How to Import a Heat Map into NASTRAN: A Guide for Thermal-Structural Simulation

 In advanced engineering simulations, especially in the aerospace and automotive industries, it’s often necessary to couple thermal and structural analyses. This means using a temperature distribution (heat map) as input for stress or displacement calculations. If you're using NASTRAN, a powerful finite element solver, you may be wondering: how can I import a heat map into NASTRAN?

In this article, we’ll walk you through the purpose, method, and best practices for importing thermal data — or a “heat map” — into a NASTRAN simulation.

🔍 What Is a Heat Map in FEA?

In the context of Finite Element Analysis (FEA), a "heat map" typically refers to a spatial distribution of temperature data over a mesh or structure. This data can come from:

  • A thermal analysis in a different tool (e.g., Ansys, Abaqus, Simulink, or CFD software)

  • A measured dataset (e.g., from experimental thermography or sensors)

  • A manually defined temperature profile

This data is usually mapped onto nodes or elements of your mesh in preparation for a thermal stress analysis in NASTRAN.

🎯 Why Import a Heat Map into NASTRAN?

Here’s why you might want to import a temperature distribution:

  • To perform thermal stress analysis (expansion/contraction)

  • To simulate temperature-dependent material properties

  • To test component durability under real-world thermal conditions

By applying a heat map, NASTRAN can calculate thermal gradients, stresses, and displacements with greater accuracy.

🛠️ How to Import a Heat Map into NASTRAN

There are several approaches depending on your workflow, solver version (MSC NASTRAN, NX NASTRAN), and the tool you're using for pre/post-processing (e.g., Patran, Femap, Simcenter).

✅ Step-by-Step Guide (General Approach)

Step 1: Prepare Your Thermal Data

Export your heat map as a list of nodal temperatures, typically in a format like:

yaml
GRID_ID     TEMPERATURE
1001        300.0
1002        305.2
1003        310.5
...

You may have this as a CSV or from another FEA tool.

Step 2: Format the Data into NASTRAN Bulk Data (TEMP)

Use the TEMP or TEMP(NL) bulk data entry in NASTRAN to assign temperature to grid points:

plaintext
TEMP  100  1001  300.0
TEMP  100  1002  305.2
TEMP  100  1003  310.5

Here:

  • TEMP is the card name.

  • 100 is the temperature set ID (SID).

  • 1001 is the node (GRID) ID.

  • 300.0 is the temperature value.

You can either manually format this or write a script (e.g., Python) to convert CSV to NASTRAN bulk entries.

Step 3: Reference the TEMP Load in the Case Control Section

In your NASTRAN input file, link the temperature set:

plaintext
LOAD = 100

...

TEMP(LOAD) = 100

This tells NASTRAN to apply the heat map as a loading condition.

Step 4: Run the Simulation

Submit your .bdf file through MSC NASTRAN or Simcenter NASTRAN. Ensure your materials have thermal expansion coefficients (ALPHA) defined to compute thermal stresses.

⚙️ Tools and Automation Options

ToolUsage
FemapImport temperature from CSV/Excel and map to nodes easily.
PatranUse Field definitions or TEMP creation tools.
Python ScriptAutomate the formatting of temperature data into TEMP cards.
Simcenter 3DSupports multiphysics coupling with CFD or thermal solvers.

🚨 Best Practices

  • ✅ Match node IDs: Make sure the node IDs in your temperature data match the NASTRAN mesh.

  • ✅ Check units: Ensure consistency in temperature units (e.g., Celsius vs. Kelvin).

  • ✅ Validate the field: Visually verify the temperature distribution using pre/post processors.

  • ✅ Use interpolation if you have coarse thermal data — tools like Femap can help interpolate onto fine meshes.

🧪 Example: Coupling with CFD Output

Suppose you've run a CFD thermal simulation in Ansys Fluent and exported surface temperatures. To use these in NASTRAN:

  1. Export node IDs and temperatures from Fluent.

  2. Map them to the NASTRAN mesh (use Femap or a Python script for interpolation).

  3. Generate TEMP entries.

  4. Run your thermal stress simulation in NASTRAN.

🏁 Conclusion

Importing a heat map into NASTRAN is a crucial step in performing realistic thermal-stress analysis. Whether your thermal data comes from CFD, FEA, or experimental sources, the goal is to map that data accurately to your mesh using TEMP cards.

With the right tools and workflow, you can seamlessly integrate temperature fields into your simulation to predict stress, deformation, and material behavior under thermal loads.

💡 Bonus: Want a Script to Convert CSV to TEMP Cards?

Let me know — I can generate a Python script that automatically formats your temperature data into NASTRAN-readable format!

Would you like this article converted into a downloadable guide or tutorial PDF for your audience? I can help with that too.

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