ALGOR'S NEW OGDEN MATERIAL MODEL GIVES ENGINEERS A PRECISE TOOL TO ANALYZE RUBBER MATERIALS

ALGOR’S NEW OGDEN MATERIAL MODEL GIVES ENGINEERS A PRECISE TOOL TO ANALYZE RUBBER MATERIALS

Algor’s new Ogden material model provides engineers with a tool that goes beyond traditional Mooney-Rivlin material models. The Ogden material model, which closely emulates the detailed physical behavior of rubber materials, enables engineers to perform analyses of large deformation, as with this expansion valve. The green wire outline shows the original valve before it was displaced by high temperature.

PITTSBURGH, PA – June 15, 2000 – Algor, Inc., a leading maker of software for mechanical engineers, today announced the addition of an Ogden material model, further expanding the company’s versatility and accuracy in nonlinear stress analysis capabilities.

The Ogden material model, which closely describes the detailed physical behaviors of rubber and foam materials, follows last year’s addition of a viscoplastic material model to Algor’s 3-D brick element. Viscoplastic substances, which continue to provide reliable analysis results even after yielding to stress, are used in the analysis of creep behavior.

The Ogden material model complements Algor’s Mooney-Rivlin material model, which serves engineers well when analyzing small deformations in hyper-elastic materials such as rubbers or foams. The Ogden material model opens for engineers a wider and more accurate range of deformation analysis.

The behavior of Ogden materials is defined by a set of unique constants. If the engineer doesn’t know those constants, Algor will find them with its unique curve-fitting program – yet another way Algor provides customers with flexibility in FEA. By plugging in stress and strain determined in laboratory tests, an engineer can use the program to return the necessary constants.

The new material models come with Algor’s Accupak/NLM and Accupak/VE software, which works with Windows NT/95/98/2000. Algor customers with current technical support and maintenance agreements for these products can request a complete software update, including the new Ogden material model through Algor’s Web site (www.algor.com) or an Algor account representative.

Algor has been a leader in the engineering software industry since introducing FEA for PCs in 1984 and interfacing with CAD systems in 1985. The company provides innovative, affordable and easy-to-use software products that have enabled 20,000 engineers in 60 countries to create safe, efficient, cost-effective designs. Algor also offers superior educational support and customer service that includes the use of state-of-the-art Internet audio/video technology for "Web Courses," which provide step-by-step software instruction, and free public "Webcasts" in live demonstration format.

Algor’s product line features FEA-based Accupak/VE Mechanical Event Simulation software. Accupak/VE reduces the need for physical prototyping and eliminates the need to input dynamic loads by determining the motion, flexing and resulting stresses of a part or assembly at each instant of an event. Algor’s proprietary kinematic element technology makes performing Mechanical Event Simulations using CAD solid parts and assemblies practical for realistic, accurate results. Engineers can use Algor’s InCAD^Plus and InCAD DesignPak products to seamlessly capture exact CAD geometry from popular CAD systems within Algor. The company also offers linear stress, vibration, heat transfer, electrostatic, fluid flow, composite materials and piping systems analysis tools. Algor’s software interchanges data with products from ANSYS, Inc. (Nasdaq:ANSS), Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADSK), CADKEY Corporation, MSC.Software Corporation (NYSE:MNS), Parametric Technology Corporation, Structural Dynamics Research Corporation, Unigraphics Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:UGS), SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systemes S.A. (Nasdaq:DASTY) company, and others.