One-way data transfers using System Coupling in Workbench are particularly useful as a first step in a sequence of coupled analyses that may advance to co-simulation involving two-way transfers. In some cases, one-way coupled analyses may also be an alternative to transferring data using imported loads.
Coupled analyses may be used to transfer force into, structural data out of, or thermal data into or out of the Mechanical analyses. Either co-simulation data from a coupling participant system or static data from an External Data system may be transferred through System Coupling. (Transferring data from an External Data system may be useful when users with different licenses are working on the same project.)
For all cases (whether Mechanical is the source or target participant, and whether co-simulation or static data are being transferred):
Start by defining a System Coupling Region boundary condition at the location corresponding to the fluid-structure interface.
Connections between coupling participant systems and a System Coupling system are made by linking their Setup cells.
For more information, see:
Transferring Data Into Mechanical Analyses
In a one-way coupled analysis with Mechanical as the target participant, a System Coupling system can transfer steady-state or transient thermal data (temperature, heat flow, or heat transfer coefficient and near wall temperature), or force (from CFD pressures and viscous forces) to a Mechanical system. Either co-simulation data or static data may be transferred into Mechanical.
Transfer co-simulation data into Mechanical:
When a co-simulation coupling participant, such as a Fluent system, is connected to a Mechanical system via System Coupling, Mechanical is given access to data directly from the other participant.
Connect a Mechanical system to a System Coupling system.
Connect another co-simulation participant system to the System Coupling system.
Edit the System Coupling system to define data transfers from the other co-simulation participant system to the Mechanical system.
Transfer static data into Mechanical:
When the External Data system is connected to a Mechanical system via System Coupling, Mechanical is given access to static data from Ansys External Data (.axdt) files.
Connect a Mechanical system to a System Coupling system.
Connect an External Data system to the System Coupling system.
Edit the External Data system to select one or more .axdt files.
Edit the System Coupling system to define data transfers from the External Data system to the Mechanical system.
The Ansys External Data text-formatted files can be generated by the CFD-Post component system from another participant's (such as Fluent's) analysis results.
Transferring Data Out of Mechanical Analyses
In a one-way coupled analysis with Mechanical as the source participant, a System Coupling system can transfer displacement or thermal data (temperature or heat flow) from Mechanical to other coupling participants. Either co-simulation or static data may be transferred out of Mechanical.
Transfer co-simulation data out of Mechanical:
When a Mechanical system is connected via System Coupling to another co-simulation coupling participant, such as a Fluent system, the other participant is given access to data directly from Mechanical.
Connect a Mechanical system to a System Coupling system.
Connect another co-simulation participant system to the System Coupling system.
Edit the System Coupling system to define data transfers from the Mechanical system to the other co-simulation participant system.
Transfer static data out of Mechanical:
To transfer static data out of Mechanical, export Ansys External Data files (.axdt) from Mechanical and use the files to transfer the data into an External Data system.
In Mechanical's System Coupling Region, set the Export Results property to .
It you are running Mechanical from the command line for a thermal coupled analysis, add the macro dumpFSIHeats.mac to your Mechanical APDL directory before running Mechanical.
The macro is available in the C:\Program Files\ANSYS Inc\v242\aisol\ DesignSpace\DSPages\macros directory.
Add an External Data system to the Project Schematic.
Edit the External Data system to select one or more .axdt files.
When the coupled analysis is run, Mechanical writes one .axdt file per System Coupling Region to its solver files directory. Each file may contain temperatures and heat flows, with only corner node values recorded. (The mid-side node values for heat flows, if present, are summed to the corresponding corner nodes.) Heat flow data includes the sum of heat flows through surfaces with applied temperatures, convection, and radiation.
Connect the External Data system to the System Coupling system.
Edit the System Coupling system to define data transfers from the External Data system to the other co-simulation participant system.