Actran 2023

Release Highlights

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 Actran 2023
NVH
ActranVI and Meshing o Improved automatic subsystem generation in
o Computation frequencies given as octave and
Virtual SEA
third-octave bands
o Subsystem definition based on PID in Virtual
o Nastran file import improvements
SEA
o New plotting options for WaterfallViewer
o Radiated Power per Subsystem in Virtual SEA
o New modal recombination tool in ActranVI
o New mass computation Tool 2023 o Automatic coupling for trims
o Material encryption
o Audio player in Actran
o New quantities for NVH post-processing
o Automatic backup of projects
o New & improved meshing tools
o Support of non-ASCII characters (unicode) in
Actran
o Auralisation for unsteady signals

Workflow Manager Aeroacoustics

o TL-based SEA in Workflow Manager o Aeroacoustic surface for fan noise
o Sound quality metrics o Detection of entropy modes for
o Virtual SEA​ simulation based on Nastran turbomachinery
Super-Elements ​
 ActranVI and Meshing

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 Computation frequencies given as octave and third-octave bands

• What:
Frequencies per band
• It is now possible to define octave and third octave Type of band
bands as computation frequencies Band starts at Band ends at
• The user needs to specify the minimal and maximal
frequency of interest, as well as the desired number of
frequency per octave/third octave band

• Key benefits:
• Easier definition of computation frequencies when
octave and third-octave bands are of interest

• For whom:
• All Actran users 3 frequencies/band
10 frequencies/band

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 Nastran file import improvements 2022.1 2023

• What:
• Smarter creation of PID domains for each type of Nastran card
are Element set
• Property identifiers used when available (PSOLID, PSHELL, etc...) Naming
• For Nastran cards without associated PID (RBE2/3, CELAS2, SPC,
DAREA, FORCE, MOMENT, etc..), hardcoded values are assigned
• Better handling of Nastran PID conflicts
• More consistent element set naming

• Key benefits:
• More robust BDF import and parsing
• Improved ActranVI data tree user experience
• Backward compatibility is preserved

• For whom:
• All Actran users that use the BDF format Handling
PID conflict

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 More control

New plotting options for WaterfallViewer

• What:
• Addition of new options for contour plots such as different
colormaps, grid, and more granular controls of plot appearance
• Improved visualisation of MAC Correlation and Participation
Improved visualisation
Factor Computation plots
Participation factors

• Key benefits:
• Improved visualisation capabilities through new options
• Get more insight by creating better plots through more granular
controls

• For whom:
• WaterfallViewer users

MAC Correlation
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 New modal recombination tool in ActranVI

• What:
• A new tool for recombining modes and
participation factors to obtain vibration results
• After recombination, the vibration results can
be visualised in ActranVI

• Key benefits: Mode File

• Fast and easy visualisation of the real
vibrations for various frequencies and
loadcases

• For whom: Participation

factors file(s)
• All vibro-acoustic users (Modal Elastic,
BC_MESH)
Frequency

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 New mass computation Tool

• What:
• A new tool for calculating the mass of various
components based on their geometry and material
properties

• Key benefits:
• Easy and fast check for verifying the model before
running it
• Excellent for catching unit mismatch issues
• Easy comparison of different model setups

• For whom:
• All users

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Audio player in Actran

• What:
• An audio player is now integrated integrated in Actran
• Available in PLTViewer and in the Sound
Quality Workflow
• Looping options and slider available

• Key benefits:
• You can directly listen to a result after generating it
without leaving Actran

• For whom:
• All users

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New quantities for NVH post-processing

• What:
• Two new quantities supported in the PCH and HDF5
reader
• Normal Velocity
• Dynamic Stiffness

• Key benefits:
• A more complete experience for Nastran NVH post-
processing PLTViewer

• For whom:
• All Nastran users

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 Support of non-ASCII characters (unicode) in Actran

• What:
• Support of non-ASCII characters: é,生,😄, etc.
• Inside an Actran analysis (PID, Domain, Component names,
etc.)
• Actran native files (*.edat, *.plt, *.sess etc.)
• Backward compatibility with ASCII
• Moving from ASCII to Unicode file encoding using the
UTF-8 encoding scheme

• Key benefits:
• Use your own language when naming files and parts,
even if it does not follow the Latin alphabet

• For whom:
• Basically, all the users who use non-ASCII characters;
especially users from Asia

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 Multiple signals to be combined

Auralisation for unsteady signals

• What:
• Auralization from multiple time signals
• Used typically on unsteady signals, such as engine
ramp-up
• Performs many Fourier transforms on small windows of
the time signal, typically with overlapping
Reconstructed
• Applies windowing functions to eliminate the edge time signal for
effects and artificial broadband noise related to it auralisation
• Fading at the beginning and at the end of the time signal
can be taken into account
• Key benefits:
• Reliable reconstruction of original time signal on
What the algorithm applies
windowed, multi-time-domain analyses results

• For whom:
• All Actran users who wish to auralise results
Overlap

Original signal Original signal split Windowing is

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into subsignals applied
Various graphical improvements

Automatic backup of projects New & improved meshing tools

• What: • What:
• Automatic save of ActranVI state in a dedicated • New meshing tool: Divide by angle is used to split a
project (.apf format) 2D mesh into multiple PIDs based on a maximum
• Time interval between each backup is controlled by a angle between the faces
user setting • Users can now select to suppress, keep or output only
• The .apf can be retrieved in the report directory interfaces when using the Skin meshing tool

• Key benefits: • Key benefits:

• Recover data in case of crashes or computer shut • Improved user experience when dealing with meshing
down operations
• Recover point in case of destructive operations made
by mistake (delete of a mesh, …) • For whom:
• All users
• For whom:
• All users
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 NVH

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 Improved automatic subsystem generation in Virtual SEA
Coefficient = 1.0

• What:
• New options to create subsystems automatically
by:
• Specifying the number of frequencies for the energetic
database creation, allowing to reduce drastically the
computation cost
• Specifying a tolerance coefficient to control the patch
grouping in subsystems, allowing to have a coarser or
finer subsystem definition Coefficient = 0.5
• The user can change this coefficient without recreating
the energetic database, allowing him to have a new
subsystem configuration in a few seconds only

Energetic database creation timing [minutes]

• Key benefits:
20
• Up to 75%-time gain for the database creation 3x faster
• Better control on the generated subsystems 15

• For whom: 10
• All Actran Virtual SEA users
5

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Actran 2022.1 Actran 2023
 Subsystem definition based on PID in Virtual SEA
User definition Multi PID car door
• What:
• Define the subsystem partition based on a
list of PID domains or a range of PID
domains

• Key benefits:
• Ease the definition of subsystem for Virtual
SEA models by easily grouping PIDs
together in one subsystem
• Speed up the model definition for models
where subsystems correspond to PID
domains (no need to select manually the
elements anymore)

• For whom:
• Virtual SEA analysis users

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Subsystem definition
 Radiated Power per Subsystem in Virtual SEA

• What:
• Evaluate the radiated power per subsystem
coupled to a radiating surface
Radiating Surface

• Key benefits:
• Evaluate real radiated power per subsystem
and consider the radiation efficiency based on
pellicular modes
• Consider the Radiated Power with or without
treatment
• Identify the subsystem with the highest radiated
power Acoustic Treatment Definition
• Test and modify trim configurations to
counteract strongly radiating subsystems to
reduce noise

• For whom:
• Transmission and insulation
• Acoustic Radiation
• Acoustic Treatment High Frequency Evaluation

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 Automatic coupling for trims
Automatic Coupling
For Fluid / Structure Coupling

• What: Automatic Coupling

• Automatically create the coupling surfaces For Fluid/Trim and Structure/Trim
for structure and cavity in a
fluid/structure/trim model

• Key benefits:
• Drastically reduce the modeling time for
large fluid/structure/trim models, by creating
automatically the coupling surfaces
Structure
• Automated coupling surfaces can be
visualised and modified

• For whom: Cavity Acoustic Trims

• Trimmed Body Interior Noise

• Cabin noise
• EVTOL interior noise
• Structure-borne and Airborne interior vehicle
noise

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Automatically Created Coupling Surfaces
For Fluid/Trim and Structure/Trim
Material encryption in ActranVI

• What:
• Actran allows to exchange material data in order to perform acoustic
simulations without giving access to material properties Material encryption
• The material will thus be encrypted and decrypted at solver stage in ActranVI
only, with no possibility to recover the corresponding properties

• Key benefits:
• Keep your confidential materials safe by sharing an analysis with
encrypted material properties or a material file
• No material properties are disclosed, and the solver does not output
the properties at any point

• For whom:
• Users working with confidential material properties Material
encryption in
ActranVI

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 Aeroacoustics

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 Aeroacoustic surface for fan noise

• What:
• Streamlining of the coupling line process for fan
noise
• Automation of the coupling line creation to sample data
in static and rotating domain
• A user defined sampling surface can be provided to
sample data in static domain Lighthill surface
• Feasibility to compute Lighthill/Mohring surface at
any location in CFD domain

• Key benefits:
• Significant simplification of the coupling line
creation process by eliminating the need to define
one
• Faster modeling preparation for fan noise with
minimal fine-tuning
Aeroacoustic Surface
• For whom:
• Fan noise

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 Acoustic
waves
Direct noise
Detection of entropy modes for turbomachinery
combustion
chamber

• What:
Indirect Noise
• The amplitude of entropy modes can be easily extracted from CFD
results Entropy waves
• The extracted amplitudes can then be used as an input to an active
disk model or DGM model duct component.
============== Entropy Modes ==============
n * m * Amp(A) * Pha(A) * I
• Key benefits: ============= Plane 1 [0,0,0.1934] ===========
• More complete workflow for the Cumpsty model 1 0 9.98836e-01 2.57862e+00 2.80151e-03
2 0 9.53921e-01 2.98128e+00 2.24672e-03
• Automation of the entropy input computation from CFD results 3 0 3.43356e-01 -2.03650e+00 1.94844e-04
4 0 4.61287e-01 1.86210e+00 1.48110e-04
1 1 3.23957e-15 -2.55959e+00 2.93543e-32
• For whom: 2 1 2.72082e-15 1.71337e+00 1.81941e-32
3 1 2.49494e-15 1.73171e+00 1.02378e-32
• Combustion Noise 4 1 4.39462e-16 1.76580e+00 1.33399e-34
• Turbomachinery 1 -1 2.99577e-15 1.40133e+00 2.51023e-32
2 -1 3.39265e-15 1.32679e+00 2.82885e-32
3 -1 8.77856e-16 -1.12236e+00 1.26746e-33
4 -1 1.24298e-15 -1.22183e+00 1.06719e-33
1 2 9.85276e-15 2.92323e+00 2.68381e-31
2 2 9.66358e-15 -4.20710e-01 2.26344e-31
3 2 8.38236e-15 2.84705e+00 1.13879e-31
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 Actran Workflow Manager

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TL-based SEA in Workflow Manager

• What:
• A SEA model can be defined based on
• Transmission Loss (TL) data
• Damping or absorption coefficient data
• The setup of the model is done via the Actran
Workflow Manager

• Key benefits:
• Build a system-level SEA analysis based on
component-level data
• Guided & visual approach to results
• Rapid evaluation and iterations in seconds

• For whom:
• Component manufacturers which want to build a
system-level analysis

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Sound quality metrics

• What:
• Sound quality metrics have been introduced in
PLTViewer and through a dedicated workflow
• Time & Spectrogram displays
• Psychoacoustics metrics*:
• Loudness - ISO 532
• Sharpness - DIN 45692
• Roughness - Daniel & Weber
• Tonality - PR / TNR
• Speech Intelligibility

• Key benefits:
• Detailed subjective sound and noise analysis can
now be performed within Actran

• For whom:
• All users
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 Virtual SEA simulation based on Nastran Super-Elements
SEA subsystems definition - Mesh SOL103
- Analysis parameters
• What: - Subsystem definition
• Automatically link Nastran and Actran with a new workflow in the - BULK SEA
Actran Workflow Manager Launching…
• Take advantage of Nastran super elements as sub-system partitions SE_X Workflow Manager
SE_3
SE_2
SE_1

• Key benefits:
• Use the Virtual SEA approach within the Nastran environment
• Direct availability of the super element stiffness and mass matrices
Assembly
• Only the interface dofs (A-Set) + internal modal dofs (Q-Set) Super-Elements Modes & K/M matrices
exported during the assembly Decomposition Extraction
K/M matrices per SE
• Modifications in residual or SE do not imply the re-computation of the
other SE.

• For whom:
SEA_RUN
• Any Virtual SEA application based on an existing Nastran structural SEA_MODEL
PIM
model CLF/DLF matrix

𝜂
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 Download, installation and
licensing

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Download, installation and licensing

• Actran 2023 is available on MSC Software Download Center: https://mscsoftware.flexnetoperations.com/

• Supported Platforms:
Windows 64-bit Linux 64-bit

Windows 10 RHEL-7 Suse-12*

RHEL-8 Suse-15
Windows 11
* GPU acceleration is not supported on
this operating system

• Licensing requirements:
• MSC Licensing Helium - V11.16.3.0
• Licenses under current valid maintenance contract and running Actran version should not be upgraded

• Contact our support at [email protected] for any questions

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 Actran 2023
Download it now!

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