> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ntop.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Thermal Analysis – Current Capabilities

Three types of thermal analyses are currently available within nTop:

Steady-state, linear **Thermal Analysis**in the *Simulation*tab

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  <img src="https://files.learn.ntop.com/lessons/thermal-analysis-current-capabilities/341_4_1-Simulation-Ribbon-2.jpg" />
</Frame>

**Nonlinear**and **Transient Thermal Analysis** in the *Beta*tab

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  <img src="https://files.learn.ntop.com/lessons/thermal-analysis-current-capabilities/341_4_2-Beta-Ribbon.jpg" />
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## Overview of Thermal FEA in nTop

| Block Name                 | Solver   | Transient / Steady-state | Linear / Nonlinear | Nonlinearity Type | Modeling of Lattices        | Required Material Properties                                                         |
| -------------------------- | -------- | ------------------------ | ------------------ | ----------------- | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Thermal Analysis           | Implicit | Steady-state (static)    | Linear             | NA                | Solids and/or Beams\*\*     | Thermal Conductivity +Specific Heat                                                  |
| Transient Thermal Analysis | Implicit | Transient (dynamic)      | Linear             | NA                | Solids and/or Beams\*\*     | Thermal Conductivity +Specific Heat+Density                                          |
| Nonlinear Thermal Analysis | Implicit | Steady-state (static)    | Nonlinear          | Material only\*   | Solids and/or Beams\*\**\** | Thermal Conductivity \[Temperature Dependent]+Specific Heat \[Temperature Dependent] |

*\*Temperature-dependent thermal conductivity and specific heat*
*\*\*Beam-based lattices (Graphs) cannot be submitted to Convection or Radiation Boundary Loads (which are necessarily applied to face entities) as it is not possible to select faces in an FE Lattice Mesh. It is therefore necessary to mesh the beam lattices as solid elements in this case.*

*\*\*\*For a Nonlinear Thermal Analysis, all FE components must be assigned with nonlinear properties*

<Note>
  **Note**: It is possible to perform an uncoupled Thermal Stress Analysis by taking the result of a **Thermal Analysis** / **Transient Thermal Analysis** /**Nonlinear Thermal Analysis** and using it as a boundary condition in a **Static Analysis** to obtain the mechanical response of the thermal load due to expansion/contraction. Refer to the lesson on *[Thermal Stress Analysis](https://learn.ntop.com/lessons/running-a-thermal-stress-analysis/)*.
</Note>