When an ECAD file is imported, the location and width of every trace is imported. After the board is meshed, for each triangular element on each electrical layer, ANSYS Iceboard generates three resistor elements at the edges of the triangle that exactly thermally represent the trace or traces going through the element. The algorithm developed at Harvard Thermal accounts for the trace(s) width, thickness, material and direction. It even takes into account if a trace turns within the triangle. The top figure below shows a single trace layer of a board. The figure below it shows the ANSYS Iceboard thermal representation. This method does not increase the model size or solution time yet provides an extremely accurate representation.
