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use_api_mphys

Last edited by Adrien Crovato

MPhys API

MPhys (Multi-Physics) is a framework designed to perform multi-physics analysis and optimization, and is built on top of OpenMDAO. The API allows to interface DART with other software through MPhys, and is implemented under api/mphys.

0. Importing the API
Since MPhys couples multiple software, it is required to install them before using MPhys. As such, DART cannot be used from a development environment (it must be installed), and must be imported by calling,

from dartflo.dart.api.mphys import DartBuilder

1. Initializing the interface
In practise, the MPhys API uses the Core API to initialize DART. Note that the interface must be setup in an MPhys class,

from mphys import Multipoint
class Top(Multipoint):
    # ...
    dart = DartBuilder(cfg, scenario='aerodynamic', task='analysis', saveAll=False, raiseError=False)

where cfg is a dictionary of parameters (available choices are listed in core), and where valid choices for scenario are 'aerodynamic' or 'aerostructural', and valid choices for task are 'analysis' or 'optimization'. Additionally, saveAll is a boolean indicating whether to write results to different files at each (major) iteration, and raiseError is a boolean indicating whether to raise an OpenMDAO.AnalysisError when the solver does not fully converge.

Note DART can be coupled with pyGeo, which uses the free-form deformation technique, to perform aerodynamic shape optimization. Since pyGeo only handles 3D geometries, users wanting to perform 2D shape optimization must provide a so-called 2.5D geometry, which consists of an extruded 2D geometry enclosed between two symmetry walls. In such a case, the parameters 'WakeTips' MUST NOT be given.

2. Using the interface
Users should refer to the MPhys documentation to connect the interface through MPhys. In version 1.3.0, this is done by calling,

# for pure aerodynamic computations...
from mphys.scenario_aerodynamic import ScenarioAerodynamic
self.mphys_add_scenario('...', ScenarioAerodynamic(aero_builder=dart))
# ... or for aerostructural computations
from mphys.scenario_aerostructural import ScenarioAeroStructural
self.mphys_add_scenario('...', ScenarioAeroStructural(aero_builder=dart, struct_builder=..., ldxfer_builder=..., geometry_builder=..., in_MultipointParallel=...), coupling_nonlinear_solver=..., coupling_linear_solver=...)