md adams 2010 release guide

MD Adams 2010

Release Guide

Corporate MSC.Software Corporation2 MacArthur PlaceSanta Ana, CA 92707USATelephone: (800) 345-2078FAX: (714) 784-4056

EuropeMSC.Software GmbHAm Moosfeld 1381829 MunichGERMANYTelephone: (49) (89) 43 19 87 0Fax: (49) (89) 43 61 71 6

Asia PacificMSC.Software Japan Ltd.Shinjuku First West 8F23-7 Nishi Shinjuku1-Chome, Shinjuku-Ku Tokyo 160-0023, JAPANTelephone: (81) (3)-6911-1200Fax: (81) (3)-6911-1201

Worldwide Webwww.mscsoftware.com

DisclaimerThis documentation, as well as the software described in it, is furnished under license and may be used only in accordance with the terms of such license.MSC.Software Corporation reserves the right to make changes in specifications and other information contained in this document without prior notice.The concepts, methods, and examples presented in this text are for illustrative and educational purposes only, and are not intended to be exhaustive or to apply to any particular engineering problem or design. MSC.Software Corporation assumes no liability or responsibility to any person or company for direct or indirect damages resulting from the use of any information contained herein.User Documentation: Copyright © 2010 MSC.Software Corporation. Printed in U.S.A. All Rights Reserved.This notice shall be marked on any reproduction of this documentation, in whole or in part. Any reproduction or distribution of this document, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of MSC.Software Corporation is prohibited.This software may contain certain third-party software that is protected by copyright and licensed from MSC.Software suppliers. Portions of this software are owned by UGS Corp. © Copyright 1997. All Rights Reserved.The MSC.Software corporate logo, Adams, Adams/, MD, MD Adams, MSC, MSC Nastran, and MD Nastran are trademarks or registered trademarks of the MSC.Software Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. FLEXlm is a registered trademark of Macrovision Corporation. Parasolid is a registered trademark of UGS Corp. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

MDAM*V2010*Z*Z*Z*DC-REL

C o n t e n t sMD Adams 2010 Release Guide

PrefaceWelcome to MD Adams 2010 vi

About MSC.Software viiOverview viiAbout Virtual Product Development and Adams vii

Technical Support viiiWeb viiiPhone and Email viiiTraining viii

Internet Resources x

1 What’s NewOverall Product Improvements 2

What’s New 3Adams/Car 3Adams/Car Ride 5Adams/Chassis 6Adams/Controls 6Adams/Driveline 8Adams/Durability 8Adams/Flex 9Adams/Mechatronics 15Adams/SmartDriver 15Adams/Solver (C++ and FORTRAN) 16Adams/Tire 23Adams/Vibration 25Adams/View 25

2 Running Adams ProductsStarting Adams Products 34Starting Adams Products on UNIX 34

MD Adams 2010 Release Guide

iv

Starting Adams Products on Windows 35

Setting Preferences 36Setting Preferences on UNIX 36Setting Preferences on Windows 36

Setting Your Working Directory 37

3 Getting HelpTool Tips 40

Online Help 41Versions of Web Browsers 42Accessing the Online Help 43Searching 46Printing 46Index 46

Tutorials and Examples 47

4 Supported Versions of Integration ProductsSupport for Easy5 and MATLAB 50Easy5 50MATLAB 50

Supported Versions of Integration Products 51

53

MD Nastran 2006 Installation and Operations Guide

Preface

Welcome to MD Adams 2010

About MSC.Software

Technical Support

Internet Resources

MD Adams 2010 Release GuideWelcome to MD Adams 2010

vi

Welcome to MD Adams 2010Thank you for purchasing MD Adams 2010 products. The MD Adams 2010® is motion simulation software for analyzing the complex behavior of mechanical assemblies. With it, you can test virtual prototypes and optimize designs for performance, safety, and comfort, without having to build and test numerous physical prototypes.

The major aspects of MD Adams include the ability to transfer loads and motion information to MD Nastran for stress, durability, vibration and harshness analysis.

viiPreface

About MSC.Software

OverviewMSC.Software Corporation is the leading global provider of virtual product development (VPD) tools, including simulation software and professional services. MSC.Software helps companies make money, save time, and reduce costs associated with designing, testing, producing, and supporting manufactured products.

MSC.Software works with thousands of companies worldwide, in hundreds of industries, to develop better products faster by using information technology, software, and services to enhance and automate the product design and manufacturing process. Simulating your product performance reduces development costs, time to market, and warranty costs.

About Virtual Product Development and AdamsYou’ve heard it before: manufacturing companies today face intense global competition, demanding customers, fragmented markets, increasing product complexity, compressed product cycles, price and profit pressures, strict regulatory and liability environments, systems integration and supply chain issues, skyrocketing costs of testing and physical prototyping, and on and on…

What you don’t often hear, though, is a strategy for enabling your company to improve your new product development process to meet these challenges.

Whether you are delivering airplanes, automobiles, ships, biomedical devices, golf clubs or children’s toys to your customers, MSC.Software’s goal is to help you improve your new product development process, allowing you to be significantly better at your concept development, design, testing, and production activities through the application of VPD.

VPD is an environment that uses an integrated combination of both simulation software technology and traditional techniques to design, test, manufacture, and support products. The result is that cost-effective designs that meet all performance, safety, durability, and reliability requirements can be brought to market in less time and for less cost.

Adams, as part of VPD, is focused on enhancing your ability to make better product development decisions, explore innovative design alternatives, and consistently get the product right. It is the world's most widely used mechanical system simulation software. It enables you to produce virtual prototypes, realistically simulating the full-motion behavior of complex mechanical systems on your computers and quickly analyzing multiple design variations until an optimal design is achieved. This reduces the number of costly physical prototypes, improves design quality, and dramatically reduces product development time.

MD Adams 2010 Release GuideTechnical Support

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Technical SupportFor help with installing or using an MSC.Software product, contact MSC technical support. Our technical support provides technical assistance on questions related to installation and use of the software. For further details please see the Technical Support Usage Guide, which is accessible via our support web site.

You can reach MSC technical support on the web, by telephone, or e-mail.

WebGo to the MSC.Software web site at www.mscsoftware.com, and click on Services -> Technical Support. Here, you can find a wide variety of support resources including Product Updates, Discussions, Technical Articles, and Documentation updates.

In addition, we provide several excellent sources of online information:

• SimCompanion - Find solutions to problems in this repository of troubleshooting tips, examples, and frequently asked questions. To access the SimCompanion, go to:http://simcompanion.mscsoftware.com

• VPD Community - The VPD community is where to go when you are looking for peer support, as well as technical expertise. Many of our consultants, developers, and technical support staff monitor the forums. To sign up for the forums, go to:http://forums.mscsoftware.com

Then:• To view the Adams discussions, select Adams.• To view product alerts and company news and events, select MSC News.

Phone and EmailFor a current list of phone numbers and language based email addresses please visit our support web site and click on Contact Technical Support.

TrainingMSC.Software training provides comprehensive training in Virtual Product Development. We offer standard and customized training courses in the application of CAE tools to solve from basic to complex problems within any industry. We offer over 100 courses in our state-of-the-art classroom facilities and individual computer graphics laboratories at training centers throughout the world. All of our courses emphasize hands-on computer laboratory work to facilitate skills development. We are uniquely positioned to optimize your investment in design and simulation software tools.

http://simcompanion.mscsoftware.com

http://forums.mscsoftware.com

ixPreface

Our industry experienced expert staff is available to customize our course offerings to meet your unique training requirements. For the most effective training, we also offer many of our courses at our customer's facilities.

We specialize in customized training based on our evaluation of your design and simulation processes, which yields courses that are geared to your business. In addition to traditional instructor-led classes, we also offer video courses, interactive multimedia training, web-based training, and a specialized instructor's program.

Course Information and RegistrationFor detailed course descriptions, schedule information, and registration call the Training Specialist at (800) 732-7211 or visit www.mscsoftware.com.

MD Adams 2010 Release GuideInternet Resources

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Internet ResourcesMSC.Software (www.mscsoftware.com)MSC.Software corporate site with information on the latest events, products and services for the CAD/CAE/CAM marketplace.

MSC.Software Store (store.mscsoftware.com)store.mscsoftware.com is a virtual marketplace where clients can find engineering expertise, and engineers can find the goods and services they need to do their job.

MD Nastran 2006 Installation and Operations GuideMD Nastran

1 What’s New

Overall Product Improvements

What’s New

MD Adams 2010 Release GuideOverall Product Improvements

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Overall Product ImprovementsSome highlights of the MD Adams 2010 release include:

Multidiscipline Solution Integration• Significant customer-driven enhancements for the Adams2Nastran functionality have been

made. Among them, the export can now be performed from dynamic operating points and Adams force elements are now represented in the Nastran model.

• Support for MATLAB/Simulink models continues to be updated and expanded. With this release Adams/Controls adds support for embedding Simulink S-Function models via an External System Library.

Performance• Some of the new modeling functionality will result in models which solve faster. Additionally

this Adams/Solver (C++) release includes a new linear solution option for faster run times on very large models, and includes faster import times of large XML result files (XRF).

New Capabilities• New application specific functionality, such as the Adams/Car Truck plugin and the Adams/Car

tools to easily define model parameters from test data for tires and isolators. • New general core functionality, such as Rigid and Flexible body contact modeling extensions.

Other Additions• Enhancements in working with flexible bodies. This release provides a quicker means to copy

and paste flexible bodies within a model and to control flexible body modal content.• Significant enhancements to Adams/Car post-processing have been made allowing for

automation of more sophisticated plot configurations. Furthermore, this post-processing automation functionality is now available to Adams/View users for the first time.

3CHAPTER 1What’s New

What’s NewThe following are highlights of additions to existing products. For Known Issues and updated Release Notes, look for MD Adams 2010 on the Support site


Adams/Car• Post-processing improvements for Adams/Car • Truck Plugin and Database (1-76631912) • XSL Stylesheet Examples • SimManager Integration

• Damper Gas Preload (1-77853901)

• MNF & MDDB Transform Tool (1-76618801, 1-252827191)

Post-processing improvements for Adams/Car Several improvements to Adams/Car post-processing have been implemented, including:

• Multiple plots on single page: • Header/footer text & bitmaps • Mathematical Expressions • Table View • Legend placement and location • Analysis stamp • Date stamp • Axis attributes • Spec Lines • Notes

See Technical Article KB8018465 for further details.

http://simcompanion.mscsoftware.com/infocenter/index?page=content&id=KB8018465

Truck Plugin and Database (1-76631912)The plugin manager in Adams/Car now has an Adams/Car Truck option which allows you to analyze truck assemblies in Adams/Car. A truck database is provided in the install_dir\atruck\shared_truck_database.cdb subdirectory. The following example assembly models are accessible from <atruck_shared>/assemblies.tbl:

msc_bus_rigid.asy




MD Adams 2010 Release GuideWhat’s New

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msc_susp_bus_front.asymsc_susp_driven_axle.asymsc_susp_front_3link.asymsc_susp_front_leafs.asymsc_susp_trailer_axle.asymsc_tractor_semitrailer.asymsc_tractor_unit.asy



XSL Stylesheet Examples The XML files used in Adams contain structured data. Style sheets provide an alternate way of viewing the XML data inside a web browser, they describe how documents are to be presented on the screen. We have provided a handful of eXtensible Style Language (XSL) style sheet examples in the \install_dir\acar\examples\stylesheets subdirectory. Styling an .xml file requires a style sheet file (.xsl) which describes how to display a document of a given type, and then the source .xml needs to reference the .xsl file. For example, if you open the MDI_antiroll_bar_bus.xml example file with your browser you will see it has a different look, if you inspect it with a text editor you will notice its style sheet declaration on line #2 in the header section:

<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="Bushing_Properties.xsl"?>

At this time we are not standardizing on any particular styles. These example files are simply being provided for your awareness and to give you some ideas on how XML data could be viewed in a different format.

SimManager IntegrationSupport for connecting SimManager with Adams/View and Adams/Car in this release allows users to establish connection properties to their SimManager server, Log on and Log off from the server, publish an Adams model (.cmd or .adm) and all of its associated files (for example geometry) along with simulation results to the server, and to retrieve published models and results from the server. SimManager access is available through the File - SimManager menu entry or from the command line.

Note: • SimManager access is interactive only, no batch mode access is provided. • Integration with SimManager requires Java Runtime Environment 1.5.0_06 or

later, please visit http://java.sun.com/products/archive/j2se/5.0_06/index.html to install.



http://java.sun.com/products/archive/j2se/5.0_06/index.html


Damper Gas Preload (1-77853901)Adams/Car now includes support for damper gas preload. When using an XML damper property file, you may adjust the gas preload by selecting the Curve Manager tool from the Modify Damper dialog box. In the Curve Manager, select the Properties tab. In the Gas Preload section, select None, Constant, or Nonlinear gas preload force. If Nonlinear is selected, the curve of preload force vs. damper length may be edited by selecting the Plot/Edit Data button.

MNF & MDDB Transform Tool (1-76618801, 1-252827191)A graphical user interface for the Adams/Flex Toolkit MNFXFORM command line utility is now available from Adams/Car and can be used to translate, rotate and/or mirror MNF (or MD DB) as well as renumber interface node IDs. A new menu button, "MNF & MDDB Transform...", has been added to standard interface (under Tools) and template builder (under Build -> Parts -> Flexible Body). Refer to Adams/View section and Technical Article KB8018708 for further details regarding this functionality (also known as MNF Xform tool).

Adams/Car Ride

FD Element and Hydromount Improvements• Bouc-Wen Bushing• Isolator-Parameter Identification Tool (IPIT)

Bouc-Wen Bushing:

With this release, we are providing a new frequency and amplitude dependent bushing (definition: ac_general_bushing). The frequency dependence is achieved by TFSISO elements while the amplitude dependence is achieved by Bouc-Wen hysteresis model. This bushing UDE can be used in the Ride Component Test-Rig to calculate the dynamic stiffness and phase for given bushing properties in property file (*.gbu). This UDE supports the use of Replace feature when replacing a general bushing with a frequency dependent bushing.

Isolator-Parameter Identification Tool (IPIT):

With this release, we are providing a tool to identify bushing and/or hydromount model parameters. This generic identification tool can be used to identify parameters for any bushing (including user-defined) and/or hydromount models available in Adams/Car Ride. This tool can be accessed from the Ride menu under Tools -> Isolator-Parameter Identification.







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Adams/Chassis

VDB Reorganization of Subsystems The Adams/Chassis VDB structure has been reorganized such that subsystem files are organized into sub-directories depending on the subsystem type. In the past, the Adams/Chassis, subsystem.tbl directory included all types of subsystem files (front, rear, steering, and so on), which sometimes caused confusion when there were many *.xml files. In order to avoid this ambiguity, the subsystem.tbl directory was further sub-divided into multiple sub folders with the following convention:

• Body.tbl • Brakes.tbl • Controls.tbl • Front.tbl • Instrumentation.tbl • Loading.tbl • Powertrain.tbl • Rear.tbl (including optional rear suspensions) • SteeringColumn.tbl • SteeringGear.tbl • Wheels.tbl (including optional rear wheel subsystems)

The implementation of this enhancement will be completely transparent to the user and will happen automatically during the VDB upgrade process. In addition, changes were made to the Adams/Chassis System Editor to facilitate the change. When the user chooses to replace a subsystem, the interface will automatically open to the respective subdirectory for the subsystem type of interest.

SMP Support added to Preferences panel (C++ Solver only)Adams/Solver (C++) supports parallel processing by way of the PREFERENCES/NTHREADS Statement. To expose this functionality to Adams/Chassis users a new "Thread Count" field has been added to the preferences panel, allowing you to specify the number of parallel threads to be used for the simulation. Please note that the field will be grayed out for cases where the Solver selection is either FORTRAN or None.

Adams/Controls• Dynamic Parameter update in Adams Plant Mask (1-69730910)

• Support for Extrapolation Order in Co-simulation (1-78555558) • Detection of old Adams S-Functions (1-78555846)

• Algebraic Loop avoidance for MATLAB/Simulink co-simulation (1-79088181)

• Simpler TCP/IP Start-up for Matlab Co-simulation (1-79292718)


• S-Function Support for External System Libraries (1-FDB50544, 1-FDB44708, 1-FDB51228, 1-43368251)

• Variable-step Integrator Setting Support for External System Libraries (1-195040021)

• Default Solver is Adams/Solver (C++)

Dynamic Parameter update in Adams Plant Mask (1-69730910)The mask (dialog box) for the Adams Plant S-Function in MATLAB/Simulink has been changed so that some parameters dynamically change the dialog box. For example, the parameter Adams Executable -- if ADAMS_exec = acar_solver (which is required to run Adams/Controls with a Full-Vehicle Adams/Car model), sets the Simulation Mode to discrete, the Animation Mode to batch, and the Direct Feedthrough flag to yes (disabled). In addition, if the Simulation Mode is set to discrete, use of Interpolation/Extrapolation options will be enabled. The mask also offers a More Parameters option to show the most common parameters by default, and show more advanced parameters, if desired.

Support for Extrapolation Order in Co-simulation (1-78555558)An extrapolation order parameter has been added to the Adams S-Function block for co-simulation (discrete mode). When this parameter is set to zero (0), this feature applies a zero-order hold to the signal, while setting the value to one (1) will linearly extrapolate the signal based on the past two values. This feature may help improve accuracy of the solution, but results will depend on the communication interval (for instance, a large communication interval may provide poor results due to poor extrapolation).

Detection of old Adams S-Functions (1-78555846)Adams/Controls will now warn the user if it detects an old Adams S-Function at runtime and suggest recreating the Adams block with the new features.

Algebraic Loop avoidance for MATLAB/Simulink co-simulation (1-79088181)Adams/Controls has a new feature for co-simulation (discrete mode) with MATLAB/Simulink, which allows you to select a different type of co-simulation. In the past, all co-simulations had Simulink leading the integration and Adams following, which meant that the Adams S-Function was direct feedthrough (meaning the inputs to the S-Function are used to compute the outputs). However, for certain modes which feedback the output of Adams into itself again with no delay or dynamics, this situation can cause an algebraic loop for Simulink, which requires an iterative solver and prevents the use of Accelerated mode. The new feature allows you to choose Adams to lead the co-simulation -- the update of the Simulink inputs occurs after Adams has integrated one time step forward (for example, compared to Simulink leading, this means that the input to Adams is delayed by one communication interval.) This new mode may be attractive to you in order to remove an algebraic loop in your model caused by the S-Function. Note that the two different co-simulation modes solve the problem differently, so will not provide the exact same results. Reducing the communication interval should help the answers converge.


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Simpler TCP/IP Start-up for Matlab Co-simulation (1-79292718)In order to make starting adams_daemon.py easier, the Matlab script start_adams_daemon.m has been added to Adams/Controls (<adams_installdir>/controls/matlab). The daemon is required to be on the machine that is running Adams, so it is helpful if running co-sim with TCP/IP on the same machine that is running MATLAB/Simulink. This will allow the user to simply enter:

>>start_adams_daemon

at a MATLAB prompt to start the daemon required for TCP/IP communication.

S-Function Support for External System Libraries (1-FDB50544, 1-FDB44708, 1-FDB51228, 1-43368251)Adams/Controls will now support MATLAB S-Functions for generating External System Libraries (ESL’s) for Control System Import, subject to limitations by MATLAB/Real-Time Workshop and Adams/Controls (for example, S-Functions must be written in C language). We provide steps to generate an ESL using (compiled) object files (that is no source code). Parameters from the S-Functions can also be exposed to Adams.

Variable-step Integrator Setting Support for External System Libraries (1-195040021)Adams/Controls will now support the variable-step integrator setting for generating External System Libraries (ESL's) for Control System Import, subject to limitations by MATLAB/Real-Time Workshop and Adams/Controls. This is the recommended setting for generating ESL's to Adams/Controls. Fixed-step integrator setting is also supported, but not recommended for all models since this setting may introduce an unnecessary sample time for the fixed-step integrator size. Zero-crossing support is experimental and thus not yet fully supported.

Default Solver is Adams/Solver (C++)In this release Adams/Solver (C++) has become the default solver for Adams/Solver, Adams/View, and Adams/View plugins (such as, Adams/Controls, Adams/Durability, Adams/Mechatronics, Adams/Vibration). It is anticipated that a comprehensive transition of the entire user base may take several releases; therefore Adams/Solver (FORTRAN) continues to be available and can be used for comparison purposes and to bridge the gap, if necessary. Please contact us if you encounter any models that no longer run due to this change, or if you find unexpected differences in the converged solutions.

Adams/Driveline

MaintenanceThis release of Adams/Driveline is primarily a maintenance release.


Adams/Durability• Maintenance release • Default Solver is Adams/Solver (C++)

Maintenance releaseThis release of Adams/Durability is primarily a maintenance release.


Adams/Flex• Support for Shell Elements in Flexible Body Contact • Flexible Body Dynamic Limit (Adams/Solver (C++) Only) • MNF Xform tool for Mirroring Flexible Body MNF (1-76618801)

• Strain Energy Table via MNFRES utility (1-201236760, 1-77184934)

Support for Shell Elements in Flexible Body ContactFlexible body contact has been extended to support shell elements in MNF (or MD DB). You can define 3D contacts that act on the shell face(s) or you can define 2D contacts that act on the shell (closed) free edge(s). A list of node ids representing a closed free edge is automatically identified by the MNF toolkit and presented as a object that can be selected. The free edge is treated like contact curve geometry, allowing the direction of the curve normal to be flipped so that the contact force may be prescribed to act on either the interior or exterior of the closed edge. The Contact Create dialog box in Adams/View has been updated with the new contact options for creating these contacts:

• Flex Edge to Curve • Flex Edge to Flex Edge • Flex Edge to Plane

Sample Adams/View Command Language:

contact create & contact_name = .model_1.CONTACT_1 & adams_id = 1 & i_flex = .model_1.FLEX_BODY_1 & i_edge = .model_1.CNT_FLEX_BODY_1_EDGE_0_MATRIX_31 & i_edge_index = 0 &


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j_flex = .model_1.FLEX_BODY_2 & j_edge = .model_1.CNT_FLEX_BODY_2_EDGE_0_MATRIX_32 & j_edge_index = 0 & i_flip_normal = yes & j_flip_normal = yes & stiffness = 1.0E+005 & damping = 10.0 & exponent = 2.2 & dmax = 0.1

Sample Adams/Solver Statement:

CONTACT/1, IFLEX = 1, IEDGE = 31, JFLEX = 2, JEDGE = 32, INORMAL_FLIP = T, JNORMAL_FLIP = T, IMPACT, STIFFNESS = 1.0E+005, DAMPING = 10, DMAX = 0.1, EXPONENT = 2.2! adams_view_name='CNT_FLEX_BODY_1_EDGE_0_MATRIX_31'! adams_view_units='no_units'MATRIX/31, FULL = CORDER, ROWS = 1, COLUMNS = 5, VALUES = 1, 2, 3, 4, 1!! adams_view_name='CNT_FLEX_BODY_2_EDGE_0_MATRIX_32'! adams_view_units='no_units'MATRIX/32, FULL = CORDER, ROWS = 1, COLUMNS = 5, VALUES = 1, 2, 3, 4, 1

When a shell edge is used in contact, the flexible body matrix file (automatically generated by Adams/View) is augmented with an entry for the edge. For example:

MATRIX/58, FILE = test_new_FLEX_BODY_2.mtx, NAME = EDGE_0


Notes: • Lists of flexible bodies, edges, curves, and/or planes are not supported. However, you can make as many individual contacts as you like, referencing a given flexible body for each individual contact.

• The flexible body is required to be the I-body (IFLEX) for contact between a flexible body and 3D solid geometry or between a flexible body edge and a rigid 2D curve or rigid 2D plane geometry.

• The restitution (POISSON) method is not supported when using CONTACT with flexible bodies, use the IMPACT method instead.

• Flexible body contact is only supported with the default CONTACT_GEOMETRY_LIBRARY. Specifying PREFERENCES/CONTACT_GEOMETRY_LIBRARY = PARASOLIDS will cause an error message: ---- START: ERROR ----

Contact Error: CONTACT_GEOMETRY_LIBRARY cannot be Parasolid for flex/flex or flex/rigid contact, CONTACT=4, it must be set to Default_library instead.

---- END: ERROR ----

• CONTACT involving flexible bodies is only supported with Adams/Solver (C++). Any attempt to submit said models to Adams/Solver (FORTRAN) will result in an error being issued, for instance: ---- ERROR ----

Solver could not run because one or more model elements are only supported by the Adams/Solver (C++).

Unsupported element names:

CONTACT_3

CONTACT_6

• The flexible body edges participating in contact must be planar (2d). The Solver will report an error message when the IEDGE and/or the JEDGE in a flex contact is not planar. For example: ---- START: ERROR ----

IEDGE selected for 2D Flex Body contact is not planar.

Model element CONTACT/1



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Flexible Body Dynamic Limit (Adams/Solver (C++) Only) Modal content of flexible bodies often have high-frequency modes that may be prone to excitation and cause the integrator to chop its step size to very small values during a simulation. Often users are not really interested in this high frequency content and would prefer if it were simply damped out so that only the so-called quasi-static modes are considered, allowing the integrator to take larger steps and to potentially improve the run-time performance.

• When using Flexible Body to Flexible Body contact and it is detected that both the I and J geometries are planar, the following ERROR message will be issued:---- START: ERROR ----

3D Flex Contact detection cannot be used with 2D geometry.

Please select an edge rather than the entire Flex Body.



Similarly, when either the I or J geometry is planar (not both), the following WARNING message will be issued, and the simulation will continue:---- START: WARNING ----

3D Flex Contact detection is being used with 2D geometry.

The simulation may not complete successfully.


---- END: WARNING ----

• Contact between planar (2D shell element) flexible bodies should be defined using the free edges of the shells. The Flex-Body to Flex-Body contact pair (using both IFLEX and JFLEX arguments) is intended for 3D contacts and cannot be used with planar (2D shell element) flexible bodies. If you try to use a pair of 2D shells where it is not allowed an error message will be issued:---- START: ERROR ----

3D Flex Contact detection cannot be used with 2D geometry.

Please select an edge rather than the entire Flex Body.






With this release we have introduced a new feature that, when enabled, allows for a dynamic limit to be prescribed whereby the flexible body is considered with a quasi-static modes representation. You can specify the DYNAMIC_LIMIT and STABILITY_FACTOR parameters for a given flexible body allowing the higher frequency mode content to be diminished. In some of our test cases the flexible-body simulations would run up to 2X faster in cases where DYNAMIC_LIMIT=1000, and STABILITY_FACTOR=10 were set.

The Dynamic Limit settings are accessible from the Dynamic Limit and Stability Factor fields available on the Modify Body dialog box (Category: Name and Position) which is accessed from the Location button on the Flexible Body Modify dialog box.


! adams_view_name='FLEX_BODY_3' FLEX_BODY/3 , MATRICES = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 , DYNAMIC_LIMIT = 1000 , STABILITY_FACTOR = 10.0 , CRATIO = step(FXFREQ,150,0.03,1000,1)\ , MNF_FILE = my_LCA.mnf , INVARIANTS = T:T:F:F:F:T:T:T:F



MNF Xform tool for Mirroring Flexible Body MNF (1-76618801)A graphical user interface for the Adams/Flex Toolkit MNFXFORM command line utility is now available from Adams/View. It can be accessed from the Build menu under Flexible Bodies -> MNF Xform… and can be used to translate, rotate and/or mirror MNF (or MD DB) as well as renumber interface node IDs. The output of this tool is an MNF (or MD DB) which gets written to your working directory, which you can then import using Build -> Flexible Body -> New… .

Some of the benefits that this tool provides include:

1. It typically requires extra time and/or steps to generate a mirrored copy of an MNF (of MD DB) from FEA code. With the MNF Xform tool this task becomes trivial. Adams/Car users whose vehicle assemblies often involve symmetrical parts will find this tool is very handy for creating the right and left pairs of flexible components.

2. In high-speed rotation simulation, the simulation performance can often be improved significantly if the axis-of-rotation is aligned with the Z axis of the FE origin. With MNF Xform, you can easily create an MNF (or MD DB) that has been rotated to the desired configuration.

Note: The Adams/Car subsystem file now supports DYNAMIC_LIMIT and STABILITY_FACTOR for a flexible body general part.




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For more information, see Knowledge Base Article KB8018708.


Strain Energy Table via MNFRES utility (1-201236760, 1-77184934)The Adams/Flex Toolkit MNFRES command line utility for recovering the nodal displacement, velocity, and acceleration of a flexible body after a time-domain simulation has now been enhanced to allow the export of flexible body strain energy (%) on a mode-by-mode basis in tabular format. The list of key values for the mnfres command line utility now includes the “s” option:

-i <key> : report specific results. <key> values are:d : Nodal displacementsv : Nodal velocitiesa : Nodal accelerationss : Strain energy percentage by modes

For example:

mdadams2010_x64 flextk mnfres -t 0.1 -i s -L MM -n FLEX_BODY_LEFT triple_test.res simple.mnf > strain_E_time_pt01.dat

Produces the following:

Begin execution of Adams/Flex Toolkit (mnfres)...

% Results File: triple_test.res% Modal Neutral File: simple.mnf% Flexible Body Name: FLEX_BODY_LEFT% Info Type: strain energy percentage% Mass Unit: KILOGRAM% Force Unit: NEWTON% Time Unit: SECOND% Length Unit: MILLIMETER% Number of active modes: 10%% At time 0.100000%Mode 7: 33.48 Mode 8: 20.09 Mode 10: 0.00 Mode 11: 11.02 Mode 12: 6.96 Mode 15: 4.80 Mode 18: 5.58 Mode 21: 4.65 Mode 25: 7.25 Mode 27: 6.16

Note: For your convenience an MNF XForm button is also available from the Create a Flexible Body dialog box in Adams/View.




Step Total Strain Energy: 0.083118

************ Total Strain Energy (All time steps) ***************Mode 7: 33.48 Mode 8: 20.09 Mode 10: 0.00 Mode 11: 11.02 Mode 12: 6.96 Mode 15: 4.80 Mode 18: 5.58 Mode 21: 4.65 Mode 25: 7.25 Mode 27: 6.16

Total Strain Energy: 0.083118

Adams/Mechatronics• Maintenance release

• Default Solver is Adams/Solver (C++)

Maintenance releaseThis release of Adams/Mechatronics is primarily a maintenance release. Several bug fixes have been implemented.


Adams/SmartDriver• Maintenance release • Longitudinal and Lateral PID Controller Parameters (1-196194201, 1-24921681)

• Maximum values for Steering Force, Steering Torque and Steering Displacement (1-23442956)

Maintenance releaseSeveral bug fixes have been implemented.


16

Longitudinal and Lateral PID Controller Parameters (1-196194201, 1-24921681)All user adjustable longitudinal and lateral PID (Proportional, Integral, Derivative) Controller parameters are now exposed to the Event Builder and .xml event file to improve Machine Control tracking performance.

This will allow you to change Machine Control PID controller settings for:

• following a longitudinal velocity (VxP, VxI, VxD) or longitudinal acceleration profile (AxP, AxI, AxD)

• steering when following a path (StP, StI, StD)• following a lateral acceleration profile (AyStP, AyStI, AyStD, AyStCP, AyStCI)

In addition, you can also change PID Controller Settings for steering output if:

• the steering actuator type is set to Force (StFrcP, StFrcI, StFrcD)• the steering actuator type is set to Torque (StTrqP, StTrqI, StTrqD)

Maximum values for Steering Force, Steering Torque and Steering Displacement (1-23442956)Following environment variables can be used to overwrite default maximum values (minimum = -maximum) for:

Steering Force: MSC_SD_STFRC_MAX (Default 1.0E4 N)

Steering Torque: MSC_SD_STTRQ_MAX (Default 1.0E2 Nm)

Steering Displacement: MSC_SD_STDSP_MAX (Default 1.0 m)

Adams/Solver (C++ and FORTRAN)• Default Solver is Adams/Solver (C++)

• Adams2Nastran Enhancements (1-79210916, 1-250050131) • Native Contact Detection for Cylinder, Ellipsoid, and Box (1-FDB40713, 1-49159724, 1-

55753953) • Dataset Language Support for Revolution, Extrusion, and Torus Geometry • Dataset Language Support of an ENVIRONMENT command and statement (Adams/Solver (C++)

Only) • UMF Linear System Solver (Adams/Solver (C++) Only) • New Static Equilibrium Solver Methods (C++ Solver Only) (Experimental Feature)

• Serialization Subroutines (and IFLAG definition change)

Note: The maximum Steering Wheel Angle can be set in the smart_driver_vehicle_parameters array as defined in the Adams dataset.


• Example User-Subroutines written in C (1-228909247)

• CBKSUB - Callback User Subroutine (1-143058652) (C++ Solver Only)

• SAVE and RELOAD Support for User Subroutines

Default Solver is Adams/Solver (C++)In this release Adams/Solver (C++) has become the default solver for Adams/Solver, Adams/View, and Adams/View plugins (such as, Adams/Controls, Adams/Durability, Adams/Vibration). It is anticipated that a comprehensive transition of the entire user base may take several releases; therefore Adams/Solver (FORTRAN) continues to be available and can be used for comparison purposes and to bridge the gap, if necessary. Please contact us if you encounter any models that no longer run due to this change, or if you find unexpected differences in the converged solutions.

Notes: • Adams/Solver (FORTRAN) remains as the default solver for Adams/Car, Adams/Chassis, Adams/Driveline and plugins to Adams/Car. Transitioning the default solver to Adams/Solver (C++) for vertical products is expected to occur in a future release. To date, the product development team continues to work on improving run-time efficiencies for vehicle-specific analyses.

• Adams/Solver (C++) has been outfitted with numerous updates over the course of several releases thus far. As new functionality is added and more is learned about how it is used, it is sometimes necessary to phase out old solver functionality that may cause conflicts with new functionality or can no longer be supported. The tables below inform you of functionality that is unsupported in Adams/Solver (C++), as well as those features that are being discontinued (will not be transitioned). Proceed in your modeling efforts with these changes in mind.

Not Currently Supported CommentsORIENT angular measures Some support available; Rodriguez parameters unsupported,

for workaround see Known Issue KI8007525 http://simcompanion.mscsoftware.com/infocenter/index?page=content&id=KI8007525.

OUTPUT Statement Partial support already in place.SI1 formulation of GSTIFF integrator SI1 formulation of HASTIFF is a superior alternative.

http://simcompanion.mscsoftware.com/infocenter/index?page=content&id=KI8007525




18

Adams2Nastran Enhancements (1-79210916, 1-250050131) Early adopters of this technology have requested several Adams2Nastran enhancements; we are addressing their suggestions with this release, including:

• Support for Dynamic operating point, you are no longer limited to static operating point(s). (1-79210916)

• Export graphics using a wireframe approach for WHITEBOX export. All graphical information is exported using wires, for example Nastran PLOTL cards. (1-69930371, 1-75552231)

• Exporting equivalent CBUSH cards for WHITEBOX to represent Adams force objects (1-80411429)

• Ability to single out friction forces for WHITEBOX (1-69460131) • An assortment of new CONFIG file directives: new formatting options dealing with styles,

numbering, adams_ids, naming conventions, and so on. (1-81097741, 1-75560319) • Improved error trapping/debugging and support for dummy parts (1-69848940, 1-80652801)

See Technical Article KB8018502 for further details:


Discontinued Features CommentsDSTIFF, ABAM, CONSTANT_BDF, RKF45 integrators

Use other available integrators.

EQUILIBRIUM/DYNAMIC May use experimental feature instead, see New Static Equilibrium Solver Methods.

EXECUTION graphics and related display commands

Obsolete feature; has been replaced by interactive simulation using Adams/View for several releases (internal solver only).

UCON, UCOSUB Can use GCON instead.

Note: In some flexible body models involving contact forces you may be required to set an environment variable prior to the Adams2Nastran export operation. You will be notified of this as per the following error message:

---- START: ERROR ----Adams2Nastran job cannot be performed.Internally constructed performance accelerators that benefit FLEX_BODY time-domain simulations are preventing Adams2Nastran export for this model. Please set the environment variable MSC_ADAMS_SOLVER_NO_FLEXBODY_BOOST prior to using LINEAR/EXPORT for this model.---- END: ERROR ----




Native Contact Detection for Cylinder, Ellipsoid, and Box (1-FDB40713, 1-49159724, 1-55753953)Cylinders in contact with 3D complex solids will no longer be facetized when using the RAPID contact engine. This enhancement will help to speed up the contact detection for some classes of models. If you have a cylinder-to-solid contact, the CYLINDER will be treated analytically (not faceted) and the complex solid will be faceted. This often improves the solver performance for models that contain a large number of cylinders in persistent contact with complex solid geometry shapes, such as one might find in a tracked vehicle, for example.

Similarly, the ELLIPSOID and BOX contact geometry GRAPHICS types are also treated analytically.

See Technical Article KB8018169 for details:


Dataset Language Support for Revolution, Extrusion, and Torus GeometryRevolution, Extrusion, and Torus geometry types in Adams/View will now be written to the Adams/Solver dataset (.adm) file with a GRAPHICS statement. The REVOLUTION and EXTRUSION each make reference to a closed GRAPHICS CURVE (GID) that defines the geometry profile, the EXTRUSION also references a CURVE (PID) defining the extrusion path. It is anticipated that in a future release these geometry types will be treated analytically in 3D contact, making use of the profile to improve contact detection performance. However, for now only the Solver Dataset Language has been extended to support these types of geometry and they will continue to be facetized when using the default (RAPID) geometry library (that is PREFERENCES/CONTACT_GEOMETRY_LIBRARY=Default_library).


! adams_view_name='REVOLUTION_1'GRAPHICS/1, REVOLUTION, CRM = 1, SIDES = 20, GID = 3!! adams_view_name='REVOLUTION_1_GCURVE_3'GRAPHICS/3, CURVE, CID = 1, CRM = 6, SEG = 500!! adams_view_name='EXTRUSION_2'GRAPHICS/2, EXTRUSION, CRM = 9, GID = 4, PID = 5!! adams_view_name='EXTRUSION_2_GCURVE_3'GRAPHICS/4, CURVE, CID = 2, CRM = 7, SEG = 500!! adams_view_name='EXTRUSION_2_GCURVE_4'GRAPHICS/5, CURVE, CID = 3, CRM = 8, SEG = 500!! adams_view_name='TORUS_6'GRAPHICS/6, TORUS, CM=2, MINOR_RADIUS=8, MAJOR_RADIUS=24, RANGLE=20d




20

Dataset Language Support of an ENVIRONMENT command and statement (Adams/Solver (C++) Only)A new ENVIRONMENT command and statement has been created to allow users set/unset Adams environment variables. This new feature facilitates the management of the operating system environment variables that Adams/Solver (C++) manages. Instead of using the operating system tools to set and unset Adams environment variables, users can now set Adams environment variables in the dataset or command files.

Sample Adams/Solver (C++) statement:

ENVIRONMENT/NAME=MSC_ADAMS_SOLVER_BEAM_MODEL, VALUE=LINEAR

UMF Linear System Solver (Adams/Solver (C++) Only) This alternative to the default Calahan solver is beneficial to use when the number of equations in your model is in excess of 200,000.

The standard linear system solver used by Adams is the Calahan solver. The Calahan solver is a proprietary solver which symbolically factorizes the system before using the symbolic factorization to perform the numeric solution. The symbolic factorization is resource intensive relative to the subsequent numerical solve, however, if multiple solves are to be performed and the structure of the matrix does not change, the symbolic factorization can be re-used such that subsequent numerical solves are very fast. For small to medium sized matrices (that is < 4000 DOF) where the structure of the matrix seldom changes (typical of the vast majority of Adams problems), this has proven to be a very effective solution technique.

The greatest drawback to the Calahan technique is that the symbolic factorization scales as the cube of the number of unknowns. As the matrices become large ( > 20,000) the time required for this symbolic factorization becomes unacceptably large. Matrices of this size can occur with very large Adams models.

While the characteristics of the Calahan solver make it ideal for use with the vast majority of Adams models, it is particularly poorly suited for the solution of extremely large systems. Consequently, the UMF solver component from MD Nastran has been made available in MD Adams 2010 so it can optionally be used for the solution of large models.

The UMF solver is an Unsymmetrical Multi-Frontal direct sparse solver. This solver was selected for inclusion in Adams due to its known ability to solve non-linear finite element (NLFE) models effectively in MD Nastran. It has also been benchmarked competitively with the BCS solver on such NLFE systems. The UMF solver has been shown to provide a significant performance improvement over the Calahan solver when simulating combined MBS+NLFE models. The performance improvement is very dependent on model size and structure. However, for a simple model with a 40k-90k DOF, the total solution time speedup is approximately 1.5X.


LSOLVER/, UMF




New Static Equilibrium Solver Methods (C++ Solver Only) (Experimental Feature)New methods for statics equilibrium solution with Adams/Solver (C++) are available. Several types of alternative static solvers are being introduced which are designed to work in conjunction with the existing (original) statics solver, taking the results of the last (unsuccessful) static iteration as a starting point for subsequent iterations with the new methods. Refer to the METHOD argument on the EQUILIBRIUM Statement in the Adams/Solver (C++) Help for documentation.


Serialization Subroutines (and IFLAG definition change) The serialization subroutines are used as an alternative to the SAVSUB and RELSUB user subroutines to save and restore static data, stored in user subroutines, when issuing SAVE/RELOAD commands. During execution of Save and Reload commands, Adams/Solver calls all user subroutines with IFAG=7, and IFLAG=9 respectively. Through branching on the IFLAG values your user subroutines can save and restore data. These subroutines are useful and typically required for GSE subroutine programming applications.

• SERIALIZE_DOUBLES • SERIALIZE_INTEGERS • SERIALIZE_CHARACTERS • UNSERIALIZE_DOUBLES • UNSERIALIZE_INTEGERS • UNSERIALIZE_CHARACTERS

Note: LSOLVER/Auto specifies that Adams/Solver (C++) is to automatically choose the most appropriate solver based on the model being solved. This is the default setting.

EQUILIBRIUM/, METHOD = ADVANCED, ATOL = 1.0E-006, RTOL = 0, MAXITL = 40, ETAMAX = 0.9

EQUILIBRIUM/, METHOD = AGGRESSIVE, ATOL = 1.0E-006, RTOL = 0, MAXITL = 40, ETAMAX = 0.9, ETA = 1.0E-004




22

Example User-Subroutines written in C (1-228909247)Examples of user-subroutines written in the C programming language are now provided in the installation subdirectory, install_dir/solver/c_usersubs. These examples complement the FORTRAN-based examples that are provided in the install_dir/solver/usersubs directory.

CBKSUB - Callback User Subroutine (1-143058652) (C++ Solver Only)The CBKSUB callback user-written subroutine can now be called by Adams/Solver (C++) at predefined events. This new functionality is designed for "power users", providing programmers with more run-time awareness of events, including: MODEL_INPUT_BEG, TERMINATE, SAVE_BEG, TIME_STEP_BEG, ITERATION_BEG, and so on.

See Technical Article KB8018709 for further details:


SAVE and RELOAD Support for User SubroutinesOccasionally a user subroutine will have local data that needs to be saved and reloaded along with Adams/Solver's data when running simulations that have the SAVE and RELOAD commands. Enhancements to the IFLAG input variable allows writers of user subroutines to branch off IFLAG's value and call new Serialize utility subroutines when the Save or Reload command is issued.



Adams/Solver (C++) Product CompatibilityThe table below highlights the compatibility of Adams/Solver (C++) with other MSC.Software products.

Product Status CommentAdams/Controls Full support All operational modes supported.Adams/Durability Full support Many simulations run significantly faster.Adams/Flex Full support Many simulations run significantly faster.Adams/Insight Full support All operational modes supported.Adams/Linear Full support All operational modes supported, including capabilities

exclusive to Adams/Solver (C++).Adams/PostProcessor Full support Results can be postprocessed.Adams/Vibration Full support All operational modes supported, including capabilities

exclusive to Adams/Solver (C++).Adams/View Full support Default solver. All operational modes supported, including

new capabilities exclusive to Adams/Solver (C++).






Adams/Tire• Support for Inflation Pressure Changes in PAC2002 (1-74939325)

• Tire Data and Fitting Tool

• Deformable Road for Soft Soil Tire Modeling (Experimental Feature)

• Curved Regular Grid (CRG) Road (Experimental Feature)

• Aircraft Tire Models (1-77211891)

Support for Inflation Pressure Changes in PAC2002 (1-74939325)Extensions were added to the PAC2002 tire model equations to model the effect of inflation pressure variations on the steady-state tire force and moment characteristics. Tire properties like cornering stiffness, longitudinal slip stiffness, longitudinal and lateral friction, pneumatic trail and vertical stiffness are now functions of the normalized change in inflation pressure. The tire inflation pressure, related scaling factor and new parameters are defined in the tire property file. An example tire property file (pac2002_235_60R16_ip.tir) is provided in the installation directory.



Tire Data and Fitting ToolWith MD Adams 2010 we are providing a tool that calculates PAC2002 tire model parameters out of tire measurement data or virtual test data for steady-state pure and combined slip conditions including the option to visualize/modify tire characteristics. Using virtual test data generated using the Adams/Car Tire Testrig, the tool allows you to switch to the PAC2002 tire model from another tire model.

This tool can be accessed from the Standard User Interface in Adams/Car:

Simulate -> Component Analysis -> Tire Data Tool...

Adams/Car Supported Available for use, but is not the default solver.Adams/Car Ride Supported Available for use, but is not the default solver.Adams/Chassis Supported Available for use, but is not the default solver.Adams/Driveline Supported Available for use, but is not the default solver.Adams/Mechatronics Supported Available for use, works with Adams/Car and Adams/View.Adams/SmartDriver Supported Available for use, but is not the default solver.Adams/Tire Supported Available for use, but is not the default solver.

Product Status Comment




24



Deformable Road for Soft Soil Tire Modeling (Experimental Feature)Adams/Tire offers a new tire model that predicts the interaction forces between a tire and a soft soil ground. The tire model uses state-of-the-art knowledge about terra-mechanical tire-soil interaction as published by Bekker, Wong, Janosi, Ishigami and Schmid. The application range covers the basic driving maneuvers, as usual, with ‘one-point’ of contact tire-road methods in which no excessive camber occurs.

Existing Adams/Tire road formats can be used, with a few soil property parameters added: either an elastic-plastic approach or an elastic-viscous approach can be chosen for the soil modeling. Also the effect of changing soil properties by previous passed tires (multi-pass) is taken into account by storing the traveled path of each tire during the simulation.



Curved Regular Grid (CRG) Road (Experimental Feature)With this release we are providing Curved Regular Grid (CRG) Road to efficiently work with high resolution 3D road surface data. Compared to triangulations, CRG Road provides reductions in file size, in memory demand, file loading time and CPU time for evaluation.

All CRG Road code is contained in a separate library called OpenCRG.dll on Windows platforms and libOpenCRG.so on Linux/Unix platforms, allowing the OpenCRG road to be conveniently updated by simply replacing the library.

Additionally, support for visualization of CRG roads has been implemented in Adams/Car. The CRG roads (.crg files, ascii and binary) can be visualized after a Full Vehicle simulation or using the 'Path Optimization' tool. You can specify your visualization preferences in the .crg file, otherwise default visualization settings will be chosen.

For an example, see Knowledge Base Article KB8018628.


Notes: • The Adams/Tire STI Interface now supports .crg road format in combination with FTire. There is no need to use an .rdf file as a wrapper.

• The CRG Road still has the experimental feature label which will be removed after adding visualization and extensive testing.

• For more information about OpenCRG see: http://www.opencrg.org





http://www.opencrg.org




Aircraft Tire Models (1-77211891)Adams/Tire contains a number of tire models developed for aircraft simulations which may be very useful for non-aircraft-specific applications as well.

• Aircraft Basic Tire: based on Fiala, allows wheel bottoming, and supports various friction models.

• Aircraft Enhanced Tire: based on UA Tire, allows wheel bottoming, cornering stiffness dependent on load, and supports various friction models.

• Aircraft TRR64 Tire: based on NASA TR-R-64 tire model and allows wheel bottoming.

The Aircraft Enhanced Tire model, for instance, requires only few tire model parameters which may be estimated if only limited tire test data is available and features important tire model aspects, like corning stiffness dependency on vertical tire load. The following example property files have been provided within the Adams/Car shared database:

AA_small_basic_relax.tirAA_small_enha_relax.tirAA_small_trr64_rim.tir

More information about the Aircraft tire models is provided in the Adams/Tire documentation.

Adams/Vibration


Adams/View• Default Solver is Adams/Solver (C++) • Support for Shell Elements in Flexible Body Contact • Adams2Nastran Enhancements (1-69930371) • Adams/Solver Script Builder for Adams2Nastran (1-64870862) • Support for New Static Equilibrium Solvers • Support for Flexible Body Dynamic Limit • Support for UMF Linear System Solver • Animation looping preference (1-71516654)


26

• MNF Xform tool for Mirroring Flexible Body MNF (1-76618801)

• Plot Config File Support for Adams/View and Adams/PostProcessor

• SimManager Integration

• Output and Contact Step Skipping for Results File (.res) Import (1-79455677)

• Export All Graphics option for .adm Export (1-69930371, 1-221176731)

• Improved XML Results File Reader (1-67046251)

• Command Language for Spline defined by Arc Geometry (1-228428317)


Support for Shell Elements in Flexible Body ContactFlexible body contact has been extended to support shell elements in MNF (or MD DB). You can define 3D contacts that act on the shell face(s) or you can define 2D contacts that act on the shell (closed) free edge(s). A list of node ids representing a closed free edge is automatically identified by the MNF toolkit and presented as an object that can be picked. The free edge is treated like contact curve geometry, allowing the direction of the curve normal to be flipped so that the contact force may be prescribed to act on either the interior or exterior of the closed edge. The Contact Create dialog box in Adams/View has been updated with the new contact options for creating these contacts:

• Flex Edge to Curve • Flex Edge to Flex Edge • Flex Edge to Plane

See Adams/Flex section and Technical Article KB8018471 for further details.


Adams2Nastran Enhancements (1-69930371) Many enhancements to the Adams2Nastran capability have been implemented, including:

• Support for exporting all model graphics during whitebox export (1-69930371). • Support for additional operating points: Kinematic, Dynamic, and Current Time (1-79888088) • New directives for Configuration file

Refer to Adams/Solver (C++ and FORTRAN) section for more information about the enhancements of this Adams/Solver (C++) feature and Technical Article KB8018502 for further details:






Adams/Solver Script Builder for Adams2Nastran (1-64870862)The Adams/Solver Commands script builder interface has been updated to include support of Adams2Nastran. Look for the Nastran Export option under Append ACF Command... on the Create Simulation Script dialog box (Simulate -> Simulation Script -> New...).

Support for New Static Equilibrium SolversNew statics equilibrium solvers introduced with Adams/Solver (C++) are supported in Adams/View. From the Settings menu select Solver and point to Equilibrium… and the new equilibrium settings can be found under the Static Method option list when the More option is selected.

Sample Adams/View Command:

executive set equilibrium model=.model_1 static_method=advanced

Refer to Adams/Solver (C++ and FORTRAN) section for more information about this Adams/Solver (C++) feature and Knowledge Base Article KB8018472 for further details:


Support for Flexible Body Dynamic LimitWith this release we have introduced a new feature that, when enabled, allows for a dynamic limit to be prescribed whereby the flexible body is considered with a quasi-static modes representation. You can specify the DYNAMIC_LIMIT and STABILITY_FACTOR parameters for a given flexible body allowing the higher frequency mode content to be diminished. The Dynamic Limit settings are accessible from the Dynamic Limit and Stability Factor fields available on the Modify Body dialog box (Category: Name and Position) which is accessed from the Location button on the Flexible Body Modify dialog box.


part modify flexible_body name_and_position &flexible_body_name = .model_1.FLEX_BODY_1 &dynamic_limit = 1000 &stability_factor = 10.0

For more information, see Adams/Flex section and Knowledge Base Article KB8018493.


Note: The Flexible Body Modify dialog box allows the Dynamic Limit and Stability Factor fields to be parameterized with design variables, if desired.







28

Support for UMF Linear System SolverThis alternative to the default Calahan solver is beneficial to use when there is a very large number of equations in your model (in excess of 200,000). The UMF solver is an Unsymmetrical Multi-Frontal direct sparse solver. See Adams/Solver (C++ and FORTRAN) section for further details about this Adams/Solver (C++) feature.


executive_control set solver_parameters & model_name = .model_1 & solver_type = umf



Animation looping preference (1-71516654) The animation looping behavior can now be saved as a preference.


!-------------------------------------------! Animation Preferences!-------------------------------------------default animation_settings loop=oscillate_once

Your preferred settings can be saved (to the aviewBS.cmd file) with the Save Settings button on the Settings menu in Adams/View, or from the Save button under the Animation tab on the Edit - Preferences dialog box in Adams/PostProcessor.

MNF Xform tool for Mirroring Flexible Body MNF (1-76618801)A graphical user interface for the Adams/Flex Toolkit MNFXFORM command line utility is now available from Adams/View. It can be accessed from the Build menu under Flexible Bodies -> MNF Xform… and can be used to translate, rotate and/or mirror MNF (or MD DB) as well as renumber interface node IDs. The output of this tool is an MNF (or MD DB) which gets written to your working directory, which you can then import using Build -> Flexible Body -> New… .

Some of the benefits that this tool provides include:

1. It typically requires some extra efforts to generate a mirrored copy of an MNF (of MD DB) from FEA code. With the MNF Xform tool this task becomes trivial. Adams/Car users whose vehicle assemblies often involve symmetrical parts will find this tool is very handy for creating the right and left pairs of flexible components.

2. In high-speed rotation simulation, the simulation performance can often be improved significantly if the axis-of-rotation is aligned with the Z axis of the FE origin. With MNF Xform, you can easily create an MNF (or MD DB) that has been rotated to the desired configuration.






Plot Config File Support for Adams/View and Adams/PostProcessorSupport for the Adams/Car plot configuration file (*.plt) has been extended to the Adams/View and Adams/PostProcessor interfaces. The plugin manager now has an Adams/Car Plotting option which allows you to save and restore plots and re-associate them to a new analysis. In combination with Post-processing improvements for Adams/Car, this new plugin gives all Adams users access to useful plotting capabilities.

The plugin adds new entries to the File menus in PostProcessor (standalone and embedded) which will open the appropriate dialog boxes, respectively:

• File -> Import -> Plot Config File... (Type=Plot Configuration (*.plt))• File -> Export -> Plot Config File...

If you are unfamiliar with the plot config file, please refer to the chapter Plot Configuration Files (in the Reviewing Results section of Adams/Car) in the Adams Help System.



SimManager IntegrationSupport for connecting SimManager with Adams/View and Adams/Car in this release allows users to establish connection properties to their SimManager server, Log on and Log off from the server, publish an Adams model (.cmd or .adm) and all of its associated files (for example geometry) along with simulation results to the server, and to retrieve published models and results from the server. SimManager access is available through the File - SimManager menu entry or from the command line.

Note: For your convenience an MNF XForm button is also available from the Create a Flexible Body dialog box in Adams/View.

Note: Adams/View command language for loading the plugin is:

plugin load plugin = aplt






30

Output and Contact Step Skipping for Results File (.res) Import (1-79455677)Sometimes it is desirable to avoid importing the entire contents of very large result files (2 Gbyte or greater) to reduce the memory footprint, save time, or to keep the number of output frames to a minimal number so that animations can be displayed more rapidly.

You now have an option of specifying a time step interval and a contact interval which is used to reduce the size of the XRF file during the file import. The new file read syntax for shrinking the result file is:

file results read &filename=name_of_file.res &skip_time_interval= n &skip_contact_interval = n

where n >=0

If the skip_time_interval and skip_contact_interval are not provided (or if their values are both 1) then the entire result file is read. If the skip_time_interval is 3, for example, and the skip_contact_interval is 4, then every 3rd step (not including initial condition, input and contact step) and every fourth contact step is included in the new shrunken results file, and is written to disk with the name name_of_file_shrink_3_4.res. This smaller size file is then loaded into Adams/View in place of the original file.

Both of File - Import dialog boxes in Adams/View and Adams/PostProcessor have been updated to support this feature with the new fields, Time Step Skip and Contact Step Skip.

The python file ResFileShrinker.py can be used independently as well, as follows:

mdadams2010 python ResFileShrinker.py wasbig.res smallnow.res time_step_interval contact_step_interval

where:

time step interval >= 0

contact step interval >= 0

Windows Example:

mdadams2010 python ResFileShrinker.py C:\models\sample_res_files\test_model.res out.res 2 2

Notes: • SimManager access is interactive only, no batch mode access is provided. • Integration with SimManager requires Java Runtime Environment 1.5.0_06 or

later, please visit http://java.sun.com/products/archive/j2se/5.0_06/index.html to install.

http://java.sun.com/products/archive/j2se/5.0_06/index.html


Export All Graphics option for .adm Export (1-69930371, 1-221176731)A new Export All Graphics check box is now available from the File -> Export -> Adams/Solver Dataset dialog box. This allows geometry types such as link, for which there is no GRAPHICS Statement support, to be written out with an GRAPHICS, EXTERNAL geometry reference (.xmt_txt) in the .adm file.

Improved XML Results File Reader (1-67046251)A new results file reader that uses the SAX (Simple API for XML) parser directly, has been developed as a replacement for the existing DOM (Document Object Model) code. The benefits of the new file reader include:

1. Reduced memory footprint 2. Reduced time for importing very large (> 2GB) files.

This SAX reader is called whenever you import an XML results file, with the exception of when the Leave on Disk option has been selected (in which case the original DOM code will be used).

Command Language for Spline defined by Arc Geometry (1-228428317)Four new parameters ref_profile_name, spread_points, closed, num_new_pts have been added to the Adams/View command geometry create curve bspline, to enable the creation of a BSPLINE from an existing wire geometry. You can specify an existing wire geometry (such as an arc or chain) using the parameter ref_profile_name and a BSPLINE will be created from the points making up the geometry. Adams/View automatically creates the needed Matrix/Curve entities and references them to the newly created BSPLINE appropriately. You have the option of specifying an equally spaced geometric points using spread_points parameter.

Notes: • This feature is utilized by Adams2Nastran when using the Export All Graphics option.

• Graphics that are a child of a UDE are not exported.• Graphics that are inactive are not exported.

Note: The original DOM code can be restored if the environment variable MSC_RESULTS_DOM is set to 1.


32


2 Running Adams Products

Starting Adams Products

Setting Preferences

Setting Your Working Directory

MD Adams 2010 Release GuideStarting Adams Products

34

Starting Adams ProductsThis sections described how you can start your Adams products on UNIX and on Windows.

Starting Adams Products on UNIXThe Adams Toolbar is a starting point to using Adams products on UNIX. The toolbar is shown below.

You can also use the Adams Toolbar to:

• Customize, keep track of, and organize multiple libraries of standard Adams products• Create binaries• Manage custom memory models and product preferences

For more information on these or other Adams Toolbar operations, see the Running and Configuring online help (from the Help menu in any product, select Adams Help, on the left pane, select Configuring Adams).

To start a product on UNIX:1. To display the Adams Toolbar, at the command prompt, enter the command mdadamsx where x

is the version number, for example mdadams2010.2. Click on the tool representing the product you want to start.

Adams Toolbar tool - Right click to set up Toolbar, manage memory models, access online help and Technical Support resources and more

Product tools - Click to run product or right-click to configure products and create user libraries.

Hold the cursor over a tool to see the name of the associated product.

Note: We recommend that you use the Adams Toolbar to start your Adams products, but if you want to automate certain operations, use the text-based Program Menu. For more information, see the Running and Configuring online help.

35CHAPTER 2Running Adams Products

Starting Adams Products on WindowsYou start any Adams product from the Start menu. You can also use the Start menu to:

• Change your license type• Generate problem reports • Uninstall products, demonstrations, and documentation• Set Adams preferences

For more information on these or other operations, see the Running and Configuring online help.

To start a product on Windows:• From the Start menu, point to Programs, point to MSC.Software, point to MD Adams 2010,

point to the name of the product you want to start, and then select the product type. For example, point to ACar, and then select Adams - Car.

Tip: Select the corresponding desktop icon for the product, if you installed it on your desktop.

MD Adams 2010 Release GuideSetting Preferences

36

Setting PreferencesThis section describes how you can set preferences, such as your working directory, graphics setting, and memory model size.

Setting Preferences on UNIXYou use the Registry Editor from the Adams Toolbar to set a variety of preferences. For information on the preferences you can set, see the Running and Configuring online help.

To display the Registry Editor:• From the Adams Toolbar, right-click any product tool, and then select Change <Product

Name> Settings.

Setting Preferences on WindowsYou use the Settings menu to modify:

• Graphics settings• HOOPS settings• Memory model size

To display the Settings dialog box:• From the Start menu, point to Programs, point to MSC.Software, point to MD Adams 2010,

and then select Adams - Settings.

37CHAPTER 2Running Adams Products

Setting Your Working DirectoryDuring a session in a default or custom product, you can select the directory where you want to place your model and output files.

For Adams/Adams/View, you can set the working directory from the Welcome dialog box.

To set your working directory:1. From the File menu, select Select Directory.2. In the dialog box that appears, select the working directory.

MD Adams 2010 Release GuideSetting Your Working Directory

38


3 Getting Help

Tool Tips

Online Help

Tutorials and Examples

MD Adams 2010 Release GuideTool Tips

40

Tool TipsTool tips display information about the item the cursor is currently over in an Adams product. The following shows the tool tip that appears when you place the cursor over the link geometry tool.

To display tool tips:• Move the cursor over the item in the interface on which you’d like information.

A brief description of the item appears.

ToolTip

41CHAPTER 3Getting Help

Online HelpTo help you use the Adams products, MSC.Software provides online help (HTML format). To view the online help and tutorials, you can use your default Web browser. An example of online help is shown below

Products groupedby package

Search for documentationacross entire Help system

Bookmark topicsof interest

Navigate to nexttopic or previoustopic

Automatic sync toshow the currenttopic in TOC

All ProductsHelp Button

MD Adams 2010 Release GuideOnline Help

42

Versions of Web BrowsersFor the Adams Help system, all you need is a Windows, Macintosh, or UNIX computer running a fairly new browser with JavaScript enabled. If JavaScript is not enabled, then the Help set will not display in its entirety. You also need to have appropriate Acrobat reader to view PDF files from online help system. We recommend that you view the online help using one of the following browsers:

• Internet Explorer 5.x or 6.x • Netscape Navigator 7.x or 8.x • Mozilla/Firefox 1.x


Accessing the Online HelpYou can view help for a dialog box, a product, or for all Adams products. The figure below shows the help for all Adams products, called the integrated master site. You can use this site to view any product’s help and search across all product help. You can also access release notes for all products, and view the documents in Adobe Reader.

Use to view PDFPrint

View topics for any product help


44

To get help on a dialog box:1. Click in the dialog box for which you need help.2. Press F1.

Adams launches a browser window that contains information about the dialog box.

To get general help on your product:• From your product’s Help menu, select Product Name Help (where Product Name is the name

of your Adams product).Adams launches a browser window that contains the starting point for your product’s online help.

To get help on another Adams product:• Perform one of the following:

• If you’re in an Adams product, from its Help menu, select Adams Help.• If you’re in the help for an Adams product, use the “All Products Help” button ( )to get to

main help system. Your default browser starts and displays the master site for Adams online help.

To open the Adams online help from the Adams Toolbar:• Right-click the Adams Toolbar tool, and then select Online Help.

Your default browser starts and displays the master site for Adams online help.

To open the Adams online help from the Start Menu:• From the Start menu, point to Programs, point to MSC.Software, point to MD Adams 2010,

and then select Adams - Online Help.Your default browser starts and displays the master site for Adams online help.


Navigating through the HelpYou navigate through the Adams help system as you do through any help system, selecting topics in the pane on the left. In addition, we’ve provided:

• Navigation arrows at the top of the pane to let you scroll through topics one at a time.

• Automatic sync to show you where your current topic is in the table of contents (TOC).

This is very helpful if you, for example, search for a topic and want to know if there are more topics on the subject. It shows you where the topic is in the TOC, allowing you to see whether or not there are more topics with it.


46

SearchingYou can search all the help files in HTML format for a particular product or all Adams products.

If you are in a product specific help1. Open the online help for your product.

2. Press Search button at the top of the help window, enter the search text, and then press the Go button .

The results appear in the pane on the left, replacing the table of contents.3. Click the topic you want to view.

If you are in Adams help system1. Press search button at the top of help window, which will give an option to search All Available

products or A single product.2. Enter the search text and follow Steps 2 and 3 above

Printing

To print a file:

• In the help system you can select the Print button . to print the topic that you are viewing

• You can select the PDF button . to see the entire PDF file pertaining to the topic and print

the file like a regular PDF file. Notice that some of the images in PDF file may be cropped.

IndexThe Index tab displays an alphabetical list of keywords associated with help topics. To view index entries, you can select a letter group to display the entries for that group. When you click on an index entry, the related topic will display in the topic frame. You can select Indexes in a product specific help or in the main help system.


Tutorials and ExamplesAdams products have a set of tutorials or getting started guides that step you through examples of using the product’s features, as well as introduce the basic concepts of the product. The getting started guides are online. In addition, many of the products have examples of its features that are stored in Knowledge Base Articles.

You will find links to all the tutorials and examples for a product under its Examples tab.

To access the tutorials and examples:• From the online help for a product, from the pane on the left, select Examples. • From the online help, from the left pane, select Getting Started and select the product that you

are interested in.

Adams/View Examples

Getting Started Guides

MD Adams 2010 Release GuideTutorials and Examples

48


4 Supported Versions of Integration Products

Support for Easy5 and MATLAB

Supported Versions of Integration Products

MD Adams 2010 Release GuideSupport for Easy5 and MATLAB

50

Support for Easy5 and MATLAB

Easy5This release of Adams/Controls is certified to run with Easy5 2008r1.

Platform support is subject to change. For the latest information, see the Easy5 2008 Hardware and Software Requirements at:

http://www.mscsoftware.com/products/easy5_support.cfm

MATLABThe supported versions of MATLAB are R2009a and R2009b. For further information regarding platform support for Adams/Controls, see Technical Article KB8018977 (http://simcompanion.mscsoftware.com/infocenter/index?page=content&id=KB8018977). For more information on MATLAB platforms and compatibility, see:

http://www.mathworks.com/support

Note: If you want to co-simulate with Easy5 and you are running Adams/Controls on one of the platforms that Easy5 does not support, you should consider using TCP/IP communication. This allows Adams/Controls to communicate with Easy5 even though the codes are running on different platforms.

Note: If you want to co-simulate with MATLAB and you are running Adams/Controls on one of the platforms that is not supported by MATLAB, you should consider using TCP/IP communication. This allows Adams/Controls to communicate with MATLAB even though the codes are running on different platforms.



http://www.mscsoftware.com/products/easy5_support.cfm

http://www.mathworks.com/support/sysreq/release14sp3/unix.html

51CHAPTER 4Supported Versions of Integration Products

Supported Versions of Integration Products

Company Product Name Product VersionAdams Product Platform

The Mathwoks, Inc.

Release 2009bMATLABSimulinkReal-Time Workshop

Version 7.9Version 7.9Version 7.9

Adams/Controls

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 x64Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 x64Suse Linux Enterprise Server 10

SP2 x 64Sun Solaris 10 (64-bit co-sim

only)Windows Server 2003 Windows Vista Enterprise Windows XP Professional Windows Server 2003 x64 Windows Vista Enterprise x64Windows XP Professional x64

The Mathwoks, Inc.

Release 2009aMATLABSimulinkReal-Time Workshop

Version 7.8Version 6.3Version 6.3

Adams/Controls

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 x64Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 x64Suse Linux Enterprise Server 10

SP2 x 64Sun Solaris 10 (64-bit co-sim

only)Windows Server 2003 Windows Vista Enterprise Windows XP Professional Windows Server 2003 x64 Windows Vista Enterprise x64Windows XP Professional x64

MSC.Software Corporation

Easy5 2008 r1 (8.1.0) Adams/ControlsHP HP-UX 11iIBM AIX 5.3 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4Sun Solaris 10Windows Server 2003 Windows Vista Enterprise Windows XP Professional Windows Server 2003 x64 Windows Vista Enterprise x64Windows XP Professional x64


MD Nastran R1 and above Adams/Car Ride

Adams/Vibration

UNIX and Windows

MD Adams 2010 Release GuideSupported Versions of Integration Products

52


MSC.Nastran V69.X and above Adams/Durability

Adams/Flex

UNIX and Windows


Marc 2005 and above

2003 and above

Adams/Durability

Adams/Flex

UNIX and Windows


Fatigue 2001 and above Adams/Durability UNIX and Windows

nCode FE-Fatigue Version 5.2 and above Adams/Durability UNIX and WindowsANSYS, Inc. ANSYS V6.0 and above

V5.4 and above

Adams/Durability

Adams/Flex

UNIX and Windows

Hibbitt, Karlsson & Sorensen, Inc. (HKS)

ABAQUS/ADAMS Version 6.3 and above

Version 6.1-1 and above

Adams/Durability

Adams/Flex

UNIX and Windows

UGS PLM Solutions

I-DEAS Mechanism Design

I-DEAS NX 10 and above

I-DEAS 8, 9, NX 10 and above

Adams/Durability

Adams/Flex

UNIX and Windows

Company Product Name Product VersionAdams Product Platform

MSC.Fatigue Quick Start Guide

I n d e xMD Adams 2010 Release Guide

IndexIndex

AAccessing

online help, 43Adams

Starting, 34Adams Toolbar

starting online help from, 44Adams/Car

What’s New, 3Adams/Car Ride

What’s New, 5Adams/Chassis

What’s New, 6Adams/Controls

What’s New, 6Adams/Driveline

What’s New, 8Adams/Durability

What’s New, 8Adams/Flex

What’s New, 9Adams/SmartDriver

What’s New, 15Adams/Solver

What’s New, 16Adams/Tire

What’s New, 23Adams/Vibration

What’s New, 25Adams/View

What’s New, 25Automatic TOC sync, about, 45

BBrowsers, versions for help, 42

DDialog box, accessing help for, 44

EEasy5, 50enhancements, 2Examples, 47

FF1, using to access help, 44Firefox version for help, 42

IImprovements, 2

new capabilities, 2other additions, 2product integration, 2

Integrated master site, about, 43Integration Products, 51Internet Explorer version for help, 42

MMaster help site, 43Matlab, 50Mozilla, using with help, 42

NNavigating through online help, 45Netscape Navigator version for help, 42

OOnline Help, 41

accessing, 43Online help

navigating through, 45printing, 46searching single product, 46

PPreferences, 36

MD Adams 2010 Release Guide

54

Printing online help, 46

SScrolling through help, 45Searching

online help, 46Setting

Working Directory, 37Starting

On Unix, 34On Windows, 35online help, 43

Starting Adams, 34Support for

Easy5, 50Matlab, 50

UUNIX

Preferences, 36starting online help from, 44

UnixStarting MD Adams, 34

VViewing all product help, 43

WWeb browsers, versions for help, 42What’s New, 3

Adams/Car, 3Adams/Car Ride, 5Adams/Chassis, 6Adams/Controls, 6Adams/Driveline, 8Adams/Durability, 8Adams/Flex, 9Adams/SmartDriver, 15Adams/Solver, 16Adams/Tire, 23Adams/Vibration, 25Adams/View, 25

WindowsPreferences, 36starting MD Adams, 35Starting online help from, 44

md adams 2010 release guide

Documents