The additive design methodology itself is quite straightforward. It is however highly repetitive. Perform a simulation, identify a maximum temperature location, extend the geometry at that point, if thermal efficiency decreases then repeat. To appreciate and to evolve the approach I began by manually performing a number of the initial steps myself. Solve in FloTHERM, sort … [Read more...]

  The shape of the small piece of geometry that is added so as to successively ‘relieve’ the design determines the overall ‘jaggedness’ of the final geometry. A square section rod can only lead to a stair-stepped representation of angled portions of the shape, at worse resulting in a 41% increase (2/root2) in surface area in those regions. Increase in surface area, thus … [Read more...]

  Adrian Bejan’s Constructal Law states: “For a finite-size system to persist in time (to live), it must evolve in such a way that it provides easier access to the imposed currents that flow through it.” This can be seen at play in both animate and inanimate systems, from trees to lighting, from river systems to lungs. Such persistent systems tend to carry something … [Read more...]