Timeline utility simplifies time-dependent mechanical simulation

Citation

(2001), "Timeline utility simplifies time-dependent mechanical simulation", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 73 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2001.12773fab.013

Timeline utility simplifies time-dependent mechanical simulation

Timeline utility simplifies time-dependent mechanical simulation

Keywords: Algor, Software

Algor, Inc., maker of software for mechanical engineers, informs us of the addition of Timeline, a graphical utility enabling engineers to more quickly and easily specify and visualize time-based events within its transient finite element analysis (FEA) software products. Timeline can be used within the ALGOR environment for transient analyses including mechanical event simulation (MES).

"Being able to produce multiple and complex time-based event curves within ALGOR instead of having to transfer them from a third-party spreadsheet program will help engineers to more quickly perform transient analyses", said Michael Bussler, president and CEO of ALGOR, Inc. "Timeline improves the simulation of real-world events by graphically plotting curves based on users' time-dependent variable inputs, making it easy to catch set-up errors prior to analysis by simply viewing the resulting curves and how they interact throughout the event".

Timeline consists of two components: an event viewer and an event editor. The viewer helps engineers validate event setup by displaying curves and seeing how loads will act on a model during analysis – their activation and deactivation times and how their magnitude changes over time. With the editor, users enter curves into a spreadsheet-style dialog to define individual events or loads. Curves can also be generated using the built-in functions, a start time and an end time.

Timeline stores plotted curves within comma-separated value files that can be archived in its included library and used with applications such as Microsoft Excel. The new utility also claims:

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  the ability to click and drag points on a plot display;

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  a built-in equation editor for creating event curves;

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  a tree view to track different analyses for multiphysics applications involving linear and nonlinear structural or thermal effects;

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  depiction of various event curves on a single plot or multiple plots for multiphysics analyses; and

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  presentation support, including capabilities to save curves as images for reports.

Further details are available from: Algor, Inc. Tel: +1 412 967 2700; Fax: +1 412 967 2781; E-mail: info@algor.com; Web site: www.algor.com