MSC Releases Marc v2013.1 for Nonlinear FEA

MSC Software announced the new release of Marc 2013.1. According to the company, the capabilities in this release provide engineers with faster nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) with new modeling options and increased ease of use.

Performance improvements that take advantage of the modern multi-core processors are implemented in this release. According to MSC, these updates can be used in conjunction with Domain Decomposition (DDM) and/or the parallel solution of equations of motion. When combined with DDM, this method provides two levels of parallelism: one at the domain level and one at the assembly level, enabling both designers and analysts to achieve improved productivity.

Tests have shown five to eight times faster element loop computation times and four times faster total wall time for models with over 500,000 degrees of freedom on multi-core processors.

Three new models have been added to represent the behavior of anisotropic incompressible materials such as rubber belts and biological materials. These models provide higher accuracy in simulations of reinforced elastomers.

Gaps and overlaps of contact bodies can occur either due to discrepancies in the original CAD file or during the mesh creation process, which can lead to non-realistic interaction between components, the company says. Users can now account for any initial gaps or overlaps in a contact analysis to obtain accurate stress results.

The ACIS geometry engine has been replaced with a Parasolid geometry engine, allowing for better interoperability with a broader range of CAD systems, and improved integration between Marc's user interface and other MSC products. A new meshing capability enables quality lower and higher order tetrahedral element mesh creation on solids.

For more information, visit MSC Software.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.