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Module 01: Introduction

Introduction to ANSYS DesignXplorer

1
 Overview

In this module we will learn about:

• What is DesignXplorer?
• DesignXplorer features
• Transferring SpaceClaim Model to Workbench

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 What is DesignXplorer?
• DesignXplorer, also called DX, is a powerful approach to explore, understand and
optimize your engineering challenges
– Determine the key parameters influencing the design
– Explore and understand the performance at other design or operating conditions
– Find the conditions which give the best performance
– Explore the robustness of the design

?
?

Single Point What If? Optimization

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 DesignXplorer Features

Robust Design
•Six Sigma Analysis
Optimization
“What if”
•With or without a
Study Response Surface
•Manual Search
•Parametric Response Surfaces
Single Design Platform
Point •Build a Mathematical Model
•Everyone starts
DOE
somewhere •Run a smart set of
•Parametric and Design Points
Persistent in
Workbench Sensitivity
and Correlation
•Find the relevant parameters

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 DesignXplorer Features
What if Study
• Parametric variation and persistent updates are core Workbench
capabilities
• The user can make up their own design point variations without DX

5
 DesignXplorer Features
Sensitivity / Correlation Analysis (1)

• Identify unimportant parameters

Input Parameters

These inputs have a low

influence on outputs

Outputs

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 DesignXplorer Features
Sensitivity / Correlation Analysis (2)

• Identify the degree to which the relationship is

linear/quadratic

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 DesignXplorer Features
Design of Experiments

• Specify the DOE Type

• Specify each parameter range and type
(Continuous, Discrete, Manufacturable Values)
• Design Points are automatically chosen to explore the
parametric space efficiently

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 DesignXplorer Features
Response Surface

• Generate a Surrogate Model

• Min/Max Search
• 2D/3D plots
• Local Sensitivities
• RS Quality Assessment

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 DesignXplorer Features
Optimization
• Define Objectives, Constraints and Input Parameter Relationships
• Based on a Response surface • Based on Direct Solves
– Explore thousands of configurations in a • Follow algorithm convergence
few seconds

• Find the best design from candidates

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 DesignXplorer Features
Six Sigma Analysis

Input parameters vary!

Output parameter

• Understand how your performance will vary with your design tolerances
• Determine how many parts will likely fail
• Understand which inputs require the greatest control
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 Workbench Power
Parameterizing Workbench Dimensions, BCs, etc…

Parameters
created in SCDM,
DM, Mechanical,
and Ansoft
DesignModeler
SpaceClaim
Mechanical Ansoft

Parameters
created in CFX,
Fluent, and
CFD Post
CFX
Fluent
CFD Post
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 Workbench Power
Parameters coming from any source

CAD Structural CFD Electromagnetics

SpaceClaim Engineering data CFX Ansoft Products:

DesignModeler Meshing Fluent Designer
Catia V5 Mechanical CFD Post HFSS
UG NX Mechanical APDL Polyflow Maxwell
SolidWorks ExplicitSTR AQWA Q3D Extractor
Creo Parametric Vista TF, CCD… ICEM CFD Simplorer
Solid Edge Icepak
nCode
Autodesk And also for some custom usages:
…
Inventor Excel, External Connection
…
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 DesignXplorer independent Process

• The DX Process is independent of the physics or schematic

complexity. Whatever the solver is: ANSYS Mechanical, ANSYS
CFX, ANSYS Fluent, ANSYS Electronics Desktop… once the
parameters are chosen, the DesignXplorer process is the same

• Most of the workshops in this course are done using the ANSYS
Mechanical solver for less simulation time. The CFD and the
electromagnetics users must know that once they choose the
parameters in their interface, they will follow the same workflow
as the workshops.

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 Project Overview
CFD-Structural analysis
Input and output
Project parameters are defined in
the Fluid Flow and the
Structural systems

Parameter Set
Workbench List of all parameters
Design Points table (What If)

DX system
DX 3-step workflow

The middle section is Workbench. The parameters from the top section are collected, the user can drive the top section
from the parameter bar. Then the 3rd section (below the parameter set bar) just drives the parameter set bar.
Therefore DX is independent of project complexity
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 Workbench Power

• Workbench input and output parameters is all

that DX needs

• Run Design Points simultaneously

• On a cluster
• On available machines in your office

• Take advantage of HPC Parametric Pack Licenses

• Multiply your number of licenses to run Design Points
simultaneously

• Ability to reserve the licenses to run Design

Points

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 Parameters
Parameterizing CAD dimensions

• CAD parameters can be filtered with a prefix/suffix

• The default filter is “DS” (can be changed or left blank)
• Leaving the filter blank will allow all CAD parameters to be passed to Workbench

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 Parameters
Derived Parameters
• Parameters created using analytical expressions composed of input and output parameters
• Derived parameters can be defined using various built in arithmetic, trigonometric and statistical
functions
• Examples include (but are not limited to):
- cost function (i.e., the product of mass and cost per mass)
- normalized stress (i.e., stress response divided by an applied stress)
- Mesh sizing (setting a mesh parameter as a function of a geometric parameter)

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 Parameter Set
Table of Design points (“What-If” Study)

Parameter values currently Update All Design Points

loaded in applications

Select Retain to keep all files

for this Design Point, and be
able to switch between them

RMB > Update Selected Design Points

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 DesignXplorer User Interface
Response Surface Optimization

Optimization Candidate

Optimization Algorithm

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 Unified Reporting
• DX Systems contribute to the unified report (html)
• Includes all DX tables and Charts

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 Summary

• DX provides plenty of functionality to allow you to gain a deeper

understanding of your problem

• Each tool within DX has a user interface that follows a common

methodical workflow
• DX is independent of the physics or schematic complexity

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 Workshop 1.1 (1)

Excel will receive two inputs from Workbench (must be between 0 and 100) and
calculate the value of two output parameters according to the following equations:

• Out_1 = -2*(in_1/100-0.5)^3+SIN(2*PI()*in_2/100)
• Out_2 = (in_1/100-0.5)^2+(in_2/100-0.5)^2

Plotting Out_1 in Excel produce the following charts.

Notice that the maximum value of out_1 occurs at approximately (in_1,in_2)=(0, 25)
Output 1 Output 1
100
90
80
1.5 1-1.5
70 1-1.5
60 1 0.5-1
0.5-1
Input 2
50 0.5 0-0.5
0-0.5 68
40 0 -0.5-0
-0.5-0

0
30 34

13
-1--0.5

26
-0.5

39
52
20 -1--0.5 0

65
78
-1 -1.5--1

91
10 -1.5--1
0 -1.5
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100

Input 1 Input 1

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 Workshop 1.1 (2)
Plotting Out_2 in Excel produce the following charts.
Notice that the maximum value of out_2 occurs at approximately (in_1,in_2)=(50, 50)

Since there is no set of input parameters that delivers the maximum values of both out_1
and out_2, a tradeoff analysis will need to be conducted when finding the optimal
conditions
Output 2 Output 2
99
90
0.5
81
72 0.4 0.4-0.5
0.4-0.5
63
0.3-0.4
0.3-0.4

Input 2
54 0.3
45 0.2-0.3
0.2-0.3
36 0.2
0.1-0.2
0.1-0.2
27 0.1 0-0.1
18 0-0.1 68
9 0 34

0
12
0

24
36
0

48
60
72
0
11
22
33
44
55
66
77
88
99

84
96
Input 1 Input 1

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