Introduction to Comsol Multiphysics 5.

2a

Zhao Xin
I-Math Pte Ltd
2016
Contents
Introduction to Comsol Multiphysics
Application Builder
Applications
Simulation Workflow
Hands-on: Thermal Microactuator
Q&A
COMSOL 5.2a Product Suite
COMSOL Multiphysics

COMSOL Multiphysics is a powerful simulation platform with more than

40 add-on products
28 add-on modules expand the simulation platform with dedicated user
interfaces and tools for optimization, electrical, mechanical, fluid flow, and
chemical applications
One comprehensive material library product builds-on the already
powerful material definitions available in the core product and the add-on
modules
13 interfacing products connect your COMSOL Multiphysics simulations
with spreadsheet, technical computing, CAD, and ECAD software

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 Highly Customizable and Adaptable

Create your own multiphysics couplings

Customize material properties and boundary conditions
Type in mathematical expressions, combine with look-up
tables and function calls
User-interfaces for user-defined differential and algebraic
equations
Equation-based modeling on-the-fly
Set-up parameterization studies for material properties,
boundary conditions, geometric dimensions, and more
High-Performance Computing (HPC)
Multicore & Multiprocessor: included with any license
type
Clusters & Cloud: with a floating network license

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The Application Builder

The Application Builder is included in the Windows

version of the COMSOL Multiphysics core product
Create simulation apps from COMSOL Multiphysics
models
Includes a Form Editor and a Method Editor
The Form Editor allows you to use drag-and-drop
to quickly create a custom user interface
The Method Editor is a programming
environment for writing application specific code
(Java syntax)
All COMSOL Multiphysics functionality can be
accessed from these two methods

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A branded COMSOL Server Application Library page.
Application Builder and Model Builder
Application Builder:
Modify the user interface while the app is running using new built-in methods
Centralized unit handling in apps with Unit Sets
Create shortcuts to user interface components
Two new form objects: hyperlink and video
Events for selections
Model Builder:
Autocomplete extended to many edit fields
COMSOL Multiphysics client-server auto-reconnect
The Multiphysics Approach

These physics can be

Uncoupled
One-way coupled
Strongly coupled

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 Electrical Simulations
AC/DC current and field distribution
Electromechanical machinery and electrical
circuits
RF and microwave components
Wave propagation in optical media

DC current flow and magnetostatics in an inductor Microstrip patch antenna array

Types of Electromagnetics Modeling
Static Low Frequency Transient High Frequency

AC/DC Module RF Module Wave Optics Module

E
0 E sin t Et E sin t
t
Electric and magnetic Fields vary sinusoidally in Fields vary arbitrarily in time, radiation Fields vary sinusoidally in
fields do not vary in time, but there is negligible may or may not be significant. Objects time, energy transfer is via
time. radiation. can be moving. radiation.

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Electromagnetics modeling
Common Applications For AC/DC Module

Resistors Magnets

Capacitors Motors and

Actuators

Inductors Electromagnetic
and Coils Heating
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Applications of the RF Module
Cavities

Antennas

Waveguide &
Transmission Lines

Scattering Problems

Periodic Problems
Wave Optics Applications
Integrated optics
Waveguides and couplers
Fiber optics
Photonic crystal fibers
Fiber Bragg gratings
Nonlinear optics
Harmonic generation
Sum- and difference-frequency mixing
Optical scattering
Surface scattering
Scattering from nanoparticles
Lasers and amplifiers
Semiconductor lasers
Rod, slab and disk laser design
 Electrical Simulations
Compute the trajectory of rays in graded and
ungraded media
MEMS devices and sensors
Low temperature plasma reactors
Semiconductor devices

Prestressed micromirror Inductively coupled plasma reactor

 MEMS Module

Electromechanics
Structural Features
Damping Mechanisms
RF MEMS
Piezoresistance
Thermal MEMS
Piezoelectric Devices
Q&A

 Mechanical Simulations
Structural analysis
Modeling of nonlinearities due to materials,
contact, and large deformation
Geotechnical applications
Fatigue analysis
Multibody analysis
Rotordynamics

Vibration analysis of an impeller Displacement of soil and retaining wall in a deep excavation model
 Key Application Areas
Automotive industry
Mufflers
Particulate filters
Pressure distribution in a
Sound radiation
muffler system.
Sound insulation
Car interior sound
Aerospace
Jet engine noise
Vibration control
Civil engineering and architecture
Sound insulation
Sound scatterers/diffusers Sound transmission through
Sound transmission periodic elastic structure.
Vibration control
HVAC noise (pipe acoustics)
Porous/fibrous materials
 Key Application Areas
Transducer design
Microphones
Loudspeakers
Piezotransducers
Intensity radiation from a
MEMS transducers
vented loudspeaker
Flow meters cabinet.

Mobile and smart phones

Transducer location
Feedback optimization
Brel and Kjr type 4134 condenser
microphone. Model courtesy: Brel and
Headsets Kjr.
Directivity assessment

Musical instruments
 Key Application Areas
Hearing aids
Transfer functions
Directivity analysis
Feedback

Bioacoustic applications with

ultrasound
Hi-Fi Hearing Aids with
Multiphysics Modeling. Model
Advanced applications courtesy: WIDEX A/S.
Photoacoustics/optoacoustics
Thermoacoustic cooling
Acoustofluidics
Acoustic radiation
Heating of tissue sample
Acoustic streaming by a focused ultrasound
Combustion instabilities beam.
 Fluid Simulations
CFD analysis with laminar and turbulent flows
Non-isothermal, non-Newtonian, and porous media
flows
Fluid-structure interaction (FSI)
Mixers and stirred vessels
Microfluidic Devices

Fluid flow in porous media where the geometry is Simulation of a batch reactor equipped with
imported from SEM images a helical ribbon impeller
 Fluid Simulations
Fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, hydraulic
transient, and acoustics in pipes and
channel networks
Vacuum systems

Geothermal heating simulation Film deposition via thermal evaporation

 Heat Transfer
Conjugate heat transfer by conduction, convection,
and radiation
Phase change modeling
Bioheating
Heat Transfer in Porous media

Simulation of a shell and tube heat exchanger

Multiphysics Couplings with Heat Transfer

Joule Heating Inductive Heating

Conjugate Heat Transfer Phase Change Thermal Expansion

 Chemical Simulations
Chemical reaction kinetics modeling
Simulation of reacting systems
Electrochemical processes

Simulation of the hydrodealkylation process in a Model of an oil platform surrounded by 52 sacrificial

membrane reactor aluminum anodes
 Multipurpose
Shape, size, and topology optimization; inverse
problems
More than 2,700 materials
Particle tracing including particle-particle and
particle-field interactions

Shape optimization of a horn antenna Exponential electron growth due to secondary

emission in a photomultiplier
 Interfacing
CAD import and advanced geometry operations
LiveLink products for CAD and BIM
LiveLink for MATLAB
LiveLink for Excel

The design is created in SolidWorks CAD system and brought into COMSOL using the LiveLink interface; all
of the COMSOL modeling tools are available through the One Window interface
CAD & Mesh Interoperability in All Products

Mesh File Formats

3D CAD File Formats LiveLink Interfaces
NASTRAN (read &
ACIS (read & write) LiveLink for AutoCAD
write)
AutoCAD LiveLink for Inventor
STL (read & write)
CATIA V5 LiveLink for PTC Creo Parametric
VRML
IGES LiveLink for PTC Pro/ENGINEER
LiveLink for Revit
Inventor
NX LiveLink for SOLIDWORKS
Parasolid (read & write) LiveLink for Solid Edge
PTC Creo Parametric
PTC Pro/ENGINEER
SOLIDWORKS
STEP

ECAD File Formats 3rd Party Products

GDSII Mimics
NETEX-G Simpleware
ODB++ Avizo
ODB++(X)
Geographic Information System 2D CAD File Formats
(GIS) DXF (read & write)
Digital Elevation Map (DEM)
 A complete simulation environment,
a single workflow
Select your physics
Pick physical phenomena you want included in the analysis
Draw
Use built-in CAD tools or import from CAD software
Specify physics details
Specify materials, sources and sinks, boundary conditions,
Mesh
Create structured or unstructured meshes
Solve
Stationary, transient, eigenfrequency, and parametric analyses
Direct and iterative solvers
Segregated or not
Postprocess the results
Visualize your results, get values of solution at points of interest
Compute functions of the solution: integrals, fluxes, forces
Generate reports to share results with colleagues
Create an app

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Hands-on Thermal Microacuator
Model descriptions
Geometry
Hands-on: Microactuator
Physics: Joule heating & Thermal Expansion
Boundary conditions:
Electrical boundary conditions
Heat Transfer boundary conditions
Structural boundary conditions
Hands-on: Microactuator
Hands-on: Microactuator
Model Solutions
Q&A

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