As SOLIDWORKS users, we know the power of simulation tools to answer practical, and sometimes just plain curious, questions about the world around us. In this article, I dive into a simple yet insightful aerodynamic study using SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation. Ever wondered how closely following a semi-truck impacts the drag on your car and how this might affect fuel efficiency? This isn’t a high-tech wind tunnel experiment but it is a relatable, everyday scenario with some interesting findings.
For decades, I have been an aquarist. Like most hobbyists, I started simple, and put together a community aquarium with a variety of fish that were compatible with one another, with a standard aquarium filter. Later, I started breeding specific fish. In breeding aquariums, the filter system needs to be a bit different so that the young fish (the fry) don't get sucked into the filter. I knew that the placement of the filter would impact its flow efficiency, but I wasn't exactly sure to what extent. (Even the filter manufacturer didn't provide this information.) So, I decided to investigate this by creating the aquarium and filter system assembly in SOLIDWORKS and then running a simulation of each type of filter system in different positions.
Imagine it’s a hot summer day, and you’re driving down the freeway when your AC goes out – what to do? Roll down the windows to get some airflow, that’s what. But now, with all the air blowing around in the cabin, how does this affect gas mileage? When it comes to aerodynamics, seemingly small changes can have a significant effect on drag and fuel efficiency. In this article, SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation will help determine how different window configurations on a generic sedan (fully closed, partially open, or fully open, etc.) affect overall drag. By comparing these scenarios, we can gain insights into how variations in drag on your car can translate directly into fuel consumption differences.
GoEngineer's simulation team can best be demonstrated by introducing some of the individual members. If your company needs simulation support, these are among the people ready to assist you.
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation is a multipurpose computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool directly integrated with SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD. In this blog, we’ll showcase the top five fluid flow scenarios. These use cases outline how Flow Simulation can help answer your toughest design questions.
SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation features several easy-to-use results analysis tools that make understanding and analyzing results more convenient. You can find these tools in a few different locations. The two options below are the most common, other than finding them in the Flow Simulation tab in the CommandManager.
This article is a companion to this SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Tutorial. In it, Free Surfaces are used in combination with time-dependent gravity to simulate water flowing out of a pitcher when rotated 90 degrees. The Transient Explorer is employed in order to view the results of this study, specifically the motion of the water over time.
In this tutorial, we perform a SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Tracer Study to find the carbon monoxide concentration within the air as it travels across a room. The design will consist of an internal study using the top of a stove surface as a heat source. As the surrounding air heats up, it causes it to spread out, which then exits through a ceiling fan at the top. A cut plot along with a flow trajectory can confirm the movement of air in the room.
Since I started beekeeping, I've always wondered what happens during the winter. How do the bees stay warm? In this article, we use SOLIDWORKS to perform a thermal and flow simulation to analyze how much energy bees use to maintain the temperature they need to survive.