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Tutorials
Tutorials show you how to use Simcenter STAR-CCM+ for various applications in a step-by-step format with recommendations for setup, initialization and steps of the solution process specific to the application. Macro and simulation files are available for download for a large proportion of cases.
Motion
The tutorials in this set illustrate various STAR-CCM+ features for simulating problems with moving geometries and meshes, dynamic fluid body interaction, and rigid body motion:
Marine Resistance Prediction: KCS Hull with a Rudder
This tutorial demonstrates the workflow for setting up a resistance prediction simulation for a marine application.
Visualization and Data Analysis
Here, you create several plots and graphs for visualizing the results.
Visualizing the Propagation of the Free Water Surface
You can plot the free water surface to get a good visual representation of the effect of hull resistance on the surrounding flow.

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Tutorials
Tutorials show you how to use Simcenter STAR-CCM+ for various applications in a step-by-step format with recommendations for setup, initialization and steps of the solution process specific to the application. Macro and simulation files are available for download for a large proportion of cases.
- Using Tutorial Macros and Files
  Macros, input files, and final simulation files for a range of tutorials are provided as an optional download package on the Support Center website. These macros and final simulation files are provided as an aid to the written tutorials, so that you can check your final results against the downloaded files, or against a simulation that is built and run using the macros.
- Introduction
  Welcome to the Simcenter STAR-CCM+ introductory tutorial. In this tutorial, you explore the important concepts and workflow. Complete this tutorial before attempting any others.
- Foundation Tutorials
  The foundation tutorials showcase the major features of Simcenter STAR-CCM+ in a series of short tutorials.
- Geometry
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for creating and working with parts and 3D-CAD.
- Mesh
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various STAR-CCM+ features for building CFD meshes.
- Incompressible Flow
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for incompressible fluid flows as well as porosity and solution recording
- Compressible Flow
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for compressible fluid flows as well as harmonic balance.
- Heat Transfer and Radiation
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for heat transfer, radiation, and thermal comfort.
- Multiphase Flow
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for simulating multiphase fluid flow problems
- Discrete Element Method
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for simulating Discrete Element Method problems
- Motion
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various STAR-CCM+ features for simulating problems with moving geometries and meshes, dynamic fluid body interaction, and rigid body motion:
  - Moving Reference Frames: Rotating Fan
    This tutorial outlines the steps that are required to set up and run a rotating radial fan analysis. It uses the Moving Reference Frame model, a steady-state approach that involves two or more frames of reference that can be stationary or moving relative to each other.
  - Rigid Body Motion: Rotating Fan
    This tutorial models the same radial fan problem as the Moving Reference Frames: Rotating Fan tutorial. However, instead of using the steady-state moving reference frame model, this tutorial uses the transient Rigid Body Motion model with actual mesh rotation.
  - DFBI: Lifeboat with Overset Mesh
    This tutorial demonstrates use of the Overset Mesh feature with free surface flow and DFBI to model the motion of a lifeboat falling into water. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ automates the grid overlapping process.
  - DFBI and AMR: Boat In Parameterized Waves
    In Dynamic Fluid-Body Interaction (DFBI) simulations, you can use Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) to dynamically refine the mesh around a moving 6-DOF body based on the computed flow solution.
  - Marine Resistance Prediction: KCS Hull with a Rudder
    This tutorial demonstrates the workflow for setting up a resistance prediction simulation for a marine application.
    - Mesh Generation
      In order to achieve accurate resistance predictions, you are recommended to use trimmed hexahedral meshes with local refinements and prism layers along the walls of the wetted surface. In order to refine the computational mesh only where it is necessary, you create volumetric controls with particular shapes. A particular cell size is then assigned to these volumetric controls.
    - Physical Setup
      Flow resistance simulation is a complex transient multi-physics problem.
    - Visualization and Data Analysis
      Here, you create several plots and graphs for visualizing the results.
      - Visualizing the Propagation of the Free Water Surface
        You can plot the free water surface to get a good visual representation of the effect of hull resistance on the surrounding flow.
      - Visualizing the Wave Pattern
        You can plot the elevation of the free water surface to get a good visual representation of the wake that the hull produces as it moves through the water.
      - Monitoring and Plotting Resistance Data
        The resistance of a ship hull is defined as the force required to tow the ship in calm water at a constant velocity. Generally, a ship is designed to move through the water with as little force as possible. You can create a graph of the hull resistance over time to extract the value of this design parameter of your ship from the simulation. The drag force can be split into the two components: pressure drag and shear drag.
      - Monitoring and Plotting Trim and Sinkage Data
        A ship advancing through water experiences sinkage and trim due to the hydrodynamic forces acting on the ship hull. A towing tank ship model free to sink and trim can experience an increase in resistance. You can create a graph of the trim and sinkage over time to extract the value of this design parameter of your ship from the simulation.
      - Monitoring and Plotting Equilibrium Forces and Moments
        When you employ the equilibrium motion, it is good practice that you monitor the forces and moments in the specified directions of the degrees of freedom acting on the ship hull. These forces and moments approach zero when an equilibrium is reached numerically. Monitoring these forces and moments lets you verify the quality of the equilibrium.
      - Triggering Monitor Updates on Force Convergence
        When you apply the Equilibrium body motion option in a simulation, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ enables an event that triggers when the inner iterations performed by the equilibrium procedure reach their target. By connecting this event to any monitors whose results you are plotting, you can avoid unnecessary plot updates during the simulations.
    - Setting Solver Parameters and Stopping Criteria
      A resistance prediction analysis is a transient simulation for which you must specify the time-step, the number of inner iterations per time-step, and the physical time. Additionally, you can set numerical parameters such as under-relaxation factors to enhance convergence per time-step.
    - Running the Simulation
      You are advised to run this tutorial on a multi-core machine with four cores or more. Depending on the specifications of your computer, this tutorial takes one to two days to complete.
    - Visualizing the Results
      You can follow the progress of the solution using each of the scenes that you created previously.
    - Comparing with Experimental Results
      For the Gothenburg Workshop 2010, experimental results were provided for comparison with simulations.
    - Summary
      This tutorial has introduced the following STAR-CCM+ features:
    - Bibliography
  - Moving Reference Frames: Marine Propeller in Open Water
    This tutorial demonstrates the workflow for setting up an open water simulation for a marine propeller.
  - Body Force Propeller Method: Marine Self-Propulsion
    One of the challenges in marine engineering is to predict the speed with which a ship hull moves through water in response to the thrust supplied by a spinning propeller. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ provides a methodology by which you can predict this speed.
  - Blade Element Method: Helicopter Rotor-Fuselage Interaction
    The rotating main rotor blades of a helicopter generate a complex flow field that leads to periodic aerodynamic loads on the airframe. Because of these aerodynamic loads, the passenger cabin can be subject to noise and vibration. These aerodynamic interactions affect the performance of helicopters and they can cause structural damage. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ provides a method for simulating the flow generated by rotor blades that does not require you to mesh the blades individually. This method allows you to predict the complex flow field around a helicopter taking into account the fuselage and rotor flow field interaction.
  - Morphing: Cylinder with Boundary Motion
    Simcenter STAR-CCM+ contains a Morphing Motion Model that enables you to define motion on boundary surfaces using several methods.
  - Overset Mesh Small Gap Modeling: Lobe Blower
    Rotary lobe blowers are valveless positive-displacement units. Fluid is pumped by two counter-rotating lobes that are mounted on parallel shafts. Fluid enters through the expanding volume at the suction side of the pump. As the lobes continue to rotate, the fluid is compressed between the lobes and the pump casing and hence transported towards the discharge.
  - Trajectory Motion: Paint Dipping of a Chassis on a Fixed Skid
    Paint dipping is a process by which a component is coated with paint in a dipping tank. Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows you to simulate this process and therefore study the effects of different trajectories and component speeds.
  - General Remesh: Gerotor Pump with Small Gap
    A Gerotor pump is a unit with an inner and an outer rotor that have different rotational speeds related to their tooth numbers. The dynamically changing volume between the rotors transports the liquid from inlet to outlet.
- Reacting Flow
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for simulating reacting flows such as combustion.
- Solid Stress
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for computing deformation, strain, and stresses in solid regions. They also show how such computations can be coupled to the fluid behavior in an analysis of fluid-structure interaction.
- Aeroacoustics
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for solving aeroacoustic simulations.
- Electromagnetism
  The following tutorials illustrate features for solving problems that involve electromagnetic fields.
- Electrochemistry
  The following tutorial demonstrates chemical reactions induced by an electrical current.
- Battery
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for setting up a battery model:
- Automation
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ automation and macro features.
- Design Exploration
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various features for running design exploration studies in Design Manager.
- Coupling with CAE Codes
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for coupling with CAE codes:
- Analysis Methods
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for analysing and visualizing simulation data.
- Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder
  The tutorials in this set illustrate features for simulating internal combustion engines in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ using the dedicated add-on Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder.

Visualizing the Propagation of the Free Water Surface

You can plot the free water surface to get a good visual representation of the effect of hull resistance on the surrounding flow.

To visualize the propagation of the free water surface:

Create a contour plot of the volume fraction on the symmetry plane of the domain:
1. Right-click the Scenes node and select New > Scalar.
2. Rename Scalar Scene 1 as FreeSurfaceHull.
3. Click Scene/Plot.
4. Select the Scalar 1 node and set Contour Style to Smooth Filled.
5. Select the Scalar 1 > Parts node and set Parts to Regions > Virtual Towing Tank > Tank.Symmetry.
6. Select the Scalar 1 > Scalar Field node and set Function to Volume Fraction > Volume Fraction of Air.
Click anywhere in the displayed scene and then press s on your keyboard to obtain a side view of the ship and symmetry plane.