Ansys Tutorial Mech 315

Creating the Geometry

In this tutorial we create a bracket using the dimensions defined by each users individual problem. The tutorial should be used in conjunction with the Modelling in Ansys guide. The general dimensions of the bracket are shown below.

Centre Line Applied loads on this edge

300 mm

100 mm

Offset
1000 mm

Before starting to create the geometry dont forget to set the element type, real constant and material property. The element type we are going to use is SHELL63. This is a four noded elastic shell element. Remember that real constants are element dependent properties. For SHELL63 elements the real constant applies thickness to the element. We can choose this information from the preprocessor menu. Clicking on element type brings up the following sub-menu.

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

In this menu by clicking on add we can define our elements types. Note that in the window above one element type has already been defined. By clicking on add a following element library menu appears.

The element library menu contains all the Ansys element types. Highlighting the required type and clicking on OK will define a particular type. Once element types have been defined, element dependent properties or real constants must also be defined. Again from our preprocessor menu, clicking on Real Constants brings up the following menu.

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

By clicking on the add button we can define real constants for our particular element type. The next menu prompts us for what element type we wish to attach the real constant to. In this tutorial the element type we want to attach the real constant to is SHELL63.

By clicking on OK, the data entry menu for SHELL63 appears.

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

In this tutorial we only need to entry the Shell thickness at node I. After you have defined the real constant click on OK. If you have problems finding the close button on the Real Constants menu stretch the menu downwards and click on close. Material properties are also defined from the preprocessor menu. Note that the material we wish to define is isotropic. The material property is defined using the data entry menu shown in the Ansys user interface guide. There are several ways in which we can tackle a problem like this in Ansys. One way is to create our plate from rectangular areas, create an area for the hole and then subtract our hole from the plate. The plate should be split into three sections. Each section should be the same length and height. The reason for doing this is so that there will be node points at the correct positions where we would like to put the load We create our rectangular areas by clicking on create Rectangle option on the preprecossor sub-menu create.

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

This brings up the following sub-menu giving us options for how we create our rectangle.

By clicking on the By Dimensions option the following data entry box appears.

From this we can put the size of the rectangle we wish to create. By repeating this operation we can produce the geometry of the plate.

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

Instead of creating lots of rectangles we could use the preprocessor copy or reflect commands. The logic of how to copy entities is explained next. Once we have created our first rectangle geometry, we can copy the areas, lines and keypoints to create the three rectangles forming the plate. Using the preprocessing menu and the clicking on copy brings up the following sub-menu.

By clicking on areas our standard pop-up menu appears.

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

Once you have selected your areas click on apply (or OK depending on your preference). The following data entry box should appear.

Note that the ITIME entry field defaults to the number two. This is the minimum number to create one copy. The ITIME number includes the original pattern set when deciding on how many copies are to be generated. To combine (merge) keypoints type nummrg,kpoi,0.01,0.01 in the Ansys input menu. This combines coincident keypoints so that nodal connectivity is maintained in the model. Once we have created our plate the next step is to create the hole. If we use the primitives option for creating the hole then we must move the working plane to our

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

hole centre. The working plane is a co-ordinate system that can be moved to any position in space. Primitives are always built on the x-y plane with z as the vertical axis. So by moving the working plane to the hole centre we can create a rectangle that has its centre orientated at the centre of the plate. To move the working plane, click on Working Plane from the Utility menu. The following sub-menu appears.

By clicking on Offset WP by Increments the following sub-menu appears. From this menu we can move the working plane either by translating the plane or by rotating the plane through a certain angle. In this tutorial we will only translate the working plane to the centre of the hole. Type the x and y offsets required in the X,Y,Z Offsets field. Note that a comma separates each offset dimension. In Ansys commas separate all input fields.

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

Click on OK to close the sub-menu. Again, using the preprocessor create sub-menu, by clicking on create area rectangle and by dimensions we can create our rectangle (making up the hole) as we did earlier. Note that the hole rectangle dimensions are defined by the users individual problem Select the hole area and click on OK. Plot the lines. You might get a yellow warning box like the one shown below when you try and select this area.

And the wrong area highlighted as shown below.

We can use the OK, Prev or Next buttons to toggle between the selections as shown below.

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

Once we have selected our correct area we click on OK on the yellow box and OK on the pop-up menu. Using Ansys select logic, select the lines that are attached to that area. Plot the lines. You should see a set of lines forming your rectangular area. From the preprocessor menu, click on delete and then areas. Do not click on areas and below as this will delete the area, the associated lines and keypoints. You will be prompted with the following pop-up menu.

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

10

Now we will create the fillets between the lines. From the preprocessor sub-menu create click on line fillets. Using the pop-up menu click on the lines you wish to create the fillet between (two lines maximum). After clicking on apply the following menu appears. Using this menu we can set the size of the radius.

By clicking on apply we can create all the necessary fillets. Eventually we should create an object that looks like the one shown in the figure below.

No we need to re-create the area. Using the preprocessor create area sub-menu and by clicking on by lines, we get the following pop-up menu.

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

11

Click on the lines in-turn and click-on OK. Ansys cannot create the area unless the lines are connected. If this is a problem, use the nummrg command outlined earlier. Once we have created the area, select all the entities using the Utility menu. We are now going to use boolean operations the preprocessor operate menu. Boolean operations are immensely powerful tools. They allow us to add, subtract, divide and glue entities together. By this method we can easily create complex geometry. Click on operate from the preprocessor sub-menu. Using the add option add the three original areas together. You will be prompted with a pop-up menu asking you what areas you want to add. Once you have done this click on the subtract option and subtract the hole from the areas you have just added together. You may get the yellow warning box again whilst doing this operation. Toggle between the options as described earlier. When you try and subtract the area you will be first prompted with a pop-up menu asking you which area do you want to subtract from (the base area). Click on the larger area and then apply. You will then be prompted for which area you want to subtract. Click on the hole area and OK. Eventually if you plot the lines you should get something similar to that shown below.

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

12

Meshing the Geometry

We must now mesh the geometry. Using the preprocessor mesh option the following sub-menu appears.

We wish to free mesh our areas so by clicking on Free the following sub-menu appears.

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

13

We can then pick the area and then click on OK. Using the utility menu plot function we can plot any entity that is selected. If we plot (or replot) the elements our finished structure should look like the one shown below.

The model should not contain more than 1500 elements. A model larger than this will not run in your account.

Loading and boundary conditions

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

14

Loads and constraints can be applied as described in the Modelling in Ansys tutorial. The loads should be applied at nodes on the right-hand edge of the plate. The nodes are 100 mm apart and equidistant around the centre line of the plate. The loading condition is 250 N at each node and perpendicular to the plane of the plate.

P
10 mm

P
100 mm

Loads, P are equal to 250 N

Constraints (boundary conditions) must be applied to the nodes at the left-hand edge of the plate. The plate is to be fully constrained at this point. Use Ansys select logic to select the nodes. Again, use the Modelling in Ansys tutorial to apply the constraints. Once the constraints have been applied make sure you select everything before proceeding further.

Solving of analysis
The analysis can be solved from the solution processor using solve current ls option in the solution processor.

Results scrutiny and postprocessing

In analysing the structural integrity of this bracket we need to know the maximum principal stress and the minimum principal stress on the plate and the Von Mises stress. Select the element surface you wish to look at by typing top or bottom before plotting the stresses in the plate.

Dr A Yoxall Department of Mechanical Engineering

15