Major News in COMSOL Multiphysics® Version 6.2

COMSOL Multiphysics® version 6.2 introduces game-changing functionality for simulation apps and digital twins as well as faster solver technology. Users can now increase the computational speed of their simulation apps using data-driven surrogate models, leading to a more interactive user experience and promoting wider use of simulations within an organization. Furthermore, the new surrogate model framework makes it possible to build new types of standalone simulation apps and effective digital twins.

Multiphysics simulations of electric machinery with nonlinear materials as well as impulse response simulations for acoustics are faster by an order of magnitude or more. CFD models now solve up to 40% faster. In chemical engineering applications, the new version includes functionality for the simulation of vapor–liquid interfaces, including both condensation and vaporization processes. Users of the structural-mechanics-based products will see updated damage and fracture modeling capabilities, along with functionality for circuit board warpage computation and multibody dynamics analysis of electric motors.

We have summarized the major news in the COMSOL® software version 6.2 for you below. Browse the menu to the left for more details on updates to core functionality and specific add-on products.

General Updates

  • Surrogate models for fast app execution
  • Timer events for using apps as digital twins
  • Add-ins for creating custom ribbon tabs with menus and buttons
  • Visualization with floor shadows
  • Streamline plots on curved surfaces
  • Syntax highlighting for expressions
  • Node filtering for the Model Builder tree
  • Compare with Saved button for viewing all changes of a model since last saved
  • General continuous tangent selections
  • Improved search and maintenance operations for the Model Manager
  • Application program interface (API) for Model Manager databases
  • Uncertainty Quantification Module: correlated input parameters
  • Optimization Module: eigenfrequency-based topology and shape optimization

Electromagnetics

  • Faster nonlinear motor and transformer simulations with time-dimension periodicity
  • New options for acoustic, structural, multibody, heat transfer, and optimization analysis of electric motors
  • Dispersive material models for tissue and dielectrics
  • Modeling of stranded conductors, such as litz wires
  • Automatic stabilization of magnetic field simulations
  • Enhanced high-frequency analysis based on the boundary element method (BEM)
  • More efficient handling of chemical reactions in plasmas
  • Preview of semiconductor doping profiles before solving
  • New RF modeling options for averaging specific absorption rate (SAR) over 1-g and 10-g sample sizes
  • Modeling of light wave propagation through liquid crystals

Structural Mechanics

  • Phase field in solids for damage and fracture modeling
  • Virtual crack extension method
  • Automatic stabilization of contact models
  • Warpage computation for circuit boards
  • Magnetic–structure multiphysics analysis for electric motors
  • Transport in solids for electromigration, hydrogen embrittlement, and other phenomena
  • Strongly coupled moisture transport with structural deformations
  • Inertia relief analysis for unconstrained structures accelerated by external loads
  • New viscoplastic material model specialized for lithium in battery applications
  • New material models for polymer viscoplasticity
  • More powerful fiber modeling
  • Multiple enhancements to shape memory alloys
  • Specialized parameter estimation of experimental data for nonlinear materials
  • New part library for unit cells and representative volume elements
  • Piezoresistivity multiphysics with layered shells

Acoustics

  • Order-of-magnitude faster impulse response calculations for room and cabin acoustics
  • Realistic absorption modeling with frequency-dependent boundary impedance for time-domain analysis
  • Anisotropic materials for poroelastic waves
  • New port condition for aeroacoustics analysis of structures such as turbojet engine intakes
  • Slip walls and surface tension for thermoviscous acoustics modeling
  • Faster boundary element method (BEM) for acoustics
  • Asymptotic waveform evaluation (AWE) method for dense frequency sweeps
  • Modal analysis for vibroacoustic multiphysics
  • Waveform Audio File Format (WAV) import

Fluid & Heat

  • Up to 40% faster computations for turbulent flow
  • 7 new RANS turbulence models for high-Mach-number flow
  • Large eddy simulation (LES) for compressible flow
  • Potential flow for initialization
  • Mixing plane approach for rotating machinery
  • Conformation formulation for viscoelastic flow
  • ASHRAE weather data from GPS position
  • Thermal resistance connection between distant surfaces
  • Radiation in participating media for 2D axisymmetric models
  • Increased performance and workflow for orbital thermal loads with heat radiation
  • Nonisothermal reacting flow in porous media
  • New option to couple Darcy's law flow in porous media with nonporous domains
  • Parameter estimation functionality now included in the Polymer Flow Module
  • Modeling of annealing in metal processing

Chemical & Electrochemical

  • Gas–liquid equilibrium modeling for multiphase flows
  • Contact resistance boundaries for electrochemistry and corrosion
  • Pore-wall interaction (Knudsen diffusion) model for accurate gas diffusion electrode descriptions
  • Automatic state-of-charge and state-of-health variable definitions for battery modeling
  • Improved initial charge distribution for the initial state of charge, cell voltage, and electrode voltages
  • Enhanced functionality for the modeling of impressed cathodic protection of pipelines
  • Parameter estimation functionality now included in the Chemical Reaction Engineering Module

CAD and Mesh

  • New distance measurement and centroid measurement features
  • Detailed control of twisting along a sweep path
  • Logical expressions for selections
  • More broadly applicable swept mesh feature
  • Easier generation of meshes for periodic boundaries
  • New surface remeshing method for imported stereolithography (STL) meshes
  • Improved edge selection for cap faces
  • CAD import supports the most recent file versions
  • Automatic handling of interior copper layer positions for ECAD import
  • Improvement to the offset faces and loft functionality