How to define symmetry in Ansys Mechanical and CFD (CFX, Fluent)

 Symmetry is a property of a system or a phenomenon that remains unchanged under certain transformations, such as reflection, rotation, or translation. Symmetry can be used to simplify the modeling and analysis of complex structures or problems by reducing the size and complexity of the model. Symmetry can also improve the accuracy and efficiency of the solution by eliminating unnecessary degrees of freedom and reducing numerical errors.

Ansys Mechanical is a software product that provides finite element analysis (FEA) solutions for modeling structural mechanics problems. Ansys Mechanical can handle linear and nonlinear, static and dynamic, and thermal and coupled physics problems. Ansys Mechanical can also simulate various types of materials, such as metals, plastics, composites, and biomaterials.

To model symmetry in Ansys Mechanical, you need to use some special features and capabilities that are available in the software. Some of these features are:

• Symmetry Region: This is a feature that allows you to define and apply symmetry boundary conditions to your model based on the type and plane of symmetry. Symmetry Region can be used to model planar symmetry, cylindrical symmetry, spherical symmetry, or sector symmetry. Symmetry Region can also visually expand the results to show the full model for symmetric cases.
• Slice: This is a feature that allows you to cut or split your model into smaller parts or slices based on a plane or a surface. Slice can be used to create symmetric parts or sectors from an original model. Slice can also preserve the material properties and mesh quality of the original model.
• Coordinate System: This is a feature that allows you to create and align local coordinate systems based on the geometry or orientation of your model. Coordinate System can be used to define the direction and location of loads, supports, joints, or other features in your model. Coordinate System can also be used to specify the plane or axis of symmetry for your model.

Here are some examples of how to use these features to model symmetry in Ansys Mechanical for different types of problems:

• Understanding When to Take Advantage of Symmetry Using Ansys Mechanical — Lesson 3: This is a video that shows how to use Symmetry Region to model planar symmetry and sector symmetry for a mechanical part with bolted connections. You will learn how to split bodies for symmetry in Ansys SpaceClaim, how to connect line bodies with solid bodies via Contact Region in Ansys Mechanical, how to create and align local Coordinate Systems based on geometry, how to define Bolt Pretension load in Ansys Mechanical, and how to visually expand symmetry results to show the full model.
• How to setup Cyclic Symmetry model in ANSYS Workbench Mechanical: This is a video that shows how to use Slice and Coordinate System to model cylindrical symmetry for a turbine blade with centrifugal loading. You will learn how to slice a 3D body into a single-sector body in Ansys SpaceClaim, how to create a cylindrical coordinate system in Ansys Mechanical, how to apply rotational velocity and pressure loads in Ansys Mechanical, and how to post-process the results using cyclic expansion.
• Understanding when to Take Advantage of Symmetry - Lesson 3: This is an article that revisits Ansys Workbench to carry out a series of fracture mechanics analyses using SMART Crack Growth. You will learn how to use Slice and Symmetry Region to model planar symmetry for a cracked plate with tensile loading. You will also learn how to apply fracture criteria based on stress intensity factors (SIFs) or energy release rates (ERRs) in Ansys Mechanical.

CFD Software 

Ansys Fluent and Ansys CFX are software products that provide computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solutions for modeling fluid flow and heat transfer phenomena. Ansys Fluent and Ansys CFX can handle various types of fluid flow problems, such as laminar or turbulent, compressible or incompressible, steady or transient, etc. Ansys Fluent and Ansys CFX can also simulate various types of fluids, such as gases, liquids, multiphase, reacting, etc.

To model symmetry in Ansys Fluent and Ansys CFX, you need to use some special features and capabilities that are available in the software. Some of these features are:

• Symmetry Boundary Condition: This is a feature that allows you to define and apply symmetry boundary conditions to your model based on the type and plane of symmetry. Symmetry boundary condition can be used to model planar symmetry, cylindrical symmetry, spherical symmetry, or sector symmetry. Symmetry boundary condition can also visually expand the results to show the full model for symmetric cases.
• Slice: This is a feature that allows you to cut or split your model into smaller parts or slices based on a plane or a surface. Slice can be used to create symmetric parts or sectors from an original model. Slice can also preserve the material properties and mesh quality of the original model.
• Coordinate System: This is a feature that allows you to create and align local coordinate systems based on the geometry or orientation of your model. Coordinate System can be used to define the direction and location of loads, supports, boundaries, or other features in your model. Coordinate System can also be used to specify the plane or axis of symmetry for your model.

I see that you want to see some examples of how to use symmetry in Ansys CFX and Ansys Fluent. Symmetry is a property of a system or a phenomenon that remains unchanged under certain transformations, such as reflection, rotation, or translation. Symmetry can be used to simplify the modeling and analysis of complex fluid flow problems by reducing the size and complexity of the model. Symmetry can also improve the accuracy and efficiency of the solution by eliminating unnecessary degrees of freedom and reducing numerical errors.

Ansys CFX and Ansys Fluent are software products that provide computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solutions for modeling fluid flow and heat transfer phenomena. Ansys CFX and Ansys Fluent can handle various types of fluid flow problems, such as laminar or turbulent, compressible or incompressible, steady or transient, etc. Ansys CFX and Ansys Fluent can also simulate various types of fluids, such as gases, liquids, multiphase, reacting, etc.

To use symmetry in Ansys CFX and Ansys Fluent, you need to use some special features and capabilities that are available in the software. Some of these features are:

• Symmetry Boundary Condition: This is a feature that allows you to define and apply symmetry boundary conditions to your model based on the type and plane of symmetry. Symmetry boundary condition can be used to model planar symmetry, cylindrical symmetry, spherical symmetry, or sector symmetry. Symmetry boundary condition can also visually expand the results to show the full model for symmetric cases.
• Slice: This is a feature that allows you to cut or split your model into smaller parts or slices based on a plane or a surface. Slice can be used to create symmetric parts or sectors from an original model. Slice can also preserve the material properties and mesh quality of the original model.
• Coordinate System: This is a feature that allows you to create and align local coordinate systems based on the geometry or orientation of your model. Coordinate System can be used to define the direction and location of loads, supports, boundaries, or other features in your model. Coordinate System can also be used to specify the plane or axis of symmetry for your model.

Here are some examples of how to use these features to model symmetry in Ansys CFX and Ansys Fluent for different types of problems:

• Show Symmetry at CFD-POST (Results): This is a forum thread that shows how to use Symmetry Boundary Condition to model planar symmetry and sector symmetry for a half structure with an obstacle in the flow. You will learn how to set Symmetry (at Z axis) in Ansys Fluent, how to enable Beta Options in Workbench, and how to visually expand symmetry results in CFD-POST.
• ANSYS Fluent Tutorial | Parametric Analysis In ANSYS Fluent | ANSYS Fluent Beginners Tutorial | CFD: This is a video that shows how to use Slice and Coordinate System to model planar symmetry for an airfoil with angle of attack variation. You will learn how to slice a 2D body into a half body in Ansys SpaceClaim, how to create a Cartesian coordinate system in Ansys Fluent, how to apply inlet velocity and outlet pressure boundary conditions in Ansys Fluent, and how to post-process the results using parametric analysis.

I hope these examples help you learn how to use symmetry in Ansys CFX, Fluent and Mechanical. If you have any questions or feedback, please let me know. 😊

If U want learn some other interested topics about Ansys, check links below:

How to define Joint in Ansys Static Structural and examples to use

Types of contacts on Ansys Static Structural and examples to use

What is conjugate heat transfer and how to use in Ansys Fluent