Follow Along: Running a Thermal Analysis

After finalizing our FE model and our boundary conditions, we can move ahead to running our thermal analysis. In the simulation tab, we can expand our analysis dropdown and drop in a Thermal Analysis block to our notebook. We’ll add our FE model and pull in our boundary conditions.

The block will automatically run, and we can view our results in the window to the right. Using this dropdown list, we can see three sets of results: the temperature, heat flux, and thermal reaction flux of the model.

Opening our color settings, we can select one of three color palettes, choose a continuous or banded color transition, and modify the number of bands that we want to see in our model. You can use the probe mode to probe over individual mesh elements and see results at specific points throughout the model. You can section cut using X, select show volume mesh elements, and probe over individual elements.

Opening up the properties in the details of the Thermal Analysis block, we can pull the fields of these three analysis results into our notebook and we can view them using the Field Viewer. You can then use these fields to drive further design.

Another option for driving design based on thermal analysis results is to create a temperature or heat flux point map. Then, making our thermal analysis results into a variable, we can pull it into either the Temperature or the Heat Flux Point Map block. We can use the point maps of these thermal FAA results for further data-driven design.