Co-simulation – also called solver or simulator coupling – is a frequently used numerical technique to couple two or more solvers in time domain. One major field of application for co-simulation methods is the analysis of multi-disciplinary problems.

Usually, specialized simulation codes exist for different physical disciplines, e.g. FEM codes for structural dynamics analyses, CFD codes for fluid dynamic problems or multibody codes for the dynamic analysis of mechanisms. In order to simulate a coupled multidisciplinary problem, the different codes can be coupled by means of an appropriate co-simulation approach. Simulator coupling is, for instance, successfully applied in the field of fluid/structure interaction, for coupling multibody and hydraulic systems or in the analysis of electromechanical systems. Solver coupling may, however, also be used to analyze monodisciplinary problems in order to parallelize the simulation process.

On the one hand, the symposium focuses on recent advances in the development of numerical methods for solver coupling. Of current interest are – amongst others – the following subjects:

  • New explicit, implicit and semi-implicit co-simulation methods (with improved efficiency, accuracy and stability behavior),
  • New approaches for realizing variable communication-time grids,
  • Advances in the stability and convergence analysis of solver coupling methods.

On the other hand, the symposium will pick up recent developments in the practical application of co-simulation methods. Of present interest are for instance the following topics:

  • New fields of application for solver coupling approaches,
  • New developments in the parallelization of dynamic models with co-simulation techniques,
  • Standardization of co-simulation interfaces, i.e. standardization of data and model exchange.

Bringing together experts in these different fields from many working groups from all over the world will enable us to review the state of the art, to discuss further activities, to open problems and to promote common research initiatives for the future.

Two employees of our department »Mathematical Methods in Dynamics and Durability« will present their research topics on this conference.

Stefan Steidel talks about »Local Extrapolation in a Parallel Coupling Scheme with an Application to Vehicle-Tire Interaction« and Fabio Schneider about »Force-Displacement Co-Simulation by the Use of Kinematic Coupling Constraints«.