CIMNE has just launched the Virtual Lab program which simulates an universal press in a very friendly and intuitive graphical environment based on GiD and in which the user can perform destructive compression, traction, shear and bending tests with normalized or free-form specimens. This code is freely distributed.
Both the standardized test pieces, as well as the most common materials, are defined in the program's database, which facilitates their use. The program also allows the free placement of strain gauges on the specimen.
The analysis is carried out using the FEM-DEM technique developed at CIMNE and which is capable of adequately capturing the trajectory of the cracks and the behaviour of the material during the cracking process.
Mesh generation is semi-automatic, leaving its quality to the user's discretion.
Regarding the results obtained, it is possible to see step by step the levels of cracking, stresses and deformations within the specimen, as well as the graphs that relate the values obtained by the gauges.
«This new program can be a very interesting aid for the study and learning of destructive tests in the laboratory», explains Francisco Zárate, researcher at the Structural Mechanics group of CIMNE, who has developed the software, in conjunction with Diego Aguilera.
