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New Features in PERMAS Version 14

New in Version 14

The new Version 14 of PERMAS is the result of about 24 months development work. For a complete and detailed overview on changes, a Software Release Note is shipped with Version 14.
Great effort has been spent in the past years to provide with VisPER (i.e. Visual PERMAS) a dedicated tool to improve pre- and post-processing for special PERMAS functions. The third regular VisPER Version 3 is released at the same time as PERMAS Version 14.

PERMAS V14 offers again improved computing performance:
  • For steady-state response analysis run times have been reduced drastically for a large number of responses in one single job. This enables high scalability for parallelization on SMP machines.
  • Eigenvalue analysis for large models with a huge number of eigenfrequencies (> 10,000) has been accelerated significantly by applying a new shift method.
  • In addition, performance and scalability of eigenvalue analysis has been generally improved.
  • By applying a new method in optimization, run times could be reduced, e.g. very drastically for bead generation.
  • More than 256 GB of memory can now be used (on Linux) which may reduce the I/O during a run and the elapsed run time.
New Modules
  • For contact analysis where larger relative displacements between the contact partners have to be considered, a new module CAU (Contact Geometry Update) for contact geometry update has been developed. This feature works with linear and nonlinear static analysis.
  • A new interface to ABAQUS is available which allows to translate an ABAQUS model description (on .inp file) to PERMAS. VisPER is used to directly visualize the model and to identify such parts of the model which could not be translated.




Major extensions
  • Extensions to Basic Module (Module MQA):
    • Support for reading and printing of Unicode UTF-8 characters.
    • Element stresses can be generated for element sets only.
    • Load summaries were extended and comprise now cutting forces, external loads, and reaction forces. In addition, node sets and reference points may be freely defined. The summaries can also be evaluated using XY diagrams (e.g. with PERMASgraph).
    • If different materials in a model have different limits of maximum allowed stress, an automatic evaluation tool is provided which scales element results to become values of 1 for the limit values. During post-processing, this makes it easy to see the critical areas having result values larger than 1 and to identify non-critical areas having result values smaller or equal to 1.
  • Extensions to Contact Analysis (Modules CA/CAX):
    • Gasket elements are now managed through contact controlled nonlinear gasket analysis (CCNG analysis) by default.
    • The integration of gasket material curves has been refined for more accurate results.
    • Contact pressure can now be generated also for the deformed geometry.
    • A prescribed re-tightening of pretension and contacts is now possible, i.e. the elongation of bolts or the gap width of contacts can be changed after force locking (i.e. the combination of force and displacement controlled pretension can be used in one single load history).
  • Extensions to Nonlinear Heat Transfer Analysis (Modules NLHT):
    • The radiation solution for problematic model regions like close exchange surfaces with pointed sharp edges has been improved. Now, the model coarsening level has almost no influence any more on the radiation flux along the plate surfaces. In addition, two different integration methods are implemented, a general fast method for distant exchange surfaces and an accurate adaptive refinement scheme for almost singular integrands at close surface parts.
  • Extensions to Dynamic Eigenvalue Analysis (Modules DEV):
    • Nonstructural masses can be assigned to elements or element sets. Beside absolute mass values, mass per area and mass per length can also be specified.
    • A new shift method has been introduced in dynamic eigenvalue analysis to faster cope with a large number of modes.
  • Extensions to Extended Dynamic Eigenvalue Analysis (Modules DEVX):
    • Dynamic condensation using Craig-Bampton method has been extended to a Mixed-Boundary Craig-Bampton condensation (MBCB condensation) which supports also unconstrained substructure eigenmodes. Additional static mode shapes may be specified as well (i.e. inertia relief modes).
  • Extensions to Dynamic Response Analysis (Modules DRA):
    • Frequency dependent stiffness and viscous damping can be taken into account with modified element CONTROL6 for frequency and time-history response analysis.
    • Dynamic analysis of machine tools has been extended to stability analysis for turning machines with a special force model for the interaction between tool and workpiece.
    • Modal participation factors from dynamic modal response analysis can be limited by a maximum mode number.
    • Modal participation factors can be evaluated using XY diagrams (e.g. with PERMASgraph).
  • Extensions to Design Optimization (Modules OPT):
    • The sensitivity computation has been revised with better performance which gives a major benefit for bead design.
    • An improved bead design variable filter results in smoother and more distinct bead patterns.
    • New design constraints are available for nodal stresses, effective plastic strains, and sound radiation power densities.
    • Another design constraint was added for the PERMAS element test, i.e. the PERMAS element test is mapped to a continuous variable with values between 0. (i.e. perfect element) and 1. (i.e. erroneous element). E.g., using this design variable in bead design will avoid the failure of the optimization loop due to collapsing elements.
    • Hull generation and smoothing as typically used for topology optimization can now also be used for shape optimization.
  • Extensions to Topology Optimization (Module TOPO):
    • A new method is available to consistently realize minimum membersize.
    • The formulation of release directions has been improved for smoother results especially on non-uniform meshes.
    • With new solution options in module AOS maximum member size in topology optimization is now exactly formulated.
    • Sound radiation power densities and their sum over a surface set can be used as design constraint.
New Elements
  • A modified CONTROL6 element is available which provides frequency-dependent stiffness and damping for eigenvalue analysis, frequency response and random response analysis. Rotation speed dependent stiffness and viscous damping can be used for complex eigenvalue analysis. With a specified reference frequency or rotation speed, a time-history response analysis or dynamic condensation can also be performed.
Minor extensions
Many smaller extensions of almost all functional modules had been performed in addition. Moreover, all interfaces were updated and adapted to the new functionalities. Major interface enhancements are:
  • Medina
    • Support of MEDINA 8.3,
    • Translation of BUSHT element in MEDINA to CONTROL6 element,
    • Improved property assignment of bar elements,
    • Export of new PERMAS Version 14 results.
  • Nastran
    • Extended CWELD support,
    • Support of non-structural mass,
    • Improved property assignment of bar elements,
    • Extended support of SOL200 for simultaneous static and eigenvalue analysis, but not for optimization,
    • A new feature allows the export of limited results to certain OUTPUT2 formats (i.e. as generated for PATRAN and I-DEAS post-processing). The model data comprise elements, nodes, and local coordinate systems. Supported results are displacements, mode shapes, rigid body mode shapes, and reaction forces.
  • Hyperview
    • Support of HyperView 8.0 Libraries,
    • Post-processing on HyperView 8.0 libraries possible.
  • ADAMS (AD)
    • Support of MNF library ADAMS 2007 r1,
    • Support of modal general condensation.
  • EXCITE (EXCI)
    • Support of zipped export by gzip,
    • Filtering of backtransformation matrix,
    • Performance improvements.

For all system platforms an update to the current release of the operating system had been performed.

Within PERMAS Tools XY plots can be created using PERMASgraph. PERMASgraph has been widely extended and supports the following file formats:

  • PERMAS native format (.post or .post.gz),
  • MEDINA native format (.bif, .bof),
  • Patran format,
  • CSV format (as exported to PERMAS to spreadsheet format; .csv).

The diagrams can be saved in different file formats, such as:

  • Portable Network Graphics (.png),
  • Encapsulated PostScript (.eps),
  • PostScript (.ps),
  • Portable Documents Format (.pdf),
  • Microsoft Excel File Format (.xls).

The diagrams can also be printed on a local printer.

Additional tools are available for data manipulation, such as:

  • Addition/Subtraction of curves,
  • Fourier transformation.

A further submenu provides special evaluation tools, such as:

  • Analyzer for surface-to-surface coupling,
  • Analyzer of potential and kinetic energy of fluid-structure coupled eigenmodes.
  • Analyzer of modal participation factors.
  • Analyzer for strain and kinetic energy.