This week we learned about a new, open-source CFD code called UCNS3D from Cranfield Univ. There’s a survey on engineering computing that I recommend you take. Lots of application stories are linked herein including one about “ambulances for fishermen” which is not a phrase I often hear. Shown here is another application of CFD to simulation of a subsea plume. And you can read a thought-provoking article on an engineering skills gap. Notably, I exhausted all my bookmarked CFD links with this post so let’s hope a lot happens in the next few days or next week’s post will be a bit light.

Software

• xNURBS generates “high quality NURBS surfaces based on an energy-minimization method” and is available as a plugin for Rhino and Solidworks.
• Understanding the Components of a CAD System is an interestingly written article (that in the end is a promo for ACIS) but probably worth reading.
• Speaking of CAD, Altair writes about how simulation can solve the geometry problem.
• Beta CAE released v19.1.4 of their software suite.
• UCNS3D is a new, open-source CFD solver from a team at Cranfield University.
• Code_Saturne 6.0 is now available.

Events

• With the ASSESS Congress about a month away (21 seats still available) it’s a good idea to come up to speed on on the initiative’s themes. The most recent position paper published is on the business challenges theme.
  • “current [engineering simulation software] licensing models are prohibiting the growth of Engineering Simulation and software vendors are struggling with pricing for a potentially huge, but not yet achieved, significant growth in users.”
• The 14th International Conference on CFD in the Oil & Gas, Metallurgical, and Process Industries will be held in Trondheim, on 9-11 June 2020.
• The Altair Technology Conference is coming up next month, 10-11 October, in Detroit.
• The agenda has been posted for next month’s International Meshing Roundtable.

Faceted pit bull. Image from solidsmack.com. 

Survey and Jobs and Award and Interview

• I’m certain Digital Engineering would appreciate it if you participated in their 2019 Engineering Computing Awareness and Usage Survey.
• Altair has an opening for a senior software developer – computational geometry and CFD simulations in Sunnyvale.
• ANSYS has an opening for a senior software developer in New Hampshire.
• ESI has an opening for a project engineer CFD in Wolfsburg, Germany.
• Speaking of ESI, Monica Schnitger shares insights into the company’s latest financial results on LinkedIn.
• You only have a couple of days left to nominate a STEM student for Aviation Week’s 20 Twenties Award.
• PADT’s Eric Miller is the first subject of the new season of Talking CFD.
• In this discussion of a supposed “engineering skills gap” we hear the story of a recently graduated engineer whose job search was stymied because employers required a working knowledge of CFD Code X. I know and have spoken to employers who have this requirement. To play devil’s advocate I’ll redefine the skills gap as not about knowing which buttons to click and inputs to set for CFD Code X but one of understanding the underlying assumptions in each step of the CFD process and their interactions and how to ensure the results produced by any code are valid. (Step 1: V&V)

From Pointwise

Pointwise V18.3 was launched recently with new, hex-core meshing capability. Read more.

• Learn about meshing the FDA benchmark blood pump in our webinar on 01 October.
• See how to mesh a wind farm from terrain scale to blade scale.
• Read this case study on how high-order, curved meshes can lead to more accurate CFD.

CFD for…

• supersonic compressor cascades.
• ambulances for fishermen.
• flow of non-spherical particles.
• street-level pollution monitoring.
• Formula 18 class racing catamarans.
• industrial ovens.
• shallow water well capping.
• data centers.
• big wind turbines.

Crinkle Surface

When you make a cut through a volume mesh and create a crinkle surface it’s because you want to get the precise details of what things look like. On the other hand, when you put a crinkle surface in a concert hall it’s because you want to diffuse a situation called flutter echo.

That’s exactly what Steven Holl Architects did for the Kennedy Center expansion. Because the concert hall had two parallel walls they surfaced them with crinkle concrete, a 3-inch deep random texture to break-up reflections of the performers’ sound. Click through to the article to see a close-up of the crinkles.

An echo diffusing “crinkle concrete” wall in the Kennedy Center. Image from archinect.com. See link above.

Bonus: The image below is a screenshot of the interactive map of runway orientations, Trails of Wind.

Screenshot of trailsofwind.figures.cc. See link above.