Beam L/D Ratio Diagnostic

The Beam L/D Ratio diagnostic is used to display a diagnostic plot of the length/diameter ratio of all beam elements in the model.

The optimum L/D ratio for cooling channel related beam elements is 2.5. Significantly lower L/D ratios can result in solver convergence warnings in the analysis. Significantly higher L/D ratios may result in solver convergence warnings and a reduction in solution accuracy.

To access this diagnostic, click Beam L/D Ratio (Mesh tab > Mesh Diagnostics panel > Beam L/D Ratio).

Click Show, to open the Diagnostic Navigator and display the results visually. The Diagnostic Navigator appears on the ribbon on the far right side. Click the arrows to move to the next element with a potential problem.

Dialog element Explanation
Minimum Enter the smallest length to diameter ratio that you want to include in the diagnostic results.
Tip: Generally, the optimum L/D value for cooling channel elements is 2.5. You should check for L/D values significantly lower or higher than this value.
Maximum Enter the largest length to diameter ratio that you want to include in the diagnostic results.
Note: Generally, the optimum L/D value for cooling channel elements is 2.5. You should check for L/D values significantly lower or higher than this value.
Display mesh/model Specifies whether to display only the diagnostic results, or to display the model along with the diagnostic results.
Place results in diagnostics layer Specifies whether to store the results of the mesh/surface diagnostic in a layer, separate from other layers. If you select this option, the diagnostic command automatically creates a diagnostic layer if none existed previously.
Restrict to visible entities When this option is off, the diagnostic check is performed on all instances of the relevant entity when you display the diagnostic plot. Every time you make a change to the model, the displayed diagnostic plot is automatically updated. For large models, the automatic update of the diagnostic plot as you make each change to the model can lead to considerable delays, particularly when editing the mesh to resolve element overlaps or intersections.

When this option is on, the diagnostic check is performed only on visible entities. By hiding parts of the model and leaving only areas of interest visible, you can increase the plot update speed and work more efficiently.

Select Restrict to visible entities, which is normally used in combination with Place results in diagnostics layer, and click Show. With the problem elements on the Diagnostic results layer, expand the layer. Each time Apply is clicked on a mesh editing tool while cleaning up problem elements, the diagnostic will be recalculated on only the visible elements.