The Complete Introduction to OpenFOAM
What you'll learn
- Understand the basic requirements of OpenFOAM computational modelling
- Be able to take any tutorial file in OpenFOAM, set the case up for yourself and use geometries and boundaries of your choosing. Though we can't cover the majority of solvers, you should be in a position to explore particular solvers for yourself and learn on your own.
- Create meshes and set up boundaries/initial conditions compatible with OpenFOAM
- Be able to use the FOAM-Extend solid mechanics solver library.
- Understand the foundations of steady/time dependent Linear Elasticity, Thermal Conduction, Friction and Plasticity for use in Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing engineering applications
Course content
- Preview04:50
- 05:12The Structure of This Course
- 02:16What You Will Learn
- 08:52Why OpenFOAM?
- 06:39Side Note - For Windows 10 Users Part 1
- 04:34Side Note - For Windows 10 Users Part 2
- 06:18Installing OpenFOAM 7 Part 1
- 02:45Installing OpenFOAM 7 Part 2
- 04:11Installing OpenFOAM 7 Part 3
- 06:23Installing OpenFOAM 7 Part 4 - Aliases
Requirements
- Basic geometry and engineering skills
- A passion for science and engineering
- CFD is at its core a way to solve calculus problems without actually doing calculus - an understanding of what differential equations mean is highly beneficial but you don't need to be able to solve them on a blackboard.
- A Linux installation or emulation is not essential but greatly simplifies use of OpenFOAM and hence this course uses the terminal extensively. That said, no prior Linux experience is necessary, all Bash scripting is supplied in course.
Description
Computational modelling is already central to modern engineering and industry with the demand for skilled professionals steadily rising with time. Unfortunately the software suitable for these roles often costs tens of thousands of dollars for a license and/or is prohibitively complicated to learn and put into practice. Being opensource and used in many active companies today, OpenFOAM is an excellent way to learn these methods and greatly enhance your ability to solve engineering problems. While structured in a way that makes it highly flexible and ideal for making your own projects, learning OpenFOAM without help can be a daunting prospect.
The purpose of this course is to give a simple and straightforward introduction to OpenFOAM covering common bugs and mistakes so that you can easily pass through the steep initial learning curve at your own pace. While the lessons learned here can be applied to any OpenFOAM solver (of which there is a substantial range), the focus is on solid mechanics since the implementation is typically much simpler than more popular applications (high speed flow, etc.). In addition, since solid mechanics is necessary for most engineering disciplines even if it isn't that discipline's primary interest (aerodynamics centres around the interaction between solid objects and fluid flows for example), solid mechanics is an excellent core skill to have and a necessary theoretical precursor to a healthy understanding of fluid dynamics of all forms.
Disclaimer:
This course is not a substitute for a degree in aerospace engineering or specialist consultancy, by purchasing this course you agree that the course instructor is in no way liable for any disputes, claims, losses, injuries, or damage of any kind that might arise out of or relate to the content of this course or any supporting communications between instructor and student.
Who this course is for:
- Beginner engineers looking to learn the full power of computational modelling but frustrated with the mostly incomprehensible material available online.
- Researchers and professionals looking for a simple and tractable introduction to getting OpenFOAM to work.
Instructor
![Philip Baldock](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 64 64"%3E%3C/svg%3E){kind=avatar}
- 4.5 Instructor Rating
- 941 Reviews
- 3,140 Students
- 6 Courses
I graduated with an MSci in Physics at the University of Birmingham in 2011 and went on to do research in the radiation damage of advanced composites.
Studying at the University of Birmingham, I remember my friends from other fields and even outside academia having so much passion for human endeavours, particularly in engineering. I could spot the creative energy of budding engineers and scientists in seconds but, in most cases, they felt like it was just too complicated to do anything with themselves. We’d watch Sci-Fi and play video games and I’d see their passion trying to get out. It always felt like such a shame that so much of the mathematical sciences are taught in so formal and impersonal a way that so few people actually take these subjects at university.
That’s why I decided to start making courses on Udemy, to make the creativity and the freedom I experienced learning the physical sciences available to anyone with a burning passion for them.
Of course, designing a rocket launch vehicle or a city on the Moon is hard and in many cases irreducibly so but every finished blueprint sent to a billion dollar factory must start out as a few simple lines of highschool level mathematics scribbled on a few sheets of paper.
My intention through these courses is to give the many great people I grew up with a way to connect with this beautiful material and to pursue their own dreams and ideas in a practical and mathematically sound way without having to gain a PhD beforehand.
I’m humbled and grateful to the countless people who have expressed interest in these projects and, if this sounds good to you, I hope you’ll come along with me in my courses.