Latest Posts
Ultrasonic Micro Motors, It’s all in the Shape
A while back, I wrote about permanent magnet generators and how they generate electricity upon being set in motion. When browsing the papers from our conference in Bangalore, one on the topic of ultrasonic micro motors caught my eye. These motors are electromechanical in nature and instead initiate motion with the application of an electric voltage. Furthermore, these motors are miniaturized to fit a micro-scale environment.
Specification Chart Uncovers Solutions to Your Engineering Problems
It should be as easy as possible to find the tools you need in the COMSOL® software so that you can spend more time using it to understand, predict, and optimize your engineering designs. This is where the Specification Chart comes in.
Lightning-Proof Wind Turbines
Here’s a story we’ve all heard before: due to the inefficient nature and inevitable decline of fossil fuels, alternative energy resources are becoming increasingly popular. Wind energy is a popular source of alternative energy, with wind farms sprouting up all over the world. Here’s something you may not have thought about: lightning strikes are a major problem for these wind turbines. Intuitively, places with high wind speeds also have stormy weather, and a 150 meter tall metal pole makes an […]
Keynote Video: Multiphysics Simulation for Patient Safety
The second video in our COMSOL Conference Boston 2012 keynote series features Dr. Alan Leewood’s presentation on the use of multiphysics simulation for medical safety applications. The focus of this presentation is on the safety of passive conductive implants during MRI screenings.
Simulation-Based Design of New Implantable Hearing Aids
Growing older is an inevitable part of life, and with it, our body slowly begins to show that. I recently started wearing eye glasses because my eyesight is weakening. It’s a little unnerving, but I am comforted by the ever-improving technology being produced. My hearing is still fully intact, but the same cannot be said for 17% (36 million) of American adults who report some degree of hearing loss. In most cases, regular hearing aids are sufficient in treating hearing […]
First Keynote Video Takes Us to Babel
One of the differences between this year’s COMSOL Conference, and previous years’, is that this year we filmed a lot of it. During the next few weeks we will be publishing some of these videos for those that were there, to enjoy it once again, and for those that weren’t to get a taste of what went on. To kick these all off, I’m proud to present the first keynote video, which takes us to Babel.
Proprietary Code or Off-the-Shelf?
Many engineers and scientists have worked in their chosen application areas for many years. It is not unusual that their first models consisted of a few lines of code that they wrote themselves. Or, the application was so specific that the engineer was forced to write code, as none of the commercial simulation packages available could handle their unique application. Then there’s the COMSOL Multiphysics® software, which enables you to enter your own equations. What’s the best option?
New Product Video Tutorial: LiveLink™ for Solid Edge®
With the latest COMSOL release, Version 4.3a, comes new CAD interoperability. We are delighted to introduce LiveLink™ for Solid Edge® seamless associativity between Siemens’ CAD experience and COMSOL’s multiphysics simulation software. A LiveLink™ for Solid Edge® video tutorial demonstrates this integration, and gives you a leg up in your design modeling. In this video, the three main features to help you design, optimize, and troubleshoot your geometries are demonstrated.
Modeling Scar Effects on Electrical Spinal Cord Stimulation
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a treatment for chronic back pain that has been around for over 40 years. It involves implanting electrodes that apply electric potentials directly to the spine, interfering with the human pain signaling circuitry. The body attempts to send pain signals to the brain, but the electrodes act as a barrier preventing the signals from reaching the brain. Although an overall successful method for treating back pain, researchers have been improving on the design since the […]
Triple Bottom Line: Innovating Bottled Water
Reducing the amount of plastic used in the production of bottled water would both help companies save on packaging costs and be more sustainable. That seems easy enough, until you consider the fact that during storage and transportation, the bottles are stacked on top of one another. With a lot of bottles comes a lot of mechanical load. How can companies reduce the amount of plastic without compromising the structure of the bottles?
Thank You for Attending the COMSOL Conference Bangalore 2012
On November 2-3 the COMSOL conference made its stop in Bangalore, India. This two-day event hosted eminent keynote speakers, user presentations, minicourses, poster sessions, and finally closed with an awards ceremony. Here’s a re-cap of the highlights of the COMSOL Conference Bangalore 2012:
Microwave Imaging for Breast Cancer Detection
Last month was Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM). In many parts of the world walks were coordinated to fundraise for breast cancer research, and here in the U.S. it also meant NFL football players donned pink gear throughout the month. It was only fitting then, that a poster was presented on the topic at our conference in Boston. The research presented there explores a new method for detecting breast tumors.
Now Live: COMSOL Conference User Presentations
I know many of you have been wondering when the user presentations from this year’s COMSOL Conference would be published. Today we get to tell you that the presentation slides, papers, and posters are now available online. And as you will see, it is quite the collection too. The COMSOL Conference User Presentations are here.
The First Flyer Optimized Using Multiphysics
December of 1903 marked the commencement of the Age of Powered Flight, and the Wright brothers went down in history. This was a time before personal computers and simulation software existed. Determining the optimal design of their airplane had to be done using physical prototypes and real-life experiments. What had the design looked like if the Wright brothers had been able to use computers and modeling software? Three researchers from Pennsylvania State University sought to find out how the design […]
Modeling Static Mixers
A mixer that doesn’t move may sound like an oxymoron, but it’s not. Used in various chemical species transport applications, static mixers are inexpensive, accurate, and versatile. Still, there is always room for improvement. Optimizing the design of static mixers calls for computer modeling, but traditional CFD methods may not be the best way to model these mixers. How do these motionless mixers work and how can their performance be simulated?
Simulating Permanent Magnet Generators
Permanent magnet generators, or PM generators as they are also called, generate power without batteries. PM generators consist of a magnetic stator coiled with wire and a wheel with permanent magnets rotating inside the stator. From motorcycles to wind farms, PM generators can be used in many electrical machinery applications. Let’s take a look at how these types of generators work and how they can be simulated.
Photos from the European COMSOL Conference
They say that an image is worth more than a thousand words, and I couldn’t agree more. In that vein, we’d like to show you our enthusiasm over the European COMSOL Conference held in Milan, Italy earlier in October, through a slideshow of pictures from the event. We already thanked you in advance for making this our most-registered for event of the year. Now we want to thank you again with this slideshow.
Microfluidics Model of an Electroosmotic Micromixer
When you need to mix something at a very small scale you don’t reach for a teeny-tiny whisk. If you’re working with microscale biochemical applications you’d be more likely to rely on diffusion to mix fluids. With highly ordered laminar flow there is no turbulence involved, thus making diffusion a prime candidate for “getting the job done”. But what if you need to mix larger molecules? Larger molecules mean higher molecular weight, which in turn leads to very long equilibration […]
Halloween Special: Cloaking Devices and Capes of Invisibility
What if this Halloween you could take your costume to the next level and turn yourself invisible? There are bounds of references to invisibility throughout fairy tales, folk lore, and pop culture. From capes and hats to cloaking devices, many fictional characters have been provided with a means for rendering themselves invisible. In the spirit of Halloween, let’s have a closer look at cloaking from a fictional and scientific stand-point.
Oil Companies Rely Heavily on Engineers
It’s no secret that there’s a lot of guesswork involved in oil production. Oil companies make “Big Money” decisions based on estimates – estimates with huge margins of error. What’s more, there is an incredible amount of risk involved, but with the potential for a large pay-off if all goes according to plan. The plan is based on “best guesses” and less than perfect data. Still, there are many big players in the oil industry that are doing very well […]
Poroelasticity in Sand
When you work with multiphysics all day you tend to notice physics phenomena everywhere you go. For me, one such moment was when I was walking on the beach this past summer. I noticed that the sand appears whiter around a person’s feet than elsewhere. You may have noticed this too, and like I, wondered “why?” This phenomenon can be explained by the theory of poroelasticity.
New Product that Helps Electrical and Electronics Engineers
As much as we would like to think that finite element analysis (FEA) is the be-all and end-all of simulations, it’s not true. There is also a camp of engineers out there that model integrated circuits and similar systems. These are based on different physics and equations than what FEA typically solves for. Yet, as is happening more and more in the world of virtual prototyping, the two types of simulations are converging. Now they need to integrate with each […]
A Creative Take on RFID Tags
These days, RFID tags are used in many applications. Ranging from packing slips to ID badges, RFID tags are embedded into many different objects by businesses everywhere. Once tagged, these can be tracked to improve functions such as inventory management, security, manufacturing processes, and more. You can also implant an RFID tag into animals, such as cattle or pets, so that they can be found in case of theft or loss, for instance. Wild animals that are found far from […]
Congratulations to the COMSOL Conference Boston 2012 Paper and Poster Winners
As the conference opened in Milan today, we would like to take a moment and congratulate the COMSOL Conference Boston 2012 paper and poster winners. Three “Best Paper”, two “Best Poster”, and one “Popular Choice” awards were handed out.