Marc 2024.1 includes full support for units during pre-processing, new temperature-dependent superelements, a new non-linear advanced friction model, enhancements for defining the initial conditions of a simulation from previous analysis, improvements for modelling the temperature dependency of the mechanical behaviour of rubbers or elastomers, and robustness improvements for the hybrid contact algorithm.
MSC Marc and Mentat 2024.1 Tested Picture
Release Highlights
Key highlights of Marc 2024.1 include:
Full unit support for pre-processing
The user interface for Marc/Mentat was already capable of indicating dimensions for any user-specified simulation parameter value. In this release, however, Mentat includes unit settings for every parameter.
Users can now define their preferred unit system when they create a new model and can change the defined unit system to a new one at any time. Updating the unit system automatically changes the different parameter values (with an option to keep values as they are).
The benefits of this capability:
- Units are displayed for every parameter.
- Convert from one unit system to another easily.
- Reduce modelling errors with unit indications for all simulation parameters
Temperature Dependent Superelements
Initiated by the COMPAS consortium, this new capability development project triggered the enhancement to the existing superelement capabilities of Mentat by adding temperature dependency to their structural behaviour through the machine-learning capabilities of ODYSSEE.
With this new capability, engineers will be able to create a Functional Mock-Up unit (FMU) with the temperature-dependent superelement (a.k.a. a Reduced Order Model or ROM) with high-fidelity for an entire temperature range, so that they can:
- Complete thermo-mechanical structural integrity assessments faster and more efficiently.
- Use the superelement in any software package supporting the FMI 3.0 standard.
New nonlinear advanced friction model
A new model has been added for nonlinear friction based on the theory proposed by Hashiguchi [Foundations of Elastoplasticity: Subloading Surface Model in 2016]
With these new capabilities, engineers will be able to:
- Model more complex nonlinear friction behaviours with a smooth transition between the sticking and the slipping states as shown in the graph below (friction normal force evolution according to the relative slipping distance, curves in orange and red below).
- Achieve better accuracy in regards to experimental results for simulations with complex nonlinear friction effects such as bolt self-loosening analysis, brake pads, forming process simulation, seal design and bearings analysis.
Previous analysis state
The legacy pre state option was designed to read data from a Marc results file and to use them as the initial conditions for a new Marc analysis. This capability has been enhanced to support results from non-Marc software sources like Simufact products and can be used even when the mesh is not identical.
With these new capabilities, engineers will be able to:
- Use results from simulations performed with Simufact software (Simufact Forming, Welding or Additive) to define initial conditions for subsequent Marc analyses.
- Use different meshes for the previous analysis (performed with Simufact products or Marc) and for new Marc simulations that include a previous analysis state definition.
- Transfer the contact glued state from an analysis using contact bonding to a new Marc model.
Enhancements for temperature-dependent rubbers or elastomers
The material support and data fitting for temperature-dependent viscoelastic elastomer materials are improved in version 2024.1.
A special type of temperature-dependent behaviour known as Thermo-Rheologically Simple (TRS) behaviour is often observed in rubbers and other elastomers. This type of behaviour was already available in Marc, but only for viscoelasticity models based on the Prony series. In previous versions, the experimental data fitting capabilities for the Parallel Rheological Framework (PRF) models did not support temperature dependency.
With this new capability, engineers will be able to:
- Define a TRS behaviour for Bergström-Boyce and PRF models.
- Include TRS behaviour in the viscoelastic material during a response experimental data fitting leveraging the PRF models.
Hybrid Contact
The hybrid contact option for the node-to-segment method has been introduced and enhanced over the last few versions of Marc. Hybrid contact is useful for cases where it is difficult to define the optimal contact settings to avoid nodes penetrating a meshed (deformable) contact body. Some notable improvements have been made for this release.
- Contact detection is improved to reduce the risk of finding an incorrect contact segment.
- The running time is improved in many situations
- A new option in Mentat allows you to override any single-sided contact settings in contact tables and makes the change to hybrid contact for existing models easier.
Quick References
- Documentation
