In a previous blog post, we introduced various physical phenomena that cause damping in structures and showed how such damping can be represented mathematically. Today, we follow up by looking at how to actually include damping in finite element models.

Today, we invite guest blogger F. Xavier Alvarez of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) to discuss modeling heat transfer at the nanoscale using a novel theoretical framework and the COMSOL Multiphysics® software.

Using geometry parts, created by you or added from any of the part libraries available with the COMSOL Multiphysics® software and some of its add-on modules, can greatly simplify and streamline the construction of more complex geometries for your simulations. Here, we show you how you can add and make use of geometry parts and create user-defined part libraries.

Is the term “digital twin” just hype, or a trick to get a new angle to sell modeling software? In this blog post, we discuss the difference between models, applications, and digital twins. We conclude that although the term has been misused to a certain extent (in relation to the original formulation), there is substance behind it.

You can perform response spectrum analyses with a study type introduced in version 5.4 of the COMSOL Multiphysics® software. In this blog post, we will give an introduction to how you can analyze a structure subjected to a short transient excitation being described by a response spectrum.

If you strike a bowl made of glass or metal, you hear a tone with an intensity that decays with time. In a world without damping, the tone would linger forever. In reality, there are several physical processes through which the kinetic and elastic energy in the bowl dissipate into other energy forms. In this blog post, we will discuss how damping can be represented, and the physical phenomena that cause damping in vibrating structures.

When analyzing optical designs, it is essential to consider not only light intensity but also polarization. Careful manipulation of light polarization can greatly improve image quality by filtering out light from unwanted sources — for example, to minimize glare. A useful way to learn about light polarization, and how to manipulate it, is through a Fresnel rhomb. With the COMSOL Multiphysics® software, engineers can model the effect of a Fresnel rhomb and similar elements on light polarization in optical systems.

We’ve already determined that the concept of digital twins is more than just hype. In this blog post, we discuss how high-fidelity multiphysics models can be combined with lightweight models and measured data to create digital twins that can be used to understand, predict, optimize, and control the real system and the model of the real system. This is exemplified with a battery pack for hybrid vehicles.

Guest blogger Eric Linvill of Lightness by Design shares how materials modeling provides insight into paperboard formation and bending resistance. Formation is a fundamental physical characteristic of paper that can have profound effects on the production and performance of that paper. The finite element method can be utilized to better understand how formation affects mechanical quality control tests and their results. Using the Lorentzen & Wettre (L&W) bending resistance (15°) test, we investigate how paperboard formation affects bending resistance.

As the story goes, Archimedes was struggling with a case of suspected golden crown fraud. While taking a bath, inspiration hit: Submerging an object displaces the same amount of water as the object’s volume, so he could expose any dilutions to the gold. Archimedes was so pleased, he yelled “eureka!” But would anyone have heard the now-famous shout? Using simulation, we can evaluate the acoustics of resonant and reverberant enclosed spaces, like bathrooms, and how they respond to fundamental sources.