ESTS0221 MAXWELL3.

1. NAME OR DESIGNATION OF PROGRAM:  MAXWELL3.

3. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM OR FUNCTION

MAXWELL3 is a linear, time domain, finite element code designed for simulation of electromagnetic fields interacting with three-dimensional objects. The simulation region is discretized into 6-sided, 8-noded elements  which need not form a logically regular grid. Scatterers may be perfectly conducting or dielectric. Restart capability and a Muer-type radiating boundary are included. MAXWELL3 can be run in a  two-dimensional mode or on infinitesimally thin geometries. The output of time histories on surfaces, or shells, in addition to volumes, is allowed.
Two postprocessors are included - HIST2XY, which splits the MAXWELL3 history file into simple xy data files, and FFT_ABS, which  performs fast Fourier transformations on the xy data.

4. METHOD OF SOLUTION

The numerical method requires that the model be discretized with a mesh generator. MAXWELL3 then uses the mesh and computes the time domain electric and magnetic fields by integrating Maxwell's divergence-free curl equations over time. The output from  MAXWELL3 can then be used with a postprocessor to get the desired information in a graphical form. The explicit time integration is done with a leap-frog technique that alternates evaluating the electric and magnetic fields at half time steps. This allows for centered time differencing accurate in second order. The algorithm is naturally robust and requires no parameters.

5. RESTRICTIONS ON THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PROBLEM

MAXWELL3 has no mesh generation capabilities. Anisotropic, nonlinear, and magnetizatic materials cannot be modeled. Material interfaces only account for dielectric changes and neglect any surface charges that would be present at the surface of a partially conducting material. The radiation boundary algorithm is only accurate for normally incident  fields and becomes less accurate as the angle of incidence increases. Thus, only models using scattered fields should use the radiation boundary. This limits MAXWELL3's applicability to models incorporating directed fields such as unshielded transmission lines  including microstrip waveguides.

6. TYPICAL RUNNING TIME:

7. UNUSUAL FEATURES OF THE PROGRAM

Because the elements are not restricted to rectangular boxes, the problem space boundaries and interior surfaces can be of any arbitrary shape.

8. RELATED AND AUXILIARY PROGRAMS

The domain discretization is accomplished with a mesh generation program such as INGRID (NESC 9649). The TAURUS (NESC 9908) postprocessor will produce graphic output from MAXWELL3 output. GEM2D (NESC 9679) solves Maxwell's curl equations in two dimensions.

10. REFERENCES:

- J. Brian Grant:
  MAXWELL3 - A 3D Finite Element Electromagnetic Modeling Code
  UCID-21285 (April 15, 1988).
- L. Eyberger:
  Author's Notes on MAXWELL3 Algorithms and Tape Description
  NESC Note 89-25 (January 6, 1989) + Attachement (13 pages).

11. MACHINE REQUIREMENTS:

13. OPERATING SYSTEM UNDER WHICH PROGRAM IS EXECUTED:  CTSS.

14. OTHER PROGRAMMING OR OPERATING INFORMATION OR RESTRICTIONS:

15. NAME AND ESTABLISHMENT OF AUTHORS

          J.B. Grant
          Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

source program   mag tapeMAXWELL3 MAXWELL3 FORTRAN Source           SRCTP
test-case data   mag tapeEXO2_GRD S.P. Geometry File, Gen. by INGRIDDATTP
test-case data   mag tapeEXO2CNTL Sample Problem Control File       DATTP
test-case output mag tapeEXO2HIST Sample Problem Output             OUTTP
symb data lib    mag tapeEXO2_EZ1 Time Histor. Selec. from EXO2HIST LBSTP
symb data lib    mag tapeEXO2_EZ2 Time Histor. Selec. from EXO2HIST LBSTP
symb data lib    mag tapeEXO2_EZ3 Time Histor. Selec. from EXO2HIST LBSTP
symb data lib    mag tapeEXO2_EZ4 Time Histor. Selec. from EXO2HIST LBSTP
symb data lib    mag tapeEXO2_EZ5 Time Histor. Selec. from EXO2HIST LBSTP
test-case output mag tapeEXO2LOG1 Sample Problem Outpout Log File   OUTTP
test-case data   mag tapeEXO2_ING INGRID Input Generate file 2      DATTP
source program   mag tapeHIST2XY HIST2XY FORTRAN Source             SRCTP
source program   mag tapeFFT_ABS FFT_ABS FORTRAN Source             SRCTP
report                   UCID-21285 (April 15, 1988)                REPPT
prog. note               NESC Note 89-25 (1989) + Attachment        NOTPT