Improvements

Issues Short description of the source problem resolved in this version
Co-Simulation FX-27275 In this version, the H3D export has been improved and a major speed-up should be observed.
Data Import/Export context FX-24353

The old mechanical analysis context is now completely superseded by the Data Import/Export context in Flux 2023. This means that it may no longer be accessed through the user interface from Flux 2023 onwards, even in advanced mode. Its legacy documentation has also been removed from the user guide.

Please remember that technical support for this old mechanical analysis context is no longer being provided since Flux 2022.3, and that discovered issues related to its use are no longer being fixed. Users still using this module are once again kindly invited to move to the Data Import/Export context.
Data Import/Export context FX-27024

The automatic name convention for the nodal and elementary results issued from Data Visualizers in the Data Import/Export context has evolved. As a reminder, their names are visible and selectable by the user while interacting with values located at nodes or elements, either through the tools available in the menu "Data Visualizer > Results and curves on one point" or by selecting a nodal or elementary result displayed in the main Graphic window with the "Select Elementary data" button of the toolbar.

Previously, the following naming style was adopted (for elementary and nodal results issued from a parent data collection named DATACOLLECTION_1):

'DATACOLLECTION_1_in_element_1000' and

'DATACOLLECTION_1_at_node_500'.

From Flux 2023 onwards, the same results are named as follows:

'Element_1000_in_Part_"name"' and

'Node_500_in_Part_"name"',

in which "name" is an internal identifier created by Flux, that may be either the name of a data support, the name of a region or a number.
Data Import/Export context FX-25266 From version 2023 onwards, a .H3D file exported from the Data Import / Export context (Data export menu > Export to HyperView > New) may contain results issued from more than one data collection. This new possibility simplifies the set-up of Multiphysics simulations involving Flux. Remark that the data collections to be exported to a single file must be defined on the same collection interval and must also share identical rebuild and extrusion options. The data is defined at elements nodes or in elements for each Flux region.
Data Import/Export context FX-23364 In the Data Import/Export context, it is now possible to create data supports that are no longer restricted to a single mechanical set. This new possibility allows users to create one single data collection and to export a single .FEM file containing force results evaluated on more than one mechanical set (typically, the rotor and stator of an electrical machine) with the Generalized Projective Method. Consequently, merging .FEM files issued from two force data collections evaluated on two data supports (one for each mechanical set) is no longer required in the context of NVH computations with structural analysis software such as Optistruct.
Documentation FX-27059 The process described in the cookbook "How to experiment with NumPy in Flux" was not working for some users.

We changed the process and updated the cookbook to try and make it work for more users.

That said, using NumPy in Flux is still an experimental feature which is not qualified with Flux because Flux is using Jython (a Python interpreter based on Java) and the NumPy library is not officially supported on Jython.
Documentation FX-26998 In the documentation about Flux e-Machine Toolbox - Workflows, some information has been added to explain more precisely how, in PBS, after the computation is finished, to create the archive (.zip file) with the three files (EFF_AVG.CSV, EFF_RMS.CSV and TestInput.properties) needed afterwards for FeMT.
Documentation FX-27031 The 2D Example - Application Note - Single Phase Induction Machine - has been updated: some information has been added to give more details about the motor steady state.
Licensing FX-27279 In case of invalid license file, Flux truncated the log message to ten lines, thus making it difficult to identify the error cause in some specific situations. The error management has been improved in Flux 2023 and the log message can now allow up to 4096 characters.
Flux e-Machine Toolbox FX-27623 Since Flux e-Machine Toolbox version 2022.3 the computation of a test with the distribution was using values set in FluxSupervisor to set 'the number of concurrent Flux' and 'the number of cores per Flux'.

Since FEMT 2023 these values can be defined in environment variables:

FLUX_PARAM_MAXJOBS : to set the number of concurrent Flux

FLUX_PARAM_NCORES : to set the number of cores per Flux

If these variables are set in the environment, they are used instead of the values set in FluxSupervisor.
Material Identification FX-24330 The Bertotti part of the Material Identification tool available from the Flux Supervisor has been improved with the new field "Bmax upper limit (T) for estimated plots". It enables the user to extend (or to limit) the estimated model plots beyond (or beneath) the values contained in the imported measurement files.
Modeler FX-26904 Since a few versions of Flux, there is a feature in the modeler which allows to detect if the modeler objects are in collision and in which case there would be a problem when meshing the device afterwards. This command is "Detect geometric interferences".

With the default mesher, MeshGems, these interferences (collisions) are not detected because volumes are meshed one by one.

However, with the Flux mesher, Delaunay, the "mesh domain" will come out in error.

So an improvement has been added in Flux 2023: a new check "Interference between solid objects" is done when running the "Check Geometry" command.
Parallel Computing FX-27314 The parallel computing option page of Flux Supervisor has been simplified. The distribution table was removed and the help texts have been reworked.
Parallel Computing FX-26584 The use of the distributed solvers used to require a correct hostfile definition to work properly. In the last version we made it possible to use distributed solvers if no hostfile was defined, using the local configuration. In this version, we also support the use of distributed solvers if a hostfile exists but is empty, as it could sometimes occur.
Parallel Computing FX-26947 Improvements in Altair PBS application definition package for a better integration and improved error handling.
Physics FX-24124

The behavior of the “Convert current application” tool has been improved in projects containing solid conductors (in Flux 2D, Skew and 3D). Previously, a solid conductor region was converted to an inactive region when the user performed an application change from Transient Magnetic to Magneto Static or from Steady State AC Magnetic to Magneto Static. Now, Flux will convert the solid conductor region to a magnetic non conducting region instead and the converted region will keep its original material.

Moreover, if the solid conductor region is described by a magnet material and has its magnetization oriented in the original application, Flux now will also keep that orientation in the converted magnetic non conducting region. Remark that this is only possible in the case of a conversion from Transient Magnetic to Magneto Static, since magnets are not available in Steady State AC Magnetic applications.
Physics FX-26914 In addition to the existing magneto-mechanical model described by a B(Stress) material property, Flux now provides a new module in the Material Identification tool (available in Flux Supervisor) to help users represent the magnetic behavior of steel sheets subjected to mechanical cutting (e.g., punching) through a different approach.

The inputs of this new Compose-based module are magnetic measurements performed in two differently cut samples of an electrical steel sheet: a narrow strip and a wide strip. From these, the built-in method identifies two equivalent materials with B(H) properties of type "Isotropic spline saturation." The first material represents the B(H) property of the zone degraded by the cutting, and the second represents the B(H) property of the remaining intact parts. The width of the degraded zone is also yielded by the new module, and all these results may be easily introduced in a Flux project through a PyFlux file generated with the tool. Remark that, to proceed, the user will need to create an appropriate geometry that explicitly represents the zone degraded by cutting (characterized by the identified width) and a contiguous intact zone. These must then be properly meshed and assigned to regions, each one characterized by one of the identified materials.

Finally, users that do not dispose of magnetic measurements or that do not want to work with more elaborate geometries and meshes may continue to model the effects of mechanical cutting through a material with a magneto mechanical property B(Stress), which is available since Flux 2022.3.
Physics FX-25146 The visualization of the B(H) magnetic property of materials with the “New 2D curve (Material) B(H)” command has been improved in Flux 2023.

In Steady State AC applications, and in the case of materials with a B(H) property of types: "Isotropic analytic saturation", "Isotropic analytic saturation + knee adjustment" and "Isotropic spline saturation", displaying the B(H) curve with that command will not only show the original B(H) curve described by the user, but will now also exhibit the equivalent B(H) curve used in the computations, if the user decided to use one while describing his material.

Remember that the use of an equivalent B(H) curve in Steady State AC applications ensures an energy equivalence between the magneto harmonic computation results (which are obtained based on an implicit linearity hypothesis between the magnetic flux density B and the magnetic field intensity H) and the real non-linear behavior of the material (further details in the user guide).
Physics FX-25832 The visualization of the B(H) magnetic property of a material has been improved. In the case of materials containing a magneto-mechanical property “B(Stress)”, Flux can now display the influence of an equivalent uniaxial stress on the shape of its B(H) constitutive relation. To achieve this, the user must provide a list of stress values while creating the “2D curve (Material)” entity, in a way that is similar to the procedure already available to display the influence of temperature on the B(H) property. This feature is only available in Flux 2D and for materials containing a B(H) magnetic property of type “Isotropic analytic saturation + knee adjustment”.
Physics FX-27120 Until version 2022.3, Flux provided its users with two versions of a Bertotti model identification tool in the form of Excel spreadsheets. These deprecated tools were available in the "\Flux\DocExamples\Tools\" directory of the Flux installation folder and coexisted with the newer, recommended, up-to-date, Compose-based module of the Flux Material Identification tool dedicated to the same purpose. In Flux 2023, these legacy Excel tools are no longer available, since they are now completely superseded by their newer Compose counterpart.
Solving FX-26546 The IJCG solver is no longer supported from this version and it will be replaced automatically by PETSc for older projects.
Solving FX-27003 Performance improvements for the topological matrix build.
Solving FX-26441 When solving an optimization problem, the Optistruct window will now be visible, giving informations on the ongoing optimization process. This will allow the user to monitor the progress of the optimization, and to kill the process by closing the window or using CTRL+C command.
Wording FX-26229 The names of two B(H) magnetic properties have been simplified in Flux. More specifically, B(H) properties "Isotropic analytic saturation (arctg, 2 coef.)" and "Isotropic analytic saturation + knee adjustment (arctg, 3 coef.)" are now simply called "Isotropic analytic saturation" and "Isotropic analytic saturation + knee adjustment."

Moreover, the input parameter "Saturation magnetization (T)" of several subtypes of B(H) magnetic properties has been renamed with the more appropriate term "Saturation magnetic polarization (T)".

These name modifications have taken place not only in Flux's GUI, but also in the Compose-based Material Identification tool, the Material Manager tool and in the user guide. The corresponding python commands have not been modified, so all user scripts remain fully compatible after these changes.