Department of _MME Even Semester 2016-17The

LNM IIT, Jaipur

FEM LAB: 3_Truss

A truss containing five members is subjected to loads as shown in Fig. 1. Each one of the
member AD and DC has area 20x10 -4 m2. The other members have area 15x10 -4 m2. The
length of member DB is 3 m and that of AB and BC are 4 m. Member DB is perpendicular
to AC. E=200 GPa. Determine the forces developed in each one of the members of the
truss.

Fig. 1. Truss
Solution
Pre-processing
1. Main menu: Preference
a. Turn ON Structural and click OK
2. Main menu: Preprocessor > Element type > Add/Edit/Delete
a. Click Add and select LINK under structural mass
b. Select 3D finit stn 180 and click OK
3. Main menu: Preprocessor
a. > Real constants > Add/Edit/Delete (ANSYS 15)/ > Sections > Link >
Add/Edit/Delete (ANSYS 17)
b. Enter 1 against Real constant set no.
c. Enter 15e-4 against AREA and click Apply
d. Enter 2 against Real constant set no.
e. Enter 20e-4 against AREA and click OK
4. Main menu: Preprocessor > Material props > Material models
a. > Structural > Linear > Elastic > Isotropic
b. Enter 200e9 against EX
c. Enter 0 againt PRXY and click OK
5. Main menu: Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Nodes > In active CS
a. Enter 1 against NODE and enter 0, 0, 0 against X, Y, Z and click Apply
b. Enter 2 against NODE and enter 4, 0, 0 against X, Y, Z and click Apply
c. Enter 3 against NODE and enter 8, 0, 0 against X, Y, Z and click Apply
d. Enter 4 against NODE and enter 4, 3, 0 against X, Y, Z and click Ok
e. Utility menu > Plotctrls > Numbering > Click ON against Node >
Corresponding to Elm/Attrib Numbering select Element Numbers and click
Ok
6. Main menu: Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Elements > Elem attributes
a. Check Type Element Type Number as 1 Link 180
Department of _MME Even Semester 2016-17The
LNM IIT, Jaipur

b. Check Material Number as 1

c. Check the real constant set number as 1 and click OK
7. Main menu: Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Elements > Auto numbered >
Thru nodes
a. Click on nodes 1 and 2 and click apply
b. Click on nodes 2 and 3 and click apply
c. Click on nodes 2 and 4 and click OK
8. Main menu: Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Elements > Elem attributes
a. Check Type Element Type Number as 1 Link 180
b. Check Material Number as 1
c. Check the real constant set number as 2
9. Main menu: Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Elements > Auto numbered >
Thru nodes
a. Click on nodes 1 and 4 and click apply
b. Click on nodes 3 and 4 and click OK
c. Utility menu > Plot > Elements
10.Main menu: Solution > Define loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On
nodes
a. Pick node 1 and click apply
b. Select All DOF against Lab2 DOFs to be constrained
c. Pick node 3 and click apply
d. Select UY and UZ against Lab2 DOFs to be constrained and deselect All DOF
and click OK
11.Main menu: Solution > Define loads > Apply > Structural > Force/Moment > On
nodes
a. Pick node 4 and click apply
b. Select FY and enter -20e3 for value of Force/Moment and click Apply
c. Pick node 4 and click apply
d. Select FX and enter 15e3 for value of Force/Moment and click Apply
e. Pick node 2 and click apply
f. Select FY and enter -10e3 for value of Force/Moment and click Ok
Processing
12.Main menu: Solution > Solve > Current LS
a. Click OK in the form displayed Solve current load step
b. Click Close in the form displayed note
Post-processing
13.Main menu: General postproc > List results > nodal solution
a. Select DOF solution in the form List nodal solution
b. Select Displacement vector sum in the sub menu of DOF solution
c. Click OK and close the form after noting the results
14.Main menu: General postproc > Element table > Define table
a. Click add in the element table data form
b. Enter MEMBER in the slot against Lab user label for item
c. Scroll down the list in the left box against Item, Comp Results data item
select By Sequence num
d. Select SMISC from the right box
Department of _MME Even Semester 2016-17The
LNM IIT, Jaipur

e. Type 1 in the slot below the right box after SMISC, click OK
15.Main menu > General postproc > Element table > List Elem Table
a. Click MEMBER
b. Click OK and close the form after noting the results
16.Main menu > General postproc > Element table > Plot Elem Table
a. Click MEMBER
b. Click OK and note the plot of stress values
Reference
1. R Dhanaraj and K Prabhakaran Nair, Finite Element Method, Oxford University
Press, 2015.