User Manual

Geometry - Element Links:

This feature is used to represent a wire or a similar electrical or thermal connection without physically creating the object geometry. The elements links menu can be accessed through the geometry menu located at the top of the main menu bar.

Create / Modify One / Modify Mult: Modify One provides all of the links and lets you choose and modify an individual link. Modify Multiple lets you select the types of links you want to look at (Thermal, Electrical, Point to Point, Point to Fixed) and then you can modify multiple links of the same type.

Thermal / Electrical: a link can be thermal and/or electrical.

Point to Point / Fixed: Point to Point is to create a link to and from physical points that exist in the model. This can be done by nodes, surfaces, or XYZ locations. Point to Fixed is used to associate a node, surfaces, or an XYZ location to a fixed temperature and/or voltage (depending on whether the link is electrical and/or thermal)
Region 1: The first region can either be associated to a node, a set of surfaces, or an XYZ point. Use Selection Controls to select a surface or XYZ point on the graphics window. Clicking in the surfaces textbox first will make the region selected (rather than Region 2).
Region 2 (Point to Point): similar to Region 1, the second point can be associated to a node, XYZ point, and a surface. It can only be associated to one surface though. Use selection controls to click a surface or XYZ point on the graphics window. Clicking in the surface textbox will make this region the active one for selection clicking.
Region 2 (Point to Fixed): If the link is Point to Fixed, this region will be a value that is linked to the region 1 point. Thermal links will have a Temperature value and Electrical links will have a Voltage value
Wire Size: specify a cross section area and a material. the optimal length is optional.
Resistance: Enter the thermal or electrical resistance for the link. This can be either constant or variable. The variation is defined through a function or table under the BCs menu.
Reference Coordinate Frame: Each link can be associated to a coordinate frame.
Include in Analysis: this specifies that this link will be used when running the solver