ThermalAnalysis UnderstandingThermalAnalysisLecture UnderstandingThermalAnalysis.

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Understanding Thermal Analysis

A thermal analysis is typically used to calculate the thermal response of a simulation model to heat loads and boundary conditions.
Theoretical Background

Heat Transfer Modes o Conduction o Convection o Radiation

Thermal Loads/Constraints

Heat Loads Constraints (Boundary Conditions)

Thermal Analysis Types

Steady State Thermal Analysis Transient Thermal Analysis

Thermal Analysis Model

Thermal Analysis Result LectureNotes Theoretical Background In heat transfer, energy is transferred across the boundary due to a temperature difference or gradient between two surfaces. There are three modes by which heat transfer is accomplished:

Conduction The predominant mode of heat transfer through solids. Convection The transfer of heat between a surface and a moving fluid. There are two types of convection heat transfer: natural (heat is transferred by buoyancy, heated fluid adjacent to the hot surface rises and cooler fluid flows in to take its place) and forced (the fluid movement is controlled by a fan or a pump). For instance, the heat transfer from the radiator of an automobile. Heat must be conducted from the inner to the outer surface of the radiator before it can be transferred by convection to the moving air. Radiation: In this mode, energy is transferred as electromagnetic radiation from the surface of a body to another.

In Pro/ENGINEER Mechanica thermal models, heat loads are used in order to provide local heat sources or sinks. Additionally, they can be used to define internal sources of heat generation. Furthermore, thermal boundary conditions enable the simulation of a real-life external environment interacting with the Pro/ENGINEER Mechanica simulation model. Thermal Loads and Constraints

In structural analyses, structural loads (such pressure and force loads) and structural constraints (such as displacement constraints and mirror constraints) can be assigned to an analysis model. Heat loads are the thermal equivalent to structural loads, while prescribed temperatures, convective conditions, and cyclic symmetry are the thermal equivalents of structural constraints. If no boundary conditions are defined on a reference then MECHANICA assumes that the reference is thermally insulated (adiabatic) and no heat transfer takes place across it. Mechanica Thermal Analysis Types You can use Pro/MECHANICA to evaluate temperatures and heat fluxes under thermal loads that do (transient thermal analyses) or do not vary with respect to time (steady state thermal analyses). Such loads include: convections, constant temperatures, heat flows per unit area, and volume. Typical applications include: brake systems, electronic components, exhaust manifolds, and so on.