What’s New in Ansys Rocky 2024 R2

A new Ansys Rocky release with new features to enable users to perform simulations with the best there is, providing new DEM and SPH capabilities and optimizing the user experience.

In the Multiphysics field there are key enhancements for the existing coupling with Ansys Mechanical along with the new integration of Rocky with Ansys EnSight which empowers the users to boost the postprocessing visualization with more realistic videos and images.

Ansys Rocky 2024 R2 makes what was already good even better and brings innovations that take engineering simulations to new levels. See below more of what this new version brings:

Ansys Mechanical Coupling Enhancements

Ansys Rocky + Ansys Mechanical: 2-Way Structural Coupling

The combination of Rocky and Mechanical continues to expand with increasingly better features and after the availability of the 2-way thermal coupling, with this new version, it is now also possible to perform the 2-way structural coupling between both software.

The Rocky and Mechanical structural coupling provides a huge gain in handling complex interactions between DEM particles and SPH elements with structural responses, allowing more comprehensive and accurate simulations.

In the simulation above you can see a shot peening process where the shot acts like a peen hammer, dimpling the surface causing compression under the dimple. The surface compression stress strengthens the metal.

See also: Ansys Rocky: 2-Way Structural Coupling with Mechanical

Ansys Rocky + Ansys Mechanical: 1-way Coupling Enhancements

Rocky 2024 R2 is not done just of 2-way coupling news, this new version also has 1-way coupling enhancements in Rocky and Mechanical simulations.

This release brings the 1-way structural and thermal coupling data transfer automation through Ansys Workbench and 1-way coupling support for automatic HTC (Heat Transfer Coefficient) data transfer, which improves the postprocessing and usability of wide range of simulations.

In the simulation above you can see an e-Motor cooling simulation where the goal is to evaluate and improve oil distribution for different cooling branches and to maximize heat transfer.

See also: Maximizing Simulation by Coupling Structural and Particle Software

DEM | SPH

Flexible Particle Assembly

This new feature expands the range of particles that can be simulated using Rocky, bringing more accurate results, especially when dealing with complex deformable structures.

The ability to model particles that can deform and interact flexibly with other leads to better predictions and optimizations in the engineering design and analysis process. This type of particle can be very useful in agriculture and other simulations involving flexible heterogeneous particles.

In the simulation above you can see the flexible particle assembly in use, with an optimized transportation process which is necessary not only for the preservation of leaves, but also to minimize the energy consumption making it eco-friendly.

Transient Point Cloud Support

The Point Clouds feature enables you to import a text file containing field data that defines one or more points in space. Rocky already had the possibility to add a static point cloud, but now with the 2024 R2 version it is possible to import Transient Point Clouds, which specifies the start and end times for individual static point clouds.

This data can then be used by Rocky in various ways depending upon the functionality of the External Module making use of the Point Cloud.

In the simulation above you can see an EDS (Electrodynamic Screen) process, for solar panel cleaning. Particles (dust) are removed by a custom electric force implemented by Rocky Solver SDK (force field, in this case, is a transient point cloud).

Velocity Profile in a Motion Frame

The ability to import a custom velocity profile to a motion frame with translation and rotation motions that can be applied to the geometries, providing complex and realistic dynamics to the simulation.

In the simulation above, you can see a custom motion profile with the internal multi body dynamics.

CGM + Energy Spectra

This new version also brings the Coarse Grain Model (CGM) compatibility with Energy Spectra calculations, what results in several benefits such as computational efficiency and scalability since CGM is particularly useful for larger-scale simulations and complex systems, providing a huge performance gain. 

Force measurement is quite similar, with a huge performance gain, due to less particles in the simulation.

Pre & Postprocessing

Ansys Rocky + Ansys EnSight: Rocky Simulations elevated to new levels

Coupling Ansys Rocky with Ansys EnSight brings together the strengths of DEM and SPH simulations with advanced postprocessing visualization, offering several key benefits such as rendering capabilities, including lighting, environment and material presets as well as high-resolution and interactive 3D graphics enabling better understanding and presentation of your simulations results.

Rocky simulations postprocessed with EnSight.

IISPH

Within this new version you will find the same functionalities of the ISPH External Module now embedded in the main SPH entity.

The new IISPH (Implicit Incompressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) addition in Rocky UI makes it easier to choose which solver you want to use in your SPH simulations, increasing the User Experience and feature usability.

Dishwasher and Electric motor’s cooling simulation with IISPH.

Rocky Training Content and Documentation

High-quality training content empowers users to perform their tasks accurately and with confidence. With this in mind, in each release, Rocky brings updated content with better usability so that users can extract the best from the software. See below the new Training Content and Documentation enhancements:

• • New Manual: All the scripts created by Rocky team, such as Material Wizard and Calibration Suite, have their own documentation and now this content is united in the new Rocky Scripts Manual.
  • Developer Documentation: The documentation to guide you in the creation of your own Scripts and Modules is now available in Ansys Developer Portal, with the PrePost Scripting Manual you can access the information to create Rocky Python based scripts and with the Solver SDK Manual you can find orientation on creating Custom Modules.
  • Ansys Public Documentation: All Rocky manuals are publicly available and can be accessed without needing to log in to Ansys Help, however Rocky Tutorials still can only be accessed with an Ansys login.

Ansys Rocky is the industry-leading discrete element method (DEM)

software used for simulating the motion of granular

and discontinuous material.  

Ansys Rocky: Exploring the Multiphysics Simulation Universe beyond DEM. 

Learn more about Rocky in Ansys Rocky  Innovation Space.