Product Description

Mentat provides a full range of capabilities for the visualization and interpretation of analysis results. Tight integration with MSC.Marc means that results can be viewed simultaneously as they are generated.

The Mentat graphical user interface provides capabilities for the interactive generation of finite element models, control of the analysis, and interpretation of the results. With the widespread availability of fast workstations with rich 3D graphics capabilities, visualization of the finite element model has never been easier. Mentat takes advantage of these latest graphics advances and offers you features such as light source shading and translucency.

Geometry Generation

• Geometric Entities
• Points
• Curves (lines,polylines,circular arcs,circles,fillets,cubic splines, NURBS,interpolated Bezier curves)
• Surfaces (quadrilaterals,cylinders,spheres,ruled surfaces,Bezier surfaces, driven surfaces,surfaces of revolution,NURBS surfaces,trimmed surfaces,Coons Patch,Skinned,Interpolated)
• Geometric Processors
• Move (translate,rotate,scale)
• Expand (shell,beam,element,node,point,curve)
• Expand along a straight line or on CURVE
• CAD geometry repair
• Coordinate Systems
• Mouse interaction with coordinate grids.
• Rectangular
• Cylindrical
• Spherical
• Polar
• Conical
• Solid Modeling
• An optional solid modeling capability based on the ACIS geometry engine is available. This allows the user to create primitives, perform operations on these primitives and automatically create finite element models.
• Creation of primitives using analytical surfaces
• block
• sphere
• cylinder
• cone
• torus
• Boolean operations (union,intersect,subtract) on geometry
• Blending — fillets and chamfers
• Other ACIS geometric operations
• translate
• rotate
• scale
• duplicate
• symmetry
• Import and export of ACIS-compliant geometric data

Meshing

The mesh generation environment is powerful and intuitive, allowing the creation of a mesh for any geometry.

Mesh Generation Procedures

• State-of-the-art meshing
• Advancing front mesher for triangular and quadrilateral meshes
• Expand mesh along a curve
• Delauny triangular meshing of surfaces
• Mixed meshing based on quality criteria
• Automatic tetrahedral mesh generator
• Optional hexahedral meshing facility
• Meshing flexibility
• User control of number of nodes over an edge
• Trimmed surface — overlay mesher or fully automatic mesher
• Convert curves to line elements
• Convert surfaces to mapped mesh
• Ability to edit models locally after automated meshing
• Multiply connected domains defined by enclosed curves
• Subdivide elements
• Change element class
• Stretch nodes
• Relax-smooth mesh
• Smooth transitions between regions
• Refine mesh

Finite Element Entities

• Element types (number of nodes)
• beams (2 or 3)
• triangles (3 or 6)
• quadrilaterals (4,6,8,or 9)
• tetrahedral (4 or 10)
• pentahedra (6 or 15)
• hexahedra (8,12,20,or 27)

Geometry/Mesh Associativity

• Mentat associates the finite element mesh with points, curves, and surfaces. Whenever the underlying geometry changes, the mesh is automatically adjusted. The following commands utilize this associativity.
• Refine
• Subdivide
• Move
• Change class
• Boundary conditions
• Relax

Finite Element Editing

• Move (translate,rotate,scale)
• Expand (shell,beam,element,node,point,curve)
• Expand along a straight line or on CURVE
• Sweep (remove unused nodes,renumber)
• Symmetry
• Edit
• Revolve
• Reverse orientation
• Duplicate
• Length,area and volume calculations

Analysis Support

Full Support of Boundary Conditions and Initial Conditions

Boundary and initial conditions may be applied to the finite element model or the geometric model.

• Point loads
• Distributed loads (edges,faces,volumes)
• Gravity,centrifugal,and Coriolis loads
• Prescribed displacements
• Analogous support for heat transfer,electromagnetics,etc.
• Tables/functions to prescribe time variations
• Wave loading
• Support for MSC.Marc user subroutines

Complete Support of Nonlinear Material Behavior

• Isotropic
• orthotropic
• anisotropic
• hypoelastic
• Mooney and Ogden
• elastomer models
• Foam model
• Plasticity Failure criteria
• Powder metallurgy
• Heat conduction and joule heating
• Soil Rubber and viscoelastic curve fitting feature
• User-defined material database

Function Tables

Permits any parameters to be defined in terms of other variables for example, temperature-dependent properties,rate effects, and work hardening

Composites Preprocessing

Material orientation definition and ply layup display

Geometric Properties

• Truss area
• Beam cross section definition and orientation
• Graphical and review of cross section
• Shell thickness

Contact Analysis

• Support of analytical contact surfaces and NURBS surfaces
• Multiple friction models
• Potential contact between bodies (CONTACT TABLE)
• Possible nodes in contact (CONTACT NODE)
• Support of RELEASE capability
• Support of contact controls

Adaptive Analysis

• Criteria selection for element refinement
• Mentat surface information used for precise mesh generation

Tying Support (multi-point constraints)

Load Case Creation

• Support of time-stepping procedures
• Fixed time/load steps
• Adaptive time/load control
• Convergence control/definition
• Control over solution procedures
• Selection of solvers
• Restart control
• Activate/deactivate elements
• Control over eigenvalue procedures
• Control over buckling and postbuckling analyses
• Control over output and post tape selection
• The output of Design Sensitivity and Optimization can be displayed as bar charts, contour plots or x-y plots.

Analysis Job Submission & Control

An analysis job can be initiated ,monitored and controlled within Mentat

• Set analysis type
• Check input data consistency Integrate user subroutines
• Submit jobs
• Monitor job status
• Control analysis output
• Display results as the analysis proceeds

Post-Processing

Mentat provides a full range of capabilities for the visualization and interpretation of analysis results.

• Deformed shape (automatic/manual deformation magnification)
• Undeformed shape on deformed shape
• Plotting of contact pressures along a surface
• Contour plots
• Principal values
• Beam moment diagrams
• Path plots
• History plots
• Isolate areas
• Rezone Animation (mode shapes,time history)
• Device (color map control,fonts,double buffering control, Z-buffering control)

Advanced Rendering

This module provides state-of-the-art photorealistic rendering using ray tracing techniques. Stunning lifelike visual images can be easily created of both the model and the results.

• Rendering effects
• Multiple reflections
• Refraction
• Shadows
• Translucency
• Highlights
• Backgrounds
• Anti-aliasing using adaptive supersampling
• Advanced lighting control point light
• infinite light
• spotlights
• Multiple materials models
• Available on workstations and X-terminals
• Rendering takes advantage of multiprocessing machines
• Rendering of analysis results
• Results contours
• Photorealistic deformed geometry

User Controls

CAD Interfaces

Mentat’s optional modules support interfaces to the world’s leading CAD systems

• ACIS™
• IGES
• PATRAN™
• AutoCAD™
• Intergraph
• PTC Pro/Engineer™
• CATIA™*
• NASTRAN
• SDRC I-DEAS Master Series™
• VDAFS