Streamline Solutions launches ELEMENTS v3.5.0
28th April 2022:Streamline Solutions is delighted to announce the new release of ELEMENTS v3.5.0, an open-source based CFD software suite for vehicle design applications produced by Streamline Solutions LLC. This release also includes new versions of the add-on modules ELEMENTS-Adjoint and ELEMENTS-Coupled.
ELEMENTS combines two simulation environments in one package: a dedicated virtual wind tunnel wizard for modelling external vehicle aerodynamics, and a general purpose CFD interface for solving other vehicle design applications (e.g. UHMT, HVAC, in-cabin flows, aeroacoustics, etc). The default methodology and best practices for external vehicle aerodynamics provided with this version of ELEMENTS have been widely tested and validated to conform to the latest regulations on alternative drag prediction methods proposed as part of the Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP).
ELEMENTS 3.5.0 offers a wide range of extended capabilities and several refinements to remove known issues found in the previous release 3.4.0. Some of the new exciting features added in this version include:
- Mesh: Enhanced performance and robustness for acute reflex snapping around sharp trailing edges.
- Mesh: Improved near-wall layer addition, including new options to prescribe maximum layer thickness for the extrude mesh algorithm, cell splitting based on warpage criteria, and overall increased performance of single-step layer projection.
- Mesh: Faster mesh optimisation turnaround times using relaxed settings and additional quality metrics and options for cell removal.
- Mesh: New GUI visualisation tool to detect mesh leakage.
- Mesh: New binary surface format for geometry entities for faster I/O performance and reduced file size.
- Mesh: New GUI tool to export surface patches to faceted format.
- Aero: New ride height adjustment method using a base line on the vehicle and a target line for body alignment.
- Aero: New option to relocate the origin of the model to the Front Hub, Front Contact, Contact Centre, Rear Hub or Rear Contact.
- Aero: New option to define the ground plane position using the front wheel contact radius in relation to the absolute floor height.
- Aero: Added new cell zone assembly type in the external aerodynamics configuration templates for data monitoring and/or data exports.
- Setup: New discrete mixing plane and cyclic periodic AMI boundary conditions.
- Setup: New time-varying mapped data temperature boundary condition.
- Setup: Enhanced total pressure boundary condition for more accurate prediction of static head at boundaries.
- Setup: New adaptive and y+ insensitive Knopp consistent rough wall function.
- Setup: New generic monitoring function to calculate statistical quantities, including moving average, standard deviation, CoV, etc.
- Setup: New Custom Field Calculator to create and output custom fields during or after runtime.
- Setup: Added GUI support for new monitoring function that shows the percentage of the volume that is modelled with LES or RANS when using (I)(D)DES turbulence models.
- View: New View modifier object to apply transformations to a selected object (i.e. mirror, translation, rotation, scale and linear/cylindrical array).
- View: Enhanced Point Widget tool to inspect field values on selected points of mesh patches.
- Other: Case re-load optimisation for selective loading of modified components only.
If you are not an ELEMENTS user already, please contact us or email elements@streamline-cae.com for further information or scheduling a demonstration of the software.
About Streamline Solutions:
Streamline Solutions LLC, a joint venture formed between ENGYS and Auto Research Center, was founded in the USA in early 2012 to serve the vehicle design software market, covering automotive, motorsports, commercial and military applications. The company develops and promotes the software ELEMENTS, a CFD analysis and vehicle design optimisation suite powered by open-source technologies developed by ENGYS. Streamline Solutions combines ENGYS’ leading-edge software development and support, a long and reputable participation in the open-source software business, with ARC’s proven vehicle design expertise and world leading wind tunnel and experimental facilities for validation purposes.
