EUROPLEXUS: Tutorials for beginner

Short introduction into the capabilities of EUROPLEXUS (or EPX). Presentation of the connected software for meshing and postprocessing and how to acquire a license.

The video shows how to create a simple mesh with the LS-PrePost tool, used mainly for LS-Dyna models, but it can also be used with EPX.

EPX does not provide a visual interface tool and can be run exclusively through a command file in a text format (.epx extension). It has an easily understandable structure and this video presents how to construct a command file for a simple example. More specific command files are presented in videos: “Impact simulation”, “Blast simulation” and “Fluid-structure interaction simulation”.

We present the most common material models: linear elastic and Von Mises constitutive laws. In addition, we also describe a specific model for concrete behaviour under fast dynamic loading (DPDC). For all these material laws, the video explains the meaning of the main parameters.

For structural analyses we mainly use solid, shell or beam finite elements. The video briefly explains how to select a FE formulation and how to input additional properties (e.g. thickness for shells).

Paraview is one of the most convenient tools for post-processing of EPX results. The video demonstrates how to apply the most common visualization functionalities.

The video presents a simple impact case study, by using the basic features introduced in the first videos and by explaining how to define a unilateral contact condition in EPX.

The video shows how to apply a blast load on a plate structure. The approach uses an analytical description of the air blast wave and does not require the modelling of the fluid.

Contrary to the “Blast simulation” example, here we address analyses where both the fluid and the structure need to be modelled. For this purpose, we present a fluid-structure coupling method based on “embedded boundaries”, where the fluid and the structure are meshed independently.