Produits > COMSOL Multiphysics 3.5 > New Features and Models

New Features in COMSOL Multiphysics 3.5a

A number of new improvements have been added to COMSOL Multiphysics and its add-on products as part of the Version 3.5a release.

COMSOL Multiphysics and Modules

General new improvements

Overall performance improvements:
- General improvements to the FEM assembly process introduce significant speed improvements, depending on the model, for single core processors. The improvement ranges between 10-100% and can be as high a factor 30 in a few cases
- General improvements in linear solvers range between 5-20%
- Various improvements in the time-dependent solvers can result in improvements in solution times by a factor 2-8.
- Multicore speedup is increased by 5-30%
- General improvements give about a 10% decrease in memory consumption
Support for the Intel 64-bit Mac version
Application modes for optimization (requires Optimization Lab) and sensitivity analysis have been introduced. These include support for inverse modeling, parameter estimation, geometry optimization (shape optimization), and topology optimization
About 10 new models showcasing the new functionality for parameter estimation, inverse modeling, and optimization have been included
Unstructured function evaluation (import of data from unstructured grids) is now supported

Meshing:

Ability to mesh the Parasolid geometry representation directly (with the CAD Import Module) has been included
Improved boundary layer meshing abilities
Improved mesh sweeping, which now supports “N-to-1 sweeps”
Conversion of a mixed mesh consisting of quads, hexes, or/and prisms to a mesh consisting of only tetrahedrons or triangles with GUI support
Free-field NASTRAN format import

Click to view a Demo of the Meshing functionality

Postprocessing:

Support for GIF as an image format and for creating animated GIFs
Ability to plot while solving Click to view a Demo
Customized color tables are now possible
“Accurate derivative recovery” for more accurate postprocessing of stresses, fluxes, etc
Summation integration method for computation of reaction forces, etc has been included
Support for shared-memory parallelism providing speedup of slice plots, isosurface plots, subdomain plots, boundary plots, edge plots, deformed-shape plots, and streamline plots (in 3D) and surface plots, contour plots, and boundary plots, and deformed-shape plots

Solvers:

Improved and generalized stationary segregated solver providing large performance improvements (speed and memory) for important classes of one-way coupled (weakly coupled) multiphysics problems such as thermal stress models
Introduction of a transient segregated solver for better performance when solving transient multiphysics problems
Introduction of a generalized-alpha transient solver that provides improved solution of transient wave problems (electromagnetics, acoustics, structures, etc.) and fluid-dynamics problems. The generalized-alpha solver can improve performance by a factor of 2-8 for typical problems (with the same accuracy)
Introduction of BiCGStab solver
Inclusion of an out-of-core direct solver (PARDISO)
Possibility for functional-based h (mesh) adaption
Improved shared-memory parallelism (OpenMP version of SPOOLES, parallel postprocessing)
The parametric solver now supports multiple parameters
Parametric sweep functionality has been greatly improved through providing a single solver call that performs several runs using the currently selected solver while varying a set of model parameters
Limited support for distributed-memory parallelism has also been included – where running sweeps on Linux clusters results in a speedup factor near n for clusters with n nodes.

Add-on Products

AC/DC Module

Possibility to specify voltage and current levels for ports is now included
Import of PCB designs made in Cadence Allegro and Mentor Graphics Board Station and other software that supports the XML version of Valor's ODB++ format.
Import of PCB designs from any ECAD software package through the use of the software NETEX-G from Artwork and generic Gerber and drill file formats.
Force computation through the principle of virtual work (predefined in the user interface)
Reduced-field form for quasistatic/static model, making it possible to specify a known background field and solve only for the reduced field

Acoustics Module

Acoustics-structure interaction (predefined multiphysics) application mode has now been included
Predefined variables for reaction forces and summation method for general reaction-force computations is now available

CAD Import Module

Parasolid is now used in all steps of the CAD import process. Therefore, no conversion to COMSOL geometry objects is necessary for the two following items:
- Parasolid’s geometry representation is used directly by COMSOL's mesher
- Parasolid is used to find pairs in CAD assemblies
More flexible defeaturing: you can repair and defeature each part of an assembly independently
Support for geometric parametric sweeps (also on Linux clusters) in the SolidWorks and Autodesk Inventor bidirectional interfaces
Bidirectional interface to Autodesk Inventor
The CAD Import Module is now available for the Mac platform
Improved stability through improved quality of the internal COMSOL geometry engine

Chemical Engineering Module

Improved stabilization of the Navier-Stokes equations providing large performance improvements
With the combined improvements in assembly, iterative solvers, and stabilization techniques, many CFD models run 4-8 times faster
Stabilization of the level set equation for improved multiphase flow modeling
Phase field application mode for multiphase flow modeling using the phase field method has been introduced Click to view a demo of this application
Mass source is now available in the Brinkman equation
A viscoplastic model example has been included
Improved Liquid and Gases material library with data for liquid/gas surface tension and liquid/liquid interfacial tensions is now available

Earth Science Module

Predefined multiphysics interface for modeling of poroelasticity has been introduced
Improved stabilization of the Navier-Stokes equations providing large performance improvements
Mass source is now available in the Brinkman equation
Improved Liquid and Gases material library with data for liquid/gas surface tension and liquid/liquid interfacial tensions is now available

Heat Transfer Module

Axisymmetric radiation can now be modeled
Predefined multiphysics entries for flow with variable density is now included
Predefined multiphysics entries for fluid-solid thermal interaction/conjugate heat transfer has been introduced
Improved Galerkin least-squares (GLS) method for streamline diffusion

MEMS Module

General support for damping and losses in piezo (structural damping plus dielectric and coupling losses) has been included
Stress stiffening and large deformations in piezo applications is now possible
SPICE circuit support has been included
ECAD import has been introduced (see AC/DC Module)
Stabilization of the level set equation for improved multiphase flow modeling
Phase field application mode for multiphase flow modeling using the phase field method has been introduced Click to view a demo of this application
All new features that have also been included in the Structural Mechanics Module

RF Module

SPICE circuit support has been included
ECAD import has been introduced (see AC/DC Module)
Introduction of circuit ports for wave applications, such as modeling the connection of a transmission line or an antenna to an external circuit
An improved axisymmetric formulation

Structural Mechanics Module

Viscoelastic material model has been included
Hyperelastic Murnaghan material model for modeling of nonlinear acoustoelasticity has also been introduced
Predefined variables for reaction forces and summation method for general reaction-force computations is now possible
Mechanical heating support defining entropy etc. (now in all space dimensions) is available
The thermal-electric-structural interaction (predefined multiphysics entry) simplifies modeling of Joule heating with thermal stress effects
Improvements in assembly and solvers that increases solution speed by 5-30% for typical 3D problems