 | This articlecontainspromotional content. Please helpimprove it by removingpromotional language and inappropriateexternal links, and by adding encyclopedic text written from aneutral point of view.(October 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| FEATool Multiphysics | |
|---|---|
 FEATool Multiphysics Toolbox with MATLAB GUI | |
| Developer | Precise Simulation |
| Stable release | 1.17 / 30 September 2024 (2024-09-30) |
| Repository | github |
| Written in | MATLAB,C,Fortran |
| Operating system | Windows,Linux,Mac OSX |
| Type | Computer-aided engineering (CAE),multiphysics,finite element analysis (FEA),simulation software |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
FEATool Multiphysics ("Finite Element Analysis Toolbox forMultiphysics") is a physics,finite element analysis (FEA), andpartial differential equation (PDE) simulation toolbox.[2] FEATool Multiphysics features the ability to model fully coupledheat transfer,fluid dynamics,chemical engineering,structural mechanics,fluid-structure interaction (FSI),electromagnetics, as well as user-defined and custom PDE problems in 1D, 2D (axisymmetry), or 3D, all within a graphical user interface (GUI) or optionally as script files.[3] FEATool has been employed and used in academic research,[4][5] teaching,[6][7] and industrial engineering simulation contexts.[8]
FEATool Multiphysics is a fully integrated physics and PDE simulation environment where the modeling process is subdivided into six steps; preprocessing (CAD andgeometry modeling),mesh and grid generation, physics and PDE specification, boundary condition specification,solution, and postprocessing and visualization.[9]
| 1. Geometry Mode | 2. Grid Mode | 3. Multiphysics Mode |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| 4. Boundary Mode | 5. Solve Mode | 6. Post Mode |
 |  |  |
FEATool has a multi-simulation/solver feature whereby integrated interfaces (UI) to popular open-source solvers are available. This enables several solvers to be used from one GUI and CLI without requiring detailed knowledge of each solver. The CFD solver interfaces allows fluid dynamics problems to be solved with the finite volume CFD solversOpenFOAM[10] andSU2 without leaving the FEATool interface.
Similar to the OpenFOAM and SU2 solver interfaces, FEATool also features a fully integrated interface to theFEniCS general FEM and multiphysics solver.[11] Using the FEATool-FEniCS interface, as both codes feature PDE definition languages, multiphysics problems can automatically be translated and converted to FEniCSPython definition files, after which the FEniCS solver is called, and the resulting solution re-imported.
GUI operation is recorded as equivalent function calls, and therefore, in addition to binary formats, FEATool simulation models can be saved and exported as fully scriptable and editable MATLAB compatiblem-script files.[12] The short MATLAB script below illustrates how a complete flow around a cylindercomputational fluid dynamics (CFD) benchmark problem can be defined and solved with the FEATool m-script functions (including geometry, grid generation, problem definition, solving, and postprocessing all in a few lines of code).[13][14][15] Specifically, custompartial differential equations (PDE) and expressions can simply be entered and evaluated as string expressions as-is, without need for further compilation or writing custom functions.[16]
% Geometry and mesh generation.fea.sdim={'x''y'};fea.geom.objects={gobj_rectangle(0,2.2,0,0.41,'R1'),...gobj_circle([0.20.2],0.05,'C1')};fea=geom_apply_formula(fea,'R1-C1');fea.grid=gridgen(fea,'hmax',0.02);% Problem definition (incompressible Navier-Stokes equations multiphysics mode).fea=addphys(fea,@navierstokes);% Prescribe fluid viscosity (density is default 1).fea.phys.ns.eqn.coef{2,end}={0.001};% Boundary conditions (Non-specified boundaries are% per default prescribed no-slip zero velocity walls).% Inflow (bc type 2) at boundary 4.fea.phys.ns.bdr.sel(4)=2;% Outflow (bc type 3, zero pressure) at boundary 2.fea.phys.ns.bdr.sel(2)=3;% Parabolic inflow profile x-velocity expression.fea.phys.ns.bdr.coef{2,end}{1,4}='4*0.3*y*(0.41-y)/0.41^2';% Check, parse, and solve problem.fea=parsephys(fea);fea=parseprob(fea);fea.sol.u=solvestat(fea);% Alternatively solve with OpenFOAM or SU2% fea.sol.u = openfoam( fea );% fea.sol.u = su2( fea );% Postprocessing and visualization.postplot(fea,'surfexpr','sqrt(u^2+v^2)',...'arrowexpr',{'u''v'})p_cyl_front=evalexpr('p',[0.15;0.2],fea);p_cyl_back=evalexpr('p',[0.25;0.2],fea);delta_p_computed=p_cyl_front-p_cyl_backdelta_p_reference=0.117520
Similar to the external solver interfaces, FEATool features built-in support for theGmsh[17] and Triangle[18] mesh generators. If requested instead of the built-in mesh generation algorithm,[19] FEATool will convert and export appropriate Gridgen2D, Gmsh, or Triangle input data files, call the mesh generators through external system calls, and re-import the resulting grids into FEATool.