TRAFOLO is designed with a streamlined workflow, ensuring the automation of most tasks and requiring only the essential information at each stage of the simulation process. This approach helps to avoid overwhelming users with unnecessary details or input options.
The interface follows a typical finite element analysis (FEA) simulation setup procedure:
- Setup: Defines global settings and the simulation type, including the physical models for electromagnetics and heat transfer to be used.
- Geometry: The 3D model of the object which defines the shape and size being built or imported from an external CAD software. TRAFOLO uses the Salome Platform for manipulations with geometries.
- Mesh: A numerical representation of the geometry used to solve the discretized electromagnetic and heat transfer equations. The mesh defines the number and distribution of finite elements used in the simulation. TRAFOLO uses the Salome Platform for mesh generation.
- Material Properties: Information about the materials used in the simulation, including their electromagnetic, thermal, and other relevant properties.
- Boundary Conditions: The conditions that must be satisfied at the boundaries of the simulation model. In TRAFOLO, this includes thermal conditions on the external surfaces of the component.
- Solver: TRAFOLO uses ElmerFEM as a software tool that solves the discretized equations using the mesh, material properties, and boundary conditions as input.
- Post-Processing: TRAFOLO uses ParaView to analyze and visualize the simulation results and calculate quantities of interest.