CST Studio Suite 2024

Thermal and Mechanical Simulation

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Workflow &
Solver Overview

Version 2024.0 - 8/2/2023

 Copyright
© 1998–2023 Dassault Systemes Deutschland GmbH
CST Studio Suite is a Dassault Systèmes product.
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Information in this document is subject to change without notice. The

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2
 Table of contents
Chapter 1 – Introduction ......................................................................................................... 5
Welcome ............................................................................................................................. 5
How to Get Started Quickly ............................................................................................. 5
What is CST MPHYSICS STUDIO? ................................................................................ 5
Who Uses CST MPHYSICS STUDIO? ............................................................................ 5
CST MPHYSICS STUDIO Key Features ............................................................................ 6
General ............................................................................................................................ 6
Structure Modeling ........................................................................................................... 6
Mechanics Solver ............................................................................................................ 6
Thermal Steady State Solver ........................................................................................... 7
Thermal Transient Solver ................................................................................................ 7
Conjugate Heat Transfer Solver ...................................................................................... 7
SAM (System and Assembly Modeling) .......................................................................... 8
Visualization and Secondary Result Calculation ............................................................. 8
Result Export ................................................................................................................... 8

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Automation ....................................................................................................................... 8
About This Manual .............................................................................................................. 9
Document Conventions ....................................................................................................... 9
Your Feedback ................................................................................................................ 9
Chapter 2 – Simulation Workflows ........................................................................................ 10
Simulation Workflow: Structural Mechanics ...................................................................... 10
The Structure ................................................................................................................. 10
Create a New Project ..................................................................................................... 11
Open the QuickStart Guide ............................................................................................ 11
Define the Units ............................................................................................................. 12
Model the Structure ....................................................................................................... 12
Traction and Displacement Boundaries ......................................................................... 19
Mesh Settings ................................................................................................................ 21
Start the Simulation ....................................................................................................... 22
Analyze the Solution of the Tetrahedral Solver ............................................................. 22
Summary ....................................................................................................................... 26
Simulation Workflow: Coupled EM-CHT Simulation .......................................................... 26
Uni-Directional EM-CHT Link Set-up ............................................................................. 27
Loss Import .................................................................................................................... 29
Background and Boundary Conditions .......................................................................... 30
Mesh Settings ................................................................................................................ 34
Solver Parameters ......................................................................................................... 34
Coupled Run .................................................................................................................. 36

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 Simulation Results ......................................................................................................... 37
Stationary Bi-Directional EM-CHT Link Set-up .............................................................. 39
Chapter 3 – Solver Overview ................................................................................................ 42
Solvers and Sources ......................................................................................................... 42
Mechanical Solver ............................................................................................................. 42
Thermal and Conjugate Heat Transfer Solvers ................................................................. 43
Background Material ...................................................................................................... 43
Material Properties ......................................................................................................... 44
Boundary Conditions ..................................................................................................... 47
Imports/Sources and Loads ........................................................................................... 50
Monitors at Points .......................................................................................................... 62
Monitors on Faces ......................................................................................................... 63
3D Field Monitors ........................................................................................................... 64
Steady State Thermal Solver Parameters ..................................................................... 64
Steady State and Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer Solver Parameters .................... 65
Excitation Signal Settings .............................................................................................. 66
Transient Thermal Solver Settings ................................................................................ 67

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Result Types .................................................................................................................. 68
Chapter 4 – Finding Further Information ............................................................................... 71
The QuickStart Guide ........................................................................................................ 71
Online Documentation ....................................................................................................... 71
Tutorials and Examples ..................................................................................................... 72
Technical Support ............................................................................................................. 72
Macro Language Documentation ...................................................................................... 72
History of Changes ............................................................................................................ 72

4
 Chapter 1 – Introduction
Welcome
Welcome to CST Studio Suite®, the powerful and easy-to-use electromagnetic field
simulation software. This program combines a user-friendly interface with unsurpassed
simulation performance. CST Studio Suite contains a variety of solvers for carrying out
Thermal and Mechanical Simulation. They are all grouped as a specific Thermal and
Mechanical Module, also known as CST MPHYSICS® STUDIO.

Please refer to the CST Studio Suite - Getting Started manual first. The following
explanations assume that you have already installed the software and familiarized
yourself with the basic concepts of the user interface.

How to Get Started Quickly

We recommend that you proceed as follows:

1. Read the CST Studio Suite - Getting Started manual.

2. Work through this document carefully. It provides all the basic information
necessary to understand the advanced documentation.
3. Look at the examples provided in the Component Library (File: Component
Library  Examples). Especially the examples which are tagged as Tutorial
provide detailed information of a specific simulation workflow. Press the Help
button of the individual component to get to the help page of this component.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Please note that all these examples are designed to give you a basic insight into
a particular application domain. Real-world applications are typically much more
complex and harder to understand if you are not familiar with the basic concepts.
4. Start with your own first example. Choose a reasonably simple example which
will allow you to quickly become familiar with the software.
5. After you have worked through your first example, contact technical support for
hints on possible improvements to achieve even more efficient usage of the
software.

What is CST MPHYSICS STUDIO?

CST MPHYSICS STUDIO is a software package from the CST Studio Suite family which
allows thermal and mechanical simulations. It simplifies the process of defining the
structure by providing a powerful solid modeling front end, which is based on the ACIS
modeling kernel. Strong graphic feedback simplifies the definition of your device even
further. After the component has been modeled, a fully automatic meshing procedure is
applied before a simulation engine is started.

A key feature of CST MPHYSICS STUDIO is its tight integration with the other CST
Studio products. This allows an easy to use workflow for coupled EM-Multiphysics
simulations.

A further outstanding feature is the full parameterization of the structure modeler, which
enables the use of variables in the definition of your component. In combination with the
built-in optimizer and parameter sweep tools, CST MPHYSICS STUDIO is capable of
analyzing and designing thermal and mechanical aspects of devices.

Who Uses CST MPHYSICS STUDIO?

Anyone who needs to investigate thermal and mechanical aspects of electromagnetic
devices. Of course it is also possible to use the product standalone, but the full set of
capabilities deploys when coupling the thermal and mechanical simulators with other
products from the CST Studio Suite family such as CST MICROWAVE STUDIO®, CST
Design Studio™, CST EM STUDIO® or CST PARTICLE STUDIO®.

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 CST MPHYSICS STUDIO Key Features
The following list gives you an overview of the CST MPHYSICS STUDIO main features.
Note that not all of these features may be available to you because of license restrictions.
Contact a sales office for more information.

General
 Graphical user interface for Windows 10, Windows Server 2016/2019, Windows
11 and Windows Server 2022.
 The structure can be viewed either as a 3D model or as a schematic. The latter
allows for easy coupling of thermal simulation parameters with circuit simulation.
 Various independent types of solver strategies (based on hexahedral as well as
tetrahedral meshes) allow accurate simulations with a high level of performance
for a wide range of multi-physical applications.
 For specific solvers highly advanced numerical techniques offer features like
Perfect Boundary Approximation® (PBA) for hexahedral grids and curved and
higher order elements for tetrahedral meshes.

Structure Modeling
 Advanced ACIS-based, parametric solid modeling front end with excellent
structure visualization
 Feature-based hybrid modeler allows quick structural changes
 Import of 3D CAD data from ACIS® SAT/SAB, CATIA®, SOLIDWORKS®,
Autodesk Inventor, IGES, VDA-FS, STEP, PTC Creo, Siemens NX, Parasolid,

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Solid Edge, CoventorWare, Mecadtron, NASTRAN, STL or OBJ files
 Import of 2D CAD data by DXF, GDSII and Gerber RS274X, RS274D files
 Import of EDA data from design flows including Cadence Allegro® / APD® /
SiP®, Mentor Graphics HyperLynx®, Zuken CR-5000® / CR-8000®, IPC-2581
and ODB++® (e.g. Altium Designer, Mentor Graphics Expedition / PADS /
Boardstation®, CADSTAR®, Visula®)
 Import of PCB designs originating from CST PCB Studio®
 Import of 2D and 3D sub models
 Import of Agilent ADS® layouts
 Import of Sonnet® EM models
 Import of a visible human model dataset or other voxel datasets
 Export of CAD data to ACIS SAT/SAB, IGES, STEP, NASTRAN, STL, DXF,
GDSII, Gerber or POV files
 Parameterization for imported CAD files
 Material database
 Structure templates for simplified problem setup

Mechanics Solver
 Temperature dependent Young’s modulus
 Displacement boundary condition
 Traction boundary condition
 Thermal expansion
 Neo-Hookean material model for simulation of large deformations
 Various stress plots: von Mises, hydrostatic and tensor components
 Strain plots including visualization of the volumetric strain
 Nonlinear solver computes the Green-Lagrange and the Almansi-strain as well
as the 2nd Piola-Kirchhoff and Cauchy stress tensors
 Displacement plot including visualization of deformed mesh
 Import of force densities from EM-solvers
 Export of deformed structure to CST MICROWAVE STUDIO

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 Thermal Steady State Solver
 Isotropic and anisotropic material properties
 Bioheat material properties
 Nonlinear material properties (Bioheat properties and thermal conductivity)
 Thermal contact resistance
 Moving media
 Convection for human voxel models
 Heat transfer by conduction in volumes
 Heat transfer by convection and radiation through surfaces
 Sources: fixed and floating temperatures, heat sources, eddy current and
stationary current loss fields, volume/surface power loss distributions in dielectric
or lossy metal materials imported from CST MICROWAVE STUDIO, CST EM
STUDIO or CST PCB Studio, crashed particle loss distribution from CST
PARTICLE STUDIO
 Adiabatic / fixed or floating temperature / open boundary conditions
 Automatic parameter studies using built-in parameter sweep tool
 Automatic structure optimization for arbitrary goals using built-in optimizer
 Network distributed computing for optimizations, parameter sweeps and remote
calculations
 Thermal conductance matrix calculation
 Equivalent Circuit EMS/MPS/DS Co-Simulation for linear problems

Thermal Transient Solver

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

 Isotropic and anisotropic material properties
 Bioheat material properties
 Nonlinear material properties (Bioheat properties, thermal conductivity and heat
capacity)
 Thermal contact resistance
 Moving media
 Convection for human voxel models
 Heat transfer by conduction in volumes
 Heat transfer by convection and radiation through surfaces
 Sources: fixed, initial and floating temperatures, heat sources, eddy current and
stationary current loss fields, volume/surface power loss distributions in dielectric
or lossy metal materials imported from CST MICROWAVE STUDIO, CST EM
STUDIO or CST PCB Studio, crashed particle loss distribution from CST
PARTICLE STUDIO
 Adiabatic / fixed or floating temperature / open boundary conditions
 Low or high order time integration method, constant or adaptive time step width
 Network distributed computing for remote calculations
 Calculation of CEM43°C thermal dose in biological tissues
 Import of 2D losses computed with the LF-TD planar solver

Conjugate Heat Transfer Solver

 Transient and steady-state solver for incompressible laminar or turbulent flows
 Conjugate heat transfer between solids and fluids
 Temperature dependent material properties (thermal conductivity, heat capacity
and dynamic viscosity)
 Multi-fluid support for liquid cooling simulations
 Boussinesq approximation for buoyancy force in flows
 Surface-to-surface radiation with automatic calculation of view factors
 Opening: velocity- and pressure-based inlets and outlets
 Walls: slip/no slip, isothermal and adiabatic
 Internal inlet and outlets
 Internal heat sources

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  External heat sources imported from CST MICROWAVE STUDIO or CST EM
STUDIO
 Axial/Centrifugal fan model support
 Planar and volume flow resistance model support
 Two-resistor/Delphi component model support
 Thermal contact properties: resistance, capacitance
 Thermal surface properties: surface emissivity and heat transfer coefficient
 Heat pipes support
 Thermoelectric coolers (TEC) based on the Peltier effect
 ECXML file format import
 Full GPU acceleration support
 Import of 2D losses computed with the LF-TD planar solver
 Temperature dependent fan curve for time variant simulations
 Solar radiation: Solar radiation calculator based on ASHRAE Earth model.
Direct, diffused and reflected components supported.

SAM (System and Assembly Modeling)

 3D representations for individual components
 Automatic project creation by assembling the schematic’s elements into a full 3D
representation
 Manage project variations derived from one common 3D geometry setup
 Coupled Multiphysics simulations by using different combinations of coupled
circuit/EM/thermal/mechanical projects

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Visualization and Secondary Result Calculation
 Online visualization of intermediate 1D results during simulation
 Import and visualization of external xy-data
 Copy / paste of xy-datasets
 Fast access to parametric data via interactive tuning sliders
 Automatic saving of parametric 1D results
 Multiple 1D result view support

 Various 2D and 3D field visualization options for thermal fields, heat flow
densities, displacement fields, stress fields, etc.
 Animation of field distributions

 Display and integration of 2D and 3D fields along arbitrary curves

 Integration of 3D fields across arbitrary faces

 Hierarchical result templates for automated extraction and visualization of

arbitrary results from various simulation runs. These data can also be used for
the definition of optimization goals.

Result Export
 Export of result data such as fields, curves, etc. as ASCII files
 Export screen shots of result field plots

Automation
 Powerful VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) compatible macro language with
editor and macro debugger
 OLE automation for seamless integration into the Windows environment
(Microsoft Office®, MATLAB®, AutoCAD®, MathCAD®, Windows Scripting
Host, etc.)

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 About This Manual
This manual is primarily designed to enable a quick start of CST MPHYSICS STUDIO.
It is not intended to be a complete reference guide to all the available features but will
give you an overview of key concepts. Understanding these concepts will allow you to
learn how to use the software efficiently with the help of the online documentation.

Document Conventions
 Buttons that should be pressed within dialog boxes are always written in italics,
e.g. OK.

 Key combinations are always joined with a plus (+) sign. Ctrl+S means that you
should hold down the Ctrl key while pressing the S key.

 The program’s features can be accessed through a Ribbon command bar at the
top of the main window. The commands are organized in a series of tabs within
the Ribbon. In this document a command is printed as follows: Tab name: Group
name  Button name  Command name. This means that you should activate
the proper tab first and then press the button Command name, which belongs to
the group Group name. If a keyboard shortcut exists, it is shown in brackets after
the command.
Example: View: Change View  Reset View (Space)

 The project data is accessible through the navigation tree on the left side of the

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

application’s main window. An item of the navigation tree is referenced in the
following way: NT: Tree folder  Sub folder  Tree item.
 Example: View: Visibility  Wire Frame (Ctrl+W)

Your Feedback
We are constantly striving to improve the quality of our software documentation. If you
have any comments regarding the documentation, please send them to your support
center: 3DS.com/Support.

9
 Chapter 2 – Simulation Workflows
This chapter contains two workflow examples demonstrating the basic features of CST
MPHYSICS STUDIO. In the first example, a very simple structural mechanics model of
an accelerometer is created. This workflow describes in detail, how to generate a model
geometry, assign material properties and sources, generate a mesh and run the
simulation. Besides, the visualization and interpretation of structural mechanics results
are discussed.

The second example describes the detailed workflow for setting up uni- and bi-
directional EM-Thermal coupled simulations. In the uni-directionally coupled simulation,
a high frequency electromagnetic solver calculates the ohmic losses in the walls of an
HF-filter which are imported by the Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) solver. Then the
CHT solver conducts a thermal analysis to get the temperature distributions in the filter
and its surroundings. In the bi-directionally coupled simulation, the EM solver and the
CHT solver exchange not only ohmic losses but also the temperature field, i.e., the high
frequency EM solver can import the temperature field calculated by the CHT solver to
update its temperature-dependent EM properties of its materials.

Studying these examples carefully will help to become familiar with many standard
operations that are important when performing simulations with CST MPHYSICS
STUDIO.

In the subsequent chapters some remarks concerning the extended features of the

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

solvers omitted in the tutorial part of this documentation can be found.

The following explanations describe the “long” way to open a particular dialog box or to
launch a particular command. Whenever available, the corresponding Ribbon item will
be displayed next to the command description. Because of the limited space in this
manual, the shortest way to activate a particular command (i.e. by either pressing a
shortcut key or by activating the command from the context menu) is omitted. You should
regularly open the context menu to check available commands for the currently active
mode.

Simulation Workflow: Structural Mechanics

In this example you will model a simple accelerometer. At first, the geometry of the
structure will be created, and material properties will be defined. Then, boundary
conditions will be specified and the solver will be configured and started. Finally, it will
be shown how the solution results should be interpreted.

The Structure
The following picture demonstrates the spatial structure of a simple accelerometer. It
consists of two fixed flat conductors with a potential difference applied, and a movable
conductor between them.

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 1

3
2

If the system moves with acceleration, the inertial force pushes the movable conductor
towards one of the fixed ones. The potential difference, e.g., between the conductors 2
and 3 changes proportionally.

Create a New Project

After starting CST Studio Suite, please select Thermal and Mechanics from the list of
installed modules:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

After a new CST MPHYSICS STUDIO project is created, you can switch the problem
type to Mechanics by selecting Home: Edit  Problem Type  Mechanics .

Open the QuickStart Guide

An interesting feature of the online help system is the QuickStart Guide, an electronic
assistant that will guide you through your simulation. If it does not show up automatically,
you can open this assistant by selecting QuickStart Guide from the dropdown list of the
Help button in the upper right corner.

The following dialog box should now be positioned in the upper right corner of the main view:

11
 The blue arrow always indicates the next step necessary for your problem definition. Usually,
a project template will already set the problem type and initialize some basic settings like
units and background properties. You do not need to process the steps in this order, but we
recommend that you follow this guide at the beginning in order to ensure all necessary steps
have been completed.

Look at the dialog box as you follow the various steps in this example. You may close the
assistant at any time. Even if you re-open the window later, it will always indicate the next
required step.

If you are unsure of how to access a certain operation, click on the corresponding line. The
Quick Start Guide will then either run an animation showing the location of the related menu
entry or open the corresponding help page.

Define the Units

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

By default, m is selected as the dimensions unit. Please change this setting by selecting
Home: Settings  Units . In the Units dialog, please select mm for dimensions:

Model the Structure

The first step is to create a brick.

1. Select the brick creation tool from the main menu: Modeling: Shapes  Brick
2. Press the Escape key in order to open the dialog box.
3. Fill up the brick size fields as it is shown in the table below.

Xmin -10 Xmax 6

Ymin -1 Ymax 1
Zmin 0 Zmax 0.05

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 4. In order to select the material, click on the corresponding combo box and select
Copper (annealed). This material is predefined for CST MPHYSICS STUDIO
projects.

5. Now click the OK button. A new brick has been created:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

1. Let us explore the material properties of the newly created object. Open the Materials
folder in the Navigation Tree and double-click the item Copper (annealed).

The dialog box Material Parameters: Copper (annealed) appears where various
properties of copper can be modified. Select the tab Mechanics in this dialog box.

13
 © Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024
In this tab you can change the mechanical properties of the selected material. These
are the three most important mechanical properties:

 Young's modulus defines the stiffness of the isotropic elastic material. It is normally
measured in GPa, or kN/mm2. The typical values vary between 0.01 GPa (rubber)
and over 1000 GPa (diamond). It is important to know the value of this material
parameter very well, since it has a large influence on the accuracy of the solution.
 Poisson's ratio defines the scale of the transverse contraction of a longitudinally
stretched body. This parameter can vary between -1 and 0.5, whereas most of the
materials are characterized by a positive Poisson's ratio.
 Thermal expansion coefficient is the strain of a body if its temperature changes by
1 K. This value is utilized to compute strain induced by an external temperature
field.

2. Now press Cancel and start creating a new brick (Modeling: Shapes  Brick ) with
the following size (please do not press OK yet):

Xmin -6 Xmax 6
Ymin -1 Ymax 1
Zmin 0.05 Zmax 0.7

3. In order to change the material for the new solid, select [Load from Material Library…]
in the Material combo box. The dialog box Load from Material Library appears. Select
the material Steel-1010 and press the button Load.

14
 © Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024
4. Now press the button OK in the Brick dialog box. A new brick consisting of Steel-
1010 is created.

5. By selecting Modeling: Picks  Picks (S) activate the general pick tool to pick two
edges of the second brick, as shown in the picture below:

6. Select Modeling: Tools  Blend  Chamfer Edges in order to chamfer the

selected edges. Enter the chamfer width of 0.65, and keep the default angle of 45° in
the appearing dialog box and click the OK button.

7. Again, open the Brick dialog and enter the following values:

Xmin 6.3 Xmax 7.5

Ymin -1 Ymax 1
Zmin 0 Zmax 0.7

15
 For the new brick a new material should be created. Select [New Material…] in the
Material combo box. The New Material Parameters dialog is shown. In the General
tab, enter Plastic for the Material name.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

16
 After that, switch to the Mechanics tab in this dialog, select Normal for material
Type, set the Young’s modulus to 2 GPa and the Poisson’s ratio to 0.4.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Confirm your settings with OK.

8. Pick and chamfer one of the upper edges with the chamfer width of 0.7, and keep the
default angle of 45° (Modeling: Tools  Blend  Chamfer Edges ) in order to obtain
the following structure:

17
 9. Create the following bricks:
 One of Plastic with the following size:

Xmin 7 Xmax 7.5

Ymin -1 Ymax 1
Zmin 0.7 Zmax 1.5

 Another one of Plastic with the following size:

Xmin -10 Xmax -9

Ymin -1 Ymax 1
Zmin 0.05 Zmax 1.5

 The last one made of Copper (annealed) with the following dimensions:

Xmin -10 Xmax 7.5

Ymin -1 Ymax 1
Zmin 1.5 Zmax 1.6

 The result should be as shown in the following picture:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

10. In Navigation Tree to the left of the main document window, open the item
Components and select component1. Afterwards activate Modeling: Tools 
Transform .

18
 11. In the dialog Transform Selected Object select the operation Mirror, check the
boxes Copy and Unite and set the mirror plane normal to 0, 0, 1, as shown in the
following picture. If necessary, uncheck Shape Center for the Mirror plane normal:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

12. Click OK button. Now the geometric structure setup is complete:

Traction and Displacement Boundaries

After the spatial structure has been built, the next step is to define the displacement and
traction boundaries. Displacement boundaries refer to the surfaces of the model which
have been shifted by a certain distance in a certain direction. To fix a surface at its initial
position it is also possible to set the displacement values to zero.
Traction boundaries are the surfaces where a certain pressure is applied in a certain
direction. Both displacements and tractions are defined as vectors in the Cartesian
coordinate system.

In the present example let us fix the both sides of the model and apply a pressure to the
middle electrode, which would mimic the influence of inertial forces during acceleration.
The following steps must be performed:

19
 1. Press the toolbar button Simulation: Boundaries  Displacement Boundary .
2. Select the side faces of the model, as shown in the picture below (you have to select
five faces at x-min and 3 faces at x-max):

After pressing the Return key, the dialog box Define Displacement Boundary will appear:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

3. Keep the zero values for all the components of the displacement vector and press
the OK button. Now the sides of the model are fixed in space.
4. Press the toolbar button Simulation: Boundaries  Traction Boundary .
5. Double-click the upper surface of the third electrode:

After pressing the Return key, the dialog box Define Traction Boundary will appear:

20
 6. Put the value of -2e-6 GPa as the Z-coordinate of the traction vector. This means that
the pressure of 2 kPa is applied towards the negative direction of the Z-axis. This
pressure would roughly correspond to the acceleration of 17*g, or 170 m/s 2, into the
positive Z-direction.

Mesh Settings
The structural mechanics solver is quite sensitive to the quality of discretization. In order
to obtain reliable results, the default mesh density needs to be increased. To do this,
press the toolbar button Simulation: Mesh  Global Properties .
In the Mesh Properties – Tetrahedral dialog, change the Cells per max model box edge
setting for Model to 20:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

This will increase the density of generated mesh. In order to check the resulting mesh,
you may press the Update button:

21
 Press the OK button to accept the changes and close the window.

Start the Simulation

Finally, after all the settings have been made, it is time to start the mechanical solver.
Press the toolbar button Simulation: Solver  Setup Solver . The structural mechanics
solver parameter dialog box appears. Note that Adaptive mesh refinement is activated
in order to refine the mesh automatically at critical points. Click on Properties… and

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

increase the Maximum Number of passes to 10 for this example.

You can click the Help button in order to learn more about the controls in this dialog box.
For now, the default settings are good enough, so just click the Start button. After the
calculation has been started, you can control the execution of the solver in the Progress
and Messages windows.

Analyze the Solution of the Tetrahedral Solver

After the mechanical solver finishes the computation, several items appear in the
Navigation Tree.

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 The directory NT: 1D Results  Adaptive Meshing contains information on the adaptive
mesh refinement performed by the solver. Here you can inspect the number of cells in
the mesh for each iteration step, time used by the solver to generate the solution, as
well as the relative error of the solution. For example, in the picture below you can see
the number of degrees of freedom in the solution for each step of mesh refinement.
Please note that the exact values may differ slightly on different systems.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

The directory 2D/3D Results contains the distributions of displacement, strain and stress
within the solution domain. If a temperature distribution has been imported from the
thermal solver, it will be mapped to the tetrahedral mesh and will be available for display
here as well.

A click on the item NT: 2D/3D Results  Displacement displays a deformation plot of
the body deformation.

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 Here the original shape of the model is shown semi-transparently whereas the scalar
plot of absolute displacement is shown on the solid deformed shape.

Select Arrows from the plot type pull-down menu in 2D/3D Plot: Plot Properties to display
a vector plot of the body deformation, as shown in the following picture.

Selecting Contour from the plot type pull-down menu displays a scalar plot and enables
the vector component pull-down menu in the 2D/3D Plot ribbon, which contains the
following items: X, Y, Z, Abs, Normal, Tangential.

 Click on X, Y or Z to display the corresponding component of the displacement vector.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

The example below demonstrates the displacement of the solution domain in the Z-
direction.

 The item Abs demonstrates the distribution of the absolute value of displacement
within the solution domain.
 The items Normal and Tangential demonstrate the length of the corresponding
projection of displacement vector onto each body surface.

Navigation Tree item NT: 2D/3D Results  Strain contains the following sub-items:
 Directory Components contains the components XX, YY, ZZ, XY, XZ and YZ of the
strain tensor.
 Sub-item Volumetric displays the distribution of the volumetric strain in the model,
which means the relative volume change in each node of the solution domain. The
negative values mean contraction, whereas the positive values mean expansion.

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 Finally, Navigation Tree item NT: 2D/3D Results  Stress contains the following entries:
 Directory Components contains the components XX, YY, ZZ, XY, XZ and YZ of the
stress tensor.
 The tree-entry Von Mises displays the distribution of von Mises stress within the
solution domain. If this stress at some location is higher than the yield strength of the
corresponding material, plastic deformation takes place in this location. Von Mises
stress is always positive.
 The tree-entry Hydrostatic displays the hydrostatic stress distribution, reproducing
the change of the volume in the stressed body. The negative values mean contraction
forces.
 The tree-entry First Principal Stress displays the distribution of the largest eigenvalue

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

of the stress tensor in the solution domain. The first principal stress is the largest
tension applied at the given point.

Another useful feature is the visualization of computation results on a cutting plane.

Select 2D/3D Plot: Sectional View  Fields on Plane from the toolbar to enter this
mode. By default, the cutting plane is perpendicular to the X-axis. Its orientation can be
modified from the toolbar by changing the 2D/3D Plot: Sectional View  Normal setting.
Also the position of the cutting plane can be changed in this way.

In the following picture the distribution of the absolute value of displacement vector is
shown on the cutting plane perpendicular to the Y-axis.

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 Vector fields can be visualized on a cutting plane in the same manner. Just select the
Arrow plot type in the 2D/3D Plot ribbon (of course, for a plot with vector data like
Displacement). In this case the Fields on Plane mode stays activated.

Summary
This example should have given you an overview of the key concepts of CST
MPHYSICS STUDIO. Now you should have a basic idea of how to do the following:

1. Model the structures by using the solid modeler;

2. Define and modify various material parameters;

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

3. Assign displacement and traction boundaries;
4. Start the structural mechanics solver;
5. Explore the results of adaptive mesh refinement;
6. Visualize various distributions delivered by the mechanical solver;
7. Visualize the deformation of the mesh and scale it.

If you are familiar with all these topics, you have a very good starting point for further
improving your usage of CST MPHYSICS STUDIO.

For more information on a particular topic, we recommend you browse through the online
help system which can be opened via the Help button in the upper right corner. If you
have any further questions or remarks, do not hesitate to contact your technical support
team. We also strongly recommend that you participate in one of our special training
classes held regularly at a location near you. Ask your support center for details.

Simulation Workflow: Coupled EM-CHT Simulation

Coupled simulations are the main application field for CST MPHYSICS STUDIO. The
new parametric multi-physics workflow simplifies the management of coupled simulation
projects, which share the same model geometry (called the Master Model). Changes in
the Master Model are directly transferred to the subprojects. In addition, this workflow
supports the definition of global parameters, which are shared between the subprojects,
as well as the usage of parameter sweeps or optimization sequences.

Two types of EM-CHT couplings are supported, i.e., uni-directional and stationary bi-
directional couplings. In a uni-directional EM-CHT coupling the EM solver first solves the
electromagnetic fields and the resultant thermal losses. The CHT solver then imports
those losses as heat sources and performs a thermal analysis to obtain the temperature
field in the computational domain. Currently, the EM solvers which can be uni-
directionally coupled with the CHT solver include the HF frequency domain solver, HF
transient solver, LF frequency domain solvers (Fullwave, Eletroquasistatic and

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 Magnetoquasistatic), LF time domain solvers (Eletroquasistatic and
Magnetoquasistatic), and Stationary Current solver.

A stationary bi-directional EM-CHT coupling not only allows the CHT solver to import the
thermal losses obtained from an EM solver but also allows the EM solver to import the
temperature field calculated by the CHT solver. The bi-directional coupling can find its
application in problems involving materials whose EM properties are dependent on
temperature. Currently, the EM solvers which can be coupled with the CHT solver in
stationary bi-directions include the HF frequency domain solver, HF transient solver, LF
frequency domain solver (Magnetoquasistatic), and Stationary Current solver.

The typical workflow for setting up a uni-directional EM-CHT coupled project is first
demonstrated. The simulated device consists of a filter placed on a horizontal support
and surrounded by air. The HF frequency domain solver is first used to perform a
frequency domain analysis of the filter. The ohmic losses from the filter will be obtained
along with the electromagnetic fields. Physically, the ohmic losses will be transformed
into heat and result in the increase of the filter’s temperature. The corresponding thermal
analysis is conducted by using the CHT solver which imports the ohmic losses as heat
sources and computes the temperature distribution in the filter with the cooling effect of
the surrounding air being considered.

The workflow for setting up a stationary bi-directional EM-CHT coupled project shares a
lot with its counterpart for the uni-directional coupling and, therefore, only the difference

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

will be described.

Uni-Directional EM-CHT Link Set-up

Please open the project “Combline Filter Draft” located in the Component Library. To
access the example, please select the File tab, then select Component Library, type
“Combline” into the search field on the top right and press Enter:

To open the project you have to download a copy first, by clicking on the Download
symbol. Once this is done you are ready to open the example by clicking on the Open
Project symbol.

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 Start the automatic creation of a coupled electromagnetic/thermal computation by
selecting Home: Simulation  Simulation Project  EM-Thermal Coupling  Uni-
directional.

A dialog box appears to create the first part of the EM-Thermal link:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

The EM simulation project is named EM1 and will be performed by the frequency domain
solver of MWS. Select High Frequency as Project type and Frequency Domain as Solver
type. All the settings from the master model can be inherited by selecting its schematic
block as the reference model.

After you click the OK button, the dialog box below appears to create the second part of
the EM-Thermal link:

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 In the dialog box, the project type Thermal & Mechanics is already chosen. So you only
need to select the thermal solver type Conjugate Heat Transfer and rename the project
to CHT. Once you are done, press the OK button. The EM and thermal simulation tasks
whose names are EM1 and CHT, respectively, will be created and added to the Tasks
folder in the Navigation Tree in the Schematic view sequentially.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Loss Import
In the next step, you are invited to define the frequency at which the thermal losses
should be computed and exported. The losses directly exported by the EM solver are by
default calculated for an input peak power of 1W. The simulated device however may
be operated at a different input power therefore the exported losses must be rescaled
proportionally. For an operational input power of 100W, assign the value 100 to the
Scaling factor for losses entry:

Click OK. The corresponding monitors and field imports are configured automatically in
both simulation projects. Now you may switch to the thermal project (select the CHT
project tab in the main view) and configure additional material properties, necessary
thermal sources, boundary conditions and calculation parameters.
In the navigation tree a field source called EM1 (named after the name of the EM
project of the EM-Thermal link) has been automatically added and configured. Edit it to

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 reconfigure it if necessary. The exclamation mark indicates that losses are missing
because the EM1 simulation has not yet been performed.

Background and Boundary Conditions

To take into account the effect of natural convection it is necessary to create some space
around the device (Simulation: Settings  Background ) so that the airflow induced
by heated device can be simulated:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Some of the materials contained in the original model are missing thermal properties. In
order for the CHT solver to work properly, the density, heat capacity and thermal
conductivity of the background and of all the solids must be adequately defined (>0). In
addition, the dynamic viscosity of the background material must be specified. To include
the contribution of radiation from a solid, the emissivity has to be specified as well. By
default, radiation calculation is not activated but can be enabled in the solver parameter
dialog (see section Solver Parameters).

The background material properties (Simulation: Settings  Background ) need to be

copied from the material “Air”. To do this click on the Properties… button and then on
the Copy Properties from Material… button in the General tab of the material dialog.

Select the Thermal tab and check the properties before closing the dialog with OK.

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 © Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024
Note: solids made of material PEC will be automatically replaced in the solver by the
material Copper (annealed).

Make sure that the material named “MWSSCHEM1/dielectric” has the following thermal
properties (the density value can also be entered in the Density tab):

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Please check the material named “MWSSCHEM1/brass” in the same manner:

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 © Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024
Open Simulation: Settings  Boundaries to exploit the symmetry of the model with
respect to the YZ plane and set-up the YZ symmetry boundary condition:

Assuming the device is positioned horizontally, the horizontal support is modeled as an

adiabatic wall while the other sides of the computational domain are set to open:

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 Mesh Settings
Please change the mesh type to CFD (Simulation: Mesh  Global Properties  CFD)
and open the mesh properties dialog. Adjust the Minimum cell setting to a fraction of 40
for the maximum cell in the model.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Solver Parameters
Please change the default temperature unit to Celsius in the project Units dialog (Home:
Settings  Units ) to have the results presented in Celsius later.

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 Then open the solver parameter dialog (Simulation: Solver  Setup Solver ). Activate
the Gravity check box to simulate the effect of natural convection. Switch off the
Turbulence model check box. Adjust the Ambient temperature unit to Celcius and
specify the ambient conditions of 20°C.

If Radiation is turned on, the radiation temperature can be used as reference

temperature when the contribution of open boundary conditions to radiation is taken into

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

account.. Please note that we perform this simulation without radiation in order to reduce
the computation time for this tutorial.

Open the CHT Solver Special Settings dialog by pressing the button Specials… and limit
the Number of iterations to a maximum of 80 in order to shorten the otherwise lengthy
simulation time. Please note that the results obtained after 80 iterations are not fully
converged. If more accurate results are desired change the number of iterations to
automatic calculation (i.e. switch off the Maximum checkbox). With current settings, the
overall simulation time should be less than 20 minutes.

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 © Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024
Apply all settings with the OK or Apply buttons before closing the CHT Solver Special
Settings and Conjugate Heat Transfer Solver Parameters dialog box.

Coupled Run
Switch back to schematic of the master project (first tab) and therein to the Schematic
view (select the appropriate tab at the bottom of the main view). Press the button Home:
Simulation  Update . At first, the EM calculation will be started. Next, the losses will
be computed. Finally, these losses will be imported into the thermal project, and the
thermal calculation will be performed.

Alternatively, right click on NT: Tasks  Coupled EM-Thermal1 and Update the task.

A progress bar will appear in the progress window which will update you on the task
progress. You can activate this window by selecting View: Window  Windows 
Progress Window. Information text regarding the simulation will appear above the
progress bar. The most important stages are listed below for the CHT solver:

1. Updating tasks: 1of 1: the selected task includes the previously created EM and
CHT simulation.
2. …. the EM simulation is performed….

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 3. CHT solver: Surface mesh generation: the solid surfaces are triangulated.
4. CHT solver: Octree grid generation: the CFD mesh is constructed by using the
solid surface triangulations.
5. CHT solver: Importing surface/volume losses: the losses from the EM simulation
are imported and mapped into the CFD mesh.
6. CHT solver: Upgrade grid: inactive cells are removed from the CFD mesh.
7. CHT solver: Iterations: the simulation is performed.

Simulation Results
Once the EM simulation has been completed please leave the schematic and return to
the CHT simulation. Follow the progresses of the CHT simulation by looking at the
convergence monitors in the NT: 1D Results  Convergence monitors  Equation
residuals and NT: 1D Results  Convergence monitors  Equation balances.

The simulation completes 80 iterations before stopping. The following dialog box pops
up because the simulation has not fully converged (i.e. several convergence criteria
have not been met due to the low maximum number of iterations):

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Choose Stop and save the results and press OK.

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 To visualize the loss imported from the EM simulation, select NT: 2D/3D Results  Heat
source densities and a cut plane, for instance X=0. Please note that the losses can only
be visualized on cut planes (check ribbon 2D/3D Plot: Sectional View  Fields on
Plane). Observe that the losses are the highest on the walls of the coaxial feeds and of
the cylinders.

Once the simulation has stopped, visualize in the same cut plane the temperature by
selecting NT: 2D/3D Results  Temperature.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

The temperature increases are the highest where the losses are also the highest. The
air in contact with the walls of the filter heats up and carries the heat away which cools
down the filter. One can observe that the simulation has not converged to a steady-state
solution in the whole domain because the heat carried by the air flow has not yet reached
the top boundary of the computational domain. Still, the simulation has enough
progressed to show a correct temperature distribution inside the filter.

The CHT solver takes into account the air cooling effect by simultaneously calculating
the heat transfer in the fluid and solid domains and the air flow caused by the
temperature gradients and gravity. This key feature differentiates the CHT solver from
the thermal solvers which do not solve for the air flow and thus can simulate neither
natural nor forced convection.

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 The air flow can be visualized by selecting NT: 2D/3D Results  Velocity

The velocity vector plot shows the air circulating inside the filter as well as the heated
air ascending and being replaced by air at ambient temperature.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Stationary Bi-Directional EM-CHT Link Set-up
The typical workflow for setting up a stationary bi-directional EM-CHT coupled project is
almost identical to that for setting up a uni-directional coupled one. The difference is
only in the first set-up step which is shown below. For the demonstration purpose, the
project “Combline Filter Draft” is adopted here again.

Start the automatic creation of a coupled electromagnetic/thermal computation by

selecting Home: Simulation  Simulation Project  EM-Thermal Coupling 
Stationary Bi-directional.

The dialog boxes for creating the EM and CHT simulation projects are the same as those
in setting up the uni-directional coupling:

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 © Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024
However, after both the EM and thermal simulation projects are created and before the
loss import dialog appears, a dialog box which is unique to the bi-directional coupling
will pop up. It asks for the number of iterations between the EM and the thermal tasks:

After you input your desired number and press OK, the above dialog box will disappear
and a loss import dialog will pop up. From now on, the set-up process is identical to the
previous workflow for uni-directional couplings.

Note that the bi-directional EM-Thermal coupling is generally used for the cases where
the EM properties of material are temperature dependent. Project “Combline Filter
Draft” is adopted here just for demonstration of the workflow. The properties of its
materials are not dependent on temperature. Special attention also needs to be paid to

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 the bi-directional coupling between the HF frequency domain solver and the thermal
solvers. After both the HF frequency domain solver and the CHT sub-projects are
created, “Rebuild simulation projects” in the property of “Sequence” in Schematic view
should be checked to ensure all frequency samples are re-calculated by the HF
frequency domain solver in every iteration.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

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 Chapter 3 – Solver Overview
Solvers and Sources
Various simulation types differ in the definition of materials, boundary conditions and
sources. The way to define materials in CST MPHYSICS STUDIO is quite similar for all
solvers, whereas there are larger differences in the definition of sources and boundary
conditions. For this reason, an overview of the sources, loads and boundaries for each
solver are explained below.

Mechanical Solver:
 Displacement boundary: Simulation: Boundaries  Displacement Boundary
 Traction boundary: Simulation: Boundaries  Traction Boundary
 External temperature and/or force distribution:
Simulation: Sources  Field Import

Thermal and Conjugate Heat Transfer Solvers:

 Fixed temperature: Simulation: Sources and Loads  Temperature Source
 Heat source: Simulation: Sources and Loads  Heat Source
 Thermal losses from an electromagnetic or particle simulation:
Simulation: Sources and Loads  Thermal Losses
 Thermal contact resistance: Simulation: Sources and Loads  Contact
Properties

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

 Convection and radiation at surfaces: Simulation: Sources and Loads  Thermal
Surface
 Initial temperature distribution for a transient calculation:
Simulation: Imports  Field Import

Conjugate Heat Transfer Solver:

 Fan: Simulation: Interior Boundaries  Fan
 Thermoelectric cooler (TEC): Simulation: Sources and Loads  Thermoelectric
Cooler
 Heat Pipe: Simulation: Sources and Loads  Heat Pipe
 Two-resistor component model: Simulation: Sources and Loads  Compact
Thermal Model  Two-resistor
 Delphi component model: Simulation: Sources and Loads  Compact Thermal
Model  Delphi
 Fluid Domains: Simulation: Interior Boundaries  Fluid Domain
 Interior boundaries: Simulation: Interior Boundaries  Lid and Opening
 Initial conditions  Initial Temperature on Solid and Initial Condition on Fluid
Domain
 ECXML: Simulation: Imports  ECXML

Mechanical Solver
The mechanical solver is a tetrahedral based solver for structural mechanic problems.
Its main application is computing deformations driven by thermal expansion and external
forces. The deformation results can be used for a subsequent High Frequency
Electromagnetic analysis with the tetrahedral based frequency domain solvers from CST
MICROWAVE STUDIO.
Refer to the chapter Simulation Workflow for a description of the basic features. The
import of temperature and force density distributions is described in the section Workflow
for Coupled Simulations.

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 Thermal and Conjugate Heat Transfer Solvers
CST MPHYSICS STUDIO includes a thermal and a conjugate heat transfer (CHT)
solver. The thermal solver is optimized to simulate thermal conduction in the steady state
and transient regime and supports hexahedral and tetrahedral grids. The CHT solver is
a CFD based heat transfer solver capable of solving thermal conduction, convection and
radiation simultaneously in the steady state and transient regime. The effect of solar
radiation is also supported. The main applications of these solvers include solving
steady state or transient temperature problems resulting from various types of losses.
Both solvers are also well suited to compute standalone thermal problems. The following
sub-sections will demonstrate the most important aspects of a thermal simulation with
CST MPHYSICS STUDIO.

Background Material
The first step for setting up a thermal simulation is to define the units for temperature
and dimension, like it has been described in the chapter Simulation Workflow.
Afterwards an appropriate background material should be selected. Open the material
background properties dialog box by selecting Modeling: Materials  Background :

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

For thermal problems, the background material is set to Air (thermal conductivity: 0.026
WK-1m-1, heat capacity: 1.005kJK-1kg-1, density: 1.204 kg/m3 and dynamic viscosity:
1.84e-5 Pa.s at normal conditions). These settings may be changed by selecting the
Material type (Normal is advisable in most cases), afterwards opening the material
dialog box by pressing Properties... and select the Thermal property page:

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 © Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024
The easiest way to assign the necessary values is to copy the properties from an existing
material in the material library. Press the Copy Properties from Material… button in the
General tab, select [Load from Material Library…] in the Copy Properties from Material
dialog box:

Now choose the desired material from the material list.

Material Properties
The material parameters for a thermal problem can be defined inside the material
parameters dialog box: Modeling: Materials  New/Edit  New Material . Select the
Thermal tab.

It is necessary to specify a thermal conductivity to perform a thermal or conjugate

heat transfer simulation. In the Thermal tab please specify a thermal conductivity for
your material in W K-1 m-1 in case a Normal or Anisotropic thermal material Type has
been selected. If a temperature dependent thermal conductivity, heat capacity and/or
blood flow coefficient should be taken into account, activate the checkbox Nonlinear and
define the material curve by entering the corresponding dialog box via Properties…

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 If you select a PTC (Perfect Thermal Conductor) type, an infinite thermal conductivity is
assumed. A body with PTC material assigned always has a uniform temperature.
Please note that the conjugate heat transfer solver replaces PTC with copper.

For transient thermal problems (see also the next chapter) and the conjugate heat
transfer solver the heat capacity and the material density must be specified. These
parameters determine how much energy per Kelvin is stored in a certain amount of mass
or volume:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Specify the material emissivity when radiation is enabled in a conjugate heat transfer
simulation. Similarly, the absorptivity of the material has to be defined in case of a
simulation with solar radiation enabled.

The field Thermal expansion coefficient is available only if the CHT solver type is
selected. It allows to enter the volumetric coefficient of thermal expansion in [1e-6 / k].
The thermal expansion coefficient describes how the volume of a fluid changes with a
change in temperature and must be set when natural convection is simulated i.e. when
the gravity is defined and the fluid flow is simulated. If the value is zero the solver applies
the ideal gas law to calculate the thermal expansion coefficient as the inverse of the
ambient temperature. This law is not valid for liquids therefore it is important to set the
thermal expansion coefficient when a liquid is simulated and gravity is defined.

Because the thermal diffusivity plays an important role for the transient simulation
process, it is shown here as well. The diffusivity can be calculated from the thermal
conductivity, the heat capacity and the material density as follows:

45
 k
 ,
  cP
where

: Diffusivity [m² / s]
k: Thermal conductivity [W / K /m]
: Density [kg / m³]
cP: Specific heat capacity [J / K / kg]

Nonlinear heat capacity can be used for simulation of material phase change in transient
computations. This can be achieved by a local increase of heat capacity for a small
interval of temperatures. For more information on simulation of phase changes, please
contact support service.

For simulations which involve biological materials, heating mechanisms of living tissue
can be taken into account (see also: Bioheat Source below). In addition, it is possible to
define a convection coefficient for surface materials of human voxel models (typically:
skin).

The Flow Resistance material parameter is only supported by the conjugate heat
transfer solver. It is used to model the fluid flow behavior across a screen without having
to mesh the screen geometry.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

A flow going through a sheet with a planar flow resistance experiences a pressure drop
which can be expressed as follows:
  
P  0.5  f    u  n  u
,
 
where f is the dimensionless loss coefficient, n is the sheet local normal and u the flow
velocity.

A flow going through a volume resistance experiences a pressure gradient which can
be written as follows:

Pj  0.5     f ij  u j u j
j ,
where f ij is the loss coefficient tensor per unit length and u j is a velocity component in
the global coordinate system (X,Y,Z).
The loss coefficient tensor is defined with respect to a local coordinate system (U’,V’,W’)
and transformed into a 3x3 tensor in the global coordinate system.

A Flow Resistance assigned to a surface uses the specifications of the sheet properties
group whereas a Flow Resistance assigned to a solid uses the specifications of the solid
properties.

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 © Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024
Boundary Conditions
The boundary conditions for the thermal and conjugate heat transfer solver can be
defined in the Thermal Boundaries tab of the Boundary Conditions dialog box
(Simulation: Settings  Boundaries )

For Steady State and Transient Thermal Solvers:

The thermal boundary offers the following choices of boundary conditions:

For “isothermal” and “open” boundaries the temperature settings may be assigned by
pressing the corresponding button […]. This button opens the dialog Boundary Settings,

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 in which the temperature value can further be configured, for example, by assigning of
a fixed or floating temperature. By default, the option Unset is selected, which means
the boundary is considered as a PTC surface without sources assigned.

For the "open" boundary condition, it is assumed that the temperature approaches the
predefined value with increasing distance from the structure. Apply this type of boundary
condition if thermal conduction through the surrounding background material plays an
important role for your problem. In order to consider thermal convection effects on the
structure, Thermal surface properties (see p. 53) should be used.

When no heat flow leaves the computational domain through a boundary, use the
"adiabatic" boundary condition. In case the conductive heat flow of an open structure
can be neglected, you can use these boundary conditions instead of “open” boundary
conditions (if radiation or convection effects dominate).

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

The "isothermal" boundary condition forces the temperature to be constant at this
boundary. As a consequence, the tangential component of the heat flow density is forced
to be zero here.

The following table shows an overview, where T is the temperature and Q is the heat
flux density:

Temperature (T) Heat Flow (Q)

Isothermal T = const (fixed or floating) Q tangential = 0
Adiabatic d T / dN = 0 Q normal = 0
Open Lim R→∞ (T) = const (fixed or
floating)

The picture below illustrates an example of how thermal fields are influenced by the
different boundary types. It shows a metal sphere at a constant temperature, which is
surrounded by a material with constant thermal conductivity.

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 For Conjugate Heat Transfer Solver:

The conjugate heat transfer solver supports similar types of boundary conditions. It is
however important to note that it interprets these boundary conditions differently, in
particular for the case of open boundaries.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

User input for isothermal walls: temperature, emissivity and friction (no-slip/slip) at the
boundary wall. The reference temperature used for radiation is the wall temperature.

User input for adiabatic walls: friction at the boundary wall (no heat exchange, zero
emissivity).

User input for symmetrical boundaries: none (no friction, no heat exchange, zero
emissivity).

User input for open boundaries: flow temperature, flow velocity or flow gauge
pressure. An open boundary allows flow to enter and leave the domain, which could be
used to model the flow and thermal behavior of an inlet or of an outlet specified by a
pressure gauge or a velocity. If the flow temperature is unknown, which is the case for
outlets or if the flow direction is unknown set the temperature to unset.

The emissivity is set to 1. The reference temperature used for radiation is the radiation
temperature defined in solver parameter dialog.

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 Imports/Sources and Loads
The thermal and conjugate heat transfer solvers can handle several types of sources or
loss mechanisms, which are listed below:

Temperature Source
This source is available via Simulation: Sources and Loads  Temperature Source .
This source type can be assigned to a surface of an object with PTC material properties
or any other material with non-zero thermal conductivity. For the transient thermal solver
an initial temperature source can be defined, which is taken into account only for
generation of the initial temperature distribution and ignored during the transient
solution.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Heat Source
This source is available via Simulation: Sources and Loads  Heat Source
When assigned to a solid with a non-zero thermal conductivity source and that is neither
PTC nor PEC it defines the thermal power evenly released within the solid. The user
may define the total power released within the solid (Total) or the volume heat density
(Density).

When assigned to a solid that is either PTC or PEC it defines the total heat flow
coming from the solid surface. Therefore, a heat source with zero heat flow and a
floating temperature are identical.

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 Thermal Loss Distribution
This source is available via Simulation: Imports  Thermal Losses . Thermal losses
can occur inside materials with finite conductivity, on surfaces of good conductors, inside
dispersive materials or at materials where particles hit the surface. These loss
distributions can be imported and used as thermal sources inside thermally conductive
materials. If previously calculated loss distributions are present, you can edit setting by
reopening the dialog box (Simulation: Imports  Thermal Losses ).

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

It is possible to choose source fields from the same project or from an external project.
The following table shows a list of loss types and which solver from the CST Studio Suite
can create these losses.

Type of loss Created by

Ohmic (electric vol. Transient Solver ( ), Frequency Domain Solver ( ),
losses) Eigenmode Solver ( ), J-Static Solver ( ), LF-Solver (
), PIC Solver ( ), Wakefield Solver ( ), IR-Drop Solver (
)
Lossy metal (surface Transient Solver ( ), Frequency Domain Solver ( ),
losses) Eigenmode Solver ( ), LF-Solver ( ), PIC Solver ( ),
Wakefield Solver ( )
Dispersive (electric Transient Solver ( ), Frequency Domain Solver ( ), PIC
and magnetic vol. Solver ( ), Wakefield Solver ( )
losses)

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 Crashed particles Tracking Solver ( ), PIC Solver ( )

For further details, refer to the online help.

Thermal Surface Properties

Thermal surface properties are available via Simulation: Sources and Loads  Thermal
Surface .

Thermal surface properties can be assigned to surfaces of thermally conductive

materials. A thermal surface property definition describes the radiation and convection
losses from a surface:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

The Emissivity  is a dimensionless constant between 0 and 1 which describes the
radiation capability of the selected surface

QRadiation  ASurface      (T 4  TReference

4
)
,

whereas QRadiation stands for the radiated power, T for the surface temperature, TReference
for the reference temperature, which can be equal to ambient or user-defined,  for the
Stefan-Boltzmann constant and ASurface for the area for the selected surfaces. An
emissivity value  = 0 means that the surface does not lose thermal power by radiation.
A value of 1 means that the thermal power emitted by the surface equals to that of a
black body at the same temperature.

The Convective heat transfer coefficient h describes convection processes between a

fluid and the surface of conductive materials:

QConvection  ASurface  h  (T  TReference )

52
 where QConvection denotes the power, T the solid surface temperature, TReference the
reference temperature in the fluid and ASurface the area for the selected surfaces.

The thermal surface properties dialog includes additional options for the conjugate heat
transfer solver. The emissivity of the solid defined by the emissivity of its material can
be overwritten by a surface emissivity for the assigned surface. Similarly, the solar
absorptance of the solid defined by its material can be overwritten here for the respective
surface. In addition, the local fluid temperature can be used as the reference
temperature when convection is prescribed by a heat transfer coefficient.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Fan (not supported by Thermal solver)
Fans are available via Simulation: Sources and Loads  Fan . They are defined by
their entry and exit faces. The entry and exit faces must belong to the same lump of the
same solid. They can be either assigned both to the same surface if the fan is planar or
translated from each other. Note that a planar (infinitely thin) fan can only be created on
an outer boundary and can’t be created in the interior domain. A non-planar (thick) fan
can be created either on the outer boundaries or in the interior domain.
The fan behavior can be specified as follows:

53
 The fan characteristics (i.e. fan curve, volume flow rate or stagnation pressure) are given

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

for a quoted speed. The fan however can be operated at a different speed. The derating
factor is the ratio of operating speed and quoted speed and is a dimensionless value
typically between 0 and 1, but higher values are also allowed. If the derating factor is
0.8, the operating speed will be 80% of the quoted speed and the fan characteristics
and the dissipated heat will be adjusted accordingly. The flow temperature can be
controlled either by specifying a fixed temperature or the amount of heat dissipated from
the flow going through the fan.
The fan characteristics are given by a fan curve defined either by one or two or more
points. If a fan curve has only one point its type is Fixed Volume and is specified by
entering its volume flow rate. If the fan curve has two points its type is Linear and is
specified by entering its volume flow rate for zero pressure and its stagnation pressure.
If the fan curve has more than two points its type is Nonlinear and each point can be
entered individually by clicking on the Curve button.
The flow specification can be either Fixed Speed or Dynamic Speed, the last only being
available for transient simulations. The Fixed Speed type defines a constant derating
factor. The Dynamic Speed type defines a varying derating factor depending on the
temperature at a monitor, and the derating factor is adjusted during the simulation
according to a user-defined curve of temperature and derating factor values, which is
entered by pressing the Curve button.

Thermoelectric Cooler (not supported by Thermal solver)

Thermoelectric Coolers are available via Simulation: Sources and Loads 
Thermoelectric Cooler .
To define a Thermoelectric Cooler (TEC), one cold surface (i.e. the cold side) and one
hot surface (i.e. the hot side) on the same object need to be selected. The cold side is
usually in contact with a heat source while the hot side is in contact with a heat sink, i.e.
heat is transferred from the cold side to the hot side of the thermoelectric cooler.
Currently the cold and hot sides are required to be both planar and parallel to each other.
In addition, in absence of contact properties between the TEC and its sides, the material
of the cells touching the same side (hot or cold and without contact property) must be
the same.

54
 Heat Pipe (not supported by Thermal solver)
Heat Pipes are available via Simulation: Sources and Loads  Heat Pipe .
A heat pipe is defined in two steps: In the first step, the shape(s) forming the heat pipe
must be selected. In the second step, the shapes in contact with the heat pipe are
selected. The shapes in contact with the heat pipe generally include a heat source and
a heat sink. After the second step, the properties of the heat pipe can be entered.

Two-resistor component model (not supported by Thermal solver)

Two-resistor component models are available via Simulation: Sources and Loads 
Compact Thermal Model  Two-resistor .
The two-resistor component model can be used to approximate the thermal behavior of
single-die packages that can be effectively represented by a single junction temperature.
The model is based on the block-and-plate method described in the Two-Resistor
Compact Thermal Model Guideline specified in the JEDEC standard JESD15-3.
The 3D representation of the two-resistor model is shown below:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

The input parameters of the model are the case node and board node temperatures,
which are provided by the heat transfer solvers, and the junction node dissipated power
together with the junction-to-case Rjc and the junction-to-board Rjb thermal resistances
that must be provided by the user.
The output parameter of the model is the junction node temperature. In the 3D
representation, the package represents the junction node thermal resistance whereas
the upper package and the lower package surfaces represent the junction-to-case
thermal resistance and the junction-to-board thermal resistance, respectively. The
package lateral sides are assumed to be insulated (no heat transfer).
The two-resistor component model has been extended by making it possible to define
contact properties on the upper package surface. This is useful when a heatsink covers
the upper surface package.

Delphi Compact Thermal Model (not supported by Thermal solver)

Delphi Compact Thermal Models are available via Simulation: Sources and Loads 
Compact Thermal Model  Delphi .
The Delphi compact thermal model can be used to approximate the thermal behavior of
single-die packages that can be effectively represented by a thermal resistance network.
It is based on the Delphi methodology JESD15-4 described in the Delphi Compact
Thermal Model Guideline published by the JEDEC standard Committee on Thermal
Characterization.

55
 The junction node of the Delphi model is an internal node which doesn't interact with the
package environment. The top inner, top outer, bottom inner, bottom outer and side
nodes of the Delphi model are called surface or external nodes because they are
associated to certain physical regions or patches located on the package surface,
allowing them to interact with the package environment as shown below:

The top inner node is associated to a rectangular and centered patch on the upper
(package) surface. The top outer node is associated to the patch delimited by the edges
of the top inner node and the edges of the upper surface.
The bottom inner node is associated to a rectangular and centered patch on the bottom
surface. The bottom outer node is associated to the patch delimited by the edges of the
bottom inner node and the edges of the bottom surface.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

The side node is associated to a patch covering partially (in presence of an optional lead
node) or totally (without a lead node) the four lateral sides of the packages.
The junction node and other optional internal nodes are not associated to any physical
region or patch.
In the IC Packaging tab, the type can be selected, which is "None" by default.
If "None" is selected, leads or metal alloy balls (area arrays) must be modeled by the
customer.
If the type “Peripheral leaded” is selected, the leads will be represented by blocks
(associated to the lead node) whose dimensions are entered in the section Model
Specification: Peripheral Leaded.
If the type “Area arrays” is selected, the area arrays will be represented by blocks
(associated to the lead node) whose dimensions are entered in the section Model
Specification: Area Arrays.
The Network tab is used to define the thermal network of the Delphi model. The network
is predefined and includes six obligatory node: Top inner, Top outer, Side, Junction,
Bottom inner, Bottom outer and one optional lead node which is present if an IC
packaging type has been selected. The nodes and their index are shown in the network
below with their possible connections:

56
 The junction is an internal node. Other internal nodes can be added if necessary by
adding additional nodes to the Node / Resistance table.

Note that the thermal conductivity and specific heat of the shape used to model the
package geometry have no influence on the behavior of the Delphi model.

You can find more detail about Delphi in the online documentation.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Fluid domains (not supported by Thermal solver)

A fluid domain is used to define a region/cavity of the computational domain occupied

by vacuum or by a fluid specified by its material properties. The region must be non-
manifold i.e. all points inside the region must be reachable from any point inside without
leaving the region.
To define a fluid domain pick one face of its surface and orient the normal to the picked
face toward the inside of fluid domain. Ensure that the fluid domain is closed and forms
a cavity by closing any existing opening with either a shape (considered for
simulation) or an interior boundary of type Lid .

Interior boundaries (not supported by Thermal solver)

Interior boundaries of type Lid and Opening are used to defined thermal and flow
sources inside the computational domain. They must be assigned to the surface of a
shape considered for simulation.

When the check box Invert flow direction or the Switch fluid side are visible in the Edit
Lid or Edit Opening dialog, the normal flow direction at the selected face may be
previewed in the 3D main view. Check or uncheck the box to change the arrow direction

57
 so that it shows the flow direction (Invert flow direction) or that it points toward the fluid
(Switch fluid side).

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

The type lid is used to close fluid domains For instance a lid must be used to close
the extremities of a water pipe (defined by a fluid domain) surrounded by the background
air. It is important to note that neither heat nor mass is transferred across a lid from one
fluid domain to another fluid domain (including background).

A lid specifies the flow properties of a fluid inside a fluid domain. The following boundary
types are available:

Wall: isothermal Set a fixed temperature, U tangential (slip/no-slip) and

the wall emissivity.
The emissivity is set to the value specified by the user.
The wall temperature value is used as the reference
temperature if Radiation is enabled.
Wall: adiabatic Set U tangential (slip/no-slip).
The wall emissivity is set to zero.

58
 Open Set the flow temperature. Set the flow velocity,
volume flow rate or gauge pressure.
The opening emissivity is set to one.
The radiation temperature defined in the CHT Solver
Parameters dialog is used as the reference
temperature.

The type opening is used to prescribe flow properties within the same fluid domain.
Therefore, heat and/or mass can be transferred across an opening.

Open Set the flow temperature. Set the flow velocity, volume
flow rate or gauge pressure.
The opening emissivity is set to one.
The radiation temperature defined in the CHT Solver
Parameters dialog is used as the reference
temperature.

Bioheat Source (not supported by CHT solver)

As described above it is possible to assign biological properties to a material. Two
different heating mechanisms are available:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

The Bloodflow coefficient determines the influence of blood at a certain temperature
TBlood inside the tissue volume V.

QBloodflow  V  C Bloodflow  (TBlood  T )

Depending if the current temperature value T is higher or lower than the blood
temperature this mechanism cools or heats the surrounding material. The blood
temperature value can be edited inside the Specials dialog box of the thermal solvers
(Simulation: Solver  Setup Solver  Specials or Simulation: Solver  Setup Solver
 Specials).

An important mechanism of the local thermoregulation in living tissues is an increased

bloodflow coefficient with rising temperature due to the widening of blood vessels
(vasodilation). In order to match clinical studies, the bloodflow coefficient is typically
assumed to change exponentially with increasing temperature. The parameters of this
dependency can be set in the Nonlinear Thermal Material Properties dialog, accessible
through the Nonlinear Properties button in the Thermal tab of the Material Properties
dialog. For more information about these parameters please refer to the online help.

The Basal metabolic rate describes the amount of heat QMetabolic which is produced by
tissue per volume V.

QMetabolic  V  CMetabolic

Thermal Contact Properties

Thermal contact properties can be defined via Simulation: Sources and Loads 
Contact Properties . A contact item is equivalent to a thin layer of thermally conductive
material at the interface between two (or several) solids. It can be characterized either
by lumped parameters (absolute thermal resistance [K/W] or thermal resistance per unit

59
 area [K∙m2/W] as well as thermal capacitance [J/K]), or by its thickness and the thermal
properties of material assigned. Both definitions are equivalent and can be easily
converted into each other:

Absolute thermal resistance

(K/W):
Thermal resistance per unit area
(K∙m2/W):

Thermal capacitance (J/K):

Here Rθ represents the absolute thermal resistance, rθ the thermal resistance per unit
area, C the thermal capacitance of the contact layer. In the material-based
representation, thermal conductivity k, specific heat capacity cP, material density ρ and
layer thickness l are used. The contact area A is calculated by the solver.

The advantage of contact properties definition through lumped parameters is the ease
and transparency of the parameter values. Besides, the absolute thermal resistance is
independent from the contact area A which may vary in case of solid intersections or
depending on the mesh settings. On the other hand, the material-based definition offers
more flexibility, for example it supports nonlinear material properties.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Thermal contact properties are only supported by tetrahedral-based thermal solvers and
the conjugate heat transfer solver.

Initial conditions (not supported by thermal solver)

By default, at the start of a simulation the initial temperature in the computational domain
is set to the ambient temperature and the initial flow velocity in the background and in
the fluid domains is set to zero.

60
 To set a user-defined initial temperature to a shape please create a "New Initial
Temperature On Solid..." and drag and drop the shape on it (or drag the initial condition
on the shape).

To set a user-defined initial temperature and velocity to a fluid domain please create
a "New Initial Condition on Fluid Domain..." and drag and drop the fluid domain on it (or
drag the initial condition on the fluid domain).

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Moving Media (not supported by CHT solver)
For each solid containing a non-PTC thermal conducting material, a moving media
velocity vector may be assigned via Simulation: Motion  Moving Media .

This vector defines the velocity with which the material comprising the solid is moving
relatively to the sources and solid geometry. A typical example would be a very long
tube moving through a coil for the purpose of induction heating.

If a velocity vector has been assigned to any solid, the solver saves important
information about the distribution and maximum of Peclet number in order to control the
solution quality.

61
 Only tetrahedral-based thermal solvers support this feature. In the transient solution, the
moving media velocity vector may be made time-dependent by assigning Excitation
Signals to its components.

You can find more detail about moving media in the online documentation.

ECXML Import (not supported by Thermal solver)

The Electronics Cooling XML format, better known as ECXML, is a standard for
exchanging geometries/features between Electronics Cooling simulation software. The
standard is defined in JEDEC JEP181. Files can be imported via Simulation: Imports 
ECXML .

You can find more detail about ECXML import in the online documentation.

Monitors at Points
The monitors of this kind record scalar values that are defined at a point (e.g. the x-
component of the heat current density at a fixed position). You can create these monitors
via Simulation: Monitors  Monitor at Point .

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Steady state thermal solver evaluates the temperature values at the monitor points and
saves them as 0D data into the Navigation Tree under NT: Thermal Solver 
Temperature 0D  <monitor name>. Besides, if adaptive mesh refinement is turned on,
the tetrahedral-based steady state solver records the temperature value after each
refinement step and saves it under NT: Adaptive Meshing  Temperature 0D 
<monitor name>.

Transient thermal solver records the temperature values at the monitor points during the
whole solution time interval.

Two additional types of monitor at point are available for the conjugate heat transfer
solver. The Pressure and Velocity types evaluate, respectively, the pressure and velocity
at the monitor point at each iteration.
The conjugate heat transfer solver saves the values of the monitor points as 1D data
into the Navigation Tree under NT: 1D Results  Monitors at Points  <monitor name>.

The conjugate heat transfer solver can use the point monitors activated in Simulation:
Setup solver: Accuracy: Custom stop criteria to detect the convergence of the solver.

62
 This monitor type is similar, although not identical, to Probes available within CST
MICROWAVE STUDIO.

Monitors on Faces
The monitors of this kind record scalar values defined on a surface. You can create
these monitors via Simulation: Monitors  Monitor on Faces .

Two types of monitors on face are available. The type flow flux is used to monitor the
fluid flow, consequently the monitor surfaces must not change the flow and must be
borrowed from a dummy solid. A dummy solid is either a solid whose material is exactly
the same as the background material or a solid not considered for simulation but
considered for the bounding box. If necessary, adjust the local mesh properties of the
dummy solid to match those of the background to avoid unwanted mesh refinements
around the dummy solid.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

The flow flux monitor calculates the mass flow rate, the energy flux and the bulk
temperature through the monitor surfaces, respectively defined as:

𝑚̇ = ∯ 𝜌𝐮 ∙ 𝐝𝐀

𝑄̇ = ∯ 𝜌𝐶𝑝 𝐮(𝑇 − 𝑇𝑎𝑚𝑏 ) ∙ 𝐝𝐀

1
𝑇𝑏 = ∯ 𝜌𝐶𝑝 T𝐮 ∙ 𝐝𝐀
𝑚̇𝐶𝑝

The type solid flux is used to monitor the heat flux and the heat transfer coefficient at
solid/fluid interfaces, consequently the monitor surfaces must be borrowed from a solid
considered for simulation and considered for the bounding box and whose material is
different from the background material:

𝑃 = ∯ −𝑘 ∙ ∇𝑇 ∙ 𝐝𝐀

The monitors on faces are evaluated at each iteration and the surface quantities are
saved as 1D data into the Navigation Tree under NT: 1D Results  Monitors on Faces
 <monitor name>.

63
 The conjugate heat transfer solver can use the face monitors activated in Simulation:
Setup solver: Accuracy: Custom stop criteria to detect the convergence of the solver.

3D Field Monitors
In contrast to steady state solvers, field distributions delivered by transient solvers need
to be requested by the user in advance by defining Field Monitors by right clicking on
NT: Monitors  3D Field Monitors  New Field Monitor . A dialog box opens where
the type of the field, the start time and the sample step width can be defined:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Three field types are available: Temperature, Heat Flow Density and CEM43. The latter
monitor represents the distribution of Cumulative Equivalent Minutes at 43°C, which is
commonly used to detect the damage of biological tissues exposed to strong
electromagnetic fields. After the solver run has been completed, the recorded result can
be accessed via the 2D/3D Results folder in the Navigation Tree. The scalar or vector
field can be animated over the defined time period.

Steady State Thermal Solver Parameters

After the thermal problem has been defined, the steady state solver dialog box can be
opened (Simulation: Solver  Setup Solver ):

Before starting the solver, it is advisable to look at the Ambient temperature, which is by
default the reference temperature for the radiation and convection models as well as for
the open boundary conditions. Moreover, this temperature may be assigned to PTC
regions without user-defined temperature or heat sources.

If Bioheat properties must be adjusted, one can open the Specials dialog:

64
 © Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024
This also applies to the transient thermal solver. For further details, please refer to the
online help.

Steady State and Transient Conjugate Heat Transfer Solver Parameters

The conjugate heat transfer solver allows the simulation of stationary or transient heat
transfers between solids immersed in the background or in fluid domains. Radiation,
convection and conduction are simulated according to the settings set in
the Physics section below.
To simulate conduction and convection, please make sure that the density, dynamic
viscosity, thermal specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity are larger than zero.
To simulate only heat transfer (including conduction in the fluids) but without advection
in the fluids, please make sure that the thermal conductivity is larger than zero. This
corresponds to the Fluid flow option turned off.
The simulation takes place in vacuum whenever all thermal parameters of the fluid
material are not defined, i.e. the thermal conductivity, specific heat, material density,
dynamic viscosity and thermal expansion coefficient are set to zero.

To switch between the steady state and the transient conjugate heat transfer solver it is
sufficient to change the simulation regime. By default the simulation regime is steady-
state.
Two different time integration methods are available in the transient regime:

Fixed The time step width is constant during the entire simulation. This type of
time integration will be robust but more computationally expensive than an
adaptive time integration.
Adaptive The time step width is adapted during the simulation process according to
the intermediate results and transient profiles. This type of time integration
should be preferred for most cases.

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 Excitation Signal Settings
For some transient thermal simulations, it is necessary to define time domain excitation

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

signals to model, for example, time varying heat sources. A new signal can be defined
via Simulation: Sources and Loads  Signal  New Excitation Signal. A dialog box
opens where a signal type, its parameters and a name can be set.

The parameters of the signal depend on the individual signal type and are described in
the online help. The parameter Ttotal must be set for almost all signal types and defines
the size of the definition interval. For time values larger than Ttotal the signal is, in
general, continued by a constant value. It is also possible to import a signal or to create
a user defined signal or to select a pre-defined signal from the signal database.

All defined signals are visible in the Signal folder in the Navigation Tree and can be
displayed by selection in the Navigation Tree:

66
 Transient Thermal Solver Settings
You can switch between the steady state and transient thermal solvers by selecting
either

Home: Simulation  Setup Solver  Thermal Steady State Solver or

Home: Simulation  Setup Solver  Thermal Transient Solver .

After selecting the transient solver, the solver parameters dialog box can be opened by
clicking on the icon in the Home or the Simulation ribbon (Simulation: Solver  Setup
Solver ). Before starting the transient thermal solver, a valid Simulation duration time
must be entered:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

Most source types can be weighted with a previously defined excitation function, when
pressing the Excitations button:

67
 For each source, a signal can be assigned via a drop down list. The same signal can be
assigned to several sources. Optionally, an individual time delay  t can be defined for
each source. The resulting time dependent excitation f is the product of the source
value v (e.g. the temperature) and the (possibly shifted) assigned signal s :

f (t )  s(t  t )  v .

The initial temperature distribution can be defined in the Select Start Temperature
dialog, which can be called by pressing the Start temperature: Settings button. The
default setting is to assign the ambient temperature everywhere except regions with
temperature sources. Alternatively, it is possible to assign the solution of the steady-
state problem with initial source values as well as import a temperature distribution from
an external thermal solution.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

The solver parameters dialog box also allows changing the ambient temperature in the
currently active unit. Moreover, the accuracy settings are accessible via the Accuracy
button and can be edited in case simulation speed or accuracy is not sufficient. For
further details, please refer to the online help.

Result Types
After a steady state thermal simulation run has been completed successfully, new
result entries appear in the navigation tree:

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 The directory 1D Results contains the convergence curve, heat flow values for the heat
sources as well as power scaling values for imported fields.

In the directory 2D/3D Results, beside the scalar temperature field the heat flow density
can be seen, which is a vector field showing the heat flow inside thermally conductive
materials. Moreover, a text file is written where the total heat flow for every source is
listed. In case field losses were imported, further information like interpolated loss
distributions as well as the scaling factor is presented.

The transient thermal solver creates a different output in the navigation tree:

Temperature & total Heat Flow on PTC based

sources vs. time are recorded automatically.

Monitor at Point: field values vs. time at one

point.

1D solver statistics: created automatically

by the transient thermal solver.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

3D results from previously defined
time domain monitors and
automatically created start
distributions.

If time domain temperature monitors have been defined for the transient thermal solver,
the associated results will be listed under 2D/3D Results as well. In addition, a couple
of time signals are added to the 1D Results section:

 ThermalTD / Energy describes the total amount of energy in the computation

domain vs. time.
 ThermalTD / Timesteps carries information about the time-step-width vs.
computation step of the adaptive time-stepping scheme.
 ThermalTD / Timescale shows how the simulated time evolves vs. computation
steps.
 ThermalTD / Power shows the total amount of power entering/leaving the
thermal conductive regions.

These 1D signals can be updated during the simulation process by selecting the tree
item and pressing 1D Plot: Plot Properties  Update Results or the F5 key.

The conjugate heat transfer solver produces the following results

69
 The 1D Results contain solution convergence, point and face monitors as well as
performance data, plotted against iterations to give user insights into convergence and
solutions.

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

The 2D/3D results contain velocity, temperature, pressure and heat source densities
data, which can be updated during the iteration process using Plot Properties  Update
Results or the F5 key.

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 Chapter 4 – Finding Further Information
After carefully reading this manual, you will already have some idea of how to use CST
MPHYSICS STUDIO efficiently for your own problems. However, when you are creating
your own first models, some questions may arise. In this chapter, we give you a short
overview of the available additional documentation.

The QuickStart Guide

The main task of the QuickStart Guide is to remind you to complete all necessary steps
in order to perform a simulation successfully. Especially for new users – or for those
rarely using the software – it may be helpful to have some assistance.

The QuickStart Guide is opened automatically on each project start if the checkbox File:
Options  Preferences  Open QuickStart Guide is checked. Alternatively, you may
start this assistant at any time by selecting QuickStart Guide from the Help button in
the upper right corner.

When the QuickStart Guide is launched, a dialog box opens showing a list of tasks,
where each item represents a step in the model definition and simulation process.
Usually, a project template will already set the problem type and initialize some basic
settings like units and background properties. Otherwise, the QuickStart Guide will first
open a dialog box in which you can specify the type of calculation you wish to analyze
and proceed with the Next button:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

As soon as you have successfully completed a step, the corresponding item will be
checked and the next necessary step will be highlighted. You may, however, change
any of your previous settings throughout the procedure.

In order to access information about the QuickStart Guide itself, click the Help button.
To obtain more information about a particular operation, click on the appropriate item in
the QuickStart Guide.

Online Documentation
The online help system is the primary source of information. You can access the help
system’s overview page at any time by choosing File: Help  Help Contents . The
online help system includes a powerful full text search engine.

In each of the dialog boxes, there is a specific Help button, which opens the
corresponding manual page. Additionally, the F1 key gives some context sensitive help
when a particular mode is active. For instance, by pressing the F1 key while a basic
shape generation mode is active, you can get information about the definition of shapes
and possible actions.

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 When no specific information is available, pressing the F1 key will open an overview
page from which you may navigate through the help system.

Please refer to the CST Studio Suite Getting Started manual to find more detailed
explanations about the usage of the CST MPHYSICS STUDIO Online Documentation.

Tutorials and Examples

The component library provides tutorials and examples, which are generally your first
source of information when trying to solve a particular problem. See also the explanation
given when following the Tutorials and Examples Overview link on the online help
system’s start page. We recommend that you browse through the list of all available
tutorials and examples and choose the one closest to your application.

Technical Support
Before contacting Technical Support, you should check the online help system. If this
does not help to solve your problem, you find additional information in the Knowledge
Base and obtain general product support at 3DS.com/Support.

Macro Language Documentation

More information concerning the built-in macro language for a particular module can be
accessed from within the online help system’s VBA book: Visual Basic (VBA) Language.
The macro language’s documentation consists of four parts:

© Dassault Systèmes | CST Studio Suite 2024

 An overview and a general description of the macro language.
 A description of all specific macro language extensions.
 A syntax reference of the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) compatible macro
language.
 Some documented macro examples.

History of Changes
An overview of important changes in the latest version of the software can be obtained
by following the What’s New in this Version link on the help system’s main page or
from the File: Help backstage page. Since there are many new features in each new
version, you should browse through these lists even if you are already familiar with one
of the previous releases.

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