• Steady Thermal—Calculates steady-state thermal response to a constraint set and one or more optional heat loads. The constraint set is comprised of one or more prescribed temperatures and/or convection conditions. For example, you could define a steady-state thermal analysis to analyze the cooling fins in a lawn mower engine.

• Transient Thermal—Calculates temperatures and heat fluxes in your model at different times in response to one or more optional heat loads and subject to one or more optional prescribed temperatures and/or convection conditions. In a transient thermal analysis, you calculate temperatures and heat fluxes in your model at different times in response to specified heat loads, prescribed temperatures, and or convection conditions. You can use transient thermal analysis to find out:

◦ how long your model takes to cool down or heat up

◦ how your model might respond to a time-dependent heat load or bulk temperature

◦ what thermal stresses develop as a result of temperature changes. Thermal stresses are structural changes that develop as a result of temperature changes in a model. You must first run a transient thermal analysis. Then run a structural analysis with a MEC/T history temperature load to apply the temperature history generated during a transient thermal analysis , to view thermal stresses in the model.