Innovation corner

In the article, Adaptive Particle-based Simulation in PreonLab, we showed that a simulation with two particle levels can accurately reproduce the results of a simulation with higher uniform resolution. But delivering a good result is not enough – for the system to be useful it must also deliver this result faster than the uniform simulation. The adaptive simulation will always have fewer particles, but this does not necessarily mean that it will be more efficient overall. Splitting, merging and correction (see the last article) represent a significant effort and can outweigh the reduction in particles. Is the cost worth it?

Particle-based fluid simulation methods such as implicit SPH have many advantages over Eulerian grid-based methods. You can read all about it here. One advantage that Eulerian approaches still enjoy over most particle-based solvers is the ability to model fluid adaptively. By using finer cells in regions of interest and coarser cells in others, an adaptive mesh can reduce computational effort by several orders of magnitude. If multiple levels of detail are so clearly beneficial, why are they still relatively rare for most particle-based solvers?

With PreonLab 4.3 we have just released the last update for our 4.x lifecycle. This release is again packed with great new features that will help you to enjoy your daily work with PreonLab even more: Keyframe Looping: This will lift keyframing to the next level. Keyframe looping makes defining recurring motion a pleasure. Volume Source: In PreonLab 4.3 you can now specify the exact amount of fluid that needs to be generated inside a geometry. The improved Volume Source will do exactly what you tell it to do. Performance: We have improved the scalability of some components that previously didn’t perform optimally with many cores and many MPI nodes. Most notably, this includes local refinement, multiphase simulations, the snow solver and the implicit viscosity solver. Usability: We turned searching statistics in the Plot Dialog from beast to beauty and added the ability to choose for the unit of a specific statistic. You will also enjoy the improved workflow when selecting multiple objects in the Property Editor. Snow Solver: Presets ahead! With the new snow presets you can choose from several different snow variants. Furthermore we have been working on the performance of the snow solver – make sure you fastened your seatbelt. Furthermore, PreonLab 4.3 also introduces improvements of the Airflow import, the Car supension model, the Heat Flux sensor and many more. Check the changelog for a comprehensive list of all the great stuff you can expect from PreonLab 4.3. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn so that you don’t miss new videos, case studies and updates!

Vehicle water wading and rain water management are two of the main liquid-dominated vehicle body problems which, instead of performing high cost real-life experiments, can be simulated in a virtual environment. Addressing these challenges in a virtual environment requires in-depth engineering expertise and a powerful yet efficient computational tool. Virtual development provides additional insights and makes design variants possible early in the design cycle. During this webinar you will discover what makes AVL’s solution ideal for these kinds of engineering challenges, and how simulations can be a real alternative to testing.  

We are excited to announce the release of PreonLab 4.2 – the answer to life, the universe and everything! It also contains many new or improved features that will help you to find answers to your more specific CFD-related questions: Mesh-based height sensor: The new sensor measures the height of fluid (or snow) above surfaces. Improved user interface: With updates to the connection editor, the scene inspector and the on-screen display, PreonLab 4.2 looks and feels better than ever. Optimized local refinement: Better performance and the introduction of user-defined domain shapes facilitate the acceleration of even more applications with local refinement. Improved volume source: Improved volume source: The volume source now fills more accurately, minimizing artificial movements after the initialization. Furthermore, PreonLab 4.2 also improves the snow solver, adds the Herschel-Bulkley viscosity model for non-Newtonian fluids, enhances the car suspension model, accelerates performance in scenes with large geometries, introduces new rendering capabilities, reduces memory consumption and improves the airflow import. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn so that you don’t miss new videos, case studies and updates!

The automotive world is changing. In order to keep up with the challenges faced in the context of digitalization, Audi established the simulation of water in the development process. In the beginning of this century the Audi portfolio had five segments with different models. From year to year, new model lines were added to meet growing customer needs. Currently, the automotive industry is faced with new challenges in fulfilling the criteria for sustainability and climate neutrality, resulting in even more models with various new types of powertrains, such as hybrid or the e-tron.

Do you want to develop your gearboxes faster and more cost-efficiently? Do you need to avoid unnecessary losses caused by the oil sump, optimize the lubrication of the bearings and improve the cooling concept? Then don’t miss this webinar.  

2019 has been an extraordinary year for PreonLab. Probably the most exciting part was seeing the results that you achieved in your respective fields. Let’s push the boundaries of simulation further in 2020! We’re kicking off the new year with the release of PreonLab 4.1, which expands and improves the features introduced in 4.0. The most notable changes include: Improved local refinement: Local refinement is no longer an experimental feature and is now available for all users. Preonpy sensor interface: It is now possible to access per-sample sensor data in preonpy, which allows for more powerful and customized post-processing. Improved property editor: With physical units everywhere, better keyframing integration and many fixes, PreonLab 4.1 delivers a more reliable and productive user experience. Improved snow solver: The snow solver is now more robust and efficient. Make sure to follow us on LinkedIn so that you don’t miss new videos, case studies and updates!

PreonLab is successfully employed by Renault to validate and improve heat shield designs which guarantee that no flammable liquid gets in contact with hot parts of the engine. Testing on a real prototype is difficult since first the leakage itself has to be reproduced and secondly, hot liquids may be dangerous.

Thanks to the electrification of the powertrain, innovation in the automotive industry is happening faster than ever. Short time to market for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid vehicles (HEVs) is one key to be successful for OEMs and tier 1 suppliers.