Phil Durbin from Finite Elements explains the untold CFD story of the design and testing of James Cameron's DeepSea Challenger, a solo manned submarine that ventured 11km down to the deepest place on earth, the Marianas Trench, in March 2012.
Phil Durbin from Finite Elements explains the untold CFD story of the design and testing of James Cameron's DeepSea Challenger, a solo manned submarine that ventured 11km down to the deepest place on earth, the Marianas Trench, in March 2012.
For many simulations of real world engineering applications, the predictions of heat transfer properties are as important, if not more important, than the actual flow field. Such scenarios include simulations of heat exchangers, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning), combustion/burners, electronics cooling, and many more. In these applications, we are often interested in how heat moves through both the fluid and solid domains, and importantly the transfer of heat across the interface between adjacent domains. ANSYS CFD is a leader in solving all three modes of heat transfer: convection, conduction and radiation. Deciding which physics to include is critical to setting up an efficient CFD model. For instance, radiation provides a computational overhead but it is a very important heat transfer mode for bodies with high temperatures...
This weekend, televisions around the world will tune into to watch the first race of the 2014 FIA Formula One Championship take place in Melbourne, Australia. Of particular interest to all F1 fans will be the new looking cars with their revolutionary new power units. Formula One has undergone another drastic change in the rules, prompting engine manufacturers to clean-sheet design an integrated turbocharged electric-combustion powertrain system. Of course in addition to the new engine specifications, the governing body also revised the rules controlling the size and shape of the allowable external aerodynamics package. As a result of these rule changes, each team's aerodynamics departments have been forced to perform a complete overhaul of the aerodynamics of their car. In this video, Australian driver...
On a stormy night in August 1981, a Cessna Centurion 210 aircraft crashed with 5 people on board in Barrington Tops, a rugged and isolated national park north of Newcastle, New South Wales. Despite a massive initial search effort and ongoing attempts by a group of dedicated volunteers, the challenging and complex terrain has conspired to prevent the wreckage from ever being found. To put this into some perspective: according to Corporal Mark Nolan (Pilot, Australian Army), this is the only aircraft to have crashed on mainland Australia and never be recovered. We can only imagine how frustrating and heartbreaking this must be for the victim’s families to be denied this closure. One of the biggest factors that has inhibited previous search attempts is the...
In the past, posters of cars such as the KTM Crossbow and Infiniti Red Bull F1 would adorn the bedroom walls of teenagers who were passionate about motorsport, while solar cars were banished to science fairs as a mere curiosity. Enter the UNSW Sunswift Solar Car Team, who are looking to radically change this status quo by building eVe, a next-generation solar car that the team has described as both “sporty, efficient and beautiful”. Sunswift’s eVe is entered into the newly created “Cruiser” class in the 2013 World Solar Challenge, which concludes today in Adelaide. Behind the flowing aerodynamic curves and shiny carbon fibre, eVe is a complex feat of engineering, combining the best technologies across a range of engineering disciplines (including students studying electrical,...
LEAP staff, in particular our team of CFD engineers, have been watching with interest as the 2013 America's Cup unfolds in San Francisco. Despite being the oldest active trophy in international sport, the America's Cup is continually evolving thanks to an often dramatic combination of ...
This week marked the public release of Elon Musk's much anticipated proposal for a new mode of high-speed transport to be built between LA and San Francisco, dubbed the Hyperloop. The concept is equally compelling for other busy air routes of between 500-1000 km, such as Sydney to Melbourne (which is the 3rd busiest air route globally, according to Wikipedia). For engineers, the Hyperloop is an exciting concept which promises to provide an alternative to high-speed rail that is both faster, cheaper and more energy efficient, but the reality is that numerous engineering challenges need to be overcome to deliver this project on-time and on-budget with an acceptable level of safety (in one of the most seismically-active regions on earth!). ANSYS Multiphysics software is uniquely placed to help the eventual collaboration...
Sir James Dyson was in Australia recently for the launch of Dyson's Airblade Tap hand dryer. During his visit, he gave a particularly enlightening interview with the ABC One-Plus-One program (which can be viewed at this link). Dyson is a world-leader in the field of industrial design and is most famous for his invention of the cyclonic vaccuum cleaner (which now seems to have been copied and/or reverse engineered by all of his major competitors!). I'd suggest that the battles that Dyson has had on the Intellectual Property front are undoubtedly a factor that requires Dyson to keep ahead of the competition through constant innovation. During the interview, Dyson offered an interesting perspective on the need for perserverance in product design as he reflected on the product development process undertaken...
We know that many of our CFD customers are also very passionate about aerodynamics and aircraft design, so it stands to reason that the 2013 Australian International Airshow will be a magnet for both aircraft enthusiasts and CFD practitioners alike. The Australian International Airshow starts today (Feb 26th 2013) and LEAP Australia staff will be attending as part of the Victorian Government Stand, which is located in Hall 2, Stand 2F17. If you are also attending the Airshow during the trade sessions this week (Tuesday to Friday), please drop us a line and we'd relish the opportunity to arrange a meeting and discuss your current CFD projects. Once reliant on physical testing for research and development, the aerospace and defence industry pioneered computational methods to gain insight...
LEAP Australia is pleased to announce a visit to Australia by Dr Markus Braun, Team Leader, Multiphase Development, ANSYS Inc. Dr. Braun will be presenting a two-day course in Melbourne on Multiphase Flow Modelling, in conjunction with his visit to the 2012 CSIRO Conference on CFD in the Minerals and Process Industries. The training will be held in Melbourne on December 13-14, 2012. Who should attend? This course is a rare opportunity for all engineers & managers who are working with CFD simulations involving multiphase flow, in an industrial or research environment. The course will comprise a mixture of lectures and example case studies which will allow attendees to gain a first hand knowledge of all multiphase modelling approaches available in ANSYS CFD and their application to various...