Tips
E-Newsletter for Tecplot Users
04. TECPLOT TIPS - A STRATEGY FOR
EXPERIMENTAL DATA ANALYSIS
In the last issue of Contours we discussed using the Extrude add-on to
generate and analyze both topographical and subsurface features in a volume.
This issue we focus on Tecplot's complex data analysis capabilities.
In the following example, we use experimental data from a rocket burn
test. The data was collected from embedded temperature sensors in a small
outlet. To find the maximum temperature as a function of time, data was
analyzed with a series of XY plots
(Figure A).
It is difficult to visualize the temperature profile on the outlet in
the XY plots. To better understand the temperature changes we use the
experimental data to create a 3-D animation of the burn test data in Tecplot
(Figure B).

Figure A
Figure B
Step 1: Building the Outlet
To begin visualizing the burn test data we create a cylinder in Tecplot
that approximates the outlet. The following steps guide us through this
process.
Click
here to download a Windows Media Video (object_1.wmv 1,247
KB) of this example. Sit back and watch!
1. Create a circular zone in
Tecplot.

2. On the Create Circular Zone
dialog increase the K-value to 10. (Without increasing this value we would
end up with a plane.)
In this case, the outlet is one centimeter in diameter and one centimeter
in height.

3. The resulting cylinder.

4. Next add a fourth variable
component to the cylinder data with the Specify Equations dialog. This
variable is needed to load the experimental data in Step 2.


5. Create a new sub-zone containing
just the boundary of the cylinder.

6. We only want the outside
of the cylinder — the I-index. Start and end with the I-max.

7. Show only the new sub-zone.

8. The new sub-zone.

9. The final step is writing
out the new sub-zone as a data file.

10. Write out the sub-zone as
ASCII data in POINT format.

In Step 2 we interpolate the temperature sensor data onto
the outlet cylinder. This leads to the final solution — an animation showing
the changes in temperature over time.
Click
Here for Step 2
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