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Collisions. Earthquakes. Soil movement. Blasts. Structures need to withstand the sudden deformations challenging environments and events can cause. We model the deep physics of these non-linear events, helping design risk out and performance in.
Digital detail
We work with finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics and blast analysis tools. Accelerating computer power has transformed the abilities and value of these tools.
In modelling, detail translates into confidence. A structure modelled with a few hundred elements 30 years ago might have 20 million elements today. The more closely we can model the granular reality of the world, the more confident we can be that our simulations capture every critical risk.
Modelling, like gaming, has always operated at the limits of what graphics cards can deliver. We are using advances in graphics to create compelling, animated visualisations. They provide an accessible medium to engage investors and owners in the physics of the assets we model.
Supporting better design
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) at Arup applies advanced analysis to solve real-world challenges. From understanding how gases and fluids move and interact, to producing robust predictions about the performance of untested ideas, CFD can bring design innovation in reach.
Learn more about CFDCo-creating smarter tools
We have been working with finite element analysis tool LS-DYNA for over 35 years. It is a highly capable solver for the complex, real world problems we model. We partner with its developer to create powerful new applications and tools, modelling materials in ever greater detail: from modern high strength composites to centuries old masonry and ground with millions of years of history.
Building accurate models is time consuming. We have written our own code to automate many of the steps involved, speeding up the scale and precision of the virtual assets we test. For a project in the Netherlands, for example, automation has enabled us to model multiple individual buildings that could be subject to risk of earth tremors due to nearby gas extraction. Without automation, this level of detail – and the level of confidence in our analysis – would never be possible.
As we increase the capabilities of our modelling tools, we partner with universities that are running new, advanced tests. We sense-check the analysis of our tools against these tests results to keep the vital link between modelling sophistication and the real world forces they simulate.
Modelling imagination
Challenging projects need unusual approaches and solutions. Modelling can not only validate ambitious designs. It creates a dialogue between simulation and design. It can suggest forms that push the edges of design, delivering high-performing structures in imaginative new ways. Furthermore, the designs that are informed and validated by detailed modelling can often be more economical than purely code-based designs.
The powerful modelling tools we work with are allowing human intelligence to do more, but they remain just that: tools. We use our deep domain knowledge in structures, materials and soils to validate the narratives told by simulation results.
We use that same experience to frame the requirements for a project from the outset. Our insights become a central part of the design brief, helping clients get more right first time and reducing the iterations of design.
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