING Traffic injury prevention 21, no. sup1 (2020): S49-S53.
With all of this testing, costs can really add up, 6. Belwadi, Aditya, Shreyas Sarfare, Sophie Tushak, Jalaj
which is what makes simulation an excellent Maheshwari, and Srihari Menon. “Responses of the scaled pediatric
option for academic research. Ansys supports human body model in the rear-and forward-facing child seats in
simulated frontal motor vehicle crashes.” Traffic injury prevention
Maheshwari’s research by making licenses
20, no. sup2 (2019): S143-S144.
more affordable for the team. An Ansys license
7. Beillas, Philippe, Chiara Giordano, Victor Alvarez, Xiaogai Li,
doesn’t limit the team to how many tests they
Xingjia Ying, Marie-Christine Chevalier, Stefan Kirscht, and Svein
can run, but to the life of the license. Using Kleiven. “Development and performance of the PIPER scalable
LS-DYNA, they can run as many parametric child human body models.” In 14th International Conference on the
simulations as they wish. Right now, they are at Protection of Children in Cars, pp. 19-p. 2016.

The virtual human body models CHOP uses have a detailed skeletal
structure and internal organs7 to help the team assess the kinematic and kinetic
responses of an actual human body, which provides additional data on restraint
performance along with data gathered from physical anthropomorphic test
devices. If they’re investigating a frontal impact involving a child seated on a
booster seat, for example, they can virtually look beneath the skin to understand how a seat
belt is loading the abdomen and the internal organs. This helps them to identify what stresses
are generated in different body regions, and identify high-stress regions during an impact. By
stripping away layers of the body using software, they can perform what are essentially “virtual
autopsies” on digital human models and assess the potential for injuries. Although the field has
advanced to a stage where these human models closely mimic the responses of actual humans,
accurate injury assessment is a work in progress, with these models constantly evolving and
being validated with physical test data. Virtual models need to be complemented with physical
testing to ensure safety system development for all types of occupants.
Maheshwari is excited by the potential these models have to inform autonomous vehicle
(AV) development. AVs of the future will present more flexible, modular seating configurations
in vehicles that enable more movement among all passengers, including children. For example,
a child may be facing the side or the back of the vehicle, so the forces acting upon them during
a crash will be different from the standard forward-facing position. In this scenario and others,
it is important to evaluate current restraint systems for the potential to provide protection.
Investigating those types of scenarios using Ansys LS-DYNA and virtual human body models
enables CHOP to take a much deeper look at the different loads a body sustains to help
recognize injuries coming out of various types of impacts.
“We can absolutely go that deep,” says Maheshwari. “Using simulation and human body
models, we can analyze occupant protection for children across a wide range of scenarios to
ensure our most valuable passengers are protected on the roads.”

© 2021 ANSYS, INC. Ansys Advantage 43

 FO CU S ON ACAD E M I CS / M U LT I PH YS I CS SIMUL ATION

Artist’s rendering of an
earlier version of Blue Sky
Solar Racing’s Borealis

CATCHING
SOME RAYS
Students design solar race car
with simulation and the sun
By Jennifer Procario, Staff Writer, Ansys Advantage

A
s millions of college students soak up the sun this summer on vacation, engineering
enthusiasts at the University of Toronto have other plans for the fiery sphere. The
university’s Blue Sky Solar Racing team is designing a solar race car to catch enough rays
to finish as a top contender at the World Solar Challenge (WSC) next year.
With more than 60 current members, the student team consists mostly of undergraduates with
backgrounds in engineering, computer science, business, and marketing. Despite their diverse areas
of study, they’re all gaining hands-on simulation experience.
From the front- to the rear-end of the vehicle, the team is integrating Ansys simulation solutions
to design a winning solar race car with the least amount of aerodynamic drag, the highest solar
energy intake, and the lowest energy losses in its electrical system.
With access to Ansys simulation tools through a student
team partnership under the Ansys Academic Program,
the team iterates calculations, models, and designs
more quickly, accurately, and seamlessly across
all parts and subsystems of the car. The
partnership provides student teams with free
research software and support for use with
their competition designs.
As a result, their solar car is well-equipped for Blue Sky Solar Racing completes a static structural
competition and, with real-world engineering analysis in Ansys Mechanical to ensure the safety
experience, the team is well-equipped for life of their solar race car, Borealis. This simulation
after graduation. illustrates the lower control arm of Borealis’
rear suspension.

44 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 “of We currently use Ansys simulation across all subsystems
the car, including mechanical, structural, and
aerodynamic. A lot of the proof and justification for our
design documentation to the competitions’ regulatory
boards actually comes in the form of simulation results.
”
SIMULATING FOR THE SUN All groups share a dedicated space on
This isn’t the team’s first rodeo — or race. Blue campus across from one of the university’s main
Sky Solar Racing has been around since 1997. engineering buildings. The shop is outfitted with
Historically, the team participates in the biennial a garage door to easily transport the car in and
WSC race — a 3,022-kilometer (roughly 1,878- out, as well as an adjacent computer lab with
mile) race spanning the Australian continent — multiple workstations where team members
faithfully every two years. perform analyses, calculations, and simulations.
The team’s latest race car, named Borealis, The team makes good use of the facility
marks their 11th-generation race car model and year-round in preparation for the race, which
bears a similar lean and lengthy resemblance involves prerequisites. In addition to sending
to the earlier models at 5 meters long (the advance documentation to meet regulation
maximum length allowed by WSC) and around
1.1 meters in width and height.
Leo Han, the team’s project manager, says a
long and skinny design reduces aerodynamic
challenges, but aerodynamics isn’t the only
matter of concern. Race regulations include a
host of requirements, including the vehicle’s
energy storage, occupant space, driver’s and
electrical safety, steering, brakes, and more.
“We currently use Ansys simulation across
all subsystems of the car, including mechanical,
structural, and aerodynamic,” says Han. “A lot
of the proof and justification for our design
documentation to the competitions’ regulatory Members of the team’s aerodynamics
boards actually comes in the form of simulation department use Ansys Fluent to analyze velocity
results. We send over our Ansys simulation and speed. This simulation shows a study done
results, plots, and data to justify that our design using a NACA airfoil.
is safe and meets regulations.”
For Borealis’ development, the team has standards, the WSC requires the solar car to pass
used Ansys Mechanical and Ansys Fluent most a preliminary “scrutineering” round one week
for structural and fluid analyses, respectively, before the competition in order to race in the
while relying on Ansys Speos in the past to main event.
optimize headlight reflectors — an optical Scrutineering typically consists of mechanical
design that is still being used to boost the and electrical inspections as well as dynamic
car’s beams. tests such as U-turns and figure-eight
While the size of the team fluctuates from maneuvers. While the full WSC schedule for
year to year, at least 20 members actively 2023 has not been released as of press time, the
use Ansys’ finite element analysis (FEA), competition generally runs up to two weeks,
computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and optical including about five days for scrutineering.
design software during most development
periods. The team has several departments, BUILDING A WINNER, SAFELY
including mechanical, aerodynamics, electrical, Aside from energy efficiency, the most
array, electromechanical, structures, strategy, important aspect of a solar race car — or any
fabrication, and advancement. race car — is safety. While safety affects every

© 2021 ANSYS, INC. Ansys Advantage 45

 FO CU S ON ACA D E M I CS / M U LT I PH YS I CS SIMUL ATION

The Blue Sky Solar Racing

student team at the
University of Toronto is
designing a solar race car to
compete at the World Solar
Challenge next year.

Once this data is collected,

the group uses Mechanical
to identify values for points
of maximum deformation
or maximum principal
stress. After these points
are identified, it’s back
to design.
The team can then determine which areas
facet of the car, one of the most critical areas of the chassis they can adjust. Some areas may
to secure structurally is the space surrounding suffice with fewer layers of carbon and a lighter
the driver. core, while other areas require more layers of
Paloma Manterola, a Structural Lead on the carbon and a stronger core for extra strength.
team, uses Ansys FEA simulation to ensure A similar process is completed for the Borealis’
safety around this hot seat. outer body to reduce the overall weight of the
“I’ve mostly used Ansys Mechanical to vehicle while still protecting
optimize all the chassis or the roll cage, which the driver.
are basically the parts that surround the driver Jimmy Huynh, a
and protect them in case of a crash, rollover, or mechanical lead, explains
any kind of disaster,” says Manterola. “Protecting how their team also uses
the driver is the main issue and the main goal Mechanical to test the
of the team. Ansys simulation has really helped vehicle’s suspension
us in that regard while also helping us to system.
potentially perform well in the race.” “We use Ansys
The primary challenge for Manterola and Mechanical to test the
her group has been to optimize the chassis, loads that we calculate
which is made of sandwich panels consisting based on the regulations Simulation showing
of carbon fiber layups, while balancing weight that the WSC sent out, maximum stress
and strength. The goal is to optimize the chassis and we use rigid dynamics generated in hub
so it doesn’t weigh down the vehicle, while still to get proper mechanical
safeguarding the driver in any scenario. movement and test the entire suspension
To achieve this, Manterola and the rest of system to make sure there’s no clashing,” he
her group use Mechanical in combination says. “We make sure that the car moves with
with Ansys Composite PrepPost (ACP). ACP the wheel characteristics that we’ve set up, and
is an integrated tool in the Ansys Workbench then also that it doesn’t interfere with any of
simulation integration platform with pre- the other subsystems.”
processing (ACP-pre) capabilities for composite They also employ Mechanical’s rigid
laminates modeling and post-processing (ACP- dynamics capabilities to test smaller
post) capabilities for advanced analysis using mechanical systems throughout the car, such
failure tools. as hinges.
First, the team uses ACP-pre to construct Additionally, the aerodynamics group
the sandwich panels and carbon fiber layups. uses Fluent to understand and improve the
Next, the members shift to ACP-post to get aerodynamics inside and outside of the car
the results of structural analyses, including with built-in tools for electric motor cooling,
maximum principal and stress deformation. turbulence modeling, and combustion models.

46 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 GETTING AN EDGE ON THE COMPETITION massive model while also giving accurate and
Another component that the team must fast results. It also allows us to easily move
consider is weather. If you wondered if a solar back and forth from other tools to Ansys’
race car fares best on sunny days, it does. But simulations, which makes the iteration process
it’s not just the sun that impacts conditions. so much faster.”
While a cloudy day can reduce Borealis’ Manterola applauds the Ansys Academic
energy input by two-thirds, a strong Program for not only providing tools, but also
headwind could double power consumption for offering support online. By using the Ansys
due to aerodynamic losses. On the other Learning Forum and Ansys Learning Hub,
hand, a tailwind could help reduce Manterola and her teammates found solutions
aerodynamic losses. To consider all weather- for many common issues, including
related variables, the team analyzes forecast the root cause of error
data, then inputs the information into Ansys’ messages.
simulation software. Using these results, the
team runs additional simulations for a wide
range of conditions to determine possible
solutions, such as at what speeds to operate
the vehicle during certain wind conditions to
perform best in the race.
Though the bulk of Borealis’ power is
Ansys Mechanical simulation showing maximum
dependent on the sun, all teams are allowed
stress generated in an axle
to start the race with an initial full battery pack
charge, which allows around 3 hours of driving
at 70 km/h. Additionally, Tak Jariwala, another
While this could be considered a slight head Mechanical Lead on the team, helps new
start, it pales in comparison to the edge that recruits learn the software through the team’s
Ansys’ predictive accuracy has given the team, onboarding training program. In his experience,
at least according to its members. even members new to simulation embrace
“We’re doing simulations on a 5-meter- Ansys’ tools rather quickly.
long car, and just the sheer volume of that, “Overall, I think the learning curve is
you wouldn’t expect simulation to give you generally steep because a lot of our recruits
that much accuracy. But every time I refine come in as first-year or second-year students,
the mesh, Ansys Mechanical gives me more where they haven’t had much experience with
and more knowledge of how I need to fix our coursework yet,” says Jariwala. “But we try
something — maybe change a corner angle to make our training modules fairly intuitive,
to make it less sharp,” says Manterola. “Just and I think Ansys’ simulation especially is easy
being able to have that information really to learn once you have exposure to one or two
helps a lot. And yes, Ansys can work with this sessions. It’s fairly straightforward and easy to
pick up with time.”
With forecasting and simulation well
understood, the only thing left for the team to
RACING INTO THE FUTURE figure out is who will take the wheel. Ideally, the
team selects three drivers to alternate driving
Though the team isn’t finished with and alleviate the burden, which includes daily
Borealis just yet, they’re already 9-hour driving shifts for about a week.
thinking of design concepts for their However, few team members don’t have
12th-generation solar race car model. their driver’s license yet due to so many test
The team plans to integrate Ansys cancellations during the pandemic. Adding to
this challenge, the size restrictions of Borealis’
Discovery 3D simulation software
driver hub create another hurdle, favoring the
into design plans to accelerate and
team’s shortest and smallest drivers.
streamline workflows by using more As the group tries to find additional
tools within the Ansys ecosystem. candidates, Han plans to take one for the
They will also engage Ansys Speos team and get behind the wheel. In the
again to maintain optimum efficiency meantime, Borealis is ready and waiting to be
across all optical designs. steered to a victory.

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Helping Students’
Dreams Take
Flight
By Laura Carter. Staff Writer, Ansys Advantage

UNAM Aero Design Team

at Biblioteca Central
Universidad Nacional
Autónoma de México
(Mexico City)

48
48 AnsysAdvantage
Ansys Advantage Issue21 |/ 2022
Issue 2021
 “flexibility
We had to work as a team, and Ansys gave us the
to collaborate remotely or participate on
campus as needed to successfully achieve our goals. ”

M
ost kids love things that fly, especially
airplanes — whether it takes a simple flick
of the wrist, a rubber band winding, or
a battery-powered remote control to
send them airborne. This fascination can lead to
science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
learning opportunities beyond grade school. For
Miguel Cobian, a student responsible for leading Structure for fluid-solid
the mechanical design system efforts of the aero interaction (FSI) analysis of
design student team at the Universidad Nacional a blended wing designed by
Autónoma de México (UNAM), the opportunity to the team
join a student engineering team to design aircraft
was really a childhood dream come true.
“I’ve always been fascinated with planes,” says Cobian. “As a kid, I would try to imagine how such
heavy things like airplanes could ever leave the ground. At the university level, the technical and
scientific aspects took hold, to the point at which all I wanted to do as an engineering student was
to keep learning and understanding these phenomena to design very big, heavy things that can
actually fly.”
Cobian manages the students and the schedule, plotting out the team’s trajectory — e.g., who
will do what job where and how many events the team will take on during the year. All of the
team’s hard work is focused on winning Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) aero design student
engineering competitions.
His partner, Chief Technology Officer Michel Gordillo, is responsible for managing all of the
technological resources of the team, including the free simulation software they receive through
the Ansys Academic Student Team Partner Program. Gordillo must ensure that their aircraft is
competitive, legal, and in compliance with current regulations. He leads the team through the
technical challenges of the competition and makes major design decisions. Both Gordillo and
Cobian are at the top of their class and are on a great academic trajectory, but they recognized that
knowledge based strictly on passing exams was not going to fly in the real world.
“I wanted to be confident of my knowledge,” says Gordillo. “I wanted a steeper learning curve,
and I think you can only experience it by imposing new challenges on yourself, which is why I
joined the team. I also like the aerospace
sector and thought our team was
the best place to learn and pick up
valuable experience along the way.”

SIMULATION HELPS
FUTURE ENGINEERS
SPREAD THEIR WINGS
The Ansys Academic Program
supports student teams like the
UNAM Aero Design team with the
simulation software, training resources,
and access to learning opportunities that
make participation in these competitions possible
through Student Team Partnerships. Participation
enables the team to take the aerodynamic fundamentals
and theoretical equations they’ve learned in class and Fluent analysis of Mobula

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 FO CU S ON ACA D E M I CS / CO L L A B O R ATION

apply them in the real world using simulation

to design unmanned aircraft.
With help from Ansys, student teams can
learn the ins and outs of simulation software
and sharpen their skills through online tutorials
or university courses as they go, as well as
interact with other Ansys users in the Learning
Forum. It’s a win-win for students, who will
graduate with industry-ready skills that will
help them to prepare for and secure jobs after
graduation. Ansys’ continuous collaboration
with the team began about four years ago. The
UNAM Aero Design team is one of more than
500 Ansys-sponsored teams that have access to Mobula aircraft designed by the UNAM Aero Design
free software, resources, and support through team, winner of second place overall, SAE Aero
partnership with Ansys. Design East: Advanced Class 2021
“It’s a real-world application,” says Vishal Ganore, Academic Project Manager at Ansys. “In designing
a mini-sized aircraft, students are gaining hands-on experience and insight into how they can design a
bigger aircraft. If they encounter a company in the aerospace domain, they have the expertise needed
to demonstrate their knowledge of small aircraft design using simulation and land a job right out of
college. And we know these students are some of the most sought-after by employers.”

TEAM UNAM SOARS THROUGH COMPETITION

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) connects and educates engineers while promoting,
developing, and advancing aerospace, commercial vehicle, and automotive engineering. One of the
ways SAE achieves its objectives is through student competitions. During these events, student teams
from multiple universities, including UNAM, are challenged to build remote-controlled, mini-sized
flying aircraft in multiple categories: regular class, advanced class, and micro class.
At 54 members strong, UNAM’s Aero Design team is among the largest teams at the university and
the only aero design team to date. They mainly compete in the advanced class, where they are tasked
with delivering an aircraft capable of carrying and releasing various payloads. It also requires the
related telemetry to monitor flight information around very complex missions.
Team UNAM manufactures a prototype of a mini aircraft using Ansys tools to look at aircraft
efficiency and the external aerodynamics of the aircraft. They also perform structural analysis of
the aircraft wings to make sure the structure is stable, which provides an excellent opportunity
for students on the team who are interested in the aerospace industry. Participation involves real-
world project experience connected to aerospace, plus the chance to apply important engineering

Turbulent study around sharp edges from

fuselage and landing gear elements

50 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 “learn
Our team used a lot of Ansys products and was able to
them all without any previous experience. The interface
is very pretty and easy to understand ... Once you get the
basics of one Ansys simulation tool, it’s easy to extrapolate
this knowledge and apply it to other Ansys simulation tools. ”
knowledge and the fundamentals they receive in class to explore industrial software, including flagship
products like Ansys Fluent, Ansys CFX, and Ansys Mechanical.
“Our team used a lot of Ansys products and was able to learn them all without any previous
experience,” says Cobian. “The interface is very pretty and easy to understand. So, if you understand,
for example, that you have to go from left to right preparing your analysis using this specific method
in Fluent, you can apply this user experience to Mechanical. Once you get the basics of one Ansys
simulation tool, it’s easy to extrapolate this knowledge and apply it to other Ansys simulation tools.”

WITH ANSYS, THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

In any given year, participation in multiple
competitions is not unusual — including this
year with advanced competitions in the United
States and a regular competition in Mexico. To
meet different timing and requirements, two or
three unique aircraft designs are required, as well
as extreme coordination among team members Modal analysis
to get them done. Moving in and out of design of aircraft structure
phases, the team often runs tasks in parallel,
or sequentially when they can’t, using Ansys
products to optimize their workflow structure
and meet competing deadlines. This level of
coordination was particularly important during
the pandemic.
“What might be different from past student
teams is the level of ingenuity that went into the
Topological
past two years — keeping the team together,
optimization of aircraft
sometimes in isolation, sometimes on campus,”
structures performed in
says Gordillo. “We had to work as a team, and
Ansys Mechanical
Ansys gave us the flexibility to collaborate
remotely or participate on campus as needed to successfully achieve our goals.”
To access simulation software off campus and facilitate information sharing, Gordillo set
up a server at home using remote desktop software to extend the resource pool beyond individual
laptops. This enabled team members to communicate directly with the server to activate licenses
and run simulations off campus from wherever they were. The setup also enabled team members to
obtain values for different design conditions via simulation, then share the data coming out of those
simulations among themselves to successfully work through their concepts.
“Everyone is very keen on giving their best and going all out on the work they are doing,” says
Gordillo. “I think competing has been a huge learning experience, and I’m just grateful that I found in
the team a community of super capable, intelligent people in which we are free to innovate, to bring
ideas to the table, and not be afraid to test them.”
Just how has all this teamwork paid off? In 2021, the UNAM Aero Design team won second
place overall internationally and second place in the technical presentation for the Advanced Class
competition in the U.S. So far this year, the team also took first place twice in Mexico for their technical
report and technical presentation, and is looking forward to more wins in the future.
“So, as you can see, all these things we’re implementing, and all the support we are receiving
from Ansys, is really helping us in competitions,” says Cobian. “We constantly keep growing and
keep going forward as a team.”

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 FO CU S ON ACAD E M ICS / CO M PUTAT IONA L FLUI D DYNA MI CS

SOMETHING
IN THE AIR
By Ansys Advantage Staff

IIT BOMBAY STUDENTS USE ANSYS FLUENT TO ESTIMATE

HOW AIR CIRCULATION CAN MINIMIZE VIRUS SPREAD
In an accelerated world where the future is arriving faster than ever imagined,
society literally can’t wait for the next generation of engineers to become
accomplished professionals. According to Janani Srree Murallidharan,
Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, the demands are so great now
that engineering schools have to “make experts as quickly as possible.”
For Murallidharan, engineering expertise is built not just on learning
theories and solving equations. She believes that as part of their
preparation for tackling real-world problems, engineering students
need to recognize the social relevance of what they’re studying.
What’s more, they have to understand how solving challenges as
engineers will contribute to societal goals.

52 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 “andEngineers can select the equations they need in Fluent,
they can mix and match different models. Fluent will
translate those complex conditions very quickly into a
visual animation.
”
Fast-tracking the training of future engineers while helping them
become productive world citizens might seem like an ambitious
undertaking. But when the fourth-year students in Murallidharan’s fall
2021 Computational Fluid Dynamics & Heat Transfer course took on the
complex problem of analyzing ventilation in campus facilities during the
COVID-19 pandemic, the experience resulted in decidedly down-to-earth
applications.
Equipped with Ansys Student — a free download that includes Ansys
Fluent — on each of their laptops, class members found out how to use
advanced learning to solve practical (and in this case, universal) problems.
They estimating how frequently the air inside a confined space needs to
be circulated to minimize the spread of infection and how to introduce more Janani Srree
fresh air into the enclosed environment. Murallidharan,
Assistant Professor in the
MIXING, MATCHING, AND AHA! MOMENTS Department of Mechanical
Murallidharan expects that the students who complete her course will be Engineering at the Indian
able to understand fluid flow in any environment they’ll eventually work Institute of Technology
in, whether they’ll be designing airplane wings, heat transfer systems for (IIT) Bombay
electronics, or wind turbines.
That’s why she appreciates the flexibility of Fluent, which is used by professional engineers in
multiple disciplines.
Before they can graduate to Fluent, so to speak, her students spend their first years at IIT Bombay
calculating fluids phenomena the old-fashioned way: writing equations and coding computer
programs.
Mastering the fundamentals is necessary and provides a firm footing in fluid dynamics. However,
learning exercises don’t provide the kind of insight young engineers will be required to have on the job.
“Because the students have to do all these steps themselves, the problem to which they will apply
this fundamental capability is very rudimentary in the sense that they would probably take a very ideal
room and study how air will settle into it,” Murallidharan says. “They’re spending most of their time
trying to learn the very core of these equations. But at the end, they have difficulty understanding how
the math can translate to helping industry.”

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

Velocity streamline contours for (a) baseline case simulation, (b) simulation with ceiling fans and an
exhaust fan switched on, (c) simulation with one exhaust fan and one pedestal fan, (d) simulation with
one exhaust fan and two pedestal fans, and (e) simulation with two exhaust fans and two pedestal fans

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“ There is no way the kids could have

coded the mesh themselves for such complex
geometries as a room. Fluent’s sphere of
influence mesh sizing easily let them identify
regions where they wanted more complex or
final meshes.
”
By contrast, Fluent lets the students easily see complex
conditions without having to actually type and code every bit of it,
Murallidharan says.
“Engineers can select the equations they need in Fluent, and they can
mix and match different models,” she explains. “Fluent will translate those
complex conditions very quickly into a visual animation. For students,
Fluent lets them relate the engineering aspects to a design and helps them
quickly assess the impact of flow problems
and ideate solutions.”
Those robust numerical and functional
capabilities seem purpose-built for
Murallidharan’s class, which had two
parallel tracks. Students spent part of
their time learning concepts and then
used Fluent to solve actual problems that
build on foundational computational
fluid dynamics (CFD) theory. There
was a lot of back-and-forth learning,
Murallidharan says, that helped students
better understand the fundamentals and
the applications, and enabled them to see
IIT Bombay campus building what the concepts do in the real world. It
also resulted in many “aha!” moments.

PLOTTING A SAFE RETURN

Bringing real-world issues into the engineering classroom is often tricky, and is even trickier
when a pandemic prevents the students from being in the classroom themselves and they
have to rely completely on remote, online learning.
Yet these adverse circumstances turned out to provide a unique opportunity for these young
engineering students. With the problem of COVID-19 all around them, it became an obvious
focus for their semester-long project. Figuring out whether labs and other shared learning spaces
were ventilated well enough to prevent the transmission of the virus would help Murallidharan’s
students:
• Learn that fundamental CFD is not something removed from their lives. One objective, she says,
was to show how these “cold, very dry equations fit into our very chaotic world.”
• Recognize how CFD can be used to solve socially relevant problems and make a difference in
people’s lives. Students and engineers are often disconnected from society, Murallidharan says. But
learning to contribute to the world — even if it’s something like designing a simple pump that helps
a farmer irrigate his crops — can be more valuable than “landing the high-paying job.”
• Be able to provide specific, concrete recommendations to overcome a challenge. As she notes, if
the issue they were working on was too abstract or so large that there’s no way to arrive at a feasible
solution (e.g., ending pollution), it would be demotivating.
Ultimately, the students’ work could have a huge and meaningful impact on the technology
college itself. If they could figure out how to improve ventilation, or at least ensure that what’s already
there is safe, it might be possible for everyone to return to campus sooner.

54 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 Streamlines depicting the flow path taken by the Volume rendering of the velocity of the flow
air entering the room from the air conditioners field inside the room

Some questions remained, though: How could any of this be done without the students accessing
the facilities that required analysis? And how could Fluent help?

ALL PROBLEMS ARE LOCAL

They say that all problems are local; if that’s true, so are the solutions. At least they were in this case.
With a campus visit off-limits, Murallidharan asked the students to start looking at ventilation
issues in their own homes. That quickly brought the issue into context, she says, as everyone was
interested in making the rooms where they and their families live as safe as possible.
Broadening the investigation involved taking advantage of an ace in the hole. Although IIT Bombay
was largely closed, the school allowed a handful of doctoral candidates to come onto campus. They
served as mentors to Murallidharan’s class, answering questions about the labs and other spaces
being analyzed and taking photos to provide at least a virtual sightline.
Working on the assumption that recirculated air was likely laden with the coronavirus, the students
used Fluent to simulate the effects of bringing in fresh air and drawing out the old. Murallidharan
says that Fluent’s robust meshing and simulation capabilities “made a world of difference,” enabling
students to mesh large rooms efficiently and easily incorporate various flow effects such as ceiling
fans, exhaust fans, and air turbulence parameters.
“There is no way the kids could have coded the mesh themselves for such complex geometries as a
room,” she says. “Fluent’s sphere of influence mesh sizing easily let them identify regions where they
wanted more complex or final meshes. They could see why some meshes didn’t work, make changes
quickly, and then see how that affected the results. It was a huge learning experience.”
Using Fluent to visualize the flow of air in the rooms was also essential.
“Fluent’s animation capabilities actually showed them how the flow behaved rather than them
having to imagine something,” Murallidharan says. “They saw flow visualized in the rooms, tried out
different simulation options available in Fluent, and worked with add-on numerical capabilities, such
as solving for a user-defined scalar (UDS), which was crucial for predicting the residence time of air in
various parts of the room. Ultimately, the students realized the importance of ventilating dead zones
to limit infection spread.”

AN ELEGANT SOLUTION
In the end, the students recommended an elegant, cost-efficient, simple, and universal solution:
adding exhaust fans to the spaces and leaving any windows open just a bit to increase flow
circulation and velocity. From start to finish, the work took just four months. There was no coding
from scratch, just a few hours of clicking per week on their computers. The short timetable made
the experience especially empowering, Murallidharan says. Using Ansys Fluent accelerated the
students’ abilities, and thanks to their study of something in the air, they’ll be able to hit the ground
running as professionals.

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 FO CU S ON ACAD E M ICS / D IG ITAL M ISSI O N E NG I NE E RI NG

Penn State
Students
Take on Digital
Missions
By Jennifer Procario,
Staff Writer,
Ansys Advantage

Professor Gregory Huff and a student examine a scale model of a single engine
aircraft in an anechoic chamber. They are evaluating embedded antenna
radiation patterns and linking performance studied in Ansys STK for in-flight
scenarios involving remote agricultural sensor data acquisition and navigation-
based sensor fusion.

56 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 S
tudents at Penn State are developing mission-ready simulation skills. By
pairing electronics modeling software with a digital mission engineering
platform, electrical engineering professor Gregory Huff takes his classes on a
trip beyond the lab, the curriculum, and the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum.
From antennas on the ground to radars in the sky, Huff teaches hundreds of
students each semester how to use Ansys HFSS 3D high-frequency simulation
software and the Ansys Systems Tool Kit (STK) digital mission engineering platform
in tandem to optimize emerging research in electronics, aerospace and defense,
meteorology, and more.
With affordable access to the software through the Ansys Academic Program,
Huff incorporates both technologies for a multifaceted teaching approach that
cultivates a unique and desirable skill set for a wide range of students outside of the
engineering majors.
Coupled with the program’s free resources for additional self-learning, students gain
hands-on experience inside and outside of the classroom, which prepares them for real-
world challenges — and missions — as their careers take off.

DIGITAL MISSION: POSSIBLE This bilateral analysis expanded research

As students’ curiosity about STK grew due to the variables to include queries such as:
popularity of digital mission engineering industry • Would the antenna work in a
initiatives and accessible online certification communication link?
programs, Huff introduced the platform • What is the impact of putting this
into some of his classes to allow students to antenna on a platform?
experience the software within an active learning • Is there any blockage, interference, or scattering
environment. from other objects affecting the antenna?
The STK certification program offers three Huff’s EM courses focus on communication
tiers, including level 1 STK certification, master radars and remote sensing, using STK to
level, and grand master level. It’s a sought-after demonstrate both the communication and orbital
program for many undergraduates as they stock mechanics components in an applied setting.
their toolbox to stand out to recruiters after However, electronics engineering students
graduation. aren’t the only learners gaining an edge. The
First, Huff demonstrated the advantage of courses entice students from a variety of science,
pairing HFSS with STK in telecommunications. technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
From ground station antenna systems to majors and interests, including aerospace and
satellite communications, Huff’s goal was mechanical engineering, as well as meteorology.
to present students with tangible ways to To unite different fields even more and keep
understand and explore electronic transmission things interesting for all students, Huff assigns
and connectivity. two projects each semester that involve real-life
“If you look at any text on satellite missions — one locally and one across the country.
communications, it’s treated very lightly: For a local reference, students study equitable
‘Here are some antennas, use these broadband access to learn how to establish wireless
equations, and they’ll just work, or contact
your local antenna person and good luck,’”
says Huff. “I can write all that on the board, or
we can use these really fabulous simulation
software programs and platforms through
the Ansys Academic Program, where real
physics can be learned.”
Huff guided students through an evaluation
of ground station antennas and phased
arrays, which are used on spacecraft. Students
generated antenna radiation patterns in HFSS,
then imported the data into STK to analytically
and visually demonstrate how a phased array
would perform. The MEDUSA platform

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The MEDUSA platform was developed in Professor Gregory Huff’s laboratory to evaluate collaborative
beam-forming techniques for unmanned aerial vehicle swarms using a computer vision-based system.

connectivity to underserved populations in rural students learn how to use radio frequency
areas surrounding Penn State campus locations identification (RFID) tags to track spotted
throughout Pennsylvania. With wide-ranging lanternflies — an invasive species to the United
weather, geography, and topology, the state offers States that was first detected in Pennsylvania
a host of areas and conditions to explore, from fog, in 2014. Due to their feeding behavior, the
rain, and snow to hills, mountains, and more. unwanted plant-hoppers present a threat
Students investigate which areas and to many agricultural crops and forest plants
conditions will permit or prohibit select data throughout the country and the world.
links to determine how to improve satellite By pairing HFSS with STK for these projects,
transmissions in different scenarios common Huff says he can show students through real-life
to rural regions. The ultimate goal is to discover projects not only what EM can do, but also what
innovative ways to create strong links for high- simulation and technology can do — and further,
speed connectivity while preventing or that digital mission engineering is not just for
mitigating any interference. extraterrestrial exploration.
The class analyzes transmitters on the ground “STK is giving us an opportunity to go full circle
and in the sky to assess which antennas can in demonstrating digital mission engineering:
support communication links by using HFSS for Here’s how you can do this and here’s what it
any EM data and STK to “mission-plan around looks like in an application,” he says. “And that
that,” says Huff. doesn’t necessarily mean we’re using outer space
“We’re moving toward 5G and really not getting for that.”
away from wireless, so we should be teaching Huff reminds students that STK can be used
more students how we embrace wireless design to prepare and plan a wide range of simulation-
and how to prepare for it,” he adds. “And part of powered missions right here on planet Earth. To
that preparation is when we talk about the STK demonstrate this on-the-ground usage, some of
component.” Huff’s students recently paired HFSS and STK to
Expanding nationally for the second project, track and locate lost hikers.

58 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021

 VITAL SIMULATION TOOLS inspired antennas and predict the radio
FOR EMERGING CAREERS AND FIELDS frequency (RF) performance of EM devices for
According to Huff, academic simulation fabrication in additive manufacturing (AM).
integration is crucial to preparing students With access to additional tools through
for careers in engineering, as well as other the Ansys Academic Program, Huff plans to
related f ields. apply more multidisciplinary integration in
“We need to augment or complement the three key emerging areas: equitable wireless
traditional classroom experience with some connectivity, hypersonic vehicle design, and
type of hands-on experiential learning that 3D printing.
reinforces the theoretical and traditional As mentioned earlier, Huff integrates
framework that we have in place for textbook HFSS with STK to study equitable broadband
learning,” says Huff. “In EM, this is a little access and approach EM from a social
bit more of a challenge because the cost of science perspective. As research deepens
equipment is high, but having access to Ansys’ in this area, Huff plans to incorporate Ansys
suite of design tools is a game-changer. We structural analysis tools, such as Ansys
can do a lot of the research that we want to Mechanical, to examine how architecture also
do in the lab a priori, then come in and really affects broadband access. Similarly, Huff will
put your hands on it and measure it, while also
walking through what happens if I change
XYZ parts of this. Without the Ansys Academic
Program, we would not be doing this.”
So far, Huff’s students have embraced the
tools and are excited to study at home through
the Ansys Learning Hub, the Ansys Learning
Forum, and free Ansys student version
downloads. In fact, Huff says the Ansys portion
of the syllabus is usually the only part that
students have read before the first day of class,
often having already downloaded and explored
the software at home.
This engagement not only equips students
with readiness and confidence, but also
provides them with a skill set that is sought
out by potential employers. Huff views the
relationship between academia and industry as
symbiotic.
“We have people in industry who come
specifically to find graduate students because
they know when students come out of this An additively manufactured curvilinear V-band
program, they are knowledgeable and are waveguide hybrid coupler designed in HFSS
shown before post-processing to remove
using state-of-the-art industry-standard
supports and create conductive walls using
design tools, simulation tools, measurement
pressure-driven electroless metallization
techniques, and that they have a strong
theoretical background to go along with
it,” says Huff. “One key thing that separates integrate Ansys Fluent for its computational
Ansys, and a few other companies that have a fluid dynamics (CFD) capabilities to assess
similar philosophy, is that we’re not here to be aerodynamic heating in projects involving the
a revenue-generating machine; the goal is for design of antennas for hypersonic vehicles.
us to train students and do it in the best way Huff would like to explore Ansys’ AM tools as
possible, using the most advanced and timely well. In collaboration with a 3D printing company,
tool sets that we can have.” Huff currently has AM specialists review his
Many of Huff’s former students have students’ HFSS EM designs to provide feedback
gone on to work at national labs and global so students can optimize and enhance the
companies, including Ansys. designs for 3D products. This has opened up a
Huff also facilitates post-graduate research new area of interest for many students as they
projects to help students transition into their create unique structures and shapes, including
careers with deeper exploration. Two recent “crazy and fantastic contraptions that work,”
projects applied HFSS to develop origami- according to Huff.

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60 Ansys Advantage Issue 1 / 2021