The effects of pressure load stiffness from a pre-stress analysis are evaluated at the analysis time at which the eigen analysis (modal or buckling) occurs. In previous releases, the effects of pressure load stiffness were based on the loading at time = 0.

If a Display Time for a result is specified that is greater than the final time recorded in the result file, then Mechanical will post an error message and the result will not be evaluated. In previous releases, Mechanical would evaluate the result at the final time in the result file.

Similarly, if a set number is specified that is greater than the number of sets in the result file, then Mechanical will post an error message and the result will not be evaluated.

The Update Stiffness contact region setting now includes the “Each Equilibrium Iteration, Aggressive” option and no longer includes the “Each Substep” option.

A face-to-face contact using the MPC formulation will become underdefined if the contact is a solid body, the target is a surface body, and the behavior is set to Asymmetric.

Pre-stress eigen analyses (either pre-stress modal or linear buckling) have been changed to use the Mechanical APDL technique of linear perturbation, as opposed to the PSTR command used in previous releases. Since the procedure and solution files are different, when a legacy project is opened that contains a solved static analysis with pre-stress effects, that analysis will need to be re-solved (in order to generate the new requisite files) if any additional eigen analyses are to be performed.

Databases from previous releases that include a Sweep Mesh Control using gasket elements will no longer be supported. When resuming these databases, they will be marked as invalid and the user will need to create a new Gasket Mesh Control by changing the Stiffness Behavior of the body and recreating the geometry selections for the sweep direction.

Connection objects from databases of previous releases that include contact regions or joints will be grouped based on their respective type and migrated into Connection Group folders (see Connection Group below under Connection Enhancements).

Cyclic Symmetry. Cyclic symmetry simulations are now available in static structural analyses, pre-stress modal analyses, and thermal analyses. Support for the following is available at release 13.0:

Named Selections Based on Criteria. Named Selections can now be based on criteria (size, location, geometry type) in addition to geometry selection. The ability to convert geometry types based on topology changes (for example, converting vertices “up” to edges, or bodies “down” to faces) is also available, as is the ability to create named selections that use criteria based on pre-selected geometry.

Harmonic Response Analysis Using Linked Modal Analysis System. A harmonic response analysis using the Mode Superposition method can now be accomplished by linking a Harmonic Response analysis system to an existing Modal analysis system on the Project Schematic. In this way, multiple harmonic analyses with different loading conditions could effectively reuse the eigenvectors obtained in the modal analysis. Additional analysis settings have also been added to the Output Controls category to provide flexibility in controlling the downstream use of the modal superposition expansion.

Enhanced Pre-Stress Eigen Analysis. The Mechanical APDL linear perturbation technique is now used for all pre-stress eigenvalue analyses. Support is available in this area for large deflection, cyclic analyses, true contact status, and multiple step static analyses.

Fluid Structure Interaction in Explicit Analysis. In an Explicit Dynamics analysis that involves fluid structure interaction, there is now an option to represent volume bodies in an Eulerian reference frame. Bodies with reference frame set to Eulerian (Virtual) are mapped into a single structured hexahedral Eulerian mesh which by default encloses all bodies in the model. The Eulerian reference frame should be used when modelling fluids, gases or solids which may experience very large deformation during the simulation. Materials represented in the Euler domain will be automatically coupled to any Lagrangian shell or solid bodies. This feature enables 2-way fluid structure interaction type problems to be solved in an Explicit Dynamics system. Note that the size and resolution of the Euler domain can be controlled in the analysis settings an Explicit Dynamics system. There is an optional graphic representation of the Euler domain for the geometry.

Explicit Dynamics Support for Linux. Explicit Dynamics analyses are now supported on Linux platforms.

Design Assessment Analysis System. The Design Assessment Analysis system enables the selection and combination of upstream results from Static Structural and Transient Structural analyses and the ability to optionally further assess results with customizable scripts (BEAMCHECK and FATJACK scripts are provided for Windows installations) and display the modified results. Furthermore, it enables the user to associate attributes, which may be geometry linked but not necessarily a property of the geometry, to the analysis via customizable items that can be added in the tree. Design Assessment is currently only released on Windows platforms; please contact ANSYS Technical Support if you wish to use it on Linux platforms.

Thermal-Stress Analysis Between Dissimilar Models. Thermal-stress analyses can now be performed between thermal and structural analysis systems that use different meshes by mapping the temperatures across the two meshes.

Contact in Rigid Dynamics. Contact can now be simulated in rigid dynamic analyses. Collisions between rigid bodies are detectable, even when the time step is large. You can also simulate sliding frictionless contact. Typical applications include cams and rollers.

Command Reference for Rigid Dynamics Systems. Python command snippets are now available and they can be used in many ways. Examples include creating constraint equations between joint degrees of freedom, specifying a nonlinear stiffness for a spring, and using screw joints.

Specifying Variable Thickness on Surface Bodies. You can now specify the thickness of selected faces on a surface body. Variable thickness can be specified through tabular or function input.

Part Associativity Maintained from DesignModeler Updates. When geometry from DesignModeler is updated, any associativity applied in the Mechanical or Meshing application prior to the update is maintained, despite any part groupings that may have changed in DesignModeler.

Parts Compared in Update. When geometry is updated , if no changes to the body are detected, the update can be configured such that a re-mesh of the body is not required.

Remote Points in Explicit Dynamics. Remote Points can now be used in Explicit Dynamics analyses. Only rigid behavior is supported.

Enhanced Edge Visualization. Options have been added to improve your ability to distinguish the edge connectivity in a surface body by inspecting geometry and meshes.

Highlighted Vertices. A toolbar button is now available to highlight all vertices on a model.

Thicker Line Display for Annotations. A toolbar button is now available to display thicker lines associated with annotations to make them more easily identifiable.

Interactive Editing of Virtual Edge Splits. This feature allows an edge to be split into virtual edges as an aid in preparing geometry for meshing.

Mesh Connection. The mesh connection feature allows manual or automatic joining of meshes of neighboring surface bodies in a multibody part that may not share topology.

Connection Group. A new Connection Group tree object folder has been added to allow groupings of like connections and allows you to auto generate contact regions, mesh connections, or joints for a group of bodies in a model using a tolerance value that is unique to that group.

Stiffness and Damping Added to General Joint. Worksheet entries for Stiffness and Damping coefficients are now available for general joints.

Line Body End Releases. Edge interactions on line bodies can now have some degrees of freedom released between a vertex and an associated edge.

Tension/Compression Only Springs for Rigid Dynamics. Springs can now be configured as tension-only or compression-only, in rigid dynamics analyses.

Result Tracker for Contact Area. Contact area has been added as an output type available in the Contact result tracker.

External Load Import. Point-cloud data of temperature, pressure and convection coefficient from external files can be imported as loads in a static structural, transient structural, steady state thermal, transient thermal or thermal electric analysis.

Bolt Pretension for Line Bodies. Bolt Pretension loads can now be applied to line bodies.

FSI - Volumetric Temperature Transfer. This feature allows you to transfer domain temperatures from a CFD analysis and apply them as body loads in a structural analysis.

Ansoft - Mechanical Data Transfer. Transfer of results between Ansoft applications (HFSS, Maxwell, or Q3D Extractor) and Mechanical can now be enabled by linking the systems in the project schematic.

Maxwell - Mechanical Stress Coupling . Surface and body force density results from the Maxwell application can be imported and applied as loads in a structural analysis.

Detonation Point in Explicit Dynamics. A Detonation Point load is now available in Explicit Dynamics analyses. This load generates a spherical detonation wave (shockfront) travelling radially outwards from the specified location and initiation time. The load will only affect materials containing the JWL equation of state property.

Remote Displacement in Explicit Dynamics. Remote Displacements can now be used in Explicit Dynamics analyses.

Solution Restart. Restart analysis and restart controls are now included in the analysis settings for Static Structural and Transient Structural analyses, that allow the analysis to be restarted under a variety of conditions. In addition to generating restart points, they can be managed in the Timeline and Tabular Data windows. Jobs can also be interrupted and restarted for local, RSM, and distributed solutions.

Gaskets. Gasket simulations can now be performed in a static structural analysis.

Creep. Analysis settings and results for simulating creep are now available.

Stabilization. Stabilization controls and Stabilization Energy results are now available.

Multiple Restart Points in Static Structural Analyses for Pre-Stress Modal and Linear Buckling Analyses. If a parent static structural analysis has multiple restart points at load steps/sub steps, the pre-stress modal or linear buckling analysis can start from any restart point available in the static structural analysis.

GPU Acceleration. The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) acceleration capability offered by Mechanical APDL is accessible in the Mechanical Application with support for NVIDIA acceleration cards.

Improvements for Explicit Dynamics Point Scoped Result Trackers. The location of point scoped result trackers is now easier to define and they can be imported from a file.

Euler Body Result Trackers. Most result trackers are available for Eulerian Bodies in Explicit Dynamics analyses.

Distributed Explicit Dynamics Solution. Distributed solutions are now enabled for Explicit Dynamics (ANSYS) analyses.

Extended Support for RSM at Project Schematic. RSM solutions can now be configured and initiated from the Project Schematic. At prior releases, only the default solution handler could be invoked from an Update action.

Results Scoped to Named Selections. Contour results and user defined results can be scoped to named selections.

Beam (Line Body) Results. Results in terms of axial force, bending moment, torsional moment, and shear force can now be applied to line bodies.

Shear-Moment Diagrams. Diagrams are available for simultaneously illustrating line body results as the distribution of shear forces, bending moments and displacements, displayed as a function of arc length along a path consisting of line bodies. The path can be any contiguous line body edges.

Paths Scoped to Line Bodies. Paths can now be scoped to line bodies as long as the path is defined by edge.

Peak Composite Results. Result contours can now be displayed over an independent variable such as time in a static or transient structural analysis, or frequency/phase in a harmonic analysis, or cyclic phase in a cyclic modal analysis.

Worksheet View. Custom variables are now available for Euler bodies to allow display of results associated with any single body, or all bodies, defined with an Eulerian reference frame.

Probe Result to Nearest Corner Node. When picking a specific x, y, z location, a probe result can be applied directly to the closest corner node by using a new “Snap to mesh nodes” feature. The identification number of the closest corner node is also displayed as the Node ID in the Details view of the probe.

Defining a Path from Probe Labels. When reviewing results, a path can be defined automatically from two probe labels.

Additional “Go To” Options. Options have been added to identify parts without contact in the tree as well as bodies with one element in at least two directions (through the thickness).