Documentation
What's New?
Welcome! On this page, you'll learn the latest updates in Pmass.
September 25, 2024
Topology Optimization with Peridynamics
We are excited to announce that Pmass now supports topology optimization! Leveraging the powerful peridynamic theory, this new feature enables users to perform optimization with the unique ability to handle domain discontinuities, such as cracks and voids. This makes it ideal for designing robust structures that can withstand harsh conditions or where material integrity is critical. Whether it's a continuous material field or a fractured domain, Pmass delivers an optimized layout, while accounting for complex interactions and material behaviors that are often challenging for traditional methods.
Additionally, the optimized topology can be seamlessly used for further fracture analysis within Pmass. This allows users to assess the failure behavior of their optimized designs, providing insights into how they will perform under real-world conditions. By combining topology optimization with peridynamics-based fracture simulations, Pmass offers a comprehensive workflow for designing, testing, and refining structures, making it a powerful tool for engineers and researchers seeking to develop advanced material systems.
September 5, 2024
Unit Cell Homogenization
Pmass now includes a powerful unit cell homogenization tool designed to calculate the effective mechanical properties of a unit cell. By applying these properties to a solid volume, users can accurately assess the structural performance of microstructures within lattice designs or composite materials. Whether you’re working with advanced lattice structures or various types of composite microstructures, this feature simplifies complex material behavior analysis.
Leveraging the unique advantages of peridynamic theory, Pmass' homogenization tool excels in evaluating unit cells with discontinuities such as matrix cracking, voids, and fiber-matrix debonding. The tool provides a comprehensive effective stiffness matrix alongside orthotropic material properties, making it suitable for both 2D and 3D structures. This capability enhances the simulation of real-world materials, ensuring more accurate predictions of mechanical performance.
August 8, 2024
Large Deformation: Semi-Lagrangian Formulation
Pmass introduces the Semi-Lagrangian Formulation, enabling highly accurate peridynamic simulations of large deformations. This feature allows the peridynamic family of each point to be updated dynamically based on user-selected loading increments. By doing so, Pmass can simulate the evolving material behavior under extreme deformation scenarios, a crucial capability for engineers dealing with high-strain applications such as impact, fracture, and material failure.
The Semi-Lagrangian approach offers significant advantages in engineering simulations. It ensures enhanced precision in capturing the interactions between points as deformation progresses, resulting in more reliable predictions of structural performance under complex loading conditions. This formulation is particularly beneficial for simulations in fields like aerospace, automotive, and materials science, where understanding the behavior of materials under large-scale deformation is critical to design and safety.
July 23, 2024
Rigid Body Contact
Pmass now supports rigid body contact, allowing users to model interactions between one or more rigid bodies and a deformable peridynamic body. By assuming the rigid bodies are non-deformable, this feature significantly accelerates contact simulation compared to interactions between fully deformable bodies. In 2D, users can define rigid bodies in rectangular, circular, or elliptical shapes, while in 3D, available shapes include spheres, cylinders, cuboids, ellipsoids, and capsules. This versatile tool supports both implicit and explicit solution methods, catering to a broad range of engineering applications.
In implicit simulations, the rigid body contact feature is ideal for scenarios involving moving boundaries, with users defining the rigid body's displacement directly. This is particularly useful for steady-state processes like forming or squeezing operations. In explicit simulations, the feature excels in modeling impact events, capturing the dynamics of collisions or impacts between rigid and deformable bodies with high accuracy. By simplifying the rigid body interaction, Pmass ensures faster and more efficient simulations, especially in fields like manufacturing, crash analysis, and biomechanics, where contact interactions play a critical role.
June 14, 2024
Elastic-Plastic Material Model
Previously, Pmass supported only elastic material models, but with this latest update, we have expanded the capabilities to include nonlinear elastic-plastic material models. This enhancement allows users to model plasticity in both 2D and 3D models using explicit and implicit solutions. The current implementation supports isotropic hardening with four distinct strain hardening laws: Linear, Ludwick, Swift, and Voce.
The incorporation of the radial return algorithm ensures fast convergence, enabling users to efficiently simulate plastic deformation in engineering materials, such as metals. This update represents a major advancement in Pmass's functionality, providing more robust and versatile modeling capabilities for researchers and engineers working with complex material behaviors. We are committed to continuous improvement and innovation to meet the evolving needs of our users.
May 21, 2024
Model Builder: Upload a CAD File
Pmass now offers an innovative feature that significantly streamlines the process of building 3D models by enabling the direct upload of STL files. STL, a widely used file format in 3D printing and computer-aided design (CAD), facilitates the creation, manipulation, and analysis of detailed models. This new capability simplifies the modeling process in Pmass, making it more accessible and efficient for users. By leveraging the cloud-based platform, users can perform comprehensive stress and failure analyses on complex CAD models. This enhancement not only accelerates the design process but also improves the accuracy and reliability of engineering evaluations conducted in the cloud.
To utilize this feature, users should first prepare an STL file using any CAD tool capable of exporting to this format. Converting existing CAD files into STL format can be easily achieved with most CAD software. Once the STL file is ready, users can integrate it into their Pmass projects by selecting the "Upload CAD File" option. After uploading the file, users can click on the newly added shape to assign material properties and adjust parameters such as Grid and Horizon settings. Finalizing the setup with a click on “Save Changes” will display the CAD model on the drawing panel. This intuitive interface and workflow facilitate a seamless transition from CAD design to model analysis, enhancing productivity and enabling more sophisticated project development within Pmass.
May 21, 2024
Model Builder: Upload Elements
Pmass has expanded its modeling capabilities with a powerful new feature that allows users to create models by uploading a finite element (FE) mesh, accommodating both 2D and 3D structures. This advanced functionality supports a variety of element types, with triangular and quadrilateral elements for 2D models, and tetrahedron and hexahedron elements for 3D models. By enabling the direct upload of FE meshes, Pmass significantly enhances the flexibility and precision of model creation. Users can now handle more complex geometries and simulations, which is crucial for detailed analysis and engineering assessments.
To utilize this feature, users begin by preparing two essential text files: one containing the node list with their coordinates, and another detailing the element connectivity. This preparation ensures that all geometrical and structural data is accurately represented in the model. Following this setup, users can integrate the FE mesh into their Pmass projects by choosing the "Upload Elements" option. Upon uploading, users can select their specific element type and apply any necessary refinements through an intuitive edit box interface. Additional adjustments, such as setting the horizon parameters, can be made before finalizing the model. Clicking "Save Changes" integrates the uploaded mesh into the project, making it appear on the drawing panel. This streamlined workflow allows for efficient and precise model building, empowering users to conduct more comprehensive simulations and analyses directly within the Pmass platform.
May 21, 2024
Project Status
The Project Status feature in Pmass is an essential tool designed to enhance project management and oversight within the platform. This feature provides users with a comprehensive view of the ongoing state of their simulation projects, offering critical insights into grid data, runs, and the status of individual runs. By centralizing this information, Pmass helps users maintain a clear overview of their project’s progress and troubleshoot more efficiently.
To access the Project Status, users can simply click on the "Status" button located on the Controlbar. Doing so will activate a pop-up window that details the current overall status of the project. This overview includes fundamental information such as grid size and the number of runs, alongside more detailed data regarding specific runs. For in-depth insights into a particular run, users can select from the "Run Name" dropdown menu within the same pop-up. This feature not only streamlines the management process but also ensures that users can quickly access vital data, facilitating better decision-making and enhancing the efficiency of simulation workflows in Pmass.
Apr 12, 2024
Multiple run for a project
Setting up and running a new simulation in Pmass is a straightforward yet critical process, especially when it comes to efficiently managing computational resources and optimizing run times. This process begins with the initiation of a new simulation run. Users can start this by clicking the "Run" button located on the Controlbar, which opens the simulation setting panel. This panel is thoughtfully divided into two sections, each designed to assist users in configuring their simulation run effectively and assessing the necessary computational requirements.
Within this user-friendly setup, one of the key enhancements allows users to assign a unique name to each simulation run. This feature is crucial for distinguishing between multiple runs within the same project, aiding in better organization and management of simulations. By naming each run, users can more easily navigate and access specific simulation results, as data is stored and categorized based on these names. This not only simplifies the retrieval of simulation outcomes but also enhances the overall management and tracking of different simulation scenarios within Pmass.
Mar 13, 2024
Project snapshot in Dashboard page
The Dashboard in Pmass serves as a central hub for accessing and managing all your projects, providing a user-friendly overview immediately upon login. Each project is represented by a project card, making it easy to view and select from the list of available projects. When a new project is created, the system is designed to automatically redirect users to the Dashboard page, where a card for the newly created project will be prominently displayed. This seamless integration helps in maintaining an organized and efficient workflow.
