When coupling Mechanical and Fluent for a thermal-structural analysis, the coupled field elements
SOLID226 and SOLID227 (KEYOPT(1)=11) need to be used in Mechanical. See Thermal-Fluid-Structural
Analyses using System Coupling in the ANSYS Mechanical User's Guide for details about how to set up
this type of analysis.
A system coupling analysis can be run from the command line, rather than by using the Workbench
user interface. If the system coupling simulation involves Mechanical APDL, see Starting an ANSYS Session
from the Command Level in the Operations Guide for more information.
1.1.2.2. Load Transfer Coupled Analysis - ANSYS Multi-field solver
The ANSYS Multi-field solver, available for a large class of coupled analysis problems, is an automated
tool for solving load transfer coupled field problems. It supersedes the physics file-based procedure
and provides a robust, accurate, and easy to use tool for solving load transfer coupled physics problems.
Each physics is created as a field with an independent solid model and mesh. Surfaces or volumes are
identified for coupled load transfer. A multi-field solver command set configures the problem and
defines the solution sequencing. Coupled loads are automatically transferred across dissimilar meshes
by the solver. The solver is applicable to static, harmonic, and transient analysis, depending on the
physics requirements. Any number of fields may be solved in a sequential (or mixed sequential-simul-
taneous) manner.
Two versions of the ANSYS Multi-field solver, designed for different applications, offer their own benefits
and different procedures:
• MFS - Single code: The basic ANSYS Multi-field solver used if the simulation involves small models with
all physics field contained within a single product executable (e.g., ANSYS Multiphysics). The MFS - Single
code solver uses iterative coupling where each physics is solved sequentially, and each matrix equation
is solved separately. The solver iterates between each physics field until loads transferred across the
physics interfaces converge.
• MFX - Multiple code: The enhanced ANSYS Multi-field solver used for simulations with physics fields dis-
tributed between more than one product executable (e.g., between ANSYS Multiphysics and ANSYS CFX).
The MFX solver can accommodate much larger models than the MFS version. The MFX - Multiple code
solver uses iterative coupling where each physics is solved either simultaneously or sequentially, and each
matrix equation is solved separately. The solver iterates between each physics field until loads transferred
across the physics interfaces converge.
See Multi-field Analysis Using Code Coupling (p. 145) for detailed procedures.
1.1.2.3. Load Transfer Coupled Analysis - Physics File
With a physics file-based load transfer, you must explicitly transfer loads using the physics environment.
An example of this type of analysis is a sequential thermal-stress analysis where nodal temperatures
from the thermal analysis are applied as "body force" loads in the subsequent stress analysis. The
physics analysis is based on a single finite element mesh across physics. You create physics files that
define the physics environment; these files configure the database and prepare the single mesh for a
given physics simulation. The general process is to read in the first physics file and solve. Then read in
the next physics field, specify the loads to be transferred, and solve the second physics. Use the LDREAD
command to link the different physics environments and apply the specified results data from the first
physics environment as loads for the next environment's solution across a node-node similar mesh in-
terface. You can also use LDREAD to read results from one analysis as loads in a subsequent analysis,
without the use of physics files. See Load Transfer Coupled Physics Analysis (p. 171) for detailed proced-
ures.
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Types of Coupled-Field Analysis