Algor or Cosmos? 4

[TPJ07]

Hello to all,

I need to buy a FEA package for my activity;
Does anyone advice me for Algor or Cosmos?
We design package for oil&gas sector, fire fighting equipment and mechanical components and We have Pro-E and Solidworks.
Thanks

 

[GBor]

We all have our personal opinions, but the greatest advice I have seen from someone on this site was to request a demo of each and test for yourself.

If you just want opinions, would you provide examples of the types of analysis you would do? For instance, if you do linear static analysis, both of these work well. For non-linear or contact, there may be some advantages of one over the other. Thermal? Fluid flow?

Garland E. Borowski, PE
Borowski Engineering & Analytical Services, Inc.
Lower Alabama SolidWorks Users Group
Magnitude The Finite Element Analysis Magazine for the Engineering Community

 

[hansm2]

I would also look at NEi Nastran which has excellent Solidworks integration and also supports Pro/E through a direct interface. I would get a demo disk and also challenge their support group to demo an example similar to your application. Cosmos will have much better integration with Solidworks than Algor. If I am not mistaken NEi is the only other fully integrated FEA tool with Solidworks according to the Solidworks website. If you have a specific reason why it should be either Cosmos or Algor I am recommending Cosmos.

 

[cbrn]

Not so simple... Even getting "only opinions" will start a flamed thread with 1002568 replies and absolutely no conclusion (or, at most, very little conclusions...).
Think of two or three significant analyses you plan to make on a regular basis, and submit them to all the "competitors" you want to discriminate among, by having a call to the respective distributors and asking for a "blind demo", i.e. a demo at your site without letting them know about the subject... Simply call, ask for a demo and then, when the specialist is in front of you with his computer, give him the "test job".
Nobody can judge softwares for YOUR application better than YOU.

Regards

 

[TPJ07]

Hi,

I don't know how I'm going to use the package; For that I need a reliable and expandible package.
At the moment I have to verify statically and dinamically some steel frame, valve body and manifold.
For a centrifugal pump, I have to study the fluid flow in order to optimize the performance of it.Thermal is possible.

Thanks to all

 

[GBor]

This is not a simple package that you are looking for. Thermal fluids, dynamics, what about non-linear? I have used Algor for most (maybe all) of these and I like it. I am also a fan of AMPS (

http://www.ampstech.com

or amps.borowskiengineering.com), which has a similar engine to COSMOS with some modifications for the modern programming language used for AMPS, but no matter what package you choose, you are looking at a pretty good price tag to do all of that (minimally $12k up to about $25k, maybe more). And I would say forget the SolidWorks integration.

All of these packages have ways of getting solid models fairly seamlessly into the FEA package. If you are running complex models, you don't want the overhead of both the FEA package and the CAD package...unless your budget also includes a monster hardware purchase.

I would be concerned about support from COSMOS. From what I hear from the SolidWorks dealers, access to COSMOS tech support is limited even to them. I've heard great things about Noran's support of NEiNastran and I've experienced Algor's support with satisfaction. I provide some of the support for AMPS, so I like to think it is good.

If you are limited to Algor and COSMOS, I think both products do linear statics and thermal well (otherwise, they would be out of business). I haven't used COSMOS for dynamics or fluids. I think Algor's support is better and its future is more stable (COSMOS is owned by the same people that just bought...is it ANSYS?...about a year ago). Cost wise I think they are about the same. I still say get a demo and try them out. Both will provide limited trial versions...actually, I think Algor's is just time limited with all the capabilities unlocked.

 

[cbrn]

Hi,
especially for the CFD part, be careful: none of the softwares you are considering has solid capabilities about that. In integration with SolidWorks, you can find FloWorks but I won't tell you what I think about this software... Like GBor says, I wouldn't consider direct seamless integration a "must". Again, as regards CFD: a "good" CFD unfortunately can cost 1.5 - 3 times the FE package to which it is "linked": forecast 30 k$ only for that. You may save a lot of money if you are only interested on the STATIC (non-rotating, non-moving) parts of your machines, otherwise a correct prediction of the fluid flow will require sliding-mesh, auto-rezoning, coriolis effects, etc etc, and all this is correctly handled only by hi-level CFDs.

Regards, and good luck

 

[ThomasH]

You say that you don't know how you will use the package. Still you want "everything". What is your budget?

I'm also curious if you are very experienced or a complete beginner. Do you have experience with everything you want from the software. If so, why not test both of them?

Good Luck

Thomas

 

[cbrn]

Hi,
I didn't pay attention to this sentence: "I don't know how I'm going to use the package". This is simply absurd. What are your needs? Why do you need FEA instead of other instruments? Which is your field? Where do you feel uncomfortable with the instruments you have right now? Did somebody (a customer, an affiliate, some other...) ask you for data you couldn't provide with the instruments you have? If so, which was this data and what is the FE type of analysis required to produce it?
These questions MUST be answered before you start even planning to buy anything !!!!!
...Because, as ThomasH said, what you are expecting from the package is, currently, "everything"... I know a software which would suit your "needs", unfortunately it's not in your list and unfortunately with the modules you'd "need" it would cost more than 150 k$ (probably around 300 k$ is a better estimate...).

Regards

 

[TPJ07]

Hi,

I'm not a " complete biginner" but, until now, the FE analisys was performed by an external office of my company.
When I say "I don't know how I'm going to use the package" I mean that I need an expandible package so in the future I will can upgrade it for more complex analisys than now.
It's very difficult to find the best solution in FEA when you work for a wide range of fields and customers.
For this reason I hope that someone could help me!...my budget is 20/25 k$.

many thanks

regards

 

[gurmeet2003]

Go for ABAQUS.

Gurmeet

 

[cbrn]

Hi,
Gurmeet, the O.P. asked a "precise" question about two precise softwares.
It's not our business to tell him which are OUR preferences (so I won't tell which is the software I implicitely mentioned some posts above...), rather to give advices on how HE can discriminate among the two HE is interested in, and/or offer DOCUMENTED alternatives, if any. Otherwise, this will become a flamed thread just like a huge quantity of others on the same subject and if so I'd ask the moderators to red-flag the entire thread. It would be another thing if you had at least mentioned why you advice ABAQUS and, moreover, IF it is within the O.P.'s budget...

Regards