Ansys110

U of A ANSYS Tutorials - Bicycle Space Frame Page 1 of 18
ANSYS BASIC INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED POSTPROC. COMMAND PRINTABLE

UofA ANSYS Tutorial
UTILITIES TUTORIALS TUTORIALS TUTORIALS TUTORIALS LINE FILES VERSION
Two Dimensional Truss
Bicycle Space Frame

Space Frame Example
Plane Stress Bracket
Modeling Tools
| Verification Example | | Preprocessing | | Solution | | Postprocessing | | Command Line |
Solid Modeling
| Bicycle Example | | Preprocessing | | Solution | | Postprocessing | | Command Line |
Index Introduction
This tutorial was created using ANSYS 7.0 to solve a simple 3D space frame problem.
Contributions
Problem Description
Comments
MecE 563 The problem to be solved in this example is the analysis of a bicycle frame. The problem to be modeled in this example
is a simple bicycle frame shown in the following figure. The frame is to be built of hollow aluminum tubing having an
Mechanical Engineering outside diameter of 25mm and a wall thickness of 2mm.
University of Alberta
ANSYS Inc.
Copyright © 2001
Verification
The first step is to simplify the problem. Whenever you are trying out a new analysis type, you need something (ie
analytical solution or experimental data) to compare the results to. This way you can be sure that you've gotten the
correct analysis type, units, scale factors, etc.
The simplified version that will be used for this problem is that of a cantilever beam shown in the following figure:
Preprocessing: Defining the Problem
1. Give the Simplified Version a Title (such as 'Verification Model').
Utility Menu > File > Change Title
2. Enter Keypoints
file://D:\A-Narender\mechanical\design lib\tutors\ANSYS TUTOR\2.htm 9/19/2008

For this simple example, these keypoints are the ends of the beam.
We are going to define 2 keypoints for the simplified structure as given in the following table
coordinate
keypoint
x y z
1 0 0 0
2 500 0 0
From the 'ANSYS Main Menu' select:

Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Keypoints > In Active CS
3. Form Lines
The two keypoints must now be connected to form a bar using a straight line.
Select: Preprocessor > Modeling> Create > Lines > Lines > Straight Line.
Pick keypoint #1 (i.e. click on it). It will now be marked by a small yellow box.
Now pick keypoint #2. A permanent line will appear.
When you're done, click on 'OK' in the 'Create Straight Line' window.
4. Define the Type of Element
It is now necessary to create elements on this line.
From the Preprocessor Menu, select: Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete.
Click on the 'Add...' button. The following window will appear:
For this example, we will use the 3D elastic straight pipe element as selected in the above figure. Select the
element shown and click 'OK'. You should see 'Type 1 PIPE16' in the 'Element Types' window.
Click on the 'Options...' button in the 'Element Types' dialog box. The following window will appear:
Click and hold the K6 button (second from the bottom), and select 'Include Output' and click 'OK'. This
gives us extra force and moment output.
Click on 'Close' in the 'Element Types' dialog box and close the 'Element Type' menu.

5. Define Geometric Properties
We now need to specify geometric properties for our elements:
In the Preprocessor menu, select Real Constants > Add/Edit/Delete
Click Add... and select 'Type 1 PIPE16' (actually it is already selected). Click on 'OK'.
Enter the following geometric properties:
Outside diameter OD: 25

Wall thickness TKWALL: 2
This defines an outside pipe diameter of 25mm and a wall thickness of 2mm.
Click on 'OK'.
'Set 1' now appears in the dialog box. Click on 'Close' in the 'Real Constants' window.
6. Element Material Properties
You then need to specify material properties:
In the 'Preprocessor' menu select Material Props > Material Models...
Double click Structural > Linear > Elastic and select 'Isotropic' (double click on it)
Close the 'Define Material Model Behavior' Window.
We are going to give the properties of Aluminum. Enter the following field:
EX 70000
PRXY 0.33
Set these properties and click on 'OK'.
7. Mesh Size
In the Preprocessor menu select Meshing > Size Cntrls > ManualSize > Lines > All Lines
In the size 'SIZE' field, enter the desired element length. For this example we want an element length of 2cm,
therefore, enter '20' (i.e 20mm) and then click 'OK'. Note that we have not yet meshed the geometry, we have
simply defined the element sizes.
(Alternatively, we could enter the number of divisions we want in the line. For an element length of 2cm, we
would enter 25 [ie 25 divisions]).
NOTE
It is not necessary to mesh beam elements to obtain the correct solution. However, meshing is done in this case so
that we can obtain results (ie stress, displacement) at intermediate positions on the beam.
8. Mesh
Now the frame can be meshed.
In the 'Preprocessor' menu select Meshing > Mesh > Lines and click 'Pick All' in the 'Mesh Lines' Window
9. Saving Your Work
Utility Menu > File > Save as.... Select the name and location where you want to save your file.
Solution Phase: Assigning Loads and Solving
1. Define Analysis Type
From the Solution Menu, select 'Analysis Type > New Analysis'.
Ensure that 'Static' is selected and click 'OK'.
2. Apply Constraints
In the Solution menu, select Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On Keypoints

Select the left end of the rod (Keypoint 1) by clicking on it in the Graphics Window and click on 'OK' in the
'Apply U,ROT on KPs' window.
This location is fixed which means that all translational and rotational degrees of freedom (DOFs) are
constrained. Therefore, select 'All DOF' by clicking on it and enter '0' in the Value field and click 'OK'.
3. Apply Loads
As shown in the diagram, there is a vertically downward load of 100N at the end of the bar
In the Structural menu, select Force/Moment > on Keypoints.
Select the second Keypoint (right end of bar) and click 'OK' in the 'Apply F/M' window.
Click on the 'Direction of force/mom' at the top and select FY.
Enter a value of -100 in the 'Force/moment value' box and click 'OK'.
The force will appear in the graphics window as a red arrow.
The applied loads and constraints should now appear as shown below.
4. Solving the System
We now tell ANSYS to find the solution:
Solution > Solve > Current LS
Postprocessing: Viewing the Results
1. Hand Calculations
Now, since the purpose of this exercise was to verify the results - we need to calculate what we should find.
Deflection:
The maximum deflection occurs at the end of the rod and was found to be 6.2mm as shown above.
Stress:
The maximum stress occurs at the base of the rod and was found to be 64.9MPa as shown above (pure bending
stress).

2. Results Using ANSYS
Deformation
from the Main Menu select General Postproc from the 'ANSYS Main Menu'. In this menu you will find a
variety of options, the two which we will deal with now are 'Plot Results' and 'List Results'
Select Plot Results > Deformed Shape.
Select 'Def + undef edge' and click 'OK' to view both the deformed and the undeformed object.
Observe the value of the maximum deflection in the upper left hand corner (shown here surrounded by a
blue border for emphasis). This is identical to that obtained via hand calculations.
Deflection
For a more detailed version of the deflection of the beam,
From the 'General Postproc' menu select Plot results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solution.
Select 'DOF solution' and 'USUM'. Leave the other selections as the default values. Click 'OK'.
You may want to have a more useful scale, which can be accomplished by going to the Utility Menu and
selecting Plot Controls > Style > Contours > Uniform Contours
The deflection can also be obtained as a list as shown below. General Postproc > List Results > Nodal
Solution ... select 'DOF Solution' and 'ALL DOFs' from the lists in the 'List Nodal Solution' window and

click 'OK'. This means that we want to see a listing of all translational and rotational degrees of freedom
from the solution. If we had only wanted to see the displacements for example, we would have chosen 'ALL
Us' instead of 'ALL DOFs'.
Are these results what you expected? Again, the maximum deflection occurs at node 2, the right end of the
rod. Also note that all the rotational and translational degrees of freedom were constrained to zero at node 1.
If you wanted to save these results to a file, use the mouse to go to the 'File' menu (at the upper left-hand
corner of this list window) and select 'Save as'.
Stresses
For line elements (ie beams, spars, and pipes) you will need to use the Element Table to gain access to derived
data (ie stresses, strains).
From the General Postprocessor menu select Element Table > Define Table...
Click on 'Add...'
As shown above, in the 'Item,Comp' boxes in the above window, select 'Stress' and 'von Mises SEQV'
Click on 'OK' and close the 'Element Table Data' window.
Plot the Stresses by selecting Plot Elem Table in the Element Table Menu
The following window will appear. Ensure that 'SEQV' is selected and click 'OK'

If you changed the contour intervals for the Displacement plot to "User Specified" you may need to switch
this back to "Auto calculated" to obtain new values for VMIN/VMAX.
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Style > Contours > Uniform Contours ...
Again, select more appropriate intervals for the contour plot
List the Stresses

From the 'Element Table' menu, select 'List Elem Table'
From the 'List Element Table Data' window which appears ensure 'SEQV' is highlighted
Click 'OK'
Note that a maximum stress of 64.914 MPa occurs at the fixed end of the beam as predicted analytically.
Bending Moment Diagrams
To further verify the simplified model, a bending moment diagram can be created. First, let's look at how ANSYS
defines each element. Pipe 16 has 2 nodes; I and J, as shown in the following image.
To obtain the bending moment for this element, the Element Table must be used. The Element Table contains most
of the data for the element including the bending moment data for each element at Node I and Node J. First, we
need to obtain obtain the bending moment data.
General Postproc > Element Table > Define Table... . Click 'Add...'.

In the window,
A. Enter IMoment as the 'User label for item' - this will give a name to the data
B. Select 'By sequence num' in the Item box
C. Select 'SMISC' in the first Comp box
D. Enter SMISC,6 in the second Comp box
E. Click 'OK'
This will save all of the bending moment data at the left hand side (I side) of each element. Now we need to
find the bending moment data at the right hand side (J side) of each element.
Again, click 'Add...' in the 'Element Table Data' window.

A. Enter JMoment as the 'User label for item' - again, this will give a name to the data
B. Same as above
C. Same as above
D. For step D, enter SMISC,12 in the second Comp box
E. Click 'OK'
Click 'Close' in the 'Element Table Data' window and close the 'Element Table' Menu. Select Plot Results >
Contour Plot > Line Elem Res...
From the 'Plot Line-Element Results' window, select 'IMOMENT' from the pull down menu for LabI, and
'JMOMENT' from the pull down menu for LabJ. Click 'OK'. Note again that you can modify the intervals for
the contour plot.

Now, you can double check these solutions analytically. Note that the line between the I and J point is a
linear interpolation.
Before the explanation of the above steps, enter help pipe16 in the command line as shown below and
then hit enter.
Briefly read the ANSYS documentation which appears, pay particular attention to the Tables near the end of
the document (shown below).
Table 1. PIPE16 Item, Sequence Numbers, and Definitions for the ETABLE Commands
node I
name item e Definition

MFORX SMISC 1 Member
MFORY SMISC 2 forces at the
MFORZ SMISC 3 node
MMOMX SMISC 4 Member
MMOMY SMISC 5 moments at
MMOMZ SMISC 6 the node
Note that SMISC 6 (which we used to obtain the values at node I) correspond to MMOMZ - the Member
moment for node I. The value of 'e' varies with different Element Types, therefore you must check the
ANSYS Documentation files for each element to determine the appropriate SMISC corresponding to the plot
you wish to generate.
Command File Mode of Solution
The above example was solved using the Graphical User Interface (or GUI) of ANSYS. This problem can also been
solved using the ANSYS command language interface. To see the benefits of the command line clear your current file:
From the Utility menu select: File > Clear and Start New
Ensure that 'Read File' is selected then click 'OK'
select 'yes' in the following window.
Copy the following code into the command line, then hit enter. Note that the text following the "!" are comments.
/PREP7 ! Preprocessor
K,1,0,0,0, ! Keypoint, 1, x, y, z
K,2,500,0,0, ! Keypoint, 2, x, y, z
L,1,2 ! Line from keypoint 1 to 2
!*
ET,1,PIPE16 ! Element Type = pipe 16
KEYOPT,1,6,1 ! This is the changed option to give the extra force and moment output
!*

R,1,25,2, ! Real Constant, Material 1, Outside Diameter, Wall thickness

!*
MP,EX,1,70000 ! Material Properties, Young's Modulus, Material 1, 70000 MPa
MP,PRXY,1,0.33 ! Material Properties, Major Poisson's Ratio, Material 1, 0.33
!*
LESIZE,ALL,20 ! Element sizes, all of the lines, 20 mm
LMESH,1 ! Mesh the lines
FINISH ! Exit preprocessor
/SOLU ! Solution
ANTYPE,0 ! The type of analysis (static)
!*
DK,1, ,0, ,0,ALL ! Apply a Displacement to Keypoint 1 to all DOF
FK,2,FY,-100 ! Apply a Force to Keypoint 2 of -100 N in the y direction
/STATUS,SOLU
SOLVE ! Solve the problem
FINISH
Note that you have now finished Postprocessing and the Solution Phase with just these few lines of code. There are codes
to complete the Postprocessing but we will review these later.
Bicycle Example
Now we will return to the analysis of the bike frame. The steps which you completed in the verification example will not
be explained in great detail, therefore use the verification example as a reference as required. We will be combining the
use of the Graphic User Interface (GUI) with the use of command lines.
Recall the geometry and dimensions of the bicycle frame:

1. Clear any old ANSYS files and start a new file
Utility Menu > File > Clear and Start New
2. Give the Example a Title

Utility menu > File > Change Title
3. Defining Some Variables
We are going to define the vertices of the frame using variables. These variables represent the various lengths of
the bicycle members. Notice that by using variables like this, it is very easy to set up a parametric description of
your model. This will enable us to quickly redefine the frame should changes be necessary. The quickest way to
enter these variables is via the 'ANSYS Input' window which was used above to input the command line codes for
the verification model. Type in each of the following lines followed by Enter.
x1 = 500
x2 = 825
y1 = 325
y2 = 400
z1 = 50
4. Enter Keypoints
For this space frame example, these keypoints are the frame vertices.

We are going to define 6 keypoints for this structure as given in the following table (these keypoints are
depicted by the circled numbers in the above figure):
coordinate
keypoint
x y z
1 0 y1 0
2 0 y2 0
3 x1 y2 0
4 x1 0 0
5 x2 0 z1
6 x2 0 -z1
Now instead of using the GUI window we are going to enter code into the 'command line'. First, open the
'Preprocessor Menu' from the 'ANSYS Main Menu'. The preprocessor menu has to be open in order for the
preprocessor commands to be recognized. Alternatively, you can type /PREP7 into the command line. The
command line format required to enter a keypoint is as follows:
K, NPT, X, Y, Z
where, each Abbreviation is representative of the following:
Keypoint, Reference number for the keypoint, coords x/y/z
For a more detailed explanation, type help k into the command line
For example, to enter the first keypoint type:
K,1,0,y1,0
into the command line followed by Enter.
As with any programming language, you may need to add comments. The exclamation mark indicates that
anything following it is commented out. ie - for the second keypoint you might type:
K,2,0,y2,0 ! keypoint, #, x=0, y=y2, z=0
Enter the 4 remaining keypoints (listed in the table above) using the command line
Now you may want to check to ensure that you entered all of the keypoints correctly:
Utility Menu > List > Keypoints > Coordinates only
(Alternatively, type 'KLIST' into the command line)
If there are any keypoints which need to be re-entered, simply re-enter the code. A previously defined
keypoint of the same number will be redefined. However, if there is one that needs to be deleted simply enter
the following code:
KDELE,#
where # corresponds to the number of the keypoint.
In this example, we defined the keypoints by making use of previously defined variables like y1 = 325. This was
simply used for convenience. To define keypoint #1, for example, we could have alternatively used the coordinates
x = 0, y = 325, z = 0.
5. Changing Orientation of the Plot
To get a better view of our view of our model, we'll view it in an isometric view:

Select Utility menu bar > PlotCtrls > Pan, Zoom, Rotate...'
In the window that appears (shown left),

you have many controls. Try
experimenting with them. By turning on
the dynamic mode (click on the
checkbox beside 'Dynamic Mode') you
can use the mouse to drag the image,
translating and rotating it on all three
axes.
To get an isometric view, click on

'Iso' (at the top right). You can either
leave the 'Pan, Zoom, Rotate' window
open and move it to an empty area on
the screen, or close it if your screen is
already cluttered.
6. Create Lines
We will be joining the following keypoints together:
keypoint
line Again, we will use the command line to create the lines. The command format to create a
1st 2nd straight line looks like:
1 1 2 L, P1, P2
Line, Keypoint at the beginning of the line, Keypoint at the end of line
2 2 3
3 3 4 For example, to obtain the first line, I would write: ' L,1,2 '
4 1 4 Note: unlike 'Keypoints', 'Lines' will automatically assign themselves the next available
reference number.
5 3 5
6 4 5
7 3 6
8 4 6
Enter the remaining lines until you get a picture like that shown below.
Again, check to ensure that you entered all of the lines correctly: type ' LLIST ' into the command line
If there are any lines which need to be changed, delete the line by typing the following code: ' LDELE,# '
where # corresponds to the reference number of the line. (This can be obtained from the list of lines). And
then re-enter the line (note: a new reference number will be assigned)
You should obtain the following:


Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete > Add
As in the verification model, define the type of element (pipe16). As in the verification model, don't forget to
change Option K6 'Include Output' to obtain extra force and moment output.

Preprocessor > Real Constants > Add/Edit/Delete
Now specify geometric properties for the elements
Outside diameter OD: 25

Wall thickness TKWALL: 2
To set Young's Modulus and Poisson's ratio, we will again use the command line. (ensure that the preprocessor
menu is still open - if not open it by clicking Preprocessor in the Main Menu)
MP, LAB, MAT, C0

Material Property,Valid material property label, Material Reference Number, value
To enter the Elastic Modulus (LAB = EX) of 70000 MPa, type: ' MP,EX,1,70000 '
To set Poisson's ratio (PRXY), type ' MP,PRXY,1,0.33 '
10. Mesh Size
As in the verification model, set the element length to 20 mm

Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > ManualSize > Lines > All Lines
11. Mesh
In the 'Preprocessor' menu select 'Mesh' > 'Lines' and click 'Pick All' in the 'Mesh Lines' Window
Saving Your Job

Utility Menu > File > Save as...

Close the 'Preprocessor' menu and open up the 'Solution' menu (from the same 'ANSYS Main Menu').
Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis... > Static
Apply Constraints

Once again, we will use the command line. We are going to pin (translational DOFs will be fixed) the first keypoint and
constrain the keypoints corresponding to the rear wheel attachment locations in both the y and z directions. The following
is the command line format to apply constraints at keypoints.
DK, KPOI, Lab, VALUE, VALUE2, KEXPND, Lab2, Lab3, Lab4, Lab5, Lab6
Displacement on K, K #, DOF label, value, value2, Expansion key, other DOF labels
Not all of the fields are required for this example, therefore when entering the code certain fields will be empty. For
example, to pin the first keypoint enter:
DK,1,UX,0,,,UY,UZ
The DOF labels for translation motion are: UX, UY, UZ. Note that the 5th and 6th fields are empty. These correspond to
'value2' and 'the Expansion key' which are not required for this constraint. Also note that all three of the translational
DOFs were constrained to 0. The DOFs can only be contrained in 1 command line if the value is the same.
To apply the contraints to Keypoint 5, the command line code is:
DK,5,UY,0,,,UZ
Note that only UY and UZ are contrained to 0. UX is not constrained. Again, note that the 5th and 6th fields are empty
because they are not required.
Apply the constraints to the other rear wheel location (Keypoint 6 - UY and UZ).
Now list the constraints ('DKLIST') and verify them against the following:
If you need to delete any of the constraints use the following command: 'DKDELE, K, Lab' (ie 'DKDELE,1,UZ'
would delete the constraint in the 'z' direction for Keypoint 1)
Apply Loads
We will apply vertical downward loads of 600N at the seat post location (keypoint 3) and 200N at the pedal crank
location (keypoint 4). We will use the command line to define these loading conditions.
FK, KPOI, Lab, value, value2

Force loads at keypoints, K #, Force Label directions (FX, FY, FZ), value1, value2 (if req'd)
To apply a force of 600N downward at keypoint 3, the code should look like this: ' FK,3,FY,-600 '
Apply both the forces and list the forces to ensure they were inputted correctly (FKLIST).
If you need to delete one of the forces, the code looks like this: 'FKDELE, K, Lab' (ie 'FKDELE,3,FY' would delete the
force in the 'y' direction for Keypoint 3)

Solving the System

To begin Postprocessing, open the 'General Postproc' Menu
1. Deformation
Plot Results > Deformed Shape... 'Def + undef edge'
You may want to try plotting this from different angles to get a better idea what's going on by using the 'Pan-
Zoom-Rotate' menu that was earlier outlined.
Try the 'Front' view button (Note that the views of 'Front', 'Left', 'Back', etc depend on how the object was
first defined).
Your screen should look like the plot below:

2. Deflections
Now let's take a look at some actual deflections in the frame. The deflections have been calculated at the nodes of
the model, so the first thing we'll do is plot out the nodes and node numbers, so we know what node(s) we're after.
Go to Utility menu > PlotCtrls > Numbering... and turn on 'Node numbers'. Turn everything else off.
Note the node numbers of interest. Of particular interest are those nodes where the constraints were applied
to see if their displacements/rotations were indeed fixed to zero. Also note the node numbers of the seat and
crank locations.
List the Nodal Deflections (Main Menu > General Postproc > List Results > Nodal Solution...'). Are the
displacements and rotations as you expected?
Plot the deflection as well.

General Postproc > Plot Results > (-Contour Plot-) Nodal Solution select 'DOF solution' and
'USUM' in the window
Don't forget to use more useful intervals.
3. Element Forces
We could also take a look at the forces in the elements in much the same way:
Select 'Element Solution...' from the 'List Results' menu.

Select 'Nodal force data' and 'All forces' from the lists displayed.
Click on 'OK'.

For each element in the model, the force/moment values at each of the two nodes per element will be
displayed.
Close this list window when you are finished browsing.
Then close the 'List Results' menu.
4. Stresses
As shown in the cantilever beam example, use the Element Table to gain access to derived stresses.
General Postproc > Element Table > Define Table ...

Select 'Add'
Select 'Stress' and 'von Mises'
Element Table > Plot Elem Table
Again, select appropriate intervals for the contour plot
5. Bending Moment Diagrams
As shown previously, the bending moment diagram can be produced.
Select Element Table > Define Table... to define the table (remember SMISC,6 and SMISC,12)
And, Plot Results > Line Elem Res... to plot the data from the Element Table


The above example was solved using a mixture of the Graphical User Interface (or GUI) and the command language
interface of ANSYS. This problem has also been solved using the ANSYS command language interface that you may
want to browse. Open the .HTML version, copy and paste the code into Notepad or a similar text editor and save it to
your computer. Now go to 'File > Read input from...' and select the file. A .PDF version is also available for printing.
Quitting ANSYS
To quit ANSYS, select 'QUIT' from the ANSYS Toolbar or select 'Utility Menu'/'File'/'Exit...'. In the dialog box that
appears, click on 'Save Everything' (assuming that you want to) and then click on 'OK'.

Plane Stress Bracket Page 1 of 20

UofA ANSYS Tutorial
Bicycle Space Frame
Modeling Tools
Solid Modeling
Index

Contributions
Comments
| Verification Example | | Preprocessing | | Solution | | Postprocessing | | Command Line |
MecE 563
| Bracket Example | | Preprocessing | | Solution | | Postprocessing | | Command Line |
Mechanical Engineering
University of Alberta Introduction

This tutorial is the second of three basic tutorials created to illustrate commom features in ANSYS. The plane
ANSYS Inc. stress bracket tutorial builds upon techniques covered in the first tutorial (3D Bicycle Space Frame), it is
therefore essential that you have completed that tutorial prior to beginning this one.
The 2D Plane Stress Bracket will introduce boolean operations, plane stress, and uniform pressure loading.
Copyright © 2001 Problem Description
The problem to be modeled in this example is a simple bracket shown in the following figure. This bracket is
to be built from a 20 mm thick steel plate. A figure of the plate is shown below.
This plate will be fixed at the two small holes on the left and have a load applied to the larger hole on the
right.
Verification Example
The first step is to simplify the problem. Whenever you are trying out a new analysis type, you need
something (ie analytical solution or experimental data) to compare the results to. This way you can be sure
that you've gotten the correct analysis type, units, scale factors, etc.
The simplified version that will be used for this problem is that of a flat rectangular plate with a hole shown
in the following figure:

1. Give the Simplified Version a Title

2. Form Geometry
Boolean operations provide a means to create complicated solid models. These procedures make it easy
to combine simple geometric entities to create more complex bodies. Subtraction will used to create
this model, however, many other Boolean operations can be used in ANSYS.
a. Create the main rectangular shape
Instead of creating the geometry using keypoints, we will create an area (using GUI)
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Areas > Rectangle > By 2 Corners
Fill in the window as shown above. This will create a rectangle where the bottom left
corner has the coordinates 0,0,0 and the top right corner has the coordinates 200,100,0.
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above command is BLC4,0,0,200,100 )
b. Create the circle

Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Areas > Circle > Solid Circle

Fill in the window as shown above. This will create a circle where the center has the
coordinates 100,50,0 (the center of the rectangle) and the radius of the circle is 20 mm.
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above command is CYL4,100,50,20 )
c. Subtraction
Now we want to subtract the circle from the rectangle. Prior to this operation, your image
should resemble the following:
To perform the Boolean operation, from the Preprocessor menu select:

Modeling > Operate > Booleans > Subtract > Areas
At this point a 'Subtract Areas' window will pop up and the ANSYS Input window will
display the following message: [ASBA] Pick or enter base areas from which to
subtract (as shown below)

Therefore, select the base area (the rectangle) by clicking on it. Note: The selected area
will turn pink once it is selected.
The following window may appear because there are 2 areas at the location you clicked.
Ensure that the entire rectangular area is selected (otherwise click 'Next') and then click
'OK'.
Click 'OK' on the 'Subtract Areas' window.
Now you will be prompted to select the areas to be subtracted, select the circle by clicking
on it and then click 'OK'.
You should now have the following model:
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is ASBA,1,2)
It is now necessary to define the type of element to use for our problem:
Preprocessor Menu > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete
Add the following type of element: Solid (under the Structural heading) and the Quad 82
element, as shown in the above figure.

PLANE82 is a higher order version of the two-dimensional, four-node element (PLANE42).

PLANE82 is an eight noded quadrilateral element which is better suited to model curved
boundaries.
For this example, we need a plane stress element with thickness, therefore
Click on the 'Options...' button. Click and hold the K3 button, and select 'Plane strs w/thk', as
shown below.
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is ET,1,PLANE82 followed by
KEYOPT,1,3,3)
As in previous examples Preprocessor menu > Real Constants > Add/Edit/Delete
Enter a thickness of 20 as shown in the figure below. This defines a plate thickness of 20mm)
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is R,1,20)

As shown in previous examples, select Preprocessor > Material Props > Material models >
Structural > Linear > Elastic > Isotropic
We are going to give the properties of Steel. Enter the following when prompted:
EX 200000
PRXY 0.3
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is MP,EX,1,200000 followed by
MP,PRXY,1,0.3)

6. Mesh Size
To tell ANSYS how big the elements should be, Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > Manual
Size > Areas > All Areas
Select an element edge length of 25. We will return later to determine if this was adequate for the
problem.
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is AESIZE,ALL,25,)
7. Mesh
In the 'Preprocessor' menu select Meshing > Mesh > Areas > Free and select the area when
prompted
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is AMESH,ALL)
You should now have the following:
Saving Your Job

You have now defined your model. It is now time to apply the load(s) and constraint(s) and solve the the
resulting system of equations.
Ensure that a Static Analysis will be performed (Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis).
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is ANTYPE,0)
As shown previously, the left end of the plate is fixed.

In the Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On Lines
Select the left end of the plate and click on 'Apply' in the 'Apply U,ROT on Lines' window.
Fill in the window as shown below.
This location is fixed which means that all DOF's are constrained. Therefore, select 'All DOF' by
clicking on it and enter '0' in the Value field as shown above.
You will see some blue triangles in the graphics window indicating the displacement contraints.
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is DL,4,,ALL,0)
3. Apply Loads
As shown in the diagram, there is a load of 20N/mm distributed on the right hand side of the
plate. To apply this load:
Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Pressure > On Lines
When the window appears, select the line along the right hand edge of the plate and click 'OK'
Calculate the pressure on the plate end by dividing the distributed load by the thickness of the
plate (1 MPa).
Fill in the "Apply PRES on lines" window as shown below. NOTE:

The pressure is uniform along the surface of the plate, therefore the last field is left blank.
The pressure is acting away from the surface of the plate, and is therefore defined as a
negative pressure.

Now, since the purpose of this exercise was to verify the results - we need to calculate what we should
find.
Deflection: The maximum deflection occurs on the right hand side of the plate and was calculated to be
0.001 mm - neglecting the effects of the hole in the plate (ie - just a flat plate). The actual deflection of
the plate is therefore expected to be greater but in the same range of magnitude.
Stress: The maximum stress occurs at the top and bottom of the hole in the plate and was found to be
3.9 MPa.
2. Convergence using ANSYS
At this point we need to find whether or not the final result has converged. We will do this by looking
at the deflection and stress at particular nodes while changing the size of the meshing element.
Since we have an analytical solution for the maximum stress point, we will check the stress at
this point. First we need to find the node corresponding to the top of the hole in the plate. First
plot and number the nodes
Utility Menu > Plot > Nodes

Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Numbering...
The plot should look similar to the one shown below. Make a note of the node closest to the top
of the circle (ie. #49)

List the stresses (General Postproc > List Results > Nodal Solution > Stress, Principals
SPRIN) and check the SEQV (Equivalent Stress / von Mises Stress) for the node in question. (as
shown below in red)
The equivalent stress was found to be 2.9141 MPa at this point. We will use smaller elements to
try to get a more accurate solution.
Resize Elements
a. To change the element size, we need to go back to the Preprocessor Menu

Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > Manual Size > Areas > All Areas
now decrease the element edge length (ie 20)
b. Now remesh the model (Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh > Areas > Free). Once you
have selected the area and clicked 'OK' the following window will appear:

c. Click 'OK'. This will remesh the model using the new element edge length.
d. Solve the system again (note that the constraints need not be reapplied). ( Solution Menu
> Current LS )
Repeat steps 'a' through 'd' until the model has converged. (note - the number of the node at the
top of the hole has most likely changed. It is essential that you plot the nodes again to select the
appropriate node). Plot the stress/deflection at varying mesh sizes as shown below to confirm
that convergence has occured.
Note the shapes of both the deflection and stress curves. As the number of elements in the mesh
increases (ie - the element edge length decreases), the values converge towards a final solution.
The von Mises stress at the top of the hole in the plate was found to be approximatly 3.8 MPa. This is a
mere 2.5% difference between the analytical solution and the solution found using ANSYS.
The approximate maximum displacement was found to be 0.0012 mm, this is 20% greater than the
analytical solution. However, the analytical solution does not account for the large hole in the center of
the plate which was expected to significantly increase the deflection at the end of the plate.
Therefore, the results using ANSYS were determined to be appropriate for the verification model.
3. Deformation
General Postproc > Plot Results > Deformed Shape > Def + undeformd to view both the
deformed and the undeformed object.

Observe the locations of deflection.
4. Deflection
General Postproc > Plot Results > Nodal Solution... Then select DOF solution, USUM in the
window.
Alternatively, obtain these results as a list. (General Postproc > List Results > Nodal
Solution...)
Are these results what you expected? Note that all translational degrees of freedom were
constrained to zero at the left end of the plate.
5. Stresses
General Postproc > Plot Results > Nodal Solution... Then select Stress, von Mises in the
window.

You can list the von Mises stresses to verify the results at certain nodes
General Postproc > List Results. Select Stress, Principals SPRIN

The above example was solved using a mixture of the Graphical User Interface (or GUI) and the command
language interface of ANSYS. This problem has also been solved using the ANSYS command language
interface that you may want to browse. Open the .HTML version, copy and paste the code into Notepad or a
similar text editor and save it to your computer. Now go to 'File > Read input from...' and select the file.
A .PDF version is also available for printing.
Bracket Example
Now we will return to the analysis of the bracket. A combination of GUI and the Command line will be used
for this example.
The problem to be modeled in this example is a simple bracket shown in the following figure. This bracket is
to be built from a 20 mm thick steel plate. A figure of the plate is shown below.
This plate will be fixed at the two small holes on the left and have a load applied to the larger hole on the
right.


1. Give the Bracket example a Title
2. Form Geometry
Again, Boolean operations will be used to create the basic geometry of the Bracket.
a. Create the main rectangular shape
The main rectangular shape has a width of 80 mm, a height of 100mm and the bottom left corner
is located at coordinates (0,0)
Ensure that the Preprocessor menu is open. (Alternatively type /PREP7 into the command
line window)
Now instead of using the GUI window we are going to enter code into the 'command line'.
Now I will explain the line required to create a rectangle:
BLC4, XCORNER, YCORNER, WIDTH, HEIGHT

BLC4, X coord (bottom left), Y coord (bottom left), width, height
Therefore, the command line for this rectangle is BLC4,0,0,80,100
b. Create the circular end on the right hand side
The center of the circle is located at (80,50) and has a radius of 50 mm
The following code is used to create a circular area:
CYL4, XCENTER, YCENTER, RAD1

CYL4, X coord for the center, Y coord for the center, radius
Therefore, the command line for this circle is CYL4,80,50,50
c. Now create a second and third circle for the left hand side using the following dimensions:
parameter circle 2 circle 3

XCENTER 0 0
YCENTER 20 80
RADIUS 20 20
d. Create a rectangle on the left hand end to fill the gap between the two small circles.
XCORNER -20
YCORNER 20
WIDTH 20
HEIGHT 60
Your screen should now look like the following...

e. Boolean Operations - Addition
We now want to add these five discrete areas together to form one area.
To perform the Boolean operation, from the Preprocessor menu select:

Modeling > Operate > Booleans > Add > Areas
In the 'Add Areas' window, click on 'Pick All'
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is AADD,ALL)
You should now have the following model:
f. Create the Bolt Holes We now want to remove the bolt holes from this plate.
Create the three circles with the parameters given below:
parameter circle 1 circle 2 circle 3

WP X 80 0 0

WP Y 50 20 80
radius 30 10 10
Now select
Preprocessor > Modeling > Operate > Booleans > Subtract > Areas
Select the base areas from which to subract (the large plate that was created)
Next select the three circles that we just created. Click on the three circles that you just
created and click 'OK'.
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is ASBA,6,ALL)
Now you should have the following:
As in the verification model, PLANE82 will be used for this example
Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete
Use the 'Options...' button to get a plane stress element with thickness
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is ET,1,PLANE82 followed by
KEYOPT,1,3,3)
Under the Extra Element Output K5 select nodal stress.
4. Define Geometric Contants
Preprocessor > Real Constants > Add/Edit/Delete
Enter a thickness of 20mm.
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is R,1,20)
Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Library > Structural > Linear > Elastic >
Isotropic
We are going to give the properties of Steel. Enter the following when prompted:

EX 200000
PRXY 0.3
(The command line code for the above step is MP,EX,1,200000 followed by MP,PRXY,1,0.3)
6. Mesh Size
Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > Manual Size > Areas > All Areas
Select an element edge length of 5. Again, we will need to make sure the model has converged.
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is AESIZE,ALL,5,)
7. Mesh
Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh > Areas > Free and select the area when prompted
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is AMESH,ALL)
Saving Your Job


You have now defined your model. It is now time to apply the load(s) and constraint(s) and solve the the
resulting system of equations.
'Solution' > 'New Analysis' and select 'Static'.
(Alternatively, the command line code for the above step is ANTYPE,0)
As illustrated, the plate is fixed at both of the smaller holes on the left hand side.
Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On Nodes
Instead of selecting one node at a time, you have the option of creating a box, polygon, or circle
of which all the nodes in that area will be selected. For this case, select 'circle' as shown in the

window below. (You may want to zoom in to select the points Utilty Menu / PlotCtrls / Pan,
Zoom, Rotate...) Click at the center of the bolt hole and drag the circle out so that it touches all
of the nodes on the border of the hole.
Click on 'Apply' in the 'Apply U,ROT on Lines' window and constrain all DOF's in the 'Apply
U,ROT on Nodes' window.
Repeat for the second bolt hole.
3. Apply Loads
As shown in the diagram, there is a single vertical load of 1000N, at the bottom of the large bolt hole.
Apply this force to the respective keypoint ( Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural >
Force/Moment > On Keypoints Select a force in the y direction of -1000)

Post-Processing: Viewing the Results

We are now ready to view the results. We will take a look at the deflected shape and the stress contours once
we determine convergence has occured.
1. Convergence using ANSYS
As shown previously, it is necessary to prove that the solution has converged. Reduce the mesh
size until there is no longer a sizeable change in your convergence criteria.
2. Deformation
General Postproc > Plot Results > Def + undeformed to view both the deformed and the
undeformed object.
The graphic should be similar to the following
Observe the locations of deflection. Ensure that the deflection at the bolt hole is indeed 0.
3. Deflection
To plot the nodal deflections use General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal
Solution then select DOF Solution - USUM in the window.

Alternatively, obtain these results as a list. (General Postproc > List Results > Nodal
Solution...)
Are these results what you expected? Note that all translational degrees of freedom were
constrained to zero at the bolt holes.
4. Stresses
General Postproc > Plot Results > Nodal Solution... Then select von Mises Stress in the
window.
You can list the von Mises stresses to verify the results at certain nodes
General Postproc > List Results. Select Stress, Principals SPRIN


Quitting ANSYS
To quit ANSYS, click 'QUIT' on the ANSYS Toolbar or select Utility Menu > File > Exit... In the window
that appears, select 'Save Everything' (assuming that you want to) and then click 'OK'.

Solid Modeling Page 1 of 15

UofA ANSYS Tutorial
Bicycle Space Frame

Solid Model Creation
Modeling Tools
Solid Modeling
Introduction
This tutorial is the last of three basic tutorials devised to illustrate commom features in ANSYS. Each
tutorial builds upon techniques covered in previous tutorials, it is therefore essential that you complete
Index
the tutorials in order.
The Solid Modelling Tutorial will introduce various techniques which can be used in ANSYS to create
Contributions solid models. Filleting, extrusion/sweeping, copying, and working plane orientation will be covered in
detail.
Comments
MecE 563 Two Solid Models will be created within this tutorial.
Problem Description A
ANSYS Inc. We will be creating a solid model of the pulley shown in the following figure.
Copyright © 2001
Geometry Generation
We will create this model by first tracing out the cross section of the pulley and then sweeping this area
about the y axis.
Creation of Cross Sectional Area
1. Create 3 Rectangles

Main Menu > Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Create > Rectangle > By 2 Corners
BLC4, XCORNER, YCORNER, WIDTH, HEIGHT
The geometry of the rectangles:

Rectangle 1 Rectangle 2 Rectangle 3
WP X (XCORNER) 2 3 8
WP Y (YCORNER) 0 2 0
WIDTH 1 5 0.5
HEIGHT 5.5 1 5
2. Add the Areas

Main Menu > Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Operate > (-Boolean-) Add > Areas
AADD, ALL
ANSYS will label the united area as AREA 4 and the previous three areas will be deleted.
3. Create the rounded edges using circles

Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Create > (-Areas-) Circle > Solid circles
CYL4,XCENTER,YCENTER,RAD
The geometry of the circles:

Circle 1 Circle 2
WP X (XCENTER) 3 8.5
WP Y (YCENTER) 5.5 0.2
RADIUS 0.5 0.2
4. Subtract the large circle from the base

Preprocessor > Operate > Subtract > Areas
ASBA,BASE,SUBTRACT
5. Copy the smaller circle for the rounded edges at the top
Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Copy > Areas
Click on the small circle and then on OK.
The following window will appear. It asks for the x,y and z offset of the copied area. Enter
the y offset as 4.6 and then click OK.

Copy this new area now with an x offset of -0.5
You should obtain the following
6. Add the smaller circles to the large area.

Preprocessor > Operate > Add > Areas
AADD,ALL
7. Fillet the inside edges of the top half of the area

Preprocessor > Create > (-Lines-) Line Fillet
Select the two lines shown below and click on OK.

The following window will appear prompting for the fillet radius. Enter 0.1
Follow the same procedure and create a fillet with the same radius between the following
lines

8. Create the fillet areas
As shown below, zoom into the fillet radius and plot and number the lines.
Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Create > (-Areas-) Arbitrary > By Lines
Select the lines as shown below
Repeat for the other fillet
9. Add all the areas together

Preprocessor > Operate > Add > Areas
AADD,ALL
10. Plot the areas (Utility Menu > Plot - Areas)
Sweep the Cross Sectional Area
Now we need to sweep the area around a y axis at x=0 and z=0 to create the pulley.
1. Create two keypoints defining the y axis

Create keypoints at (0,0,0) and (0,5,0) and number them 1001 and 1002 respectively.
(K,#,X,Y,Z)
2. By default the graphics will now show all keypoints. Plot Areas
3. Sweep the area about the y axis

Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Operate > Extrude > (-Areas-) About axis
You will first be prompted to select the areas to be swept so click on the area.
Then you will be asked to enter or pick two keypoints defining the axis.
Plot the Keypoints (Utility Menu > Plot > Keypoints. Then select the following two

keypoints
The following window will appear prompting for sweeping angles. Click on OK.
You should now see the following in the graphics screen.

Create Bolt Holes
1. Change the Working Plane
By default, the working plane in ANSYS is located on the global Cartesian X-Y plane. However,
for us to define the bolt holes, we need to use a different working plane. There are several ways to
define a working plane, one of which is to define it by three keypoints.
Create the following Keypoints
X Y Z
#2001 0 3 0
#2002 1 3 0
#2003 0 3 1
Switch the view to top view and plot only keypoints.
2. Align the Working Plane with the Keypoints

Utility Menu > WorkPlane > Align WP with > Keypoints +
Select Keypoints 2001 then 2002 then 2003 IN THAT ORDER. The first keypoint (2001)
defines the origin of the working plane coordinate system, the second keypoint (2002)
defines the x-axis orientation, while the third (2003) defines the orientation of the working
plane. The following warning will appear when selecting the keypoint at the origin as there
are more than one in this location.
Just click on 'Next' until the one selected is 2001.
Once you have selected the 3 keypoints and clicked 'OK' the WP symbol (green) should
appear in the Graphics window. Another way to make sure the active WP has moves is:
Utility Menu > WorkPlane > Show WP Status
note the origin of the working plane. By default those values would be 0,0,0.
3. Create a Cylinder (solid cylinder) with x=5.5 y=0 r=0.5 depth=1 You should see the following in
the graphics screen

We will now copy this volume so that we repeat it every 45 degrees. Note that you must copy the
cylinder before you use boolean operations to subtract it because you cannot copy an empty
space.
4. We need to change active CS to cylindrical Y

Utility Menu > WorkPlane > Change Active CS to > Global Cylindrical Y
This will allow us to copy radially about the Y axis
5. Create 8 bolt Holes

Preprocessor > Copy > Volumes
Select the cylinder volume and click on OK. The following window will appear; fill in the
blanks as shown,
Youi should obtain the following model,

Subtract the cylinders from the pulley hub (Boolean operations) to create the boltholes.
This will result in the following completed structure:

The above example was solved using a mixture of the Graphical User Interface (or GUI) and the
command language interface of ANSYS. This problem has also been solved using the ANSYS
command language interface that you may want to browse. Open the .HTML version, copy and paste
the code into Notepad or a similar text editor and save it to your computer. Now go to 'File > Read
input from...' and select the file. A .PDF version is also available for printing.
Problem Description B
We will be creating a solid model of the Spindle Base shown in the following figure.

Geometry Generation
We will create this model by creating the base and the back and then the rib.
Create the Base
1. Create the base rectangle

WP X (XCORNER) WP Y (YCORNER) WIDTH HEIGHT
0 0 109 102
2. Create the curved edge (using keypoints and lines to create an area)
Create the following keypoints

X Y Z
Keypoint 5 -20 82 0
Keypoint 6 -20 20 0
Keypoint 7 0 82 0
Keypoint 8 0 20 0
Create arcs joining the keypoints

Main Menu > Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Create > (-Lines-) Arcs > By End
KPs & Rad
Select keypoints 4 and 5 (either click on them or type 4,5 into the command line)
when prompted.

Select Keypoint 7 as the center-of-curvature when prompted.
Enter the radius of the arc (20) in the 'Arc by End KPs & Radius' window
Repeat to create an arc from keypoints 1 and 6
(Alternatively, type LARC,4,5,7,20 followed by LARC,1,6,8,20 into the command line)
Create a line from Keypoint 5 to 6

Main Menu > Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Create > (-Lines-) Lines > Straight
Line
L,5,6
Create an Arbitrary area within the bounds of the lines

Main Menu > Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Create > (-Areas-) Arbitrary > By
Lines
AL,4,5,6,7
Combine the 2 areas into 1 (to form Area 3)

Main Menu > Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Operate > (-Booleans-) Add >
Volumes
AADD,1,2
You should obtain the following image:
3. Create the 4 holes in the base
We will make use of the 'copy' feature in ANSYS to create all 4 holes
Create the bottom left circle (XCENTER=0, YCENTER=20, RADIUS=10)
Copy the area to create the bottom right circle (DX=69)

(AGEN,# Copies (include original),Area#,Area2# (if 2 areas to be
copied),DX,DY,DZ)
Copy both circles to create the upper circles (DY=62)
Subtract the three circles from the main base

(ASBA,3,ALL)

4. Extrude the base

Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Operate > Extrude > (-Areas-) Along Normal
The following window will appear once you select the area
Fill in the window as shown (length of extrusion = 26mm). Note, to extrude the area in the
negative z direction you would simply enter -26.
(Alternatively, type VOFFST,6,26 into the command line)
Create the Back
1. Change the working plane
As in the previous example, we need to change the working plane. You may have observed that
geometry can only be created in the X-Y plane. Therefore, in order to create the back of the
Spindle Base, we need to create a new working plane where the X-Y plane is parallel to the back.
Again, we will define the working plane by aligning it to 3 Keypoints.
X Y Z
#100 109 102 0
#101 109 2 0
#102 159 102 sqrt(3)/0.02
Align the working plane to the 3 keypoints
Recall when defining the working plane; the first keypoint defines the origin, the second
keypoint defines the x-axis orientation, while the third defines the orientation of the

working plane.
(Alternatively, type KWPLAN,1,100,101,102 into the command line)
2. Create the back area
Create the base rectangle (XCORNER=0, YCORNER=0, WIDTH=102, HEIGHT=180)
Create a circle to obtain the curved top (XCENTER=51, YCENTER=180, RADIUS=51)
Add the 2 areas together
3. Extrude the area (length of extrusion = 26mm)

Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Operate > Extrude > (-Areas-) Along Normal
VOFFST,27,26
4. Add the base and the back together
Add the two volumes together

Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Operate > (-Booleans-) Add > Volumes
VADD,1,2
You should now have the following geometry
Note that the planar areas between the two volumes were not added together.
Add the planar areas together (don't forget the other side!)
Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Operate > (-Booleans-) Add > Areas
AADD, Area 1, Area 2, Area 3
5. Create the Upper Cylinder
Create the outer cylinder (XCENTER=51, YCENTER=180, RADIUS=32, DEPTH=60)

Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Create > (-Volumes-) Cylinder > Solid Cylinder
CYL4,51,180,32, , , ,60
Add the volumes together
Create the inner cylinder (XCENTER=51, YCENTER=180, RADIUS=18.5, DEPTH=60)
Subtract the volumes to obtain a hole
You should now have the following geometry:

Create the Rib
1. Change the working plane
First change the active coordinate system back to the global coordinate system (this will
make it easier to align to the new coordinate system)
Utility Menu > WorkPlane > Align WP with > Global Cartesian
(Alternatively, type WPCSYS,-1,0 into the command line)
X Y Z
#200 -20 61 26
#201 0 61 26
#202 -20 61 30
Align the working plane to the 3 keypoints
Recall when defining the working plane; the first keypoint defines the origin, the second
keypoint defines the x-axis orientation, while the third defines the orientation of the
working plane.
(Alternatively, type KWPLAN,1,200,201,202 into the command line)
2. Change active coordinate system
We now need to update the coordiante system to follow the working plane changes (ie make the
new Work Plane origin the active coordinate)
Utility Menu > WorkPlane > Change Active CS to > Working Plane
CSYS,4
3. Create the area
Create the keypoints corresponding to the vertices of the rib
X Y Z
#203 129-(0.57735*26) 0 0
#204 129-(0.57735*26) + 38 sqrt(3)/2*76 0
Create the rib area through keypoints 200, 203, 204

Preprocessor > (-Modeling-) Create > (-Areas-) Arbitrary > Through KPs
A,200,203,204

4. Extrude the area (length of extrusion = 20mm)
5. Add the volumes together
Quitting ANSYS
To quit ANSYS, select 'QUIT' from the ANSYS Toolbar or select 'Utility Menu'/'File'/'Exit...'. In the
dialog box that appears, click on 'Save Everything' (assuming that you want to) and then click on 'OK'.

U of A ANSYS Tutorials - Effect of Self Weight Page 1 of 4

UofA ANSYS Tutorial
Effect of Self Weight
Distributed Loading Effect of Self Weight on a Cantilever Beam

NonLinear Analysis
Solution Tracking
Buckling Introduction
NonLinear Materials
This tutorial was completed using ANSYS 7.0 The purpose of the tutorial is to show the required steps
Dynamic - Modal to account for the weight of an object in ANSYS.
Dynamic - Harmonic
Loads will not be applied to the beam shown below in order to observe the deflection caused by the
Dynamic - Transient weight of the beam itself. The beam is to be made of steel with a modulus of elasticity of 200 GPa.
Thermal-Conduction
Thermal-Mixed Bndry
Transient Heat
Axisymmetric
Index
Contributions
Comments
MecE 563
1. Give example a Title
University of Alberta Utility Menu > File > Change Title ...
/title, Effects of Self Weight for a Cantilever Beam
ANSYS Inc. 2. Open preprocessor menu

ANSYS Main Menu > Preprocessor
/PREP7
3. Define Keypoints
Copyright © 2001 Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Keypoints > In Active CS...
University of Alberta K,#,x,y,z
We are going to define 2 keypoints for this beam as given in the following table:
Keypoint Coordinates (x,y,z)

1 (0,0)
2 (1000,0)
4. Create Lines
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Lines > In Active Coord
L,1,2
Create a line joining Keypoints 1 and 2
Preprocessor > Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete...
For this problem we will use the BEAM3 (Beam 2D elastic) element. This element has 3 degrees

of freedom (translation along the X and Y axes, and rotation about the Z axis).
Define Real Constants
Preprocessor > Real Constants... > Add...
In the 'Real Constants for BEAM3' window, enter the following geometric properties:
i. Cross-sectional area AREA: 500

ii. Area moment of inertia IZZ: 4166.67
iii. Total beam height: 10
This defines a beam with a height of 10 mm and a width of 50 mm.
Define Element Material Properties
Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Structural > Linear > Elastic > Isotropic
In the window that appears, enter the following geometric properties for steel:
i. Young's modulus EX: 200000

ii. Poisson's Ratio PRXY: 0.3
Define Element Density
Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Structural > Linear > Density
In the window that appears, enter the following density for steel:
i. Density DENS: 7.86e-6
Define Mesh Size
Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > ManualSize > Lines > All Lines...
For this example we will use an element edge length of 100mm.
Mesh the frame
Preprocessor > Meshing > Mesh > Lines > click 'Pick All'

Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Static

ANTYPE,0
Apply Constraints
Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Displacement > On Keypoints
Fix keypoint 1 (ie all DOF constrained)
Define Gravity
It is necessary to define the direction and magnitude of gravity for this problem.
Select Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Inertia > Gravity...

The following window will appear. Fill it in as shown to define an acceleration of 9.81m/s2 in the
y direction.
Note: Acceleration is defined in terms of meters (not 'mm' as used throughout the problem). This
is because the units of acceleration and mass must be consistent to give the product of force units
(Newtons in this case). Also note that a positive acceleration in the y direction stimulates gravity
in the negative Y direction.
There should now be a red arrow pointing in the positive y direction. This indicates that an
acceleration has been defined in the y direction.
DK,1,ALL,0,
ACEL,,9.8
The applied loads and constraints should now appear as shown in the figure below.
Solve the System

SOLVE

Hand calculations were performed to verify the solution found using ANSYS:

The maximum deflection was shown to be 5.777mm
2. Show the deformation of the beam

General Postproc > Plot Results > Deformed Shape ... > Def + undef edge
PLDISP,2
As observed in the upper left hand corner, the maximum displacement was found to be 5.777mm.
This is in agreement with the theortical value.


Distributed Loading Page 1 of 5

UofA ANSYS Tutorial
Distributed Loading
Application of Distributed Loads
NonLinear Analysis
Solution Tracking
Introduction
Buckling
NonLinear Materials This tutorial was completed using ANSYS 7.0. The purpose of this tutorial is to explain how to apply
distributed loads and use element tables to extract data. Please note that this material was also covered
Dynamic - Modal in the 'Bicycle Space Frame' tutorial under 'Basic Tutorials'.
Dynamic - Harmonic
A distributed load of 1000 N/m (1 N/mm) will be applied to a solid steel beam with a rectangular cross
Dynamic - Transient section as shown in the figure below. The cross-section of the beam is 10mm x 10mm while the
modulus of elasticity of the steel is 200GPa.
Thermal-Conduction
Thermal-Mixed Bndry
Transient Heat
Axisymmetric
Index
Contributions
Comments
MecE 563
ANSYS Inc.
Copyright © 2001
1. Open preprocessor menu
/PREP7

Utility Menu > File > Change Title ...
/title, Distributed Loading
3. Create Keypoints
K,#,x,y
We are going to define 2 keypoints (the beam vertices) for this structure as given in the
following table:
Keypoint Coordinates (x,y)

1 (0,0)

2 (1000,0)
4. Define Lines
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Lines > Straight Line
L,K#,K#
Create a line between Keypoint 1 and Keypoint 2.
5. Define Element Types
For this problem we will use the BEAM3 element. This element has 3 degrees of freedom
(translation along the X and Y axis's, and rotation about the Z axis). With only 3 degrees of
freedom, the BEAM3 element can only be used in 2D analysis.

ii. Area Moment of Inertia IZZ: 833.333
iii. Total beam height HEIGHT: 10
This defines an element with a solid rectangular cross section 10mm x 10mm.

Define Mesh Size
For this example we will use an element length of 100mm.
Mesh the frame
Plot Elements
Utility Menu > Plot > Elements
You may also wish to turn on element numbering and turn off keypoint numbering
Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Numbering ...



ANTYPE,0
Apply Constraints
Pin Keypoint 1 (ie UX and UY constrained) and fix Keypoint 2 in the y direction (UY
constrained).
Apply Loads
We will apply a distributed load, of 1000 N/m or 1 N/mm, over the entire length of the beam.
Select Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Pressure > On Beams
Click 'Pick All' in the 'Apply F/M' window.
As shown in the following figure, enter a value of 1 in the field 'VALI Pressure value at node I'
then click 'OK'.

Note:
To have the constraints and loads appear each time you select 'Replot' you must change some
settings. Select Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Symbols.... In the window that appears, select
'Pressures' in the pull down menu of the 'Surface Load Symbols' section.
Solve the System

SOLVE

1. Plot Deformed Shape
General Postproc > Plot Results > Deformed Shape
PLDISP.2
2. Plot Principle stress distribution
As shown previously, we need to use element tables to obtain principle stresses for line elements.
1. Select General Postproc > Element Table > Define Table
2. Click 'Add...'
3. In the window that appears

a. enter 'SMAXI' in the 'User Label for Item' section

b. In the first window in the 'Results Data Item' section scroll down and select 'By
sequence num'
c. In the second window of the same section, select 'NMISC, '
d. In the third window enter '1' anywhere after the comma
4. click 'Apply'
5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 but change 'SMAXI' to 'SMAXJ' in step 3a and change '1' to '3' in step
3d.
6. Click 'OK'. The 'Element Table Data' window should now have two variables in it.
7. Click 'Close' in the 'Element Table Data' window.
8. Select: General Postproc > Plot Results > Line Elem Res...
9. Select 'SMAXI' from the 'LabI' pull down menu and 'SMAXJ' from the 'LabJ' pull down
menu
Note:
ANSYS can only calculate the stress at a single location on the element. For this example,
we decided to extract the stresses from the I and J nodes of each element. These are the
nodes that are at the ends of each element.
For this problem, we wanted the principal stresses for the elements. For the BEAM3
element this is categorized as NMISC, 1 for the 'I' nodes and NMISC, 3 for the 'J' nodes. A
list of available codes for each element can be found in the ANSYS help files. (ie. type
help BEAM3 in the ANSYS Input window).
As shown in the plot below, the maximum stress occurs in the middle of the beam with a value of
750 MPa.


U of A ANSYS Tutorials - Graphical Solution Tracking Page 1 of 2

UofA ANSYS Tutorial
Distributed Loading
Graphical Solution Tracking
NonLinear Analysis
Solution Tracking
Introduction
Buckling
NonLinear Materials This tutorial was completed using ANSYS 7.0 This will act as an explanation of what the Graphical
Solution Tracking plot is acutally describing. An example of such a plot is shown below and will be
Dynamic - Modal used throughout the explanation.
Dynamic - Harmonic
Dynamic - Transient
Thermal-Conduction
Thermal-Mixed Bndry
Transient Heat
Axisymmetric
Index
Contributions
Comments
MecE 563
1. Title and Axis Labels
The title of the graph is really just the time value of the last calculated iteration. In this
example, the time at the end of the analysis was set to 1. This can be changed with the
ANSYS Inc.
Time command before the Solve command is issued. For more information regarding
setting the time value, and many other solution control option, see Chapter 8.5 of the
Structural Analysis Guide in the Help file.
Copyright © 2001 The x-axis is labelled Cumulative Iteration Number. As ANSYS steps through non-
University of Alberta linear analysis, it uses a solver (Newton-Raphson, etc) that iterates to find a solution. If the
problem is relatively linear, very few iterations will be required and thus the length of the
graph will be small. However, if the solution is highly non-linear, or is not converging,
many iterations will be required. The length of the graph in these cases can be quite long.
Again, for more information about changing iteration settings, you can see Chapter 8.5 in
the help file.
The y-axis is labelled Absolute Convergence Norm. In the case of a structural analysis,
which this graph is taken from, this absolute convergence norm refers to non-normalized
values (ie there are units associated with these values). Some analyses use normalized
values. In reality it doesn't really matter because it is only a comparison that is going on.
This is what will be explained next.
2. Curves and Legend

As can be guessed from the legend labels, this graph relates to forces and moments. These
values are graphed because they are the corresponding values in the solution vector for the
DOF's that are active in the elements being used. If this graph were from a thermal
analysis, the curves may be for temperature.
For each parameter, there are two curves plotted. For ease of explanation, we will look at
the force curves.

U of A ANSYS Tutorials - Graphical Solution Tracking Page 2 of 2
The F CRIT curve refers to the convergence criteria force value. This value is equal
to the product of VALUE x TOLER. The default value of VALUE is the square root of
the sum of the squares (SRSS) of the applied loads, or MINREF (which defaults to
0.001), which ever is greater. This value can be changed using the CNVTOL
command, which is discussed in the help file. The value of TOLER defaults to 0.5%
for loads.
One may inquire why the F CRIT value increases as the number of iterations
increases. This is because the analysis is made up of a number of substeps. In the
case of a structural example, such as this, these substeps are basically portions of the
total load being applied over time. For instance, a 100N load broken up with 20
substeps means 20, 5N loads will be applied consequtively until the entire 100N is
applied. Thus, the F CRIT value at the start will be 1/20th of the final F CRIT value.
The F L2 curve refers to the L2 Vector Norm of the forces. The L2 norm is the SRSS
of the force imbalances for all DOF's. In simpler terms, this is the SRSS of the
difference between the calculated internal force at a particular DOF and the external
force in that direction.
For each substep, ANSYS iterates until the F L2 value is below the F CRIT value. Once
this occurs, it is deemed the solution is within tolerance of the correct solution and it moves
on to the next substep. Generally, when the curves peak this is the start of a new substep.
As can be seen in the graph above, a peak follow everytime the L2 value drops below the
CRIT value, as expected.

U of A ANSYS Tutorials - Buckling Page 1 of 14

UofA ANSYS Tutorial
Distributed Loading Buckling

NonLinear Analysis
Solution Tracking
NonLinear Materials
This tutorial was created using ANSYS 7.0 to solve a simple buckling problem.
Dynamic - Modal
It is recommended that you complete the NonLinear Tutorial prior to beginning this tutorial
Dynamic - Harmonic
Dynamic - Transient Buckling loads are critical loads where certain types of structures become unstable. Each load has an
associated buckled mode shape; this is the shape that the structure assumes in a buckled condition.
Thermal-Conduction There are two primary means to perform a buckling analysis:
Thermal-Mixed Bndry
1. Eigenvalue
Transient Heat
Eigenvalue buckling analysis predicts the theoretical buckling strength of an ideal elastic
Axisymmetric
structure. It computes the structural eigenvalues for the given system loading and constraints.
This is known as classical Euler buckling analysis. Buckling loads for several configurations are
readily available from tabulated solutions. However, in real-life, structural imperfections and
Index nonlinearities prevent most real-world structures from reaching their eigenvalue predicted
buckling strength; ie. it over-predicts the expected buckling loads. This method is not
recommended for accurate, real-world buckling prediction analysis.
Contributions
2. Nonlinear
Comments
MecE 563 Nonlinear buckling analysis is more accurate than eigenvalue analysis because it employs non-
linear, large-deflection, static analysis to predict buckling loads. Its mode of operation is very
Mechanical Engineering simple: it gradually increases the applied load until a load level is found whereby the structure
becomes unstable (ie. suddenly a very small increase in the load will cause very large
deflections). The true non-linear nature of this analysis thus permits the modeling of geometric
imperfections, load perterbations, material nonlinearities and gaps. For this type of analysis, note
that small off-axis loads are necessary to initiate the desired buckling mode.
ANSYS Inc.
Copyright © 2001
This tutorial will use a steel beam with a 10 mm X 10 mm cross section, rigidly constrained at the
bottom. The required load to cause buckling, applied at the top-center of the beam, will be calculated.

Eigenvalue Buckling Analysis


/PREP7
/title,Eigen-Value Buckling Analysis
3. Define Keypoints
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Keypoints > In Active CS ...
K,#,X,Y
We are going to define 2 Keypoints for this beam as given in the following table:
Keypoints Coordinates (x,y)

1 (0,0)
2 (0,100)
4. Create Lines
Preprocessor > Modeling > Create > Lines > Lines > In Active Coord
L,1,2
Create a line joining Keypoints 1 and 2
of freedom (translation along the X and Y axes, and rotation about the Z axis).

ii. Area moment of inertia IZZ: 833.333
iii. Total Beam Height HEIGHT: 10
This defines a beam with a height of 10 mm and a width of 10 mm.

Define Mesh Size
For this example we will specify an element edge length of 10 mm (10 element divisions along

the line).
Mesh the frame
LMESH,ALL

ANTYPE,0
Activate prestress effects
To perform an eigenvalue buckling analysis, prestress effects must be activated.
You must first ensure that you are looking at the unabridged solution menu so that you can select
Analysis Options in the Analysis Type submenu. The last option in the solution menu will either
be 'Unabridged menu' (which means you are currently looking at the abridged version) or
'Abriged Menu' (which means you are looking at the unabridged menu). If you are looking at the
abridged menu, select the unabridged version.
Select Solution > Analysis Type > Analysis Options
In the following window, change the [SSTIF][PSTRES] item to 'Prestress ON', which ensures the
stress stiffness matrix is calculated. This is required in eigenvalue buckling analysis.
Apply Constraints
Fix Keypoint 1 (ie all DOF constrained).
Apply Loads

Solution > Define Loads > Apply > Structural > Force/Moment > On Keypoints
The eignenvalue solver uses a unit force to determine the necessary buckling load. Applying a
load other than 1 will scale the answer by a factor of the load.
Apply a vertical (FY) point load of -1 N to the top of the beam (keypoint 2).
Solve the System

SOLVE
Exit the Solution processor
Close the solution menu and click FINISH at the bottom of the Main Menu.
FINISH
Normally at this point you enter the postprocessing phase. However, with a buckling analysis you must
re-enter the solution phase and specify the buckling analysis. Be sure to close the solution menu and re-
enter it or the buckling analysis may not function properly.
Define Analysis Type
Solution > Analysis Type > New Analysis > Eigen Buckling
ANTYPE,1
Specify Buckling Analysis Options
Select Solution > Analysis Type > Analysis Options
Complete the window which appears, as shown below. Select 'Block Lanczos' as an extraction
method and extract 1 mode. The 'Block Lanczos' method is used for large symmetric eigenvalue
problems and uses the sparse matrix solver. The 'Subspace' method could also be used, however it
tends to converge slower as it is a more robust solver. In more complex analyses the Block
Lanczos method may not be adequate and the Subspace method would have to be used.

Solve the System

SOLVE
Exit the Solution processor
Close the solution menu and click FINISH at the bottom of the Main Menu.
FINISH
Again it is necessary to exit and re-enter the solution phase. This time, however, is for an expansion
pass. An expansion pass is necessary if you want to review the buckled mode shape(s).
Expand the solution
Select Solution > Analysis Type > Expansion Pass... and ensure that it is on. You may have to
select the 'Unabridged Menu' again to make this option visible.
Select Solution > Load Step Opts > ExpansionPass > Single Expand > Expand Modes ...
Complete the following window as shown to expand the first mode
Solve the System

SOLVE
1. View the Buckling Load
To display the minimum load required to buckle the beam select General Postproc > List
Results > Detailed Summary. The value listed under 'TIME/FREQ' is the load (41,123),

which is in Newtons for this example. If more than one mode was selected in the steps
above, the corresponding loads would be listed here as well.
/POST1
SET,LIST
2. Display the Mode Shape
Select General Postproc > Read Results > Last Set to bring up the data for the last mode
calculated.
Select General Postproc > Plot Results > Deformed Shape
Non-Linear Buckling Analysis

Ensure that you have completed the NonLinear Tutorial prior to beginning this portion of the tutorial

/PREP7

/TITLE, Nonlinear Buckling Analysis
3. Create Keypoints
K,#,X,Y
We are going to define 2 keypoints (the beam vertices) for this structure to create a beam
with a length of 100 millimeters:

1 (0,0)
2 (0,100)
4. Define Lines

L,1,2
of freedom (translation along the X and Y axis's, and rotation about the Z axis). With only 3
degrees of freedom, the BEAM3 element can only be used in 2D analysis.

ii. Area Moment of Inertia IZZ: 833.333
iii. Total beam height HEIGHT: 10
This defines an element with a solid rectangular cross section 10 x 10 millimeters.
i. Young's modulus EX: 200e3

Define Mesh Size
Preprocessor > Meshing > Size Cntrls > Lines > All Lines...
For this example we will specify an element edge length of 1 mm (100 element divisions along
the line).
ESIZE,1
Mesh the frame
LMESH,ALL
Solution: Assigning Loads and Solving
Solution > New Analysis > Static

ANTYPE,0
Set Solution Controls
Select Solution > Analysis Type > Sol'n Control...
The following image will appear:

Ensure the following selections are made under the 'Basic' tab (as shown above)
A. Ensure Large Static Displacements are permitted (this will include the effects of large
deflection in the results)
B. Ensure Automatic time stepping is on. Automatic time stepping allows ANSYS to
determine appropriate sizes to break the load steps into. Decreasing the step size usually
ensures better accuracy, however, this takes time. The Automatic Time Step feature will
determine an appropriate balance. This feature also activates the ANSYS bisection feature
which will allow recovery if convergence fails.
C. Enter 20 as the number of substeps. This will set the initial substep to 1/20 th of the total
load.
D. Enter a maximum number of substeps of 1000. This stops the program if the solution does
not converge after 1000 steps.
E. Enter a minimum number of substeps of 1.
F. Ensure all solution items are writen to a results file.
Ensure the following selection is made under the 'Nonlinear' tab (as shown below)
A. Ensure Line Search is 'On'. This option is used to help the Newton-Raphson solver
converge.
B. Ensure Maximum Number of Iterations is set to 1000

NOTE
There are several options which have not been changed from their default values. For more
information about these commands, type help followed by the command into the command line.
Apply Constraints
Fix Keypoint 1 (ie all DOFs constrained).
Apply Loads
Place a -50,000 N load in the FY direction on the top of the beam (Keypoint 2). Also apply a -250
N load in the FX direction on Keypoint 2. This horizontal load will persuade the beam to buckle
at the minimum buckling load.
The model should now look like the window shown below.
Solve the System

SOLVE
The following will appear on your screen for NonLinear Analyses
This shows the convergence of the solution.
General Postprocessing: Viewing the Results
1. View the deformed shape
To view the element in 2D rather than a line: Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Style > Size and
Shape and turn 'Display of element' ON (as shown below).
General Postproc > Plot Results > Deformed Shape... > Def + undeformed
PLDISP,1

View the deflection contour plot

General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solu... > DOF solution, UY
PLNSOL,U,Y,0,1
Other results can be obtained as shown in previous linear static analyses.
Time History Postprocessing: Viewing the Results
As shown, you can obtain the results (such as deflection, stress and bending moment diagrams) the
same way you did in previous examples using the General Postprocessor. However, you may wish to
view time history results such as the deflection of the object over time.
1. Define Variables
Select: Main Menu > TimeHist Postpro. The following window should open
automatically.

If it does not open automatically, select Main Menu > TimeHist Postpro > Variable
Viewer
Click the add button in the upper left corner of the window to add a variable.
Double-click Nodal Solution > DOF Solution > Y-Component of displacement (as
shown below) and click OK. Pick the uppermost node on the beam and click OK in the
'Node for Data' window.
To add another variable, click the add button again. This time select Reaction Forces >
Structural Forces > Y-Component of Force. Pick the lowermost node on the beam and
click OK.
On the Time History Variable window, click the circle in the 'X-Axis' column for FY_3.
This will make the reaction force the x-variable. The Time History Variables window
should now look like this:

2. Graph Results over Time
Click on UY_2 in the Time History Variables window.
Click the graphing button in the Time History Variables window.
The labels on the plot are not updated by ANSYS, so you must change them manually.
Select Utility Menu > Plot Ctrls > Style > Graphs > Modify Axes and re-label the X and
Y-axis appropriately.
The plot shows how the beam became unstable and buckled with a load of approximately
40,000 N, the point where a large deflection occured due to a small increase in force. This
is slightly less than the eigen-value solution of 41,123 N, which was expected due to non-
linear geometry issues discussed above.



U of A ANSYS Tutorials - NonLinear Materials Page 1 of 8

UofA ANSYS Tutorial
Distributed Loading NonLinear Materials

NonLinear Analysis
Solution Tracking
NonLinear Materials
This tutorial was completed using ANSYS 7.0 The purpose of the tutorial is to describe how to include
Dynamic - Modal material nonlinearities in an ANSYS model. For instance, the case when a large force is applied resulting in a
stresses greater than yield strength. In such a case, a multilinear stress-strain relationship can be included
Dynamic - Harmonic which follows the stress-strain curve of the material being used. This will allow ANSYS to more accurately
Dynamic - Transient
model the plastic deformation of the material.
Thermal-Conduction
Thermal-Mixed Bndry
Transient Heat
Axisymmetric
Index
Contributions
Comments
MecE 563
For this analysis, a simple tension speciment 100 mm X 5 mm X 5 mm is constrained at the bottom and has a
load pulling on the top. This specimen is made out of a experimental substance called "WhoKilledKenium".
ANSYS Inc. The stress-strain curve for the substance is shown above. Note the linear section up to approximately 225 MPa
where the Young's Modulus is constant (75 GPa). The material then begins to yield and the relationship
becomes plastic and nonlinear.
Copyright © 2001
/title, NonLinear Materials
2. Create Keypoints
/PREP7
K,#,X,Y
We are going to define 2 keypoints (the beam vertices) for this structure to create a beam with a
length of 100 millimeters:

1 (0,0)
2 (0,100)
3. Define Lines

L,1,2
For this problem we will use the LINK1 (2D spar) element. This element has 2 degrees of freedom
(translation along the X and Y axis's) and can only be used in 2D analysis.
In the 'Real Constants for LINK1' window, enter the following geometric properties:

ii. Initial Strain: 0
This defines an element with a solid rectangular cross section 5 x 5 millimeters.
i. Young's modulus EX: 75e3

Now that the initial properties of the material have been outlined, the stress-strain data must be included.
Preprocessor > Material Props > Material Models > Structural > Nonlinear > Elastic > Multilinear
Elastic
The following window will pop up.
Fill in the STRAIN and STRESS boxes with the following data. These are points from the stress-
strain curve shown above, approximating the curve with linear interpolation between the points.
When the data for the first point is input, click Add Point to add another. When all the points
have been inputed, click Graph to see the curve. It should look like the one shown above. Then
click OK.
Curve
Strain Stress
Points
1 0 0
2 0.001 75
3 0.002 150
4 0.003 225

5 0.004 240
6 0.005 250
7 0.025 300
8 0.060 355
9 0.100 390
10 0.150 420
11 0.200 435
12 0.250 449
13 0.275 450
To get the problem geometry back, select Utility Menu > Plot > Replot.
/REPLOT
Define Mesh Size
Preprocessor > Meshing > Manual Size > Size Cntrls > Lines > All Lines...
For this example we will specify an element edge length of 5 mm (20 element divisions along the line).
Mesh the frame
LMESH,ALL
Solution: Assigning Loads and Solving
Solution > New Analysis > Static

ANTYPE,0
Set Solution Controls
Select Solution > Analysis Type > Sol'n Control...
The following image will appear:

Ensure the following selections are made under the 'Basic' tab (as shown above)
A. Ensure Large Static Displacements are permitted (this will include the effects of large deflection in
the results)
B. Ensure Automatic time stepping is on. Automatic time stepping allows ANSYS to determine
appropriate sizes to break the load steps into. Decreasing the step size usually ensures better
accuracy, however, this takes time. The Automatic Time Step feature will determine an
appropriate balance. This feature also activates the ANSYS bisection feature which will allow
recovery if convergence fails.
C. Enter 20 as the number of substeps. This will set the initial substep to 1/20 th of the total load.
D. Enter a maximum number of substeps of 1000. This stops the program if the solution does not
converge after 1000 steps.
E. Enter a minimum number of substeps of 1.
F. Ensure all solution items are writen to a results file. This means rather than just recording the data
for the last load step, data for every load step is written to the database. Therefore, you can plot
certain parameters over time.
Ensure the following selection is made under the 'Nonlinear' tab (as shown below)
A. Ensure Line Search is 'On'. This option is used to help the Newton-Raphson solver converge.
B. Ensure Maximum Number of Iterations is set to 1000
NOTE
There are several options which have not been changed from their default values. For more information
about these commands, type help followed by the command into the command line.
Apply Constraints
Fix Keypoint 1 (ie all DOFs constrained).
Apply Loads
Place a 10,000 N load in the FY direction on the top of the beam (Keypoint 2).
Solve the System


SOLVE
The following will appear on your screen for NonLinear Analyses
This shows the convergence of the solution.
General Postprocessing: Viewing the Results
1. To view the element in 2D rather than a line: Utility Menu > PlotCtrls > Style > Size and Shape and
turn 'Display of element' ON (as shown below).
2. View the deflection contour plot

General Postproc > Plot Results > Contour Plot > Nodal Solu... > DOF solution, UY
PLNSOL,U,Y,0,1

Other results can be obtained as shown in previous linear static analyses.
Time History Postprocessing: Viewing the Results
As shown, you can obtain the results (such as deflection, stress and bending moment diagrams) the same way
you did in previous examples using the General Postprocessor. However, you may wish to view time history
results such as the deflection of the object over time.
1. Define Variables
Select: Main Menu > TimeHist Postpro. The following window should open automatically.
If it does not open automatically, select Main Menu > TimeHist Postpro > Variable Viewer
Click the add button in the upper left corner of the window to add a variable.
Select Nodal Solution > DOF Solution > Y-Component of displacement (as shown below) and
click OK. Pick the uppermost node on the beam and click OK in the 'Node for Data' window.

To add another variable, click the add button again. This time select Reaction Forces >
Structural Forces > Y-Component of Force. Pick the lowermost node on the beam and click
OK.
On the Time History Variable window, click the circle in the 'X-Axis' column for FY_3. This will
make the reaction force the x-variable. The Time History Variables window should now look like
this:
2. Graph Results over Time
Click on UY_2 in the Time History Variables window.
Click the graphing button in the Time History Variables window.
The labels on the plot are not updated by ANSYS, so you must change them manually. Select
Utility Menu > Plot Ctrls > Style > Graphs > Modify Axes and re-label the X and Y-axis
appropriately.

This plot shows how the beam deflected linearly when the force, and subsequently the stress, was
low (in the linear range). However, as the force increased, the deflection (proportional to strain)
began to increase at a greater rate. This is because the stress in the beam is in the plastic range and
thus no longer relates to strain linearly. When you verify this example analytically, you will see
the solutions are very similar. The difference can be attributed to the ANSYS solver including
large deflection calculations.


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U of A ANSYS Tutorials - Bicycle Space Frame Page 1 of 18

ANSYS BASIC INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED POSTPROC. COMMAND PRINTABLE

Two Dimensional Truss

Bicycle Space Frame

Preprocessing: Defining the Problem

1. Give the Simplified Version a Title (such as 'Verification Model').

Utility Menu > File > Change Title

file://D:\A-Narender\mechanical\design lib\tutors\ANSYS TUTOR\2.htm 9/19/2008

From the 'ANSYS Main Menu' select:

Now pick keypoint #2. A permanent line will appear.

4. Define the Type of Element

It is now necessary to create elements on this line.

From the Preprocessor Menu, select: Element Type > Add/Edit/Delete.

Click on the 'Add...' button. The following window will appear:

file://D:\A-Narender\mechanical\design lib\tutors\ANSYS TUTOR\2.htm 9/19/2008

5. Define Geometric Properties

We now need to specify geometric properties for our elements:

In the Preprocessor menu, select Real Constants > Add/Edit/Delete

Enter the following geometric properties:

Outside diameter OD: 25

6. Element Material Properties

You then need to specify material properties:

In the 'Preprocessor' menu select Material Props > Material Models...

Close the 'Define Material Model Behavior' Window.

Set these properties and click on 'OK'.

Now the frame can be meshed.

9. Saving Your Work

Solution Phase: Assigning Loads and Solving

1. Define Analysis Type

Ensure that 'Static' is selected and click 'OK'.

file://D:\A-Narender\mechanical\design lib\tutors\ANSYS TUTOR\2.htm 9/19/2008

In the Structural menu, select Force/Moment > on Keypoints.

Click on the 'Direction of force/mom' at the top and select FY.

The force will appear in the graphics window as a red arrow.

4. Solving the System

We now tell ANSYS to find the solution:

Solution > Solve > Current LS

Postprocessing: Viewing the Results

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2. Results Using ANSYS

Select Plot Results > Deformed Shape.

For a more detailed version of the deflection of the beam,

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Click on 'OK' and close the 'Element Table Data' window.

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Again, select more appropriate intervals for the contour plot

List the Stresses

Bending Moment Diagrams

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Again, click 'Add...' in the 'Element Table Data' window.

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name item e Definition

Command File Mode of Solution

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R,1,25,2, ! Real Constant, Material 1, Outside Diameter, Wall thickness

Recall the geometry and dimensions of the bicycle frame:

Preprocessing: Defining the Problem

2. Give the Example a Title

3. Defining Some Variables

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where, each Abbreviation is representative of the following:

Keypoint, Reference number for the keypoint, coords x/y/z